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Hey!
Here�s thir first part of the fourth cnapter of my fic. Seems that they�re
getting longer every time... ;)
I encourage all c&c on it, it can only get better *g*
thanx, Nemo Zero
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Flash of the Blade
Chapter 4 I
a Ranma/Highlander crossover by NemoZero
and here�s the inevitable discaimer
I own neither the characters of Ranma � nor that of any other universe that
has the dire fate to be abused for this story. And since i�m a poor student
you�ll probably not get anything but an old pencil-sharpener if you sue me,
so better forget about the idea ;-]
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With a crash like thunder, the bow of the ship crashed back into the deep
valley of the stormy sea from which one of the countless towering waves
pulled it from.
Drowned from the raging storms howling, fountains of water came cascading
down onto the of the ships deck, threatening to wash everything on it into
the sea in a tremendous splash.
Ignoring the tons of water coming down in a torrent on the boat, a solitary
figure was standing at the railing of the steamer, staring into the darkness
that swallowed the vessel every time it descended into another canyon.
For three days they were on their way across the chinese sea, for three days
and three nights an almost constant storm had whipped the cargo ship they
hadbooked passage on through the endless water like a nutshell, prolonging
the voyage and rendering almost everybody but the most experienced sailors
seasick and practically glued to their toilets.
As the captain of their craft "China Cloud� had humorously pointed out, the
porcelain-kami was worshipped a lot these days.
But one didn�t live for so many decades as Happusai had without learning a
thing or two and getting used to most things life could dish out. Therefore,
much to the sailors horror, he was standing on the bobbling and soaked deck
like his boots were glued on it, keeping his thoughtful gaze lied on the sea
before them.
This solicitous and authoritative pose was rudely interrupted however when a
fish, curiously not one of the flying kind, shot our of the depths in front
of the ship and impacted square on the grandmasters forehead, flopping
helplessly on the deck before being washed back into the sea by the next
wave.
Not moving his gaze from it�s fixated point, the elders face turned into a
frown.
"So you still have got enough air to throw fishes, have you Ranma?" He
bellowed down into the night, only to dodge another fish, a puzzled looking
dolphin and a (???) coral-encrusted anchor. Grinning at the antics of his
student Happusai threw the dolphin back into the ocean and pried the anchor
free of the dent it had made in the deck, only to hurl it back into the
nightwith a force belying his size and age.
"Ready to quit already Ranma? Perhaps it�s too hard for a little boy like
you and you should switch to something easier to match your fragility.
Sewingperhaps" With an evil cackling the old man turned around to walk
through the hatch into the bowels of the ship. The only answer to his
tempting of the young boys temper was a stunned squid smashing into the
metaldoor with a wet "thud".
With the sunrise on the fourth day of their voyage the chinese mainland
became visible on the horizon, diverting the attention from the more or less
healthy passengers from the beautiful sight of dusk at the open ocean..
Having slept as soundly as ever, and after consuming a delicious breakfast
consisting partly from the items provided by the galley of the ship as well
as Japanese specialities that his seemingly bottomless backpack provided,
thebrown-gi�d martial artist strolled leisurely onto the deck to greet the
day, and his still swimming (and still swearing) pupil.
After travelling the mainland of Japan for a decade the young lad had grown
impatient with the progress of their training-voyage and complained about
thelack on challenge that the residential dojo�s provided his hungry mind
andpotential of almost infinite improvement.
And even Happusai had to admit that finding stiles worthy and hard enough to
learn to occupy Ranma for more then a couple of days was growing
increasinglydifficult, and having to avoid some areas where less �delighted�
encounters of his earlier years lived, finding new spots to train and learn
made it more difficult for him then Ranma to accomplish.
That was the reason that about half a year ago a plan had formed in the
grandmasters mind, to provide Ranma with a source of challenges and
potentialof struggle that he should be iin his own kind of heaven,
considering how eager he was for any kind of possibility to measure himself
with others. The only problem, as ever, was to avoid some rather unfortunate
encounters of him that Ranma didn't really need to know about.
Setting foot on chinese soil for the first time in a century a smile crept
onthe wrinkled face of Happusai as he let his gaze drift above the roofs of
the ports buildings, where the first of uncountable mountains reached
skywards with snowy peaks.
Without acknowledging the arrival of his sogging wet student Happusai
shouldered his backpack with ease and walked towards a building on the far
end of the fence surrounding the compound, where he would confirm his entry
permission and finally begin the serious part of their voyage.
Taking back their passports and visa from the bored looking guards (
considering �bored� to be a good way for a guard to look, considering the
waythey did before they found the folded notes of money in the passports )
the two martial artists left the port-area for a path into the mountains,
towards their goal.
Eagerly awaiting the first possibilities to train Happusai had had to tell
him about since the day he had revealed his ideas about their trip, Ranma
earned more then his share of odd looks when he jumped up and down sheer
mountain-paths with the grace of a cat, shouldering a boulder twice his size
or balancing large logs using only his fingertips.
