Private Bet #10 Chapter III
by Shade
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and affiliates are the
property of Rumiko Takahashi, Rifts and
Phase World are owned by Palladium. Other
references belong to their respective owners.
Constructive C&C is always welcome.
If you want previous parts and the other Private Bets
go here -> http://members.xoom.com/Ranma_Tenchi/main.html
~~~~~~~~
1e: Let's Rock!
~~~~~~~~
While they are feared and reviled by the Kreeghor, hated by
the Splugorth, loathed by demons and alien intelligences, and
absolutely despised by Genesplicers, Necromancers, and other
assorted baddies, even the most megalomaniacal of their
enemies respect the potential power of even the most novice
of CosmoKnights. A respect that more often then not turns
to fear when facing a veteran Knight, and with good reason.
Most CosmoKnights are usually killed or fall from grace within
the first three years of assuming their role as Guardians of the
Cosmic Forge. Those that survive accumulate enough
experience that only a full scale armada or the most ancient
beings of darkness have a prayer of actually killing them.
Along with that experience comes a hard earned knowledge of
what not to do when confronting an unknown supernatural enemy
who has superior numbers. The first and most important rule is to never,
*ever* confront them head on. Common military wisdom holds that
it�s best to divide and conquer whenever possible. The vast majority
of CosmoKnights felt it was folly to go against conventional tactics.
Ranma Saotome wasn�t one of them.
It was a risky course he had chosen, one that allowed for no
mistakes if he was to have any chance of success. By not
immediately engaging after firing that one blast he�d forfeited
the advantage of surprise, a mistake more suited for a beginner
rather then a warrior with Ranma�s experience.
But he didn�t care, in fact he had a lot of unrelieved pent up
stress and frustration to vent right now and so wasn�t thinking
very clearly at the moment. Being forced to leave his ship and
crew behind during rumors of a new assault being planned against
the Empire, the discovery that his father had treated him like a
damn commodity to be traded for whatever the old bear wanted, the
stupid engagement they�d tried to force on him, that viper Kuno with
his words of slander, and now this.....
The bastards were attacking children.
That was the final straw. Forget sensible,
these monsters had to die. It wasn�t enough
to just destroy them, he was going to make them regret
every one of their last moments on this planet.
His former weapons instructer would probably have
applauded his recklessness.
~~~~~~~
<BGM: Maze Opening: Megaburstspace>
...0...
A CosmoKnight in full armor is one of the
most impressive sights one can see in the
Multiverse even when one knows what
to expect.
Standing nearly seven feet tall, the metallic
black armor�s design was somehow reminiscent
of a high tech powered combat suit combined with
the more sleek lines of modern padded body armor
that molded along him like a second skin.
The helm was beautiful and inhuman at the
same time, envoking the image of a bird of prey
or perhaps even a more fantastical predator.
In fact he looked more like some great dark metal
angel then a man. The small protrusions along the
back even vaguely resembled razor sharp wings.
~~~~~~
�Looks like one of the Iczelions except with
more coverage.�
�Really? I thought it was more along the lines of
Tekno-man meets Transformers.�
�You�re both nuts, he looks more like Macross
crossed with Triax.�
�Well, it�s very impressive anyway.�
�On that we�re all in agreement.�
�Uh oh....that�s going to be trouble.�
�What?�
�Take a look at that little thing on his left breastplate.�
A moment of shocked silence descended.
�Damn, you didn�t....�
�She did.�
�Oh dear.�
�Oh my.�
�Oh hell.�
�Already checked the book, no rule says can�t do it.�
�You are one devious Cosmoknight, aren�t you.�
�Flattery gets you in trouble.�
~~~~~~
For a long moment Ranma�s armored form
regarded the horde of smoky shifting forms.
No two of them were alike, some bore a
resemblance to certain predatory invertebrates,
others appeared to possess a more reptilian nature,
and the remaining few were grotesque mockeries
of the humanoid form that were too horrible for mere
words to describe. It was not a sight for the faint of heart,
by his hurried count they outnumbered him 46 to 1.
