What can I say, I couldn't resist.
Thanks, as always, go to my pre-readers, Mark Engelbert and
Slacker, for putting up with my grammer errors and... odd
ideas.
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: rbane7.txt
Disclaimer: I don't own them, and a couple sources I wouldn't want to own.
Ranma's Bane
Chapter 7: New Faces
Since the sounds of battle were not accompanied by screams, Ranma and Kasumi assumed that whoever was involved was holding their own in for the moment. With that in mind, they held back from engaging the group of Hounds.
It took a few minutes for Ranma to catch a glimpse of the person fighting. When she did it came as a surprise. There was a woman in the middle of the group, apparently a normal human, unarmed except for an odd staff. The staff was made of some silvery metal, topped by a large, dark gem. As it swung around, Ranma could also see a collection of small blades on the opposite end.
Just as Ranma was preparing to leap into the fray, the woman glanced at one of the Hounds. With the glance, the Hound was sent flying away from the battle, knocking over several of it's companions before being embedded in a nearby wall.
"Telekinesis," Kasumi observed.
"I guess that means she's not like us." Ranma commented. They had learned two years before, during their first encounter with the odd mental powers, that Nightbane were incapable to developing those powers. For once, Ranma hadn't taken that type of statement as a challenge, though Kasumi never asked why.
"I've seen enough," Ranma said at last. "Let's get rrready to rrrumble."
They waded though the discarded metal parts, the pieces of Hounds and their armor. A pair of sai appeared in Kasumi's hands while Ranma reached into her pack and pulled out a pair of swords made from a black metal that cuts through anything. She had acquired the pair four years before, fighting one of Ahriman's generals, and had kept them for heavy combat situations.
Heavy combat was the name of the game this night. There were over twenty Hounds in this group, and a few Hound Masters mixed in. Surprisingly, they weren't trying to attack the woman at once, but were keeping their distance, allowing themselves to be picked off by her energy bolts.
Ranma almost slapped herself for being stupid. The Hounds were being held back by some barrier. What they were doing was pounding on it, trying to break in.
Of course, that barrier also meant that their attention could be focused on the intruding pair. Three of the Hound Masters immediately noticed them, and almost half the Hounds broke off their assault on the woman's barrier.
Ranma quickly sliced through the first few attackers, not even losing a step when Kasumi glided over the heads of the Hounds, disappearing in a ripple. The first wave fell before Ranma could even acknowledge the fact. The second soon after.
Then came the Hound Masters. The larger armored figures were smarter, and approached the pair slowly, keeping their weapons between their bodies and Ranma. Of course, in doing so, they missed the fact that Kasumi had disappeared.
Ranma almost wished that the Hound Masters did not have helmets, so that he could see the expression one's face when Kasumi appeared in a ripple behind it. Kasumi's sai crossed like a pair of scissors, removing the Hound's head from it's shoulders. Ranma launched herself at the other two as Kasumi said a quick prayer over the dead creature, the color of her eyes a dark blue. Ranma never asked what she said in those prayers, or why she said them. She respected Kasumi's privacy, and her reasons.
The two remaining Hound Masters wielded spears, and Ranma was able to easily hold off both at once. The weaving blades eventually left a gap, which Ranma quickly exploited. Lashing out with her foot, she knocked one of the armored figures back. For a brief instant, it was a one on one fight between her and the remaining Hound Master. With a quick parry the Hound's blade was pushed to the side, leaving a wide gap that even Akane could have landed a blow through.
With that Hound down, the one knocked back was keeping it's distance, eyeing Ranma. Kasumi was finishing off a pair of Hounds, so she was unable to help. It was a stalemate. None of them could take any action without giving their opponent an opening. Ranma couldn't even fire off an energy bolt without dropping her guard for an instant.
A bolt from behind the Hound cut off the stalemate, ripping a hole through the Hound's chest. Ranma spun towards the new threat, blades up in hopes of deflecting a second shot. The second shot, however, did not come.
