Nirvana

A Ranma/Pathfinder (DnD 3.5v2) Cross. Remember to peruse the footnotes for semi-important info/shit that will keep you from getting too confused.

Chapter One: The Last Day of Your Life

It had been growing for a while now, ever since Ranma got his hands encased in the material that formed Saffron's egg. The stuff had made his hands feel tingly and somewhat numb.

The morning before the battle that feeling had disappeared, replaced with a tense knot deep in his chest. It was somewhat uncomfortable, but nowhere near painful or serious enough to let anyone know.

When Akane had been turned into a doll, it had grown larger, making it slightly harder for him to catch his breath. A dull throb pulsed along with his heartbeat.

At the point where his battle with Saffron had just started, it had escalated significantly. It disoriented him slightly with every throb of pain. His breath had become ragged and labored. At that point, he had realized that it was escalating faster and faster and the longer he fought, the more it became difficult to remain coherent. He was aware that he was rapidly nearing his limit.

As the fight was taken into the sky, his arms and legs were shaking. He struggled to breathe and his eyes were beginning to lose the ability to focus on his target. He now realized what was causing the intense feeling: every time he used the Gekkaja, every time Saffron blasted him with one of his fireballs, and every time water from the Jusendo spring hit him, he could feel the feeling grow faster and faster and pulsate ever more painfully.

As the doll of Akane flew through the fireball, allowing him to deal the killing blow to the phoenix, he was barely able to see anything around him. His strength had left him. He and doll-Akane dropped into the overflowing spring that had been destroyed in the fight.

He, or now a she due to the cold nature of the water, had barely enough strength to lift her head above the water. Her vision blurred horribly as she looked around for Akane. Her limit had been reached, and the pain pulsating in her chest had become unbearable. She wildly looked around, her strength giving out on her several times as her arms buckled underneath her time and time again. Her blurred vision made it nearly impossible to see what was around her.

Her arms shook wildly in protest of being used. She could feel her muscles spasm uncontrollably. Sounds seemed to echo around her, muted and impossible to understand. She thought she heard someone yelling off in the distance. There was a metallic taste in her mouth.

Finally, she managed to focus her eyes enough to see the body of a person laying face up in the water not too far from where she was. She weakly tried to crawl through the water towards the person she hoped was Akane. Her body, however, refused to allow her to move, and she collapsed into the water again. As she struggled to lift herself again out of the water, she felt someone grab onto her. The pain started to leave her body, replaced by numbness and overwhelming fatigue.

As she was flipped over, she saw the blurry image of who had grabbed her. A large black and white blur slapped her in an attempt to get her to refocus. The pain of the slap barely registered over the now overwhelming pressure that now felt like it threatened to cause her body to burst apart. The blur began to shake her violently and was soon thereafter joined by other blurry figures. One or two of them moved in the direction of the body she had previously seen.

Ranma blinked her eyes slowly and drowsily.

And everything went black.

Slowly, reality began to return. Birds were chirping off in the distance.

She opened her eyes to see a beautiful blue sky above her. Clouds shaped like spirals twirled and bent across the sky. From around her head she could see long reeds and grasses.

Sitting up slowly, she found herself within a great field of grass and flowers. Looking around, she saw a small village and two large forests. Off on the horizon rose a huge mountain chain situated between two glistening lakes. All around her she saw people rising up from the ground much like she was. Some were simply standing there, looking around, others stood with their arms spread as they basked in the sun, others were meeting up and talking to each other, but the majority simply seemed to simply be wandering off in different directions.

The entire area seemed saturated with a peaceful vibe. Everything was pristine. Everything was perfect. From the way the sun warmed the earth, to the light breeze that brought the smell of wheat and flowers. The way the clouds stretched towards the horizon.

Perfect.

Slowly, she stood, unsteadily for a moment. Glancing around one last time, she started to walk towards the small village.

As she walked, she began to think.

"Where the hell am I? Last thing I remember..."

She suddenly stopped walking.

"Whoever that was in the water… was it Akane? I lost her when I fell…. Gods I hope she's okay." She crossed her arms and stood there for quite some time, lost in thought, "What was that feeling…?"

She shivered as she remembered the pain, causing her body to ache. Soon, the feeling passed, washed away by the (somewhat peculiar) calming nature of her surroundings. She glanced back up towards the small village on the horizon.

"Might as well head towards that village and see if anyone knows where I am," she thought, "And hopefully find a way back."

With that thought, she begins to quickly move towards the small settlement.

It took several minutes to walk there, even at the slightly faster than normal rate Ranma was traveling. As she neared it, she could see the finer details of the village.

It seemed about the same size as the amazon village of Joketsozuko and was very similar to old European medieval villages. Farmland completely surrounded the settlement and she passed by at least two dozen people working in the fields; most had waved or greeted her if they happened to catch her eye, to which she would halfheartedly wave back.