Thus having spent some of the overflow of his seemingly limitless energy
theymade up their camp asides a little stream. Standing on a boulder on the
side of the water, Ranma decided to follow Happusai�s advice to wash (well,
he preferred to think about the towel that landed in his face and let him
topple over into the water as an �advice�).
Rebraiding his hair into it's trademark short pigtail he took his seat on
oneof his earlier �practice-logs�, that now were used to keep themselves and
their backpacks from lying on the muddy ground. Wordlessly taking a steaming
bowl from his masters hands a cocky grin flashed on his face, only to
disappear as fast as well. Some martial-arts techniques, especially when it
came to the use of chi and ki, were really useful far beyond their original
purpose.
For example when it came to obtaining dry wood and getting it into the right
size for a campfire. He almost pitied the travellers that they had met that
day, who most likely would spent the night in cold unheated tents. �Unlike
ustwo `barbarians`� Ranma thought with a grin. Well, perhaps he didn't pity
them after all.
Digging heartily into the miso-soup Happusai-stile he couldn't help but feel
at peace with himself and the world. Almost nothing asides the constant
sparring-matches with the old man provided any challenge to him anymore.
Once he even mastered a style just by seeing it used once when he came
arounda corner on the way to an infamous training-ground.
Rebuffing the local grandmaster with the words that he had saw anything he
wanted about this style in the first second maybe wasn�t the best thing to
do, as sprinting through a cascade of fireballs from the practitioners of
thelocal styles had proven.
But at least he had a proven his observing-skills and had, subsequently to
the residents reactions, had another lesson in what Happusai called
�diplomatic skills�. Whatever the old man might have called it, not being
brained with heavy objects or being chased around by superpowered martial
artists was good enough for him.
Having consumed a Ranma-sized portion of food and cleaned the utensils in
thenearby water Ranma stretched out on one of the logs asides the fire to
watch the star-sprinkled sky. Picking up a small smooth stone from asides
thelog, he began throwing it high into the sky to catch it again between
changing pairs of fingers.
Closing the day with sparse conversation about their plans for the next day,
both travellers went to sleep with the good feeling of now moving under a
different sky into an unclear but promising future.
A month afterwards Ranma waved backwards to the latest master and his
family,having a goofy smile on his face. It was almost three hours after one
of his greatest successes in the art. And about 3 weeks after he had gotten
his ass handed on a silver tablet.
Well, almost that is.
During the early years of his training with his father, especially when they
had visited other dojo�s and masters, was one thing: a real master of the
artdoesn�t use a weapon, a weapon is a fatal flaw in itself, since it can be
taken away, turned against oneself and is a reliability. Something a fighter
never is allowed to do, to rely on anything bug oneself.
Another stupidity he had to re-learn.
Another lesson that was going to be really REALY painful.
Well, the lesson, or rather the stay at the dojo of master Wan Ye began only
one week after they had first set foot on china. For one week they had
journeyed through the first foothills of the mountains taking up most of the
horizon before them.
For seven days they had continued their normal training of strength, speed,
endurance and most of all fighting. But for once Ranma hadn't complained,
even though it were the same techniques, the same exercises they had done in
Japan as well. Somehow he felt like something was about to happen, and so he
was for the time being content to continue his regular exercises, pushing
hislimits in them higher every day.
Especially the meditation techniques that Happusai had begun to instil in
theenergetic young fighter seemed to come quicker to him and with more ease
then in Japan.
Sometimes Happusai had try hard to keep a grin out of his face, partly from
pride and partly from amusement, when the human rubberball named Ranma
meditated on a rock or in the middle of a cascading waterfall, so deeply
thatnothing, well, perhaps food could have woke him, but not much asides
fromthat.
Happusai still didn't quite know what to make of the young boy, but in the
meantime that had rather positive aspects for him than negative.
Anyways, they had arrived at the dojo of master Wan Ye during a foggy and
still cold morning. Hiking on a small path through the dense vegetation of
the foothills, they were soon soaked from the dew that they brushed on their
clothes from the leaves on the sides of the seemingly unused path. Seeing no
10 meters far, they had steadily gained altitude, the cool morning-air both
chilling and refreshing them on their way.
After 2 hours they first felt they were nearing their destination as the
morning air was beginning to warm itself, giving the travellers back some
warmth, which they had sorely missed since crawling out of their
sleeping-bags. And when the thick layer of fog was showing the first holes
through which the sun was sending its rays they redoubled their efforts,
determined to reach the top of the hill before noon.
Ranma brushed away the last obstacle of leaves and twigs, which were by now
not dripping from water anymore but instead were now warmed enough by the
sunto allow the local fauna living on them to move comfortably; large green
snakes for example.
