Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works.
Author's Notes: Well, this is it, the final chapter of Shadows & Blood. It's been fun, and we hope you've enjoyed it. Remember, this is your last chance to vote on which project we start work on next.
Chapter 9: End of the Line
The deck of the space station vibrated as Ranma ran through the corridor, breathing hard before groaning when he heard a series of electronic screams behind him and swore, "Dammit! I thought that Limpet would have distracted them!" Following him were three Dolls, different ones from the ones he had faced earlier; a trio of Dolls with guns attached in place of a forearm were running along the walls, while literally skating after him were another three Dolls with wicked looking swords affixed to their forearms. Glancing ahead, Ranma saw that he was approaching a dead end and came up with a plan. As the group was about to hit the dead end, Ranma planted his feet on the wall, ran up it and pushed himself off while whipping out the Steel Hawk.
The Dolls mimicked him, but they couldn't mimic his shots- Ranma managed to cleanly put a bullet into the heads of the gun-arm Dolls, but snorted when he saw that the blade-arm dolls simple blocked his shots, obviously having better reflexes. With a hiss, the Orochi Blade was out and the battle was joined, blades clashing as Ranma focused his Ki and a demon snake sprang from the blade to wrap around one Doll as Ranma locked swords with the other, before lashing out it a sweep kick and spinning to take the head of the trapped Doll before bringing the blade down on the tripped Doll's chest. Ranma dropped to the ground to avoid a slash that would have sliced his spinal cord in two before wrenching out the blade and ramming it through the third Doll's chest. The Orochi Blade chuckled darkly as the Dolls melted into dust before Ranma resheathed the sword.
Looking around, Ranma knew that he would have to take another route, and ripped open a vent cover before crawling in, the cramped vents forcing Ranma to drag his backpack after him with his foot as he navigated the cramped vents, glancing through grilles to try and get his bearings while avoiding being spotted by the Cleaners, Dolls and Depravers that were now actively hunting him. He shuddered slightly as he remembered the burns he got from the plasma cannons the Depravers were carrying, and how narrowly he avoided being turned into a pincushion by those...nailguns, he supposed, that the Cleaners had taken to carrying, alongside compact laser rifles, while the few Dolls he had seen that weren't rollerskating or equipped with gun-arms were dressed in near skin-tight black uniforms and wearing red berets, leading Ranma to believe that they acted as officers to the other two types.
Ranma continued crawling down the vents until he noted that they were getting wider, to the point that he could actually start crouching and put the backpack on. As Ranma continued to travel, he opened the Black Book and noted that it was devoid of information on the new Doll types. Ranma frowned; the book had been silent ever since he arrived- it was as though it no longer wanted to provide information on what he was going to be up against. Placing the book back in its pocket, Ranma continued through the vent.
The vent eventually gave way to a passage, and soon Ranma was walking through a stone corridor with ornate carvings on it, "Okay...somehow a metal vent becoming a stone corridor doesn't seem all that weird. Gah, I have to get back to Nerima soon, take a holiday from all of this. Blood, guts, guns, weapons, and monsters for every occasion. I think I've finally lost my mind." Finally, the corridor gave way to open into a large chamber with a ladder leading down.
The chamber was not filled with monsters or deadly traps. In fact once Ranma got a better look he saw that he was inside a trophy room. Taking a seat near a suit of futuristic looking combat armour that was holding a double-barreled shotgun, Ranma decided to take the time to have a meal before heading out. He idly looked around the place as he ate; at the opposite end of the room was a turned-off TV, with a blank DVD case sitting on top of it, the spine of which was marked 'Starkweather Productions: Carcer City'. On a nearby table was a newspaper, the top story of which looked to be something about some narcotic cop's rampage through New York City. Display cases placed around the room displayed a variety of things, including giant axes, swords, evil-looking tomes and a weirdly converted chainsaw. Finally, Ranma finished his meal and began looking for the exit.
The only way out apart, from climbing the ladder, was a large golden door that was sealed by an ornate lock in the form of a wing skeleton battling an angel, so Ranma started searching for the way to open the lock. After some searching Ranma noted that there was a fairly modern card reader in the center of the door, so he pulled out the silver card he received from General Saboath and slid it in. With a faint chattering whirr and a beep, the skeleton and angel withdrew before the door swung open and Ranma stepped through into what appeared to be a giant cathedral, great stained glass windows backlit by giant lamps lined the roof, depicting scenes of war and carnage as Ranma walked towards a massive black door.
He was almost about to push the doors open when suddenly the door bolts locked into place and chanting filled the air. Ranma turned and saw armored men and women wielding longswords, greatswords and some with hammers walk from the shadows, chanting bizarre litanies before they formed ranks and stood in front of Ranma.As Ranma tensed, ready to fight despite the impossible odds, an imperial voice suddenly rang out from the sealed chamber behind him.
