Strange, no posts for quite a while. I'm relieved!
Yoshi, time to post DX #3. If you missed anything,
check out this site. It also has the manual, if
you're getting confused.
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/2098/fanfic.htm
jitou@geocities.com
*------------------------
The Dark Crucible
Mega Crossover
Episode 3 v1.1
"Darkness in the Heavens"
*------------------------
He rapped his hand across the wooden door, weary but
relieved that they had arrived at their destination. A brief
rustle could be heard from within the door, and it opened to
reveal a young man with long, dark hair bundled in a pony
tail, wearing a pair of eyeglasses.
"Konnichi wa... Ranma! What happened?" Dr. Tofu asked,
seeing the battered foursome before him.
"It's nothing really, Dr. Tofu. But someone here really
needs your help." Ranma, in Kyosuke's body, answered.
"Hmm, did you have a haircut, Ranma? And did you dye
your hair brown?"
"Uh..." Ranma-Kyosuke stuttered.
"Dr. Tofu!!! This is my good friend Kyosuke!" Kyosuke,
in Ranma's body, said.
"Ah, I see. But we must get the young lady in. She
looks like she needs help."
"Hai!"
Dr. Tofu ushered Ranma, Ryoga, Kyosuke and Madoka into
the tidy clinic. Betty-chan the skeleton was propped up in
her usual position, and the chairs were free. Dr. Tofu
seemed to be having a slow day.
"I don't have any other patients, so I can see to the
lady here. Why don't you three freshen yourselves over at
the washroom first?"
"Good idea." Ryoga said.
The three washed up as Dr. Tofu saw to Madoka, and in a
short while they were all gathered in Tofu-sensei's
reception room once more.
"Nothing seems to be wrong with her." Dr. Tofu said.
"The blow to her head wasn't serious, it's only a
concussion. She just needs some rest before going out again.
She'll be up and ready in a while, but I recommend that you
give her plenty of bed rest for a while."
"That's good to hear." Kyosuke said.
The four exchanged pleasantries while waiting for
Madoka to regain her strength, and Ranma and Kyosuke were
having a lot of trouble trying to avoid getting Tofu-sensei
suspicious. The good doctor raised a puzzled eyebrow
everytime Kyosuke-Ranma would raise his hand to the back of
his head and laugh, or when Ranma-Kyosuke would start
talking. He never mentioned anything, though. Much later...
"Arigato, Tofu-sensei." Kyosuke said as they left.
"What a nice man." Madoka noted, some bandages wrapped
around her head. Aside from feeling slightly light-headed,
she was quite fine. Kyosuke hovered about her protectively,
still quite concerned, which made Ryoga uneasy, seeing
Ranma's body fretting too much over yet another woman aside
from Akane or his other fiancees.
"He used to help me out a lot all the time, whenever
I'd get into a fight." Ranma said absently.
"Why, Kasuga-kun, I never knew that you used to live
around here!" Madoka said.
"Oh!!! Uh..." Ranma stuttered, realizing his mistake.
"One of those childhood things that you don't really
remember, eh? Hahahha..." Kyosuke lamely tried to cover up.
"How come you didn't mention this to Hikaru-chan and
I?" Madoka asked. "So, your family really came from here
before? Is that why you're coming back here? To pay a visit
to some relatives perhaps? You never did tell us."
"Uh, yeah!!! Somethin' like that." Ranma said.
Mercifully, a brilliant flash of light cut off any
further conversation for the already befuddled martial
artist. The four were astounded as the light filled their
vision, and as it faded away, two figures were left, looking
around at their surroundings with just a slight hint of
consternation.
"Who are those two?" Ryoga wondered.
"Where did they come from?" Kyosuke thought.
The two seemed to notice that their were four people
looking at them. One was a young lady, probably about
Akane's age, with long, raven-black hair that cascaded down
her back and dark, almond-shaped eyes. Her fair, almost
milky complexion and features, which were delicate and
refined, gave her a distinct, exotic beauty that decidedly
did not look Japanese. She wore a loose-fitting blouse about
her slender frame and a pair of jeans which clung to her
shapely legs. At her side was a slim, short blade with a
simple handle.
The other was more curious-looking than his companion.
He was a young man of about Ryoga's age, with finely-tanned
bronze skin and short, dark brown hair. He was dressed in a
white shirt overlaid by a dark brown vest, which matched his
pants. His somewhat well-fitting clothes accented his
slender frame. His fine features were masked somewhat by the
most curious aspect of his attire, a fine green-tinted visor
which covered his eyes with their opaque emerald-like
quality.
"Greetings." the lad with the visor offered.
"Who're you?" Ranma demanded.
"Hey, *Kasuga*, don't be so rude." Ryoga retorted.
Having travelled to so many places and seen so many things,
Ryoga was used to strange occurences and strange people.
These two people were strange, alright. They dressed funny,
they looked funny, and they probably had a lot of jokes to
tell. But Ryoga was used to that. Besides, he always liked
to get one in on Ranma.
"I'm Hibiki Ryoga." he said to the two newcomers.
"Well met." the visored lad replied. "I am Erwin
Epsilon."
"My name is Ghostliana Merd, although you can call me
Giel."
Ryoga might have nose-bled all over the place for all
the charm that Giel exuded. It's a good thing she wasn't
flirting with him, that marvelous voice that sounded like
such music to his ears, that coy smile which she flashed,
she was... indescribable. Ryoga wasn't sure what it was, but
there was a certain feeling about this girl that almost
drove him wild, almost as much as Akane did.
"I am Ayukawa Madoka," Madoka said, smiling brightly.
In spite of the fact that she had no idea who these two
were, she readily clasped Giel's hands in her own, as some
sort of feminine understanding that befuddled all men. "Your
hair is simply marvelous!"
"Thank you, Madoka!" Giel replied. "If it weren't for
that bandage, I'm sure your hair is just as rich and
vibrant!"
Ranma simply stared up into sky.
"Can you two teleport too, just like-" Ranma stopped
his sentence abruptly as Kyosuke elbowed him in the ribs.
*Oh, yeah. I can't let that little thing slip...*
"I had better explain the situation before any
misunderstandings occur." Erwin said. "Giel and I, uh, to
say, we aren't from this dimension." This raised quizical
looks from the four, but they listened on. "We're here
because, back home, we detected some strange disturbances,
in the form of dark energy, which seemed to be entering into
this dimension. Have you noticed any strange things lately,
like dark shadows or demonic creatures?"
"Have we!" Ryoga blurted. "We just got into a fight
with this huge, ugly, purple-skinned monster!"
"You don't say," Erwin said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, it was like, as big as a house, and it kept
comin' no matter how hard we hit it!" Ranma supplied.
"Erwin, this looks like the thing we're looking for."
Giel noted.
"Indeed." Erwin nodded.
"What are you looking for?" Madoka asked.
"We're here to investigate this matter of dark energy
moving into this dimension of yours. We have some experience
in these extra-dimensional matters, and from the data I've
analyzed, I'm worried that there might be a large invasion
of demonic entities into this dimension."
"Nani!?!" the four exclaimed.
*Could there be a connection with why my powers are
acting up?* Kyosuke wondered.
"This monster that you mentioned might be a precursor
of the coming invasion. It also serves to give credence to
my theory that a huge extra-dimensional invasion is
occuring. This could be very, very bad."
"Wait... you said that you were here to investigate the
matter." Madoka thought. "Are you working for some
organization on your world that looks into things like
this?"
"Well... you could say that." he mused. "But my
organization is comprised of only six people." he shrugged
sheepishly. "However, if I can come up with a strong case, I
might be able to call upon a friend from another dimension
who can send help. Then perhaps we can have some serious aid
shipped to this dimension, to deal with this demonic
threat."
"Then we will help in whatever way we can!" Ryoga
declared, feeling a certain compulsion to help these two
people in anyway he can, particularly the dark-haired lady.
"Whatever. This all sounds a little cheesy, if you ask
me." Ranma waved his hand. "I mean, dimensions and demons?
I've heard bedtime stories told better..."
"How dare you, S- er, Kasuga! This is very serious! How
can you possibly ignore all the strange things that have
happened?"
Before Ranma could give another biting retort, a
familiar voice broke the seriousness of the situations. *Oh,
no! Not now!* Ranma thought.
"Nihao, Ranma!" a purple-haired girl dressed in a pink
chinese dress suddenly appeared out of the air, riding a
bicycle and carrying two boxes with sliding panels in her
hands. At this highly unexpected and startling distraction,
perhaps more so than even the two inter-dimensional
travellers (by virtue of the bizzare bicycle and the purple
hair, probably), Kyosuke couldn't help but come close to
Madoka and glomp onto her arm (by virtue of
overprotectiveness for her current state, or perhaps from
his need to have a reassuring arm to hold onto because he
was feeling very, very confused right now).
While this ordinarily would be fine for Kyosuke to do,
this was no ordinary situation, primarily because Kyosuke
was in Ranma's body and vice-versa. Madoka looked slightly
startled at this, but she didn't pay it much heed. Shampoo,
on the other hand, upon seeing her beloved Ranma glomping
onto another woman, reacted in a very typical manner.
"What Ranma doing with bandage-head girl?" Shampoo
demanded. "You stay away from Ranma!" Shampoo threateningly
produced a large balloon-like mace, or bonbori, from
somewhere and waved it at Madoka.
The two newcomers were a bit taken aback at this. Giel,
having formed a certain kinship with Madoka, instantly leapt
to her defense. "Look, I don't know who you are or what you
want," she said, drawing her slim blade from her hip, "but
you had best act in a civilized manner or I might have to
teach you some manners." Sunlight glinted off her blade as
she brought it up to bear.
Shampoo narrowed her eyes at this slender girl who
dared speak up to an amazon. Before she could retort or do
anything, though, another cry pierced through the late
afternoon air.
"Stay away from my Shampoo! Don't you dare touch her!"
a pair of chains suddenly appeared from the sky, wrapping
around Shampoo and keeping her immobilized. A white flash
darted across the air and landed in the midst of the two
women. A young man with long black hair, wearing a white
chinese robe and a pair of glasses, regarded them
menacingly.
Kyosuke, Madoka, Giel and Erwin just stared dumb-
founded at the newcomer.
"I won't let you hurt Shampoo!" he declared to Shampoo,
who was busy fuming and otherwise attempting to resemble a
boiling tea kettle.
Mousse turned to Giel and said, "Don't worry,
Shampoo!!! I won't let them touch you!" Giel just raised her
eyes quizically as Mousse glomped onto her and began
spouting his devotions. Ranma and Ryoga just put their hands
to their faces in resignation.
Giel, starting to look like a tea kettle herself,
realized that his glasses weren't on his head. She tapped
her finger on them, sliding them into place before Mousse's
eyes. "Sh-Shampoo!? Since when was your hair black?"
Ryoga came over and twisted Mousse's head towards the
chained-up Shampoo. "Look, Mousse. That's Shampoo. Not Giel
over here."
"Stupid Mousse!" Shampoo fumed.
"AAAgggh!!" Mousse jumped away from Giel. "Don't worry,
Shampoo!!! I won't let her touch you! I'll save you yet!"
"Who save Shampoo from Mousse?" Shampoo wondered.
Mousse held out his hands towards Giel and fired
another volley of his chains. Giel, a bit surprised at the
turn of events stared almost dumbly at the incoming chains.
Before the chains reached her, though, Ryoga pushed her
aside, both of them landing together on the ground, Ryoga
facing Giel. Up close, Ryoga couldn't help it. His eyes
glazed and blood spurted from his nose.
"That does it!" Ranma declared. He was about to launch
into the air and beat some sense into Mousse when Kyosuke
stepped on his foot. Madoka, her back to the two, was
unaware of the silent exchange the two had as she was busy
watching the strange drama unfold before her.
Kyosuke gave Ranma a look that said, *Don't do anything
rash! We can't let anyone get suspicious that something is
wrong between the two of us!*
It didn't seem that Ranma needed to do anything,
though. As Ryoga pushed Giel aside, Erwin had not stood
idle. He leapt over to Mousse and delivered a sharp kick to
his side.
"Stop this! What's your problem, anyhow?" Erwin
demanded, falling into an easy stance.
Mousse shuffled a bit as he was thrown aside, moving
with the blow rather than taking it. He faced this new
threat. "What is this? So, another man has come to claim
Shampoo's heart from me! Stay out of this!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Erwin retorted.
"Stupid Mousse!" Shampoo shouted. "Go home!"
"Not until I save you from these punks, Shampoo!"
Mousse looked at Erwin appraisingly. "Behold, the terror of
the Hidden Weapons Technique!" from out of nowhere, Mousse
unleashed a wide barrage of knives at the visored youth.
Underneath his visor, Erwin's eyes narrowed. As fast as
Mousse had thrown the knives, the visored youth unleashed a
barrage of metal starblades, or shurikens, from his blurring
hands. Each shuriken intercepted a thrown knife, a clash of
metal on metal resounding as both thrown projectiles klinked
uselessly to the side.
One knife went on unchallenged, but Erwin merely
plucked it out of the air and examined it. "Finely weighted,
good balance. Excellent for throwing." With that, he flung
it back at Mousse.
"Hah, do you think that you can match your skill with
my superior technique?" Mousse declared, leaping over the
knife and producing a pair of sharp blades from his sleeves.
He began to slash and cut at his adversary without
reservation.
"Actually, I plan to copy your technique." Erwin stated
mysteriously amidst dodging the frantic slashes. "Once I
figure out how it works. Where *do* you keep all those
things? In your big mouth?"
"So, you think that my technique is a joke, eh? You
haven't even seen the last of it!" Mousse suddenly drove in
with more frantic slashes of his blades. Erwin, who had been
dodging and giving ground to Mousse's steady advance,
suddenly had to leap aside to avoid being hit.
Several cuts appeared on his sleeves, and a trace of
blood appeared on a cut on his cheek.
"Now, that was just a bit excessive." He said
impassively, wiping the blood from his cheek.