Ranma still hat to laugh about it; even for a seasoned fighter as Happusai,
considering the fact he was wearing a backpack and all, it WAS a really
impressive jump he did there, when the snake had dropped on his backpack and
was hanging eye-to-eye with the old man.
Ranma caught it before the understandably confused animal had even a chance
to start falling, and had set it down gently in one of the bushes before
Happusai came back to earth from his impromptu-visit of the higher regions
ofthe forest. Another thing Ranma learned that day was that dodging was
really hard when you were trying not to fall down laughing at the same time
as well.
On top of the hill they were greeted by the view of an incredibly beautiful,
but at least partly man-made, plateau, that was about the size of a circle
with half a kilometre diameter. Standing on an exactly-trimmed lawn were a
small house with a small group of trees behind it, as well as a
training-area, in whose circular shape dark brown soil, hardened from
uncounted feet walking over it, took the place of the green grass, creating
asharp but not disturbing contrast.
As they learned after they had been invited by the residents wife for tea,
they had accidentally found one of the few dojo�s of the area. Although it
came as a slight disappointment to Ranma when he learned the style taught
here was weapon-based, his disappointment was soon replaced by�pain.
His lesson had begun.
Happusai knew that Ranma was good. Happusai knew exactly HOW good Ranma was,
he had trained him after all. Therefore he knew a normal sparring-program
against the master of the dojo wouldn�t bring the results he wanted to
achieve here.
If Ranma wouldn�t get in a decent hit in the first few minutes, as he knew,
he would begin to improvise. Analyzing and searching within the enemy�s
technique for flaws to use, attacking the way his enemy was prepared to
defend against worst.
But against an enemy with such a different style, a more then decent level
ofskill and decades ahead in experience as well, Happusai knew that wouldn�t
work for Ranma as well. The next step in his strategy would be the usage of
chi, inhumanly faster movements, strength and endurance, as well as
distance-attacks were something Ranma was quite good at. And that�s exactly
why he wasn�t allowed to use them
For five days on queue, four, sometimes even five times a day Ranma would
receive a royal beating by the master, only to be patched up and go for
another one. That wasn�t for some sadistic new training-regimen by Happusai
however, but for a little bet they had made. Knowing how Ranma despised
weapons, but knowing the advantages to at least be able to use them
effectively as well, the old grandmaster had stated the following bet:
If Ranma would beat the master two out of fifty times he would give him one
of the secret scrolls he had acquired at some temple they had visited, but
ifhe didn't Ranma would have to mmaster the dojo�s style of sword-based
fighting, no matter how much he disliked it.
He yet had to score his first win, out of 36 fights.
It wasn�t that the scroll Happusai had talked about was something
extraordinary, neither was it very secret or something like that. Most
likely, as far as Ranma knew, it contained another technique of elemental-ki
control, a speciality of the monks where they had obtained the scroll in
return for helping them rebuild the rafters and roof-beams of a huge
training-hall that was partly burned down after a training-accident.
It was more like a private game between those two, Happusai using Ranma�s
hunger of knowledge to get him learn stuff he rather wouldn�t, and Ranma
daring Happusai to find anything he wouldn�t be able to do.
This time however, out of a few occasions, Ranma lost the bet. Without being
allowed to use his chi, even having to consciously restrict it, he just had
no chance to get through the incredibly tight defence of the grey-haired
master, who held a big advantage in reach as well with his bokken, even more
so when he sometimes used to throw it at the most inconvenient times.
For Ranma that is.
So for the better part of the first week of training Ranma got royal
beatingson a n hourly basis. After admitting the advantages the usage of
swords sometimes held, and when he actually had a chance to see the basic
techniques and most of all the differences to the styles he already knew,
Ranma was soaking up the technique in a sponge-like quality.
Though during the second week, using swords only for the first time in his
life, he received even more thorough beatings then before, he now could do
what he was best at. Learning from his opponents moves during battle,
testingand imitating his enemy�s defence, and finally overcoming it.
Well, eventually, for the second week it was more like inspecting the ground
of the training-circle VERY closely than overcoming anything or anybody.
After the second week however, when he was beginning to spar with the other
practitioners of master Ye�s style, he was making major progress. And
finally, for the first time in three weeks, and after uncountable
humiliatinglosses, he fought the old master to a standstill the first time.
The spar had lasted for almost three hours, mostly with Ranma being on the
defence and only daring to attack when he knew he had the possibility for a
quick retreat, Ranma no longer received those feared disabling blows to
pressure-points or single muscles that left one or more of his limbs
useless.
So the two combatants battled, sometimes with pure speed, strength or
cunning, but Ranma�s defence held, and the master admitted that if he beat
Ranma now it would just be for his superior experience.
Though Wan Ye argued with Happusai for a short time to leave Ranma here for
more extensive training, but the old grandmaster of Anything-goes managed to
convince the sympathetic fencer that they had to move on, and that Ranma
would never neglect the skills he had learned here, he would see to that.