"Stand down. I claim the honor of dispatching this enemy champion in single combat. Enter, mortal, and die with courage."
The bolts opened and the door swung inward with the deep, mournful groan of a dying man. Ranma spared one look over the motionless legion of armor-clad warriors, then turned and walked through the door into the darkness beyond, drawing the Orochi Blade -for some reason it seemed appropriate- as he did so. Behind him, the door sealed itself shut with the finality of the Doomsday Clock.
As Ranma walked into the gloom, the haunting sound of organ music filling his ears, light began to appear in the form of ornate candelabras rising between hard stone pews, illuminating a path of black marble and great columns of granite and black iron that rose into the inky darkness that was the roof. Ranma walked forward, and for a brief instant it was as though the pathway stretched onwards into infinity. And then Ranma found himself standing before the podium at the head of what was undeniably a church. There, a figure kneeled in pious reverence before an altar of obsidian, above which dangled the form of a tortured, mutilated angel, grafted from precious metals and secured by great chains. As the music pulsed and reverberated, Ranma hesitated, and then the figure spoke.
"So, you do indeed possess courage beyond that of most mortals. Or mayhap you believed that you stood a chance against me alone, rather than my legion of Fallen? No matter. You are here, and this is where your journey ends, before the altar of Torment Eternal, within the Cathedral of Darkness Ascendant. I am Grandmaster Sangrias. And you, mortal, are dead."
With that he stood upwards, a towering, imposing figure, and swiveled to face Ranma, smoothly plucking a broadsword and medium shield from the altar as he did so. His armor was black as sin and red as heart's blood, engraven with images most foul and profane. From his back sprouted wings like those of the sire of all drakes, and his eyes were pitiless orbs of fiery gold. He made an elegant salute with his blade, and then lunged forward to the attack.
Ranma barely reacted in time, bringing the Orochi Blade up to intercept his foe's sideward stroke. With the screams of a choir of damned souls the two fell blades clashed against each other before Sangrias thrust his shield forward into Ranma's face, an unexpected blow that broke through his defenses and knocked Ranma to the ground. He rolled away to the side as Sangrias split the marble with a downward slash, springing up in a powerful thrust to restore his footing. Sangrias leisurely raised his sword, which began to glow with a baleful unlight, then grasped it two-handed and drew it up against his side as though preparing to make a sideward blow.
"Shadow Wave!" he roared, and brought the blade scything around. A crescent of purest darkness sprang forth in its wake, hurtling through the air directly towards Ranma. Ranma dodged, barely, and then leapt aside to evade the column that toppelled from behind him and crushed half a dozen pews beneath its weight. With a defiant yell of his own he dove forwards, bringing his cursed katana shrieking through the air towards Sangrias's throat. While the blow had come too swiftly to be dodged, Sangrias did react in time that it failed to strike home and true; with a beat of his great wings, he sprang backwards so that the blade failed to open his throat with its merciless caress as Ranma had intended. However, Sangrias could not escape the attack entirely; though thwarted in its goal the blade still struck, its tip gouging wickedly into his chest and piercing plate and mail as though it was clothe.
Blood, red as any human's rather than the black ichor Ranma had been expecting, gushed forth and Sangrias gave a roar of fury and disbelief. Upon witnessing the keenness of his blade's edge, Ranma struck his advantage home by deploying the rapid-fire sword thrusting that was Tatewaki Kuno's trademark "Blue Thunder Attack". Sangrias, as anticipated, half-jumped backward repeatedly in an attempt to evade the deadly stabs, eventually stumbling over a pew, which was when Ranma struck out with a powerful downward blow that surely would have cleaved Sangrias in half- had not he used his shield to absorb the blow. The blade bit deeply into the metal obstacle, cutting it nearly in half, and as Ranma drew the sword back for a second blow Sangrias threw the sundered shield into his face, forcing him to block and giving himself the opportunity to launch himself into the air. He hovered above the field, beyond Ranma's reach, as a steady trickle of blood rained from the gash in his chest.
"You chicken, come down here and fight me fair!" Ranma protested, unthinkingly falling back into his habits of old. Sangrias laughed, a deep throaty laugh, and then raised his now-free hand, which became engulfed in flames of the same hue as those which had outlined his blade before.
