The Dragon and the Ghost

	Part 20

	Ranma Saotome and the Mysterious Stone.

++++++++++++++++++++

	Light. It was the first thing to hit her eyes as she awoke. She simply
lay where she was in silence. Above her she could see the canopy of the
forest, a ray of light was shining directly into her face from above. It
was quiet and the moss under her back was soft. She could hear the
chirping of birds in the distance. It was quite peaceful indeed. She
didn't really feel much like moving at the moment. Not so much from the
serenity of her surroundings, but the intense pain that seemed to cover
her entire body. Maybe if she didn't move it wouldn't hurt as much after
a little while.

	"Oh. Hello. It's nice to see you're awake."

	"No talking," grumbled Ranma irritably from her place on the ground.
Her head felt like it was going to explode.

	"Sorry, but we can't really stay here. It isn't safe," replied the male
voice somewhat more gently.

	The incredibly cute elf girl sat up and gave the strange boy sitting on
a fallen tree about five feet to her right a hard glare. The birds
suddenly stopped singing.

	The boy simply swallowed hard. He had dark hair and a long sleeved
shirt that hung like a coat from his shoulders. He also had what
appeared to be a rake slung over his shoulder. 

	"Shinnosuke?" muttered the redhead dumbly.

	"How did you know my name?" said the boy dumbly.

	Ranma's face fell somewhat. "Oh, right. Look, I'm an elf. We just know
these things. I'm Ranma."

	The boy gave her a blank stare for a long moment. "Ranma?"

	"Well doofus. Let's see if you've actually managed to remember
something?" replied the redhead with a sly looking smirk. 

	"That's an odd name for an elf."

	The elf girl simply sighed. "Right."

	"Your right arm is broken. Luckily you didn't hurt your legs much. You
really shouldn't have come here in such a condition."

	"I fell off a dragon," replied the girl irritably as she checked
herself over with a few painful winces. 

	"Man, that's an even dumber way to get here than just wandering in. Are
you insane or something? You should have picked a better spot to land at
least. It's very dangerous here."

	The irritation was too much to bear and the redhead planted her fist
into his face. "What the hell are you doing here anyway? Last I heard
you picked up that heirloom of yours from the wraiths. Man, that old guy
really had you by the balls back then."

	"He still does," said a somewhat gruff sounding voice from a short
distance away. "Hello again Ranma. It is agreeable to see you here."

	"Wish I could say the same," muttered the girl as she lifted her arm.
"I had some healing herbs before I got on that lizard's back."

	"We have not found them I'm afraid," said the old man with a heavy
sigh. 

	"Who are you? Don't you know it's dangerous out here?" said Shinnosuke
as he tried to usher his grandfather away. 

	"I'm your grandfather fool!" snapped the man as he decked the boy.
Shinnosuke crumpled to the ground at the man's feet.

	The redhead calmly stepped over the fallen youth and stood next to the
unfortunate boy's grandfather. 

	"How cruel!" said the old man with tears in his eyes as she ignored the
boy's plight.

	"How many times do I got to tell you I ain't available?" snorted the
elf as she turned her head away. "Besides. I understand how you feel. I
had to spend a week underground with this moron remember?"

	"Well. I'm sure you'll show the proper gratitude when you feel you're
ready," said the old man with a very serious looking nod.

	The girl was taking in her surroundings and noticed that she'd been
moved while she'd been out. She could see the drag marks from her feet
behind their footsteps. "Where did you find me?"

	"How do you know we didn't just stumble across you now?" asked the old
man with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

	"Call it a gift," replied the girl as she narrowed her eyes at him.

	"Very well. We found you the moment you hit the water." 

	The redhead nodded once. 

	"We spotted that thing flying overhead and were trying to figure out
what it was doing up there. You fell off and took a nasty tumble through
the branches. Then you fell into the river a few miles south of here."

	The elf girl growled slightly. Her last memory was one of the
particularly large branches belting her across the cheek. She had heard
of healing spells the elves could use, but those arts required training
she couldn't get just anywhere. Finding an elven teacher willing to show
her these things was near to impossible. She couldn't hide her curse for
that amount of time.

	"I guess I owe you again then," said the redhead as she glanced down at
the still sleeping Shinnosuke.

	"It's so nice to see you warming up to him," gushed the old man.

	"Cut it out you creepy old guy!" snapped the redhead as she moved away
from him with a disgusted look on her face.

	"As for the wounds, don't you worry. I can help you out with that
shortly. We were taking you there already."

	"Where?" asked the elf girl irritably.

	"We aren't allowed to tell you unless you've been invited," replied the
old man. "We're working as grounds keepers. Seems the old one got
promoted a while back or something. My grandson is the perfect man for
the job."

	"Yeah. No kidding, especially with weird rules like that one," replied
the elf as she rolled her eyes. 

	"Ah. Here we are!" said the old man cheerfully.

	Ranma's eyes were wide a saucers. "Oh shit!" A large castle loomed
above the forest surrounding it. She wasn't surprised she didn't notice
it before. It positively reeked of magic. 

	"It's a magic school," said the old man. "Now that you've seen it, I
can say what it is. I'm afraid that's about all I can tell you."

	"I know what it is," grumbled Ranma as she stepped back for a moment.

	"Huh?" muttered Shinnosuke in confusion.

	"Oh! Magic School!? That's amazing!" gushed the redhead quickly.
"Ooooh! Pretty!" She pointed at the building and blinked cutely.

	Both men stared at her for a moment, glanced at each other, and then
simply shrugged before continuing to lead her onward.

	When they were a fair distance ahead of her she muttered to herself.
"Stay calm Ranma. You can pull this off." She sucked in a quick breath
and stepped tentatively forward. Thunder rumbled ominously from above.
"Or maybe not..." she muttered to herself nervously as she realized she
had to catch up.

++++++++++++++++++

	The hallways had a sort of polished oldness to it. Torchlight lit the
paths at night. Currently the sun was shining brightly. She could see
heavy wooden doors that lead to classrooms. 

	Shinnosuke and his grandfather slumped to the ground out cold. Ranma
merely twisted her finger in her ear for a moment and glared down at the
both of them. 

	"Mandrake. What kind of class would include that hellish plant?" she
muttered irritably. The men weren't dead, obviously the mandrake wasn't
mature yet. 

	As such, she was alone and injured in the midst of a large group of
powerful wizards. She glared at the door to the classroom hatefully.
"Great." She knew her way around the place quite well of course, but it
wouldn't do to broadcast that. She'd been keeping her magic hidden so
far. She looked like she'd been in a rather bad fight. Using the
pretence of a complete drain on her magic would only work for a short
time.

	"Wake up you idiots," grumbled the girl as she kicked them both in the
ribs. They would be out for several hours. "Great." She glanced around
in frustration. Just leaving might lead to catching someone's attention.
"I knew this was a bad idea. What the hell was I thinking?"

	The doors to the classrooms opened and students began filing out of the
doors.

