The Dragon and The Ghost.
Part 7
Joketsuko.
Ryoga smirked as he rose over a rocky patch along the side of the
mountain trail. "Aye, I knew it."
"What have we got?" called Ryu from below him.
"It's them! The dwarves!" cried Ryoga happily. "T'ain't much, but
they've survived."
Ranma found himself smiling as he approached the dwarf. Just over the
hills were a large cluster of small tents. They were arranged in rows
along a tiny, snow covered valley nestled between the rocks. Several
campfires sent columns of smoke into the air. They had noticed this in
the distance, and decided to check it out. Now, the dwarves could be seen
bustling about in the makeshift streets. It was obvious from the remains
of the village that many of them had died, but there were a few hundred
tents below.
"Looks like most of them made it," commented Shampoo.
"Aye, we're a hardy lot we are!" boasted Ryoga as he started walking
towards the encampment.
"I am relieved. It looks like the mountain elves helped them out a bit.
Those aren't dwarven tents, it almost fooled me," said Ukyo.
"I just hope they have something to sell us. We need supplies, and we
don't have time to double back to that human town," said Ryu. He spun on
his heels and punched Ranma dead in his face. The pigtailed boy landed on
his back and clutched at his face. "That's for getting us involved with
this."
Ranma growled as he stood up, but made no move to counter. It was
obvious that his eye was going to be sore for a few days or so.
"I guess he meant what he said," said Shampoo with a dry look as she
passed Ranma.
"He doesn't say much that he doesn't mean," commented the boy as he
followed. "He's right about one thing, I hope they have supplies. We need
warmer clothes. We could manage without them, but it's going to get real
cold as we get closer to Joketsuko. That city is almost a mile up, there
aren't many places colder in the world."
"That's right. Our government is reliant on other countries. We can't
grow food of our own well. Most of our economy is from the trade routes
we run, and the mining operations we have. It's the center of commerce on
the continent."
"We've visited a few times before," commented Ryu with a sly grin
appearing on his face.
"Oh? Why is that?" said Ukyo obliviously.
"Business," replied Ranma with a shrug.
"You were a merchant?" asked Ukyo with an annoying innocence about her.
"Something like that," chuckled Ryu. He stopped his stride and held his
arm out.
"Who goes there?" snapped a tense voice from in front of them.
"Just travelers," said Ryoga as he approached one of the rocks. Several
dwarves appeared from behind it. They were carrying battle-axes and
spears.
"Guards," said Ranma to Shampoo's questioning look.
"Hoi! No goblins here. How'd ya manage to get past them monsters?" said
one of the dwarves cheerfully.
"Hoi!" Ryoga raised his arm and gave the traditional greeting of the
mountain dwarves in reply. "What monsters? There are none."
"Eh? What ya mean?" said one of the guards in confusion.
"They're gone, for good," replied Ryoga happily.
"If what you say is true, the elders will be most pleased," said the
same dwarf. The group realized that he was probably the leader.
Ryu stepped forward. "You have any goods for sale in your camp? We need
supplies."
The dwarf looked at him and nodded cheerfully. "O' course we do! What
kind of dwarves do you think we are?"
Ryoga frowned at him. "What a silly question!"
"You were wondering too as I recall," said Ranma.
"Who asked you?" snapped Ryoga.
-------------
"So, the mighty Good Fang has come and liberated us from the Dragon and
his evil goblin army?" A wizened old dwarf stood in front of the group.
They were inside a large tent sitting around a huge campfire. The dwarf
was probably at least a thousand years old from the looks of him. His
long white hair and beard spread out on the floor around him. He didn't
look like he'd keel over anytime soon though, his build was strong, and
he was far from feeble.
"Aye. 'Twas the work of a dark sorcerer. I did away with him nicely,"
said Ryoga proudly.
"Hey, it ain't like you didn't have help runt," snapped Ranma. Ryu was
also clearly annoyed, but remained silent.
