Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi, Dr. Strange was one of the greatest creations of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.
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Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts
By Brendan O'Donnell
Chapter 1
Ranma sat in a bar in Shanghai looking at the panda across the table from her guzzling down a bottle of Chinese whiskey. Glancing down at her own breasts she shuddered. She wanted to grab the bottle away from her father and drink until she forgot about them, until she could look in the mirror and not see the girl looking back. She looked at her father. The panda was now dancing unstably while all the customers clapped their hands. Then again, maybe not.
Someone near her said something in Japanese. Ranma focused her attention to listen. It had been a while since she had heard Japanese from anyone besides her father and the guide who left several days earlier.
"I'm telling you my arm was completely wrecked by the accident, but then the Ancient One just waved his hand, said something I couldn't make out and..." the Japanese sailor raised his hand to show the Chinese sailor siting opposite from him.
Nodding his head the Chinese sailor replied, "Hmm, is like old stories. Ancient One much wisdom much power. Can cure any wound, remove any curse."
Remove any curse? Ranma thought to herself. A few weeks ago she would have dismissed any such rumors, but after Jusenkyo... she stood, and walked to the table. "Could you tell me a little more about this Ancient One?" Seeing the sailors look at her she added, "Sorry, I haven't heard Japanese in a while."
Ranma stepped down the hallway with one of her father's arms pulled across her shoulders trying to help the panda beside her walk. It would have been helping if Genma hadn't been unconscious. Just three weeks in the mountains had almost been too much for them. Three weeks. Of course part of the difficulty stemmed from Shampoo's attack just as they were leaving which ruined half their supplies. No tents, no gas for that stove Genma had somehow acquired, and not nearly enough food. Her father had been half-dead with exhaustion and hunger when Ranma spotted the temple through the rising snowstorm. It had taken what seemed like hours to make their way to the doors. The doors that had opened with a touch, leading into this straight corridor down which she was dragging her father.
It was a large room with a domed ceiling that extended high above. The door she had entered was one of almost a dozen leading into the room.
On a platform was a large throne, circular at the base, and rising like a hemisphere, except where the part was cut away to leave a foot high platform covered with cushions. In this throne sat a very old-looking man. He was wearing lama-like robes over his almost skeletal frame, and gazing at Ranma and his father with eyes that seemed to see into their souls.
"Greetings traveler, You are welcome in this place."
Ranma took a deep breath and walked forward to the platform. "Are you the Ancient One?"
"You seek the Ancient One? Seek no more for you stand before him." Ranma stepped to the foot of the platform. "Speak. Tell me of the Jusenkyo curse that brings you to this place."
Ranma blinked and looked up at the Ancient One. "You know about that? Can you cure me?"
The Ancient One looked to another entrance and called, "Food and hot water for our guests!" He looked at Ranma. "You will be more comfortable in your original form, correct?"
"Yeah." Ranma looked down a moment and took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. "Look, Pop and I have been traveling for weeks looking for you because we heard you could cure curses. Can you get rid of this one for us?" The Ancient One simply looked at him a moment, then smiled as a small man in orange robes walked up behind Ranma and poured a little hot water on her head from a kettle he held. Turning away from the now-male Ranma the servant walked to the panda.
"You and your father must be tired from your journey. I shall have my acolytes prepare a room for you." He looked past Ranma to the figure who had just restored the panda's humanity. Turning to look at the Ancient One the orange clad figure bowed and walked out of the room.
Ranma looked at the Ancient One a moment, then stepped up the platform and grabbed the Ancient One screaming, "WE JUST CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF A BLIZZARD, SO CAN YOU CURE US OR NOT!"
His eyes narrowing, the Ancient One stated, "Insolence." He raised his arm. Suddenly Ranma found himself pulled away from the Ancient One. Pulled into the air by an unseen force. The Ancient One stood his arm loosely pointing in Ranma's direction. "None may lay hands upon the Ancient One." He dropped his arm, and Ranma fell to the ground, collapsing to his hands and knees from shock and exhaustion.
The Ancient One looked at Ranma, past him to his father, then shouted, "SHAN!"
"Master," A voice responded from a door to the side of the chamber. Ranma looked toward the voice as he pulled himself to his feet. The dark haired man was bowing his head toward the Ancient One, obscuring his face from Ranma. Then he raised his head. Shan was a few years older than Ranma, with short-cropped hair and a face that mostly conveyed a sense of stillness. However as he raised his head his eyes locked with Ranma's for a moment. Ranma forced himself to keep looking despite the overpowering sense of malice and hate he could feel in the young man's eyes. Then Shan was looking past him to the Ancient One.