	They were all wearing black robes over their clothes. Each one of the
students had one of several different crests stitched onto the front of
their robe over their heart. Most of them simply stopped dead in their
tracks and stared.

	"Is that an elf?" muttered a few of the crowd in wonder.

	"Um. Heh. Hi..." said the redhead nervously. 

	It was about this point that one of the teachers walked into the scene.
He was a tall man in black clothes. His hair was long and dark and he
had an almost serpentine look about him. "Would you be so kind as to
inform me of how our groundskeepers have offended you?"

	"Actually, we were just walking by when one of your classes started
teaching students about Mandrake."

	The man narrowed his eyes at her. "I see. You are hurt?"

	"Do I look hurt?" she replied simply.

	"Yes."

	"I suppose that I am then."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Now what?" muttered Ukyo as she glared at Ryuu.

	Shampoo was tapping her feet impatiently with a deep frown on her face.

	The boy in question was squatting behind a bush while watching what was
going on in front of him in a sort of fascinated horror. They were in
the middle of a small patch of forest. Open field stretched out in front
of them for miles, behind them was the heart of the mess. To the east
and west were still more encampments. There were literally legions of
men stretched out in front of him. Soldiers in encampment as far as they
eye could see. There was easily more than a hundred thousand men all
around them.


	Mousse was keeping watch at the rear by looking directly at a leaf that
was bigger than his whole chest as it hung two feet in front of his
face. "It's quiet out there. Almost too quiet."

	Shampoo glanced back at him and sighed. "Stupid Mousse."

Ryuu glared at her. Mouse may have been facing the back of the group,
but he'd hear anything approaching long before they would. He didn't
feel like bothering with defending anyone though and grunted in
frustration. "Damn. He's got the whole damn army here! He's not planning
on going back to that capitol of his any time soon."

	"What do you mean?" muttered Shampoo in horror.

	"He's got that staff of his back. I'm wagering he'll start preparing
what he needs to finish that transformation of his."

	"About two months," said Shampoo.

	"You know an awful lot about this," said Ukyo as she spared the girl a
glance.

	"It is our way to find out things we need to know," she replied a
little sharply.

	"Damn it! Don't you two start that crap here!" snapped Ryuu with a
hissing whisper.

	"What are our options?" asked Mousse calmly.

	"We should probably wait here until dark and sneak through the camp.
There will be regular patrols we'll have to dodge, but not much traffic
otherwise."

	Mousse merely nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

	"You're on point tonight. Get some rest."

	"Hey!" snapped Shampoo.

"What?" snorted Ryuu.

	"Don't we get any say in this?"

	"Do you have any ideas that do not involve charging blindly into the
empire's army in the middle of daylight across an open field?"

	"No," replied the elf girl sheepishly.

	"Good."

	"How do we keep getting into these messes?" said Ukyo in a distraught
tone.

Ryuu simply narrowed his eyes at her and growled. "Next time I'm going
to be the one who gets to go off on his own."

	"Fine by us," muttered Shampoo under her breath. Ukyo looked annoyed
with her slightly, but nodded her head in agreement.

+++++++++++++++++++

	Ranma was sitting in the infirmary with a pensive looking frown on her
face. "How's it looking doc?"

	"You really shouldn't drain your magic down quite this much. It isn't
healthy," replied the gruff looking nurse as she shook a vial of
something in front of her face.

	The redhead was feeling much more capable now that her injuries were
mostly gone. There was little more than some slight bruising left. She
looked and felt much better now.

	Shinnosuke and his grandfather were lying nearby. They were still out,
it was best to let the effect wear off on it's own. It was a much less
painful way to wake up. Intervention was usually only used when someone
was out for more than a day or so.

	"Thanks for the help," she said a little softly.

	"It's not a problem dear. I have to admit I was never expecting to have
to heal an elf. That must have been some beast."

	Ranma nodded as her face became very serious. She still had a few big
problems that needed solving fast. "Herb." Her eyes were filled with
rage as she spoke the name. 

	"Is that the beast's name?" asked a wizened sounding tone. The elf girl
turned her head as the nurse shuffled away. A wizard was watching her
from the other side of the room. He was a cheerful looking man with a
long white beard. "Hello, Honored Elf."

	"Hello, Honored Elder," replied the girl as she jumped to her feet.

	"Strange that you are able to move about so easily with so little magic
left."

	"I've trained well," she replied simply.

	The old man merely nodded. "Yes. I can see that. I suppose it is
pointless to inquire why you are here. We know about the beast that flew
over the woods near to the school. It was quite upsetting. Luckily,
Shinnosuke and his grandfather found you quickly enough."

	"You sent them out after me didn't you?" she asked with a playful
looking smirk.

	"I admit, I was a bit concerned. We were watching that dragon more than
anything else, and just...happened to notice you."

	The man in the dark cloak strolled up behind the elder and frowned
deeply at the girl. "We don't need her."

	The girl crouched low in an instant. Her eyes locked onto both men.
"Where's the nurse?" she hissed as she spared nervous glances in either
direction. 

	"You have nothing to fear from us young one. My dear colleague is a bit
rough so to speak. He is not permitted to harm you."

	"He couldn't if he wanted too. I could kill you both before you even
realized what had happened to you."

	"But you will not," replied the old man calmly. "We would not have
treated you at all if we had any intention of harming you."

	"Maybe," said the elven girl as she glanced down at her body for a
moment. Any number of charms could have been placed on her during her
time in the infirmary. 

	"You have not been tampered with my dear," said the kindly old man
softly as he sat on the bed across from her. "I am afraid I must ask a
favor of you in return for our kindness."

	The redhead vanished from sight. The old man blinked and sat back. "Oh
dear."

	The black clad man merely turned around in circles watching the walls
around him cautiously. 

	"Why should I bother helping you?" said a voice from all around them.

	"Because, I'm sure you'll agree. Once I tell you what I have to offer
you, my dear boy."

	"I'm listening," said the voice coolly.

	"The staff is in the Emperor's hands. Not even you are strong enough to
take it from his possession now. Once he becomes a god, no force will
stop him."

	"Your point is?"

	"I can tell you of something that may help pave the way to destroying
the Emperor."

	"That being?" the reply sounded almost amused.

	"If you do what I ask of you. I will tell you."

	"Ask me then. I don't trust you old man. You won't see me again the
whole time I'm here."

	"We don't need his help," snapped the black clad man angrily.

	"Yes. We do," replied the old man as he stood up from his seat finally.
"I'm afraid the story is quite complicated. I was hoping I could talk on
the way to show you exactly what we need of you."

	"So go ahead. I can keep up fine."

	The voice faded from the room and towards the hallway that lead out to
the grounds. "I do know my way around here pretty well. I'm sure that
one knows it very well."

	"You..." growled the serpentine man angrily.

	"Calm down," said the old man softly as he walked by him and into the
hall. "I think we have gained more of his trust than you think. We
certainly have his attention if nothing else."