Or at least she thinks they were greeting her, she didn't understand a word any of them were saying. The language they spoke was one she had never heard before, and she had heard quite a few while on her nearly life-long training trip with her father. She couldn't speak any of them, but she would have definitely recognized them.

They had been smiling as they said it though, so...

"Great, they all speak nonsense," Ranma thought with an angry pout, her stride showing equal parts confidence and confusion with just a hint of unsettled nervousness, "Hopefully I can find someone here who speaks good old normal Japanese. Ha, fat chance of that."

For what appeared to be a small farming community, she saw that the town was getting more and more crowded and lively as she neared the center of town. After passing by a few stores and shops; or at least she thinks they were shops as they were filled with either food or weird knick-knacks and bobbles she couldn't recognize; she saw that there was a hustling and bustling bazaar situated around a rather large, ancient well in the very center of town.

"Whoa," Ranma thought, "This place is kind of a freak show."

Most of the people in town were at least somewhat normal looking. Many seemed like perfectly normal people while the rest looked like over-enthusiastic cosplayers, and almost all of them were dressed like they were in some sort of renaissance fair. Some people were really short and broad while others were lithe and had long pointy ears. Some of them seemed relatively normal but they stood at half the height of normal people. One or two people she passed even had green skin and small tusks protruding out of their mouths.

And all of them were speaking nothing but jibberish.

"Ugh," Ranma sighed, out loud this time, "This has got to be some sort of wacked out dream or something. How can I get directions out of this place if I can't understand anyone?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a particularly loud voice coming up behind her.

"Ahahahahaha!" A deep baritone voice laughed heartily, "Faunra! Durin hardorth vas lodis! Ah-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Harsk!" A womans voice called, seemingly embarrassed at what the other voice had said, "Set adall! Nes fuer a dunin ra…."

As the voices continued to talk and near her, Ranma suddenly felt one of them pat her on the shoulder rather hard. She rocked forward slightly, having to take a step forward to keep her balance. She glances to the person who owned the offending hand.

Said man was actually only about 4'5" and sported a thick braided red beard. His build was extremely burly, being almost as wide as he was tall. He wore what Ranma could only describe as old-school fantasy style armor and had a large axe strapped to his back.

"Usto!" he said, pointing up at Ranma's confused face, "Dujona man sayio, nah?! Ah-hahahaha!"

Ranma simply stared at him.

"Harsk…" the womans voice came again, "Mano na tavisne man sayio."

Ranma glanced to see a fairly tall woman whose build seemed to be completely opposite of her companion's. She had a thin, almost fragile build and flowing platinum blonde hair that flowed around two impressively, albeit inhumanly, long and pointy ears. She wore a long deep blue robe and carried a long staff.

Both people carried packs, the lithe woman carrying a smaller one with several pockets filled with different mismatched odds and ends; everything from small sticks to leaves and even a few metal and wooden objects; while the short man had a much larger pack filled with several pouches filled with food and several more weapons.

Ranma simply blinked as she stared at them. They, in turn, looked back. After a few moments, the man's smirk fell slightly while the woman raised an eyebrow.

"Heh heh," The man said after a few moments, "Juno eiy dontak an idiot or somethin'?"

Ranma blinked.

"I don't think she can understand you, Harsk," the woman said.

Ranma glanced back and forth between them rather rapidly. Suddenly, they had randomly started to make sense, and that confused the hell out of her. Mainly, this is because they were still speaking the same language as they had been in the first place; it was as if a switch had been pressed that suddenly enabled her to understand the nonsense language.

"Aye, I think so, Faunra. Ye'd think tha' most people would be able ta speak Common," The man, Harsk, said with a frown, "And her skin tisn't dark enough ta be from tha Underdark."

"Perhaps she is from Rokugan," Faunra said, "Pity that neither of us speak Rokugani. Poor thing must not have been taught Common, you know how some of the lower class citizens are often ignored by local lords out in the boonies."

"H-hey!" Ranma protested out of habit, "I'm no lower class anything!"

The two looked rather surprised at that. Ranma did as well. That hadn't been Japanese she had said, but the same gibberish that everyone else had been speaking.

"So ye do understand us then," Harsk said, "What was with all da starin' then?!"

"Harsk," Faunra said, "Even if she does understand us, she still seems quite confused."

"Aye," Harsk said, "Then wha's got yer head in a bumble then, girl?"

"Hey, I ain't no girl!" Ranma protested, the comment snapping her back to reality.

"Obviously, Harsk," Faunra said without skipping a beat, "You must remember that humans come of age much faster than either of our kin. She certainly seems to be over fifteen, the human adult age. How old are you, dear?"

"Uh…" Ranma paused for a moment, "Eighteen."