The woman who had been in the center of the mass of Hounds was now standing in the center of huge piles of shattered black hulks. Now that the chaos had left, Ranma could was able to get a better look at her. She was tall, about the same height as Kasumi, with dark brown eyes, black hair down to her knees, and light olive skin that spoke of a mixed heritage. If Ranma hadn't been prejudiced towards Kasumi, she might have even found the woman attractive.
"Who are you?" the woman asked.
Ranma couldn't help but laugh. "We save you frrrom a bunch of Hounds and not even a thank you?"
A slight smile graced her lips. "Very well, thank you for your assistance. Now who are you?"
This time even Kasumi giggled a little. "My name is Rrranma," Ranma answered, "and this is Kasumi."
"You can call me Susan. What are you?"
Ranma and Kasumi shifted back to their normal forms. "It's a long story," Kasumi said.
Susan looked around. "Well, once we get away from this mess, I have plenty of time to hear it."
Ranma half turned away, and shared a look with Kasumi. A raised eyebrow asked her if they could trust the stranger. A nod and a finger pointed at the corner of her eye indicated to Ranma that Kasumi had done a reading of the stranger, and had deemed her trustworthy.
Ranma nodded, then faced Susan again. When he had turned back, the staff had disappeared. Ranma noted that, but decide not to ask, saving that question for later.
"We're staying at a hotel about a mile from here."
Susan shrugged. "Lead on."
*******
Susan sat in silence as Ranma told an abridged version of the past four years. When he finished, she could only stare into the tea Kasumi had prepared.
"That's... a rather odd story."
"Your turn," Ranma said, leaning back in his chair.
Susan sighed, then reached into her jacket. She produced a pen-sized object that was an exact replica of the staff she had wielded earlier. Ranma's eyes widened as the object grew into the full sized staff.
"I won't bore you with the details of my life up until about two weeks ago. That's when I found this staff, or rather, when it found me. I don't know where I found it, only that I felt it in my mind, and the next thing I remember it was in my hands. From it I received an urging to leave my home, to run as fast as I could. A few days later, I first noticed those creatures hunting me.
"I don't know if they want to kill me, capture me, or herd me somewhere. All I know is that the groups chasing me have been getting larger every time. It started with just a few of those smaller things-"
"Hounds." Ranma supplied.
"Whatever, and one of the larger ones. I've been attacked five times since I ran away."
"How old are you?" Kasumi asked.
"Twenty," Susan replied. "I was living at home, attending school at the University of Kyoto when this happened."
"For all that's happened," Ranma said, "you seem to be telling us a lot about yourself."
Susan smiled. "I know one of you got a reading on me earlier. It's only fair that I did the same to you."
"Uh..." Ranma was understandable nervous. The first time the two of them had encountered a psychic, the man had sensed an aura of extreme darkness and had attacked them on sight. "And what did you see?"
"Some high energy levels, I guess that explains your transformations. Aside from that, you looked normal, trustworthy."
Kasumi and Ranma exchanged a glance. Either the woman was lying, or something strange was going on.
"What about your powers?" Kasumi asked.
"What about them? Asking me to describe how I have them or what it's like to use them would be like asking me what it's like to breathe."
"Oh."
"These friends you're meeting, how will you know where and when to do it?"
Ranma smiled. "We have our ways."
His mysterious act was cut short by the hotel phone ringing. Kasumi picked it up and listened for a few moments before setting the handset back in it's cradle.
"Already?" Ranma asked.
Kasumi nodded. "I guess they took a plane, instead of a boat."
"How'd that happen?" Susan asked. "If you last saw those people over a week ago..."
Kasumi detached the cord from the base of the phone, along with a small box. "One of the Doctor's contacts in the Resistance made these, they allow secured transmission between phones without having to know the number to connect to."
"The Resistance?"
"Against the Nightlords," Ranma explained. "I guess we could be considered part of that bunch, but we've never had any formal contact."
"He wants to meet a few miles from here." Kasumi said, replacing the phone and cord while pocketing the device.
Ranma chuckled. "Let me guess, a bar?"
Kasumi smiled. "It's a cliche, but yes, he did say that."
"Can I come too?" Susan asked.
