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Ranmazoku Chapter 8 - The Demon Queen Of Furinkan
By PansutoTarou5925
** * * * * * * * * * * * * **
DISCLAIMER - I do not own the rights to Slayers nor do I
own the rights to Ranma �. Long live the rightful owners of
these two fine anime. This work is non-commercial and is done
only in imitation of Rumiko Takahashi and Hajime Kanzaka.
Imitation is the sincerest flattery, no? US rights owned by Viz
and Software Sculptors. If I mention the Senshi, Sailor Moon
belongs to Naoko Takeuchi(Sp, anyone?) and.. and.. I dunno
who has the US rights, but it's theirs not mine. (I'm drawing a
blank)
** * * * * * * * * * * * * **
Author's note - This story originated from an idea on
Nighthawk's page and is some guy named NesTea's fault. If
he's reading this, I'm curious to know what he thinks of all this.
Questioning me would be like questioning Xellos if you ask
when the next section comes out, because it's a secret.
ALTAVERSE WARNING - This is an ALTAVERSE. Events,
characters and the like may not resemble canon. People who are
rabid canon-thumpers beware! (and eat a Dragon Slave while
you're at it)
PREVIOUSLY - Ranma discovers he's not Genma's son, that
Xellos is his father, that he's not even human, studies black
magic under Phibrizzo, yadda yadda yadda, gets in a fight with
Ryouga and curses a decent sized crowd to act like Kuno. Then
he corrupts Hotaru into becoming a mazoku and put a world of
hurt on some poor Daimon and Eudial. Afterwards he spied on
the Inners, took Nabiki, and got Kasumi angry! Then they went
to the Slayers world and met Lina and Co under false identities.
Read the previous chapters, really, I'm not good at rehashing
stuff.
NOTE - [...] indicates telepathic communication between
Ranma and Hotaru in the Astral plane.
** * * * * * * * * * * * * **
We had made good time to the north after stealing another pair
of horses. The north of this world is a beautiful place, cold,
desolate, and forbidding. The granite peaks hold the dome of
the sky above their frosty peaks as the pallid sun sets in the
frosty north, its warmth fizzling in an arctic embrace. No
wonder this is the land that heros dread, the hunting grounds of
the Demon King of the North. Beyond it lay only the arctic sea,
and the kingdom of Dynast. Sherra's home.
I wonder if Dynast knows what Sherra is doing. He's too
rational and calculating to risk a war over my little ambition. On
the other hand, Sherra is impetuous and might very well be
planning to become one of the lords of the Mazoku herself. In
which case she's being foolish. There's two positions available;
why risk everything in killing me? Is it because of her old
problems with Xellos? Some kind of revenge against my father?
I wonder how Nabiki is doing. I can't check in on her because
of that damn Sherra. Of course, if she dies and I can't get to
her, she's going to stay dead. I'd like to have some
reinforcements.
Reinforcements...?
Reinforcements!
"Aha!" I said, thumping my fist into my hand. Hotaru was
looking over at me, having already sensed my excitement. "I've
got it. I know how to defeat Sherra - the Saotome Secret
Technique strikes again!" I laughed, then realized something
didn't sound right.
"You can't do a proper villainous cackle." Hotaru noted.
I nodded. "You're right, of course. Now, let me explain what I
have in mind here. Nabiki is in the desert and awaiting death so
I can turn her into my Priest, right?" Hotaru nodded, frowning a
little at the thought of Nabiki. Well, perhaps a little rivalry will
help sharpen those two. "Now, Sherra is looking for two
mazoku. Two. Not three. Now, I feel fairly certain that you can
distract her enough during the battle, since you'd have a clear
field of fire. You drop the power of the Glaive on her head and
let that keep her occupied for a bit, and I'll get Nabiki
transformed. Then we'll gang up on Sherra. The three of us
should be able to cut her down to size."
Hotaru patted her Glaive, smiling sweetly. "I think I can
manage to worry her a bit." She got a far off look in her eyes
that was replaced by a hard glint. "No, that won't be very hard
for me at all."
"Let's go."
** * * * * * * * * * * * * **
The Desert of Destruction was unbearably bright, even to the
superhuman senses of the mazoku that normally could handle
even the most disorienting and painful vistas without
discomfort. The light didn't just play tricks on your mind, it
actively deceived it. The perfect place for an ambush. "Nabiki!"
I yelled, hoping my voice was carrying over the howling wind.
