And now...it begins....
The Tales
of Shampoo
vs.
Magic Knight
Rayearth
Book One--Tokyo Tower Does Not Have
a Monopoly on Wierd Events....
by
Elizabeth "Libby" Thomas
Based on characters and storylines in:
'Ranma 1/2' by Rumiko Takahashi
'Magic Knight Rayearth' by CLAMP
and
'The Tales of Shampoo' by Rob Barba
AUTHOR'S RAMBLING
Hello, and welcome to my first major story!
I was reading the fantastic fanfic, 'The Tales of Shampoo', when
I thought about something. One of the main characters, Liberty
"Libby" Windham, looks an awful lot like Fuu Hououji, a
character in a manga that Ranko reads. Libby, despite her
disdain for anime and manga, knew about Fuu instinctively, and
knew about her before she met Ranko. Why?
This, I hope, will move to answer those questions.
It should be noted that although I'm a CLAMP fan (I LOVE
'X:1999' and 'RG Veda' especially), I have never seen 'Rayearth'
in its TV, OVA, or manga formats--most of this stuff I'm taking
from the Sega video game, websites, or hearsay from others.
Before all you die-hard 'Rayearth' enthusiasts get mad at me,
I'm doing it this way for a reason; I want a flawless world
(story-wise) to come about from my work here (this also means
that I'll be tweaking a bit with the TOS universe as well, and
even using some things about the Windham clan that Rob will
hopefully let me get away with ^_^), as well as explaining why
Libby is the way she is (though this is something that Rob
should be doing, so he'll decide if this story fits into TOS
canon or not). Don't worry though; after the TOS vs. MKR series
is done, I promise I'll write a REAL Rayearth story. At worst,
this is an alternate 'Rayearth'.
Oh, lest I forget: 'Ranma 1/2' characters are the property of
the manga megami Rumiko Takahashi. 'Magic Knight Rayearth'
characters belong to the shojo masters at CLAMP, and the 'TOS'
characters (namely, the Windham ninjas) belong to that uber-
writer, Rob Barba. All other characters here are mine.
Thanks that I can get to actually say: to Rob, for letting me
get away with this and letting me use his TOS characters; my
fellow writers and editors at Studio YOGIPIGS for waiting for my
glacial writing speed to produce some this incoherent; the
'Welcome To Cephiro!' (http://cephiro.anime.net) Site, which I
accessed for information when I felt I needed it (and those
gritty SD drawings are so kawaii!); and Studio Yousei's 'Magic
Knight Rayearth' (tsunami.anime.net/ukyou/rayearth) site for a
lot of style oriented content.
If I'm wrong on everything, you can all send me hate mail at:
Bucket_O_Fanfics@bigfoot.com. Now, on with the show....
NOTES
The following are provided for explanation:
[[Telephone conversation]]
((Thoughts))
For those who are interested, although part of this story takes
place in the TOS universe, you won't find Shampoo or most of her
friends in it, as this takes place about two weeks before TOS1,
about the time that Libby is on vacation at her family's home in
Seattle, and well before Ranko's arrival in San Francisco.
Additionally, this story takes place after Rayearth II (the
anime) (I think).
For those who haven't read it yet, the initial meeting of Coral
Mizuno and Tatewaki Kuno came from TOS2, which takes place eight
years before both TOS1 and this fic. TOS2 is not required to
understand this fic, but it'll help when it comes to some of the
Windham backgrounds.
CHAPTER ONE
A quiet day in the town of Everett, Washington. Just a normal
day here in the quiet town living near the grunge capital of the
world, the Town that Kurt built; namely Seattle. Everett was a
nondescript town, a place just like every other suburb in the
state. It did, however, as towns in this state did, have
something that set it apart from other cities in the US that
would look very much like it.
Bremerton had the USS MISSOURI.
Redmond had Microsoft and Nintendo.
Everett had Windham Hill.
Admittedly, there was a place in California that had the same
name and was just as popular (due to the music company that
named itself after that place), this place was just was
important; however, only the locals called it Windham Hill. It
was better known to the world as the Yosai no Windham Shinobi
Ryu--the Windham Compound--the ancestral lands of the Windham
Shinobi Ryu--the Windham ninja clan, the only American-
originated clan. It had been there since the day Jeremiah
Windham found the spot during America's frontier days, and built
a farm there. It had been a base for ninjitsu operations when
Jeremiah's grandson, Thomas, saved the life of Shinayama Rin--
the daughter of a travelling ninja master; Thomas married Rin,
and Shinayama Kenichi taught him and his descendants the Art.
Since then, the Windham clan became the premier clandestine
organization in the US, though other clans eventually began
operating here. From the frontier days, through two world wars
and countless crises, everyone knew that a Windham ninja stood
for honor and justice; you were safe when one was nearby. Even
now, the Windham compound was the national stronghold for the
clan, whose interests ran from Law Enforcement assistance to
training military Special Ops forces to CIA operations.