"Hah! I have you now!" Mousse took advantage of his
opponent's momemtary vulnerability to throw his chains
again. Erwin fell back into his stance, but as he did, the
chains wrapped around his arms and he was immobilized.
Mousse held the ends of the chains in his hands, gripping
them tight and pulling, strengthening his hold over his
adversary.
"Hardly." Erwin said calmly. He suddenly shifted his
stance, and quickly raised his leg to wrap it around the
chains. Pivoting on one leg, he pulled on the chains sharply
as he brought his leg backwards and down to the ground,
bringing the unsuspecting Mousse towards him.
As his entwined foot touched the ground, he used it to
launch himself into the air and, as Mousse fell towards him,
he raised his other free foot up in a vicious upward swipe
which caught Mousse squarely against his jaw.
Before Mousse could do anything but reel away from the
stunning blow, the still-chained youth landed, pivoted on
one foot, and swept into a circle, landing three straight
alternating roundhouse kicks, round and round, to Mousse's
jaw, in the exact same spot each time.
Without letting up, Erwin did something that Ranma
never thought he'd see with kicks. After recovering from the
three straight 360 degree spins, the agile fighter raised
one foot to Mousse's face and, in a flurry of movement,
delivered a series of kicks to Mousse's face. In a span of a
few seconds, ten, twenty, literally dozens of kicks blasted
Mousse's jaw in the same spot.
Mousse fell to the ground, letting go of his chains,
unconscious.
"Who is this fool, anyhow?" Erwin demanded, shrugging
off the chains which just seconds ago had seemed to bind him
helplessly.
Kyosuke, Madoka, Shampoo, and the nose-bleeding Ryoga
just stared at him incredulously. Giel just smiled.
*He ain't half bad...* Ranma thought.
***
"Darling!" came the cry that rang across the ravaged
park. "Darling!"
Amidst the torn land, broken statues and uprooted
trees, a young girl with short brown hair was rummaging
around, searching. "Where is Darling?" she looked around,
taking notice of the ruined park.
"I left them here just a while ago..."
***
A strange pilgrimage wound its way up the steep
mountain trail. In the fading light of the setting sun, they
trudged endlessly, one goal in mind. There were four of
them... two men and two girls, and they were carrying hiking
packs and heavy clothing. They looked well-equipped for a
trek in the mountains.
"Grandpa, can't we just teleport to the cabin?" one of
the hikers, a Japanese girl with a pouting face and long
brown hair, asked.
"No, Kurumi. The energies on this mountain are
unstable, and there's no telling where we might end up in.
We've been having enough trouble as it is." another replied,
this one an old man, balding but with traces of white hair
and a mustache.
"But it's so tiring!" Kurumi complained.
"But Kurumi, even if we could teleport, that would mean
we'd be leaving dad behind." the other girl, with long black
hair tied in pigtails and wearing glasses, reasoned. Kurumi
just huffed. Sometimes, her sister Manami could be so darn
sensible.
Coming up behind the pair was a man possibly in his
thirties, with short black hair, a mustache and glasses. He
was huffing from the unacustomed strain. Takashi might not
have been having his midlife crisis just yet, but he was by
no means in great shape.
"Well, it's his fault that he can't teleport or use
telekenesis to make his backpack lighter!" Kurumi pouted.
"Come on now," Grandpa said, "it's getting dark, but
the cabin's not far away. We should get there before the sun
sets, but only if we stop squabbling and keep going."
"Hai."
As they continued to resume their pace, however, a
brilliant flash of light filled the area, and the four were
forced to shield their eyes from the glare. As the light
died down, however, they saw a charred area somewhere up the
slope, smoke rising slowly from the dead trees.
"What was that?" Manami asked.
"Let's go see!" Kurumi said excitedly, already running
up the slope.
"Wait!" Grandpa said. "It could be dangerous!"
"Wait!" Takashi said. "I'm tired!"
Kurumi came up to the charred site, but she stopped
short as soon as she came into the distance. "Oh..."
The others caught up to her and saw what had caused her
to stop and stare. In the blackened field were seven people.
They were dressed strangely, the two men and the five women,
and all of them seemed to be unconscious. Their peculiar
clothing was blackened somewhat, but they themselves seemed
to be in good condition. They simply seemed to be asleep.
"Oh, how kawaii!!" Kurumi suddenly said, picking up a
odd-looking cat from the ground. She looked at the cat, who
had tan-colored fur and a white underbelly. It had a curious
mane of orange hair. Its bright beady eyes stared at her,
almost expectantly, as she held it up to her face.
"He sort of looks like a thinner Jingoro." Manami
noted.
"Kawaii!!!" the cat suddenly spoke.
"AAAHHHH!!!!" Kurumi screamed, letting go of the
strange talking cat.
The cat fell to the ground and walked over to one of
the unconscious men. This one had spiky hair and was dressed
in a white flowing robe. "Makoto! Help Makoto!" the cat
nudged.
"And I thought I'd seen `em all." Grandpa said.
***
The dark cavern was filled with a soft light. It was,
however, a light that was not a light, and it shed a glow
that did little to alleviate the gloom, but rather seemed to
accentuate it. The deep foreboding quality of the place
seemed to be a tangible thing, creeping around in the
darkness like a living entity.
A huge lumbering figure strode the the expansive
cavern. Each step it took shook the hall with its thunderous
mass and power. On it strode, coming to rest in what might
have been the center of the huge subterranean passage.
Across from it was a majestic, yet horrific, throne of jet
black, an enormous structure of some strange, gleaming black
substance that rose to the heights of the cavern, lost in
the distance within the dark shadows overhead.
Upon the throne sat a figure, masked in darkness and
shadow, unseen to the eyes of mortal men. A deathly hand,
protruding from a robe of the blackest black, lay on its
side at the handrest of the throne. It was white, yet it was
black, it was all colors, it was none. The hand swirled and
faded, in the reality of this world, and at the approach of
the large figure before it, it tensed in anticipation.
"MASTER," the huge behemoth rumbled, in that voice that
told of rock crushing upon rock, of metal screeching against
metal, of thunder blasting mountains apart.
"Darguro," came a deathly voice from the depths of the
shadows.
The eyes of the Darguro flared suddenly in its
darkness, the primordial fire which burned in them reaching
a pinnacle of `unbrilliant' power. The monster raised a
massive hand, and a huge glowing ball of darkness came forth
in the gigantic palm, humming steadily, stronger and
stronger, darker and darker. Without a word, the ball of
darkness shot forward, towards the throne, and just as it
was about to impact, it ran a sharp 90 degree angle and
burst upwards, crashing into the unseen ceiling.
As it disappeared into the unfathomable darkness, a
sharp clapping of sound with no sound occured, as if two
massive hands had been clapped together, with no one to hear
it. A soft `glow' emitted from the ceiling, and the vague
dark outline of a series of crystalline formations throbbed
eerily from the shadows of the ceiling.
"You have done well, Darguro," came the voice from the
throne. "Leave, and take your position in your lair. I shall
be able to perform the summons now."
"AS YOU WILL," came the thundering reply as the huge
behemoth turned around and left the cavern.
***
The schoolyard was littered with the corpses of charred
and dead demons, giving the late afternoon a gruesome cast.
On the field of battle stood a woman, whose hair was as
golden as the setting sun, her blue eyes gleaming with rage.
She was breathing irately, not from weariness, but from
anger. Also upon the field lay a stricken youth, prone on
the ground, regarding the woman almost distressingly, his
hand grasping at the dirt.
*Who is she?!* Charles thought, distressed. *What have
I gotten myself into?* His fist clenched at his side. *She
does not seem to be malevolent, but that aura of evil...?*
"Charles, are you alright?" his wiry companion, Allan,
asked. He kept a good distance from the fuming woman.
"Yeah... sure..." the paladin muttered absently,
getting to his feet.
The three men who came through the red gate went over
to the lady.
"Good show, milady!"
"Great moves if I ever say it!"
"Excellent kick, if I do say so myself."
"SHUT UP!!!" she screamed at the three. The triumvirate
were quickly taken aback, sweat popping across their brows.
"I still don't see why she's so upset." the brown-
mustached platemail guy muttered to his two compatriots.
Ukyo and Akane went over to the group, thousands of
questions going through their heads. What had happened? Who
were these people? Why were demons infesting their school?
Not in the least were they wondering how Kuno was doing on
his all-expenses paid trip to the stratosphere.
"Can someone tell me what is going on?" Akane demanded,
just a little peeved at all the going arounds.
The blond girl retrieved her sword with a gesture of
her hand and replaced it on her back.
*That sword!* Charles thought. *So that's the evil
which I have been sensing.*
She looked at Akane steadily with her clear blue eyes,
causing Akane to flinch involuntarily.
"I am the Avatar." She said, brushing her hair back
with a stroke of her hand. As if that meant anything to
them.
"Uh, yeah." Charles said, butting into the
conversation. "What exactly is an Avatar?"
She glared at him. "Someone more virtuous than this
paladin-junk you're spouting."
"Take that back, knave! A paladin strives to uphold
Truth, Justice and Honor at all times!"
"Don't confuse the Three Principles with the Eight
Virtues." she retorted.
"Let's hold on a minute here and start from the
beginning, shall we?" Ukyo tactfully interrupted. "There,
isn't it better when we don't bite each others heads off?"
The Paladin and the Avatar traded glares of ice.
"Ooh, touchy." Allan muttered.
"Let's start off with introductions," Ukyo dared tread.
"I am Kuonji Ukyo, an okonomiyaki chef studying at this
school. I also run Ucchan's, an okonomiyaki restaurant
downtown."
"What's an okominaki?" Allan asked.
"That's okonomiyaki, you heathen swine." Ukyo snarled.
"It's sort of like a Japanese pizza." Akane supplied.
"Oh, why didn't you say so! When do we go to your
restaurant? I'm famished!"
"Later, sugar."
"I'm Tendo Akane, a martial artist at the Tendo
Training Hall. I also study here."
"This school seems to attract some unsavory
characters..." Allan quipped, eyeing the charred remnants of
the demons.
"And just what do you mean by that!?" Akane fumed.
"Uh, nothing!!!" Allan chirped.
"I am Charles Tyler." Charles said, still eyeing the
Avatar. "I am the latest in a long line of Paladins from
Ridgefield. That's a small valley back home."
"Where exactly did you guys come from, anyhow?" Akane
asked.
"We're from Reganor, a dimension very similar to this
one." he continued. "We came here to investigate some very
strange dark energy readings." he shifted his glance back to
the Avatar. "I saw the evil of your sword, madam. Perhaps
you would be better-advised to rid yourself of that filth."
"Everyone's a critic." a deep voice echoed from the
Avatar. The blue gem on the hilt of her sword, visible over
her shoulder, pulsed and throbbed with light as the words
came forth.
"Holy-" Allan gasped as Ukyo, Akane and Charles
started.
"A talking sword..." Charles mused.
"I would not worry too much about the sword." she
continued. "Arcadion obeys my commands, and follows my will.
You needn't worry about him."
"Evil knows its own." Charles spat.
The edge deepened further in her eyes as she met the
paladin's gaze once again.
"Uh, why don't we all have an okanomayaki at Ucchan's,
eh?" Allan lauged nervously. "By the way, I am Allan
MacGyver, your typical cool dude back home at Reganor. You
girls really should go there sometime! You'll get to meet
all sorts of great guys..."
"If you're a prime specimen, I can just see how
charming it must be." Ukyo said.
"Hey, we're pretty decent over at Reganor! This foul
miscreant seeks to befoul our lineage!" Charles protested,
fingering Allan poignantly.
"I don't need this," the Avatar said with just a hint
of contempt, stalking away from them. "Dupre, Shamino, Iolo,
let's go."
"Uh, hold on, milady! Are you sure this is wise?" the
platemailed man said, going after the Avatar. He proceeded
to try to talk to her whilst she stalked towards the school
gate.
"Uh, pardon milady the Avatar there," the old man said
to them. "I think she was upset by that small, uh,
misunderstanding with the young lord here," he nodded to
Charles, "and the one she sent into the sky."
"Yeah, Charles!!! What perverted thing were you
thinking, going for her chest like that?" Allan accused.
"It's not like that!" Charles scowled. "How was I
supposed to know she was a girl?"
"Anyway, I am Iolo, a bard and bowsmith of some reknown
back in Britannia." the old man continued, stroking his full
white beard.
"And I," the blond-haired man in green said, "am
Shamino, a warrior making my way through life in Britannia
with the Avatar. The other guy over there who's trying to
talk sense into her worship is Dupre, a drunken sot who
spends his time playing as a knight for Lord British."
"Britannia?" Charles cocked an eye brow.
"Lord British?" Akane wondered.
"We were sent here by Lord British, on a quest to
determine the cause of several strange disturbances in the
Ether." Iolo said.
"Uh, yeah. You know, this is all getting really
confusing." Akane said.
"You said it." Ukyo agreed.
"It seems that we both share a reason for being here."
Charles said to Iolo. "My friend and I here are also
investigating this matter of `dark energy' in this
dimension. I presume that we are talking about the same
thing here. Perhaps we can help each other out..."
"You'll have to take it up with her ladyship..." Iolo
said.
As it happened, Dupre had managed to convince the
Avatar of the merits of returning back to the befuddled
group of people huddled in the school yard. How he managed
it is a mystery, considering his aptitude more for drink and
breaking bones than diplomacy, but here was the Avatar,
looking Charles eye-to-eye once more. Only now did Charles
realize how tall she was; few people could look him almost-
in-the-eye on level ground.
"Look here, Charles." she said. "I realize that we
might have some mutual interests here in this world. Now, I
know we got off to a bad start, so I'm going to try to keep
my cool here, okay?"
"Likewise." Charles replied.
"But if you ever, ever do *that* again..." she said
through clenched teeth. No one needed to ask what she meant
by *that*.
"Of course." Charles agreed, not backing down on that
stare. Allan could just feel the tension here; it was
crackling in the air. "I'm sorry for the slight
misunderstanding earlier on."
