SMST 5B: Journey to Adventure! – By DS Wynne


Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, ST and other genres belong to their respective owners.

Note: This is a multi-genre story.


Part 29


Meanwhile…

"Whatever happened to Imohotep?" Gina asked.

"Well," Ranma said, as he pulls down a box from a shelf, "believe it or not, Imohotep—or Emil, as we ended up calling him—and Meela settled their affairs and disappeared for a while. I wouldn't see him until years later in England, where Emil was a curator of antiquities with his wife…Meela."

"Oh, so they got married

"So, I guess that's it about the mummies." Brittany said with a smirk.

"Actually, we have dealt with many kinds of mummies, though rarely do we deal with the kind that gets animated," Usagi said, as she continues her catalog. She then looks up and turns towards Ranma.

"Hey, remember when we had to deal with Han?"

"'Han'?" Gina asked.

"The First Emperor of China," Ranma said. "Back in the day, Usagi and I used roam back and forth along the Eurasian continent."

"That's only because of Amazon business, mostly," Usagi said.

"I'm lost," Brianna said.

"Well, Ranma, myself and three others that we consider dear friends are the progenitors of the Amazons."

"I thought Ares and Aphrodite were."

"Actually, the myths surrounding the 'birth' of the Amazons are many," Gina replied.

"Well, the truth is an amalgam of all of them, depending on the politics," Ranma said, as he pulls out a helm that had Greek influence. However, the markings on it were decidedly different in scope.

"Here," Ranma said, as he tosses the helm to Gina, who catches it easily. "That was a gift from Hippolyta, circa 1200 BCE."

"Whoa," Gina said, as she begins to examine the artifact. "Something so old that is so intact…"

"Uh-oh," Brittany said jokingly. "Sister might have an archeological orgasm!"

"Brit, be nice," Brianna chided.

"You kept the artifact in good condition, Ranma," Gina said.

"Well, the secret is the fact that the material is made from an alloy called 'Promethium'," Ranma said. "The actual process has been lost to the wider world, but 'Adamantium' is the modern equivalent."

"Thanks," Gina said, as she tosses the helmet back to Ranma.

"No problem," Ranma said, as he puts the helm back into its box. "But anyway, Ares and Aphrodite DID create the first generation of Amazons, with Hippolyta and Antiope being the leaders, using the genetic template of myself, Usagi and our traveling companions, after bathing in a local lake in Anatolia…Turkey."

"What were you all doing at the time?" Brianna asked.

"We were heading east hunting down the last of the Uruk-Hai," Usagi said.

"You mean those 'Lord of the Rings' guys?" Brittany replied.

"The same. In the last days of Middle Earth, we tried to develop a plan for peaceful co-existence. Unfortunately, that would not be the case for the Uruk-Hai. Not only were they raping and pillaging innocent villages, but also had an agenda to bring back Lord Sauron. THAT was not going to happen, as far as we were concerned."

"So, what happened?" Gina asked.

Usagi sighed, as Ranma looks up.

"We…ended the Uruk-Hai on Earth, Gina."

"You committed…genocide?"

"They were a threat, Gina. We even offered them a chance to go to another realm, which some actually did. I wish that there had been another way, but…there wasn't."

Silence.

"But anyway, we were used to create the Amazons, though their souls were from the innocent women who had died in the area. And considering the fact that Asia Minor was a hub of then known world, it made sense that not all of the Amzaon were of the same racial stalk."

"I see…"

"So how does all that relate to Han?" Brittany asked.

"Well, back then, as I said, we used to travel back and forth, across the Eurasian continent; that was a regular thing. However, the Amazons of China, known as the Joketsuzoku, had decided to side with the first Emperor of China."

"As Amazons, later adopted into the general lore of the Amazon Nation, we had certain obligations," Usagi said. "The Joketsuzoku sided with Han, so we helped out."

Usagi sighed.

"To bad that politics had gotten in the way of seeing the truth about Han's ambitions…"

FLASHBACK!

200 BCE: Han Dynasty Period.

Ranma rode into the courtyard of Imperial China, after receiving word that Emperor Han was holding his wife Hoshi and his friend Usagi hostage. With him was T'Pol, Makoto and Zi Yuan, an Amazon princess from the Joketsuzoku. After the unwarranted execution of Han's top general, Ming Guo, Ming's lover, and the kidnapping of Hoshi and Usagi while the two were visiting the capital. Han knew that Ranma, a chief advisor to the Han Court, would not have stand by and do nothing, should Han act against his top general (Ranma's best friend). Hoshi and Usagi's kidnapping was Han's attempt at having an insurance against Ranma, who many believed, and rightly so, to be an immortal, though the truth is stranger than fiction…

Nevertheless, Han underestimated Ranma's audacity, where his friends and loved ones are concerned.

"T'Pol, Makoto, I need for you two to create a distraction for Han's personal guard, while Zi and I pay Lord Han a visit," Ranma said, as he and his riding party stop at the gate.

"You do know that the honor guard of the 'Dragon Emperor' will have been enhanced, thanks to the Wu Lung wizards," T'Pol said with a smirk.

"What are you going to do, Ranma?" Makoto asked.

"Zi?" Ranma said, as he turns towards the sorceress that was also family. After all, whether by blood or by deed, the Amazons were all 'sisters'."

"The Emperor had asked me to confer to him the gift of Immortality, using the 'Rite of the Elements'," Zi said. "Unfortunately, this has made Han immortal, and essentially un-killable. However, I will need to corrupt that spell, in order deliver the proper punishment."

"How about if I just kill him?" Ranma said.

"Not possible, unless you want to incur the wrath of the Jade Emperor," Zi said.

"Ugh," Ranma said with disgust. The last thing he wanted was to deal with the Jade Emperor and his 'Jade Warlord'…again.