	They emerged into a room with stone stairwells stretching off in the
strangest directions. It was barren mostly, save a few paintings and
some large school banners that hung in the air. Ranma always found
herself fairly impressed by this room. It made stealing from the place
extremely difficult. The stairwells and doors shifted and moved,
creating a rather complicated maze.

	"Not much for decoration?" commented the voice.

	"The school is still young. We hope to house thousands of year's worth
of history onto these walls one day. For now, we simply deal with a few
hundred." The old man actually seemed to be enjoying the conversation.

	"Right," muttered the invisible elf. She was starting to like that old
guy a little too much for her own liking. It could be genuine; but then
again it could be a charm spell of sorts. She had to be careful how low
she let her guard get.

	She found herself pausing beside one of the windows as students buzzed
by on broomsticks. "Man. They actually teach stuff like that to humans?
What idiot thought that was a good idea?"

	The man in black simply glared daggers at the area he thought the voice
was in.

	"We'll be there shortly," said the old man as he walked towards a dead
end. A large stone wall barred their path. Ranma yawned lazily as a
secret switch seemed too pull itself down. One of the torches on the
stone wall was turned to an odd angle. "We're going to the vault right?"

	"Oh. You know the way? How nice," said the old man cheerfully as he
picked up his pace a bit. His companion rolled his eyes and sneered.

+++++++++++++++++++

	Gold glittered in mounds of carefully stacked bars, coins, and piles of
jewelry. A few gold and gemstone covered weapons littered the ground as
well.

	"I was always a little disappointed by this place. Just generic
treasure mostly. This place is really just a treasury for tuition
funds."

	"Yes, I know," said the old man as he walked the boy over to an empty
pedestal. "This is where it once rested."

	"Oh. I remember this thing. Big shiny blue rock right? Not polished,
about the size of a fist... white chalk markings... um... ethereal
glow?"

	"Yes. That's the one. It emits a natural light that's very similar to
moonbeams. A very rare and valuable stone."

	"Cure for Lycanthropsy isn't it?"

	"Among other things. It can be used as a substitute for moonlight in
some spells and incantations. It is also useful for curses that concern
change, werewolves being one such case."

	Ranma was simply staring at the floor. She lifted her hand up and
stared at it for a moment. No one else could even see her as she did
this. She clenched her fist and stared forward. "So what?"

	"We would like you to find this stone for us. In return, I will tell
you of something that will help you defeat the emperor when the time
comes."

	"Sound's interesting," replied the voice. "Any clues what happened to
it?"

	"It's in the dungeon," said the black clad man irritably.

	"Dungeon?"

	"The lower levels of the building," snorted the man snidely. "This is a
castle after all. It has dungeons."

	"Why is it in the dungeons?" pried the elf girl a little harder.

	"Why should we tell you?" snapped the man. "All you have to do is find
it."

	"By getting by whatever it is you can't seem to find a way around
yourselves."

"Somehow, the wraiths who stole the stone have managed to obtain a
balisk. We are uncertain of how, or where this creature came from."

	The black clad man glanced over at the back of the old man's head with
an unreadable gaze for a split second.

	"Well, someone has some idea anyway," thought Ranma to herself. "Did
you say wraiths?"

	"Yes, disgusting creatures."

	"Hello boy," said a cheerful voice from behind her. She had moved back
into the shadows so that she could listen, and relax her cloak a bit. 

	"Oh no. Not this again. Anything but this again," muttered the redhead
in horror. This situation was far, far too familiar for her liking.

	"Oh. I'm sorry, are we interrupting?" asked Shinnosuke. He turned
towards Ranma. "Are you a new student?"

	The girl simply glared at him in frustration. "Look. You are staying
here this time."

	"I think it's a wonderful idea! Shinnosuke! Go with her! I'm sure
you'll be a big help!" The old man shoved his grandson forward.

	The boy stumbled clumsily into Ranma and she shoved him off quickly.
Shinnosuke was thrown to the ground and decided it was probably a good
idea to stay there.

	She whirled around to face the two wizards and growled at the two
groundskeepers. "You idiots got me spotted!"

	"Huh?" muttered the pair in confusion.

	"I hope you'll accept this mission. I expect to hear from you soon."
The old man walked away with his angry looking companion following
reluctantly behind him. He gave the elf a final glare before rounding
the corner away from the scene.

	"I'm going to find this stupid rock." Ranma had a feeling this wasn't
going to be a good day. She was probably going to have to stay an elf
all damn day again too. She turned and started walking down the hallway
in the opposite direction. 

	"Go on boy!" snapped the old man as he shoved his Grandson in the back
after he stood up and sent him stumbling after the redhead.

	Ranma looked at the ceiling. "Balisk...hmmm...balisk...where have I
heard that name bef...?" She froze in her tracks and simply stared
forward in horror. "BALISK?!" She was in for a world of hurt.

	"Where are we going again?" asked Shinnosuke as he walked up beside
her.

	She turned to glare at him for a moment. "You're going back. You won't
remember that you can't look at this damn thing. Man I'm gonna have a
hell of a time on this one." She paused. That stupid old man would just
send him back to where she was. Shinnosuke could handle the wraiths as
well as she could, but the balisk...

	"Damn it. You turnip brained moron. I can't get rid of you without
risking you popping back up."

	"Hey!" snapped the boy as he narrowed his eyes at her. "That's not a
nice thing to say!"

	She promptly decked him and sent him to the floor out cold. After
shaking her hand off for a moment she calmly picked him up and carried
him over to a nearby supply closet. It was insanely huge, almost
warehouse like in fact. She took a bit of rope from her robes and
promptly tied the boy up in lots of complicated and tight knots. She
then dragged him behind a large stack of boxes near the entrance. Floor
wax and industrial strength cleaners were piled throughout the large
room. There were other supplies off to one side in a series of shelves
and racks, mostly mops, brooms, and other basic cleaning supplies. "Man,
you'd think this place was expecting armageddon or something. Can't
wizards do anything without overdoing it?" She dusted off her hands and
walked calmly back out into the hallways.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

	The throne room was small and much brighter than the Imperial Palace.
Still, the king of the region's throne was more than comfortable enough
for Saffron. His servants seemed to have no trouble adapting to their
new surroundings. Before him Nabiki Tendo kneeled and reported her
progress.

	"There are places even my eyes cannot go."

	"I see."

	Nabiki Tendo kept her eyes on the floor and spoke calmly and evenly.
Saffron was not well known for his patience.

	"You cannot find this Dragon Ghost for me?"

	"You will not find a wizard in the world powerful enough to track him
reliably for you my Emperor. I can do little more than catch fleeting
glimpses of him."

	"What of the other one?" hissed Akane as she walked into the room with
her helmet firmly under her arm.

	"Ah. Akane," said the boy as he smirked at her cheerfully.

	"Other?" said Nabiki as she brushed her nails on her dress. 

	"My master. I am sorry it took so long for me to return."

	"Yes. Your sister tells me that you reclaimed my staff for me. That is
before Herb ambushed you and took it away once again."