"Shadow Star!" He called, thrusting his hand downwards at Ranma and unleashing a flurry of what Ranma could only describe as oversized umbral shuriken. Thinking instinctively, he focused his will into the sword he carried and thrust it upwards in reply, no less than seven of the demonic shadow-dragon heads from before erupting from its ebony surface and howling upwards into the sky. They caught the shadow stars in their jaws and crushed them, or simply smashed them aside with their bulk, until the air was cleared. They voiced an unsynchronized shriek of triumph and then retreated back from whence they came. Sangrias simply hovered in the air, staring down at Ranma with inscrutable purpose, then clenched his sword with both hands and dove downward
Ranma met him halfway, springing up as high as he could in his diminished state and weaving to the side to evade Sangrias's diagonal slash, responding with his own stroke that bit deeply into Sangrias's left wing, half severing it and sending the dark angel tumbling to the ground. Landing heavily, he drove his sword into the ground and then used his now-free hands to tear both wings from his shoulders, screaming his hate and fury as he did so. The bloody appendages had no sooner hit the ground than Sangrias had snatched up his sword once again and, clutching it in both hands, was charging Ranma with terrible speed, his howl echoing throughout the chamber. Their swords flashed and clashed, sparks flying from the fury of their impact, and for a second it seemed as though Sangrias would use his inhuman strength and vitality to literally beat Ranma into the ground. And then, it happened- Sangrias aimed wrongly to counter one of Ranma's strikes and Ranma hewed off his right hand at the wrist. Sangrias defiantly transferred his weapon to his left hand and came at Ranma again, but this blow had all but decided the warrior's fate.
The Orochi Blade flashed through the air and raked open Sangrias's gut, and as the Grandmaster clamped his hand over the dreadful wound to keep his guts from spilling across the floor, Ranma darted around behind his foe and struck twice, severing his hamstrings and sending him collapsing to his knees. As Sangrias still tried to deny his fate and rise again, Ranma gripped the Orochi Blade two-handed and sent it singing forward in one final, fatal blow. Sangrias's head bounced thrice and then rolled to a halt as behind it the dark angel's body collapsed in a spreading pool of blood. The Grandmaster... had fallen.
Ranma breathed heavily as the adrenaline retreated, but as he was about to return the Orochi Blade to its scabbard, his hand stopped before he heard the Orochi Blade's dark, rasping voice chuckle in his mind again, "Yes, such hate and anger in this fallen one. His heart, we desire his heart and what we desire, we will not be denied." Ranma found himself pointing the blade at Sangrias' corpse and with a laugh that chilled his blood and formed ice on the marble, eight shadowy dragon heads sprang from the sword and dove in to feast on the dark angel's body, tearing great chunks of meat from the bone before one of the heads voiced a triumphant shriek and yanked the heart from the corpse, prompting a brief tug of war between it and another head before it sucked the heart in. With a deafening chorus of pleased screams the heads retreated into the blade before the dark voice spoke again, "We follow your will, but should we fall into the hands of another, we will live again."
Ranma shuddered, that did not sound like a good thing as he resheathed the Orochi Blade before stepping past the ruined corpse and began searching for an exit. His efforts were rewarded by a crawlspace behind the altar opening up, revealing a ladder descending downwards. Ranma took one look around the place before beginning to climb down into the shadows. The climb was long, and through it all Ranma listened to a thumping, like the beat of some great heart, before he saw a red light at the bottom and continued climbing. As Ranma got nearer to the light, he noticed the rungs of the ladder becoming sticky and wet, and as he reached the bottom he saw the reason. He was standing in a slaughterhouse, the bodies filling the room so that he was literally knee-deep in the dead as Ranma trudged through the gore and filth, relieved that the blood and other fluids wasn't leaking through his much-abused boots as the beating became louder before with each beat, the lights began to flicker as the corpses began to pile higher and higher.
Before long, Ranma was climbing a mountain of dead, covered in black blood and other, more despicable liquids before he reached the top and pulled himself onto a ledge overlooking the chamber he was now in. To put it simply, the room was filled with corpses while mounted on the roof where saws, hoses and what appeared to be Tesla coils and a blender as Ranma raised an eyebrow and quickly made his way from the platform he was on and onto a nearby catwalk as the beating sounded again, now a deafening booming that caused the mountain of corpses to shift slightly as Ranma found a nearby control room. As he looked over the controls, he found a button to open the door out of the chamber, but frowned when he saw that the door was underneath all of the corpses.
Going over the controls, Ranma found the controls for the various saws and other tools on the roof and pressed the button to start them up, before selecting an option reading 'Finely diced', figuring that would mean less corpses to walk through. With a scream like some great whistle, the machinery got to work and Ranma watched with a little queasiness as the corpses were blended up into a meaty slurry, before a drain opened and jets of water began to drain the room of the bloody soup. Once the last had been drained, the blood-caked door opened with a tortured groan and the sickening squish of old blood that had been soaking the metal finally shifting. Ranma found a gore encrusted ladder near the catwalk and after climbing down, quickly made his way through the door.