"Where ye be from, lass?" Harsk asked.

"Well…" Ranma glanced around, "Before I ended up here, I was in China."

The two of them looked confused.

"Can't say I've heard of that territory," Faunra said, "Is that a city in Rokugan?"

"N-no," Ranma answered, "China isn't a city, it's a country. And I've never heard of this Rokugan place."

"It's the land of the east. They have many interesting warriors and adventurers there," Faunra said before pausing. She placed a slim finger on her chin, "Oh dear, I've forgotten what they were called."

"Hmm…" Harsk nodded, "Aye, many a dwarf had adopted the way of the Samurai."

"Yeah!" Ranma said, "We have those… or actually, used to have those; we still have one that's pretty messed up in the head. I don't know where you got this Rokugan word or anythin'. I'm from Japan."

"Jay-pan?" Harsk asked, horribly mutilating the word with his accent, "No, no. I'm pretty sure there isn't any Jay-pan on the maps. You from the outer planes?"

"Oh dear," Faunra suddenly gasped, after which she paused for quite some time. She then suddenly blushed, "Oh my, where are our manners, we haven't even introduced ourselves. My name is Faunra Morningleaf, this is Harsk Druskar. It is a pleasure."

She did a small curtsey while Harsk hit his fist upon his upper chest.

"M-my name is Ranma," She said, bowing.

"Tell me Ranma," Faunra said, "What… what were you doing before you came here?"

"Doing?" Ranma said, looking down, "Fighting. Some uppity phoenix kidnapped my… uh… fiancé. I had to fight him to save her."

Faunra's hands went to her mouth again as she and Harsk exchanged a glance.

"Aye," Harsk said, "I'm of the mind that you're right, Faunra."

"Poor thing," she said, looking at Ranma.

Ranma glanced at them.

"What?" She asked.

"You were fighting, and must not of noticed it until it was too late," Faunra shook her head.

"What do ya mean, didn't notice?" Ranma asked, a sickening feeling suddenly entering her stomach, "Didn't notice what?"

"Didn't notice what would be natural in that situation," Harsk crossed her arms, "A young lass fightin' a phoenix without weapon and armor wouldn't last very long."

"You saying that I lost?" Ranma asked, looking angry at that, "I didn't lose. Sure, he was trying to kill me or whatever, but I got him before he could get me."

Her eyes went distant after that.

"I killed him…" She said, "but I… I passed out, I guess. Something happened."

She gripped her stomach where she could still almost feel the dull throbbing pain. It was accompanied with a light headed feeling, momentarily making it difficult to concentrate. It was like a rush of energy suddenly enveloped her.

It lasted for but a moment before vanishing as quickly as it came, leaving her in a highly confused but somehow very peaceful state.

"Hey," she said after a moment, "Where the hell are we, anyway?"

"We're in Nirvana, lass," Harsk said, "In the small hamlet of Worry's Rest. Faunra and I are here to witness the games."

"N-Nirvana?" Ranma asked, looking extremely confused. She crossed her arms and thought furiously, "I thought Nirvana was like some sort of crazy state of mind business or whatever. I've never heard anything about there being a place named Nirvana. How the hell am I supposed to get back?"

At that point, her facial expression had soured and her hands were clenched into fists.

"Damn it!" She mentally yelled, "None of this makes any sense! How the hell did I end up way out in the middle of who knows where when I was just in China?! Nothing around here looks even remotely Asian! Hell, nothing around here looks like anything I've ever seen! It all looks like some story book fantasy shit! The short guy even called himself a Dwarf! A Dwarf! And I guess little miss toothpick traveling with him is some sort of faerie or elf or something! This is just so…! So… so…."

At that exact moment, another wave of energy suddenly rushed over her body. All the anger and anxiety that had plagued her was suddenly gone, leaving her mind blank for a few moments as a sort of mental peace was suddenly placed upon her. All her cares seemed to disappear. Her body started to list lazily to the left.

It was just like before, yet many times more powerful.

"Oy, Lassie!" Harsk's deep voice suddenly called out, causing Ranma to flinch before quickly regaining balance, "Ye all right? Ye look a bit flushed."

"Ah," Ranma said, suddenly nervous for reasons she didn't currently understand and blushing furiously, "N-nah. I'm good. Just a bit… tired? I dunno. I feel all weird."

"I… I don't think you have anything to worry about," Faunra said, rather nervously, "It is probably just the… process all petitioners in Nirvana go through."

"Petitioners?" Ranma asked, "What're those?"

"You don't know?" Faunra asked. Ranma shook her head no, "Well… as I said, I wouldn't worry about it. You'll find out on your own soon enough."

"Aye," Harsk said, "In tha mean time, why don't ye come along with us to the games held over in Kurgess' Field?"

