Chapter 1 is at http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/index.html
Thanks got to my pre-readers, Mark and Slacker.
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
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Disclaimer: They're not mine. I never said they were. Don't bother suing, you won't get anything.
Ranma's Bane (Can anyone think of a better title? They've never been my strong point)
Chapter 2: Back to School
Ranma's claws emerged from her fingertips as the eight black figures closed in. The larger form was observing the confrontation in silence.
"Kasumi," Ranma whispered, "get back. If things starrrt going badly, starrrt rrrunning."
"I won't leave you to die," Kasumi replied.
"I don't intend to, but those guys look like they have otherrr plans." A feral smile crossed her face. "Not that I carrre."
When the figures were three meters from her, Ranma sprung into action. A quick leap crossed the distance to the nearest figure. Up close, she could see that they resembled walking suits of black armor, reinforcing her earlier label of 'soldiers.'
Her claws tore into the armor with a horrible screech. The other opponents attempted to spear her, but she twisted the one in her grip around so that it was impaled by its comrades, shielding her from the blow. This also succeeded in trapping all but one of the spears in the metal armor.
While the other six attempted to extract their spears from the corpse, the next soldier charged. A quick twist allowed Ranma to avoid the blade by a hair, and allowed her to deliver a swift kick to her opponent's head. Quick as lightning (but not as quick as Ranma on a good day) the soldier dropped it's spear to grab Ranma's leg.
Ranma dropped to the ground, a flash of insight directing her next action. Deep inside her, she felt a reserve of energy, and now she had a way to use it. Pointing her palm toward her opponent (whose body language was indicating confusion), she channeled the energy down her arm, and released it from her hand.
A bolt of darkness shot from her hand to decapitate the soldier. As the body crashed to the ground, black sludge flowed like blood from the severed neck.
Before Ranma could say anything more than "yuck," the other four had extracted their spears from the first one to fall. As they advanced on Ranma, a barrage of fire, some like the blasts she just threw, others looking more like lightning, stopped them. To that was added the sound of automatic weapons. First to fall was the leader, though it looked like it had been wounded in the explosion. As the other soldiers fell to the ground, Ranma felt a presence behind her.
Turning around, she saw a trio of figures approaching. Two of them were normal sized, but the third was a hulking monster, close to four meters tall. Something about them seemed familiar to Ranma, but she couldn't figure out what it was.
"By the look on your face," the middle figure said, "you're trying to explain a feeling you are having." The voice was male, powerful, yet calm as well. Ranma could do nothing more than shrug.
"I thought so, tell your friend to come out as well."
Seeing no other choice, Ranma turned to where Kasumi... had been. Where Ranma had left her was an empty piece of sidewalk.
"Kasumi?"
"I'm here, Ranma," Kasumi's voice came from the wall near Ranma. A shadow detached itself from the brick and walked toward her. The darkness melted away from the shadow to reveal Kasumi.
"How did you do that?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. How did you kill that second beast?"
Ranma was about to respond when their unknown savior interrupted.
"We don't have time to argue. I had hoped that the explosion would keep any pursuers off my back, but your showing up has eliminated that hope."
"Who arrre you?" Ranma asked.
"Apparently, a friend." As the center figure talked, the oversized one shrank.
Within seconds, the monstrosity appeared human. "Better put on your faces," he said. "There might be more hounds out there."
"'Put on your faces?'" Kasumi asked "What does that mean?"
"Newbies," the third figure, a young woman from the sound of it, whined. "Why do we get stuck with the newbies?"
"I said the same thing when Doc took you in," the second figure commented, earning a snarl from the woman.
"Quiet," the first figure said, then addressed Ranma. "Who sent you?"
"Cologne," Kasumi replied.
The figure laughed, then stepped toward the pair. When he came under a street lamp, both Ranma and Kasumi could see that he was a westerner in his early thirties, with sandy blond hair and blue eyes. "That is all I needed to hear. I am Doctor Roger Owens. Now, you would do well to tell me what you are doing here."
Kasumi explained how and why Cologne had sent them. During that time, the two that Owens had appeared with stepped into the light. Both looked to be in their teens. The young woman was short, with western features and black hair, while the young man was of Chinese ancestry and looked like an athlete. The girl wasn't carrying anything, but the man had a large pack strapped to his back, and carried a large gun.
"Interesting," Owens said once the explanation was complete. "That explains your confusion at first. Changing back to your human form is easy, just concentrate on that form, and force reality to conform to your vision."
For Ranma that was surprisingly easy, and she quickly shifted forms. What surprised him was that Kasumi wasn't far behind, and within seconds both were standing there, completely human.
"Odd," Owens commented. "I've never seen a gender shift between the facade and the morphus."
"Probably a side effect of a curse," the boy mumbled. The look in his eyes told Ranma not to ask.
