Okay, from now on it'll just be Guardians Soul and the
chapter number.
If you like The Warrior Path, I hope you will like this
one. If you didn't like it, <shrug> what can I say.
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: gs1.txt
After recovering from the ego's of the ffml (you know who you are), I decided to write that sequel to "The Warriors Path" that I had been thinking of (and that many have been asking about). I also have a two part prequel/side story in the works called "Gathering Forces," and another side story in the planning stages (as for it's contents, that's a secret). These would explain the things in the next couple of chapters that might make you say "huh?"
I'd like to thank Patrick Vera for the information that made the last few scenes here possible. And, once again, thanks go to Mark, my pre-reader, for putting up with my crazy idea's.
The previous book in this series ("The Warriors Path") can be found at home.earthlink.net/~tannim or www.sofaspud.org.
Disclaimer: That is on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know.
Hero's Journey: Book 2, Guardian's Soul
by Andrew Wilson
Chapter One: Past and Future, or "Looking Back While Moving Forward."
*Two years, has it really been that long? Or rather, has it only been that long? We've been in more conflicts than a normal person would go through in twenty lifetimes. Then again, these times have been nothing if not exciting, and I've experienced things that would not be out of place in novels and hallucinations back home. Perhaps if it had not been for her, I would have gone insane by now. I have seen, and caused, so much death, I am surprised that I don't have nightmares about it. Then again, one look at my circle of friends banishes any doubts about why I fight. Maybe it isn't that same concept of the Art as Pop tried to teach me, but I don't really care what the old bastard would think of this.*
Ranma Saotome looked up from his journal as a distinctive sound came trough the air. Shutting down the small computer that served him as a notebook, he concentrated on the faint noise.
"About time," he muttered, "I thought he'd never get here."
"He" was the cause of the mechanical humming that carried over the air, and the quiet crashing sounds that accompanied the hum. Ranma estimated that his target should be in sight soon.
*Too bad he thinks I'm the target.* Ranma smiled bitterly. He didn't like the idea of being bait, but he also knew that he was the best choice. Speed was important, and he was the second fastest of the group. Drizzt might have been able to pull it off, but no matter how the drow dressed or acted, he looked dangerous. Plus he couldn't make the jumps required. Ryoga might have been able to make the jumps, but he wasn't fast enough for the job, along with a few other problems. Ranma was the only one who was able to both look harmless enough to lull the target into a false sense of security, be fast enough to get out of the way when the shit hit the fan, and be able to use the most convenient escape route.
Where he was sitting was perfect for an ambush. Or rather, perfect to lure someone into for the purposes of being ambushed. It was a box canyon in the southern Appalachian Mountains, and at the moment Ranma was leaning against the back wall, watching the entrance. He didn't expect the target to walk straight up to the entrance, and he was right. The crunch of gravel under something that is much harder than steel announced the target's presence just out of sight. Ranma quickly put on a pair of ear protectors.
After a short pause, the target leapt into view, firing it's weapons. At another time, Ranma might have admired the mirrored surface of the Glitter Boy, but not now. Not with an anti-personnel laser trying to vaporize him.
The pilot was smart, but that was to be expected of someone able to steal one of the three Triax brand T-550 "Glizernjunge" Glitter Boys in America. The pilot was laying down a pattern of fire that would have hit anything on the canyon floor, and would have hit Ranma if he was still there. Ranma was halfway up the canyon, bouncing from wall to wall when he heard a muted thump, indicating that the Glitter Boy had anchored itself to the ground and was ready to fire it's main weapon. Before he could reach the top of the canyon, Ranma was knocked off balance when the rocks directly in front of him shattered. Then he was knocked down by the sonic boom caused by flechettes traveling at somewhere near mach 12. (1)
Shaking away the ringing in his head, Ranma was about to attempt another climb when three streams of energy and several silver streaks impacted the armored form. All four were concentrated on the connection between the large cannon and the armor's right shoulder. The Boom Gun was quickly separated from the body with a shower of sparks. Without missing a beat, a swarm of missiles streaked from the Glitter Boy's knee's toward the origins of the blasts. Ranma prayed that Deedlit and the others had moved away quick enough to avoid the plasma explosions along the cliff edge.