"I guess," Ranma replied, "Doc might have an idea why they're chasing you."
*******
As Kasumi said, it was a cliche. The bar was located on the outskirts of Nerima. It was dark, smoky, and filled with seedy looking characters. At a booth in the corner, Ranma could see Owens, Felicia, Akane, Nabiki, the woman that they had rescued from the slave pens, and a figure dressed in a hooded, tan trench coat.
"Big crowd, Doc?" Ranma asked as the three of them sat down.
"The three ladies will be leaving shortly," Owens replied. "They merely wished to see that you were safe."
"More than that, Doctor Owens," the woman countered, "but that will be all for now."
The three women slid out of the booth, preparing to leave.
"Don't leave town before stopping by," Nabiki whispered in Ranma's ear as she slipped a note in his pocket. Ranma watched as the three walked out the door. For some reason, the woman's features seemed familiar to him.
"I see you picked up a stray, Ranma," Owens began.
Susan tried her best to slide under the table.
"Not quite, Doc," Ranma replied, "she's got something we need you to take a look at."
Susan reluctantly produced the miniaturized staff and placed it in the center of the table. Owens leaned closer, examining the item without touching it.
"Aside from looking like an odd key, what is it?"
"Ranma said that you might be able to tell me," Susan replied.
Owens scratched his head. "What can it do?"
"This is it's smaller form. The real form is of a staff about five and a half feet long. It can amplify my powers, and I get the feeling that there's more."
"Magical amplification..."
"Psychic," Susan corrected.
"Really? Either way, such devices are rare." Owens sat back for a moment. "Has the device communicated with you in any way?"
Susan shrugged. "Not since it told me to take it."
Owens pushed the rod back to Susan, who hid it away. "I'd say you have some sort of artifact here, but I can't say more. My information is rather limited on that subject."
"Right," Ranma said. "So what's up, Doc?"
Owens shot Ranma a hurt look. "You've been waiting for years to use that line, haven't you?"
"Yep."
Owens gestured to the quiet figure in tan. "This a former student of mine, his name is-"
"I'm perfectly capable of introducing myself, Roger," the figure said. Pushing back his hood revealed a face that appeared to be made of bluish stone, with darker patches around the eyes and chin. "My name is Zelgadis Graywords."
"Odd name," Ranma commented. He and Kasumi had an unusual way of getting to know someone, they overloaded the person with questions, too quick for most people to lie about.
"I come from an odd family."
"Why do you look like that?" Kasumi asked.
Zelgadis sighed. "I'm like this because I was sealed in my morphus about a century ago."
"Who would do that?" Susan asked. Ranma raised an eyebrow, the girl caught on quickly.
"Well, it's good to see all of you made it back here."
Ranma spun towards the new voice. Standing a few feet away was Xelloss, his usual grin firmly planted on his face.
"DIE MONSTER!"
Ranma had to move quickly to stop Zelgadis from trying to kill Xelloss. "Wait a minute, buddy, we can't do that."
"The hell I can't," Zelgadis growled, "he's the one that trapped me like this!"
"Oh, are you still upset about that?" Xelloss asked. "I figured you would be over it by now."
Ranma was straining to keep the stone man off of the Avatar. "If we don't attack him," Ranma explained, "we can keep a Nightlord from hindering us while we take out the others."
"You really expect them to keep that bargain?" Zelgadis growled.
"Not really, but it's better than nothing."
Zelgadis relaxed a little, but never took his eyes off of Xelloss. "Get out of my sight, demon."
Xelloss continued to smile. "Oh, I was just leaving anyway."
The smile seemed to stay in place long after the robed figure had disappeared into the shadows.
*******
"Well?"
"She's there. Why did you let this get so far out of hand?"
"Don't ask me, I haven't been involved with this project since I was assigned here twenty years ago."
"So that's what you were doing."
"Yes. I have the device, but how will we put it on?"
"Moloch's local avatar will soon be getting information about the group, and will move to correct the situation."
"And how will you get him to send an assassination squad?"
"That..."
"Is a secret. I should have known you'd say that."