"So, we do things my way," Zi said.

"Very well," Ranma said. "Let's do this."

A few minutes later…

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM-!

Now, Ranma considered himself to be one of the greatest martial artists ever. However, due to the fact that Han was a true immortal, nothing that Ranma could do to even injure the Dragon Emperor. So when Ranma catches a thrust kick, delivered by Han, and preceded to beat a marble column with Han's body by the leg, Han broke Ranma's hold, and return to his fighting stance.

"What?" Ranma said with annoyance.

"As you can see, you cannot harm me," Han said, as he motions towards his throne.

FWIP!

A blade suddenly flies towards Ranma, who barely ducked. Barely.

SLICE!

"Ow!" Ranma yells, as he clutches his wounded arm.

KTCH!

"Surprised?" Han said, as he wields a wavy dagger. "The Dragon Wizards designed this special blade to kill immortals…save for ME, of course."

With that, Han lunges towards Ranma, using a skill of a great martial artist. Meanwhile, Ranma ducked and weaved, while feigning off blade thrusts, punches and kicks. Han thrust his blade towards Ranma's face. However, Ranma ducks at the last minute, and palm struck Han's stomach; he also added a concentrated burst of ki for good measure.

FWOOSH!

Han goes flying back, dropping the knife in the process.

CLATTER!

Ranma quickly wills the knife in his hands.

KTCH!

"You…cannot kill me," Han said, as he gets on his throne. "I am of the four elements."

"No, but I can use that fact to give you the immortality YOU deserve," Zi said, as she, Hoshi and Usagi enters the throne room.

"Hoshi!" Ranma exclaims, after turning to look at the sorceress and his companions. "Usagi!"

"Hey, dear," Hoshi said.

"About time you showed up, Ranma!" Usagi said.

"Ah, give it rest, Meatball head!" Ranma yells. As much as he was glad to have his friends safe and sound, after Zi went to retrieve them from a dungeon on the grounds, Usagi can be SO annoying at times. Why anyone would want to spend the rest of his or her life with her was BEYOND him…

"I have the blade," Ranma said, as he walks over and hands the mystical item to Zi, so she could enact her vengeance…

"Your efforts are wasted, Zi!" Han said, as he held up his hands. "You gave me the gift of TRUE immortality."

"True, so I will curse you with it!" Zi said, as she points the dagger at Han.

"You cannot kill me with my own blade."

"I KNOW…"

With that, Zi performs her incantation of 'Curs of Immortality'…

"Acckkkkkk!" Han began to say, as he clutched his throat. He then began to cough up "muck" from his throat and pores. The muck began to spread over his face…

"Ew!" Usagi said.

Meanwhile, outside, the remaining honor guard began to convulse as well.

"What going on?" Makoto said, as she clutched her spear, as T'Pol clutched her elfin sword. Behind them were piles of bodies, some of which were still alive, but were also coughing up muck.

"Nooooo-aarrrrggghhhhh-!" said the honor guard in unison, as they slowly became encased with the hardened muck, permanently immobilized, before burning to solidify the substance.

Inside the throne room, Zi nearly collapsed, only to have Ranma catch her. He sees the encased Han catching fire, as if the clay was being put into pottery oven.

"You okay?" Ranma said, as he held up the woman.

"I'm tired," Zi said.

Usagi goes over to the petrified Han, and knocks on it.

KLONK! KLONK! KLONK!

"Hmm, solid."

"Careful, that's a bit hot," Ranma said.

"Ow!" Usagi said, as she shook her hands. "No kidding…"

"What did you do, Zi?" Hoshi asked, as she goes over to her husband.

"I made him one with the elements," Zi said. "As long as he is as he is now, he will truly be immortal, though not in the manner that he speaks."

"Then we should do something to make sure that NO ONE knows the truth of this day," Ranma said.

"How?" Usagi said.

"In plain sight."

"?"

Years later…

1946 CE: Manchester, England.

"Why do you think they pulled us out of Japan, Ranma?" Usagi said, as she and Ranma were driven to the O'Connell Estate. Both were dressed in the clothes of the day (Ranma in a suit and fedora, while Usagi was in a stylish frock.

"I hope they haven't forgotten that WE haven't forgotten what was done on Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Usagi said, as she looks out the window of their chauffeured vehicle.

Ranma turns towards Usagi.

"Usagi, you and I both know that the dropping of those atomic bombs were necessary, if the timeline was to maintain its course," Ranma said. "And that doesn't include the fact that the Black Dragon Society had a youma army based in those two cities. I don't like it any more than you do, but we have to live with it."

"Humph."

Usagi turns to look at their companion.

"Perhaps you can tell us WHY we were summoned, Mr. Fry?"

"His Majesty's Government wishes to return the 'Eye of Shangri La' to the People of China, as a sign of good faith," Fry said. "And with you representing the Japanese, we can begin the process of reconciliation between the Japanese and the Chinese."

"It will take more than a jewel to do away the horror of a world war," Ranma said.

"We can only try, Lord Rantsu," Fry said. "We can only try…"

A short while later…

"Ronnie, buddy!" Rick said, as he pats Ranma on the back while hugging him. "You survived the war!"

"Of course I did," Ranma said with a smile. "If I can survive a fight with the Scorpion King, human violence is nothing."

"What was that finishing move that you did?"

"Rick, not now," Evelyn said.

"Well, you know how men are about their war stories," Usagi said.

"Well, I was able to utilize an aerial, spinning suplex with a pile-driver," Ranma said. "I wanted to take advantage of the fact that as long as I was in a vortex, the Scorpion King wouldn't be able to utilize his tail."

"Yeah, well, it was still an awesome move…"

"Now that you all are here, I can give you all your briefing," Fry said, as he began his briefing…

Tbc.