As threatened... I mean promised.
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: gs6.txt
Disclaimer: Why should I say that? None of you even know who I really am, or where to find me. Muhuwahahahahahahahaha! (yes, I really do laugh like that, many people comment about me having an 'evil' laugh)
Previous chapters can be found at http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/index.html, and at http://www.sofaspud.org/couch/ (once they get them up, they are rather swamped at the moment).
Thanks go to Mark for pre-reading, and putting up with my brand of insane ranting.
Guardian's Soul
By Andrew Wilson
Chapter 6: Redemption, Damnation, Deliverance
A half dozen dune buggies and APC's sped across the plains of Africa. They had been traveling for nearly two weeks, and would soon arrive at their destination.
"How long?" Ranma asked.
Conner glanced over, then returned his attention to driving. "We should be there by sunset."
"About bloody time," Pirotess growled. "If I have to listen to one more speech from those self-inflating ego maniacs..."
"You'll do nothing since their deaths would serve no purpose," Deedlit said.
Pirotess laughed in reply. "True, but imagining what to do to them is a great stress reliever."
"Quite," Ryoga's voice said over the speakers. Once again, the lost boy was confined to the roof rack for the duration of the journey. "There's someone on a hovercycle moving towards us, bearing three, five, zero."
Conner and Ranma looked slightly to the left. Sure enough, a small vehicle was approaching. Conner slowed as the vehicle neared, letting the other's in the small convoy drive ahead, while resting his hand on the pistol concealed under the dash.
The figure dismounted it's bike, and moved toward the small APC. Removing it's helmet, the figure was revealed to be a human (looking anyway, can't be too careful) man with brown hair and features that would disappear into almost any crowd.
Conner laughed as he opened the hatch. "Ethan, what the hell are you doing here?"
Ethan Gherald shrugged. "Well, I am never one to go out into the field, but the people there have no fashion sense, and need a good tailor. So I..." Ethan trailed off when he saw the incredulous looks on every face. "What?"
"Cut the crap, Ethan," Pirotess said, "we know you aren't just a tailor."
"Very well. We're waiting for you at the camp. One of the demons has been taken care off, Famine unless I'm mistaken. The other three are still out there."
"Lead the way," Conner said, climbing back into the driver's seat.
Soon two camps became visible. "Head to the one on the right," Ethan instructed over the radio.
"Why?" Ranma asked. "What's that other one?"
"That? Oh, that's just a bunch of scholars and philosophers calling themselves the 'gathering of hero's.' Ignore them, they just make speeches. Over here is where the real work is done."
"Really? Why two camps?"
The companions could see Ethan's shoulders shrug. "Because one group is a bunch of people discussing why they are here and what they should do, while the others know why they are here and what they have to do, so they discuss how they are to go about it."
"So one talks and the other acts?" Deedlit summarized.
"Yes."
They exited the vehicle once they were close enough to the camp. There was a startling variety of people in the camp.
"You know all these people?" Conner asked Ethan.
"Of course. I've met some over the years, like when I..."
"Stop," Pirotess interrupted, "no more of your stories, Ethan. What you've told me before is more than enough to keep me guessing as to which are true and which are made up."
"They are all true."
"Even the lie's?" Ranma asked.
"My friends," Ethan gave a sly grin, "especially the lies."
The people gathered at the camp were an odd variety. At the moment, most of them were watching a sword duel. The people dueling were not that unusual, though there blades were. The blond man in blue armor wielded an energy sword stemming from a traditional looking sword hilt, while the woman with red hair in the black body suit favored a blue blade originating in a silver cylinder. From the looks of it, the two were evenly matched, though the redhead seemed to react to the blonde's moves before any signs of them were visible. Of course, the opponents were not half as strange as the crowd. To one side, a bronze skinned beauty looked to be having the time of her life, while a shorter, dark-haired little girl (with a very large hammer) looked bored. At another part of the camp, a second redhead fumed while her violet-haired companion worked on a suit of power armor. Further over, a short, silver-haired girl with an ever larger hammer than previously mentioned, sat on the shoulders of a small giant (meaning he was only nine feet tall, instead of the more common fifteen or so) with a mohawk.