"Good!!!" Ukyo said. "Now that we're all friends now,
why don't we go someplace else? This schoolyard is really
very bleak-looking right now, you know."
"Not only that, but there are more creatures than the
ones littered across the grounds." Shamino said, eyes
narrowed. "I thought I heard something to the west earlier,
and I've been seeing some shadowy shapes in those
buildings."
True enough, Akane looked and saw some shadowy figures
in the school. Everyone seemed to have fled already, and in
the late afternoon it seemed that the surrounding area was
quite desolate.
"We'd better go to the dojo. It's going to be dark
soon, and I don't think any of you have a place to stay."
Akane offered.
"Don't worry about us." the Avatar said. "We're used to
roughing it out in the wild."
"But milady!" Dupre protested. He leaned close to her
ear. "Think of all the good food and drink we'll be missing!
Suren-"
The Avatar crashed her fist into Dupre's head.
"Dupre, be a dear and pick up my armor, will you?"
"Yes, Avatar." Dupre said meekly, going over to pick up
the pieces of armor she had discarded in her fight with the
Paladin.
"Avatar," Iolo pleaded, "we haven't the slightest idea
of what we're up against, in a world we know nothing about.
I really think we should accept her invitation."
"Very well. It seems that we should leave before this
place gets dark. I have a feeling things will be getting
ugly here when the sun sets, and we have no place to go
anyhow. The dojo would be as good a place as any to start.
Are you sure it's alright?" she asked Akane.
"Oh, I'm sure my sister Kasumi can whip something up
for everyone!" Akane said. "Besides, it's the least I can
offer for you saving us from those... things."
"I'll go along and help with the cooking." Ukyo
offered.
"Arigato, Ukyo!" Akane agreed.
"Hmm, the twilight is almost upon us." Shamino said.
"We should get going."
"Hey, if anything bad tries to jump us, you can handle
it like the way you burned all these creeps, right?" Akane
asked, gesturing towards the burned corpses around them.
"Actually, I'm not very sure anymore." the Avatar
replied.
"Why is that?" Ukyo asked.
"I'll explain along the way..."
***
The six had arrived at the gates of the Tendo dojo.
After a short stop-over at Tofu-sensei's to tend to Mousse
and Erwin's "battle scars", the six over to the Tendo dojo
and Shampoo and Mousse left for the Nekohanten. There was a
lot of strange things hapening, and from Ranma's experience,
the best place to sort things out was at a conference in the
dojo. He invited Erwin and Giel over, as well as Kyosuke and
Madoka, especially since he *was* in Kyosuke's body right
now. Although Madoka insisted that they should return to the
hotel because Hikaru-chan was all alone, Ranma and Kyosuke
managed to persuade her that they could call from the hotel
from the dojo. Reluctantly, Madoka agreed.
Kasumi opened the door at Kyosuke's knock.
"Oh, Ranma-kun! I see that you've brought some guests."
"Uh, yeah..." Kyosuke replied. He really thought that
this was a very strange situation. He wanted to get back
into his body.
The six entered into the dojo to find a panda and a man
in a brown gi playing some sort of board game.
"Interesting," Erwin remarked, "I never knew that
pandas were so smart."
"Where did you get a panda?" Madoka asked Kyosuke.
"From China?"
"Uh, yeah!" Kyosuke replied. Ranma just slapped his
head with his hand.
"Father, Ranma brought over some guests." Kasumi
announced.
Soun looked up from his game and regarded the six
newcomers. "Ah, Ryoga, I see you've come to pay another
visit. But Ranma, who are the others?"
"Uh, this is Kasuga Kyosuke and Ayukawa Madoka."
Kyosuke said, referring to Ranma and Madoka. "They're from
out of town..."
*What'll he say about us?* Giel thought. *Out of this
world?*
"And this is Erwin Epsilon and Ghostliana Merd."
Kyosuke half-stammered.
"Good afternoon, sir." they all said.
"Will you be staying for dinner?" Kasumi asked.
"Uh..."
Before anything else could happen, a flash of purple
whizzed across the room, punctuated by a quick scream from
Madoka.
"Get it off me!!!" Madoka was scrambling over a strange
old man, no more than 2 feet in height and dressed in
purple, who was currently fastened onto her chest.
*POW* A quick blow from Ranma sent the old geezer
flying.
*Oh, I never knew Kyosuke could fight so well...*
Madoka thought.
"What the hell was that?" Kyosuke asked.
"Ranma, my boy. How dare you forget your master." the
old geezer said, jumping back onto Ranma's head, knocking
his pipe hard onto Kyosuke, or in this case, Ranma's head.
"Oh, the sadness of it all," Soun wailed, grasping his
fist tight before him.
*The boy's memory has faded from the horror of the
master,* said the sign which the panda raised.
Ranma and Ryoga big-sweated.
"Just what is going on here?" Giel asked.
"Sweeto!" the old man lunged from Kyosuke's head
towards Giel-
-and was caught by the forehead in Erwin's swift hand.
"What have we here?" Erwin mused, studying the
shriveled specimen of an old man he held before him. A soft
whirring could be heard, and a close observer would have
noticed that the whirring, punctuated by several soft beeps,
was coming from the visor which Erwin wore.
"It looks like we've found one of our demons." Erwin
said to Giel, holding the little geezer clinically before
him. "I sense a lot of negative energy from this little
creature. It seems to bear resemblance to the legendary
tengu(1) from ancient folklore."
"Just who are you calling a demon, kiddo?" the old man
demanded. Before Erwin could react, the old man smacked his
pipe onto Erwin's wrist. The seemingly innocuous blow forced
Erwin to let go, however, and in the breadth of a second,
the youth lay dazed on the floor, the old man standing on
his chest triumphantly.
"I am Happosai, undisputed master of the Anything Goes
School of Martial Arts!"
"Not to mention the most evil martial artist in the
world," Soun said, as an aside.
*And the greatest pervert,* panda said.
"What was that?" Happosai cocked an eye at the two.
"Nothing, master!!" Soun and panda instantly grovelled,
doing an obeisance on the floor.
A hand shot out and grabbed Happosai by the throat.
"Now, look here, you little freak..." Erwin said,
getting up, but was cut off as soon as Happosai miraculously
landed a foot in Erwin's face and somersaulted off.
*And so it begins...* Ranma thought gloomily, angry
that he didn't dare do anything to give away his and
Kyosuke's identity switch.
Just then, the door rang. Kasumi excused herself to see
who it was. As Kasumi exited, a girl with short-cut brown
hair entered, holding a bag of junkfood. She looked at the
visitors quizically.
"Who are your friends, Ranma?" Nabiki asked.
Kyosuke was just wondering dumbly when Ranma nudged him
quite forcibly from behind, "Huh!? Oh, yeah! We ran into
some big ugly creature earlier today and we met up with
these guys..." Kyosuke quickly introduced them all, and he
related what had happened earlier.
"Very interesting..." Nabiki said, her eyes narrowing
slightly in that interesting way of hers.
At this point, Kasumi returned with some new arrivals.
"Oh, father, Akane has returned, and she's brought some
guests."
*Nani? Akane's back already?* Ranma sweats, looking at
Kyosuke, who was just looking around nonchalantly. *Poor
guy... I wish I could have warned him, but it's too late
now...*
Akane and her rag-tag ensemble enter. Several things
happen at this juncture.
"Ranma, you jerk!!! How could you leave us to face
those demons alone!!" Akane fumed as soon as she entered.
"Huh? Oh, well, um, I'm sorry, I guess..." Kyosuke
stammers.
*Nani?* Akane freezes in her step, *Why is he being so
nice to me?*
"Ranchan!" Ukyo glomps onto Kyosuke's arm, bringing
Akane once again to her normal demeanor. "Who's your
friend?" she asks, indicating Ranma. "He almost looks like
you!"
"Hahhahaha! It's funny, isn't it!" Kyosuke said
stupidly, not knowing what else to do, rubbing his hand
across the back of his head.
"...." went Ranma.
Charles and Allan take note of the new cast of
characters before them, and spot two people of particular
interest.
"Leader man! Lady," Allan says, rushing over to Erwin
and Giel. "Boy, am I glad to see you two!"
Erwin cocks an eye questioningly at the unsuspected
appearance of his two comrades.
"Ah, my friends, it is good that you are both well."
Charles said.
"You guys know these people?" Akane asked Allan.
"Of course." Allan said. "People like myself do tend to
get around, you know..."
"Stuff it," Charles said, "we really have some
explaining to do-"
"Baby! Where've you been all my life!" Happosai cried,
heading at light speed towards the tall blond lady who
walked in.
*GLOMP.*
All the bystanders could only watch and stare as the
room was suddenly lit by a very fierce looking red aura. The
source of the aura seemed to be the *very* annoyed looking
Avatar, nestling a very content looking Happosai buried in
her bossom.
Unlike Madoka, who was caught by surprise by the old
pervert (not normally being used to such attacks by
monsters), the Avatar had been born and bred through combat,
and she was *very* used to dealing with monsters and old
demons alike.
"I think we should take cover now." Dupre mumbled.
"Methinks you are right." Iolo agreed.
"Let us go." Shamino moved.
A flash of purple once more whizzed across the room,
but this time flying outwards in the opposite direction. The
Avatar held her fist up, still glowing that awful red aura.
She seemed to be in intense concentration.
"A feisty little girl!" Happosai sprang back,
oblivious.
"DIE!!!" the Avatar shouted, drawing her Black Sword
before her. The blue gem on its guard flared angrily, almost
anticipatingly, and as Happosai halved the distance between
himself and the Avatar, a seering gout of flame sprung from
the gem.
Everyone cringed in fear as the fiery red aura slowly
dissipated, and a very charred Happosai was left hanging,
eyes blinking in surprise and... pain?
"Stupid pervert..." the Avatar mumbled, putting her
sword away as Happosai crumbled away to the floor.
"Oh my, it seems that we have quite a number of guests
tonight," Kasumi noted conchalantly, "I should go shopping
then."
"You'll need to bring some extra money, then." Nabiki
said crisply, taking in the size of the crowd assembled in
the living room.
"Oh Saotome-kun, why must our expenses always exceed
our means?" Soun wailed into the panda's fur, doing a
fountain impression. Panda just big-sweated.
The Avatar glared at Dupre. "You and your big stomach.
Now we're imposing on our host." she mumbled fiercely at the
stalwart knight.
"Eh, heh heh heh..." Dupre stammered.
"If I may, I would like to share the burden of the
expenses." she said out loud. "I would not want to impose
upon our gracious hosts."
"Oh, it's no problem, really. We're quite used to it."
Kasumi said sweetly. Nabiki looked like she wanted to
strangle her sister.
"No, I insist. It is the duty of a champion of virtue!"
she said this fiercely, proudly, poignantly. Actually, she
said it with a side glare at the Paladin. Charles returned
that glare bit for bit, raising his chin to match hers.
Erwin didn't miss the exchange.
"Dupre, give our hostess your allowance." the Avatar
said perfunctorily.
"But Avatar!" Dupre whined, aghast. "Why must I
shoulder the expenses-"
The Avatar gave him a glare like daggers.
*Ulp* Dupre fidgeted, "Yes, Avatar." he opened a pouch
and took out some coins, which he placed in Kasumi's hand.
"Oh, my!"
The glint was unmistakable.
"Isn't this-" Kasumi said, holding a coin to the light.
"Gold!" Nabiki said, awestricken.
"Saotome-kun! Our financial worries are over!" Soun and
panda stood up, dancing a jig. Soun did an impression of a
waterfall as panda waved around a sign saying, *Happy Day!*
The Avatar big-sweated.
"Wait," Charles spoke, "with all the evil befouling the
streets of this fair district, you must have an escort. As a
paladin of holy standing, I cannot allow you to brave the
potential dangers alone!" He said this righteously with a
smile, a sparkle glinting off his teeth. Actually, he said
this with a side glare at the Avatar. The Avatar just
sniffed. Nabiki cocked her eye at this.
"Oh, arigato!" Kasumi smiled pleasantly. She took
Charles' arm as she headed out the door. "Besides, I don't
think I'll be able to carry all the groceries."
"Dupre, Shamino, why don't you two go along as well."
the Avatar did not so much as request as she comman- <ahem>
suggested.
"Yes, Milady," the two said.
"I'll come too!" Ukyo said. "I'll need to get some of
the ingredients for my recipes."
*If Akane sees how noble and responsible I am
protecting her sister, she'll fall all over me,* Ryoga
thought. {He saw himself beating monster after monster in
front of Kasumi, who said, "Oh my!" Upon their return, Akane
ran out of the dojo, flowers falling all around.
"Oh, Ryoga!" Akane said, falling into his arms. "You're
so strong and brave!"
"Don't worry, Akane," Ryoga said, holding her gently in
his arms. "I'll keep you safe forever and ever."
"Ryoga..."}
Ryoga clenched fist as he closed his eyes.
"I, Hibiki Ryoga, shall also come along to defend your
honor, Tendo Kasumi!"
Ranma rolled his eyes.
"Why, that's so sweet of you, Ryoga!" Kasumi said.
"Really nice of you, kiddo. Come on!" Ukyo added,
taking him in her arm. The six headed out the door.
Suddenly, the ash at their feet regrouped and launched
itself at Giel.
"Come to papa!" Happosai screamed.
Unfortunately for Happosai, the newcomers were becoming
well-acquainted with his antics. Giel's fist sent Happosai
flying through the roof.
"That was a good punch!" Akane complimented. "I'm
Akane. Do you practice martial arts?"
"A little. Oh, and I'm Giel." she smiled back.
"Maybe you'd like to spar with me at the dojo."
"That would be great!"
"What an excellent idea!" Soun said. "You should all go
to the dojo and practice your skills. If all this monster
business is to be resolved, you must all keep at the top of
your form." Of course, Soun was also wondering where and how
to entertain all his guests. The dojo would be a good place
to keep them all until dinner.