And Liberty Aileen Windham, the oldest surviving child of Kyle
and Molly Windham, was heir apparent to the title of Master
Shinobi--leader of the clan. Some said she was as powerful as
Kyle, stronger and faster than anyone who had ever wore the
mantle of a Windham ninja. Some said she was more than a match
for her father, with every chance of surpassing his strength.
There were a few in the know that even said she could be a match
for the legendary Mist, the Master Shinobi of the Ghost Wolf
clan. Of this, there was no doubt: she was extremely powerful
and talented. A young woman of 26, with a thin, athletic body,
short dusty blonde hair, and enchanting, expressive green eyes
(albeit encased behind a pair of everyday eyeglasses), she
looked every bit the mixture of competent woman and innocent
waif, with a little unstoppable assassin thrown into the mix.
Yes, it was clear that there were few that could match Libby
Windham.
Unfortunately, there were some whose abilities outstripped hers
in certain areas....
"Nabiki!" Libby grumbled, "this is my VACATION, for cryin' out
loud!"
The sultry tones on the other end continued, unabated.
[[Please, Libby? It's just for a day or two....]] Libby could
swear that on the other end of the line, Nabiki Kuno was smiling
a grin that was part friendly, part predatory. No one could
escape Nabiki's charms--not even her husband; what made Libby
think that she could?
"Nabiki, c'mon--you KNOW I haven't been able to take a vacation
in the longest time!" the blonde huffed. "Plus, I was hoping to
just unwind for a few days after that favor Shampoo and I did
for you." Libby's commentary was understatement; that "favor"
took the combined fleet-footed thinking of both women to save
Nabiki from utter embarrassment; and the subsequent combined
martial arts talent of both women to ensure that Nabiki would be
okay once the other side began to play nasty. It was not
something that the three women would forget easily. It was
certainly something that Libby hoped Nabiki owed her for.
Or so she thought. [[Look, Libby. This isn't some small
company that we're dealing with; this is Microsoft. If I don't
have Kunotech's best there, Gates'll eat us alive!]] the voice
on the other end pouted. [[You know that Kunosoft needs the
contract to produce on the Win98 platform, so...]] Nabiki
trailed off, hoping her dramatic pause would have an effect.
When it became clear that it didn't, Nabiki broke down and tried
a new, sure-fire tactic: honesty. [[Libby, listen. You're the
only one I can trust on this, and I'm not talking just because
you're the best that Ktech SF has, both in biz law and
negotiation; I'm saying this because you're one of my best
friends.]] At once, Nabiki's voice changed, transforming from
the tones of Libby's employer to that of one of Libby's closest
pals. [[Libby, I'll be honest--I didn't want to ask you,
especially so soon after Nat...the Chambers affair. I was
hoping to keep you and Shampoo low-key, but with this meeting,
I-I-I...]] she paused, then continued, even though hesitantly.
[[I was supposed to go, but I don't feel...comfortable right
now. Not so soon after...well, y'know....]]
Libby's mind faded back to that event, neither too much in
timeframe nor distance away from where she was. It was a
difficult time for all involved in that incident, and she could
hear the pain in the voice of a person who was usually a pillar
of strength. "I understand, Nabiki. I'll do it," she said into
the receiver, her way of being sympathetic to her longtime
friend. "But ," she said, mirth creeping into her voice, "I'm
taking off two more weeks, and they'll be paid ones, ya got
that?"
[[Do this for me, and your whole vacation won't count against
your balance.]] The fact that Nabiki was willing to do this
spoke volumes about her concerns--and her faith in her friend.
[[Thanks a lot, Libby. I owe ya.]]
"Nothing new, there," she said. "So, are you going to fax me
the info or FedEx it?"
[[I'll have someone bring it to you,]] she said, in a manner
that indicated she figured that Libby would agree. [[Be
careful, though: I heard that Gates' people are being led by one
of their own hotshots. You might wanna watch your back, girl.]]
"I'm shinobi, remember? He's gotta be quicker than me to get at
my back," Libby huffed, thinking that for once, she may have
gotten the better of Nabiki Kuno. Sure, she had to give up part
of her vacation, but she was getting back something in return,
and she was also helping out a friend. "Well, I gotta get
going. I gotta go to town and pick up a business suit--I didn't
bring one with me."
[[Okay; make it an expensive one and put it on the company
tab,]] Nabiki replied. [[I'll let you get going then. Hasta la
vista, amigo.]]
Both women said their goodbyes, hanging up the phone. Libby
went upstairs to her old room, still absently carrying the
cordless. She had to grab her purse and her keys, change out of
her workout gear, shower, toss on some clothes, and get racing.
It was a short hop to Seattle, and she could hit the Neiman
Marcus there, maybe pick up a Donna Karan or two...
The ring of the phone in her hand jump-started her back to
reality. Clicking the phone active, she commented, "Windham
residence. Libby speaking."