>From behind the armor came Drizzt, his twin blades cutting into the mirrored surface. Not wanting to be let out of the fun, Ranma charged in, uttering a spell as he crossed the distance. When the spell was completed, his body became sheathed in a blue aura. The spell was of his own design, inspired by one Pirotess had used on him during a battle with a demon two years before. Instead of simply enhancing his strength, this spell gave him a little extra punch, acted as body armor, and allowed him to throw energy bolts. The only downside was that it was expensive to maintain. With it on he would be able to take on Drizzt, and win. He had no such ambitions, though. If he couldn't beat Drizzt with his own power, then there was no point in cheating. The two of them still trained together, and knew each other's moves.
It was this knowledge that allowed the two of them to disarm the Glitter Boy with minimal risk. Around the shining figure they danced, striking almost at leisure. Brute force would be useless against the things armor, so they had to be tricky. Instead of bashing the armor plating until it buckled (which would take hours), they had to strike at the weak points (not that there were many). First to go was the vibro-blade on its right arm, followed by the laser on it's left shoulder. Several well placed sword strikes shattered first the armor plates over the access points, then the locking mechanism on the chest. Those strikes were followed by Ranma ripping the access hatch off. A second grab took off the helmet, followed by removing the pilot from the suit. The man, who until recently had been safe inside one of the most advanced power armor suits on Earth, was rightfully terrified.
"Now," Ranma said, still glowing, "we're gonna have a little chat, and you're gonna be cooperative, aren't you?"
The man nodded so hard Ranma though his head would fall off.
*******
They met up with Ryoga a mile from the canyon, and found him leaning back in some kind of lawn chair. Emerelda was tinkering with the already modified Mountaineer ATV that had become a mobile home for the companions. Ranma and Conner were dragging the Glitter Boy, while Pirotess kept the pilot under control (read: scared out of his wits).
They were hardly the same group that had destroyed the demon Errtu two years before. Time had changed most of them, even if it was just in appearance. Ranma still wore his signature sleeveless shirt and black pants, but those who looked past that would see the hardness in his eyes, and the maturity in his face. The dozen magical and conventional weapons, mostly knives and other throwing weapons, hidden on his person would make people nervous if they knew how accurate he was in using them. Another tidbit was that his clothes were enchanted, made to change shape to conform to his body when his curse was activated.
Ryoga matched Ranma in the hard look of his features, and carried no less than two score of assorted weapons under and around his armored shirt. Many of them, including a gun and several explosives, Ranma didn't think were appropriate for a martial artist. On the other hand, Ryoga had always been unorthodox.
Drizzt and Catti-brie wore modern plate armor, and the latter sported a laser rifle in addition to her deadly bow. Though they tried to keep it secret, Ranma knew they were sneaking off every few months for something, though both were tight-lipped about it.
Deedlit and Pirotess, on the other hand, had change little, since they had long ago adapted to many sorts of hostile environments. What their own magic could not provide, technology and techno-wizardry made up for it. Ranma knew that Deedlit's armor possessed surprises for anyone who underestimated her.
Emerelda had lived on the planet for years before they met, and could reconfigure her body into any tool she might need. As always, her emerald green hair clashed with the red clothing she favored. Conner was a native of this dimension, so he had little to adapt to (besides he friends eccentricities). He was also well prepared for most types of encounters, and was skilled in survival methods.
"About time you showed up," Ryoga growled, rising from his chair.
"Hey, pig-boy," Ranma replied, "nice to see you in one piece too."
Ryoga just shook his head. "Is he talking?"
"No," Pirotess smiled, "but that doesn't mean that he won't."