"I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting
day." Nabiki mumbled sarcastically.
***
The dojo was filled more than usual today. Fortunately,
it was designed to handle a large class of students, and
eight people did not exactly make the training hall crowded.
Akane and Giel were busy sparring unarmed at one side, while
Erwin and the Avatar were fighting in the other. Everyone
else (Ranma, Kyosuke, Allan and Iolo) was basically just
lazing around watching them fight. Madoka had excused
herself to make a phonecall. Hikaru-chan might be worried,
after all.
Giel and Akane were basically trading punches and doing
great footwork. Both were wearing white training gis kept in
the dojo. It was a good battle between two more or less
evenly matched fighters, although Giel seemed to be quicker
and Akane seemed to be throwing more forceful strikes. The
battle on the other side, however, was a different matter
entirely.
"So, you're the Demon Sword, eh?" the Avatar said to
her opponent. "The Paladin mentioned you to me."
"And what exactly did my righteous friend tell you?"
Erwin asked, light glinting off his green visor.
"Nothing really. Except that you were a good fighter."
"We shall see." the Demon Sword fell into a ready
stance, hands held open in a claw-like manner. The two faced
each other warily, trying to find some opening in the
other's defenses. They, too, were dressed in white training
gis. The Black Sword lay in a corner of the dojo.
"Don't you ever take off those glasses of yours?" the
Avatar said, edging her way nearer the Demon Sword. "They
might break if your opponent delivers a good blow to your
face."
"Not really. It has its uses, and it's not as fragile
as you might think."
"If you say so." the Avatar actually appreciated his
opponent's tactic. With the dark green visor obscuring his
eyes, she had to rely on his body movements in order to read
his intentions. She usually relied on her opponent's eyes.
*Still, that tint, as well as the shape of the lens, should
impair his vision enough to make up for that advantage,* she
thought.
Unable to determine what her opponent was up to, she
decided to test his skill by forcing confrontation. She
quickly darted forward, casting a flurry of hands and elbows
towards her opponent. Erwin blocked them all with circular
movements of his arms. As the Avatar's attack decreased in
momentum, he tried a few tentative counterattacks by swiping
with his feet.
They paused a while to appraise each other again before
clashing together again.
"That Avatar girl's a pretty good fighter," Allan
commented to Iolo. "If she can hold out against Charles or
Erwin like that..."
"She should be. She's not Britannia's hero and savior
seven-fold for nothing." Iolo said.
"Britannia?" Ranma asked. "Ain't that some place over
there in Europe or somethin'?"
"Actually, Britannia is a nation in another dimension
much like this one. Its ruler, Lord British, originally came
from this world's Britannia, and he decided to name his
kingdom after his old homeland."
"So, Britannia is like a big country in the world where
you come from?" Kyosuke asked.
"Well, yes." Iolo said. "It's a wonderful land of rich
forests and great cities, full of monsters, bandits,
adventure and, of course, treasure."
"Sounds like an exciting place." Ranma said, leaning
back in his sitting position. He was getting bored and
restless, because he couldn't practice while in Kyosuke's
body. He was watching how Akane and Giel were fighting, but
he was more intent on the battle between the Avatar and the
Demon Sword.
"And her ladyship over there,"Allan pointed a thumb at
the Avatar, "has saved this kingdom *seven* times?"
"Indeed."
"But she looks so young!" Allan protested.
"She is young. I think she's only around 18 or 19 years
old by the reckoning of her homeland." Iolo said.
"Her homeland? You mean she's not from Britannia?"
Allan wondered.
"Nay, she is not. Actually, if I'm not mistaken, I
believe she comes from this dimension."
"Nani?" Ranma and Kyosuke said.
"She does?" Allan wondered. "Then how come you two
don't know her?" he asked Ranma and Kyosuke.
"What place did you say are we in again?" Iolo asked.
"Japan. In the capital, Tokyo. The Nerima district, to
be exact." Ranma replied.
"Hmm... I believe that the Avatar comes from the land
known as `America'."
"Really?" Ranma wondered again. "Imagine, finally
meeting a gaijin..."
"What's a gaijin?" Allan asked.
"Gaijin is what we call the people from the western
countries." Ranma said.
"Before, it had the connotation that the gaijin are
uncivilized barbarians." Kyosuke added.
"Doesn't it mean the same thing now?" Ranma asked.
"....."
"Hey, do you guys speak the same language in
whatsitcalled - America? - as you do here?" Allan wondered.
"Well, no..." Ranma replied.
"Then how come you and the Avatar can understand each
other?" Allan asked.
"Hey, you got a point there..."
"For that matter, how do you understand what I say?"
Kyosuke said.
"Or what I say?" Iolo added.
The four looked at each other in confusion.
"Hmmm...."
While the other three pondered over this strange
phenomenon (noticeably without success), Ranma shifted his
attention back to Akane and Giel fighting. Seeing how Akane
lumbered along with the silly excuse which she called
fighting, Ranma marvelled at why Giel hadn't creamed her
yet. She looked like a freight train crashing off the tracks
and plowing through buildings and brick walls. The
kawaiikune tomboy couldn't hit a fly if it landed on her
nose.
Ghostliana, on the other hand, fought differently. She
seemed to bide her time while fighting, even though she was
noticeably faster than Akane. She looked like an animal
stalking her prey, and the way she moved didn't discourage
that notion.
"Hey, Allan, why is it that Giel moves sort of like an
animal when she fights?" Ranma asked.
"Huh?" Allan was interuppted from him, uh, intellectual
discussion with Iolo and Kyosuke regarding the physics and
nuances of interdimensional travel.
"Look at the way she moves," Ranma noted, watching Giel
circle Akane warily, "stalking like a tiger at one moment,"
Giel proceeded to leap high and lunge at Akane, "swooping
like a hawk the next."
"I dunno..." Allan said dumbfoundedly. "Oh yeah, now I
remember. She and the boss man often talk about fighting,
you see. She calls it, uh, Uwush? Shuwu? Something like
that. It's supposed to be based on how animals move and
fight, or something like that."
"You don't say..."
Giel and Akane stopped their short match after a quick
bow to each other.
"You were great, Giel-chan!" Akane said.
"You can move so decisively, Akane!" Giel returned.
*Why are they being so nice to each other?* Ranma
thought. *I think I'm gonna be sick.*
The two combatants got towels to wipe their sweat. They
turned their attention to the other side of the dojo. Erwin
was frantically dodging a series of attacks by the Avatar,
but he couldn't defend against all of her lightning strikes.
A good punch landed on his stomach. Instead of letting up,
however, he shifted his weight, grabbing the Avatar's
extended arm, and fell back, using the Avatar's momentum
against her. In a flash, the Avatar flew across the dojo to
thud into the far wall. A worse-for-wear, but triumphant,
Demon Sword recovered from his throwing stance. He walked
over to where the Avatar lay, flat on her back, legs
sticking up against the wall.
"Oh, he's very good!" Akane said. "He used her own
force against her."
"Yup!" Giel beamed proudly. "Erwin's so good when it
comes to motion."
"He might be just as good as Ranma." Akane added.
Ranma didn't miss that remark as he looked on sourly.
Erwin offered her his hand.
"Not bad, Demon Sword..." she said through clenched
teeth, getting up.
"You weren't so bad yourself." the youth replied. "I
haven't had a good workout like that for quite a while."
"Hmmphh, we all know who'd do better in a *real*
fight..." she griped, rubbing her sore backside.
"Mistress, are you alright?" the blue gem on the Black
Sword throbbed.
"I don't need your sympathy, Arcadion."
If swords could sweat, the Black Sword would have.
Ranma shook stolidly too himself. *That Demon Sword's a
good fighter. Although the Avatar might beat him in an all-
out fight with her magic, he's good. If only I could spar
against him! But I'm stuck in this body...*
"Kyosuke, is anything wrong?" Allan interrupted his
reverie.
"Eh? Oh, nuthin..." Ranma replied.
"Ranma, why don't you go spar with the Avatar or
something?" Akane asked, bringing her towel to rest across
her shoulders. "It's not like you to just sit around like
this."
"Huh? Oh, ah... don't mind me!" Kyosuke desperately
said. "I'm feeling kinda slow today! Besides, I wouldn't
want to fight a girl..." he added that last statement as an
afterthought, remembering how Ranma told him he hated to
fight girls.
"And what's that supposed to mean?!" the Avatar
demanded.
"Um, ah..." Kyosuke was sweating badly right now. Ranma
just slapped his head in despair.
"Well, if you're so concerned about fighting women, why
don't you cool off for a while!" Akane fumed, splashing a
convenient bucket of water onto Kyosuke.
*Uh, oh...* Ranma thought.
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!" Kyosuke-chan screamed. His clothing
suddenly loosened, and he felt a conspicuous bulge in his
chest and hips.
"What the-" the Avatar exclaimed.
*Interesting...* Iolo thought.
Allan's mouth just fell to the floor. *What a babe!*
Erwin cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh my..." Giel murmured.
But no reaction was more befuddled than Kyosuke
herself. She suddenly felt her chest, and almost fainted at
what she felt. *What have my powers done now?* He whined. He
was so pre-occupied with his, ah, new attributes that he
failed to notice a steaming Akane.
"Stop doing that, you hentai!" Akane screamed, whipping
out a huge mallet.
"Where'd she get that?" Allan mused.
*WHAM*
"Honestly, in front of everyone..." Akane huffed,
leaving a dazed Kyosuke-chan on the floor. She walked away
from the dojo to the house for a bath.
"I see you've all met Ranma-chan." a voice came from
the entrance of the dojo. All eyes turned to see Nabiki.
"Ranma fell into a cursed spring so that whenever he gets
hit by cold water, he turns into a she."
"What a beau- I mean, unfortunate curse..." Allan said
absently. Giel socked an elbow into his ribs.
"He seems quite... disoriented." Erwin noted.
"Looks like you two won't be sparring after all." Giel
said to the Avatar.
"Actually, he's fine." Nabiki said. "He's quite used to
it by now. He does need the practice, if he wants to keep
his reputation as the best fighter around."
"You heard her, Ranma!" Allan chided, picking Kyosuke
by the scruff of her shirt. "Go and face the Avatar!" He
threw Kyosuke at the Avatar.
Kyosuke just fell limply into the Avatar's arms, still
a bit dazed from Akane's mallet. Since she was in girl form
right now, the Avatar wasn't *too* annoyed at someone draped
over her chest. Still, he was a guy after all, which merited
a quick sock from her fist.
"No thanks," the Avatar said with a certain distaste.
"My back kinda hurts and I don't feel like fighting right
now." Kyosuke staggered to a standing position from his
rebound from the Avatar.
"A shame. And I wanted to see the best fighter around
show us his- eh, her stuff!" Allan said half-sulkily.
"There's no reason to be upset!" Giel said cheerily.
"Why don't you spar with Ranma, Erwin? This should be an
interesting battle! Erwin's the best fighter where we come
from."
"Yeah, Leader Man! This should be interesting!" Allan
seconded.
"Nothing to be lost from more practice, I guess..."
Erwin said.
"Go for it, ol' girl!" Iolo said, patting Kyosuke on
the back.
"Nani?" Kyosuke exclaimed.
*NO!!!* Ranma thought. *If that WIMP goes against
Erwin, he'll lose badly. I'll be the laughing stock of
Nerima!*
{Ranma saw Erwin flicking him away with a single
finger. After that, we see a worn-looking Ranma with patches
in his clothes walking the streets. The wind picks up,
blowing dust and garbage across his feet. As he walks on,
Kuno appears before him, brandishing his bokken.
"You worthless pathetic scum, Saotome! You cannot even
defeat a simple-minded gaijin barbarian! You are unworthy of
Tendo Akane's hand!" Kuno proceeds to beat him up with his
bokken. Ranma manages to crawl away from Kuno's fury only to
find-
"Ranma!" Ryoga screams, "How could you allow yourself
to be beaten! Only the strong are fit to love Akane! How can
you face her after being humiliated so completely? To think
that Akane must be engaged to such a loser grips my heart
with sadness..." Ryoga develops a dark red aura.
"Shishihokodan!" Ranma is blown away to the Nekohanten.
"Ranma!" Shampoo cries. "How dare you show face here!
Get out, weakling!" She proceeds to bash him with her
bonbori.
"But Shampoo! It's not like that..." Ranma protests,
clawing feebly towards Shampoo.
"Saotome Ranma!" Mousse shouts. "Get your hands away
from Shampoo! I always knew you didn't deserve her love, now
your weakness has proven it!" Mousse showers Ranma with a
hail of knives, bombs, chains and rubber ducks.
"Sonny boy, I regret ever calling you my son-in-law.
Even after all the training I gave you, you are still weak."
Cologne said from the counter. "Begone from here." With a
single touch of her finger, she sends Ranma flying out the
Nekohanten.
Ranma ends up at Ucchan's.
"Ranchan!" Ukyo hurries up and brings him over to a
table.
"Hey, isn't that Ranma Saotome?" ... "Yeah, the wuss
who got beaten by some gaijin boy..." "I hear his family
disowned him..." "It must be terrible to live with such
shame..." each statement Ranma overheard caused sparks to
fly in his head.
"Here, Ranchan, you look hungry." Ukyo placed a plate
of okonomiyaki before him.
"Arigato, Ucchan. I'm glad that you're still my
friend..." Ranma took a bite at his okonomiyaki.
Ukyo's eyes blurred over. "Don't worry, Ranchan..." she
said, her voice cracking, "Even if you're the biggest wimp
in the world, we'll still be best friends!!!!"
Ranma just about spurted all the okonomiyaki around the
restaurant.
Akane and Erwin appear before him.
"Oh, Erwin! You're such a great fighter!" Akane says,
snuggling into Erwin's arm...}
"Beat him up!!! Don't you *DARE* lose!!!" Ranma
screamed, jumping onto Kyosuke-chan, knocking her to the
ground. "DON'T YOU *DARE*!!!!" Ranma shouted into his face.