Then, of course, there were the sounds.
"I'm telling you, Arthur, this is the greatest news story in the universe."
"And if someone takes offense to our being here?"
"Then we don't stand a whelk's chance in a supernova."
"There you go with the whelks again, I think..."
"Come on, you're the only one who can fill that position."
"Forget it, Nene. Just because I'm a singer does not mean I have to be the moral officer..."
"Gee, Brain, what are we going to do today?"
"A thing we have never done before, Pinky. Save the world so we can try to conquer it tomorrow night..."
And add to that the dozen or two power armor pilots, mercenaries, and even a dragon or two (or three, or five, they like to stay hidden).(1)
Suffice to say, the companions were impressed (with the firepower), and a little worried (about the personalities).
"What do we do first?" Ranma asked.
*******
The spectral form hovered above the cauldron for a few seconds, it's features a blurred version of what it had been in life. When the dagger had at last been reduced to slag, the specter vanished, an expression of peace on it's face.
Drizzt stared at the spot where his friend's image had been. Catti-brie stood beside him, eye's watering.
"Three time's we've grieved," she whispered. "It's me hope that this be the last time, or I shan't have any tears left."
"It is the last time," Drizzt said. "He has finally passed to what lies beyond."
The druid's around the fire turned back to Drizzt. "The other object," he commanded. Drizzt handed over the ruby, holding the soul of Ranma's old rival.
When they tried to place the gem in the cauldron, the ruby resisted, leaping out of the druid's grasp.
"It is restless," one of the elders deduced. "It cannot leave in peace unless it is in it's home dimension. You must take it there, then break the gem."
"Wouldn't that harm the spirit?" Catti-brie asked.
The elder chuckled. "If you cut the chain binding a prisoner to the dungeon wall, is the man harmed? Souls cannot be destroyed. They can be created, corrupted, redeemed, fused, and trapped, but not destroyed. All you are doing is destroying the link between the soul and this life."
Catti-brie nodded. "Thank you."
Before they could leave, the elder handed them a scroll. "Give this to your friends, I think they will find a use for it."
"Why?" Drizzt asked.
"Your lessons to the King have put this realm one step closer to peace, and freedom from the entity haunting this land. This is our thanks."
Drizzt accepted the scroll with a nod. The pair moved out of the druid's sanctuary. Waiting outside was a quartet of REF pilots in flight gear.
"Showtime," Drizzt said.
*******
Hour's later, Ranma and company stood watch over one of the Horsemen. They had been asked to gather intelligence on War's capabilities while the others at the gathering eradicated Pestilence.
"This sucks," Ranma commented.
"You said it," Ryoga agreed, "I wish we could do something about this thing."
Conner was silent, then laughed. "Maybe we can."
Everyone looked to the SEAL as he pulled out a flat disk, the beacon given to them before they left England.
"Does that mean what I think it does?" Deedlit asked.
Conner hooked the beacon up to his helmet radio, then listened. "Inbound, disengaging boosters, ETA twenty minutes. Weapons hot."
Ranma cracked his knuckles. "Shall we soften War up a bit?"
Deedlit shook her head. "Death might be somewhere around here, we can't waste too much energy."
"I don't like waiting around for a missile barrage to take this guy out," Ryoga says. "It seams cheap, no style."
"Doesn't matter if it's 'cheap,'" Pirotess commented, "or whether it has 'style.' When your goal is the total destruction of your enemy, don't try to subtle."
*******
"Location locked. Getting a strange silhouette."
"That would be War. Maintain formation, but lock missiles on target. On my mark, Beta one and two release all torpedoes and all medium warheads. Alpha two, on my mark launch ten plasma warheads."
"Roger."
"You're the boss."
"Affirmative."
"Once we launch, separate. I'm going in, watch my back."
"Um, boss, are you sure about that?"
"Trust me, Maestro."
