Ra-El Chapter 8: What's Left of Me & Departures
"Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"
The surge of power that coursed through his body could not lessen the pain of loss that tore him apart. He then saw the dragon that caused this pain stagger to his feet and literally took off and rocketed towards him fist cocked for a devastating blow. The Amazon women watching saw Ranma vanish from Tsu-oap's side and reappeared with his fist buried in the dragon's gut. The shockwave from the impact leveled all in its wake in twenty-meter sphere that centered the two fighters as it thundered across the valley. Herb flew back from the blow, but before he could have gotten a few feet from Ranma, he grabbed the dragon by the tail. Ranma then flailed the beast though a stone hut and nearly broke its back when he whipped him against an oak tree.
Ku Lon was nearly blinded by shear power of the boy's aura and made her way towards Tsu-oap's body. Her heart sank as gazes upon her. So young, loved by her adopted home and at the very door of love for herself. Ku Lon ran her hand through her hair and remembered the last conversation with her just the other night. She said should anything happen to her, set the boy free. Apparently the girl saw her early fate and made the elder swear that on her honor as village matriarch that Ranma would not be a prisoner of their culture. When Ku Lon asked why? Tsu-oap answered that a gifted young man like him is a gift to the world and keeping him trapped here would be robbing him the chance of sharing his gifts. Ku Lon saw the boy's bracers not far from Tsu-oap and when she tried to pick them up, they would not even move as if there were fixed into that spot.
Ranma continue to vent his pain on the dragon Herb and he was powerless to nothing more than let him. Ranma's uppercut launched the dragon skyward with a cry of,
"Nova Upper!"
Ku Lon and the rest of the village were shocked to see Ranma follow the dragon into the air without jumping. He jus took off from where he stood and soared after the air born beast. Ranma continued the assault on Herb as he rained blow after blow to the dragon's body. Each strike exploded like thunder as it struck. Ranma once again grabbed the Herb's tail and whipped the beast earthward. Ranma dove after falling beast and slammed both fist to his chest and increased the velocity of their fall.
"That's insane." Ku Lon thought as she witnessed thins.
At the height and speed that they were falling at, it would be a miracle if either one of them survives. The impact caused a sixty-meter crater at the out skirts of the village and shook the ground violently causing 3.0 tremors in a 6-mile radius that lasted a whole minute before dissipating. Those who witnessed this rushed along the smoking edge to see the aftermath of this battle. Ranma stood above a severely beaten dragon with the cold eyes with the intent to kill. Ranma grabbed one of Herb's horns, then hoisted the beast's head to bear his neck and drew his hand for spear hand death blow to its neck, while Herb stares defiantly at him with is one good eye.
"How dare you," Ranma shouted. "Knowing what you've taken from me, from these people."
"How noble of you to say after loosing your bed warmer," Herb choked out.
It was the last switch that needed to be pressed for Ranma to do what he did. His hand descended towards the dragon's neck. Suddenly Ranma was shoved into darkness. Ranma searched for anything in the endless sea of black, but nothing, just an empty sea of darkness.
In Ranma's mind:
"Son." Jo-El's voice echoed through the darkness as he materialized in front of him.
"Father!" Ranma said with ragged breath.
"Have you already forgotten the pillars you swore to uphold?" Jo-El sternly said.
"Never!" he shouted.
"Wisdom"
"I should have been more honest with her."
"Humanity" (NA: insert Kryptonian or universal version of this)
"She accepted me for who I am as I, her."
"Transcendence"
"She showed me a world beyond my fist."
"Courage"
"He took her away, it's my right to avenge her."
"Justice"
"I'll make him pay."
"Temperance"
"He doesn't deserve any mercy, not one ounce of it!"
"Then you have failed to grasp the all I taught you." Jo-El said as he turned away from Ranma.
"He took her from me, from the only place she ever knew as home. He took the very life I want to be with!" Ranma yelled as he tried to run after his father, but could not move from where he stood.
"But have you the right to take his? Where does it end from there? We are gifted men my son, not gods. We do not have the right to that power."