Ranma ran down corridors of spotless white metal, his boots leaving a black-red trail as the only evidence of his passage as the beating continued at a deafening volume as he ran down the pentagonal corridors before suddenly a wall slammed down in front of him, and behind him. Ranma pounded on the walls, before a hissing alerted him to a green gas flowing in to the room. Unable to defend against the mist, Ranma slowly slumped to the ground as his vision blurred. He retained consciousness just long enough to see the walls retract and a pair of Cleaners grab his arms and start dragging him before the world went black.
Ranma groaned, coughed and blearily opened his eyes to find himself in a cell, his guns and weapons gone. A quick attempt to cast an Acid Bomb was met by nothing, not even Revelation was present. He had been captured. Looking around his cell, Ranma knew he had to get out of the prison he was in before it was too late. Finally, his search turned up a small vial of liquid and the words 'Nova 908SB'. He smiled and walked over to the cell door. After checking there were no guards around, Ranma poured the tiny vial into the lock, which promptly began to smoke and warp before with a hard push, the door ground open with a shriek as Ranma immediately took off running to find an exit from the prison before anyone came to investigate.
As he ran down the catwalk and then into a nearby corridor, his mind was racing. He needed to find and get his stuff back along with his spells. He knew that so long as his body was weakened, he wouldn't last more than a few minutes before he was taken down. As Ranma frantically searched the various offices, he finally found a storage room marked 'Confiscated Goods' and kicked the door open before rushing in to find his stuff. He found his backpack, most of his guns and blades and all of his spell-seeds behind a bulletproof glass cabinet and when he tried the console to open it, the screen simply said, 'Black World active, shut down before resuming normal operations.' Swearing viciously, he looked around and saw his Samurai Edge still intact along with the pile of ammunition he had accumulated for it.
"They must've been interrupted while tagging the stuff. At least it's a weapon, but I'd better shut down this 'Black World'. Now if only there was a map around...aha!" Ranma walked over to a wall map and began memorizing the way to an area called 'Black World System Core' before grabbing as much ammo as he could carry before leaving the room.
Ranma jogged down the pentagonal, spotless metal hallways, noting in the sterile white lights that at some point his clothes had been cleaned, or replaced he couldn't tell. "Awfully kind of the bastards." With that, Ranma kept jogging down the hallway, noting the various signs at intersections until he was following a single black sign with white writing down a hallway that was steadily growing darker. Before long Ranma was running down a corridor illuminated only by the lights at the corners, giving an eerie impression of running on pure shadow before Ranma saw the airlock.
The door hissed open and Ranma walked in, trying to make out something, anything in the gloom. Then the lights began to brighten to reveal a giant globe of Earth held in place by four gripping arms while the light revealed streams of data flowing in all directions. As Ranma looked around, he heard a cold, evil laugh fill the room and drew the Samurai Edge, ready for anything. Except the arms holding the globe of Earth to retract and the globe itself to warp and shift wildly before revealing a glittering metal sphere that slowly floated towards Ranma, "Hmmm; so you are the one who has done so much damage to us? You are the one who stole the Master Library from me, and used it to track down and destroy our hold in this realm? I was expecting this, for the data from the Master Library's tracer program meant that soon you would come for me."
"Master Library? Wait a sec- tracer? You knew I was coming?"
"Of course."
"Then how the hell did I make it this far? Why didn't you just call every goon you've got down on top of my head?"
"Because you were not, and are not, worthy of such countermeasures."
"What the hell are you talking about- I've kicked the ass of every bozo stupid enough to get in my way!"
"They were pawns, easily replaced. But you have come to the end of the line. I am the right-hand of our lord, He Who Is Beyond Darkness, the director of His warmachine, the general of His armies. You cannot prevail."
Throughout this spiel, the globe's appearance -as well as that of the chamber they were in- had been changing. The globe had become dark and monochromatic, as though it had been charred black, and obsidian spines -like miniature spires- had thrust through its surface. The chamber Ranma was in had warped so that it looked as though he was now floating through an infinite void- whilst standing on a miniaturized version of Earth. The sight was somewhat disorientating, and Ranma nearly lost his balance before he figured out that the planet actually moved to give him footing. Recovering from this, he whipped out his Samurai Edge and, not bothering to waste any quips on this arrogant... 'thing', blasted it. The results were disappointing to say the least; there wasn't so much as a scratch on it.
"Pitiful creature. You cannot penetrate my armour. Come, let me show you oblivion..." the darkened globe began to shudder and tremble before it suddenly split open, a great fanged maw leading down to a pyramidal crystal-shape, rather like the spell-seeds. There was a sensation of something huge and terrible drawing breath, which quickly intensified into a howling vortex that was clearly intent on drawing Ranma into the globe's maw. He struggled against the pressure, trying to resist, then received a flash of inspiration. He aimed at the crystal and fired thrice, whereupon the vacuum ceased and the globe violently slammed shut as an electronic screech reverberated around the chamber, cracks forming in the globe's surface.