[[Libby!]] There was no mistaking the bouncy cheerfulness in
the voice on the other end. [[How long were you planning to be
in town and not tell me?!?]]
Libby smiled, despite the implied admonishment. "Coral, when
was the last time you checked your e-mail?"
[[You know I don't like that thing,]] the voice on the other end
responded. [[I always prefer the human contact. Ya coulda left
a message on my answering machine, y'know. But...never mind
that.]] Libby, on her end, could help but smile--Coral was, as
always, speaking at her bright, bubbly, and energetic pace, her
voice moving at a hurricane speed of 75 words per minute, with
occasional gusts of up to 120. [[Reason I called is to say that
I'm glad it's you.]]
That comment made no sense. "Say again, Coral?"
[[Oh, we got a call two days ago here at Bill-ville on the
Kunosoft contract. I'm the principal negotiator on this, and
from what I was told last week, the main person on the Ktech end
was gonna be Nabiki Kuno, herself--I don't know if she remembers
me from Vietnam eight years ago, but we didn't get along. Then
we got the call two days ago saying that you'd be handling the
negs. Wow--I didn't even know you worked for Ktech, Libby.]]
((Two days ago? OOOOOOhhhhh, NABIKI!!!!)) Libby steamed
mentally--Nabiki had set her up again. However, instead of
verbally exploding on the phone, she merely calmed down and
said, "Didn't know you worked for Bill, Coral."
[[Yeah; they picked me up a while back when they bought out that
small programming firm I was with. My contract's almost up with
them, and I'll be looking for somewhere else to go--I'm not
really comfortable here. Maybe I'll go up the street to
Nintendo. But...never mind that. Anyways, I'm glad that you'll
be the rep. Tell ya what: what're you doing for lunch?]]
"Was planning to go to Seattle to pick up some suits for the
meeting. Left them all at home."
[[Oh, that reminds me: how's Shampoo doing? Tell her hi for me
next time you see her, 'kay? Tell me about her during lunch.
How's the Space Needle Cafe at noon sound? It'll be just you
and me--we can set up the ground rules for everyone else...after
we get caught up. Great. Gotta go, bye!]] Coral hung up
without even waiting for Libby's response; she knew Libby would
be there. That was Coral for you--perpetually on the happy
vibe, and trusting in the goodness of other people.
Reaching the top of the stairs, she scarcely had time to think
about what she was going to wear to lunch (fortunately, this was
going to be just her and Coral, so she could go the grunge grrl
route), when the doorbell rang. Since no one else was home, and
the compound's "executive manager" (Libby thought it was a fancy
way of saying "butler") was on vacation this week, the Windhams
managed on their own. She bellowed out, "Coming!" as she
descended the steps once again.
As she reached for the door, a fleeting thought came to her.
((Nabiki said that she was sending the info by courier. That
was quick, even for her. Wonder what's going on?)) Never did
she once consider an attack: anyone attempting to attack someone
on the Windham grounds was virtually committing a bizarre form
of suicide. The fact that Libby would be answering the door
expanded that problem by a factor of a trillion.
She opened the door and without looking at first, said, "Hi.
Can I help you?" She then faced the person she was addressing,
and facefaulted.
A well-mannered gentleman, stood at the door. His appearance,
though leaning towards the casual side of dress, showed a neat
and topical personality. He smiled once, a rougish grin that
somehow accented his gleaming, childlike brown eyes and his
perfectly tousled brown hair. He spoke briefly, as though the
weight of the world rested on every syllable he uttered. "Oh,
what a fine day this is, to be gazing upon the flaxen-tressed
defender of the law and justice as she stands there, present in
all her fiery glory, as though she knew of my tribute to her
greatness. It is to my credit that I, T--"
"Can the speech, Tate," she grumbled, shaking her head and
muttering under her breath, "You even sent your husband, Nabiki.
You're REALLY gonna owe me for this." She then turned back to
Tatewaki Kuno and said, "Gimme fifteen to change, Tate old
buddy. We've got a lunch date at the Space Needle at noon, and
then you can tell me what your grand plan is for this mess."
"Um, my plan? And what lunch date?" he commented, as though he
had no idea what she was talking about. It took her a few
minutes to realize that indeed, he HAD no idea what she was
talking about.
"Aren't you here for the Microsoft deal?"
"Yeah, but just to give you a brief on it. Nabiki said that you
had everything well in hand, and..." He stared at her numbly
when he saw that flicker of annoyance in her eyes. "I thought
that's why you came here."
"No, I WAS on vacation up until fifteen minutes ago."
Tate Kuno's eyes darkened in bemused sympathy. "I'm sorry,
Libby. I had no idea. I'll have a talk with her when I get
home." He sighed in exasperation. Although Nabiki had gotten
rid of her mercenary ways for the most part, there were still a
few unfortunate times when she reverted to form. "In the
meanwhile, I guess I'll be staying in town to take care of the
deal, huh?"