Ryoga just sighed and plopped back down. "I'll stay our of it this time, can't intimidate a guy when I can barely lift my hammer." Today was one of his 'bad days,' as they called it. Ever since his spirit had been divided between himself and Ashram, Ryoga had only had his incredible strength for some of time. On the 'good days,' as they called them, he was normal, and able to do just about anything. However, on the 'bad days' he was lucky if he could lift Aegis-fang. Originally, the bad days had been rare, but over the past few months, they had been growing worse, now happening every other day. Deedlit speculated that it had something to do with his soul having to divide itself between two bodies. There were also indications that Ashram may have left the continent, so perhaps distance was a factor.
Which was why Pirotess dragged the Glitter Boy pilot into the Mountaineer's rear hatch, alone.
Conner shifted his cyclone to its vehicle mode. "So how long do you think it'll take this time?"
Ranma shrugged. "Don't know. After seeing what he did to that villiage a few days ago, I don't care either. I just hope the guy will have what we're looking for." Any sympathies for the man, and any objections to Pirotess' main form of information extraction, were banished with the memory of the piles of rubble and gore that had once been a thriving community.
"We've tracked him hundreds of miles from Quebec," Catti-brie said, her English possessing an accent she had never gotten rid of, "and cleaned up after him. If he don't have something to say, ye better believe he won't like what we'd do to him."
Drizzt turned to Deedlit. "What about your research into freeing a trapped soul? The other day you mentioned that you may have found something?"
Deedlit sighed. "There are two possibilities for destroying a rune weapon. The first is in Japan, the other is in England. That's the good news."
Conner coughed lightly, he had grown up at sea, and knew the dangers of trying to reach either of the mentioned area's. "What's the bad news?"
"The bad news," Deedlit replied, "is that the people able to perform the ceremony are very rare. The worse news is that I couldn't find any mention of what happens to the soul inside. It could be freed, or it could be destroyed."
Silence. "That's bad," Ranma said slowly.
Before any comments could be made on the greatest understatement since 'the Splugorth are somewhat unpleasant,' the Mountaineer's hatch opened and the captured pilot, now hog-tied, flew out. Pirotess dropped to the ground beside him, and gave the man a kick for good measure.
"Mr. Hanson here was paid eighty thousand credits, plus access to the Glitter Boy, just to distract us. His employer never gave his name, but was a tall man with dark hair accompanied by a woman with purple hair and eyes."
"Ashram," Ryoga stated.
"And Miang," Emerelda growled, wiping her hands on a cloth as she walked over. The two of them had allied themselves the previous year, after the group had destroyed Ashram's demon partner, Lilith. In killing the Marilith, the companions had recovered a second trapped soul, one of Ranma's former rivals locked in a gem.
"It gets better," Pirotess continued. "They were heading for Africa."
Ranma, Conner, and Drizzt froze at that statement.
"I see you've been having those dreams too?" Pirotess asked. All nodded.
"Well," Deedlit said, "I guess we could check the rumors in England on the way." More nods, though the companions were looking a little sick.
"Is it that bad?" Ryoga asked.
Ranma nodded. "Seven threats, they will cause great suffering, and possibly the end of this world. Four of them are going to come at the same time, in Africa."
Pirotess' eyes glazed over as she concentrated on a memory. "But first, we have to fight our way through the swarm to reach a port."
Emerelda raised an eyebrow. "The swarm?"
Now it was Deedlit's turn to pale. "Not here?" It was a plea rather than a question.
Pirotess nodded. "Them. Here. Now. The dreams got worse about a week ago, I figured that it meant the first one was here."
"You ever get the feeling," Ranma said to Drizzt, "that the fates are using us as their personal chamberpot?"
Drizzt nodded. "Since my earliest memories."
Ranma leaned heavily on one of the Mountaineer's tires. "What else could go wrong?"
Suddenly, several score of black, armored figures and robots appeared on the top of a hill about a half mile away. The companions looked to the Coalition battalion, then back to Ranma, who began to sweat.
"What'd I say?"
*******
Now, let's look into the mind of the commander of the CS patrol. His scouts had reported a suspicious party nearby, and he had decided to investigate. He was at the edge of his patrol range, but backup was only a few minutes away by air. Upon topping the hill in his spider-walker, he saw the group his scouts had reported. When he magnified the view, he nearly had a heart attack. Standing there, with a prisoner, were eight figures that, while not as hated as Erin Tarn, were rather high on the Coalition's "Most Wanted" list. The reward for those people and D-bees combined was over ten million credits. That was enough temptation to motivate anyone.