"Games?" Ranma asked, looking confused, "You mean like soccer or something?"

"No, no," Harsk said, "What in bloody hell is a soccer? Bah, anyway, tis a competition for those who wish to prove their strength and skill. Both mortals and immortals alike join in."

"You mean like a martial arts competition or something?" Ranma asked, suddenly very interested in these 'games'. She didn't fully register Harsk's last statement.

"Aye," Harsk nodded, "Not just monks, but fighters, paladins, rangers, and anyone else who wants to test their mettle at the edge of a sword."

"Awesome," Ranma smirked, "You gotta sign up or something?"

"I don't believe so," Faunra said, looking kind of worried, "You don't mean to enter the ring yourself, do you?"

"What do you mean by that?" Ranma frowned.

"Well, it's just that you're not even equipped for combat," Faunra said, "With no weapon or armor, how do you plan on winning? I know that monks tend to shun armor, but even they have proper equipment."

"Pffffh…" Ranma waved her off before clenching her fist, "I don't need no weapons or armor, I'm Ranma Saotome of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts! Ranma Saotome doesn't lose!"

"Ah-ha!" Harsk laughed his deep gruff laugh, "Ye might be a skinny, frail lookin' human but ye got the spirit of the mountain folk, true enough!"

Harsk then started to laugh loudly as Ranma blinked, not really sure how to take that. She notices Faunra was giggling lightly. Faunra, after a few moments, noticed Ranma's confused look.

"Don't worry," Faunra said, "Harsk isn't one to mince words. That's the closest thing you'll get to a compliment from him."

"Uh…" Ranma said, rubbing the back of her neck, "Thanks… I guess."

Harsk then patted her shoulder a few more times.

"Come on then!" He yelled, "We've got blades to cross and pride to humble! To Kurgess' Field!"

To the east, across Kurgress' Field, across the river and through the Forest of Dancing Figments, there is a great tower, well decorated yet humble, that stretches into the skies of Nirvana. Its walls a beautiful white, its windows stain glass portraits of heroes of legends long since forgotten to the tides of time.

A young man travels quickly through the brush towards the tower. His claws on his hands and feet bite into the ground to propel himself forward. He wore a simple blue tunic over which he wore a brown leather vest, simple blue pants and white wrappings around his feet. His belt, the only fancily made piece of clothing he had, was light leather embroidered with golden thread; from that belt hung several small talismans, charms, and pouches filled with various things. A flute the color of the green trees was tucked into the back of the belt.

The young man himself was not by any means a normal human man, but a Vulpinal: an anthropomorphic fox, appearing to be in his young twenties. Standing a rather tall for his species 5'4", the young man was covered in a fiery coat of fur and had a tail as long as he was tall. His brilliant blue eyes shined as he raced through the brush on all fours towards his goal.

As he neared his destination, breaking through the foliage into the clearing surrounding the tower, he slowed and popped up onto his hind legs. He hastily brushed his clothing off, trying to rid himself of the small sticks and leaves that had gotten attached to him within the forest. His haste cost him however, as his right foot tripped upon his left, sending him sprawling to the ground in front of the tower.

"Ow," He muttered before being harshly pulled to his feet by one of the tower guards.

"You alright, Zirul?" the guard halfway chuckled.

"Yeah," the young man said, "Thanks, Korin."

Korin was an older looking Vulpinal with a silvery coat. He wore a shiny yet completely decorative set of mithril armor. The armor itself was buffed to a mirror sheen and was covered with golden plates, medallions, and insignias; it was compact and minimalistic, comprising only of a breastplate, gauntlets, and leggings. He wore a dark brown outfit underneath the armor and a flowing white robe over it.

Truthfully, guards in such a place as this is completely traditional and serve no real purpose other than as a formality. Nirvana was a paradise, altercations only happen in an orderly way; such as the games of Kurgess' Field; though rarely due to malign forces encroaching into the sacred realm from the Maelstrom that exists beyond its borders. Mostly, the guards are there as greeters and criers; with exception to those who guard Nirvana's borders. Those were manned only by the strongest and the bravest.

"You seem to be in a bit of a hurry," Korin chuckled, "Have some business with the Lady?"

"Aye," Zirul nodded, "Taramyth said that she had a mission for me. I'm kinda anxious because it's the first time I'll get to be leaving this place since I got here."

"Finally letting you loose, then?" Korin laughed, "I'm sure you'll do fine. On your way then."

Zirul waved a goodbye as he entered the large doors. He quickly crossed the lounge area; most of the area was filled with that of a great stage situated in the very center of the room and was surrounded with places to sit and relax. Often, great musicians and grand plays are performed for the amusement for all who came.