And then he was upon them like a merciless dark bolt
of Divine Retribution(tm). Ranma�s earlier gamble
had paid off, unaccustomed to feeling the terror
that they themselves inflicted on the puny mortals,
the youma were crippled for those first few precious
seconds of the melee.
His first enraged punch tore the head off of something that
looked like a giant mantis with traits of a scorpion and a octopus,
it�s mandibles continued to click in denial even as the macabre
missile went flying back with enough force to slam into a
telephone pole. The reinforced titanium proved harder then the
luckless youma�s skull, splattering it like an overripe melon.
Even as the first body started to disintegrate into dust
a side kick from Ranma buried itself so deeply into another
gaping Gaki�s scaled midriff that its back bulged impossibly
outwards. Its fanged maw opened in a futile attempt to scream
even as an open palm drove the front portion of its skull in and
reduced the contents to processed jelly.
Three more of the disgusting monsters fell before the rest
finally recovered enough to start fighting back. They closed in
on all sides, trying to overwhelm him with sheer numbers
as they had done to the Sailor Senshi. Special attacks of every
possible description were released from innumerable orifices.
Gouts of dark red flame, streams of sizzling green acid, puffs of
noxious purple gas, wicked barbed spikes, even a occasional bolt
of bio-electricity was fired toward the intimidating CosmoKnight.
In addition those closest to him tried to pin Ranma down in hand to
hand combat long enough for their foul brethren to finish him off.
But it was like trying to hit the wind, no matter how hard they
tried the Knight was never where they aimed at. More then once
they wound up striking each other in their attempts to hit him.
He was running them in circles, using his superior speed and agility
to keep them off balance as he picked them off one or two at a time.
The few hits that Ranma took were absorbed by his Cosmic armor
and amounted to little more then a few scratches that quickly
dissappeared thanks to its remarkable regenerative properties.
The two generals watched in unbelieving shock as their forces
were wittled away youma by youma. Even bioregeneration was
insufficient to heal the grevious damage being inflicted on their troops
by the furious warrior. Growing desperate, the remaining Gaki managed
to keep Ranma in one place long enough to dogpile him, burying him
underneath a squirming black mass that clawed and tore away at
the nearly impenetrable protection surrounding him.
Malach�te�s cruel eyes narrowed as he saw the opportunity presented.
�Now�s our chance! Blast him!�
Jedi�te looked at him in disbelief.
�But the youma are in the way!�
�So what? Do you want to report a failure to Metall�a?�
�Good point.�
Together the two let loose a devastating
barrage of magical energy that enveloped
the entire area in a ever expanding chain
of white hot explosions.
~~~~~~~~~~
A gasp of dismay arose from the spectators
as their savior vanished in the inferno of destruction
wrought by the villainous pair. Nothing could have
possibly survived that hellish holocaust. As the glare
subsided a little behind them the generals swiveled to face
the battered Senshi. The few remaining youma still in one
piece (more or less) began to close in. It was obvious to all that
the heroes were on their last legs, only sheer stubborness still kept
them standing. Even Sailor Saturn had somehow manged to struggle
back to her feet and stood with the others on shaking legs that
threatened to give out at any moment.
�So, you little Sailor Failures are still defiant. No matter, it
doesn�t make any difference in the end! Time to be embraced
in the arms of oblivion!�
Manical Ranting 101 is not a required course for
demented supervillians, but it should be.
�Think again.�
On the other hand Witty Retorts 241 *is* standard
material for all true heroes. And the look on their
prissy faces was worth spoiling another opportunity for
a surprise attack. Stepping through concrete that had
become runny and sticky due to the tremendous residual heat,
Ranma�s armored form emerged unharmed from the heart of the
conflagration with a pale blue glow surrounding him. A deathly chill
descended down the spines (or in several cases, exoskeletons) of
the surviving forces of Darkness, what did it take to stop this thing?!
~~~~~~~~~
�I think I like this guy, talk about devious and
sneaky sleight of hand....�
�Come again Shadow? How the heck did he manage to
survive that? Even with the armor he should have sustained
some injury.�
�He used his invincibility power tattoo to absorb the blast,
see how the blue aura surrounding him is nearly transparent now?