	The girl growled and turned her head away.

	"Frankly, I'm amazed you survived that encounter at all. I'm quite
impressed." Saffron seemed amused as he watched the two sisters glare at
each other.

	"Th-thank you," muttered the girl as she bowed a little deeper.

	"Impressive enough indeed," said Nabiki calmly. "You surprise even me."

	"I am very well aware of that," said the younger girl as she leveled a
cold stare on her sister.

	"I hear you rode your horse into the ground trying to make it back
here. Trying to warn me? You should have known he would arrive first."

	The girl blushed for a moment. "I didn't want to miss the fight. I have
not kept my feelings toward Lord Herb hidden well at all."

	"I see." The boy waved his hand and the pair rose to their feet. "Have
Herb's two lackeys arrived back yet?"

	"I believe they are wandering about with Lord Kuno still," said Nabiki
with a small nod of her head.

	"I can control those two morons. If not I'll just kill them." Akane
seemed unimpressed by Nabiki's deductions. She'd probably sent them off
with him.

	"That is acceptable. I suppose they are good servants, if a little
dumb." Saffron looked rather bored with his conversation at this point
and waved the pair away from him.

	Both of them bowed and turned away.

	"My Little sister. I'm so proud."

	"I haven't forgotten what I saw in that cavern."

	"I too am bound by my honor to the Emperor, and not to my family. You'd
best remember that," hissed Nabiki.

	"I'm your sister. I am aware of how honorable you are."

	"I'm starting to like you," replied Nabiki. 

	"I'm still deciding if I should let you live. Watch your mouth." Akane
turned towards her room and away from her sister.

	"What other?" asked Nabiki as she ignored her sister's hostilities.

	"Hmmm? Something you don't know? I'm shocked." Akane turned away from
her sister and chuckled.

	"Watch yourself..." started the older girl calmly.

	Both of them stopped in the middle of the hall. Akane had unsheathed
her sword and was resting the blade on her sister's shoulder. "You
wouldn't have batted an eye if I'd died in those caverns. That is not
how a family acts Nabiki. You're not part of mine as far as I'm
concerned."

	"But I have uses..." said the older girl calmly. She seemed completely
unfazed by her sister's actions. "Even you need my help from time to
time."

	Akane said nothing as she placed her blade away in a single fluid
motion. "The only reason I haven't killed you, is because the emperor
would not be pleased with me if I did. That is all. Watch yourself,
because I'm not going to do it for you anymore Nabiki. No one is, you're
on your own. You saw too that yourself."

	"Perhaps." The older girl seemed unruffled even slightly by these
events. "I have ways of finding out what I want to know. Whether or not
you tell me yourself is trivial." She calmly walked off into the palace
leaving her sister standing alone.

	Akane stood in a bright beam of sunlight that was shining down from the
gigantic window that rose dozens of feet into the air in front of where
she was standing. She simply looked up into the light and glared with
her arms crossed over her chest. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	Wraiths were basically living shadows. Ranma wasn't too keen on dealing
with them. She was currently standing in front of the doorway to the
dungeon with a frown on her face. 

	"I should go," she muttered to herself as she stood there. The wizards
knew who she was. The old one did anyway, it was a dangerous situation
and she was probably walking into a trap. 

	Still, if the old man was right, and he probably was, she'd need
whatever information he had. It left her in a bit of a dilemma. Walk
into an obvious trap and give up whatever it was he had to tell her, or
run off and take her chances against someone armed with a Godstone. 

	The wizards wouldn't want Saffron to gain that kind of power. There
were a few shady characters around the school. The teacher she'd met was
one of them. There was little doubt in her mind that some of the
students were at least dabbling in the dark arts while they studied at
this place. However, most of the wizards and students tended to lean
towards the light. 

	It was likely that either way they would want Saffron to fail.
Unfortunately, 'likely' wasn't certainty. 

	"Shit." She growled and paced in front of the doorway. Wizards were
patient, they would wait for her to enter their trap before they sprung
it on her. 

	The bustling of students above could be heard in the distance above
her. The doorway that led to the stairwell she'd taken to where she was
remained open. She glanced back up at the stairs. She didn't like being
manipulated at all.

	"They could have been rid of me in that forest," she muttered to
herself angrily.

	Without a word, she vanished into thin air. 

+++++++++++++++++++++

	"Are you sure about this?" muttered the young female student as she
peered into the supply closet. She appeared to be in her early teens and
had two male companions standing just behind her. Both of them were the
same age as she was.

	The room was dark and smelly, one of the boys looked a bit pensive
about entering the place. "No! It was probably just a rat or something."
His dark brown hair was curly and hung around his shoulders. 

	"I heard something, I'm sure of it," muttered the other boy. He had
short cut black hair and looked quite a bit braver than his companions
did. "We should look at least."

	"What if it's a pair of upperclassmen?" asked the girl curtly. She had
long red hair and a rather sly looking grin on her face as she said
this.

	"It isn't," replied the bravest of the two boys calmly. 

	"How can you be sure? I heard a freshman found one of the seniors with
his girlfriend in a place like this a few years ago. He was turned into
a toad for a week!" whined the cowardly boy nervously. 

	The girl poked him in the ribs with her elbow. "Scared?"

	"Of course! Who wouldn't be!?" snapped the boy angrily. 

	The braver looking boy raised his hand and walked into the darkness
with a wand held in his other hand. The tip lit up giving the room a
spooky looking haze of light. 

	"Peter! Get back here!" snapped the coward. 

	"This is why you'll never find a girlfriend," replied the redhead
curtly as she brushed by him. 

	"Great," muttered the boy as he followed after them reluctantly. 

	"Edmund, Susan! Come over here quick! I've found something!"

	"You would find something. Why can't things like this ever be nothing?"
replied the cowardly boy irritably.

	"Shinnosuke?" muttered the girl as she helped Peter turn the figure
hidden behind the boxes over onto his back. "What's he doing here?"

	"I'm not sure. Something is going on here. He's been tied up!" snapped
Peter as he worked at the ropes behind the groundskeeper's back.

	Edmund simply stared down at the scene with a sour frown on his face.
"Let me guess what's next. It's up to us to find out?"

	"What else?" replied the redhead cheerfully. "Stop gawking and help us.
These are very tight!"

	"Stop feeling his arms and help me with the rope!" snapped Peter as he
glanced at her.

	"I can't help it, he's pathetic, but cute."

	Shinnosuke opened his eyes and sat up suddenly. "Where am I?"

	"Are you all right?" asked Peter as he finally managed to loosen some
of the knots. 

	"Who are you?" asked the older boy as he stared at them. 

	"He's fine," said Edmund flatly. 

	"I'm sorry I can't stay and talk, but I'm supposed to go to the
dungeon!"

	"What?" asked Susan as she stared at him for a moment. 

	"Why?" asked Peter.

	"Dungeon? Are you insane?" cried Edmund.

	"Why?" grumbled Shinnosuke as he clutched his head once his hands were
freed. "I'm not sure, but I've got a headache."