"You have my gratitude, but I'm afraid we can't part with our wares
without compensation. We have a lot of work to do when we return home,
and our stores have been destroyed."
"How like a dwarf, ungrateful little..." Shampoo began to mutter under
her breath.
Ryu snorted in mild amusement. "I thought as much. Don't worry old man,
we have enough to pay for anything we need."
"How much would that be?" pried the elder.
"You think we're dumb enough to tell you?" said Ranma.
"Aye, you're smart folk indeed. I had to try," the old man gave a
chuckle and lit a long ornate looking pipe. "What would you be needin?"
"Clothes, and some food wouldn't hurt either. That is, if you can spare
any," said Ukyo. Ranma and Ryu gave her a quick glance, but said nothing.
"I think we can scrounge something up for ya," said the old dwarf.
The group nodded and stood up to leave the tent. Ryoga stayed behind and
smirked as they walked outside. "Elder, do me a favor. Kill em, I don't
want a single gold piece left in that braggart Ranma's pocket when he
leaves here."
"Hmm, I can tell you've got good business sense. As of now, prices
within the village have just tripled."
"Thank ye," Ryoga merrily giggled to himself as he rushed outside to
join his companions.
---------
"Hey Ryoga," said Ranma as he met the dwarf outside of the tent five
minutes later. "What took you?"
"Eh? That damn flap kept moving! Shut yer trap!"
"Good, cause you're going to buy supplies here," said Ryu lazily as he
stood up from where he was sitting. Ukyo and Shampoo were with him.
"Eh?! Why should I?"
"You don't want to curse us do you? You know the rules. If a dwarf joins
a group of travelers, the first supplies bought are bought by him."
"That's only among dwarves!" snapped the angry dwarf.
"That's not true, every dwarf I've ever traveled with has done it," said
Ukyo. She was oblivious to the conversation up to that point. "Something
about 'good business and turn around'."
Ryoga went pale. He knew it was true, if he didn't it could bring
misfortune to him and his business. That was the tradition. "Blast! How
could I forget about that?"
"Hope you've got enough," said Ranma as he walked towards the shopping
center.
Ryoga's eyes went wide and he turned to go back to the elder's tent.
Naturally, it wasn't the right way he had turned. Even if he could find
it, he wouldn't be able to change the old dwarf's mind. That would be bad
business. "Blast!" he screamed and fell to his knees.
------------
About two hours later, the whole group left the camp clothed in heavy
furs. Ranma and Ryu's traveling packs were also a bit bulkier from
supplies they had bought.
"It should be about a day's walk along this trail," said Ukyo as she
pointed down the road.
"That sounds about right. We're gonna have to spend the night in the
cold tonight. We'll get a room once we make it to Joketsuko."
"No. You'll stay with me. I've got enough room in my home," said Ukyo
firmly.
"Let's go then," said Ranma with a shrug.
-----------
The group was clothed in heavy fur cloaks as they walked down the
snow-covered trail. Ranma was in the lead with his companions close
behind him. "Hold up."
Everyone paused and looked at him. "What's going on Ranma?"
"We've got company," said Ranma as a small group became visible ahead of
them. Several figures appeared in front of them.
"Who goes there?" called one of them. They were tall, and armed with
spears and bows.
"Mountain Elves," said Ryu lazily.
"Looks like they're ready for a fight," commented Ryoga.
Ranma nodded. "Just in case the goblins decided to push forward I
suppose."
"Those dwarves would have told them. I wonder if anyone sent word to
Joketsuko besides myself?"
"Probably," agreed Ranma. "Come on, let's greet them."
"Three humans, an elf, and a dwarf," called one of the soldiers. Those
around him relaxed and moved towards the strangers.
"What business do you have here?" said the lead elf. They were dressed
like Ranma and his group, clothed in heavy furs. Flashes of armor could
be seen under the heavy cloaks.
"We're traveling to Joketsuko," said Ukyo.
"Are you merchants?" said one of the men with a slightly hopeful tone.
"They should be a day or two behind us. We're just travelers," said Ryu.