Libby smiled; it was just like Tatewaki to think of others
before himself. Nabiki once commented that he was once the
exact opposite, but Libby, knowing him as well as she did,
couldn't picture it. "We'll talk about it at lunch. We're set
to meet the head Microsoft negotiator there, just to lay down
the groundwork." She paused, then continued. "Let me go change,
and then we'll get going."
CHAPTER TWO
Far away, beyond the veil of space and time which kept the
universe in order, there was another dimension, another
universe in which the rules of reality shifted in a slightly
different manner. This universe was more populated, more
explored, and less a mystery to mankind. That did not make it
any less dangerous for its inhabitants. There were at least
four known worlds on which human civilization had taken root,
but none of the four were more important than the world that was
the very pillar of the cosmos.
Cephiro. A world governed by the laws of magic, and until
recently, besieged by countless wars and conflict. A world that
had only recently found peace, though it took the sacrifice of
its beloved leader and the near destruction of the universe
itself. It was only due to the return of three legends from the
past, three legends from beyond the crystal blue skies, that the
world stood today...
...and that Crown Prince Ferio ruled the kingdom. A young man
of perhaps eighteen years or so, the current monarch of the
world was well-loved by his people, though not to the degree
that his sister Emeraude was. That was no slight against him,
but instead, a celebration of how much his sister had been vital
to the well-being of the land. Since her death, though, the
world was now having to learn to live without a central Pillar--
the very essence of Cephiro--but still they moved on,
regardless, under the kind-hearted rule of Ferio.
And it was that very kind heart that brought Ferio, along with a
small contingent of men, to the small town of Delvis. There had
been reports coming from the town that spoke of some invading
army. Those reports disturbed Ferio mildly, to say the least;
he knew he was on good terms with the neighboring nations, and
there was no civil unrest in the land since time before time--
that sort of thing being not in the nature of your average
Cephiran.
Still, there he was, alongside two of his finest men-at-arms--
the driven Lafarga and a younger, aristocratic archer named
Hisame, yet his mind was elsewhere. Admittedly, though he was
not the type to daydream, the slight breeze on the move in the
air brought memories to his mind, of a young Japanese woman with
enchanting green eyes and a smile that spoke volumes, despite
her shy demeanor.
((Fuu, how I wish we could be together, my love. How I wish
that we could all be together. I miss Hikaru and Umi almost as
much, my dear friends.)) The slightest smile came to his lips
as he remembered their brief moment of admitted love between
them before she returned to Earth; kissing her had been the
moment of his life. He also knew that he could not be truly the
King of Cephiro until he chose a Queen to rule beside him; he
claimed long ago that there would be no other woman in his life
save that of the Wind Knight. ((Fuu, my love, how I wish you
were here with me now to--))
He was brought out of his reverie by the cursing of Hisame. The
young man, recently in service of the Cephiro Royal Guard, had
risen through the ranks quickly, becoming a trusted aide of
Ferio's. An androgynous-looking male, he had soft blue hair,
and eyes the same deep shade of reddish-sienna that Hikaru's
were. Although delicate looking, the man was dangerous with a
sword and even more lethal with his stock-in-trade, the longbow.
He was currently wearing a simple mail shirt that was colored
somewhere between gray and lavender, and the fact that he was
swearing was a sign of how unnerved the usually even-flowing man
was. "Bloody hell! Look at this place! We're not even near
the town, and I can smell the stench of evil. We should have
brought more mages with us, Ferio. Maybe Caldina, or even Guru
Clef!" The young man pointed to a great blackish-blue cloud in
the sky, as though the very air had been bruised.
"I think you worry too much," Lafarga said, his quiet tones soft
and dangerous as always. "We don't need magic here; the spells
of brute force should be more than enough!" Ferio, knowing his
friend well, caught the undertone of Lafarga's words. He had
recently married Caldina, and did not want to endanger her any
further; that also went for all his friends at the palace.
"Lafarga, you misunderstand me. I have no doubt in our skills
at armaments, whether it be the blades of you and Ferio, or my
bow. But there is little our skills can do against that, for
that is what I fear is the cause of the troubles at Delvis!"
Before Lafarga could continue, Ferio spoke up. "Personally, you
may be right, Hisame. However, it's far too late to anything
about it other than continue on and hope for the best. The
people there may be in trouble, and I can't allow any of my
people to suffer like that!" With that, he spurred his horse
on, heading on towards the threatened village of Delvis.
It was thus, then to their surprise that the sky suddenly
darkened above them, as the cloud moved with an unnatural speed
to blot out the very sunlight that made the small band of
fighters so readied. As the horses began to grow uneasy from
the sudden change in lighting, a lightning bolt rocketed down
from the darkened sky, an unnatural jag of violet that burnt
into the earth before the contingent of twenty. As the bolt of
plasma connected with the terrain, a blinding flash of purple
filled the sky, causing all to shield their eyes from the
optical assault.