*******
Following War at a short distance, the companions were not really surprised when they were spotted. The demon suddenly turned in their direction and charged. The group scattered, each heading in a different direction, while blasting the demon. Ranma and Ryoga split apart, Ranma launching magical energy blasts, while Ryoga let loose with his revolver and hammer. Deedlit and Pirotess stood their ground, erecting protective spells that could stop a tac-nuke. Conner sped around the demon on his cycle, Emeralda behind him blasting War with her elemental magic.
*******
"Hot LZ!"
"Looks like they trailed War a little too closely. ETA?"
"30 seconds."
"Rouge flight, this is lead. Mark!"
*******
Their weapons and magic were having little effect on the demon. Deedlit was about to suggest that they run when dozens of streaks of light appeared in the north. The others noticed them as well, and put as much distance between them and War as possible. First to hit were four red streaks, followed by a dozen smaller blurs, followed again by a score of smaller missiles. Each impact produced a large, hot explosion. The shock wave knocked the companions off their feet, and it knocked War to the ground, and utterly annihilated the dog-like creature that had been it's mount.
The black battloid dropping from the sky didn't give War a chance to recover. Planting a drop kick to the demon's head, the Veritech instantly launched a punch combination that staggered it's target back even more. The companions regrouped, then watched the show as the Battloid stomped on War like the world's fattest tap dancer.
"That style looks familiar," Ryoga said.
Ranma studied the Alpha. "It's the Saotome style," he finally said, "modified to work with..." He trailed off, then turned to Conner and the others. "Modified to work with the footwork of the drow two-swords style. That hybrid is unique, considering how it was created less than a year ago."
Conner snickered. "You learned magic, he learned this. He has high agility and intelligence, good instincts, and a touch of reckless audacity. The perfect pilot."
War staggered under the constant blows. The Alpha didn't let up, instead relentlessly pounded the demon. As the fight continued, Ranma noticed two things. The first is that the Alpha wasn't getting hit in the fight, mostly because War never got a chance to bring anything more than melee weapons to bear, which were easily parried. The second thing was the two long boxes near where the wing missile pods should have been.
The battle neared a conclusion as the Alpha flipped backwards, planting a succession of kicks on the demon, driving it back. At the highest point in the flip, the boxes on the wings detached, dropping away from the battloid. A portion of each box narrowed just before the Veritech's hands grasped them. When the Alpha landed in a crouch, they quickly reformed, thinning out while the length increased. When the final pieces locked into place, a shimmering field surrounded the huge swords.
A pair of giant scimitars.
In spite of the fact that they were in the middle of hostile territory, with the final Apocalypse Demon still at large, Ranma laughed. "Way to go, Panther."
It wasn't long before War was banished to it's own dimension for the next few millennia. Seeing that the area was safe, the Alpha shifted to guardian mode and tilted its nose towards the ground. The twin canopies lifted, revealing two figures in REF armor, though the pilot's helmet seemed to have an extra layer of tinting. The two figures dropped from the cockpit as the other three Veritechs landed. The pair removed their helmets as they approached the companions, freeing two manes of hair, one auburn, the other stark white.
"I was wondering when you would show up," Ranma said, clapping Drizzt on the back.
"What's the situation?" Conner asked the approaching pilots.
"Panther took his Alpha back," Stiletto replied, "so I took Zero's Beta, and gave him the gunners seat. During the fight, we took a look around. There seems to be a large assault force approaching from the south. It's a wide ring surrounding a tall figure. I assume, from the vids we took, that the figure is Death."
"How long do we have?" Ryoga asked.
"A few hours," Iceman replied. "They're headed for Egypt, and will pass though this area on their way."
"Wrong," Deedlit said, pulling a quartet of blue gems from under her shoulder guards. "The other three demons are gone, so Death is weak. We take it out."
"How?" Conner asked.
Deedlit just smiled. The grin soon infected Ranma and Pirotess.
"In a word," Pirotess explained, "boom."