As fast as he could, Zirul climbed the stair case that spirals up along the outer wall of the tower. As he climbed the last few stairs towards the top floor a large set of wooden double doors came into view, each with beautiful windows made of swirled glass and wood stained a deep crimson. Slowing as he approached, he reached out and unlatched the door, swinging it open slowly.

"Uh…" he called, pocking his head into the room, "L-lady Taramyth?"

"Ah," a voice came from behind a privacy screen situated on the far side of the room, "It is good to see that you've finally arrived, young one. Please, come in."

Zirul stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with a small click. He glanced around as he slowly walked into the room. Although he came to Taramyth's tower nearly every day to see performances or occasionally perform himself, he had never been in the Lady's private quarters.

Taramyth's personal quarters was one huge room that took up the entirety of the top floor of the tower. Books, scripts, and scrolls lined the walls, stuffed into ancient dark wood bookcases. Paintings of things, places, and people Zirul had never even imagined were placed around the room, dividing the bookcases up every twenty or so feet. Various musical instruments sat and hung from their stands at points all throughout the room. There was a large lounge chair near where a privacy screen stood; a small table sat next to the chair and had quite a few books stacked upon it. A comfortable, but rarely used bed was situated not too far from where he now stood.

His attention was drawn away from the room as he noticed he could see a shadow coming through the privacy screen, informing him that Taramyth had been in the process of getting clothed when he had arrived. A blush came to his face, albeit a very difficult to see blush due to the red fur on his face.

Eventually, Taramyth came from behind the privacy screen, prompting Zirul to avert his gaze, which had been locked onto the screen. He laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck.

Taramyth stood an impressive 6'1"; made even more impressive due to Vulpinals' normally short stature. Her fur coat was a rich red orange and her eyes shone a brilliant golden. She wore a simple yet elegant seafoam green dress that was only slightly transparent, over which she wore a corset. Her hair was pulled into a long, high braided ponytail. She smiled warmly at him as she walked to the lounge chair and sat down. She then beckoned him towards her. He hastily moved over towards her.

"It is good to see you well," She smiled, "I have very important things to discuss with you."

"Y-yes, my Lady," Zirul halfway stuttered, to which Taramyth laughed lightly, "A-anything I can do, I-I will!"

"There is no need for formalities," Taramyth said with a smile, motioning towards a small wooden chair with crimson cushions beside her, "Please, sit and relax."

Zirul complied, blushing again. Even so, he was still buzzing with excitement.

"I am glad to see that you are excited about your mission," Taramyth said, "It is a very important one, one that will effect much more than you probably realize."

"Yeah, well," Zirul said, nervously, "I mean… uh… I was kinda confused when I heard you had a mission for me. Normally it's either the Leonals or Avorals that go on missions."

"Indeed," Taramyth smiled, "but unlike the missions given to our larger and stronger kin, this mission does not require strength of combat, but strength of mind and keen wits. You could even say that it is more of a diplomatic mission."

"Diplomatic?" Zirul asked, looking confused, "Eh-heh. I'm a little lost, here. I mean, I'm not really good at talking to people. Well… not when I'm telling the truth anyway. Hell, before I came to Nirvana, my mouth got me in trouble all the time."

"Yet even with your faults, Kelumarion, Korada, and I believe that you are the best chance for success," Taramyth said, "There are grand things that had just started to be set into motion, and we are in need of a… representative in the mortal world in question during the process."

"The other lords…?" Zirul asked, "Me? I mean, I can't think of any place in either the inner or outer realms that doesn't know about us. I mean, sure the material plain may have a whole lot of people that don't know about Nirvana but…"

"Not the material world you came from, Zirul," Taramyth smiled even as she interrupted him, "But another. One that has been disconnected from the other realms for untold ages."

"Another… material realm?" Zirul asked, "I thought there was only the one material realm."

Taramyth smiled before standing up. She motioned for Zirul to walk with her as the made her way towards a large book set upon a large gold and ivory podium. Zirul glanced upon the book as they approached it.

To call it simply a large book would be a gross understatement. The book was nearly four feet long and three feet wide and contained what Zirul estimated to be hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pages. The book was bound with deep brown leather and had several golden symbols engraved upon it.

"This book contains all the knowledge that has ever been collected by all Vulpinals throughout time," Taramyth said as she waved her hand, causing the large book to noisily open itself, she flipped a few pages before coming to a familiar diagram, "This is the universe as most of the people here know it. The material plane situated in the middle, connected to the inner and outer sphere of realms by the Shadow and Astral Planes."

"But what most people do not know," Taramyth continued, "Is that there are many other material places, many more than even the gods could count."

She pointed far off from the diagram, to a small circle identical to the material plane situated in the center of the page.

"Every pin prick of light in the night sky is a burning sun, just like the one of our material plane," Taramyth said, "And for each one it is possible for another material plane to exist, populated by its own people and separated by the great expanse of the void. Many of them have an inner sphere of elemental planes and an outer sphere of divine planes just like we do here, but many of them do not."