Happusai gave that promise with a devilish grin, on which the other master
soon followed suit, a joke that seemingly only masters and teachers of the
art (who had pupils to torment) found funny.
Travelling through china for three seasons, Happusai instilled into Ranma
whatever useful he could get his hands onto. When they travelled through one
of the cities in the area that really deserved the name and a
school-buildingreminded Happusai of one topic in Ranma�s education he had
yetneglected, he even acquired an impressive amount of chinese schoolbooks.
Well, it was in the middle of the night when he �acquired� them, and the
means he used weren�t exactly legal in the strictest sense of the word, but
for Happusai that was beside the point.
Thus spending a wonderful summer, Happusai once more began to think about
what to teach Ranma next, he knew he was beginning to run out of time.
Almost eight years ago, when he and Ranma had parted way with his father,
Genma had one or his rare moments where he proved that, common with all
othermammals, he too had a spine. Before he had allowed them to go their own
way he made Happusai promise that on his sixteenth birthday he would return
with his son to meet him at the house of his other useless student, Soun
Tendo.
That the part where normally the one demanding the promise would add
something like �or else�� was replaced by a pathetic wailing and crying only
had made them depart faster. But he planned on sticking to his promise, and
therefore was sifting through his centuries of memories in search for
something special, really unique, that would make a worthy culmination for
their years of training.
Around four o�clock in the morning Happusai finally decided on a course, a
place where Ranma would soar above the heights of the art he had previously
achieved. Yes, tomorrow they would begin to march towards Jusenkyo, it was
time to meet old friends, and avoid others in the process.
After another week travelling through remote forests of China, the two
companions finally were nearing what they had been looking for. Leisurely
flicking his right wrist, a small chi-blade cut off the last branch
obscuringtheir passage on a trail that didn't seem to be used by anything
bigger than wild pigs.
Much to Ranma�s annoyance and Happusai�s entertainment.
But at least snapping, cutting-down, incinerating and freezing the offending
twigs and leaves kept Ranma from dying of boredom.
For the last days they had done nothing but passing through the country as
fast as possible, no training but some intense spars in the morning or at
breaks and no time for learning but when he cut down his sleeping-hours. But
in the end he didn�t mind that much, after all they were on their way to the
biggest challenge for him in month, at least that�s what the childish
three-hundred and something years old grandmaster behind him stated. But
seeing him occupied with shooting sleeping monkeys from trees with small
pebbles he didn't bother asking for details, especially since it seemed that
they had arrived at� whatever this was.
At first sight it seemed like somebody had really wanted a pond in front of
his house and had decided to try out every size and form thinkable. But what
these bamboo-poles were for Ranma couldn't figure out for his life when he
finally stepped out into the clearing:
Anyways, when it came to the worst he still could spend his time figuring
outnew ways to destroy or move them using his chi or the ki of the area.
Absently wondering if he might manage to set the parts that were under water
on fire he was reminded to walk on by Happusai�s pipe prodding him in the
back.
�Come on Ranma, we�re not there yet.� said the shrivelled old man, while
continuing along the edge of the clearing. After having walked along about a
third of the places perimeter, Ranma began to wonder just what king of place
this was. �Aren�t we going down there master? I mean it doesn�t look like
much for a training-place but��
Ranma was interrupted with one of the smirks that he only received when he
had said something really stupid and was about to get it rubbed into his
face. �If you value your life as a human so little don�t let me stop you,
butI suggest you stay away from the pools, they aren�t what we have come
for.
Wrinkling his forehead in confusion, his attempted question died as a
�Wha...� on his lips when Happusai spoke again.
�These down there are called the pools of sorrow my boy, and they haven�t
gotthat name to attract tourists. They are fed by a magical spring, and tend
to attract careless wanderers, as well as all kinds of animals.
When they get to near to one of them, they somehow tend to slip, a sudden
burst of wind, a wet spot on the grass or just a really unlikely accident�
somehow they all fall into these pools. And every single one of them
containsthe curse of what drowned first in them. So if you feel like a
change, just take a dip and perhaps you�ll get lucky. You might come back as
a fox, or an eagle. If you fall in the pool of drowned carp we might have
some problems on the other hand� cackled the old master at the sight of
youngmartial artist, who was momentarily loosing his air of calm confidence
in favour of turning several shades paler..
For about an hour various scenarios haunted the pigtailed boy, Happusai
holding up a goldfish-glass and saying �Ranma, say hello to your mother� was
one of the more unpleasant ones, just along with possibilities like the pool
of drowned bald overweight American adventure-tourist.
Shaking of these thoughts, Ranma found himself again on some trek through
the dense forest, judging by the position of the sun moving in a different
direction then than they had for most of the day.