*******
The army was passing a mile from where the companions waited. They were in the middle of the grasslands, with no sufficient cover, not even a hill, for a dozen miles in any direction. The Veritechs were in battloid mode, laying on the ground a short distance back, surrounded by a few clusters of bushes. The companions were crouched in a similar cluster, very unhappy with the situation.
"What's the plan?" Emeralda asked.
"Simple," Deedlit replied, "I blast them, the flyboys watch for reinforcements, and the rest of us finish this lot off."
"So when do we start?" Catti-brie inquired.
"Right after you two get back to your plane."
Drizzt nodded, and the two of them moved off to their Alpha. Deedlit sat down on the ground, placing the four sapphires in her lap. A blue glow surrounded her, gathering into her hands. Her lips moved, whispering the words of the spell, focusing the energy in her hands.
"What's she doing?" Ryoga asked.
"A spell powerful enough that she has to use a verbal focus," Ranma explained. "In another dimension, it's cast by calling upon an elder god of chaos. We also found a fragment of a manuscript for a similar spell, from a different dimensional cluster, that didn't require the summoning. We then used the summon to fill in the blanks on the other spell, which is safer."
"What's it called?"
Before Ranma answered, Pirotess cast a spell to lift Deedlit high enough to see the enemy group. Arc's of lightning coursed up her body, terminating at the ball of energy in her hands. Stain was evident on her face as she called out the spell's trigger.
"Ultima!"
Time seemed to stop as a sharp hum filled the air. A blue dome of energy formed under Death's feet, growing to encompass all but a few of the minions and soldiers surrounding it. Inside the dome of energy, chunks of soil and rock, and pieces of the target army flew around in a maelstrom. The storm then collapsed, triggering a wave of energy that spread from the point of origin to the edge of the dome. When the wave and dome met, a bright flash filled the air, blinding the companions.
Deedlit sank to the ground as the light faded. Ranma moved to catch her, seeing that she was she was exhausted.
Where there was once an army, there was now a crater. At the center of the crater, Death stood. Though it's skull-like face betrayed no emotion, the companions could feel the rage coming from the demon. The Veritechs raced down to finish off what was left of the hoard, while Drizzt flew straight at Death.
The companions were about to join the clean up when they heard someone clapping behind them. Slowly turning, there was a collective curse as they saw the figure.
Ashram.
"Well done," the black knight said. "I am surprised that you are always able to hinder the plans of those that I ally myself with."
Conner opened his Cyclone's missile racks, but Ryoga held up a hand before he could fire.
"He's mine," Ryoga growled, summoning his war hammer, Aegis-Fang.
"I suppose we could spend time arguing philosophy and spirituality," Ashram said, "but I frankly don't care about such things."
"Likewise," Ryoga growled.
"So much like our fight with Parn, deep beneath Marmo. Only this time, the fate of the world is not at stake, just a collection of lives, and a single soul."
"Shut up and die."
A hoard of soldiers suddenly appeared all around them, pointing very large guns at the companions. Miang appeared, standing behind Ashram, as her invisibility spell faded.
"What? You expected a fair fight?" She regarded the assembled gunmen. "Waste them."
*******
The whole world went to hell in that instant. Pirotess was able to erect a shield, but not before a few stray shot's were fired. A rail gun burst hit her, the momentum of all but a few round dissipating against her clothing's protective enchantments. The remaining bullets, however, ripped through the flesh of her left arm, shattering the bone and leaving the entire arm hanging by a few strips of flesh. Nearly blacking out from the pain, she devoted her energies to healing. One way or another, she and Deedlit were out of the fight.
*******
Ryoga saw Pirotess go down. Rage overcame the lost boy as he charged Ashram. The black knight easily blocked the swing, and returned the blow. Ryoga's training took over at that point, prompting him to shift to a defensive stance and wait for an opening.
*******
Conner and Emeralda worked in tandem, blasting, slashing, and generally annihilating the surrounding soldiers. Before long (and before Ranma could do more than slash a couple) they were all dead.
Ranma turned to Miang. "Is that it?"