The problem was that no CS group had met that band in combat and survived. Here the commander had two choices. The first choice was to run, saving the lives of his men at the cost of a possible court martial. The other choice was to attack, risking his men for the chance of the survivors living like kings. To him, the choice was obvious.
"Skull 42 to all units, pull back. Do not, I repeat, do not engage."
The Coalition may be a group of illiterate Nazi's controlled by a megalomaniac who makes Hitler look like a nice guy, but that doesn't mean all of them are stupid.
*******
The companions watched in awe as the CS attack force turned and fled as fast as it's various modes of transportation could take it.
Ranma blinked, as did everyone else. "I guess our reputation is spreading. Let's get out of here."
******
<Nerima, 2 years earlier>
Akane and Ukyo trudged through the gates of Furinkan at the start of a new term. It had been a month since Cologne had broke the news. A month with no unusual happenings, except the disappearance of a certain martial arts master/demon. A month with no chaos, no lunacy, and nothing that spit in the face of reality.
In other words, a normal month. However, that is by definition is rather abnormal for Nerima.
Both girls knew the cause of that. This was no calm before the storm, because the storm no longer existed. Ranma, central figure to the insanity of the previous year, was gone.
"Why Shampoo have go to stupid foreign school?" The Amazon's voice drew Akane's attention to an argument happening near the buildings entrance. There stood the two Amazons, along with Dr. Tofu. Oddly enough, the youths were wearing standard Furinkan uniforms.
Tofu pushed his glasses up a bit to rub his eyes then regarded his charge. "Shampoo, we have been over this before. Your great-grandmother wants you to go here."
"Then why stupid Mousse here?"
"The same reasons and more. We've been over that too. Why do you insist on arguing?"
"They put Shampoo in dumb-child classes."
Ukyo walked over, Akane following close behind. "Maybe if you had put even a little effort into learning Japanese, you wouldn't have that problem."
Shampoo glared. "This no spatula-girl's business."
A light cough drew attention back to Tofu. "Regardless, Shampoo, you will be attending school here. Perhaps you should start by learning proper Japanese." His tone of voice promised very evil things to anyone who voiced objections. Not able to stand up to his gaze, Shampoo stomped into the school building.
"What do you see in her?" Akane asked Mousse.
Mousse looked toward Shampoo's disappearing form. "I would do anything for her, it is destiny."
"It's more like he doesn't have the guts to ask a woman on a date," Ukyo commented.
While Mousse sputtered, Akane saw what the other girl was up to. One less obsessed maniac is a good goal. (2)
"She's right, I don't think you'd be able to show a girl a good time if your life depended on it."
Mousse sneered. "I shall prove you wrong then. There is no challenge I cannot meet. I shall show you that my beloved Shampoo-"
"That's another thing," Ukyo interrupted, "if you do manage to get the guts to do it, you can't mention Shampoo the entire night."
Mousse sputtered some more, then composure himself. "As you say. But what if the lady I ask refuses?"
"Don't worry about that," Ukyo reassured him, "we'll make sure they cooperate."
Mouse began to concentrate, almost staring at the other students as they passed by. "And what do I receive if I am successful in this... I believe you call it a dare?"
"That," Akane said, "depends on what you want then."
Maybe, just maybe, both girls were thinking, they could get rid of Mousse's moaning over Shampoo. That would make Nerima a better place.
*******
<Back... To The Present>
Akane hid a smile as she joined her classmates in the gym. She spotted Mousse a few rows up. He turned around briefly and gave her a smile. She returned the grin, and added a wink. Mousse turned back quickly, blushing.
Who would have thought that the woman Mousse chose would be Akane. Even more surprising, Akane found that she had enjoyed his company, once he stopped talking about Shampoo (with few blows to the head with her mallet as reminders). Apparently, he also enjoyed it, since the 'prize' he requested, for meeting the challenge, was another date with Akane.