Seeing the young man and his small companion walking out of the clearing
again, the guard of the Jusenkyo-springs didn't quite know if he should be
happy for his not-to-be customers or prepare for disaster.
In all his years as a guardian of the Jusenkyo-valley he hadn't seen more
then a handful of foreign people come to this place and leave again
uncursed,so he really should be happy for the two travellers.
But being a suspicious and superstitious (living in a magically-created
valley does that to a person) he couldn't help but think what would happen
tocompensate for it. Because sadly, even great luck needs something to
acquire a balance again, as everything in the universe is in balance.
�If these springs weren�t what we�re looking for why did we come here in the
first place. And where are we going to, for that matter?� asked the slightly
confused but greatly relieved pigtailed boy (partly thanks to the mystery of
how to drown a carp).
�Oh well, I guess it shouldn�t harm to give you a quick overview of the
history of this area my boy. In these parts weather and the mountains are
keeping most travellers away, and those who still come here are at risk for
an unintended dip in the springs. This isn�t so by chance, for the springs
aren�t the only thing of magical nature here. There are three tribes living
in the area, each one a culture of their own. All based on traditions of
fighting and the survival of the strongest, but most different compared to
each other.�
Letting this new information sink in for a minute, Happusai continued
�First,there are the Musk. They are a society of warriors both incredibly
strong and, for most of them, simple-minded in the same extent. They claim
tobe descendents from a dragon, but the last war between them and the
amazonshas decreased their numbers so much that they retorted to dump
prisoners in the pool of drowned girl to have enough women to bear their
children.�
A disgusted grimace on the old man�s face showed his opinion on the matter,
even more so since his own very �devoted� attraction to the fairer gender.
�They are decent fighters, but you�re already stronger than any I know of
them. And I doubt we�d be very welcome there as well, asides as
breeding-stock in your case Ranma-chan� mocked the diminutive grandmaster. A
trunk aside the road exploding in frozen shards of wood pointed out that
Ranma didn't find it even half as funny.
�Second, there is a settlement of Amazons about half a day marching-distance
behind us. They were about the size of a small city last time I was around,
really nice place even though they�re a matriarchal society.
They are good fighters, most of them at least. Decent in hand-to-hand but
themore experienced they are the better they fare with chi-attacks. Some of
those I taught you are from their style, but since the times i� �aquired�
them they aren�t really fond of my presence, so I guess we keep a healthy
distance to them as well.
They�ve got a habit of scouting most of the area as well, so keep your eyes
open. Oh, and one more thing. If you meet one, try not to fight with her.
You�ll thank me afterwards�
Grinning while making his last point, the old man continued on his track. A
big branch hanging over the path crumbling into sawdust was the only sign
hisstudent was still with him, let alone listening to his excurse.
�And last but not least we�ve got the Phoenix people, living on the far end
of the valley at a place called Phoenix-mountain, no real surprise there. In
numbers they�re about between the Musk and the Amazons, but compared to them
they�re rather� special in nature.
Similar to the musk they claim to be descendant from a mythical creature,
while in their case it's a phoenix and not a dragon. It's not that hard to
believe in their case though, since the wings they have are a point hard to
ignore. They are very good fighters, although most of them prefer either
sword or bow. But it's not to actually fight with them we came here for.
Lasttime I visited this area, I met one of them, his name was Samofere. At
that time he was an apprentice in the ancient library of phoenix-mountain,
and that�s what we came here for.
Thousands of years worth of techniques, spells and experience in the art
written down and stored. There you�ll find things to improve on for decades
to come, with or without me, and this is where we are heading.�
Reaching the last line of trees at the base of phoenix-mountain at noon,
theyset up their camp for the last time of the day. Until noon all they had
to do was conserve their strength and make plans on how to get in and out
without having various body-parts being displayed at various places around
the mountain as a warning to other intruders. Finding and convincing
Samoferewas another crucial point on their list, though here Happusai could
draw from knowledge and experience as well instead as just from his skills
instealth.
�The whole town of the phoenix-people is built into that mountain Ranma, so
there have got to be several ventilation-tunnels and openings leading to
almost every point in the mountain. Our problem is: the big ones will be
guarded while the smaller ones will either just that, too small for us, or
secured with traps and steel-bars.
The phoenix are mostly very chi-sensitive, so we�ve got to proceed very
carefully. I propose we just use the bar�s own ki or pure force to break
them, for the traps we simply will have to be careful. When we�re in there
wewon�t have to watch for traps anymore, but we�ll be in a maze we�ve never
found us In before. So we�ll stick to the ventilation-shafts as much as
possible and search for an area with this sign.� explained Happusai, while
drawing a complicated symbol in the ground before his feet.
�That�s the sign for �hall�, and we�ll find it in the sign for �book-hall�,
that�s their name for library. Arriving there only I will address Samofere.