"Graaagh... insolent flesh creature! I will show you the true meaning of suffering!" At this the tips of various spires began to glow, before suddenly erupting in beams of brilliant light that lanced through the air towards Ranma, who had to twist and leap to evade them. But the creature's weakspot had been revealed, and Ranma now knew what he had to do.
Ranma dodged and weaved through barrages of beams, streaking meteors and warping black holes as the back orb threw out taunts as it attacked. He winced as a meteor struck him square on the chest before he heard a mocking chuckle, "Weak, just as my calculations predicted. My victory is therefore assured." Ranma snarled, "You sound just like Kuno, you know that?" He didn't expect the monster to respond, but it surprised him again, "Oh really? Rest assured that you will have all the time in the world to tell him about my similarities to him once the gateway is secured. Your death will herald an age of darkness and murder without end, and soon we will suck Earth dry of its treasures and leave the husk while your kin are enslaved for all eternity." Ranma said nothing as a Black Hole suddenly appeared behind him and tried to suck him in, the suction nearly as strong as that of the orb in front of him before he took aim at one of the spires and fired. The bullet smashed through the spire, but otherwise left it undamaged as the orb chuckled, "Lonely, let me keep you company forever."
With a heaving sigh, the orb split open, but as Ranma was about to aim, he yelped as several lasers fired from the spires, and dodged before the suction could start up. As the orb began to form another sucking vortex, Ranma aimed and fired off two rounds, the bullets piercing the crystal and eliciting another pained scream as the shell began to nearly shatter from the release of energy.
"Graaigh! You will suffer for this!" it screamed, increasing its efforts to even greater heights until it was all Ranma could do to escape oblivion. Finally, the globe split itself open again, though this time it also began blasting him spasmodically with all of its laser spires. This failed to prevent Ranma from making one final shot, a shot that proved decisive. No sooner had it struck home then an all-too human scream echoed through the chamber. The deep cracks and fissures in the globe's surface were now glowing like burning flames, and in random sections circular explosions erupted as magma began spraying from the resultant crater like blood from a wound. As more and more geysers erupted, the globe voiced a shaky laugh.
"It-it's no... matter. You may... have... defeated me... but you... cannot beat... the... MASTER!" this last word became a desperate, pleading scream as the explosions stepped up in occurrence, the globe shaking wildly until it finally exploded in one, last, terrible blast of flame and rock. Ranma shielded his eyes from the catastrophe, and when his vision cleared again he found himself in the same chamber as before, the globe now absent of course. He clenched his fingers so hard that they cracked from tension, then turned and walked back the way he'd came to retrieve his possessions.
"All that remains is the leader, huh? Well… it's been a long time coming, but the end is in sight. Soon, this nightmare will be over…"
Retrieving his gear had proved easier than Ranma had dared hope- given that the entity he'd just defeated was apparently the second-in-command, not to mention directly controlling everything around here, its death had evidently plunged the place into to chaos. Or maybe there was some other reason- it didn't matter to Ranma, all that mattered was retrieving his weaponry and putting an end to this nightmare at last. After he had what he wanted, he returned to the Black Earth's chamber- there was something about the place that warranted investigation. And Ranma was soon grateful that he had done so; tucked away in a previously concealed chamber behind an automated door was a teleportation pad, which according to the controls was connected to one in the throne chamber. And what place was more likely to house the overlord he had been summoned to slay? Without hesitation, Ranma hopped on and had been whisked away in the blink of an eye. Blinking to clear his eyes -was this something that always happened or was it just because he wasn't used to it?- he then stared around the chamber.
To put it bluntly, the throne room wasn't as he had expected. In fact, with the exception of a great orb of some dark, glassy material that was positioned at the end of a weirdly-shaped branch-thing that dropped from the roof in the center of the chamber, the place was blank and devoid of ornamentation. He walked cautiously around the orb to see the throne itself, and promptly stared in disbelief. There, seated on a massive throne crafted from intricately interlaced metal and bones, was the blade-helmed hunter that had attacked him in the town.
"You!? YOU'RE the master? The enemy lord I was called here to destroy?!"
"Not...Master...only...servant" The hunter barely whispered its answer in a voice that was strained and decidedly inhuman as it slowly rose from the throne, focusing its dulled blue eyes on Ranma, "Only...servant...and slave." The hunter approached, picking up its weapon from a nearby rack as it continued to rasp, "Show you...the way...if freed...if Pact true." Then with a challenging roar, the hunter charged, weapon raised in a deadly two-handed strike.