"But…" Zirul contested weakly, "But the inner and outer spheres are what make life possible! How can life exist without them?"

"Those that do not have their own spheres of elemental and divine realms are connected to those of others," Taramyth told him, "The one in question was long ago populated by the souls from our own cycle of life and death, but was then separated when a huge cataclysm rocked their world. For untold ages, we have had no indication that life could even continue in such a place, but as of recent, the connection has begun to return. As of a few hours ago, the first petitioner to come to Nirvana from this world in countless ages arrived just outside of Worry's Rest. This is where you come in."

"Me?" Zirul asked.

Taramyth nodded, "This petitioner is… a special case, in more ways than one. First off, this person is completely removed their own existence. They are no doubt highly confused and unsettled by their sudden appearance here. You, in your previous life before you came to Nirvana, had experiences in dealing with the truly unknown and unknowable, which is one of the reasons why you were chosen for this task."

Zirul looked off as she mentioned his previous life. His expression fell as memories he had long wished to be forgotten rose to the forefront of his mind.

"Also, the petitioner in question should not even be here," Taramyth added.

"What do you mean 'shouldn't be here'?" Zirul asked, "Were they supposed to go to a different realm?"

"No," Taramyth said, "Nirvana is more assuredly the realm that this particular soul was destined for. The reason is that, unlike every petitioner to be recorded to have come here, this particular soul has not yet left its mortal coil."

Zirul thought on that for a moment.

And came up with nothing.

"H-how is that even possible?" Zirul asked, "I mean, if they're still alive, their soul wouldn't have any way of getting here! Not as a petitioner, anyway."

"We do not yet understand the full truth of the situation," Taramyth told him, "However, we are certain that without someone to explain these sorts of things, this individual may hurt themselves."

There was a small pause in the conversation. Taramyth watched as Zirul seemed to be struggling with himself.

"A-are you sure about sending me?" Zirul asked, "I mean, I only got here fifty years ago and I've only been a Vulpinal for the last twenty! I don't know anything about this sort of thing."

Taramyth simply smiled.

"I have faith in you," She said, placing her hand on his shoulder, "You must find this person and make sure they return to their own world. You must also go with them to that world. Learn of that world so that we may help them."

Zirul looked off for a moment. He would've been lying if he said the idea of going to a new, unexplored world wasn't the most awesome idea he'd heard in quite some time.

"Alright," He said, causing Taramyth's smile to broaden.

"Then go," She said, "I believe that your best chance of finding this lost soul is to head towards Kurgess' Field. They will have no doubt strayed there and should be easy to find as their clothing will be quite peculiar."

Zirul nodded and quickly moved towards the exit.

"One last thing," Taramyth said, causing Zirul to stop as he was halfway out the door. Taramyth walked over to him and handed him a small object, "This should allow the soul to go back to its body as well as allow you to follow it. Time is of the essence. You know the effects of being a petitioner in this plane."

Zirul nodded.

"Now go," Taramyth said, "Seek out the soul of the one named Ranma Saotome."

She knew she should be excited about being at quite possibly the largest and grandest fighting competition that she had even heard of, and she was. She was having more fun than she had had in a very long time. But… she wasn't acting the same way as she used to be at these situations anyway, and that troubled her. Sure, she had played it off as just feeling a little weird and had handed three dudes their own asses already in the games, but there were no insults, no impolite goading.

That, and her mind kept wandering erratically.

Every few minutes, it felt as though she was being pulled away from herself. Or at least that's the best way she could think of describing it. Any thought in her mind would suddenly disappear and a weird almost uncomfortable wave of peace would come over her. It had nearly cost her a match and her head. Luckily she snapped back just in time to dodge a slash towards her neck by a man with what he had called a full blade.

She had taken Harsk and Faunra's advice and was taking a break from competing. She was now currently wandering around the area. She had discovered that if the village was a freak show, this place was a freak carnival. More crazy looking people that she could count flooded the area.

Her picks for the weirdest looking ones were the group of dudes that were made out of rock, the crazy looking purple skinned woman who was had countless spikes coming from her skin, a group of dark furred dog people, and that mostly naked winged woman with the lower body of a snake.

Every time her mind seems to go blank, she felt as if she was losing something. It made her want to get angry, it made her want to punch something, but the peacefulness that comes with the temporary mind blanks turned that anger into utter confusion. The fact that this place felt kind of like she should be here didn't help. It was making her think of things in ways she had never even considered.

For one, she had been aware of her currently female state for some time now, but she had yet to attempt to turn back into her birth form. From all the spells and mojo stuff the people around here could throw off, she was fairly certain a good number of these people could conjure a glass of hot water from thin air. She felt as if it didn't really even matter anymore.