*******
Owens and Felicia left after some discussion of Ahriman's deal. There was little more that could be said, Ranma and Kasumi had long ago proved themselves competent in many fields. Zelgadis, on the other hand, stayed.
"You want to go with us?" Ranma asked.
"Yes," Zelgadis replied.
"Why?" Kasumi asked.
"Several reasons."
"Like what?" Ranma asked.
"My own, and I would rather not discuss them."
Ranma shrugged. "Fine, but if you don't, how can we trust you?"
"It doesn't matter if you trust me, I'm going with you. Xelloss is fond of dropping in on people he's taken a liking to, and you two apparently fall into that category."
"I'm not sure I like that notion." Kasumi said.
"You shouldn't."
Ranma laughed. "So you want to hang around us in hopes of finding the chance to beat a cure out of Xelloss?"
Zelgadis shrugged. "You could phrase it that way."
Ranma figured he wouldn't be able to win this argument, yet, so he smiled. "You really want to travel with us, Zel? Well there are a few rules."
Zelgadis interrupted him. "I will do nothing to endanger you or any of your companions. I will follow your direction, but I will offer my advice when I think you are acting wrong. Beyond that, I am looking for a cure to my condition, so you must understand that such a quest is my highest priority."
No sound came out of Ranma's open mouth, so Kasumi was forced to respond. "That is better than we expected, Zelgadis. Where are you staying in the city?"
Zelgadis shook his head. "I haven't had time to make arrangements."
"I think the hotel we're staying at might have a few open rooms. Why are you smiling, Ranma?"
Ranma shrugged. "I was just thinking that it's been a busy night."
The other three at the table chuckled.
*******
"Is it ready?"
"Impatient, aren't you?"
"The Master wants this problem solved quickly. And if it is not done soon it we might lose our chance."
"And it should be easy to accomplish. Just sneak up and slap the collar on."
"Yes, but what if it doesn't work?"
"Then we try another method."
"Then the question is what is more important to the Master, recovery of the project, or preservation of that pact."
"Hmmmm, interesting question."
"And the answer?"
"Is a secret."
"Why didn't I see that coming?"
*******
The group stood in front of the hotel doors. There was one room left to rent in the small building, and it was right next to the one Ranma and Kasumi had rented the previous day. Ranma stared at the two keys in his hand.
"We can't ask them to share a room," Kasumi whispered.
"And something about Susan is creeping me out," Ranma replied. "Plus it'll take more than the Doc's endorsement for me to trust Zel."
"I guess the only choice is for me to share a room with Susan, and for you to bunk with Zelgadis."
"Sure, you take the one with two beds, I can take a night without sleep."
"Alright," Kasumi said, walking with Susan into one of the rooms. Ranma exchanged a glance with Zelgadis as they moved into the other. Zelgadis plopped down onto the bed, and was immediately asleep, while Ranma pulled out a couple of textbooks to study (even on the run, he had been able to get a GED, now he was working towards a college degree). If he wasn't going to sleep, he might as well get something done. *Maybe now Kasumi will get off my case about studying.*
*******
"So where do we go from here?" Susan asked.
Ranma looked up from his breakfast. "We're heading to America. Chicago to be exact. Do you know the language?"
Susan nodded, while Zelgadis shot Ranma and incredulous look.
"I was asking Susan," Ranma said, "not you."
Zelgadis nodded. "Why Chicago?"
"Doctor Owens said that the resistance there was planning a major operation," Kasumi explained. "He also suggested that we may be able to help."
"What about me?" Susan asked.
Kasumi shrugged. "You can come with us, or you can stay here. It's your choice. But you must remember that we do not know why the Nightlords are after you, or even which one."
"And my powers could be a benefit in the fight against those guys. Is that what you were going to say?"
"Well, yes."
Susan smiled. "Just checking. Count me in."
*******
Planning went on until close to noon. Soon after, Ranma and Kasumi managed to lose their companions for a few hours, and decided to follow Nabiki's request for a visit. They followed the directions on the note Ranma was slipped, and were able to find their current residence without difficulty.
"I hope Akane's not teaching classes," Ranma said as they approached the gate.