Ranma leapt aside as the axe-head slammed into the ground where he had been standing, deliberately and against his instincts not retaliating.
"Free you? How?"
"Defeat...yet not kill...take the key"
It lashed outwards, Ranma desperately leaping, ducking and diving to evade being cleaved in half. Still, the thing was clearly trying to hold back -perhaps despite itself- as its strikes lacked the speed and sureness with which it had fought in their previous encounters.
"Yeah, but how do I defeat you? Tell me how and I'll do it!"
"Thunder...Ball...ride...the lightning..."
Well, that was clear as mud. Ranma skipped back to avoid one downward strike from his opponent, then stepped forward and grabbed the weapon's handle so that when the hunter drew it back, it propelled Ranma over its head. Ranma landed neatly and conjured up a Bolt, blasting it straight in the face with coruscating power. Sparks sizzled and flashed across its body before it shook its head and turned around.
"Not... enough. Not... enough..." it groaned, then surged forward with the sort of speed it had used in their previous encounters. Ranma yelped and leapt back- only to find himself pressed against the glass orb-thing. Now how the hell had he maneuvered himself into that position? Ranma didn't have time to think about it, instead diving for cover as a sideward stroke came whistling towards him- and promptly struck the orb with a glassy chime. Ranma blinked and looked up to see the weapon had adhered to the orb's unscratched surface like an iron filling to a magnet, and the hunter was grunting with the strain of trying to pull it free. As Ranma blinked at the tableau, a bolt of inspiration struck him.
'Orb... ball... thunder- that's it!' Quick as lightning he blasted the orb with a Bolt spell. The results were quite cinematic; the orb surged into brilliant life and coils of electricity blasted up the hunter's weapon into his body. The hunter screamed with pain as he was outlit by a writhing aura of sparks before he suddenly shot away from the orb like a bullet out of a gun. The orb went dark again as the hunter struggled to its feet -Ranma could swear he caught sight of some strange, undulant aura of darkness coiling about its form- and then attacked Ranma again. It didn't matter though; now Ranma knew what he had to do to set the hunter free.
Of course, knowing what he had to do and actually managing to do it -not to mention surviving the attempt- were two very different things. As the battle progressed, the hunter began reviving some of its old tricks and even pulled a few new ones out of its hat- like spinning its weapon so fast it became a blur and then hurling it at Ranma like a boomerang. That trick turned out to be blessing in very heavy disguise though, as it turned out Ranma could then charge the orb and the weapon would be drawn to it before flying back to its master with a lethal dose of electricity. Ranma's stamina was not inexhaustible however, and the strain was beginning to wear him down by the time he delivered the fourth electrocution.
"Damn it, how much of this can you take?" he complained, ducking behind the opposite side of the orb for shelter. From behind him came the sound of teleportation, and he simultaneously dove aside and charged the orb. This time, Ranma had to deal with what had to be the hunter's last trick; constant teleportation while lashing out with powerful thrusts and slashes. The attacks came from everywhere and Ranma knew that he would have to do something fast if he was going to get out of this alive! Then as the hunter prepared to attack from the rear, Ranma whirled and with the strongest kick he could deliver, forced the spearhead to smash into the orb. The scream that filled the chamber was horrific, but Ranma saw the black aura finally writhe and break apart before the hunter collapsed to his knees, breathing hard as Ranma stayed in a ready position, expecting anything. Anything but a faint chuckle.
"Thank you human, for releasing me. Pact true?" The hulking humanoid held out its bleeding hand, before Ranma nodded and cut his own, "Yeah, pact true." With a faint surge of energy, the hunter got to its feet before bowing low, holding out an object before speaking in a normal voice, "Take this, behind the throne is a secret passage that leads to the Inner Sanctum, the true seat of power for the Realm."
Ranma nodded, and took the object, which turned out to be another blade-shaped key. Ranma pocketed the key and bowed to the hunter before walking to the throne to find the secret passage. The secret passage turned out to be an elevator that Ranma quickly boarded and started descending. The elevator ride down was quiet, save for the sound of Ranma's breathing and the beating of his heart. But as the elevator traveled deeper into the heart of the space station, he noticed that the shaft was now transitioning from high-tech, to medieval, before the shaft began to become more and more demonic before with a lurch, the elevator stopped in a chamber of black iron and granite with burning fires lining the chamber before a huge gate. As Ranma approached the gate, he noticed that before the gate was an obsidian pedestal and walked over to investigate. There on the pedestal were several indentations, some of them already filled and above were the words "Nine Evils will open the way to darkness."
Ranma stared at the three items that were already placed there; a shield, a strange crest and a coat of arms before pulling out the other items; the two keys, the medallion, the two crystals and the medal before placing them into their correct positions.