Of course, she was moderately aware that it was the weird mind blanks that were making her feel that way, but try as she might she couldn't bring herself to try and fight them. Every time they happened, she could feel the knot deep within her growing smaller and smaller. It was as if a weight was being lifted off of her shoulders.

Eventually, and almost without realizing it, Ranma had walked a small distance away from the carnival and was now sitting along on the side of a hill. She hugged her knees close to her chest and buried her face in her arms.

She wanted to be angry. She felt as if she should be sad. But she didn't and she didn't know why. And that just made it worse.

She heard the sounds of someone coming through the grass towards her. She ignored it like she had all the others. Already a dozen people had passed her by and she expected this person to be no different.

She was wrong.

"You Ranma Saotome?" A man's voice came.

She looked up to see who had addressed her with a bland expression on her face. She saw the small fox man known as Zirul standing in front of her with a dorky smile on his face.

"Okay," Ranma thought as she stared at him, "Here's another person to add to the list of the weirdest looking people I've seen since I got here."

Zirul sweat-dropped a little.

"I'm not that weird looking," He rebutted, "Maybe you just don't have Agathions or something where you're from."

Ranma arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Eh-heh," the fox man laughed nervously, "I'm Zirul. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ranma stared at him for a moment before responding.

"Ranma Saotome," She said, "But you knew that already."

"Uh… I-I did, yes," Zirul said nervously.

"Well?" Ranma asked, "What do you want?"

"I, uh…" Zirul said, "I was sent here to take you back to where you're supposed to be."

Ranma sighed as she looked down. She didn't say anything.

"Hmm…" Zirul said, confused, "I had halfway expected you to be excited about getting back home. Is something wrong or something?"

"No," Ranma said looking up, "No…. I'm just a little… I dunno, stumped."

"Well, yeah," Zirul said, "In your situation, I'd think that anyone would be confused."

"My situation?" Ranma asked with the first real tinge of anger she had felt for hours now as she glared at the fox, "What the hell do you know about my situation?"

Zirul raised his hands in a surrendering motion as he chuckled nervously.

"Obviously I don't know that much," He said, wondering why she would react like that, "But I do know that you were randomly transported here from your world and I know how we can get back."

"'My world'?" Ranma asked, her anger dying down slightly, "You saying this is a different planet or somethin'?"

"Precisely. Well, not so much a planet as an alternate plane of existance," Zirul smiled for a bit before his smirk drooped a bit, "One that can have an effect on certain people's minds. Effects that I believe you should already be experiencing."

Ranma shot a glare at him at that. Zirul didn't flinch; he had halfway expected it. Her anger disappeared a few moments later.

"This place is really fucked up, you know that right?" Ranma muttered.

"I…" Zirul looked a little put off by that, "I haven't heard anyone describe it in quite that way, no, but I do think I know where you're coming from. It is different from your everyday run of the mill countryside, but it is home."

"Home… almost wish this place was my home too... everything is peaceful here… no one gets on my back or any of that other shit while I'm here… none of the craziness…." Ranma thought with a sudden sting of hurt in her heart. She didn't say anything for a few moments, but she eventually continued, "You said you could take me back? I was kinda doing something important."

"A-aye," Zirul said, his face serious. His thoughts raced, "She feels deep pain when she is reminded of home. What could have caused her so much pain? And why would she want to go back to it?"

His thoughts were interrupted when Ranma stood up.

"Alright then, fox-guy," Ranma said, causing Zirul's fur to ruffle up a bit at the 'fox-guy' comment, "You gonna lead me back to China or not?"

"Q-quite," Zirul said, frowning a little at the girl's brash behavior. He quickly dismissed it, not feeling as though he knew enough about her to make judgments. He then began to go into one of his belt pouches for the item Taramyth game him, "I was given something to aid us in getting back to where you need to be."

"You coming with?" Ranma asked, turning away from him.

"Would that be a problem?" Zirul asked as he kept searching for the item. He had been in such a rush he had forgotten where he had absentmindedly placed it.

"Nah, not really," Ranma answered, "With all the crazy shit that goes down in Nerima I doubt a fox-guy is gonna make anyone's head turn."

"We prefer to be called Vulpinals," Zirul said blandly.

"Whatever," was her only response.

Zirul looked at the girl's backside for a few moments, "How did she become so… bitter? I'm beginning to think I was chosen for this job because something knew I couldn't just leave this well enough alone."

He continued to look for the object he had been given and, after a few seconds, he found it.

"Here we go," He said, prompting Ranma to turn around. Zirul held the object out for her to see.

Ranma looked at it for a moment.

"Okay, so what the hell is it?" She asked, looking at the oddly shaped object.

The object was only two inches in length and consisted of a clear cylinder with a silvery blue liquid inside of it. On either end of the cylinder there were ornate golden caps, one with a simple pointed design and the other with the motif of a snarling animal.