Normally it�d be really bright, but its protection is almost all
used up. But now those little baddies think that Ranma is some
kind of monster, in fact I�d wager that the foppish duo are wetting
their pants right about now.�
�You�re on, fifty platinum says you�re wrong.�
It was almost too easy.
~~~~~~~~~
�Get him! Get him!!�
None of the remaining monsters made a move
to follow Jedi�tes slightly hysterical shouting.
They had no intention of confronting that one
again anytime soon, seeing so many of their
fellows being massacred so easily had cowed
the normally ferocious beings. The youma were
evil, not suicidal.
In spite of the threats and direct orders given to
them, one by one they teleported back to the
shifting darkness of the Negaverse, leaving the
two villains alone with a very annoyed celestially
powered being that was capable of taking on large
alien warships....and winning.
�Since you two have already given me your
best shot, it�s time I returned the favor.�
The Malach�te and Jedi�te were already opening
fire with dark blasts of Negative energy that
dissipated the last wisps of the protective aura
surrounding the Knight�s armored form.
Then there was a snap of rapidly displaced air
followed by a minature sonic boom as Ranma
went from 0 to 3,600 mph in less then three
seconds.
Only sheer reflexes saved the blond Jedi�te from meeting
the same fate as his minions. A nanosecond before black
metal knuckles crushed his face in his telekinetic
forcefield snapped into place and the killing blow
meant for him smashed into it. A spectacular
shower of sparks erupted from the point of impact.
A noticable dark stain started to spread down
the front of the pale twitching general�s long pants
as his eyes crossed to stare at the hand that would
probably have been squishing deep into his grey
matter if his psychic based defense had been even a
hair slower.
Malach�te�s slightly crossed legs hid his secret
shame a little better. He�d never thought that
anything could move that bloody fast!
{By all that is unholy, what kind of monster is that?!!!}
�Why can�t you just die like the rest of them?!!�
Jedi�te�s relief at having narrowly avoided
a gruesome painful death was shortlived as
Ranma withdrew his fist only to start throwing
a dozen rapid fire punches in the blink of an
eye at the barrier seperating him from his quarry.
Hits that could crush a heavy tank like an empty
aluminum can struck the solid energy shield at
supersonic speeds. The intense tempo pounded
on relentlessly as the substantial amounts of kinetic
energy being delivered were absorbed and converted to
thunderous sound. Almost immediately shimmering cracks
started to form on the nearly invisible surface as the forcefield
started to buckle under the incredible hammering it was taking.
~~~~~~
�Arrrgghhh!!!�
�You should have known better Guardian.�
�I�ll just add it to his tab.�
Shadow rolled his eyes a little as he continued to watch.
�I guess the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken is going to be a little
redundant. The look on Cologne�s face should be priceless.�
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sailor Mercury finally managed to pry her jaw
off the ground and through a heroic effort of willpower
managed to tear her eyes away from the spectacle
unfolding before her.
A quick glance at the others revealed
they were similarly mesmerized by all that
damage being caused by that one man, if there
really was a man behind that stern faceplate.
While she was very grateful for the
*just in the nick of time* rescue, seeing
how casually and effectively he inflicted
such brutal violence was extremely disturbing.
Especially since they had no idea as to who�s side
this guy was on, sure he was fighting against the
Negaverse at the moment, but if he decided that
the Senshi were enemies too the results would
most likely be....extremely unpleasant.
Mercury didn�t even have to think to activate
her visor, it had become as natural as breathing
to her. But the results were not what she expected.
Instead of a detailed readout listing the figure�s
power level, structural composition, possible
weak points, and just about anything else possible
that her sensors could detect, all she got was static
punctuated by brief spikes of high energy that her
computer was throwing a fit over. It couldn�t
determine if it was Senshi energy, Negaverse
energy, or something totally alien to this Universe.
One thing was for sure, she *really* didn�t
want to have to fight this guy, no matter what
Sailor Pluto had told them about Rifters.