"You were a soldier. How many lives have you taken father?"
"A soldier's life is not used to take it from others. I spent my life trying to preserve it son. The blood on my hands has stained my soul and haunted all of my days. Are you prepared for that fate?"
Hearing those words Ranma was ejected from the darkness and returned back to his body at mid strike to Herb's neck. His hand stopped at the base of the beast's neck and Ranma felt Herb's even pulse beneath the his scales. Ranma's eyes began to glow a blue hue as he traced every single Ley Line that weaved through out Herb's body.
"Second thoughts boy," Herb said as he bared fanged grin. "Why don't you join your…."
Herb could not finish his words or was able to launch a final attack, as Ranma suddenly grabbed his other horn and brought his head down to meet his rising knee strike to his jaw. There was sickening sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing as Ranma's attack ripped off both horns from the dragon's head. The witnessing Amazons gasped at the sight and marveled at boy as he crushed the dragon's horns in his fist and scattered it to the four winds.
Herb grasped his bleeding head as his boy started to convulse and glow. His screams of agony hung in the as his body reverted to its natural human form. He couldn't get up and every fiber of his being felt on fire. He could only turn his head to look at Ranma as he scattered the last remnants of his crushed horns to the winds. Again and again he tried to will his body to transform but that only resulted in more pain.
"What…"
"You will never hurt any one again."
"…have…"
"Your powers are gone."
"…you…"
"You will never be a burden to this village again."
"…done?!"
"I have kept my word father. I understand. You haven't failed."
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
Ranma looked at beaten man before him and chose his word carefully before answering him.
"All the lines of power you possessed were anchored to your horns. Destroying them negates your powers from now on and they will never grow back, I made sure of that. You no longer have the ability to transform. You are not worthy of a dragon's mantle. Just know this, I have shown you temperance by not killing you," Ranma then raised his hand towards the many Amazon women that stood at the foot of the crater.
"They on the other hand, shall see to your fate."
Ranma then leapt from where he stood near the fallen Musk leader and landed near Tsu-oap's body. He gathered her in his arms and headed for the decimated village with a cadre of tear stricken Amazons trailing behind him.
XxX
A man stared a giant computer screen that showed a map of China and various notes and geotectonic schematics and ponders on what caused the light quake in the Bayankala range. He then turned his attention to another screen with the same map as its larger counter part but the schematics showed information about a large surge of super concentrated heat output. However unlike that smaller screen, the large one showed a picture of a beam of red light emanating from an area not far from where the sudden quake occurred about a week ago. The man then press another button on his oversized console and an unemotional feminine voice came over the speaker.
"Yes."
"How your Chinese these days."
"Better than yours."
"How about a nice vacation in China around the Bayankala range?"
"Is this a bring "the suit" type of vacation."
"If it can't be avoided."
"Why not send Tengu-boy?"
"The locals don't take kindly to foreign men. This trip needs a woman's touch."
"Did you just crack a joke?"
"I fill you in what you need to do when you get there. Don't take too long Cassandra."
"Roger."
XxX
On a balcony that over looked the Chinese mountain range a golden haired young man sat on a lavish golden chair with what looked like a chess game in progress on a table next to him. Suddenly a winged warrior landed behind him and knelt down.
"The lizard has failed excellency."
"I see," the golden haired man said as he knocked down one of the ivory pieces on the chess like board. "Send Masara and Koruma to keep an eye over the Josenketsu."
"Yes my lord."
"And Kiima…"
"Yes my lord"
"Don't forget to draw my bath."
XxX
It has been three days since the attack, two since Tsu-oap's ceremonial cremation. A statue of her was erected at the village center to celebrate the young shaman's life and valor. There, Ranma stood at its foot and stared at the statue. After the statue was placed at the village center Ranma spread her ashes on its base and planted a ring of flowers around it. Ranma then took of his right bracer and placed it on the statues left arm, it automatically readjusted itself to fit it. The statue suddenly had a faint glow about it and the dragon "S" shield appeared on the statue's chest. Ranma ran what little memories he made with the young shaman through his thoughts. His thoughts were interrupted when a young pink haired girl tapped his shoulder.