"It's simple," Zirul said, "You just… uh…"

Silence pervaded for a moment.

"Now that I think about it, Lady Taramyth never told me how to use it," He said plainly.

"It's got a liquid inside it, so maybe you're supposed to drink it," Ranma offered blandly.

"Maybe," he said, "But if you drink it, how am I supposed to travel with you?"

"Then we'll both drink it," Ranma replied.

"Don't be preposterous," Zirul said, "That wouldn't make sense."

"A lot of things don't make sense," Ranma supplied, "See, look, there's a little thing you can press so the stuff can come out of the little animal piece."

Zirul turned to the girl and stared for a few moments. He then sighed.

"Fine," He said, reaching into one of his pouches, pulling out two small shot glasses. He then poured the liquid equally into them.

"Cheers," Ranma said half-heartedly before she downed the liquid, "Guh. Tastes like alcohol and mixed with shit."

"Alcohol is actually rather common in potions," Zirul supplied, smacking his lips a few times from the rather strong flavor, "To mask the flavor of the more unsavory ingredients."

"It didn't work too well in this case."

"Quite."

A few moments went by. Nothing happened.

"Maybe…," Zirul said, "Maybe we weren't supposed to drink it. I'm not feeling anything, are you?"

He looked up at Ranma.

Ranma had a blank expression on her face. She wasn't moving or blinking. In fact, the only thing she was doing was glowing.

Silvery blue lights suddenly burst from her and started to swirl around both of them at high speeds. The wind around them started to whirl into a frenzy.

Soon, it became too strong for Zirul to keep standing in one place. Only by dropping to all fours and digging his claws into the ground did he manage to stay in one place.

Suddenly, as soon as the winds appeared, they started to draw towards Ranma, who had been glowing with greater and greater intensity. Zirul's left hand dislodged from the ground and he found himself unable to put it back.

"Whoa!" He yelled. Now at a severe disadvantage, he could do nothing as the wind caused him to slam up against the girl.

Or at least, he would have slammed into her, had she not disappeared in a blinding flash. Zirul was sucked into the flash and disappeared as well.

The wind returned to normal and aside for a few patches of torn earth, there was no evidence to say that they had ever been there.

Pain. The tense knot in her chest had returned with an angry fury. And with it, darkness. An all-consuming darkness. But in the distance, she could see a pin point of light.

Thankfully, this lasted for only ten or so seconds before the light enveloped her. She practically threw herself into it.

The next thing she knew she was thrashing around on a bed in a strange, sterile room. It took a few seconds for the pain to stop and for her to relax.

"Doctor!" The voice of a startled woman came, "Doctor! She's awake!

CHAPTER END

Most of the things in Nirvana are official and in the literal pathfinder books, so I can't claim any ownership of them. Taramyth is also within the book, as is her tower, but it had a serious lack of information about them, so I had to create their style and personalities off hand. Zirul, however, is mine, as in, I made him on a character sheet and played as him during a horror campaign. He wasn't a Vulpinal at the time however, so this story takes place after his death. He's a Sorcerer with the Celestial bloodline. He's a half-elf that was actually born and raised in Worry's Rest, but then was transported at a young age just outside of a city on the material plane, the city of Ravenwood. That name carries a lot of weight when it comes to crazy shit and hardcore character death in my play group.

Oh, and I gave Ranma some literal stats, a la Pathfinder Core Rulebook. I can't show them as I've given him some stuff that will happen later in the story. I will however tell you that, after looking to the CR (a stat that determines the relative power of an enemy, their Challenge Rating) of a Phoenix; which turned out to be a CR 15; so for Ranma to defeat Saffron by the narrow amount he did Ranma himself would have to be at least a 15th Level Monk, more than likely much higher as CR typically takes into account the heroes fighting as a team of roughly 3-5 people. Which is pretty substantial being as the classes only go to 20 before one gets to EPIC LEVEL, the point at which you become powerful enough to challenge the gods and the very few epic level monsters that exist, including the Jabbawock (which can only be killed by getting a critical hit with a vorpal weapon, the most powerful and expensive enchantment there is) and the Terrasque (which can't be killed at all).

A Full Blade is a huge sword. Think Cloud's Buster Sword a la Final Fantasy VII.

Ranma's picks for weirdest looking people at the games were a group of earth genies known as Shaitan (the dudes made of stone and a type of Earth Genie), a needle-folk woman (the purple skinned spiky woman), a group of hound archons (dark furred dog people who happen to be celestial creatures), and a Lillend (the snake woman who also happens to be a celestial creature) respectively. I realize that many of you have no idea what these things are and I am amused by that fact. I thank you.

Oh, and if you're wondering, yes, Vulpinals can read thoughts.