�I want one of those.� Sailor Jupiter sighed, surely
all of that well defined muscle tone wasn�t just the armor.
Sailor Venus just nodded her head in agreement.
It was getting rather warm over here all of a sudden.
The expression on Saturn�s face was unreadable.
But she never took her eyes off Ranma for a second
as he continued to fight...
~~~~~~~~
-That darned temple again
�What?! For your eyes only?!�
The platinum haired goddess continued to
hold the phone long after the click of a dial
tone ended her call. Skuld was in trouble and
their father was worried about keeping secrets?!
�Is something wrong Urd?�
�I think Father has been watching
that Ian Fleming marathon
on cable again.�
�Oh dear.�
Belldandy was a fine example of the power of
positive thinking and her prayers sent toward
Juuban had a greater impact then most.
~~~~~~~~
<BGM: Ranma 1/2 Movie 1: Seven Lucky Gods vs Team Ranma, Round 1>
Dozens of deadly explosive black spheres hutling toward him
forced Ranma to disengage before he finished busting through
the terrified life essence�s telekinetic forcefield. It was also at
that moment that Jedi�te finally remembered that he possessed
several supernatural abilities useful in situations like this, such
as the ability to teleport. He did so immediately.
Hovering several dozen feet off the ground Malach�te released
yet another small swarm of marble-sized death at his quickfooted foe.
Again Ranma was long gone before the balls were anywhere
near enough to do any possible damage. In return he threw a loose
piece of pavement about the size of a bowling ball with crackshot
accuracy and a physical force equal to that generated by a small cannon.
It blew up harmlessly against the sorcerer�s magical forceshield.
And to make things matters even more unfair to boot, the sneaky
SOB had teleported too. This time he reappeared a safe distance
behind the Knight before raining blue bolts of magical destruction
in a spread pattern to limit Ranma�s ability to get out of the way.
It looked Jedi�te would join in the fun as soon as he got
over his fright and his normal malicious nature reasserted
itself.
Now that was starting to finally get Ranma annoyed.
Magic users were always a pain to deal with even in the best
of circumstances and the little free for all with those wimpy
monsters had finally cooled the roaring heat of his anger down
to glowing embers.
It looked like it was time to start bringing
out the big guns....the *really* BIG guns.
Hidden beneath his faceplate, Ranma smiled knowingly.
{Oh partner, it�s time to come out and play...}
[You say the sweetest things.]
The two villians paused in their attack as some long
dormant hint of common sense registered that
something very *bad* was happening.
The two villians paused in their attack as some long
dormant hint of common sense registered that
something very *bad* was happening.
The space around Ranma's outstretched right hand shifted
and shimmered as ripples of extradimensional fabric parted
to reveal Ishtar in all her shining glory.
Gold, silver, and ivory intertwined into one to form a hilt
emblazoned with symbols that had been old when this world
was still cooling from its fiery creation. A silver angel with
wings of purest gold served as the crossguard for the magnificient
Rune Sword. The ornamentation was neither gaudy nor simple, rather
it was just enough to give the blade a powerful presence without
making its appearence cheap and overblown. Two tiny wingless ivory
dragons uncurled from the handle to come around Ranma�s wrist and form
the beginnings of a pure white kote over his armor.(1)
Twin white curved talons branched out over his knuckles to
add an extra layer of protection that could also be used for attack.
In short, it was a very impressive sight.
The two servants of Metall�a took one look at
her and promptly fouled their suits.
�Oh shit!!!�
Malach�te�s mouth opened and closed, but for
once he�d been rendered completely speechless.
Greatest Rune Weapons tend to have that effect
on those who recognize them for what they truly are.
�Welcome to the Big Leagues boys.�
~~~~~~~~~~
(1) Japanese armored sleeve, Thanks Gregg
*$*$*$*$*$*
Murphy's laws are back!
The Cardinal Conundrum:
An optimist believes we live in the
best of all possible worlds.
A pessimist fears this is true.
Wellington's Law of Command:
The cream rises to the top.
So does the scum.
____________________________________________________________________
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