"I guess I should introduce you," Owens pointed to his companions in turn. "The lovely young woman is Felicia, and the boy carrying the M-60 is Taro."
"Nice," Ranma commented. "Can we get out of here?"
"Indeed," Owens replied. "I can't do much for you, since these two are enough of a handful. I can, however, send you on your way with enough knowledge to, hopefully, survive."
"That is more than enough," Kasumi replied.
*******
The next morning, Kodachi Kuno was admiring her image in the mirror. Her beloved Ranma had yet to give into his true feelings (love for her, of course). Well, her new outfit would correct that. Even more revealing than her trademark leotard, this dress was designed to kindle fire in the heart (or other regions, Kodachi wasn't picky) of any man she chose.
Closing her eyes, Kodachi allowed herself to slip into yet another fantasy. This one involved her beloved Ranma denouncing the tramp Akane in front of everyone, and admitting his true love (world of her own, folks, world of her own).
"Pathetic."
Kodachi snapped out of her daydreams and searched for the source of the voice. There was no one else in the room, and the door and windows were locked. Most disturbing was that the voice was somehow familiar.
"Over here you ditz."
Kodachi spun around, and got the shock of her life. The source of the voice was her reflection!
"Pathetic," her reflection repeated, "mooning over some man who would rather be skinned alive than spend time with you. Didn't you have any better way to spend your life?"
"Who are you?" Kodachi asked. "What are you?"
The reflection laughed. "OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO. Wouldn't you like to know."
Kodachi's eyes bugged out as her reflection stepped through the mirror. As it stepped into the room, it's clothing also changed. Gone was the revealing dress. In its place was a suit of black armor, designed to be both revealing and protective. A long, black cape and twin swords completed the image.
Kodachi didn't even have time to scream before her double's hand shot out, grasping her by the neck. The doppelganger continued to laugh.
"It's too bad you have to die. We could have had so much fun together."
Kodachi managed to get out a single whimper before her neck was snapped.
*******
Ranma was studying her hand.
Well, not exactly, more like she was studying the lines on her arms.
She didn't think her curse could get any stranger. Now she looked like a c-c-cat girl with these weird lines on her body.
They looked like tracings of water currents, weaving in and out of each other. Some merged together, other tapered off into points. The most disturbing thing was that they moved. Originally, she thought it was like the lines were being projected onto her skin, but on further observation that turned out to not be the case. When she moved her hand back and forth, the pattern was not the same when the hand returned to the same position it was originally in. And when she moved her arm slowly, she could see the weave subtly changing. Here and there a lines position would change, or a tapered point would become shorter, or another would appear.
A figure stepped quietly into the room, but Ranma was able to hear him clearly. "You shouldn't spend so much time in your morphus."
Ranma turned to glare at Taro. "I know, I know, the doc says that those things we fought last night can trrrack us betterrr in this forrrm."
Taro set him gun on the table, and began cleaning it. "So why don't you take his advice."
Ranma shifted back to his normal form. "Because I can't get used to how weird it is."
"You get used to it."
Instead of answering, Ranma leveled a glared at the gun. "Why do you use that thing?"
"What?"
"The gun. You're a martial artist, I could tell by how you moved. So why do you use that thing." Ranma waved a hand at the machine gun.
"Oh, that." Taro finished breaking the gun down, and began to clean the individual parts. "Well, oh Master of the School of Indiscriminate Grappling, one of the first rules in life is survival. Those things you saw last night usually come in groups of twenty or so. You really think you can take on that many?"
"Of course!"
Taro laughed. "Then why did you need us to save your ass? Face it, kid, the rules changed when you had your awakening. Now, you have to take down your enemy as quickly and thoroughly as possible. You can't delay by taking them on one at a time, or announcing your moves. You have to act, or else you're dead."
"How'd you get it into the country? Last I heard, guns were right under drugs in terms of availability."
"The doc knows a few tricks. Teleportation spells are great for getting things past customs."
"It's not like you can use it in your other form." Taro's other form was the huge one Ranma had seen the night before. He hadn't seen it up close yet, so the details were still unknown.
In response to the question, Taro pulled a large harness-like thing from his pack. "Simple. I slip this over my wrist after I transform, then hook the gun to the other side. It allows me to fire even though my hands are too large for the trigger."
"Those things were like metal, wouldn't your bullets bounce off?"
Taro pulled a cartridge from his pack after replacing the harness. "A special silver alloy, enchanted too. Hard as steel, and it'll cut though just about anything. I still remember the expression of that vampire's face the first time I used it."
"Vampire?"
"Vampires, werewolves, wizards, and demons," Owens' voice came from the doorway. "They're all here, and more. Welcome to the real world."
"Hey, Doc," Taro said before returning to his work.