When the light cleared once more, three people stood before
Ferio's band. Two men, and one woman, each standing before
them, imposing and yet calm in their composure. One man, thin
as a rail with close-cropped spiky blonde hair and piercing blue
eyes, stood, arms crossed over an armored torso and a severe-cut
suit, colored in tan, with a blood-red cape draped around his
shoulder. A short sword hung at his side, ready to be loosed at
a moment's notice. The second man was a small mountain of
muscle, standing above even Lafarga's stature, wearing armor of
cobalt over the same tan clothing that the first wore; a huge,
opal-encrusted sword was strapped to his back. The black in his
hair and beard was as night, but worse was the flicker of rage
in his hazel eyes. Last on the list was the woman, a classic
beauty with inviting green eyes and soft white hair. She wore
neither armor, cloak, nor sword, but just the same garb as the
other two; however, the red pulsing aura of energy that
enveloped her showed that this was no dainty maiden. The three,
standing together, made for a trio that spoke of pure danger.
The thin man spoke first, addressing Ferio. "You, I take it,
are going to the town ahead of us, Prince Ferio?"
Ferio said nothing, wondering how the man coul have known who he
was; he was not wearing his white clothing denoting his
identity, but instead his old tan and brown woodsman's garb.
Realizing that it would probably do no good to attempt a ruse,
he leaned forward on his saddle lazily, commenting, "Well, you
seem to have the advantage of me. You know who I am, but I am
afraid that I'm not familiar with you."
The man smiled, not at all friendly. "You don't have to be. I
am Daimler, and these are my associates, Trabant and Passat,"
indicating the man and the woman, in turn. "We are the rulers
of this world, now, the ones who will make it pure. You can
consider yourselves retired. If you attempt force, I will have
to respond in kind. Make it easy on yourself and go back from
where you came, Ferio."
Before Ferio could respond, Lafarga rushed his horse forward,
bellowing, "I doubt it! You have me to face, and I assure you,
it will not be pretty." He unsheathed his blade, readying for a
strike at the enemy now revealed before him.
"Trabant." Daimler spoke once and once only. There was a flash
of blue, and the hulking behemoth disappeared. As Lafarga
neared for a strike, a blast of blue erupted beneath him,
flinging rider and horse skyward. The blast turned out to be a
mystical geyser of water, controlled by the huge swordsman.
Upon the return to earth, Lafarga landed easily and attacked his
foe; the horse, not as prepared, landed on its neck and snapped
it instantly, killing the beast. Ignoring the sorrowful pain
that his steed had died in, Lafarga silently promised the beast
justice by planning to run his blade through the large behemoth.
In the meanwhile, Hisame waited for no attack. He whipped out
his bow and began firing arrow after arrow, choosing as his
target the woman named Passat. To his shock, she was easily
outmaneuvering each of his shots, nimbly dancing around each of
his missiles and softly tapping each with her finger,
incinerating each in the process. Finally, she smiled a grin
that could have been construed as inviting, if it wasn't for the
next words she called out: "And now it ends. Fire Ballista!" A
multitude of flaming arrows launched out towards Hisame, but he
was not as quick as she was. Though he maneuvered to and fro,
he managed to avoid most of them. Unfortunately, however, a few
finally hit him, and he fell, defeated.
Ferio, seeing one of his friends downed, finally entered the
fray, ordering his men into battle. He leapt from his horse,
unholstering his scimitar, and moving to strike out against
Daimler, who had also unsheathed his own blade for the conflict.
Had he bothered to turn around, he would have noticed that his
own men were not involved in the fighting.
They were instead being beaten to a pulp by giant golems made of
stone that had leapt from the earth unexpectedly. Those golems
in turn, were being controlled by a small woman dressed
similarly to Trabant, her short forest-green hair and black eyes
as cold and impassive as the burnished coppery color of her
chest armor. In one hand, she held a short rapier, ready to
attack should any of the Cephiran Guard break through her
golems; while the other glimmered a bright orange in echo of the
magic she wielded in controlling her creatures.
In the interim, the combat between Lafarga and Trabant ended
immediately. While the two were more than a match when it came
to the skill of the blades, and indeed, it look for a moment
that Lafarga would get the better of him, Trabant struck out
with his magic. Instantly, the Cephiran master-at-arms was
buffeted by high-pressure streams of water, slamming him with
the power of a ton. Lafarga switched from attacking the other
swordsman to fighting the torrents of water swinging his blade
to and fro to minimize the damage. And though he managed to
succeed at that, too, he was brought down by a fist to the back
of the head, which crumpled him to the floor.
As for the conflict between Ferio and Daimler, that was brought
short. All it took was an emerald glow of Daimler's right hand,
and a blast of wind launched Ferio away from his intended
target. At the same time, Daimler brought his sword up over his
head and down in a fast arc, shearing through Ferio's sword,
cutting it in half. The broken half fell and buried itself in
the ground, as Ferio, still holding on to the handle half,
slammed into a nearby tree, knocking the wind out of him.