Remember that if they should catch us we�ll be swarmed with their guards in
minutes, and fleeing through a shower of arrows isn�t something i�m very
keenon.�
Discussing more details of the obstacles ahead the two waited patiently for
darkness to come, eating only little from cold leftovers they had preserved,
so as not to alert guards with their campfire or cooking-smells.
When the time had come the two wordlessly hid their backpacks along with all
other signs of their presence in the bushes and stepped into the dark
clearing, no star or moon providing light in the cloudy sky.
Employing the Umisenken, the two quickly made their way up the foot of the
mountain, jumping over gaps and occasional bushes with the noiseless speed
oftheir art. After no more then half an hour, they cleared the first dozen
oftraps, which mostly consisted of scarcely supported ledges and
spring-propelled darts hidden in the few remains of vegetation at this
altitude.
One time, as Happusai whispered to him, they even passed a magical trap,
thatwould let the foot of an unlucky wanderer pass through the surface of a
seemingly normal rock, which would then solidify and entrap the intruder who
would then be found and short by patrolling phoenix sooner or later.
Just as they arrived at a big boulder leaning at a dangerous angle at the
mountains side a pair of winged figures sailed noiselessly overhead, the
first patrol they came across that night. Only making out their faint
silhouettes against the barely illuminated clouds in front of the moon,
Ranmawas cautiously pulled into the shadow of the bolder.
�I�ve found our entrance boy� whispered the invisible Happusai to his
companion. �It's hidden in the shadow here, look!� And indeed, seeming like
the shadow of the big bolder, a pitch-black tunnel made it's steep way into
the depths of the mountain, a slight but constant movement of air bending
thegrass-leaves that grew in the cracks around the entrance.
Moving downwards the shaft proved much more difficult than expected. Not
onlywere the walls as smooth as polished stone, but every dozen meters there
would be pressure-sensitive plates in them, whose effects they didn't desire
to experience at all.
After almost an hour of struggling with the constant shift of direction and
angle of the maze-like tunnels, all the time staying with the one remaining
the widest, they finally arrived at a last set of steel-bars, parting the
ventilation-shaft from the broad hallway it opened to.
Edging to the side so Happusai could take a look through the opening as
well,Ranma waited on instructions how to proceed. Using the stone�s own ki
toimprove his sight in the darkness of the hallway ahead, he soon spotted
engraved runes above a huge two-winged steel-door.
�That�s the sign, it's the library.� whispered Ranma. With barely a noise
coming out of his lips Happusai made Ranma understand that he�d search for a
way to enter the library from the opposite direction, and that after ten
minutes he should move into the ventilation-shaft on the opposite end
insteadof opening the doors.
After nine minutes without any sound reaching his enhanced hearing, he
carefully disintegrated the ends of a steel bar and slipped out of the
shaft,suspending himself in the air by holding onto one of the remaining
barsand pressing his feet against the wall. Fixing the bar back in place
withusing less chi then a stray bug would give off, he let himself drop on
the marble-floor.
Only to be almost instantly surrounded by dozens of lightened torches,
eradicating the shadows in even the last corner of the hall. Jumping back so
he had a marble pillar behind him, Ranma prepared to fight off the guards
until he could flee back into the ventilation-shaft.
And again surprise struck, as he found himself as alone as he had calculated
before, with noone nearby that could have lit the dozen torches that were
burning in iron fixtures. After a second of confusion Ranma managed to fight
down the adrenaline-heightened fear that had risen in him. �magic torches�
he concluded.
As sophisticated as the Umisenken might be, it didn't shield him against the
magic in that lit the torches when any presence neared them.
So as long as nobody actually saw the torches burning he had no problem.
Witha burst of strength he jumped up to the second ventilation-shaft.
Grabbing the middle bar with one hand and liquefying the metal at both ends
at the same time, he slid into darkness again.
The flames extinguished again as soon as Ranma slid half a meter into the
shaft after replacing the bar to its original place.
Eight minutes later two blue-grey eyes gazed into semi-darkness again, from
aventilation-opening behind the upper end of a huge pillar. Carefully
clinging onto the fragile textures engraved in the ceiling, Ranma made his
way around the 3 meters wide pillar to see what else was awaiting him here
and to check it with Happusai�s relation of what this Samofere-guy told him
about his library.
�Rows of huge pillars: check
engraved ceiling: check
endless rows of shelves: nope
guy covered in flames looking in my direction: check
�.
What the��
�YACK� was all that came into the young Saotome�s mind as a huge ball of
firesoared through the space he had just occupied and exploded against the
upper ending of the pillar behind him, raining him and everything in a
diameter of 20 meters with debris and dust.
As soon as the first attack had completely registered in the pigtailed boys
mind.