"Ha... hai..." Kyosuke murmured.
"Now, lad, don't be so tough on the girl." Iolo said,
picking Ranma of Kyosuke.
"Go get her, Ranma-chan!" Allan cheered.
*Being awfully familiar, isn't he?* Nabiki thought.
"Here, girl," the Avatar said, helping Kyosuke up.
"Face him like a man!"
Erwin stood ready, facing Kyosuke.
"But..." Kyosuke stammered.
"Go get `im!" the Avatar pushed Kyosuke towards Erwin.
"Okay, who wants to bet on Ranma, it's 3 to 1 odds
against Erwin..." Nabiki said to the others.
The Demon Sword faced off with Kyosuke, circling her
warily. Kyosuke stood stock straight, timidly trying to make
herself less noticeable to her opponent.
Erwin, on the other hand, was eyeing his opponent
curiously, almost befuddledly. *What kind of fighting
technique is this Ranma Saotome capable of?* he thought
grimly. *I've seen drunken masters try to lull their foes
into uncertainty, possums fool theirs into false security,
and even cripples projecting mock helplessness. But this is
the only time I've ever seen anyone try to make herself look
like an idiot who doesn't know a single thing about
fighting.*
*All my training, all the indications of her body
language, virtually all my knowledge of a hundred different
styles of combat, tell me that she doesn't know a thing
about fighting. Can she be an incredibly skilled fighter or
the hapless wretch which she projects? No!!! It must be the
former. This is, at last, a chance for me to learn a new
technique!!! I'd better have my specs record this whole
battle...*
Erwin suddenly tensed and raised his hands in an attack
posture.
"Here we go!" Allan squealed in delight.
With a fierce kiai, Erwin lugned forth towards his
seemingly innocuous opponent. *I'll use a powerful stroke
which will force her to show her real skill, but not
decisive enough so I can still retreat and regroup from
whatever counterattack she might have!* He sent his fist
flying towards Kyosuke's chin, fully expecting a complex
series of blocks, ripostes and counterattacks-
-and was met with a satisfying crunch as Kyosuke was
thrown back to the floor, legs and arms sprawled.
*What?!* Erwin thought. *This is a strange
technique...*
"Get up, girl!" Iolo said, picking Kyosuke up and
throwing her back into the fray. Kyosuke just stood there,
in a pathetic excuse for a fighting stance.
"Now, just go easy on me..." Kyosuke-chan pleaded.
*She's trying to fool me...* Erwin thought. *Well, it
won't work! I'll give her one of my most powerful attack
techniques!* With a glint from his specs, the Demon Sword
rushed forward and and wove his hands into a beautiful
pattern of snake-like thrusts which repeated themselves in
wide circles and arcs continuously, neverendingly.
"HEBITE MARUKEN!!!"
Kyosuke didn't stand a chance. He was blasted away to
where Ranma was grasping at his hair frustratedly.
*So that's her technique! She's making me give away my
attacks and waste my energy doing so. In addition, she's
playing the wounded badger, lulling me into overconfidence
and out of my guard!* Erwin thought. *At this very moment,
she must be ready to spring at me, just waiting for me to
show the slightest hint of uncertainty.... I won't allow
it!* Erwin leapt high and lunged with a powerful kick
streaking straight towards Kyosuke.
Ranma hauled Kyosuke to his feet. Kyosuke just looked
at him stupidly, half-unconscious. "Baka! You're making me
look bad!" Ranma hissed at Kyosuke. He was so preoccupied,
he didn't see Erwin making his follow-up attack.
"Kyosuke!!" Erwin shouted. "Get out of the way!"
"Nani?" Ranma looked up.
Erwin's foot collided solidly with Kyosuke-chan's jaw,
which collided painfully with Ranma's head. In that split
second, as they all jumbled up together, a miracle occured.
"Alright! I'm me again!" Ranma-chan hopped around,
extricating herself from the mess of people on the floor,
feeling her chest happily. "WHOOOHOO!" Erwin and everyone
else big-sweated.
"Methinks he hit her a little too hard." Iolo
commented.
"Is she always like this?" Allan asked Nabiki.
"Oh, this is pretty tame, actually..." Nabiki replied.
"Now to finish this," Ranma-chan said.
"Ah, finally, I knew your technique was about to reach
its fruition..." Erwin replied.
*Huh? What's he talking about?* Ranma thought. "I'll
show you!" Ranma leapt and traded blows with Erwin. Both
seemed evenly matched now, blocking, parrying and
counterattacking with equal zest and fervor. They finally
broke away for a short respite.
*Ow...* Ranma winced, *that fool Kasuga got me battered
up too much for me too keep this up. I'll have to resort to
one of my tricks if I'm to win this match.*
*She's good.* Erwin panted. *I still don't get what all
that subterfuge at the start was for, but she's revealed her
skill now. I'm getting tired from the extended exertion, but
I can't let up or she might make use of some other strange
technique.*
With another fierce kiai, Erwin leapt forward to attack
Ranma. However, this time, Ranma seemed to sidestep and
block rather than to attack. Her footwork seemed to be
leading Erwin into a particular pattern of attacks from his
own footing.
*Strange...* Erwin thought, checking the reading his
specs displayed of his enemy. *She seems to be- cooling off?
No matter...* Erwin didn't pause for a moment. Following the
precept of his fighting technique, he kept himself in
perpetual motion, never allowing his strikes to let up.
*Why doesn't she counter-attack?* Erwin thought, a drop
of sweat streaking down his brow. *Aha, now I have her!* He
saw an unmistakable opening in her defense. Sure, she'd be
able to get a punch in under his own attack, but his
position and momentum would do more damage to her. He sent
his punch flying to hit her, eager to finish the match as
Ranma did likewise with a feeble looking punch under his
guard. He grinned, anticipating victory-
-and was surprised when he was swept away by a high-
rising tornado which punched him through the roof.
"Ha, another sucker for my Flying Dragon Ascenscion
Punch." Ranma-chan gloated.
"Wow, I don't believe it!" Allan said, astounded.
"Oh dear, I hope Erwin's alright." Giel said.
"Pay up, old man." Nabiki said to Iolo.
***
"Oh, Charles-kun, could you get me a couple of heads of
cabbage?"
"Of course, Kasumi." Charles proceeded to pick up
several heads of cabbage from the vegetable corner of the
market. "Heads up, Ryoga!" Charles proceeded to chuck the
heads of cabbage overhead into the shopping cart which Ryoga
was guiding.
Unbeknownst to Charles, though, his thrown cabbages hit
the low ceiling and went a little off-mark. Before the
cabbages could fall to the ground, though, Ryoga whipped the
shopping cart from the opposite direction into the air,
catching the wayward heads of cabbage, and setting it down
on the ground lightly, without jarring any of the other
contents they had picked up.
"Sorry about that," the paladin apologized. "Say,
you're pretty strong..."
"Oh, it's nothing. It's all the hard work and training
I've had to endure because of Saotome Ranma!"
Charles raised an eyebrow at this. "Aren't you on good
terms with him?"
"Why should I? He's the reason for all my misfortunes!"
"Suren it cannot be that bad."
"You don't know the whole story. My shame..."
"Then tell me."
"NO!!! It is too shameful a burden to bear..."
Charles shrugged, putting a hand on Ryoga's shoulder.
If he couldn't say anything to make him feel better, he
could at least sympathize with his, ah, inner demons. They
continued following Kasumi and Ukyo as they finished up
their little shopping trip. Shamino and Dupre trailed behind
the group, looking ridiculous in their medieval garb and
trying to act nonchalant.
After a while, they exited the grocery carrying mounds
of grocery bags. Actually, Charles and Ryoga ended up
carrying the bulk of the groceries. Shamino and Dupre were
carrying a smaller portion, since their armor (which they
stupidly forgot to take off) and their other gear were
already bogging them down. Kasumi and Ukyo walked sprightly
in front of them.
"I say, Dupre," Iolo said, sweating badly, "don't you
think that this place is a wee bit warm?"
"I know what thou dost mean, Shamino." Dupre replied
through his sweat-soaked mustache. "Perhaps we should get
out of our armor as soon as we get back to the dojo."
"What's their problem?" Ryoga wondered.
"Oh, silly," Ukyo said, "they probably come from
someplace where the climate is cooler. Since it's the middle
of summer here in Japan, you can bet that it's going to be
hot."
"That's right!" Kasumi added. "And with all the
pollution and global warming and deforestation going on,
global temperature has been rising slowly but steadily-"
"Uh, Kasumi," Ryoga said, "do you think we could talk
about something else?"
A scream of terror pierced through the air.
"What was that which I heard?" Shamino said, looking to
the east.
"That doth sound like a maiden in distress!" Dupre
proclaimed. "Sally forth, Shamino! We must defend the honor
of the damsel!" Without missing a beat, Dupre and Shamino
threw their groceries in the air and dashed off, brandishing
their weapons.
"Oh my, the groceries!" Kasumi exclaimed, putting a
hand to her mouth.
As the groceries flew into the air, Charles and Ryoga
could only look in horror.
"Heads up, Ryoga!" Charles said. As each article fell
down, Charles and Ryoga shifted around frantically, catching
each bottle of ketchup or string of garlic that dared fall
to the ground. All this while balancing their already heavy
load.
However, one full bag of groceries stuffed with who
knows what fell a wide margin away, and neither Charles nor
Ryoga could move fast enough to catch it.
"Don't worry," Ukyo said, catching the last bag. "I
have it."
"You could have helped us earlier, you know!" Ryoga
said, balancing his precarious load of groceries. Charles
was no better off, staggering from the mismatched assortment
of bags he was supporting.
"But you boys are so big and strong, I was sure you
could handle it!"
Charles and Ryoga just narrowed their eyes.
"We're coming, fair maiden!" Dupre and Shamino had made
headway in their flight to the source of the screams. As
much as they could in their hot armor, anyway.
"There is... no need... to fear..." Shamino flopped
down, flushed from the heat and the weight of his gear,
ashwood bow clattering from his fingers.
"Indeed... we are... knights of Lord British..." Dupre
fell flat on his nose, his mighty scimitar clattering on the
ground before him.
"I think Lord British must be mighty disappointed with
them right now, don't you think?" Charles said to Ryoga.
"Hai."
"Come on, we'd better check this out!" They both set
their loads down gently on the ground and started after the
two when suddenly, they saw the source of the screams.
"Oh my," Kasumi said.
A horde of people were scrambling in their direction,
fleeing from-- a walking garden?
From what seemed to be the direction of the marketplace
came a huge assortment of walking vegetables. Tomatos,
cabbages, onions, carrots and other denizens of a green
garden had come to life horrifically, in gigantic form with
huge, nasty squinting eyes and vicious mouths.
"I don't believe it!" Ukyo cried, drawing her fighting
spatula.
"We can handle them!" Ryoga replied, drawing out his
umbrella. The vegies trampled over Shamino and Dupre,
heading straight for the four and their groceries.
Ryoga and Ukyo waded in, smashing cucumber here and
squashing a squash there. Tomatos were chopped up by the
edge of the spatula as olives were skewered on the umbrella.
Off to the side, the Paladin was busy snapping celery stalks
with his whip.
But what about that strange evil shadow over there
making its way towards the groceries and Kasumi?
Kasumi was nonchalantly minding the groceries while
watching the three battle the green horde when a strange
shadow settled underneath the grocery bags. With a brilliant
surge of dark energy, several caulliflower sprouts and
aspargus spears sprang out of the grocery and enveloped
Kasumi.
"Oh dear, I think I'm having a nightmare..." Kasumi
said amidst the green leafy vegetables wrapping around her.
"Interesting," a form rose up from the shadow. It was
a small gaunt form dressed in dark green robes, holding a
gnarled brown staff in one wrinkled hand. A wide brimmed
straw hat obscured its face in its shadows. "You are a
master of The Craft. I must take you with me."
With a wave of its hand, the form once again resided
into the shadows, and the veggies holding Kasumi began a mad
sprint away. This retreat, however, had not gone unnoticed.
"Kasumi!" Charles cried out, smashing a pumpkin into
oblivion with one hand.
"We've got to save her!" Ryoga leapt to the chase,
leaping over a giant mushroom.
"Ryoga, look out!" Ukyo called, throwing a flurry of
spatulas over Ryoga's shoulder-
-to take out several flying eggs with wings that were
about to swoop down on Ryoga.
"Domo arigato!" Ryoga cried, chasing after Kasumi.
"Don't mention it, sugar!" Ukyo replied.
"Hold on, we must inform the others of this incident!"
Charles said. He touched a strange circular device on the
lapel of his collar. A strange sound of static was the only
response.
"Damn! I can't contact Erwin or any of the others!"
Charles cursed. "Dupre, Shamino! You two are in no shape to
give chase- get back to the dojo and get help!"
"Of course, your mighty Paladin-hood." Dupre said from
the ground.
"Don't forget to take the groceries!" Ukyo called back.
"Otherwise, Ranchan might starve!"
"Yes, milady." Dupre and Shamino looked at each other,
and at the pile of groceries left on the ground.
"It's going to be one of those days, Dupre."
"..."
***
"Ite! That hurts." Ranma-kun complained as Akane stuck
several bandages on his face.
"You could stop complaining, you know." Akane said
irritatedly.
"I apologize for <ow> getting a little <yeow> carried
away..." Erwin said. He too was being bandaged and
`antisepticized' by Giel following that disastrous fight
scene (which added another hole to the dojo roof).
"Don't worry. I'm used to it." Ranma replied.
"Still, it was Erwin who received the more grevious
injury, especially after you threw him through the roof."
Allan said. Ranma just narrowed his eyes.
It was a curious scene at the Tendo's, while waiting
for Kasumi and the others to arrive. While the two girls
were patching up the two overzealous fighters, Kyosuke was
laid out on a futon covered with a blanket and cold
compress. Madoka was watching him curiously, almost
concernedly, since he seemed to have gone into shock after
the dojo battle. Allan was wasting his time in one corner
while Iolo was having an uproarious conference with Soun and
Mr. Panda. It seemed that the old bugger was getting along
well with the two patriarchs. Nabiki and the Avatar were
elsewhere about the house.