"Please show our guests to their quarters for the night."
"Of course, master." Shan turned to look at the two travelers. With a slight smirk, he walked over to Genma. Reaching out his hand he made a grasping motion, and Genma floated a few feet off the floor. Glancing at Ranma he commented "This way," as he left the room through a large hall to the side.
Ranma sat looking out the window of the room he and his father had been given at the snow filled pass. According to Shan the Ancient One said it'll be almost a week before it'll be safe for us to leave. The memory of the trip to the temple through the raging storm brought on an instinctive shiver. At least dad's ok, Ranma thought looking over at his father who was lying on the sleeping pallet he had been given, snoring loudly. Not that that's such a great thing. Ranma scowled and looked back out the window.
A minute later Ranma stood and left the room.
Ranma stood at the doorway into the Ancient One's chamber. Magic. I'm half girl now thanks to magic, and here I am hoping some old guy has magic to change that. Well as soon as that's taken care of pop and I will be on our way and that's the last we'll have to deal with magic. He stepped into the room, then paused glancing beside the Ancient One's throne, where a strange orange mist was bubbling up from nowhere. Moving with a very un-mistlike cohesion, it reared up like a serpent. "Look out!"
The Ancient One glanced at Ranma then pivoted to the mist. He raised his hands, speaking quietly and as the mist shape struck a glow surrounded him. "The Vapors of Valtor cannot pierce the Shining Shield of the Seraphim," The Ancient One stated.
Ranma stepped into the room pausing as he watched the growing cloud. There has to be something I can do, but that has to be magic, How am I supposed to fight mist?
"Come no closer!" the Ancient One called at Ranma.
The Ancient One rose to his feet. The mists boiled around him like an amoebae trying to engulf its prey.
"In the name of the Vishtanti, begone!" The Ancient One proclaimed, punctuating his declaration with a gesture toward the cloud, which burst away from him. The vapor fragments hung pulsing in the air for moments, extended as though to reform around the Ancient One again, then dissipated into nothingness.
The Ancient One lowered himself into his throne, raising his unsteady hand to support his head.
"What was that?" Ranma said as he walked up to the throne.
"I have worked to prevent this world from falling to those from beyond for many centuries. In that time I have made a few enemies. One of them tried to catch me by surprise today."
Ranma looked at the Ancient One, the deep wrinkles lining his face, the frail, barely-more-than-skeletal arms, the drops of sweat on his forehead. "You shouldn't be having to do this."
"I must, my successor is not yet ready." The Ancient One looked into Ranma's eyes. "Ranma, you came to me seeking a cure for your curse. I can end your transformations, but the change itself is merely an aspect of what became part of you at Jusenkyo. The essence of that spring has interwoven itself with your karma, and if I prevent the structured manifestation of the change, it will manifest chaotically, almost certainly becoming a great personal calamity to you." He shook his head. "No potential cure will be effective or safe until you use the curse to reshape fate."
"So you can't help us. Thank you for saying so." Ranma bowed to the Ancient One and turned to leave the room.
Ranma slowly walked through the citadel, not looking at anything in particular. No cure here then. I shoulda guessed. That means we'll be leaving when the weather clears up. Hopefully Shampoo's given up on us; she definitely hasn't followed us through that storm. He stopped and glanced at the walls. I just hope the Ancient One will be OK. Protecting the world from those whatever and having weird clouds attack him. I hope nothing bad happens, he seems ok. He resumed walking, hands clasped behind his back. And Shan, I don't trust that guy. He looked up and saw light coming from an open archway to his right. Glancing through he saw Shan leaning over a table, engrossed by a small cloud of fog rolling on its center. Glowing orange mist, Just like what attacked the Ancient One. Then the mist dispersed revealing a small stone figurine of the Ancient One on his throne.
Shan suddenly rose, turning his head to look right at Ranma. Ranma saw Shan's eyes widen in surprise then narrow in confident malice. The memory of the Ancient One holding him in the air with a gesture flashed through his mind as he jumped into the room spinning into a roundhouse kick at Shan's head. To Ranma's surprise it connected, knocking Shan several feet away to land by the wall. Ranma looked at him a moment, surprised at his success. Then he saw Shan shaking his head and looking at him. Cursing his distraction Ranma clenched his fist and jumped across the room to his opponent.