"Good morning Pant-" The Doctor cut off when Taro glared at him. "Oh, yes, I forgot how much you hate that name." The smile on his face indicated that he had not forgotten.
"What name?" Ranma asked. Glancing back, he could see Kasumi entering the room after Owens.
"When I was a baby, someone decided to screw me over, big time. I'm sure you know of Jusenkyo."
"I'm aware of it," Ranma replied.
"More than aware, I'm guessing that's why your morphus is a girl." Ranma's fidgeting was enough of an answer. "Anyway, twenty years ago my mother was traveling by there when she went into labor. A wandering stranger helped her though the birth. Unfortunately, he also was disappointed that the baby was a boy, and proceeded to dunk him in spring after spring, hoping to turn the baby into a girl. He found the yeti, bull, crane, and eel springs before the guide was able to chase him off. Before he did that, though, he also gave the baby a name, as was tradition."
"So what's the name?"
Taro just glared. "Like I'd tell you."
"Doctor Owens," Kasumi interrupted, "I've been meaning to ask you. What are you a doctor of?"
"My degree's are in medicine, psychology, theology, and history. Thought the psychology degree is getting rather old, I'll have to get up to date with that."
"You're kidding, right?" Ranma asked.
"My dear boy, I was born in England, a long time ago."
"How long?"
"I should tell you that Nightbane age very slowly. I believe the ratio is about fifty to one. I had to be careful in my early travels, because the Inquisition would not have been kind, especially considering what my morphus looks like."
"What does it look like?" Kasumi asked.
"Much less human than your own, my dear. Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
Taro looked up from assembling the machine gun. "Checking out the Black Sun?"
Owens nodded. "Correct. Tonight would be best, their attention is on this world, not their own."
Taro smiled, then snapped the last piece into place. "Lock and load."
*******
Happosai watched the attractive young woman enter his room. He was currently residing in an apartment near the commercial district, right across the street from a woman's clothing store. The guest appeared to be Kodachi Kuno, by far the prettiest loony native to Nerima.
Kodachi saw the look she was given and smiled. "I have a message," she told the little troll.
"Really?" Happi replied. "Is it written on your underwear?"
"It is from the Master."
Happosai's attitude sobered quickly. "I had wondered about yesterday. Moloch has begun his invasion?"
Kodachi nodded. "Our Master has been given dominion over the islands of Japan."
"So why are you here?"
"The Master wishes for me to assist you in this matter. I was also told to inform you that conquest should proceed slowly, so that control will be absolute. My task is to eliminate problem areas."
Recognition flooded Happi's face. "So, you're the Master's prime assasin, the Black Rose! Is it true you're the only warlord to gain respect from the Night Princes?"
Kodachi gave a short bow. "Something to that effect."
"I may have a job for you. At the moment, two people are missing, one of which is the son of one of my better students. They could cause trouble."
"Not for long."
*******
That night, Owens led them to an empty warehouse several kilometers from his safehouse.
"Why out here?" Ranma asked.
"We are going to create a doorway to another dimension. What goes in, can also come out. I have no desire to see hounds ripping apart my furniture."
"Oh, so where is this portal?"
"Here," Felicia said, pulling a canvas cover off of a large shape. Under the cloth was a large, but plain, mirror.
"That's it?"
"The next lesson is about breaching what is called the 'Mirror Wall.' It is the barrier between this world, and the realm of the Ba'al, the Nightlands."
"A mirror?" Ranma was having trouble believing the lecture.
"Just shut up and watch, Fem-boy," Taro said. Standing motionless for a moment, his form suddenly expanded. His body reformed as in grew, giving shape to his morphus. When finished, he appeared to be a minotaur out of ancient mythology, with the addition of a snake-like tail, wings, and a set of tentacles. Walking toward the mirror, his form seemed to flow, melting into the glass surface. In seconds, there was no trace of him, except for a momentary ripple on the mirror's surface.
"I believe I understand," Kasumi said. "Would you like me to go next?"
Owens gestured toward the mirror, and Kasumi shifted into her other form. Ranma tried (unsuccessfully) not to wince at the clash Kasumi's pastel dress made with her obsidian skin. One thing was certain, they needed different clothes.
Understanding clicked in Ranma's head as Kasumi's form flowed through the mirror. He quickly shifted and approached it as well.
"Stay in your morphus when you reach the other side," Owens said. "It is a hostile land, you need to be ready for anything."
"Alrrright," Ranma said. Concentrating, she reached out and touched the mirror. A chill spread through her body as the mirror seemed to suck her in, throwing her into a black tunnel. She felt like she was falling, and saw streaks of gray fly by her rapidly. After a while (though, on later reflection, it was less than a second) she hit something, which stretched with the impact like a sheet of rubber. As it stretched to the breaking point, Ranma felt a portion give way in front of her, and fell through...