Standing up, he wiped a sliver of blood from his mouth and
tossed the remnants of his sword down, crying, "You'll have to
do better than that, Daimler. I've fought against everything
that there was in this world, and I will continue, no matter
what. You. Will. Not. Stop. Me!"
"I'm sorry to hear that, Ferio," Daimler responded in
disinterested tones. He snapped his fingers and spoke softly,
uttering a simple phrase: "Targa, hither."
A blast of violet once more descended to earth, shredding the
tree--and Ferio underneath it. He screamed in pain as he was
electrocuted, then slumped to the ground in a shaking fit of
nerve impulse overload, his mind mercifully having slipped into
unconsciousness milliseconds earlier. In the crater that was
the remains of the tree, stood a man wearing an indigo version
of the same suit everyone else wore. He wore a cape similar to
Daimler's, and in his hands he carried two short swords. His
features, including his shock of dark blue hair and gray eyes,
would be handsome if it wasn't for the malicious sneer that was
plastered into his face. His rail-thin body moved with a lithe
grace as he bent down to check his victim. "He still breathes,
Daimler," Targa responded in a hiss of a response. "He is
stronger than we guessed."
"Let him live then, Targa. We may have use for him and the
others, who I can guess are also still alive, Jetta?" he
commented, directing his query to the short forest-haired girl.
She was looking over the body of Hisame. "He suffered a couple
of second degree burns from Passat's attack, but he'll live. As
for the other, he has a couple of chest bruises--Trabant's
AquaStrike did the job nicely--and a concussion from that last
punch, but he'll also live. As for the rest of their army, my
Geoslaves tore most of them apart, but I think one escaped.
He'll probably notify the rest of the Cephiro aristocracy and
Presia will be leading an army down here."
"Hah," Trabant scoffed. "This--" pointing at Lafarga, "--is the
Head of the Guard. Do you think that the General of their Army
could do any better against me?"
"From what I understand," Targa said, in a haughty tone, "the
one called Presia is very dangerous. She is the Weaponsmaster
of Cephiro, an expert with any kind of weapon. Unlike where we
came from, here that quality is rare. She is one not to be
trifled with."
"Personally," Passat said, leaning on Daimler's shoulder in a
seductive manner, "I'm hoping they'll send that geriatric brat
Clef. He's 700 years old and needs to reach the end of his
life. I'll be more than happy to oblige the gentleman." She
formed a fist, and instantly the red glow of fire magic
surrounded it, as though it were a pet eager to do its master's
bidding. "I will burn the little bastard to a crisp, I swear."
Daimler looked over at her and smiled. "You can be so cruel,
Passat. However, they stand no chance against us." Turning
back to Targa, he commented, "Return us to the stronghold. We
have much work to do before we bring this world to its knees."
Nodding once, Targa stabbed the air once with his glowing
dagger. There was the familiar blast of lighting...
...and then they were gone, destination unknown.
<=+=>
Hours later, a very weary and tired Clef was done speaking to
the surviving guardsman, who'd barely escaped within an inch of
his life; it would take many a healer many a day to totally
bring this man to any semblance of total well-being. He was
able to report all that he did before mercifully slipping into a
comatose state. The guru sighed; at least someone would be
spared the pain of the next few days to come.
As he began to walk out of the infirmary and down towards the
grand hall, his mind was a bitter, tangled mess. ((I thought
we'd moved away from this,)) he thought bitterly. ((Through the
incidents with Emeraude and Zagato, even with the world itself
falling into nothingness. Our dear Cephiro was saved, though we
could not do the same for Autozam. At least the remainder of
their population lives with us, now.))
He felt a soft weight on his shoulder as his head sank behind
the weight of the burden on his shoulder. A voice continued the
comfort that the gesture of friendliness couldn't.
"I know it can't be easy, Clef, but we are here for you, old
friend."
Clef turned his head, his wide blue-gray orbs looking at his
friends. "Thank you, Presea, Caldina. I know it is just as
hard for you two." That was all he would mention of Caldina's
husband or Hisame, who'd recently begun courting the
Weaponsmaster of Cephiro.
"We'll manage," Presea said, tersely. In her gold and silver
armor as General of the Cephiran Army, she looked very regal,
the very image of a Cephiro Valkyrie. Her golden hair was in
that ever-familiar topknot of hers, and she still looked very
beautiful. However, her green eyes were embedded with a worry
that the mage had never seen before, and her usual quirky humor
was almost non-existent today.
"Are you sure? I need you both okay and well. Not only because
the nation needs you, but more so because you are my friends,
and I am concerned." This next comment was directed not so much
at Presea, but the woman next to her.