Negative facts: flame-guy can sense me, though not very accurately
Same is insanely strong, wings suggest he can fly
Other bird people around, mediocre strength though can fly as well plus
armedwith bows
Dust from explosion makes mi visible to them as well, arrows approaching
fromfirst
groups of guards, 5 more flying towards me
Positive facts: Umisenken works at least for the guards
Yeah, that�s about it�
Holding the dust-particles that had settled on his clothes in their place in
the air with his chi, Ranma darted groundwards, holding to the side of the
pillar at an impossible position. When the first volley of arrows passed
harmlessly through the human-shaped afterimage in the dust it was already
toolate for the second group of pursuers to completely reverse their charge.
Accompanied with an angry roar from the phoenix-king another sphere of flame
exploded against the ceiling, throwing the group of unlucky guards back with
the shockwave.
Momentarily loosing track of his intruder thanks to the heavily chi-charged
arrows of his palace-guards, the voice of the phoenix-king roared through
thehall, shaking loose even more debris where his attacks had struck.
�Who dares to invade the hall of the phoenix-king Saffron?!?! Show yourself
mortal, so I can kill you!!!�
�Just great� thought the tensed pigtailed fighter �just great forgetting
thatit could mean throne-hall as well as book-hall- Just great!! Now how to
get out of here?�
Dodging out of the way of two more fireballs that were cutting the pillar
inhalf, Ranma�s hidden body darted right trough another volley of arrows
thathad been fired a split-second after Saffron had shot.
�I need to put down those guards, when eh starts directing their fire i�m
done for!� Landing right in the middle of a group of five winged archers
thatwere charging another volley of arrows Ranma let a tiny portion of his
chi flare up. A combination of lightning-fast strikes to certain
pressure-points as well as a minor pressure of chi to their nerve-clusters
let the archers collapse immediately as their chi-reserves burned themselves
up in a split-second.
Another half a second later taught Ranma the error of his technique, as more
and more fireballs came alarmingly near to him, even scorching the sleeves
ofhis jacket as he dodged. The sudden flare of the guards chi had slightly
saturated his clothes and skin, making him stand out as if he were carrying
acandle in darkness to the chi-sensitive phoenix.
Since he had to use his own power to get rid of the guards *scent* clinging
to him, he used the manoeuvre to produce two dense reddish balls of chi that
impacted in two flying sword-wielding guards flying aimlessly around the
ceiling.
Dodging and only firing in the short intervals between the phoenix own
attacks, Soon only the phoenix-king himself remained standing on the
debris-covered floor. But even though his anger had cost his own guards some
scorched feathers Saffron wasn�t the King of the Phoenix for nothing.
With a tremendous roar he flared his own power, orange-red chi soared into
the air like a corona of flames. Unfortunately, and according to his intent,
the push of chi built up pressure against Ranma�s own life-force, making him
visible like a shadow against a roaring fire. Dispensing the Umisenken as
Useless Ranma decided to press the battle and not give Saffron the time to
get the advantage of a mid-air combat.
Releasing all holds on his energy he was engaging in a close-range combat
with the phoenix-king before he could react. Trading punches and kicks at an
unbelievable speed Ranma soon realized that he was more then a tick faster
then his opponent, though he didn�t want to risk testing if the same could
besaid for endurance after a flame-covered first punched through another
three-meter wide pillar.
Deciding to catch a short breather, Ranma caught the fist of Saffron in his
palm while pulling all of his chi out of his hand and forearm. Forcing the
phoenix chi to pass through his hand without damage, he threw it back into
his opponent redoubled with his own power. A short flare of scarlet chi was
all the warning Saffron got before Ranma�s chi invaded his right arm and
burned it up to the shoulder, blackened flesh exploding everywhere.
�Got enough Tweety?� taunted Ranma, confidant that the winged torchlight was
nowhere near his skill-level. Wouldn�t it have reduced his
fighting-capability Ranma would have liked nothing more then to kick himself
in the ass when he saw Saffron�s hand grow back in a revolting flow of
something resembling liquid flesh and flames.
�Not by a long shot, mortal!!� retorted the healed phoenix, before flying
only half a meter above ground towards his pigtailed opponent. Slashing
upwards with a talon-like hand where his opponent should have been, a column
of fire shot towards the ceiling as if to replace one of the destructed
pillars.
The next minutes of close-combat trashing and short-ranged fire-attacks
showed Ranma that being faster and more skilled didn't win you a flowerpot
ifyou couldn't permanently weaken or disable your opponent. Switching
tactics, Ranma forced his flame-clad opponent to take into the air as chi
soared like lightning from the boys palms, melting and exploding the stone
everywhere it�s dozens of arches touched it.
Exchanging wide-ranged chi-attacks Ranma soon found himself in serious
trouble. Sharp-edged debris couldn't hurt the phoenix-king, and having
enoughdistance to Ranma he could even ignore them completely and let his
healing-abilities as a phoenix do the work for him. At the same time Ranma
had either to dodge, deflect or use chi to prevent taking any damage from
theprojectiles. On the long shot this tactic was going to get him killed.