Once the last item had been placed, a loud clanking began to fill the room as the gates slowly swung open as an ice cold wind flowed into the room and the light dimmed considerably, even with the blazing infernos lining the room. Ranma took a breath and approached the gate to look out at the darkness beyond and steeling himself, walked into blackness.
Ranma didn't know how long he had been walking in the gloom, or if he was even going anywhere. As he walked, he felt as though something was watching him and stopped to look around in the darkness that his lamp wasn't up to the challenge of penetrating. Finally he heard a loud, evil laugh fill the air as numerous glowing eyes appeared to stare mockingly at him. "Poor little human... Are you lost? Do you need directions to find me? Fear not, little human, for you have found me." The floor suddenly began to shift and Ranma realized that he was standing on his enemy! "Yes, little human, I am this chamber and its sole occupant. And now… I will kill you." Ranma barely had time to jump backwards as beams of energy suddenly speared the ground.
The next five minutes were a chaotic, discordant nightmare as Ranma hit his enemy with everything he had, pumping every single bullet and shell he had into the unresisting darkness, hurling spells and striking out desperately with every melee weapon he had acquired over his long, bloody trek across the island. But it was no use; how do you fight something that was everywhere and nowhere at once?
The all-encompassing darkness absorbed bullet and spell with equal indifference, and his weapons couldn't strike what wasn't solid. He was about to withdraw the Orochi Blade for a last, desperate attempt when a tendril of shadow whipped out of nowhere, slapping the katana from his grasp and throwing him to the ground. Ranma pushed himself upright, only to come under the ungentle ministrations of a swarm of umbral limbs. Tentacles crushed and lashed, fists pounded, claws raked, jaws bit, and all in all Ranma was flung all about the room until finally the Dark One tired of toying with him and allowed his bloody body to collapse onto the floor.
"Poor, poor little human. To come so far and yet to fail. But do not fear little human, do not cry, for you will soon see those you love and those you hate again as I rip their souls from their bodies and string them in front of you to watch as I play with them." The darkness began to swirl and Ranma saw the shadows form a giant needle, "But first… I need something little human; I need a gate, and the best gates are made from flesh… so it's time to die little human, and die and die and die for all eternity."
It all looked hopeless... and then, Ranma remembered something. He remembered the Showstopper pistol he had received from the Gunslinger, and more importantly he remembered the Curtain Call bullet he had also been given. The Showstopper could slay any creature, the book had said. Could it have been telling the truth? Even if it hadn't, what did Ranma have to lose? He fished for the two items, ignoring the protests of his agonized body, and finally managed to load the bullet. With the last of his strength, he aimed it at the thickest patch of shadows and fired.
The bullet darted into the shadows like a streak of lightning, prompting a wail of such pain, hate and rage that it was indescribable, the darkness writhing, seething, undulating frantically before, with a final hollow whine, they exploded in pure, absolute, searing white light.
Ranma jerked awake and looked around frantically to find himself in a white room and lying on a soft bed. His guns and other weapons were gone, even his spell-seeds were gone. Ranma climbed out of bed to find that instead of the clothes he had been traveling in for who knew how many days or weeks, he was wearing his original silk clothing. A click brought Ranma's attention to the open door and he walked through, ready for anything. Walking down a white corridor on what appeared to be white carpeting, Ranma looked out the various windows to see a view of mist-shrouded mountains beyond a lake before he came to a door and confidently opened it. There, sitting at a table and sipping a cup of tea, was the ghostly child he had first seen in the ruined hospital.
"YOU!" Rushing over to the table, Ranma grabbed the child and started shaking it, "Alright, I want some fucking answers and I want them now!" The child simply appeared nonchalant under its robes as it spoke in musical, reverberating voice, "And answers you shall have, now release me and be seated." Ranma snarled, but did as he was told before the ghostly child poured itself another cup, "Tea?" Ranma shook his head as the ghost began. "You were chosen by the original ruler of this Void Realm to purge it of an enemy that threatened not only his territory, but also wished to enslave Earth." Ranma frowned, "I know that, but what the hell is a Void Realm, and why was I chosen?"
The ghost sighed, "The spell that chose you was interrupted, and thusly its parameters were scrambled. Instead of a powerful fighter that could be manipulated into serving the ruler had he survived, it chose the most stubborn and willful person it could find in its limited power. The degradation of your natural abilities was an unforeseen effect of the interrupted spell. As for what a Void Realm is; it is a pocket universe formed from a primordial and chaotic energy that exists between all realities. This place is a Void Realm, and one of the countless trillions that exist in a state of golden peace, or chaotic warfare. Realms come and go constantly, but this realm is tied to a world and thusly is anchored in place. This Void Realm is one that possesses a direct link to Earth, allowing for seamless travel without any need for costly magic rituals."