The woman at the side of Presea barely looked at Clef. Despite
her normally, enchanting, hypnotic beauty, today, she
looked...well, as though the magic had drained from her body,
the siren's call having been halted by deepening sorrow. On any
other given day, the girl's garb, an Arabian-like assortment of
silks and lacy, gossamer fabrics would entice any man to
hormonal madness; today, they limped at her side, pathetic and
spent; she looked like she was on day 1002 of the 1001 Arabian
nights. Caldina looked at Clef, the pain showing in her dark
eyes. Her normally tanned skin looked paler today somehow, and
her rose-hued hair didn't have that usual just-so sheen to it.
Clef spoke again, directly to her this time. "Caldina, will you
be okay? I need your assistance in this crisis, old friend. If
you cannot lend your talents to this crisis due to your own, I
will understand."
Caldina's dark eyes flickered for a second. She then spoke, in
that lilting Chizetam accent that Umi always said somehow
reminded her of the city of Osaka, on her homeworld: "I'll...be
okay, Clef. You needn't worry about me, okay? We'll get
through this together. There's no choice."
"Good." Clef breathed a sigh of relief. As much as Presea was
hurting over Hisame's disappearance, Caldina was in worse shape
over the loss of her husband. "As you said, Caldina--we'll make
it through this together." His words came out hollow, in his
opinion, and he wasn't sure if he'd said them to console
Calidna, Presea, or himself.
Down at the end of the grand hall, a young man's voice rang out,
as the youth ran up to the trio, his figure a dashing sight,
resplendent in Cephiran armor. "Presea, the FTOs are ready to
launch. Conventional forces are also ready for deployment."
Zazu brushed the black hair out of his eyes; like Ascot before
him, he'd benefitted from enhanced growth; the adult that strode
beside them was not the child of old. "Presea, I tell you, I
don't like the idea of using the FTOs. We have so few of them
and it takes a LOOOONNNNGGGG time to build new ones. If these
guys are--"
She cut him off with a piercing glance. "NO. Get those units
airborne, and wait at the outskirts of Delvis. My cavalry will
join you there." She softened her gaze, adding, "I know that
the Cephiran military is more magic based and less tech-based
than the old Autozam forces, but until we find a way to
compromise building tech without doing environmental damage to
Cephrio, you'll have to live with what we've got."
"I understand. Don't worry, we'll get them back." Showing his
pearly whites in that lop-sided grin, he saluted haphazardly and
took off towards his mech. A short flight would get him to the
newly-renamed ARK CEPHIRO, the space cruiser that was once the
flagship of Autozam's military operations.
"He certainly is still impetuous," Clef said, as he watched the
pilot race into the distance. "I just hope he's right. Stars,
if Ferio is killed, not to mention Lafarga and Hisame..." He
shook his head. "Presea, you're the military expert, but is a
full assault on Delvis the answer? There may be innocents held
hostage there!"
Presea fought back tears as her face went into a cold,
dispassionate beauty; Clef could see that she'd spent hours
worrying about this decision. "The...safety of the kingdom is
paramount. We have to stop whatever's out there. If these
people are as powerful as the messenger said, we have a battle
on our hands." For a second, she looked as though she were
about to cry. Then the moment was gone, and General Presea had
returned, Cephiro's Ice Shieldmaiden. "Excuse me, my friends; I
have a war to run, just as you have a kingdom to lead in this
crisis." With that, she turned and strode away purposefully; in
truth, it would be so that they wouldn't see her tears. She had
to be strong, for Hisame, for Caldina, for Clef, for her
friends, and for her world. She could fail them. She couldn't
afford to.
Once Presea strode away, Caldina turned to Clef. "Call them."
Clef said softly but firmly, "No. We've put them through
enough. Besides, Mokona is no longer with us. We can't
guarantee the safety of this world any longer."
"SHE can. She is the Pillar," Caldina countered. "The Pillar
can--"
"There is no more Pillar. She abolished it, remember?" Clef's
face took on a sorrowful look. "You remember the last time they
were here, right? They looked so happy, all but Fuu, who knew
that she and Ferio couldn't be together. When Lantis and Ascot
left, did you see the looks of joy on Hikaru's and Umi's faces?
They were going home to lead normal lives." He looked at
Caldina sadly. "They're our friends. Do you want to destroy
the happiness they've built?"
"They'll fight for us again, I know they will. Especially my
little brother." Her eyes were now pleading, begging. "We need
them, Clef. If anything, we need HER. She is the Pillar,
whether she likes it or not. It is she who should rule, not
Ferio, since she is the true soul of Cephiro. This is her
responsibility, whether she likes it or not." She calmed down
and said, "Don't get me wrong. Ferio's a very good ruler, and
I'm not advocating anything rash or insane. What I'm saying, is
that in the end, Cephiro is not something Hikaru can walk away
from. Whether she says the people are the Pillar now, as much
as she can deny it, SHE is the One True Pillar, the True Soul of
Cephiro. She cannot walk away."