"Oh, no," the indigo haired woman replied, "they were just fodder. Meet my real bodyguards."
Four shapes faded into existence. Ranma hoped that was the last of Miang invisibility spells as the cloaked forms drew black blades. The hoods of their cloaks concealed whatever facial features might be there, but Ranma still felt chills from their gazes, like when he was around c-c-c-feline animals.
Deedlit staggered to her feet, and quickly lost what little color in her face she had recovered. "How did you get those into this dimension?"
Miang smiled. "That... is a secret."
Deedlit swore. "Ranma, Conner, don't let their blades touch you. It's instant death. And their blood is acid."
Emeralda, hearing the warning, backed off. As Conner and Ranma faced off against the cloaked men, she fried one with a burst of magical fire and lightning.
Odds lowered, the two men charged in. Conner took one, while Ranma took the other two. Emeralda and Deedlit could only watch the flurry of blades. Conner quickly decapitated his foe, revealing a head with corpse-white, oily black hair, and only smooth skin where eyes should be.
"Myrddraal," Deedlit whispered in horror.
Emeralda groaned. "Can't you be wrong once in a while?"
By this time, Ranma had dispatched one of the eyeless, and was making short work of the second. When it fell in a puddle of black blood, any assault against Miang was stopped by a laugh of triumph coming from Ashram.
*******
Ryoga screamed as the blade entered his belly, burning with it's unholy power. His lifeblood poured onto the ground as a final plan of action came to mind. Both he and Ashram would die, but it would be worth it.
A vision of Pirotess flashed though his consciousness. With it came Drizzt's words from weeks before. Finding something to die for was easy, finding something to live for was the hard part. A new plan formed.
All this in less than a second.
*******
The companions watched horrified as Ashram ran Ryoga through. *It can't be over,* Ranma's mind protested. *This can't be happening. This isn't real! THERE IS NO BLOODY SPOON!*
It wasn't over, not by a long shot.
The combatants gazes met. Ashram's eyes were filled with hate, while Ryoga's looked to be at peace. A smile crossed the lost boy's face as a blinding, white glow swallowed them.
*******
They found themselves in a realm of white. There was no ground, no sky, no horizon, just featureless white. Ashram snarled, looking for something to attack. Ryoga stood a ways off, his pose suggesting that he was leaning on something.
"Where are we?" Ashram growled.
"In a place where concepts such as space and time do not exist," Ryoga calmly explained.
"You think you can defeat me here?"
"No, I know I can."
Ashram thrust his sword, intending to gut Ryoga. Instead, the sword was stopped half a meter from it's target. There were no theatrics, with sounds and vibrations as if the sword had struck something, it simply stopped.
"I don't like that sword," Ryoga said, waving his hand. The sword vanished. "I am in control here. It's over, demon knight."
"Never! It is our destiny to rule, to conquer."
"Destiny does not exist. Time is always in motion. Change and balance are the only constants. Darkness turns on itself, while light is corrupted. Hero's fall, while villains are redeemed. The good succumb to greed and envy, while the evil are enlightened by mercy, and love."
Images of Pirotess assault Ashram.
"Do you see, Ashram? That is what happened four centuries ago. You are the part of me that resisted that change, and I died before you could be purged from my soul. That time has now come. Goodbye, demon knight."
Ashram screamed as his form, and consciousness, was dissolved in a burst of light.
*******
The light faded, leaving Ryoga lying on the ground, blood leaking into a puddle around him. Of Ashram, there was no sign.
Ranma and Pirotess rushed to him, noting that all the sand around them had melted into glass. Pirotess cradled Ryoga's head in her lap.
"I did it," he whispered. A cough racked his body, and a trace of blood leaked out of his mouth.
Ranma's hand began to glow as he focused magical energy for healing. "You are not dying on my, Ryoga." The spells began to heal the wound, and began working inside. "Not before you can teach me that trick."
Ryoga's wounds began to close by the time Deedlit arrived to complete the healing. With that taken care of, Ranma turned his attentions to finding Miang.