As the ghost spoke, Ranma listened and watched as images formed in the middle of the table before he sighed, "Okay, that works. But now I get to go home right?" The ghost nodded, "Yes, but there is a price." Ranma frowned as the ghost continued, "The portal cannot open unless you either relinquish your memories of this entire experience and all that you have gained in terms of weapons and magic." The ghost sighed, "Or… you accept the position as ruler of this Void Realm, and with it the responsibility to lead it in times of peace and defend it in times of war against all who would threaten it and the link to Earth."
Ranma didn't say anything as the ghost placed a pair of keys in front of Ranma, "The sun key will open the door and pronounce you as the new leader of this Realm, the moon key will open the gate and erase your memories of all that has occurred." Ranma looked at the keys, and made his decision.
The first thing that Ranma became aware of was a medley of sounds, the most prominent of which was a steady, regular beeping noise. He opened his eyes- and then quickly screwed them shut with a faint grunt of pain as the light proved too much for him. He opened them again, slowly this time, giving himself time to readjust to the light. As he did so, he made out that he was in a sterile room, a hospital bedroom to be precise. Weakly he pushed himself up with his hands.
"W-where...? How...?"
"Ranma! You're awake!" cried four feminine voices simultaneously, and before Ranma realized it Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi had all embraced him simultaneously, their usual antagonism forgotten in their moment of joy. Cut out of things, Akane fumed for a split-second, and then ran out the door.
Ranma normally would have struggled against the embraces he was feeling, but his weakness from being in a hospital bed for so long meant that he simply just let the girls hug him, and he found himself enjoying it a little, though he wouldn't admit it. He heard people approach and was half expecting his father but instead he saw a regal looking woman wearing a kimono and carrying a wrapped bundle that held all the hallmarks of a sword, who made a motion and the girls withdrew, reluctantly in Kodachi and Shampoo's cases as the woman drew close, and hugged him while whispering, "Hello son." Ranma blinked, "Son? Who are you?" The woman held back a sob, "I'm your mother, Nodoka."
Genma took that moment to enter the room, and though Ranma was expecting some spiel about looking like a weak girl, he simply nodded and said, "You'll need to get back up to speed after this little holiday of yours son." Ranma smirked with some of his usual bravado, "Sure, I was getting bored lying around all the time." The woman shuddered in her hug and Genma frowned, "The doctors talked to me, they said there were a few matters they had to discuss with you for some reason."
Ranma nodded, "Can I talk to them now then?" Genma grunted as he and the woman that might be Ranma's mother left the room, along with the fiancees, though Akane punched him lightly on the shoulder and said, "Baka, don't scare people like this again" with a light hearted smile that Ranma simply had to smile in reply to. The doctors were nervous when they entered and the one that they obviously chose to speak for them cleared his throat.
"Let's get to the point Mr. Saotome. During your incapacitation and resulting stay here, we detected what can only be described as...anomalies in your condition over the last few weeks." Ranma was confused, "Anomalies doc?" The doctor nodded, "Here's the short list." He then proceeded to list everything that they had recorded while Ranma was unconscious and once they were done stared at him as though anticipating an answer. They didn't receive one, unless a dazed, somewhat disbelieving look from Ranma counted.
The doctors assured Ranma that the anomalies would not be released to his parents, fiancées or even the local doctor, Ono Tofu. They also told Ranma that only he could give permission for access to the records, which would be placed in a special records vault for that purpose. To the public, Ranma Saotome was incapacitated officially by an esoteric martial arts technique. Satisfied with that information, Ranma was rapidly released and was led to the lobby of the hospital.
The doors swung open and Ranma walked out into the light of a new day, along with the motley pack that had been waiting for him in the lobby. His father, the woman who claimed to be his mother, the Tendos, Shampoo and Cologne, Ukyo, Kodachi and even Ryoga (who had mumbled something about having wandered there by accident). As they set off towards their respective goals, Ranma had the strangest feeling he was being watched. He turned in the direction he had sensed the presence coming from, and the crowd unconsciously parted to reveal a tall gaijin in a black business suit and sunglasses. The gaijin was looking straight at him, and smiling a shark-like grin, and when Ranma looked at him he lazily raised a hand to his temple in an informal salute. As he did so, his lips peeled back from his teeth, which even at this distance were much sharper than was normal, and his glasses slipped just enough for Ranma to catch a glint of red. Then the crowd surged again and, when Ranma could see clearly again, the man was gone.
"Hey, Ranma, are you coming?"
With one hesitant look back, Ranma quickly caught up.
And the story is over. We were aiming for a mystery ending, and we hope we've succeeded. Now that Shadows & Blood is over, we'll wait a week or so and then count up your votes- the project with the most will be the one we focus our attention on next.