"I see. The goblins?"
"Gone. They didn't last long after they lost their leader," said Ranma
cheerfully.
"Yes. I am pleased to see they didn't make it this far," agreed Shampoo.
"That is good to know," said the lead elf. "Our supplies are running
low. A few merchants from Joketsuko have taken up with us until the path
is cleared."
"It's clear now," said Ryu.
"You'll forgive me if I see to that myself," said the elf.
"Not very trusting are they?" snorted Ranma.
"They have reason not to be," commented Shampoo. "They don't know us. We
could be spies."
"You elves are such nervous folk," commented Ryoga.
"Why didn't they just go back home? It's only a day's walk," said Ukyo.
"A merchant caravan is expensive to run, and difficult to keep up. If
they returned home, it could be weeks before they could set out again,"
explained Ranma. "Most of the merchant families can't really afford
that."
"I see," Shampoo nodded to herself.
"Come on, we've got a way to go yet." Ranma started forward again. "How
much farther is Joketsuko?"
"Half a day. You won't make it before night fall," said one of the
elves.
"We're making good time then," said Ryu.
"Why don't we stay here then?" said Shampoo as she glanced back at the
elven guards.
"You heard them. They've got merchants staying with them. I doubt if we
could find a room, plus the fact that the village is a good way up the
mountain. These men are just guarding the trail."
"Telling us they were low on supplies like that was just a polite way of
saying, 'Sorry, we can't take any more travelers,'" agreed Ryu.
"I see. A pity, I've always been curious about the mountain elves," said
Shampoo as she spared another glance back.
"If I hadn't lost my armor in that lake, we would have been welcomed,"
grumbled Ukyo. There wasn't much heat to the statement though.
++++++++++++
The next day, sometime in the early afternoon, they finally reached the
final leg of their journey. Joketsuko could be seen a short distance away
on the top of a large mountain. The top portion of the peak seemed to be
cut away, leaving a large flat area in which the city rested. The
rooftops were covered in snow, but the gray stone buildings could be seen
poking over the protective wall that surrounded the city. In the center,
an old looking castle of medieval design rose high above the walls.
Several towers protruded from the outer walls, and in the center, a much
larger tower rose into the air and seemed to scrape the clouds above with
it's spires. Red flags billowed in the wind atop each of the towers, and
several others lined the walls protecting the city.
"Well, we've made it. I'd say we've got about four days before the
Emperor arrives," said Ryu calmly.
"Plenty," said Ranma with a nod.
"Come on. You can stay with me for a while," said Ukyo cheerfully.
"Only for a few days. We've got to keep going. Time isn't quite as
important any more," said Ryu.
Shampoo and Ryoga gave him quick glances, but said nothing.
The knight's face fell slightly. "Oh. Promise that you'll come back
through and see me on your way back."
"Uh, sure thing Ucchan," muttered Ranma. He felt terrible, but forced a
smile on his face.
"That dope. He's a terrible liar," muttered Ryu under his breath.
--------
Shampoo and Ryoga hung back with Ryu as they approached the gates of the
city. Ranma walked with Ukyo a good distance ahead of them.
"Why did we lie to the knight?" said Shampoo.
"Oh, we're just going to rob an important dignitary who's staying at the
castle. Not that she is sworn to protect it or anything, it's just that
we're mean," said the boy sarcastically. "Please help us rob your queen!
You'd be such a big help!" He glared at her. "Use your head."
"Oh. I hadn't thought about it that way," muttered the girl dejectedly
as a blush crept onto her face.
They approached the massive gate that led into the town. Several guards
stood on either side, but they made no move to stop them. There were many
others passing through the gates. Traffic was understandably slow though.
There were other routes to the city, but the one they had taken was the
largest and most traveled trade route.
"Where do you live?" said Ranma as he turned to Ukyo as they passed into
the city. The first area was the market. Hundreds of shops and vendors
lined the streets, a massive crowd bustled around as they pushed their
way through the streets.
"Close to the castle. I can't room with most of the other knights,
because I'm a woman."