A foot away from Shan, an unseen force struck Ranma, throwing him across the room. "Such an assault shall not be forgiven," Shan said as he rose to his feet. Gesturing quickly he added, "Nor shall it be repeated."
Ranma pulled himself partway up the wall, when a strange force suddenly encased his wrists and ankles, resembling an orange flame, but cool to the touch and hard and resilient. The mystic bindings pulled at him with more strength than he could resist, and he collapsed back onto the floor. Then Shan squatted before Ranma, and grabbed his hair, lifting his head to look up so they could see eye to eye.
"A very strong kick," Shan commented, rubbing his bruised cheek. With a scowl he lashed out, backhanding Ranma. "You need to learn not to attack your betters." This time Shan made a quick stabbing gesture at Ranma, who curled his body, barely keeping himself from screaming as agony surged through his nerves like fire. Shan smiled as he watched. A long minute later he cancelled his spell with another gesture.
Ranma rolled onto his side and looked up at his tormenter. "When the Ancient One learns..."
"You won't be telling him anything." Shan responded, gesturing once again. Ranma suddenly felt a sensation of his throat being grasped. "And there won't be anything to make him curious either," he added while gesturing once again. Suddenly the magic restraints faded away. Ranma looked down at himself a moment, then pulled himself to his feet. As he rose Shan grabbed his face. Ranma attempted to reach up to counter the assault almost instinctively, but the bonds reformed the moment his hands began to move. Shan let go, then with his other hand he drove a fist into Ranma's stomach, causing the martial artist to double over and fall to his knees. Looking at his fist Shan commented, "Crude and clumsy, yet so satisfying." With a laugh he left the room.
Ranma walked back into the Ancient One's throne room. He had tried talking with his father about the day's events, but while he could talk about the attack on the Ancient One, any attempt to mention Shan's treachery caused the spell to silence him. Not that it would have mattered, if pop knew about Shan he'd just decide to hide in his room till he could run away. Ranma felt a familiar sensation of distaste contemplating his father's cowardice. The Ancient One's trying to help the whole world and Shan's trying to kill him. He looked at his hands. A martial artist is supposed to help people, but I can't do anything about Shan!
Looking toward the Ancient One's throne, Ranma saw Shan bowing to the Ancient One seated there. Turning he walked up to Ranma, a triumphant smirk on his fact. "Ah, good to see you again, I was just informing the Ancient One that the storms have cleared and you can leave in the morning." Shan walked past and left the room.
Ranma looked after Shan, anger rising, then dropping as he felt the restraints tensing invisibly. Everything he knew, the skills he had spent ten years developing were useless against Shan. He had been defeated completely, and forever. NO WAY! There has to be some way of stopping Shan. Something that... Wait, his spell won't let me warn the Ancient One, but perhaps I can learn how to overcome the spell and fight Shan on his own terms. "Ancient One?"
"Yes Ranma?"
"I just wanted to know, can you teach me magic?"
The Ancient One looked at him appraisingly. "It is not a thing that can be learned casually. You would have to endure many hardships, and dedicate the rest of your life to the pursuit."
"I've got plenty of experience with hardships," Ranma responded. "And I do want to learn magic. It's something that would be worth dedicating my life toward mastering."
The Ancient One smiled. "A request I was hoping to hear from the moment you arrived in this hall. But," he raised his hand and gestured, "you should not make such a request while constrained by Shan's spells."
Ranma blinked. He raised his hands and looked at them. He couldn't feel any sensation of binding, not even when he visualized his fist smashing into Shan's face. "You knew."
"Shan is the agent of Baron Mordo, an earlier student of mine who also fell to the dark path. I knew the truth of Shan's allegiance from the moment he offered himself as my student. I am not beyond hoping that I might someday redeem him as I failed to redeem Mordo. What's more, here he is where I can watch him and keep him from harming the rest of the world. But now you are free from Shan's magic. Do you still wish to learn sorcery?"
Ranma thought a moment. Then he smiled and nodded. "Yes, I want to study sorcery under you."
Shampoo stood just outside Joketsuzoku village, looking south at the distant outlines of the mountains where her quarry had vanished just over a month earlier. She scowled thinking of her failure to kill her quarry before she and her panda could escape to the mountains. Thinking of the mountains caused her scowl to once again fade to puzzlement as it had so often from the moment her great grandmother had come to stop her pursuit.