	"Why did I bother asking?" grumbled the shorthaired boy as he stepped
back. "We'll help you out."

	"We will?" muttered the coward in horror. "But...it's the dungeon!"

	"So what? That place hasn't been used in centuries," said the girl as
she stuck her tongue out at him.

	"Exactly! Who knows what's down there? Did you forget where we are?"

	"Someone tied him up and put him in here. Whoever it was must know
about what's going on. Maybe even why the lower floors are off limits
right now?" said the shorthaired boy calmly as he glanced around. "We'd
better get moving if we're going to catch whoever it was. I don't think
he's been here long."

	Shinnosuke was very confused, but frowned at the students. "I'm afraid
it's too dangerous for you down there. I should go alone."

	"You'll forget where you're going before you reach it without us,"
snapped the girl as she pulled at his arm. "Come on!"

++++++++++++++++

	Ryuu Kumon was lying on his back with his hands behind his head as the
group simply waited in the bushes. It was a peaceful scene. Well, it
would have been if Ukyo and Shampoo hadn't started a staring contest.
The pair was glaring at each other angrily in silence as they sat on
opposite sides of their cover.

	"How long are they going to keep this up?" grumbled Ryuu as he glanced
over at the pair for a moment.

	"I don't understand what the problem is," muttered Mousse. He was
sitting with his back to the pair on top of a small rock.

	"Yeah, you do. That's why you're so upset," replied Kumon with a rough
snort.

	Ryuu sat up suddenly as Mousse's attention moved back towards the
outside world. "Something is up?"

	"There's a bit of commotion. I think someone has arrived."

	"Who isn't already here?" asked the boy as he moved up beside the drow
and peered through the bushes. "Hey. It's lord Kuno."

	Sure enough, Kuno rode proudly into the camp with Lime and Mint beside
him.

"Beast-men," growled Mousse. "This isn't good."

	"There's a lot of ground around here. I think we're safe," whispered
Ryuu quietly. Both of their voices dropped in volume as they realized
what they were looking at.

	"I think we're upwind right now, but that could change," said Mousse
calmly. "We need to keep an eye on them."

	Ukyo and Shampoo appeared to have no interest in the conversation.

	"We can't move from here," said Ryuu. 

	A pair of guards moved closer to the cover and everyone fell silent.

	"Seems like Lord Kuno just rode in," commented one of the men. 

	"Big deal," replied the other as he leaned against one of the trees of
the party's cover. "That idiot probably followed Lady Akane here."

	"Man, those knights of hers have it good tonight. I hear there's a
celebration for her victory. They say she defeated the Dragon Ghost
himself."

	"Is that what they're saying?" said an unfamiliar voice. 

	Both men looked at each other as a pair of hands reached out of the
clearing and pulled them into the bushes abruptly.

	"What the hell are you doing!?" cried Mousse in a loud whisper as Ryuu
put both men down for the count with two quick strikes to their faces.

"You said we need to keep our eyes on those beast-men right? Well we're
going to need disguises." He started to pull at the two men's uniforms
and tossed Mousse a helmet. "Besides, I'm tired of waiting. Ranma is the
patient one."

	"You're insane!" muttered the drow as he peered at it after he caught
it.

	"What about us?" snapped Shampoo and Ukyo in unison.

	"You two are staying put. We'll come back for you tonight." Ryuu
started to pull his shirt off as he freed one of the guards from his
clothing finally. "Keep an eye on these two for a while." He pulled some
rope from a small bag on his belt and tossed it towards the girls. "Keep
them quiet and you'll be fine."

	"What if someone saw them come over here? They'll start looking if
they're missing for too long!" growled Ukyo.

	"Well it's too late now," grumbled Mousse sourly as he reluctantly
complied with Ryuu's plan. "I hate to admit it, but this will give us an
opportunity to look around for an escape route for tonight."

	"It's getting late, we've got maybe three hours before nightfall. I'm
sure you two can stay out of sight for that long." Ryuu glared up at
them and finished pulling off the uniform. His pants matched the
uniform, but Mousse was forced to pull his set on under his robe before
removing them and putting on the shirt. 

	"How do I look?" grumbled the blind drow. 

	"Don't get too close to anyone," muttered Ryuu.

"These won't hide us from those beast-men," pointed out Mousse. 

	"So we'll stay upwind, quiet like," replied Ryuu.

	"Yeah. Quiet like in Joketzuko?" grumbled Ukyo.

	Ryuu just glared at her, and Mousse looked confused. 

	"Stay put!" snapped Ryuu as he pulled the drow's arm and dragged him
out into the open.

	Shampoo and Ukyo glanced at each other.

	"How long do you think?" asked the Knight.

	"Maybe an hour?" 

	"Great. We need to figure out a way out of here before those two idiots
start making a mess."

	Shampoo sighed and nodded her head. 

+++++++++++++++++++

	Ranma stood inside the doorway of the dungeon and started digging
through the bag at her side. She'd lost quite a few of her things after
she'd ridden the beast, but fortunately she still had what she needed.
After a moment she produced a small and simple looking dagger inside a
sheath. The sword still hung off her shoulder, but it would be useless
against the wraiths. 

	The cavernous hallway of the dungeon loomed overhead. The place was
huge, stone walls rose twenty feet over her head and there was ten feet
of clearance on either side of her. It was nothing but a long hallway at
the moment, but she could see dozens of smaller hallways in the
distance. Torches lit the main hallway, but all light would stop once
she made her way deeper inside. 

	"Stupid wizards and their over doing things," she grumbled as she
simply hung her head. The place was gigantic. She had little doubt it
rivaled the palace above her in size. 

	The torches were probably a new addition to keep the wraiths contained.
Now she had to figure out where they were, the hallways were probably
swarming with them, and there were probably dozens of traps hidden
within the darkness.

	The treasure itself was rather small. Wraiths weren't very smart
though; they tended to swarm like bees once they spotted you. It was
probably sitting somewhere in the deepest part of the dungeon with the
idiot shadows standing around it like zombified worshipers or something. 

	That wasn't her only problem, the Balisk would be moving about the
cavern, and there was probably more down in the shadows than just those
monsters. 

	"Great. How did I get roped into this again?" she asked herself as she
started walking down the long hallway. She looked over her shoulder at
the entrance as she walked. "Whatever you have to tell me had better be
worth it old man."

	The balisk was an enigma; she had little doubt that the sorcerers were
being honest about its presence. However, why would it remain inside the
dungeon when there was so much food above it? A place like this was
likely to shut down until they hunted the beast down once they started
losing students. It appeared to be running at full capacity though. 

	The elven girl narrowed her eyes as she turned down one of the
hallways. Something inside her told her it was the right direction. She
smirked to herself as she strolled into the center of the pitch-black
cavern. Being an elf had its advantages at times.

++++++++++++++++++++

	"I'll keep watch here, you two go ahead," muttered Edmund as the group
stood in front of the dungeon entrance.