"I'm sorry to bother you."
"It's alright. Sy-lku right," Ranma asked as he turned to her.
"I never got to thank you for helping rescue us that day. I was knocked out when you showed up and a lot has happened since then, I just wanted to thank you should you leave," Sy-lku said then bowed before Ranma and left.
"You're gonna leave a lot of broken hearts here boy," Ku Lon said, as she seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"I figure with so many broken hearts, then one leaving wouldn't be much of a bother. That girl, she was one of Tsu-oap's students right? Who'll continue her training?"
"That would be me and the rest of the elders. Thanks to you most of the repairs are done. When do plan to leave?"
"I should be gone by dawn the next day. Damnit I should have told her to back off."
"Do not wallow too far at that edge boy. Even gods wouldn't be able pull you out should you fall. Tsu-oap knew what she was doing and fought bravely at your side any Ama… as any woman would at the side of the man she loves."
"Where will you go?"
"If I weren't searching for my mother, something's telling me to go north, but I'll worry about that after I find her."
(AN: Yes the last two lines has similar dialogue in the Donner Superman film in the beginning when Martha asked Clark where he's going after Jonathan died and the whole knowing that Tsu-oap was gonna die soon was my 13 year old sister's idea. "See I told you'd get mentioned for that.")
Ku Lon solemnly handed Ranma a small slender wooden box and a small pouch.
"Here, take this."
"What's…" Ranma couldn't finish a the slender wooden box stored the flute that Tsu-oap taught him to play and the small pouch held a handful of precious gems.
"Elder I can't possibly take this."
"Yes you can boy, that flute is the only thing that survived the fire that destroyed the shaman's hut and I'm sure that Tsu-oap would have wanted you to have it. The gems are for you to use on your journey."
"Thank you Elder, for everything." Ranma bowed.
"Thrice you have come to our aid and in even knowing our reputation with males, you still lent a hand. You have rid us of an age long foe that the next generation of Josenketsu need not worry for the next. Therefore Ranma on behalf of the elders in the Josenketsu, I want to adopt you as my son with all the status of an Amazon warrior. You would be the first male to receive this honor in our three thousand year reign."
"I would be honored elder."
Ku Lon took Ranma's hand and began to trace a complex pattern upon it. Ranma noticed the flow of Ley Lines shift in his palm and took form of a serpentine dragon twisting its body into a yin-yang.
"You are now my son in my eyes boy and the village here acknowledges that."
Ranma turned and looked around him to see the entire village and elders bow at to him.
"May you never forget this village on your journeys my boy."
"I won't elder. I left a gift should you ever need me." Ranma said as he pointed the Tsu-oap's statue and the bracer it has on its left arm. "I've attuned that bracer to the Ley Lines of the village, should my help be needed at any time, I'll know." Ranma finished as he showed Ku Lon the other bracer on his left arm.
The elder nodded and made her way back to the elder's and the village went about their daily routine. Ranma decided think about how to find his mother, Japan may be a chain of islands but still but large for him wander around to look for his mother. He then decided to go the rock quarry to brood…err think.
When he got there he felt a presence near by.
"State you business Lei Ym, I know you're here."
The stripped haired man walked from behind some large boulders and headed for Ranma. Ranma sill leery about the cat aura he radiated automatically went on a defensive stance.
"I'm not here to fight you boy."
"Then what do you want," as he neared him letting his guard down.
"This," as Lei Ym quickly morphed into the weretiger and sunk his right claw to Ranma's chest.
Ranma's eyes started to glow as the fear and pain race through his body. Lei Ym then pushed head back just in time to see the red beam shoot skyward. The two struggled, one to be freed and the other to hold on. In reality there are three entities at war, a bake-neko who's slowly losing its grasp, the victim, and the exorcist. They then separated in a flash of brilliant ki. Ranma fell to his knees as gazed on upon Lei Ym.
"What… did you … do?"
"It's not much, but the bake-neko's hold is lessened. The rest is up to you." Said Lei Ym as he left.