An inhuman figure crawled over a nearby dune. Red, cracked
skin untouched by sweat, burned raw by sun and sand was
covered by rags and bits of cloth, most of it having been ripped
off by its owner in a futile attempt to get cooler. Her eyes were
glazed by the heat and dehydration. "Ryouga... imagine meeting
you here..." A sepulchral hiss escaped her; I realized it was a
laugh, or an attempt at one.
"She's hallucinating." Hotaru said, poking her with the staff.
"'Kane?" Nabiki collapsed, tongue lolling out. "Please...."
"Damn...." I said, looking at her. "How long will she live?" I
hoped soon; Sherra had to be on the way, if she was looking for
us at all. "Well, she'll die in the crossfire, if nothing else."
Hotaru scanned the disorienting horizon, nodding again. "Of
course. We're going to be dropping magic that could flatten
cities out in this wasteland."
I crouched over Nabiki. "Hey, don't worry. You're going to die
soon, and everything will be better then. Except for-"
"-SHERRA!" Hotaru yelled, and blasted her with a Silence
Glaive suprise. Good reflexes on that girl, severed Sherra's arm.
Of course, it regenerated, but hey...
I scooted over and grabbed the sword as the fight between
Hotaru and Sherra intensified. She was being pretty arrogant,
leaving the sword, but she probably thought she could kill
Hotaru without it if I wasn't helping. Trouble was, she was
right.
I took a look at the combat as I crawled back to Nabiki, still not
using any magic and supressing my ki. I didn't want Sherra to
get a whiff of my position. Once I was about ten feet from
Nabiki I watched the fight. [Hotaru! Come around halfway
towards me!] I said, tapping into our mental link. Hotaru didn't
respond, but the next time she teleported she popped up where
I wanted her to. [Stick and fight! When she readies a magical
blast... jump now!]
The beam of energy, one of several Sherra had been carving up
the sand dunes with, neatly bisected Nabiki's head. It wasn
a stronger enemy - not my fault - I kept my end of our bargain.
Hoping I wouldn't spend too long, I dove for her corpse.
** * * * * * * * * * * * * **
"NABIKI!" I screamed, my voice whipping into the howling
mass of shadow that was Nabiki's quickly fading mind. A few
half-coherent tendrils of thought wandered up to me. "Good,
you're not quite gone. Hang on." I hadn't ever done this, hadn't
even read much about the process - all I knew was it was
something as natural to a mazoku as breathing.
Even as Nabiki's mind got blacker, fading into death, I felt her
firming back up again, a new power flooding into her. It was a
power familiar to any mazoku.
Hate.
Fear.
Pain.
Rage.
"'The dark side of the Force they are!'" I grumbled, the line
form the old movie coming back to me. "Thanks, but one old
troll is enough." I took the dark power, the chaotic, angry
thoughts, and started forming her into another wonderful
mazoku.
** * * * * * * * * * * * * **
** * * * * * * * * * * * * **
And I'm back form my long vacation. I'll keep writing this and
the other stories, don't worry! I am most assuredly not dead. I
did, however, have quite an eventful summer. Multiple
disasters, a new computer, a pile of new manga, and the normal
wandering around the nation occupied my time quite fully. And
now, within a day of ending that adventure, I write a chapter of
Ranmazoku. Let's hope that's an omen.
Heh, it gets more interesting, no? One of the chief antagonists
for the next arcs of Ranmazoku puts in her first appearance. If
you don't know who she is, Ranma will be explaining it to
Hotaru soon, so just sit tight. If you do know, hey, more power
to ya. Things will be heating up soon. Ranma's plan is coming
to a head, and people who can actually hurt Ranma and aren't
hotheads who just charge in blindly are moving against him
now.
Also, the whole river scene was basically ad libbed, but it's all
good, I think. Someone was annoying me on Delphi, and
somehow it inspired the fight. A bear on a boat in a river, where
Ranma can't dodge easily or use magic.... heh. Worked well, I
think. How about you?
If Hotaru's character is off here, remember she's just been
turned into a mazoku, is actually strong now and not easily
winded and sickly, is slightly older looking, and has had her
Silver Millenium memories returned. And no, she doesn't look
back with much fondness; Saturn was shunned then too.
I used to have feud with Tomas, but time has made it moot
anyhow, so I don't give a damn any more. I suppose I'll post it
to his page too. Feedback is always appreciated, so feel free to
talk. That means send messages, people!
and Crossover Corner
www.geocities.com/animecrossovers
and Tannim's
http://tannim.anifics.com/index.html
and also Phu's, which offhand I don't recall.
also
it's on Nighthawk's page
www.geocities.com/NighthawkTM/index.html
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