	"It's open," muttered Peter as he peered into the stairwell that led
straight down.

	Shinnosuke turned to face them with a serious frown on his face. "I
should go on alone from here."

	"Someone is down there," said Peter as he glared at the boy. "You'll
need help. I'm betting you were supposed to go after them."

	The groundskeeper blinked. "Hey. I think you're right. Still, I'm not
sure what's down there. I can't put students in danger by letting you
come with me. This is my job." He slung his rake over his shoulder and
peered into the stairwell. 

	"He's right you know," agreed Edmund.

	"Stop being so cowardly!" snapped Suzan as she smacked him on the back
of his head.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	Inside the office of the headmaster a firm looking female teacher stood
in front of his desk with a scowl on her wrinkled face. "We have a
problem."

	"Oh?" asked the kindly old wizard as he peered into her eyes.

	"One of our students has gone missing. A young girl by the name of
Lucy. She was a first year student, and none of her classmates know of
her whereabouts." 

	"Oh dear," muttered the old man as he sat back and closed her eyes. "I
fear something terrible has occurred."

	"The dungeon?" asked the woman calmly.

	"I fear it is so," said the old wizard with a small nod. "Perhaps,
these wraiths are not acting on mere instinct."

	"It would explain the balisk," agreed the woman. "I shall alert the
teachers, the students will be sent to their common areas immediately."

	"Yes. We must act quickly."

	"What of the girl?"

	"Young Shinnosuke has been sent into the dungeon. I feel there is
little we can do but wait."

	"Shinnosuke? Are you mad?" gasped the woman in shock. "He won't
remember..."

	"He has help. Beyond that I will say nothing." He smiled at her warmly.
"I have acquired assistance in dealing with our little problem.
Professional help so to speak."

	"I see." The woman nodded and turned to leave.

	The old man relaxed in his chair. "I pray it shall be enough."

+++++++++++++++++

	Ryuu walked beside Mousse through the crowds of soldiers. Each of them
dressed in similar uniforms, the sheer number of forces present meant
they received little more than a passing glance. Both of them walked as
if they knew where they were going. Neither of them had a clue where
they were.

	"We're lost."

	"We're fine," snapped Ryuu.

	"Where are we then?" muttered the drow.

	"In the middle of the Empire's army," replied the thief.

	"Then we are far from fine."

	"Relax, I do this sort of thing for a living."

	"How comforting," snorted Mousse.

	"Hey! You two!" snapped a gruff sounding voice.

	The pair froze in their tracks and slowly turned towards the man who
had called to them.

	A large officer stepped in front of them. He was a towering man covered
in scars with bulging muscles. "Come with me."

	"What should we do?" whispered Mousse nervously.

	"What he says," replied Ryuu calmly. "Yessir!" he snapped in reply to
the man.

	"What's wrong with you? Can't talk?" growled the officer as he glared
at Mousse angrily.

	"Yessir! Sorry sir!" replied the drow instantly.

	Ryuu grumbled.

	"So, you're sorry are you?" said the man as he leered at them both.
"Follow me."

	The pair walked just behind him and Ryuu glared at Mousse angrily. 

	"What?" snapped the drow quietly. 

	"You idiot. Now we'll be busy for hours if we don't get away from him."

++++++++++++++++++++

	The pair found themselves standing inside a large tent. Boxes filled
the space inside from top to bottom, large heavy looking boxes."

	"I need these crates moved to the east side of camp by sundown. Seeing
as this one is 'sorry' I'll let you two idiots handle it alone. You'd
better be finished, or I'll have your hides strapped to a post for
lashes this evening." He pulled up the rear flap to reveal a horse cart
just outside the tent. "I'll be watching you."

	Ryuu and Mousse simply stared at the man dumbly. "Yessir." They
couldn't believe their luck as they replied in unison.

	The officer strolled out of the tent and left the pair to their work.

	"Come on, we're going to load this thing up," said Ryuu cheerfully as
he picked up one of the boxes. 

	"What? Why?" grumbled Mousse as he looked at the cart.

	"Don't be an idiot. These are supplies! Besides, having a full load
will buy us more time. If we just take off and he comes back looking for
us they'll start looking."

	The drow sighed and nodded. "Do you remember where those woods were?"

	"Don't worry, we've got plenty of time," replied Ryuu cheerfully as he
shoved the crate onto the back. 

	"What's in these things?" muttered Mousse irritably as he grunted after
hefting another box. 

	"Who cares? I'll bet it's worth quite a bit!" said the thief happily.

+++++++++++++++++++

	Ukyo and Shampoo were peering through the brush waiting for an
opportunity. Neither one of them had come up with a decent plan.

	"Now what?" grumbled Ukyo. "I don't like this."

	"Well, the best thing I can come up with is to hope those two idiots
cause enough of a mess that we'll be able to escape unnoticed."

	"Not likely, there's too many of them for that."

	"Don't forget who you're talking about here," replied Shampoo calmly.

	"Right," grumbled the knight with a small sigh.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	Lime and Mint hopped off their horses as Kuno stepped off of his own
steed and posed proudly before the soldiers.

	"I have arrived. Fear not, for the battle shall now turn!"

	"What battle?" asked Mint as he looked at his companion. 

	Lime simply shrugged and motioned for his companion to follow. "He'll
be fine on his own. Come on before he realizes we're still here."

	"Right."

	The pair vanished into the crowd of men who were mostly ignoring the
noble.

	Kuno walked up to one of the officers and turned up his nose as he
spoke. "Where might I find the Lady Akane?"

	The man frowned at the noble and snorted. "She's in the palace with the
Emperor. Two miles north of the camp."

	"Very well. I shall ride to her rescue post-haste. No doubt I shall be
able to persuade the emperor to spare her life and allow her to become
my wife."

	The man stared at the idiot in front of him. "She'd probably pick death
first."

	"Pardon?" asked Kuno as he narrowed his eyes at the man. 

	"You heard me," replied the man coldly as he walked away.

	"I shall have to speak with his superior once my nuptials are
complete." He turned towards his horse, not bothering with the fact that
he had no idea who the man was.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	"Boy. I'm sure glad that's over with," said Mint as he scratched behind
his ear lazily.

	"I wonder where Lord Herb's tent is?" asked Lime as he peered around.

"I'm not sure," replied the other beast-man with a small shrug. "We
should probably check out that palace. He's probably with the Emperor
now."

	"I guess you're right," replied the weretiger. He paused suddenly and
looked around the area for a moment. "Hey. You smell something?"

	"What's a drow doing around here?" muttered Mint as he sniffed at the
air. "There's another familiar scent...that elf girl?"

	"Someone who's been around her," growled Lime.

	"Come on," snorted the werewolf as he began to briskly walk towards the
scent. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	Ryuu hummed cheerfully as he started the horse in a lazy trot. He
wasn't planning on returning to the tent and had loaded up the cart with
about twenty of the crates. Neither one of the pair was certain what was
in them exactly; there were no markings.