"There, that about does it." Giel flourished. Erwin
replaced his specs on his well-bandaged face as he stood up.
Akane had just about finished as well, although Ranma's
bandages weren't quite as gracefully in place.
"So let me get this straight..." Allan said, "Your
father the panda brought you to this place in- China? -
where you both fell into these cursed springs and ever
since, whenever you get wet by cold water, you turn into a
girl?"
"Uh huh," Ranma affirmed. "It's been hell, and this
engagement isn't helping any."
"Who asked you? I didn't want to be engaged to some
pervert!" Akane fumed.
"I didn't ask for his either! Who'd want to be engaged
to some kawaiikune tomboy anyway-" a table landed squarely
on Ranma.
"You, you...." Akane simmered.
Giel just smiled uncertainly. Erwin stood up to leave.
"Erwin-" Giel said, but Ranma stopped her.
"He probably needs some time to think to himself,"
Ranma said. "Just let him alone for a while."
Erwin wandered out of the room and took a walk along
the terrace of the dojo. *What a messed up household this
is.* He thought, thinking of the story he had just heard.
Fiances, cursed springs, martial arts duels, this place must
be a nightmare to live in. It was no mystery to him why the
demons were invading this place. So much negative energy
floating about...
*Still, that Ranma is a good fighter,* he thought. *I
still can't figure out how he did that whirlwind punch of
his!* He had been replaying their recorded battle over and
over with his specs. He still couldn't figure it out, and
that irked him more than his loss did. *I'm sure it has
something to do with that temperature decrease she was
exhibiting, but what-?*
His ponderings were cut short as he sensed a presence
in front of him. It was nightime already, and the soft
moonlight illuminated the terrace with its surreal glow.
Through his specs he saw Nabiki, the middle sister of the
Tendo daughters.
"Good evening, lady." Erwin said.
"You're sure the gentleman," Nabiki smirked, "for the
utilitarian you are."
"What?"
"You know what I mean," Nabiki met his gaze (hard to
do, considering the dark visors covering his eyes). "You're
different from the others. The tall, handsome paladin, the
demure girl, even the scruffy whiner, they're all your
friends, but still, they don't understand, do they?"
"So, I was right," Erwin returned. "The way you always
seem to notice the details, the way you made money off that
fight... you *do* see life that way..."
"Most people misunderstand people like myself," she
continued, as if talking to herself. "They think I'm some
sort of heartless mercenary, always taking advantage of
people. They don't understand that it's how I co-"
"Shush..." Erwin hissed, holding his hand up. He
detected something...
In a flash, he moved to Nabiki's side and kept her
behind him against the perceived threat.
"Ah, just the people I wanted to see," came the rich
melodious voice of the Avatar.
"You." Erwin said.
"Yes, me." she retorted. "Anyway, I've been wondering
some stuff about this place. Now that I've had the chance to
settle into this new place, I can start acting more like the
Avatar and start fixing this demonic mess up."
"...." said Erwin and Nabiki.
"Just what was your name again, dear?" the Avatar asked
Nabiki.
"Tendo Nabiki... what's this about, anyhow?"
"I need to know things about the situation, you know.
What exactly is your job here?"
"Well, basically, I'm the one who notices all the
details in this household," Nabiki said. "I am able to
supply what people need by being able to figure out what
they need by observing."
"Really now... very interesting." the Avatar continued.
"And pray tell, what do I need?"
Moonlight glinted off of Nabiki's eyes as she smiled
thinly. "You want to know what I know about the people
around here so that you can fulfill your need to `help' fix
their problems."
The Avatar almost took a double-take on this. "Hmm...
something like that."
"I'd be willing to help... for a price." Nabiki grinned
slyly.
"How did you-" the Avatar protested.
"You altruistic aristocrat types are all the same."
Nabiki said. "Take for instance that paladin-"
"Don't you dare compare me to that jerk!" she retorted,
going into SD-mode.
"Anyway," Nabiki said, changing the subject, "I like to
know more about my customers before I do business with them-
" Erwin gave her a side glance which said, *So that you can
manipulate them when the need arises, no?*
Nabiki just flashed him a quick smile.
"What is your name, anyway?" Nabiki asked.
"My, uh, name? Well, uhm..."
"You don't really make full use of it all the time,
being a high and mighty Avatar, do you?"
"Not really..."
"Still, it's in my policy to know the people I deal
with, so-"
"itshkarshimobl...."
"I didn't quite hear that..."
"I SAID IT'S CHARLEGNE!"
"Charlegne?" Erwin mused, "that's not such a bad name,
you know."
"Still, I'd rather you call me Cara," Charlegne said,
"or better yet, the Avatar..."
"Whatever," Erwin said.
"About that trick with the fire you used to burn
Happosai with..." Nabiki pondered.
"That was one of the mystical powers of my sword." Cara
said.
"That's me, Arcadion, demon extraordinaire, master of
fire and death-" the gem throbbed over her shoulder.
"Shut up, Arcadion."
"Yes, mistress."
"I understand you're some sort of... warrior-wizard
back in Britannia, no?" Erwin asked.
"I am the Avatar, the paragon of Virtue in Britannia.
When times were harsh, Britannia's king, Lord British, set
forth what he called `The Test of the Avatar' in order to
have a hero who would champion the people's needs. I had
already saved the land thrice before that, and I took it
upon myself naturally to become Britannia's champion."
"After the Test, I once again saved Britannia thrice
more, from the evil shadowlords, the threat of the
gargoyles, and finally, from the Guardian."
"Who is this Guardian?" Erwin asked, curious.
"The Guardian is a malevolent entity possessing the
powers of a god. He has conquered many dimensions with his
might, and had looked on to Britannia as his next target. I
was able to stop him from entering into my world, but-" she
stopped in mid-sentence, as if she was going to say
something terrible.
"What is it?" Nabiki said.
"He said that he would look to my home dimension,
Earth."
"Home dimension?" Erwin wondered.
"Yes. Like Lord British himself, I too, come from this
dimension." Cara explained. "Indeed, this is a homecoming
for me. However, I hailed from the land known as America."
"America?" Nabiki echoed.
"Yes. I visit Britannia using this," she held in her
palm a small, featureless black stone. "a moonstone."
"Interesting..." Erwin said, fiddling with his specs
with one hand, "I detect strange emanations of energy coming
from it. What-?! Dark energy is oozing from that stone!"
"This stone can be used to open a moongate," the Avatar
said, "But ever since the last time I used it to travel to
this world, it has been dormant ever since. It doesn't even
*feel* the same anymore..."
"Perhaps it is the dark energy which I detect flowing
from it. I suggest you be careful around that stone." Erwin
said. "Hmm, this might have a connection with the warp
difficulties my friends and I experienced arriving in this
direction. We can't contact our friends back in our home
dimension, and we seem to be stranded here, as if we were
cut off-"
"Cut off! Of course!" Cara exclaimed. Erwin and Nabiki
raised their eyebrows at this.
"I used to be able to control the Ether," Cara
explained, "which means that I can use it to create some
very interesting effects-"
"Magic?" Erwin asked.
The Avatar nodded. "However, since this afternoon when
I confronted those demons at the schoolyard, I found that I
was no longer able to feel the Ether as strongly as before.
I couldn't cast any of my more dramatic effects, and my
armor's enchantments even seemed to be wearing off. Magical
armor is incredibly light, you see. But within minutes of my
arrival, my armor suddenly seemed to gain weight, and the
blue aura which marks such enchantments was beginning to
fade."
"While this dimension was never really as strong in
the ether as Britannia," Cara continued, "It has its own
qualities, and surely my link to Britannia would not cause
the enchantment, or my powers, to subside. Now, however, I
have trouble casting even simple magic."
"I have a feeling that this Ether you are referring to
is the same in nature to what is known as ki," Erwin said.
"Ki, is the basic force that flows in all objects. Many
martial artists and other focused people can feel this force
in them, and use it for certain effects. That whirlwind
which Ranma used on me earlier has some elements of ki in
it, if I'm not mistaken. However, more concrete
manifestations of this force is often seen as `force bolts'
or `ki-blasts', as many a martial artist would call them."
"Ki-blast?" Cara wondered.
"Yes," Erwin said. "Observe."
Erwin held his hand up, and after a few moments, a soft
blue glow encompassed it. "This is my ki aura. Observe what
I can do with it." He held his hand out towards, pointing it
outwards towards the sky. The aura seemed to coalesce a bit,
before surging forward in a sharp flash, away from his hand,
streaking up into the night sky.
"Amazing," Cara observed.
"That's all really interesting, Erwin," Nabiki
interuppted, "but I really do have some questions to ask
Cara here..."
Whatever questions she might have had in store were cut
off as a commotion seemed to occur elsewhere in the house,
and a loud wail wracked the night.
"KASUMIIII!!!!"
"That was daddy," Nabiki said. "We'd better see what's
up."
The three headed into the main porch where a stricken
Soun was lying on a futon, being tended by Iolo and panda.
Kyosuke was similarly disabled with Madoka and Giel hovering
over him. Akane seemed to be having a little dispute with
Ranma and Allan just recently (judging by the table being
held over them). The cause of Soun's distress, it seemed,
were Shamino and Dupre, who were surrounded by a pile of
groceries, panting exhaustedly as they were sputtering their
message.
"Mistress Kasumi has been abducted!" Shamino said.
"And the others went to rescue her!" Dupre sputtered.
"But we have no idea where they are now!"
"Something about static, said the Paladin..."
"Hmm, I think Charles was referring to our collarcoms,
Erwin." Giel said. "Mine doesn't seem to be working."
"Mine neither!" Allan piped.
"KASUMI!" Soun wailed again.
"We must save my sister!" Akane said.
"Sure, but we have to know where they went first."
Ranma said.
"I might be able to help." Erwin said. "The legacy of
my family to me is called the Yogensha School of Vision."
"Alright! We get to see the Yogenshikari again!" Allan
quipped.
"Hush," Giel said to Allan.
"This technique has been passed down through
generations of my family not only as a technique, not just
as a way of life, but as a final defense against an evil
entity back in my homeworld. However, its primary use is as
a tool of divination."
"In other words," Ranma said, "you can find stuff with
it."
"Yes. I should be able to find people who I have strong
ties with." Erwin said. "Since the Paladin is searching for
Kasumi, I should be able to locate her through Charles."
"Great! Hurry up so we can go!" Ranma said.
"I'll go to." Cara said. "Iolo, stay here with these
two louts-" Dupre and Shamino winced, "and keep our host and
his household safe."
"I'll stay here and watch over Kyosuke," Madoka said.
"I'll come along, too!" Allan said.
"So will I," Giel said.
"I'm coming along, too!" Akane said.
"What, you'll just slow us down, Akane. I mean-"
*TONK* The table which Akane had been holding up
finally found its mark.
"She's my sister, and I'm a martial artist too, you
know!"
"That's telling him, sis." Nabiki said.
"Alright," Erwin said. "Hold on for a minute while I
use the Yogensha Vision." Erwin sat down, and almost
immediately, a blue glow began to envelop him.
***
"Where am I?" Kasumi wondered. She was tangled in a
strange assortment of green tendrils and leaves which seemed
to be growing all around the place.
"Hush, Learned One," came the voice from the shadows.
"You are safe here."
"Who are you?"
"I," a figure came out of the shadows. It was the same
gaunt, green-robed figure earlier. His wide hat still
covered most of his face. "am Sokimo."
"Oh, hello then." Kasumi smiled. She looked around her,
and she realized that she was in a room that seemed to be
filled with, well, huge vegetables. "My, your taste in
decoration is-"
"Strange?"
"It's very nice, actually. I could probably cook a good
stew out of them!"
"Indeed..." Sokimo said. "I am sure that you can..."
Kasumi wasn't quite sure what was happening here, but
she didn't really feel threatened by this strange man.
"Tell me, are you one of those demons who are invading
Nerima?"
"Nani? Uh," Sokimo seemed to be at a loss here, "Why, I
am. However, do not think ill of me. Unlike most demons, who
all have destruction on their minds, I- like to create."
"Really?" Kasumi asked.
"Yes. In fact, one of my favorite pastimes is-
cooking."
"Oh, in that case, maybe you'd like me to share you
this recipe I have-"
"Oh, you will be sharing recipes with me, alright."
Sokimo said. "In fact, that will be the only thing you will
be doing for an eternity!" Suddenly, underneath the shadows
of that wide-brimmed hat, a pair of eyes seemed to flash,
dark ebony eyes, but they seemed strangely to glow in the
darkness of that hat.
"Oh, my..." Kasumi said.
Suddenly, there were sounds of a fighting from outside
the room.
"Eh?" Sokimo said. "What was that?"
A door opened on one side of the room, and Sokimo
ducked out. He made a gesture with his hand, and the plants
holding Kasumi started moving to follow.
They entered into a wide alcove with a high-reaching
ceiling. All around were plants of assorted nature,
horrifying in their monstrous forms. Also present in the
large cavernous room were more of the miniature demon-beasts
whom Akane, Ukyo and Kuno had fought earlier that day.
"KASUMI!"
Kasumi turned to see Ryoga bashing through the ranks of
the demon-beasts and plant-demons alike. Behind him followed
Ukyo and Charles, hacking and slashing their way through the
monstrous throng. Since the Avatar had vanquished a great
deal of the demon-beasts earlier, the three made quick work
of those that remained. Soon, only the plant-demons were
left.
"Oh, Ryoga-kun!" Kasumi said.
"What's that loud reverberating noise?" Ukyo wondered
aloud. In the background a loud thumping noise could be
heard.
"Let her go, you vile creature!" Ryoga said to Sokimo.
"Hmm, I don't think so." Sokimo said. He raised his arm
and more of the plants sprouted around, intent on destroying
the three interlopers. "Fools, I have power to animate an
organic material into a monster that can kill you!"