Flashback
" You cannot pursue them into those mountains, Shampoo. "
" Why not Great Grandmother? "
" Because of honor. The people you spoke to said that the girl with the pigtail is seeking the Ancient One. I have not told you of this yet, but our family owes a great debt to the Ancient One, and any request he makes we must honor whatever the cost. If he had asked you to cease your pursuit of Ranma, honor would demand that you break tribal law and accept the consequences. "
"Ayah! What did the Ancient One do that could indebt us to him so completely? "
Cologne frowned and looked at her. " For you it is sufficient to know that the debt exists, and to honor it. " Smiling she added, " Don't worry Shampoo, there is a villager who owes us a great debt and when Ranma returns from the mountains we will hear. And however the Ancient One might feel about her death, if he doesn't tell you not to it's not your fault for acting in ignorance. "
End Flashback
" What kind of debt does our family owe? "
In a courtyard of the Ancient One's temple, Genma jumped at his son lashing out with a spinning kick that flowed into a rapid barrage of three punches. Ranma avoided the first attack, then blocked the handstrikes, backing away the whole time. As Genma stepped forward to press Ranma's retreat, Ranma tripped, falling backward. Genma picked up his attack, and walked right into a fast kick his son threw from the ground. As Genma staggered back, Ranma spun on the ground, sweeping his father's legs out from under him. Reversing the leg's path, he kicked it down, halting a centimeter from Genma's face. "I win," Ranma stated.
"Not bad Ranma, you've definitely improved enough to justify calling this training trip complete," Genma commented as he pulled himself off the floor.
"We're staying, Pops," Ranma responded as he raised his legs. A downward kick combined with arching his back threw him back into a standing position.
Genma looked at his son, then scowled. "Ranma, you are a martial artist! All this..." He trailed off gesturing about him, "We have been here over ten months! You belong in Japan, not sitting on a mountain chanting mantras all day!"
Ranma sighed, and glanced at a fountain fifteen feet away. Raising his hands he quickly gestured at the fountain. For a second a jet of water arced through the air splashing onto Genma's head turning him into a panda. Genma continued growling, stopping when he saw the water continue its course to splash Ranma invoking his curse.
"Ah man!" Ranma commented as she wiped the water off her face. "When am I going to get that to work right?"
Genma raised a sign stating, "That's what you get for being disrespectful to your elders, Boy."
Ranma looked at her father with a very neutral expression. Shaking her head she walked into the citadel.
Ranma paused as she saw Shan standing in the room before her. Her fellow student looked at her not bothering to hide the hate in his eyes.
"Shan," Ranma stated coldly, bowing slightly.
"You have made rapid progress boy," Shan declared. "I was patient for a time, but now I find I can no longer tolerate your presence here." Walking across the room, he came to a halt two feet away from Ranma. "I challenge you to Certamen in five hours. The loser will leave this place."
Ranma looked into Shan's dark eyes. "Challenge accepted."
"Pride is not your master, Ranma. You still need to learn this," the Ancient One commented as they walked together down the hallway.
"I know. But magic comes from within, and I learn better by facing challenges than by studying scrolls."
The Ancient One looked at Ranma and sighed. "You must find your own path, but you should not seek that path until you have mastered the founding knowledge." They reached a large pair of doors. A gesture from the Ancient One caused them to swing open.
The doors opened into a large doomed room. Dominating most of the floor was a complicated set of concentric magic circles. The larger circle was 500 feet in diameter, and with six lines moving inward to a second circle, which sported three smaller circles at the intersection of three of the lines. This circle then extended inward in a series of partial circles attached by lines from one circle inward, till they reached a whole 100-foot circle. Shan stood in one of the circles of the second circle.
"Master," Shan said, bowing to the Ancient One. "Let's begin," he added, swinging his gaze to Ranma.
Ranma walked to one of the empty circles, the Ancient One to the other. "You have issued the challenge Shan, and Ranma has accepted. What terms do you wish?"
Shan smirked. "That whoever loses this contest will leave this place forev..."
"For a year."
Shan looked at the Ancient One, then nodded. "As you say, whoever loses will leave and not set foot here till the sun attains a full cycle. By my honor, by my life, by my art I swear to accept these terms without complaint."
"I likewise swear," Ranma added.