"How did you manage that anyway?" said Ryu.
Ukyo grinned. "Everyone thought I was a boy at first. I fought around
and had a few adventures when I was young. Eventually I came here during
a tournament and participated, I won easily and was knighted by the queen
about two years ago. After she knighted me, I told her I was a girl.
Luckily, she wasn't angry. I think she laughed for three days from the
looks on the guys' faces." Ukyo chuckled to herself for a moment. "It
didn't take long to teach them some respect after that."
Ranma smirked at this. "Figures. You're lucky she didn't kill you. If it
had been a king, he might have. Girls don't make very good knights in
most cases."
"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Shampoo as she grabbed him by
his collar and put her face up to his.
"Look around dope. How many knights do you see shopping?" Ranma
indicated a large group of women near one of the stands. They were all
quite feminine, many of them portly, and a few frail looking younger
girls.
"The Emperor's best knight is supposed to be a woman as well," said Ukyo
with a slightly annoyed frown.
"He said 'most women'," said Ryu as he pulled Shampoo's grip away.
"Aye, even among dwarves, most women do not fight," agreed Ryoga.
"I don't see a whole lot of men in this place who would cut it either,"
snapped Ukyo as she indicated another group of richly dressed men.
"Nobles don't count. All of those jerks are weaklings," snapped Ranma.
"Including your father?" said Ukyo with her eyes narrowing, "and mine?"
Ryu, Shampoo, and Ryoga's jaws dropped like lead weights.
"My father wasn't a noble," replied Ranma. "He died a poor man, and we
lived that way for as long as I can remember."
"That's not true. Your father was a great man. He just didn't want you
growing up soft. Mine was the same way."
"That's enough. I don't want to talk about this," snapped the pigtailed
boy as he turned and stalked away.
"Hey! What the hell is she talking about?" cried Ryu as he chased after
his partner.
"Ranma, is noble?" said Shampoo with a shocked look on her face.
"That explains his attitude," grumbled Ryoga.
"You... didn't know?" said Ukyo in confusion.
Both of the others shook their heads.
"Ranma's father was a duke of the former empire. He was killed after the
new emperor took the throne. No one is sure why, or how he died. Most of
the old nobility is still in place. He just vanished a long time ago.
Eventually, everyone stopped looking and assumed that they had both been
killed. You're here to see the Emperor aren't you? I assumed that was why
Ranma had come here. That would explain all the secrecy."
"No. We are not here to see him," said Shampoo. It wasn't really a lie.
"Oh, man. I guess he didn't want to tell you," muttered Ukyo. She knew
she had just screwed up.
"Most interesting," commented Shampoo. She stared towards the direction
Ryu and Ranma had run.
-----------
"Ranma! What the hell is going on?" said Ryu as he cornered his partner
in an alleyway.
Ranma merely stood with his back turned and his head hung low. "It's
nothing. Just the past."
"This is a pretty big nothing," snapped Ryu. "I can understand you not
wanting to tell me, what with our profession and all. I promise I won't
say anything. Come on, we've got work to do."
Ranma smirked slightly and looked at Ryu. "Ryu. I can't ask you to do
this with me anymore. All my life, I've been looking for the man who
killed my father. I've got a feeling, that I'll find him this time.
That's why I took this job."
"Is that the elf in you talking?" asked Ryu calmly.
"No. It's a gut feeling," replied the pigtailed boy.
"You think I'm going to back out of this now?" snapped Ryu angrily.
"You're just trying to get that reward all to yourself! Is that any way
to treat your partner?"
Ranma whirled around angrily. He stopped his protest when he saw the
smirk on his partner's face.
"We've all got our secrets Ranma, but I'm not leaving until I get paid."
"Fine. You jerk," replied the pigtailed boy as he walked out of the
alley brushing by Ryu.
"Ranma."
The boy paused and did not turn around.
"If what you say is true, you'll get that bastard. I'll make sure of
that."
"Come on," said the pigtailed boy.