"Is that why you've been planting so many vegetables
here at Furinkan!?" Ukyo demanded.
*We're at Furinkan?* Ryoga thought. *I never noticed.*
"Let her go, demon." Charles said. "She has nothing to
do with this conflict. I sense the evil within you, and your
fight is with me, the Paladin of Truth, Justice and Honor!"
"Here we go again. Good thing the Avatar isn't here..."
Ukyo mumbled.
"While it might be interesting to handle you myself, my
tasty legions should be able to handle you. Ige!" Sokimo
shouted.
A large wave of plants flowed through to attack them.
"This little battle should prove interesting," Ryoga
said, brandishing his umbrella.
"Your evil gardening will end here," Charles declared.
"I don't think I'll be cooking veggie-okonomiyaki
later," Ukyo said.
The melee began. However, the plants really weren't
much of a match for the three trained martial artists.
Throwing spatulas zipped through the air and a flying
umbrella cut through swaths of the veggie legions. The
paladin's whip struck hard and fast, cutting through the
soft vegetable matter. In moments, the only things left in
the huge room were the three fighters and a lot of squash
seeds, onion rings and dried lettuce leaves.
"What is that irritating thumping noise, anyway?" Ryoga
wondered.
"It seemed to be getting stronger each time we cut down
those plants," Ukyo observed.
"You've been defeated, monster!" Charles declared.
"Release the lady or face my divine wrath!"
"Not quite. Did you think you could march into this
stronghold of the Dark Crucible just like that? Did you
really believe that those plants were meant to defeat you?"
"Huh?" Ryoga wondered.
"What's he saying?" Ukyo grasped her mega-spatula
tightly.
"I don't know," Charles said, "but I think it has
something to do with that thumping noise..."
As if on cue, the far wall of the huge cavern suddenly
crumbled, and out came-
"That *Thing*!!!" Ryoga cried.
"You know that thing?" Charles and Ukyo asked.
"Of course," Ryoga said, closing his eyes, "that's the
monster that Ranma and I went up against at the start of
this whole business! But how come it's so big?"
"Now face the power of the Darguro, strengthened by the
senseless violence you inflicted on my poor garden!"
The three could only stand, stock-still, facing the
huge behemoth towering over them. It was as before, with the
massively muscled torso, the purple skin laced with bony
protrusions, and the evil face with eyes that glowed a
primordial fire. But it was *immense*. Whereas when Ranma
and Ryoga fought it earlier it towered twice the height of
Ryoga, now it seemed even larger than that.
"This is the monster that you fought?" Charles gasped.
"How'd you beat it?!?"
"It wasn't this big!" Ryoga said.
"YOU BE VERY VIOLENT, YES?" The Darguro thundered.
It began its charge. Each step it took caused that
thunderous thumping sound.
*So that's what's been causing those sounds,* Ukyo
thought. *With something that large, how can we hope to
defeat it?*
"Get it!" Charles shouted, leaping to the attack.
Despite the fact that the Darguro must have been three times
his height, he charged forth. *This is an incarnation of
pure, malevolent evil. I must destroy it!*
While sailing throught he air, Charles snapped his whip
against the Darguro's neck, wrapping around the voluminous
throat that was as thick as his torso. He evaded a swatting
hand and landed behind the Darguro, jerking his whip with
all his strength. The Darguro hardly moved.
*Impossible!* the paladin thought.
Ryoga saw the advantage, though. As the Darguro was
held back by the Paladin, he leapt up in front of the
Darguro's face and smashed his umbrella into its face with
all his strength. He lifted his umbrella-
-to find the hideous visage of the Darguro smiling at
him.
"BAKA." it rumbled. With a swipe of its hand, it
knocked Ryoga away to crash into the far wall with such
force that it crumbled over him.
"Ryoga!" Ukyo screamed. In a flurry, she unleashed a
hail of spatulas at the Darguro, which seemed to have all
the effect of a mosquito biting an elephant. The Darguro
grasped at the whip and tugged mightily on it. Charles,
trying to hold the Darguro in check, was flung along with
his whip to sail across the room. He landed painfully on the
floor away from the monster.
"Boy, this is starting to get painful..." he winced.
The Darguro thundered towards the paladin, when a
series of flying bandannas whipped forth and scratched it
across its cheek. It turned slightly to see Ryoga, streaking
through the air, fist extended. In a second, Ryoga's fist
connected with the Darguro, blasting it in the face with all
his might.
The Darguro merely turned its head back and swatted
Ryoga to land painfully beside the paladin.
"That thing's too tough." Ryoga said, wiping blood from
his mouth.
"I think it got bigger when you hit it." Charles said.
The Darguro towered over them, ready to pound him flat.
It raised one gargantuan foot and brought it down hard on
them. Ukyo screamed.
"Hm?" the Darguro grunted.
Instead of having pancake ala paladin with bacon on the
side, the Darguro's foot moved, miraculously, upwards.
Underneath it were Ryoga and Charles, grasping one side of
the might foot each, veins stretching as their muscles
flexed, holding the foot up.
"MASAKA!?" the Darguro rumbled.
"You're, <kkk> pretty ... strong, <kkk> you know?"
Charles said to Ryoga.
"You're no .... pushover <grunt> yourself..."
With a mighty heave, they toppled the Darguro over. It
fell with a huge resounding thud.
"Well done, Paladin." came a voice from the far end of
the alcove.
"Demon Sword!" the Paladin exclaimed.
At the doorway were Erwin, Ranma, Akane, Cara, Allan,
and Giel.
"How'd you end up underneath the foot of that thing
anyway?" Ranma called to Ryoga.
"Ranchan!" Ukyo said, glomping over to Ranma.
"Hey, cut that out!" Ranma protested. Fortunately,
Akane seemed not to notice this time.
"Oneechan!" Akane said.
"Akane! How nice of you to drop by!" Kasumi smiled,
oblivious to the plants holding her captive or the two
demons that were in the room.
"We've come to take her back, demon." Erwin said
crisply.
"Fools! The Darguro is far from finished!" Sokimo said.
As on cue, the Darguro rose up from its prone position
and faced them.
"What does it take to stop that thing?" Charles panted.
"The dark energy emanating from that thing is making my
specs go wild," Erwin noted, adjusting his specs as he
viewed the behemoth.
"Well, I blew it away last time, I'll blow it away
again!" Ranma said confidently, growing a bright blue aura.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!!!"
The ki-ball blasted into the Darguro, causing it to
scrape backwards.
"HAHHAHAHHA, VIOLENCE IS GOOD, NO?" it thundered.
"N-nani?" Ranma exclaimed.
"That thing's energy level just increased!" Erwin
announced.
*Of course!* Charles thought, thinking of how the
Darguro seemed to get stronger with each blow, of Sokimo's
words.
*Now face the power of the Darguro, strengthened by the
senseless violence you inflicted on my poor garden!*
"Listen!" the Paladin shouted. "The thing feeds on
violence! We can't defeat it with violence!"
"Huh?" Ryoga wondered.
"You mean if I do this," Allan said, throwing a flurry
of boomerangs at the Darguro, "It'll become stronger?" As
the boomerangs collided with their target, the Darguro
laughed.
"It's power level has increased!" Erwin confirmed.
"What'd you do that for!?" Ranma hit Allan on the head.
"Get in line, Ranma!" Charles said, "I'm gonna beat him
up first!"
"Wait!" Erwin said, "Judging by the fluxes of its
energy, you don't necessarily have to inlfict violence on it
to make it stronger. It got stronger just from Ranma hitting
Allan!"
"No kidding!" Ryoga said, dodging from a mighty blow
from Darguro. The crater it left on the ground was twice as
wide as Ryoga was tall.
"Think of something, Leader Man!" Allan quipped, "I
don't want to be a pancake!"
They all scrambled as the Darguro began flailing its
fists around.
"Hah, you cannot defeat the unholy might of the
Darguro!" Sokimo laughed.
"That thing draws its power from violence, right?" Cara
said to Erwin while dodging a gargantuan fist. "So maybe if
use anti-violence, it might get weaker!"
"Anti-violence?" Allan scoffed, "You gotta be kidding!
Do you want to kiss that thing to death?"
"No," Cara replied, "but I'll do the next best thing!"
As she and Charles dodged from an exceptionally heavy
hitting blow from the Darguro's fist, she suddenly went over
to Charles and clasped his hands in her own.
"Huh?" Charles wondered.
"Charles, I'm sorry I got mad at you earlier. I love
you!" she said, kissing him full on the lips.
A torrent of steam escaped from Charles' head as he
turned red all over.
At that moment, the Darguro swung a mighty fist at
Ryoga. Surprised and unable to dodge, he did the next best
thing -- he blocked with his hands. Amazingly, he was able
to hold the Darguro's fist.
"Incredible!" Erwin exclaimed, "The Darguro's getting
weaker! Avatar, you've struck gold here!"
"Alright!" Allan cheered. "Pucker up, Giel!"
*SOCK*
"What'd you do that for?" Allan whined.
"Don't push your luck!" Giel snarled.
*WHAM* At that moment, Ryoga flew backwards a few
painful feet.
"Don't do that, Giel! You're giving the thing its power
back!" Erwin reprimanded.
"Sorry..."
"Don't I get an apology?" Allan said, favoring his
bruised jaw.
"No!"
"But we have to beat the Darguro! Come on, just one
kiss?" Allan smiled.
"Grr..." Giel fumed. "Oh, alright. But just on the
cheek!"
"The Darguro's power is decreasing exponentially!"
Erwin reported.
"It sure is!" Ryoga said, slamming his fist across the
monster's jaw. It flew back a few feet. "Heh heh, now it's
payback time!"
"Wait, you just gave it some of its power back!" Erwin
said.
"Oops..." Ryoga mumbled.
"According to my calculations, however, if we keep up
these acts of love and tenderness to certain degree, it'll
offset any violence we'll need to destroy it." Erwin said,
fiddling with his specs. "We need more TLC here, guys, and
at the right moment, when its energy is sufficiently
decreased and we're generating enough non-violence, we
should be able to strike it hard enough to destroy it!"
"So, you're saying that we have to go kiss and hug each
other until that thing just falls dead?" Ukyo asked.
"Well, theoretically." Erwin replied.
"Ranchan!!!" Ukyo leapt onto Ranma for the glomp.
"Excellent, Ukyo!" Erwin said. "We have 24% of the TLC
needed to defeat that thing."
"I'm so glad I could help!" Ukyo said, contentedly
snuggling up to Ranma.
"Why you-" Akane fumed.
"Uh, Akane, it's just to beat that thing, alright?!?
Ehehehhe...." Ranma stammered.
"Well, see if I care!" Akane almost screamed. "Come on,
Ryoga!" She grabbed Ryoga by the arm and hugged him. Ryoga's
nose lost full control.
*Oh, to be hugged by Akane of her own free will!!*
Ryoga thought dreamily. *This is heaven on earth! I can die
now...*
"Non-violence level up to 45 percent." Erwin announced,
eyeing the Darguro warily. It was starting to recover from
Ryoga's punch, and was advancing towards the nine of them.
"You take him!" Cara said.
"No, he's yours!" Giel insisted.
"No, you've known him longer..."
"Excuse me, but could you two stop bashing me as if I'm
not here?" SD-Allan said.
"Would you rather hug our Paladin here then?" Giel
asked.
"Frankly, yes." Cara glomped onto an unwitting Paladin.
"Excellent. 79%. Keep it up, guys." Erwin announced.
"Oh, I suppose I must..." Giel said.
"At last!" Allan squealed in glee.
Giel glomped onto Erwin.
"Huh?" Erwin started, pleasantly surprised.
Allan facefaulted.
"Okay, non-violence level is 100%!" Erwin said. "Hit it
with all you've got, Lightning Feet!"
"Gotcha, bossman!" Allan got down in a football
player's crouch, setting his feet for what might be on of
his most important runs. "Here I go!"
Allan's feet kicked off from the ground, moving faster,
faster,as his bio-enhanced(2) physiology began to accelerate
his movement. As he approached the Darguro, his speed and
acceleration had reached incredible values.
"Oh well, at least I got a kiss!" he cackled.
Throwing his arms in front of him, he smashed into the
Darguro as a football player would tackle a runningback. The
Darguro, in a pathetically weakened state, was blasted into
smithereens by the velocity of the tackle.
"Yatta!" Ranma cheered. "Uh, Ucchan, it's over. You can
let go now."
"Oh, don't mind me, Ranchan! I'm just fine!"
Ranma big-sweated.
Cara slapped Charles. "Don't you ever pull a stunt like
that again, you pervert." She snarled, facing away from him.
"But... what... hey..." Charles was still slightly
stunned.
"Is the thing gone?" Akane asked, letting go of Ryoga.
The poor guy fell to the ground unconscious, bleeding his
nose all over. "Oh, gomen, Ryoga. I think I held him too
tightly..."
"It's not over yet!" Erwin said, indicating Sokimo and
Kasumi.
"Let go of my sister, you!" Akane cried.
"Kasumi! She's my responsibility!" Charles stated,
recovering from his momentary, uh, shock. In a blink, the
paladin leapt towards Sokimo, snapping his whip.
"Baka!" Sokimo cackled. "My ability isn't limited to
plants! Your whip is made of bull-hide -- something organic
which my power can turn against you!" the green-robed demon
held a knotty hand up at the whip-
-and nothing happened.
"Ma-masaka!" Sokimo cried.
The whip glowed a brilliant white as it slashed through
Sokimo's body, practically cutting him in half.
"Fool!" Charles said triumphantly, standing over the
broken demon's body. "My whip is a Holy Weapon; it cannot be
used for evil purposes!"
"Curse you, paladin." Sokimo snarled. "You may have won
this battle here now, but the Dark Crucible will not so
easily be defeated!"
"I thought you said this was the stronghold of the Dark
Crucible?" Charles demanded.