"She may have improved in the past four years, Ranma."
Ranma shook his head. "There were four Masters of the art, and three are dead. Her basic technique was flawed, and she would never accept my attempts to correct it. There's no way she could have become competent enough to even lead a class in warm-ups."
Kasumi giggled. "Just don't let her hear that."
"Don't let who hear what?" Nabiki asked, opening the gate.
"Don't worry about it," Kasumi replied.
Nabiki shrugged. "Whatever. I came out here to warn you two."
"About what?"
"Ranma, did you recognize the woman with us?"
Ranma shook his head. "Nope."
Nabiki sighed. "That could be a problem. You remember your father saying anything about a promise?"
"Can you be more specific? Pops broke a lot of promises."
"One to your mother?"
Ranma was silent for a while. "None that I can remember. Why, did you find her?"
"In a way," Nabiki replied. "Though the two of you got her out of that hellhole."
Ranma thought back, and remember the familiar-looking woman. "Her?"
Nabiki nodded. "Just don't be surprised," she said, leading the pair inside.
*******
About twenty minutes later Ranma and Kasumi were running as fast as they could away from the house, pursued by an older woman waving a katana around.
"I can't believe it," Kasumi commented.
"I wouldn't put it past Pops to try something like that," Ranma countered. Neither of them was having any trouble talking, despite running at full speed.
"But suicide? Because of something you have no control over?"
"I knew Pops was a coward, but not that much of one."
"Is she still there?"
Ranma glanced over his shoulder. "Nope, I think we lost her a few blocks ago."
"Well, where were we supposed to meet Zelgadis and Susan?"
"Shopping center at sunset. We have a couple hours until then. Any ideas?"
"Yes, we should hit a few bookstores. I'm falling behind in my studies, and so are you."
Ranma groaned. "We've been busy."
*******
The sun had just set when the foursome met again.
"When is our flight?" Susan asked.
"Eleven," Ranma replied.
Zelgadis glanced around. "We're being followed."
"We?" Kasumi asked. "Are you sure? Ranma and I haven't noticed anything."
"I didn't notice anything, either," Zelgadis explained, "until I met up with Susan about twenty minutes ago. Maybe hollow men, or disguised Hound Masters."
"Following me?" Susan asked.
Zelgadis nodded. "They've left for now. Watch yourselves." The other three nodded.
A mile from the airport, the mysterious observers decided to make themselves known. Zelgadis was walking point, followed by Kasumi and Susan side by side, with Ranma bringing up the rear. It was a discreet formation, and served them well when a dozen Hounds, with three Hound Masters, appeared before them.
"Damn," Ranma spat, shifting to his morphus. She leaped at the lead Hound while Kasumi shifted forms.
"Stay back, Susan," Kasumi warned, disappearing in a ripple of shadow.
"Like hell I will," Susan muttered. Picking a target, she began to focus psychic energy bolts through her staff, amplifying them considerably.
Zelgadis pulled a large sword from below his coat, and muttered a spell that caused the sword to glow red. (1)
Ranma's swords tore through the armored figures like a whirlwind, while Zelgadis did much of the same. Kasumi would reappear behind one of the Hound Masters long enough to drive her daggers through the back of it's skull. Susan also continued to pelt the enemies with mind bolts.
The Hounds were falling quickly, almost like they weren't trying to fight. Between the four of them, it was all but over in a matter of minutes.
Ranma surveyed her companions after cutting down two more Hounds. Kasumi buried her sai's through the chest of the last Hound Master, while Zelgadis sent a dozen bolts of flame into a nearby Hound. Ranma glanced back to see how Susan was doing...
Just in time to see a black-clad figure appear behind her.
"Susan," Ranma called, "look out!"
Susan tried to turn, but she didn't have the chance before the intruder slapped a black collar around her neck. The figure vanished into the shadows as black lightning arced over Susan's form.
End chapter 7.
Notes:
1: Highlander sword-space, a related science to Hammer-space. Enables a person to pull anything smaller than a claymore from below a coat that has shown no evidence of carrying anything.