Her gaze went to the sidelines. Her father was easy to spot, since none of the other guests wanted to be within three seats of him, for fear of drowning. Just beyond that boundary sat Kasumi and Nabiki to one side. To the other side sat a woman Akane had met a year before, Nodoka Saotome, Ranma's mother. She managed to track down Genma in Nerima, and paid him a visit. Unfortunately, due to a pact made ten years before, Genma didn't survive that encounter.
*Just like Ranma to put such a nice woman through that kind of misery,* Akane thought to herself. *That [big censor here] is probably enjoying himself.*
After Genma's 'honorable' end, Nodoka had become a surrogate mother to Akane. Nabiki was even laying odds that father would ask 'auntie' to marry him soon. After all, she had said, they had gown close through their mutual grief.
The principal ascended to the podium. 'Palm Tree Man,' as Shampoo calls him, looked almost sad. Almost.
"Da big Kahuna say's 'hi' to all the brudda's and sista's graduatin' today. We would have a guest speaker, but he couldn't make it today, saying somethin' about a heart condition. I wanna thank all da students for der kind words about da Big Kahuna's poor little 'Dachi. Hopefully, she'll be out of de hospital and cleared of the drug charges soon." A chuckle went through the crowd, but Principal Coconuts ignored it. Most of the students had reported Kodachi to the police in one way or another. To the shock of many, a tear appeared from behind his sunglasses. "Da big Kahuna is gonna miss all you brudda's and sista's that are leaving today. But I know all you happy students will come back to visit." The principal from Mars missed the choked laughs as he read off the names of the senior class. As their names were called, the students ascended to the stage to pick up their diploma's, with the ladies each receiving a rose as well. Unfortunately, the roses in question were the remnants of Kodachi's garden. In other words, they were black.
After all the name were called (except Shampoo, who had held back due to poor grades and insulting the male teachers), the graduates began leaving the grounds as quickly as possible, while the other students filed out of the gym to go back to class. Outside, Akane found Mousse standing at the gates, waiting for her.
"Hi there," Akane said, coming up and giving him a peck on the cheek, "looking to comfort your dear Shampoo about the horror of being held back again?"
Mousse smile. Even without his glasses he could tell exactly where Akane was. It was a strange combination of scent, hearing, and something he couldn't quite figure out. Though at the moment, he was wearing his glasses and could admire the beauty before him. "No, I'm here to watch the show."
"What show?" The legendary Tendo temper began to flare.
"That one." Mousse pointed to the last of Tatewaki Kuno's kendo students, who was in full gear and leading a group from every varsity team, also in full gear.
"Akane Tendo," he proclaimed, "as a last tribute to our departed sensei, we challenge you to one last duel for your hand."
Akane groaned, then glared at Mousse. "Did you put them up to this?"
"I tried to stop it, saying that today is for celebration, not trips to the hospital."
Akane growled and turned to the crowd, cracking her knuckles. "Okay, bring it on."
The fight lasted two minutes. In the end, thirty newly graduated students lay on the ground, bruised, battered, and bleeding. Akane walked away, hand in hand with Mousse. There wasn't so much as dust on her.
End chapter 1.
notes:
1: Yes, the books say mach 2, but that's off. Someone on the Palladium mailing list (which I also belong to, or did) did some calculations based on the GB's weight and how much power it would require in order to toss it back. The answer turned out to be mach 12.5. Anyone who want's the figures can e-mail me.
2: Pot calling the kettle black.
What's going to happen in this story? Well, Ryoga and Ashram are going to have one really big fight, on both the physical and spiritual level, but that's not until later. I still haven't decided who's going to walk away from that fight. Also, I'm going to be leaving Nerima behind for a while (don't worry, I have plans for Ranma and company being forced back there ^_^). Hmmm, Akane and Mousse. I don't think I've seen any fic's with that combination.
I left a few loose ends at the end of the last story. So I want to tie those up, and yank out a few more ^_^.
As for the title, it's just something that came to me after I finished writing the chapter.