"It is *a* stronghold, not *the* stronghold. You've
barely touched the tip of the ice. As we speak, the Master
is performing the ritual of summons! BWAHAHAHHAHA!!!" With
that, Sokimo faded into the shadows, leaving his laughter to
haunt them.
"Dark Crucible? What's that?" Allan wondered.
"Obviously, we're in way over our heads here, M-Team."
Erwin announced.
"It doesn't matter," Ranma said, clenching his fist.
"for all the evil and destruction they've wrought, they will
pay!"
"Oh, Ranchan, you make it sound so exciting!" Ukyo
piped, still glomped onto his arm.
"Eh, Ucchan..." Ranma was starting to get very worried
about the glowing blue aura Akane was developing.
"And I thought you said it was just to beat that thing!
RANMA NO BAKA!!" Akane pounded Ranma flat with her mallet.
"Kasumi, are you alright?" Charles asked, cutting her
free from the plants.
"Why yes, thank you." Kasumi smiled.
*How does she keep so calm?* Charles wondered.
***
Back at the Tendo dojo, everyone had just enjoyed a
masterful feast. Kasumi had cooked most of it, but Ukyo had
also helped, and her okonomiyaki special was a pleasure.
Giel, as well, helped in the cooking, introducing a new dish
which the household had never seen before. Surprisingly,
Cara also helped in cooking, "Hey, when you have to live in
the wilderness like I do, you learn how to cook. Especially
with these three bottomless pits." She glared at her three
stooges.
"Ah, I don't think I've ever been so full in my life!"
Ranma announced, laying back on the floor with a bulging
stomach so big, it was a wonder his shirt buttons didn't
pop.
"You said it, boy!" Genma agreed, laying back with a
similar condition.
"Do those two always eat like that?" Cara whispered to
Akane.
"Just about as bad as your boys," Akane returned,
gesturing at Dupre and Shamino, who were similarly stuffed.
"Believe me," Nabiki said crisply, "you don't want to
see their upkeep bill."
They cleaned up after the meal and were getting ready
to retire for the night. Since the dojo had never
accomodated so many people before, some compromises had to
be made for sleeping arrangements. Still, everyone was able
to find a place to sleep, be it on the dining room table or
in the backyard, in the case of Shamino, Dupre and Iolo.
"You call yourselves adventurers?" Cara berated them.
"Be men for once and sleep where you're supposed to! There
isn't anymore room in the dojo!"
The three M-Team guys camped up at the dojo with Ryoga.
The futons were strange for them at first, but they learned
to put up with it. Ghostliana stayed with Akane, and Cara
stayed with Kasumi.
Ukyo, thankfully, decided to go home. It wasn't that
late.
"I'll walk you, Ukyo." Charles, being the gentleman,
offered. Ranma would have offered, but he was afraid that
Akane wasn't quite calmed down yet from the episode earlier.
"Thanks! No telling what kind of monsters might lurk in
the dark, ne?"
"I'll come along, too." Erwin said to Charles. "So you
won't have to walk back alone."
As the three set out for Ucchan's, they took notice of
the night sky.
"Aren't the stars beautiful at night?" Ukyo noted.
"Indeed they are." Charles replied.
"Mmm..." Erwin nodded his assent.
"Hey, I don't think I've ever seen that constellation
before..." Ukyo said, motioning to a curious constellation
in the western hemisphere of the sky. It was made of nine
stars shaped in a somewhat 3-dimensional triangle pattern.
"I really can't say, since I'm not familiar with this
world's night sky." Charles said. "Right, Erwin?"
"Uh huh..." Erwin said absently, looking up at the
constellation.
He stopped walking.
"What is it?" Charles asked, suddenly tense. He knew
his friend; he was just taken by surprise, and that didn't
happen lightly.
"The stars..." Erwin just mumbled.
They looked up, and they realized that the other stars
were disappearing.
"Hmm, I didn't realize that it was that cloudy." Ukyo
said.
"Those aren't clouds." Erwin said cryptically.
With his enhanced vision, he could see the nine stars
of the first constellation burning brightly. But between
them, there was an unmistakable dark aura which writhed,
pulsed, with malevolent energy. And the other stars weren't
being covered by clouds... there were really disappearing.
Suddenly, an incredible surge of energy shot up from
somewhere to the west, away from Nerima, perhaps away from
Tokyo itself. It shot up high into the sky, a pillar of dark
energy that glowed and flared with that familiar, yet still
unsettling, brightness that wasn't bright, darkness that was
as visible as searing white light.
"By the Code..." Charles gasped.
All the stars were now gone from the sky, leaving just
that single, curious constellation in the western sky. The
dark energy suddenly stopped, as soon as it did, but the
missing stars did not reappear, and the blackness within the
constellation seemed deeper than ever.
"Ukyo, it might not be a bad idea for one or two of us
to stay with you tonight." Erwin said. "This does *not* look
good."
"I'm starting to think the same thing, sugar." Ukyo
said, almost absently, intently staring at the blackness
above them.
***
The darkness parted to reveal a cloaked figure,
kneeling down before a familiar-looking black throne. A soft
wind rustled across the figure's cloak, wafting through it
gently as it wafted across its long, fine hair. It raised
its head, revealing a face that was ghastly white, with
sharp features which were disconcertingly handsome, even
through the cold, heartless quality.
"Your summoning was a success, lord," he said in a
cold, quiet voice. "The others are ready for your commands."
"Excellent, Isharo," came the deathly voice from the
dephts of the shadows of the throne. "We are ready to take
this world for the power of the Dark Crucible! Has the
sacrifice been found?"
"Not yet, milord. But we know that she is within this
part of the city known as `Nerima'."
"Good. Send out the other archdemons. Do not fail me,
Isharo!"
"Hai."
The darkness closed over him once again.
***
*----------------------
What the heck was all that?
In the next episode of... The Dark Crucible
The Dark One steps up his plans! Isharo wreaks havoc
across Tokyo, while more of the demonic underlings
assault the Tendo Dojo. And in the minds of men,
Kyosuke's psyche is pushed to its limit...
*_---------Footnotes-----------
1) Tengu - a birdlike race of malicious humanoid creatures
from traditional oriental folklore. The are small, around 2
feet in height, and they really do bear a strange
resemblance to Happosai (or Cologne, for that matter). They
are also said to be masters of the martial arts, and many a
style of martial arts is said to have been taught to the
founding master by a tengu.
2) Bio-enhancement - In case you've forgotten from the 2nd
episode endnotes, the Allan, Erwin, Giel and Charles were
subjected to an experimental physiological experiment by a
megalomaniacal madman. It resulted in an increase of
abilities for them. Allan's power was that of speed. See the
character profiles.
*----------------------
*** Blah, Blah, Blah...
Finally, I don't believe it! Episode 3 is over. This thing is getting
rougher and rougher as I have less and less patience to edit it. Well,
the story's getting more complex, especially with all the new guys
popping up, so I'd be crazy if I went back in to fix the thing up.
Anyway, let's go to some character profiles. These are the old
ones which have been here since v1.0. I recommend getting the
Darkcrux Info file, which has more in-depth profiles, comparisons
of different characters, continuity and background info, and more.
The file should be available at my fanfic page, URL given below.
*------Character Profiles -----
*** The Ranma Gang - Followup of my brilliant profiles last time ^_^
Soun Tendo - the patriarch of the Tendo family and current owner
of the Tendo Training Hall. A gangly man probably in his
30's with long black hair and a mustache. He cries a lot
over the smallest things, probably due to the loss of his
beloved wife. Best friends with Genma, he pledged to join
their two families by marrying their children.
Genma Saotome - Soun's best friend and Ranma's father. Cursed to
turn into a panda when wet. One of the most pathetic
parents you'll ever meet, who got his son into so many
problems. A heavy-set balding man with beady eyes, glasses,
and a white bandanna over his head.
Happosai - the most perverted master of martial arts. His evil
knows no bounds, especially when concerned with women's
langerie. No more than two feet high, his diminutive
size belies his incredible martial arts skill. This is
good, because his favorite pastime is being a hentai
who loves to glomp on women and steal their panties.
His favorite in the Tendo household is Ranma-chan.
Kasumi Tendo - the sweetest of women. She is never fazed by anything
(except maybe by the first time Akane cut her hair) and
she keeps things together in the Tendo household. Her
housekeeping skills are legendary. Has long brown hair
and is the tallest among the Ranma girls. So responsible and
kind that it almost makes you sick. The perfect housewife.
Dr. Tofu - the skilled chiropractor who was the Tendo family doctor
for as long as can be remembered. Is very skilled at his
work, and at martial arts as well, although he doensn't look
it. Often depicted wearing glasses and a ponytail. Has a
*fatal* attraction to Kasumi, such that he goes quite daft
and is very dangerous in this state. Has been known to
twist Ranma into unthinkable shapes while Kasumi is around.
Use extreme caution.
Nabiki Tendo - the mercenary of the Tendo household. Is the coolest
in temperament among the sisters, with short brown hair and a
no non-sense attitude. Often comes out cynical. Never misses
an opportunity to make money, usually off of Ranma. Approach
with extreme trepidity.
*** The Ultima Gang
Cara, the Avatar - 7 time savior of Britannia and paragon of the
eight virtues. Her philosophy is based on three principles:
Truth, Love and Courage, and 8 virtues: Honesty, Compassion,
Valor, Justice, Sacrifice, Honor, Spirit, and Humility.
In the popular CRPG series, is often a generic, sexless
character who goes around messing with people's lives and
`taking' whatever equipment happens to be lying around. For
the purposes of this fic, she is a buxom female with golden
hair and clear blue eyes. To keep to the spirit of the game,
she is extremely meddlesome of other people's affairs, tries
to uphold her virtues, but she suffers from a slight disorder:
she's a kleptomaniac. This prompts her to "acquire" whatever
isn't bolted down. Hmm... haven't worked this into the fic
yet, but I will ;) She is also a great fighter due to having
trained under all the fighting masters of Britannia, and she
can make use of magic. (The Avatar is the ultimate character!)
A `pseudo-plagiarized' fanart of her is available at my
fanfic page below. (AVATAR0.GIF) A Must See!!! ^_^
Arcadion, the Shade Blade/Black Sword - the Avatar's eternal sidekick.
Actually a powerful demon (Arcadion) who was trapped in a gem
by a mistake. The Avatar bound him to her newly forged sword
of Blackrock. Now, his powers are at the Avatar's command.
He's bound to her, such that he reappears in her possession
even when thrown away or otherwise separated. His demon fire
is one of the powers he has revealed to the Avatar. Due to
his condition, he is often moody and irritable, but has no
choice but to accede to the Avatar's wishes.
Dupre - the knight who is the strong arm of the Avatar. A drunken
sot who toured Britannia to study its drinking establishments.
Also a voracious eater. His favorite pastimes are drinking,
bashing heads and annoying Iolo and Shamino.
Shamino - the ranger who was a survivor of the Beastlands back when
Britannia was divided into the eight lands of Sosaria. His
skill with tracking and woodslore has helped the Avatar in
many a situation. Has an actress girlfriend back in Britannia.
He loves nothing more than annoying Iolo and Dupre.
Iolo - the *talented* <ahem> bard who owns a popular Bowyer Shop
with overpriced wares in Britannia. Looks to be the oldest
among the companions, and was the Avatar's first companion.
He's the most trustworthy and responsible of the three,
often able to help the Avatar in mundane things like counting
her money and such. Nothing seems to happen to him except
being annoyed by Shamino and Dupre.
*** The M-Team
Erwin Epsilon - the enigmatic leader of the M-Team. Has dark hair
and bronzish skin. Is the second shortest among the team.
Recognizable by the dark green visor called the "Tech Specs"
which he almost always wears. After a humiliating defeat
at the hands of his arrogant master, he swore to be the
best fighter he could become. His bio-enhancement, which
gave him incredible agility, and his quick mind, along with
his humiliation have prompted him to try to learn the myriad
fighting styles he has come across in his travels. Often quiet
and withdrawn, listening instead of talking, seeing instead of
being seen. Mysterious to those who know him, even his friends.
Also known as the Demon Sword.
I know this sounds like playing favorites, but DS has his own
pic at my Fanfic page. (ERWIN0.GIF) See the Cool Shades!
Allan MacGyver - the antithesis of the Paladin, who is noble, stoic
and charming. The smallest of the M-Team, he is often the
underdog of situations. Has wavy black hair and a cherub-like
face <ahem> that doesn't quite cut cute to the ladies. Never
gives up a chance to irk his overbearing nemesis. Loves to
wisecrack and make light of everything. His bio-enhancement,
which allows him to run as fast as the wind, is well-suited
to one of his favorite combat maneuvers - regroup and attack
from a distance with his boomerangs. Packs more punch than
many would give him credit for, he can be very surprising
in combat situations, as well as in day-to-day life.
Ghostliana Merd - the rose among the thorns, so to speak. Kind and
very friendly, able to make friends with just about anyone.
Stunningly attractive with long, raven black hair and dark
eyes, she has been mistaken as a fragile beauty. However,
following her trials with the M-Team, she has dabbled in
Wu Shu, a style of martial arts based on nature and animals.
Prefers using a slim blade, as depicted by a certain style
of Wu Shu. Her bio-enhancement is a strange pyschological
adjustment to her charm, which makes her compulsions and
suggestions hard to resist. i.e. - she has an aura of charm
about her. She is well aware of her effect on men and can
be quite mischievous exploiting it.
*----------------------
Well, that concludes Episode 3 of this crazy fic of mine. It's been
a lot of fun doing it, and I hope whoever of you out there who gets
to read this have fun, too. This thing has evolved a lot since I
first conceived it more than 3 months ago. Oh well...
The patented energy food which kept me going to finish this episode
was a bag of Barquillos de Leche. The way the crisp exterior crumbles
in your mouth and allows the milk to melt on your tongue cannot be
paralleled by any *gaijin* snack. Till next time, ja ne!
End -- The Dark Crucible - Episode 3 v1.1
*----------------------