...Into an empty warehouse.
"Wow!"
"Quite a rush, isn't it," Taro's voice came from behind. In his morphus, the pitch was lower, to a point where Ranma felt the voice as well as hearing it.
"You might want to move out of the way, Ranma," Kasumi advised. Ranma did so, just in time to see Felicia come out of the mirror with a pop.
Like Ranma, the quiet girl's morphus looked like a blend of human and cat. Felicia, though, had several differences. For one, she was all but nude, with patches of fur winding around her body. She also had oversized, paw-like hands and feet, in addition to a pair of large, furry ears on top of her head. Her black hair had become a mane of blue, with a streak of white on each side.
Last through was Owens. His business suit had been replaced by robes befitting a wizard, colored black. His hands were wicked-looking claws, and his head was a horned skull, small points of light took the place of eyes.
"Time to go," Taro rumbled.
"Quite," Owens replied. It was rather odd for Ranma to hear the same voice coming from a skull.
They exited the building quickly. Once outside, Ranma was treated to a view of a deserted street, not too different from what they had left. The buildings architecture was more brooding, and the pavement was cracked in many places, but it was the same layout, and a similar look. What was disturbing was the sky, a rolling mass of clouds which blocked any sun the world might have had.
Owens quickly directed the group to the edge of the city, and into the wasteland beyond. There was no plant life, and no animals that Ranma could sense. Owens did not allow them to speak, rest, or even stop until they reached a group of stone hills two kilometers from the city.
"I think we're far enough."
Ranma stared at the doctor. "Farrr enough forrr what?"
"Far enough to avoid the hound patrols," Felicia explained.
"But why did you bring us here?" Kasumi asked.
"To show you what you are fighting against," Owens replied. "This area is know as the Empire of the Black Sun. The Nightlord here, while not as powerful or as influential as the ones in America, has absolute control of this region. Even the resistance groups have to maintain a low profile, and run very few operations."
"What are these 'Nightlords?'"
Owens sighed. "Very little is know of the Ba'al. All that is known is that they are ancient sorcerers that sold their souls to darkness in exchange for power that rivals the gods. They are obsessed with the destruction of the human race."
"You'rrre kidding, rrright?" Ranma asked.
"I wish I were. These are beings that wish to see humanity come to a slow and painful end. They feed off the life-force of those they kill, becoming stronger from the suffering of others."
"So what can we do?" Kasumi asked.
"They are afraid of overt action. For some reason, the invasion is being handled with subtlety. Even now, impostors are replacing important political and economic figures. Within a few years, I suspect that they will be in control of most nations of the world."
"You didn't answerrr herrr question," Ranma stated.
"We can fight," Taro replied, "that's what we can do."
"Quite right," Owens commented. "It may seem like a hopeless battle, but we don't have any choice."
"No," Kasumi said, her eyes turning blue, "we don't."
"I think you have seen enough, it's time to go back."
"Alrrready?" Ranma asked.
"Yes, we can't afford to linger here. The longer we are here, the more chance we might be discovered. I needed you to see with your own eyes what was happening, and what you are fighting against."
*******
They stayed with Owens for another week. This was long enough for them to get comfortable with their new abilities (though not their appearances) and to learn about their new foes. They would have liked to stay longer, but Owens would not have it.
"Safety," he has said, "is in mobility. I have lingered in this area too long. I must move on, along with my charges. You two have a different path to follow."
This time, they didn't have to travel by night, or keep to the shadows. The only thing that would seem conspicuous would be the hole in Kasumi's dress (the one cut for her wings), but it was covered up by the pack she wore. They decided to make a quick stopover in Nerima, before heading to who-knows-where (they also might get some advice on where who-knows-where is).
"Kasumi," Ranma began, "I'm not sure how to ask this, but..."
"Yes, Ranma, I would like you to begin training me."
Ranma stopped cold. "How did you guess?"
"It's obvious," Kasumi replied. "I haven't done any sort of serious training in over ten years. If we must fight, I don't want to be helpless."
Ranma nodded. "I guess we'll start tonight."
*******
Kodachi walked into the Cat Cafe, much to the surprise of those working there. Shampoo was feeling strangely uneasy. Normally she would have no problem fighting 'crazy rose girl.' Today, however, there was something more to Kodachi, and that was setting off warning bells.
"Excuse me," Kodachi asked, "is the manager around?"
"Great-Grandmother gone," Shampoo replied. "Shampoo not know where."
"Oh, I see," Kodachi looked around, seeing that Mousse was the only other person present.
"You want to leave message?"
"No," a cold glint appeared in Kodachi's eyes, "I think you'll do."
End Chapter 2
I'm working on the evil ending thing. How am I doing?