	Mousse was sitting beside him watching the soldiers go by. "We're
getting close." 

	"How would you know?" snorted Ryuu. The drow was right though. The
small patch of woods was just ahead.

	"I'm not completely blind you know," growled the longhaired drow
irritably. He adjusted his glasses for a moment and glanced around.
"We're being followed."

	Ryuu glanced back over his shoulder and cursed. "Shit. It's those
beast-men. I don't think they've spotted us yet, but they're tailing
us."

	"Can we lose them?" asked Mousse.

	"Not without attracting a lot of attention."

	"That won't matter once they find us," pointed out Mousse.

	Ryuu snapped the reigns a little and the horse trotted a bit faster.
"We should at least go and pick up the girls first."

	"There!" cried Mint behind them.

	"Aw man," grumbled Ryuu as he glanced back at them. They had dropped on
all fours and were rushing towards them at full speed. "Hiyah!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	"No! Those idiots! Don't bring them this way!" cried Ukyo as she stood
up from behind the bush she and Shampoo were sitting behind.

	"Those two are going to have the entire army after them in a few
seconds," grumbled Shampoo.

	"They're heading straight for us!" growled the knight as she clenched
her fist.

	"What? Oh no," Shampoo realized that the girl was right. "They were
supposed to be careful."

	"I get the feeling that our guide doesn't do that very well," muttered
Ukyo as she tensed up a bit. "Come on. We won't be able to hide here
anymore anyway."

	"Right," said Shampoo as she stepped out of the forest and started
jogging towards the cart.

	"Get in!" cried Ryuu as he neared them. The horse was galloping at
almost full speed. The beast-men were closing in fast, and a growing
crowd of soldiers was following just behind them. 

	"I'm going to have a serious talk with my Great Grandmother when this
is over."

	"It could be worse," said Ukyo as the pair tensed up and jumped onto
the side of the cart as it rushed by them. 

	Both of them landed roughly inside the back and Mousse glanced back at
them. "We should leave now," he said to Ryuu.

	"I'm working on it!" snapped the boy angrily.

	Shampoo was tangled up with Ukyo in the back. The pair struggled to
push each other away as they tried to regain their balance on the wildly
bouncing surface. 

	Both of them froze and stared at the arrow that was sticking inside the
wall. Ryuu's sword passed over their heads as the soldier who had ridden
up beside them on his horse lost his head.

	"Don't just sit back there! Find a way to slow them down!"

	Mousse jumped into the back with them and glanced back. The beast-men
weren't behind them anymore, but the mob of soldiers was growing larger
by the second. Arrows were starting to fly at them from behind as men
rushed out of their tents. 

	Ryuu turned the horse suddenly and they were all thrown against the
left wall as the cart actually went through one of the larger tents and
passed through a dozen surprised sleeping soldiers. They emerged from
the front side of the tent and the confusion bought them a few seconds
at most as they thundered towards the edge of the encampment. 

	"They're starting to mount horses!" snapped Ukyo.

	"What the hell do you want me to do about it?" snarled Ryuu as he kept
his eyes forward. 

	"Pass by that tent!" said Shampoo as she put her hand on his shoulder
and pointed a particularly large one out to him.

	The boy did as he was asked without question and Shampoo shakily stood
upright on the back. She raised her palm and a small orange light formed
there. Men started to emerge from the tent as they shot by and Shampoo
sent the ball of light into the side of the tent. In an instant it had
burst into flames. 

	"That won't give us much time!" snapped Ukyo. She was trying her best
to steady herself against the boxes the two men had loaded into the
cart. Her hand slipped along the side of one and sent it tumbling out of
the back. It rolled violently across the ground careening through the
crowd of soldiers and sending a few to the ground. The two girls blinked
as it suddenly exploded in a massive ball of fire and sent troops flying
in every direction. They looked at each other and then towards the two
boys.

	"What the hell is in these?" snapped Shampoo as she started to work on
the lid of one of the other crates. 

	"Move!" snapped Ukyo as she pulled her spear off of her back and jammed
it into one of the lids. 

	The elf helped her pry the lid off using the spear as a lever. "Oh
dear."

	"Explosives? You stole us a cart loaded with explosives?!" cried Ukyo
as she tossed the lid of the crate aside. Inside were hundreds of small
cylinders with fuses on the end. 

	"Ryuu, we have a bit of a problem," said Mousse as he tapped the boy on
his shoulder. 

	"Shit!" snapped the thief as he glanced back and saw what they had
loaded. "Unmarked boxes? Are they insane?"

	To the left of them, two giant black horses burst onto the scene. Each
horse had a massive furry monster riding on it. Lime and Mint growled
angrily as they charged forward in their beast forms. They were massive
creatures with sharp claws and long fangs. A shaggy coat of fur covered
them completely and they both growled as they started to chase after the
cart.

	"Those two again?" growled Ryuu angrily.

	"It gets worse," said Mousse as he pointed ahead of them.

	"What's that up ahead?" asked Shampoo as she noticed a puff of smoke
from the crowd of soldiers in front of them. 

	A resounding boom filled the air around them as a shower of dirt
exploded from the ground three feet to their left. 

	"An artillery unit," said Ukyo flatly.

	"Great," grumbled Ryuu as he pushed the horse pulling them a little
harder. 

	"I told you we should have stolen the cart before we loaded it!"
snapped Mousse.

	"You loaded these boxes? Are you insane!" screamed Ukyo as she grabbed
Ryuu by his neck and started to choke him.

	Shampoo pulled her away quickly. "Let him drive! Yell at him if we get
out of this alive!"

	"Yell at him!? I'll kill him! I want to see Ranchan again before I
die!"

	"Both of you shut the hell up!" snapped the thief as he turned the cart
to the right. A wall of rock loomed at the edge of the valley about a
half-mile in front of them. 

	"What the hell are you doing?!" cried Ukyo in shock.
	
	"There! That canyon!" cried Mousse as he pulled out one of the sticks
of explosives and lit the fuse with a small spark from his hand. "I've
got an idea!" he cried as he lobbed it at the forces that were quickly
closing in behind them on horseback. 

	Lime and Mint led the charge in their half man half beast forms. Each
of them snarled angrily from on top of a pitch-black stallion.

	"They have nightmares?!" cried Shampoo.

	"They couldn't ride normal horses in that form," replied Mousse. "They
probably stole them from one of the officers."

	"It's gonna be close!" cried the thief as he forced the horse to run at
a full sprint. The explosion behind them pushed the forces behind them
back a little as the horses reacted to the explosion. 

	Another plume of dirt and smoke shot into the air a little to their
right. 

	"The artillery unit! They're starting to get close again!" cried the
knight as she handed the elf girl a stick of the explosives. Mousse
reached out and she handed him one as well.

	"We'll try to slow them down, just get us to that canyon in one piece!"
called the drow over the thunder of horses and explosions. 

	Ukyo watched as an iron ball bounced across the dirt two feet to their
left and passed them. "Shit! Hurry up!"