He didn't have to look far. Conner and Emeralda had her at gunpoint. Ranma extended the blades of his staff, and placed the point of one over her heart.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."
Miang smiled. "Because it wouldn't do any good, ask your friend, Ensign, excuse me, Lieutenant Hamilton."
Conner's face flushed with anger while his eyes remained cold as space.
"If you so much as twitch," he whispered, his voice matching his eyes, "you'll need a new head."
"Such hostility. I don't suppose you'd mind if I did this," a quick gesture, and Ranma was the victim of a short rain shower.
"Was that supposed to do something?" Ranma asked, applying the slightest pressure against Miang's chest. "You can't possess someone with the inhibitors, and I'm still a guy, no matter the body."
"But, the body is what's important," Miang explained. "It's the double X chromosome that I need to take a host. The soul inhabiting it is of no concern."
With yet another smile, Miang's hand shot out. As Ranma's blade entered her chest, she ripped the pendant off the redhead's neck. A gurgling laugh escaped Miang's dying body as her spirit left it.
Ranma dove for the amulet. Before she could reach it, however, her body froze. Deedlit was horrified as Ranma's hair acquired a bluer hue. Ranma, now Miang, began to laugh. The laugh turned to a scream in mid sentence as geyser of hot water burst out of the ground, splashing her. His scream had two pitches, one normal and male, the other belonging to his female form. Emeralda lowered her hand, stopping the geyser spell.
The screaming stopped as Ranma crumpled to the ground. Conner and Emeralda quickly radioed for help from the returning Veritechs.
**********
"What's the word?" Stiletto asked. The Veritechs were on the ground, with Emeralda helping the other companions into the cargo compartments.
"How long would it take to get to Vulcan's Forge?" Conner asked, assuming command.
"About four hours," Zero replied, "assuming there aren't any surprises waiting for us along the way. This mean traveling on a slightly roundabout course, no way I'm flying over Atlantis, at maximum thrust, and as high as we can go without getting hit from orbit."
Conner surveyed the group. None of them were doing very well. Ryoga wasn't moving very quickly, apparently Ranma's magic had saved him, but had not totally healed him. Pirotess was working to keep her arm attached to her body. Ranma was in a state of shock, and Deedlit along with him. Drizzt, Catti-brie, and the other pilot's were looking to him for advice.
"Do it," Conner said, nodding. "No rules. No mercy. Take out anything that gets between us and home."
End chapter 6.
Notes:
1: Here I'll explain the cameos. In order of description: Gourry (Slayers), Mara (Jade, from Star Wars, not the demon from OMG), Urd and Skuld (OMG), A-ko and B-ko (Project A-ko), Meru and Kongol (The Legend of Dragoon), Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent (HHGttG, had to throw them in), Priss and Nene (BGC), and finally Pinky and the Brain (need I say more?). None of these have any effect on the story. I put them here for laughs.
Ever notice how redheads are the most dangerous people in any universe? I mean, you have characters such as Mara Jade (SW), Ranma Saotome (R.5), A-ko ___(can't remember her last name)(Prog A-ko), can't forget Lina Inverse (Slayers) or Lyta Alexander (B5), and I'm told Washu is kinda bad (though I'm unfamiliar with Tenchi), need I go on? I guess Nene Romanova (BGC) is the exception.
Teaser from chapter 7:
"Deed, are you sure that you know where your going?"
"We have to find the most powerful nexus in this area, or else the spell won't work. It should be right... about... there," she finally said, pointing to a strangely familiar house.
Ranma studied the house. It was somewhat large, two stories, with a wall that enclosed a large yard and a dojo. The sign above the door...
Uh-oh.
"What does that sign say?" Catti-brie asked.
"'Tendo Dojo. To challenge the owner in savage combat, use rear door,'" chorused Ranma and Ryoga, not even looking at the sign.
"Oh dear," Emeralda commented.
"Oh my," Catti-brie sighed.
"Oh no," Deedlit groaned.
"Ah hell," Conner summed up.