"I suppose you are right. Let me go to the tower and send the
summoning signal," said with a heavy heart, as the eternal mage
moved to the spiral staircase that would lead to the summoning
tower. As Caldina watched him walk away, she felt shamed that
she had drove the Guru to this. Sure, this was to protect her
husband and friends, but in doing so, she had implicated another
set. And she could swear that somehow, the burden of all this,
these 700-plus years of Clef's suffering; somehow, today, he was
feeling every year of his age.
<=+=>
An hour later, a blast of energy tore into the nighttime sky,
destination unknown. The beam, pulsing every so often, changed
hues from red, to blue, to green and back again. Additionally,
the beam seemed to change appearance every now and then: from a
blast of energy, to a bolt of fire, to a column of water, to a
tight hurricane, and back. The beam continued on its path,
seeming not so much to transcend for another world, but more as
if it were trying to break the dimensional barrier.
>From a location in the Forest of Silence, Daimler and Jetta
watched the beam streak on into the indigo-blue air. "I don't
like the look of that," Jetta snarled. "It could be a distress
signal to their allies on the other two worlds."
"Doubtful. They have no idea what is happening here, and by the
time they do it will be too late. We will be in power, and
trenched in. They will have to fight us and lose, or deal with
us."
"Still, it could be worse...and could get worse if we don't do
something about that message," the woman warned. "It could be
nothing, but it's better to cover our backs, than to have to
worry about what it could be, correct?" She leaned on his
shoulder. "I personally would rather have a small decorative
blast of energy nullified than to have a plea for help slip
through."
Daimler grunted. Jetta was correct; the problem had to be
eliminated, and soon. Even if it was not a problem, to take a
chance with that would be risky, at least; the need to lessen
the chance of Cephiro receiving allied support was tantamount.
His eyes scanned the beam as it continued to streak its way into
the nocturne darkness. If he didn't act soon, the chance to
stop the beam would be lost, and the possibility for furthered
conflict could be inevitable. He continued to look at the sky,
seeking some kind of sign.
Epiphany struck him when his eyes descended on one of the
crystalline sky-islands. Airborne mountains of dirt and quartz,
these floating behemoths usually did nothing, save migrate with
the clouds in the sky, a more solid addition to the cirrus and
cumulus structure in the blue sky of this world. At night, they
glowed with a barely ambient light, residue from the billions of
shafts of starlight that constantly bombarded them. Tonight,
they would serve a purpose.
He closed his eyes, raised his hand towards the sky, and began
to concentrate. Abruptly, his hand began to emanate a green
aura of eldrich power, the mystical energies swirling and
dancing in eddies and vortices around his hand. He opened his
eyes, and those mirrors of the soul, the same effect could be
seen. He felt nothing happening, no motion or effect; he poured
more power into his spell, and the results showed as his body
became bathed in the same eerie luminescence.
Thousands of feet above, one of the islands began to move. Not
the biggest or the widest, but the one that made the most sense:
a small island, nearly one of the smallest, the one with the
clearest crystal. The island began to glow with a faint hue of
the same magic color, and began to move in a direction not
normally associated with Cephiro's natural wind patterns.
At the last second, the crystal moved into the path of the beam,
neatly intercepting the beam. The prismatic nature of the
mountainous shard began to glow, absorbing the light beam and
its arcane sub energies. The beam's energy slowly began to
overload the matrix of the stone, and within minutes, the
floating island began to produce ambient energy bleed as the
crystal began to overload. In the end, the beam was absorbed by
the floating crystal island, which now resembled a miniature
sun. The crystal appeared to have expanded to twice its size...
...then it exploded in a shower of sparks, crystal, and motes of
light, as the remnants of the beam split into two thinner (and
presumably, weaker) shafts of light. One stopped a few meters
more from where the crystal island had been before dissipating
in a ripple-like effect. The second beam went off in another
direction before also stopping in that same ripple effect; it
had only traveled a few more meters than the original had. As
for the blasted remains of the crystal island, the burnt and
blasted hulk, its magical crystal gone, began to fall like a
slow moving meteor towards the ground below. If it kept to its
present trajectory, Daimler noted, it would impact against one
of the coastal towns, creating a huge crater; there was little
hope that the villagers would be able to clear out of the blast
radius in time.
Oh well, if you wish to make an omelette....
With the surety that the beams had been nullified, Daimler and
Jetta returned to their campsite. Tomorrow, the bulk of the
army of Cephiro would be moving on the town of Delvis. Once
they discovered that it was a ghost town, they'd begin to return
to the palace--and walk right into a major trap. Daimler
smiled; he already had his forces well in hand, but he wanted to
make sure that no one could impede his chances of victory.
With a jaunt in his eye, it was time to consult his personal
mentor. He headed back to his personal tent, and the restricted
area which lay within. It was time to pray and ask his deity
for help, in doing what was right.