	The rock wall loomed over them and the narrow canyon seemed to actually
grow smaller as they neared it.

	"The cart won't fit!" gasped Ukyo as they drew ever closer. 

	"Grab her!" cried Ryuu as he pulled Ukyo up by the waist and jumped
forward onto the horse's back. "Light this!" He said as he held up one
of the explosive sticks as Mousse landed on the horse behind him.
Shampoo and Ukyo were far from comfortable in their positions across the
lap of the two boys. 

	Mousse didn't question and actually smiled as he caused a small spark
to form between his fingers. Ukyo's eyes went wide as she seemed to
catch on to what was happening. She grabbed the boy by his waist and
closed her eyes as he let her go with his other hand, drew his sword,
and hacked through the ropes holding the horse to the cart. With a
casual flick of his wrist, Ryuu tossed the lit explosive stick into the
cart as it slammed into the wall behind them.

	A large cloud of dust erupted from the wall behind them as an iron ball
bounced off the canyon face and passed within two inches of Shampoo's
face. The elf screamed as the horse reared back and tossed them all to
the dirt.

	The army behind them vanished from sight as a massive boom ripped
through the narrow space between the rock walls. Debris and small stones
pelted them as a gigantic black plume of smoke billowed into the air
about three hundred yards behind them. 

	Ryuu coughed as he grabbed Ukyo by the arm roughly and started to drag
her away. "Come on! That rockslide won't slow them down forever! We need
to escape while we've still got time!" It took her a moment to regain
her feet and she pulled her arm away as she finally managed to do it.
She glared at him angrily and rubbed at her forearm as she ran.
	
	Mousse did much the same with Shampoo, but the elf was more than happy
to oblige him as she jerked her arm away and started sprinting fast
enough to keep up with Ryuu. 

++++++++++++++++++++++

	"Lady Akane," said Saffron as the girl kneeled before him. "What news?"

	"We aren't sure who they were. Lime and Mint were chasing them, but
they haven't given a report yet. I was going to speak to them about it
when I told them about Herb after this meeting. I'll have more
information then."

	"Travelers who got caught by surprise when we camped around them in the
night." Nabiki strolled into the room with a smirk on her face. "That is
what the spirits tell me of them."

	"How much damage did they cause?" asked Saffron calmly. 

	"We lost several men, and a small load of explosives," said Akane. "As
I said. I have not yet spoken to all of the witnesses. They caused quite
a bit of chaos and blocked the canyon in their escape. We could move the
blockage, but they would be gone by the time we finished."

	"I see. We shouldn't concern ourselves with it right now then," said
the Emperor with a small sigh.

	"That would seem to be the best course of action," agreed Akane. "I've
already sent a squad out looking for them just to be safe, but I doubt
if they'll find much of anything."

	"Very well. You may leave me then."

	The two sisters spared each other a glance and walked away. Nabiki went
back through a door near the throne, while Akane walked back towards the
front doors.

	They burst open and Tatewaki Kuno strolled into the room proudly. "My
emperor!"

	The black knight simply glared at him hatefully frozen in mid stride. 

	"I have come before you to beg for my beloved Akane Tendo's life, and
to ask for her hand! We shall wed this very day, and her disgraceful
failure can be erased. I am certain she will gladly resign her position
and take her proper place as my wife!"

	Akane tried to control herself, really she did. However he turned to
smile at her and she simply punched him in the face with her metal
gauntlet still on. Sadly, they were not spiked, as she was still wearing
the spare armor. Her new set of black armor would not be ready for
several days yet. She turned to face her master and fell to her knees.
"Please. Let me kill him!"

	"Akane. Please behave."

	The girl blushed as she stood and bowed to the emperor. "I am sorry."

	"I'll overlook it this once. He did overstep his bounds a bit this
time. His loyalty is strong, and I find him somewhat amusing."

	"As you say," she said as she turned away. 

	The noble was rubbing at his chin as he watched her walk away. "Such
ferocity..."

	"Lady Akane has won my favor Lord Kuno. She has defeated the fabled
Dragon Ghost and returned my staff to me almost single handedly. Lord
Herb's betrayal is not her fault."

	"Lord Herb?" muttered the man dumbly.

	"Yes. In any case, if she ever does decide to kill you, I probably
won't punish her. I won't tell her that though." The child emperor
chuckled as he watched the man stagger to his feet. 

	"The Dragon Ghost? A worthy opponent indeed, I have heard tales of him.
A worthless coward, but quite skilled." 

	Saffron merely nodded. "Akane is no longer in danger. If there is
nothing else?"

	"I give you my leave then," said Kuno as he bowed deeply and turned
away.

++++++++++++++++++++

	Ranma stared at the three doors in front of her with a sour frown on
her face. The severed remains of a giant spider littered the ground
behind her as she simply sat on a broken pillar and contemplated her
situation. She had the dagger drawn and it emitted enough light to see
fairly well inside the hallways. 

	"Okay Ranma. You've got to pick one of these doors. What's the worst
that could happen?" She sighed and hung her head. "You could end up
spending all day wandering around down here that's what. Just like now." 

	Finally she pulled her sword out and placed the tip of the blade onto
the ground. She closed her eyes and held her breath as she stepped back
and released the blade. It fell back towards her and she smacked herself
on the forehead. "This sucks. Stupid wizards." 

	She put her sword away and simply picked the middle passageway. She
strolled down the path, and the room returned to darkness as she rounded
a corner.

	The room did not remain dark for long though, or silent. The sound of
screaming filled the hallway as an orange light erupted from the
entrance to the room.

	Four people rushed inside and tumbled over each other as a jet of flame
passed over them. The fires fell back and the group simply laid still
entangled with each other on the stone floor in the dark.

	"Ouch," grumbled Peter as he sat up and held a small wooden wand up. A
light formed on the tip, not as strong as Ranma's dagger, but more than
enough to see with. 

	"I told you not to touch that!" snapped Susan angrily as she slapped
Edmund upside his head. 

	"I thought it would open that door!" cried the boy as he rubbed the
sore spot where she'd hit him. 

	Shinnosuke dusted off his pants and looked around the room. "Now where
are we?"

	"I'm not sure," replied Peter. "Looks like we have to pick a door."

	"Which one?" asked Edmund as he peered at them.

	"This one," replied Peter as he pointed at the right door.

	"Are you sure?" asked Susan.

	"No, but do you think he can tell us?" replied the boy as he pointed at
Shinnosuke.

	The groundskeeper looked annoyed, but in the end he simply sighed. "I
doubt if anyone could tell us the right way."

	"We aren't even sure what we're looking for!" snapped Edmund angrily.

	"Well, I guess that settles it then. This way." Peter started forward
with his wand lighting the way.

	"Don't touch anything!" snapped Susan as she shoved the cowardly boy
forward.

	Shinnosuke simply sighed and followed after them. "I wish I could
remember how I got into this mess."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

	TBC...

	Next Time: Between a stone, and a hard place.

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