"Very well," the Ancient One responded. Raising his hands to a triangular form before his face, he began to quietly chant. As the chant continued a glow sprung up around him, and suddenly the circle he stood within began to shine with a bright bluish white light. The Ancient One shifted his gesture slightly, and the light spread along the lines like molten silver filling a mold.
Ranma dropped to one knee, reaching down to place his right hand in the circle containing a hexagram that touched the line leading to the inner circles. Closing his eyes he focused his mind. The power flowing into the pattern flowed through him, gaining strength as it continued its flow into the inner portion of the pattern of lines. As he felt the power reach it's peak, he reached inward a moment, and let his astral body separate from his physical body.
Floating into the circle, Ranma gathered the power from the circle, and from the link with his physical form. Opposite him he could see Shan floating into the smallest circle, forming part of the power he was gathering into a black armor. Concentrating Ranma channeled part of his power into his own defensive aspect as well. His protection took the form of shimmering light, which seemed to fuzz the boundaries of his aspect. As he reached the inner circle he focused power into the other aspect of Certamen, attack. Power gathered in a sphere in his right hand. He saw Shan forming a similar sphere between both hands in front of him.
Shan released his attack. The ball of energy flew at Ranma. Ranma waited. The sphere of dark blue power streaked with ebony exploded five feet from Ranma, erupting into the form of a great blue and black striped snake, which lunged at Ranma. Ranma flew forward, dodging past it. Raising himself to an airborne approximation of standing, Ranma released about half the power he had gathered into the sphere as a score of light darts shooting toward Shan like a cloud. Simultaneously he focused his defensive power behind him, bracing him against the blow impacting with his defensive field as he released his attack. Forming what was left of his attack sphere into a katana, Ranma pivoted, slashing into the snake form, which dissipated from the attack.
Ranma spun again, feeding power into the sword he held. Shan wasn't in sight. Raising his hand he concentrated defensive power into a shield above, just in time to deflect most of a large black tinted energy blast falling on him like a meteor. Sinking from the impact Ranma could feel the energy that penetrated the shield somewhat disrupting his links to the circle. The shattering of that link wouldn't be fatal, it would however be Shan's victory. No way. Reforming his sword into a staff he flew up toward Shan, dodging another blast as he ascended. Twirling the staff in hands he struck at Shan in a flurry, forcing the sorcerer backward. Then as Ranma circled the staff in a blow Shan flew backward to avoid, he shifted the staff into a chain, which wrapped around his enemy. Channeling his raw offensive power through the chain, he was able to inflict some damage of his own before Shan formed a dagger to cut the weapon.
Shan dropped, flying downward at full speed. Ranma followed, dissolving the chain back into its unshaped magic. Shan pivoted a few feet from the floor, hurling three spheres of power at Ranma. Ranma formed three shields, shaping the attack power to strike and disrupt whatever attack was strongest.
The center sphere shifted into the likeness of a black furred cat.
"NO!" Ranma cried as he focused his energy into reversing his descent. He let his attack power dissipate, dropped two shields and focused every reserve into a shield between him and the cat. As the cat form popped like bubble on Ranma's shield, the other two blasts struck him full force from the sides.
From the sidelines, Genma grinned and clenched his fist. Yes!
Ranma checked the wax seal on a scroll before adding it to several more filling a wooden box.
"I can carry some of those if you want, Ranma," Genma commented as he finished packing his own backpack. Ranma looked up at him, then picked up the final scroll, checked its seal, and added it to the box. Looking over the scrolls he picked up a wrapped cloth bundle and put it over the scrolls. Closing the lid he picked up two strips of paper, and spread them across the top of the box. Picking up a candle and a chunk of wax he melted a small blob onto the intersection of the two strips. Speaking quietly he gestured over the wax, then picked up a small silver disk and pressed it into the wax. A ripple of something passed across the surface of the box.
"Well, I pity anyone who tries to get past that."
Genma looked at the box with a somewhat fearful expression. "Um, what did you do Ranma?"
"A low level aversion to keep most folk from wanting to steal it, an alarm function to warn me if anyone's tampering with it despite, and a little something to make whoever it is feel REAL penitent." Ranma grinned as he finished his explanation. Putting the box into his empty backpack, Ranma began adding his clothes and few possessions on top of it.
Genma glanced at the box again. Ok, the scrolls won't make good kindling. I just have to trust that getting away from here will make the boy realize he's a martial artist and it's not his place to throw away all of my hard work!