Ryu turned to follow and smirked. "Yamesenken. It destroyed my life, but
it also gave me a new one. I still hate you for that, Saotome." His words
were almost a whisper.
----------
"So, this is the house of a knight?" Ranma was impressed. It was a
four-room home, with plenty of space. There was a kitchen, a living room,
and two bedrooms. It was a large cottage near the castle gates.
"What can I say? The queen likes me," said Ukyo with a shrug. She
started a fire in the fireplace and turned to face them. "You three can
take that room. Me and Ranma will sleep in mine."
Everyone looked at her for a moment.
"How about, boys in one room girls in another? I don't want Ranma
forgetting his mission," said Ryu.
"You still haven't told me what your mission is," said Ukyo as she
looked at them.
"You aren't very good at keeping secrets," replied Ranma a little
bitterly.
The girl reacted as if she had been slapped. "I'm sorry. I thought that
they knew about that. You seemed like you knew each other so well when we
were traveling."
"The truth is, we've only known each other for about three weeks," said
Shampoo.
"Hey! I've been trying to kill him for four years!" snapped Ryoga.
"Kill him?" said Ukyo as she turned to Ryoga in surprise.
"He kinda got over that," whispered Ryu cheerfully to her.
"Oh," said the girl uncomfortably. She turned towards the door. "I've
got to report in, I should be back in an hour or so. Make yourselves at
home." She walked out of the home and left them.
---------
That night, Shampoo lay awake in Ukyo's room. Her hands were behind her
head as she stared at the ceiling.
"Ranma, is noble? How strange." The more she thought about it, the
better it sounded. He didn't like weakness much, and his curse gave him
the life span of an elf. Whether or not he realized that, she wasn't
sure. "This knight is a good person. I am sorry we have to betray her. It
is for the greater good. Perhaps it is not all bad. She and Ranma will be
separated by our mission, and he is noble. He is strong, and very
honorable, more so than I had ever thought when I first met him. I think
he would have done this without payment if he had known of it. All that,
plus he appears to hate the nobility as much as I do. Those pompous and
arrogant fools and their meetings and parties, it disgusts me. It is
possible, that he could be the perfect candidate, for my future husband."
Her smile widened as she realized this. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.
---------
Ukyo was awake as well. Her thoughts were quite different from
Shampoo's.
"Something about all this bothers me." She sighed as she rolled onto her
side. "I hate thinking about it, I love Ranchan, but it's been so long
since we've been together. I don't really know him anymore. He used to be
so proud of who he was. Why would he keep it a secret? Perhaps there is
more to this than I imagine?" She forced her eyes closed. "Maybe I'm just
digging to deep into this? Ranchan, is... well, he's Ranchan. He's got to
have his own reasons. This mission they claim to have, I don't know why,
but I think that bothers me most of all." Slowly she drifted off to sleep
as well.
----------
Ryu stood over the sleeping form of Ranma. He stared down at him for a
long time with a neutral look on his face. The boy shivered under his
sheets while he gazed at him.
"Ranma. We've been together for a long time. The more I think about it,
the more this feeling of dread seems to overwhelm me. I don't like this
mission, I hate it. You know I hate being the hero. Somehow, I know I
have to finish this though. You're nothing but a pain in my ass, you know
that?" He smirked slightly and clenched his fist at his side.
His thoughts wandered again as he stood there. He had once hated Ranma
more than Ryoga ever had. The Saotome name was the downfall of his own.
Circumstance had brought them together, he knew why Ranma never gave his
last name. He had found out the hard way. Now, because of that, his most
hated enemy and sworn rival, was probably the best friend he had ever
had. The only one in fact.
"I hate you," he muttered. He turned away and went to his own mat before
laying down for the night.
Ranma shivered again under the sheets. The house was warm, and he didn't
seem to wake up. For some reason, he felt cold. Finally, he sneezed three
times and rolled over again.
TBC...
Next time: The terror of the Emperor's staff!
C&C to: Carrotglace@juno.com