�Time to retort to Saotome-fighting-technique Nr.1. . taunting� �What is it
Tweety, got problems with your eyes? Perhaps you should get some glasses! It
would even make you look a little less then the peanut-brain you are!!�
WouldSaffron have been a fish, he would have literally swallowed bait, hook,
weights and swimmer at once.
Charging like an enraged bull, the phoenix-king threw around fire-balls and
slashed out with his talons like mad, loosing every thought of skill or
tactics. Unfortunately this didn't bring Ranma any closer to victory, and
Saffron still showed no sign of weakening.
Another furious burst of energy threw the burned carcass of Saffron through
two pillars, seriously cracking a third. Knitting the burned and smoking
flesh together at an alarming rate Saffron�s scorched face gave the
thoroughly Ranma a toothy grin.
�Really impressive little BOY!! It seems that i�ve got to use special means
to get rid of you!! Taste the power of REAL MAGIC!! TASTE THE KINJAKAN!!
TASTE THE GEKKAJA!!! AND DIIIEEEE!!!!!!�
If the chi-attacks before were impossibly strong, the energy the two magic
staffs released at Saffron�s command were tantamount to Armageddon. Two
ballsof blinding energy flew forth from the tips of the staffs, bathing the
hall in dark red and crystal blue energy. On their way to the shocked
pigtailed boy the ground was either evaporating like water touched with a
white-glowing pit of iron or frozen so fast that the thermal stress put on
the stone sent frozen shards of marble exploding into the air.
Firing his chi violently into his legs at the last moment Ranma shot upwards
while the two balls of energy enlarged the throne-hall by another quarter.
Twisting in the air Ranma looked for a place to rebound to, since staying
putat the ceiling didn't seem like a good idea at the moment. As soon as
theycame into contact with the cracked ceiling, Ranma�s feet reminded him of
the strain his latest jump had put on them.
Surprised by impacting on the hard stone, Ranma could only utilize his arm
tothrow himself of the blackened stone before it was shattered by two of
Saffron�s own chi-bursts, though �smaller� wouldn�t be fitting to describe
them.
Coming down on the one leg in slightly better shape, Ranma glared at the
grinning face of his opponent, thinking at high-speed of what to do. Then a
little idea flared up in his mind, at the same time as the two magic staffs
of Saffron unfortunately.
When thw two miniature-suns of magical energy raced towards the injured
martial artist, only one thing sounded above their unreal scream: HIRUU
SHOUTEN HAAAA�..
Since more then four years Ranma didn't need to call out the techniques he
used, although it had it's advantages sometimes. With chi-techniques it was
similar then to shooting with a bow. First you find your center, visualize
the target and the process of hitting it. Then you draw up the bow, bringing
your aim to converge with the target. And then the most difficult part for
most archers follows. In the most decisive moment, the split-second before
releasing, you mustn�t falter. Moving the bow at the last moment, when the
string is already released but the arrow hasn�t yet left the bow completely
is what throws most shots off the target.
At this point some archers use a spring, that makes a clicking-sound as soon
as the arrow is completely drawn out, then the archer releases it without
thinking, purely on a trained reflex and without fear causing them to
flinch.
Like this, it's the same with calling out a move. The shout focuses the chi,
letting the movements of the technique run off on auto-pilot, and it saves
the energy needed to keep focus through the entire time. Energy Ranma didn't
have to spare at the moment.
Fortunately if there was one thing he had learned to do it was to use his
opponents strength for himself. He didn't need to deflect or dispense
Saffron�s attacks, just change their inertia, redirect their movement and
perhaps focus them a bit more. The only problem was, changing the inertia of
something strong enough to melt through a medium-sized mountain was
somethingnext to impossible.
Using the last of his life-energy to keep the attacks at bay, he used a bit
of their own energy to bring the two spheres of elemental magic towards each
other. The proximity of the two antagonistic energy did what in the original
Hiruu Shouten Ha did with their participants chi, creating a vortex of chi
only held at bay by it's wielders power.
Saffron didn't even have the chance to blink, as an extremely tight vortex
ofdust-filled air with fiery red and blue strands slammed into his chest.
Fora moment the phoenix pure life-energy battled with the power of his own
attacks, keeping it from invading his body.
A split-second later frozen and charred pieces of bone were all that
remainedof the phoenix-king after he was impaled by Ranma�s attack.
For Ranma it was like time itself stood still, he only heard the deafening
rush of his own blood in his ears, he didn't even realize he dropped to his
knees and hands when the last of his power dispersed. Only at the outer
edgesof his conscience he saw a pile of debris exploding in a flash of
light.
He didn't feel the shaking of the halls floor at the eruption, didn't hear
his name screamed into the darkness threatening to claim him. And he didn't
see the rock coming that had loosened itself from the fractured ceiling
moments ago, until it impacted on his neck and broke it.
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