Welcome Back. I'm not going to be showing the second, third, and fourth year of teaching Zane did at Dual Academy. The first year was hard enough to write as well as it was. Electra won't be returning home until she is fifteen years old. This chapter contains spoils for: History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, Hollow Knight, Jojo's Bizarre adventures, Pocahontas movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ranma 1/2,.Hack franchise, RWBY, Shokugeki no Sōma
Disclaimer: I only own my stuff
Chapter 23: In A Skyforged Dream
History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi universe
Earth
Japan
Ryōzanpaku dojo
"Electra is 14 years old as of today. I wonder what she's doing." Zane said out loud drinking tea with the Masters of the dojo. Hayato Fūrinji, 'the invisible superman', also called Elder, was a mountain of man with flowing blonde hair and beard. Akisame Kōetsuji, the ever calm and collected a philosophical Jujutsu master, was a dark-haired man with weird eyebrows and a thin mustache. Apachai Hopachai, the Muay Thai 'God of Death', had bronzed skin, blueish silver hair and a gentle personality. Kensei Ma, the perverted master of all Chinese Kenpō, was a short dark-haired and mustache man in green. Shigure Kōsaka, only fame master here and knows all kinds of weapons like the back of her hand. She had dark hair in a ponytail and was rather endowed figure wise. She also so had a pet mouse named Tōchūmaru, who is also a master of weapons. And finally, there was Shio Sakaki, the infamous '100-Dan Street Brawler of Karate', a man not afraid to show off his scars and has cowlicked black hair.
"Oh, where is your daughter? Last I heard was she's off finding herself." Akisame asked. Looking embarrassed, Zane said "she was looking come home last year but the family curse struck, and she got sidetracked. It's happened to me enough times for me to figure when it happens." Elder laughed at this. "We are very grateful for that curse. Without it, you wouldn't have because our only investor and the dojo would have gone bankrupt." He said gratefully. "I have too much money for my clan to ever run out of and it's still increasing by the year." Zane said. He wasn't exaggerating. The Laskaris Clan coffers were overflowing, letting price ventures be possible. Their curse made sure they'd find more income in some crazy way.
"You are that best rich person ever. Not the tiniest bit of snobbishness in you." Sakaki said, draining a beer, tossing it on the pile behind him and grabbing another. Yes, he was a drunkard and you did not want to be around him when he's drunk. "I never wanted to be rich!" Zane said annoyed. It's just been like that for my clan since forever. I didn't live in castle or anything like that until I was like 15 or so. I had a higher end middle class home that was so nice to live in." Zane said remembering his old home.
"What happened to it?" Kenichi Shirahama, the dojo's only disciple, asked. He was in high school and had 'fluffy' brown hair. Miu, Elder's beautiful blonde-haired granddaughter, had told Zane that one time. Kenichi and Miu had just gotten out of school for the day. "You know how I come from an alternate dimension?" Zane asked. The Dojo had policy about secrets and Zane trusted them not to blab to just anyone. "Yeah, you got here via a gate shaped like a book." Kenichi said nodding. "Well, my earth is gone. There is new 'earths' but they aren't Earth Prime." Zane said.
They were silent and staring at him shocked. "Did I forget to tell you guys?" he asked the masters. "I don't think that topic ever came up." Kensei Ma said carefully. "Well it happened a long time ago and I was lucky enough that my clan's curse, along with a little help, sent me into the future." Zane said, standing up and dusting himself off. "I'll be in the yard doing some training if you need me." He said stepping outside. All of them follow him to see what style he practiced, the masters and Miu knew he was a fighter, but they had no idea how he fought.
They watched as he took off his jacket, undershirt, and socks, leaving him in only his surprisingly flexible leather riding pants. Miu gasped at the scares on his body. Most were tiny and almost invisible, but the twin scars over his heart cut her deeply. "How did he get that and live?" She asked her grandfather. "He refused to die. I don't know who he fought or why but based on the implement scars, it was blade that did it." Elder said, watching as active a cube that turned into a copy of himself.
"Double edged blade that tapered to a point." Shigure stated in her halting speech pattern. "rough edges show Zane grabbed the weapon or the arm holding it to get in counterattack." She added noticing the finer details. "Sounds about right. He didn't waste an opportunity to get in a good hit." Sakaki said as Zane got into a stance. "Is that a boxing stance?" Kenichi asked. "Close. It's an older fighting style called Pankration. Boxing, wrestling, and some other elements from modern styles. Back in the days of Ancient Greece, it was also the name of an event that had few if any rules." Akisame explained as they were hit by blasts of wind as Zane clashed with what seemed to be a sparing bot to them.
"He's not going all out. Is it because it's dangerous for him? No, He doesn't want to destroy the area." Elder mused as he read the fight. After ten minutes, Zane switched to his spear and the 'sparring bot' turned into likeness of Cú Chulainn, complete with a crimson spear. "That's the Gáe Bulg, a spear that strikes the heart before the thrust is made, or at least an imitation of it." Shigure stated. "Zane's spear is dangerous."
"He seems to have a number of ways to deal with enemies." Kenichi said as they watched Zane fight. "He fights with rage, yet he is in total control of it." Elder muttered. "And he is aware of his surrounding, somehow. He's not using 'THAT', so what's his secret?"
An hour later
"That was a good work out." Zane said, planting his spear into the ground and leaned on it. "Apachai thinks you were amazing!" Apachai said. "So, you are master of one of the oldest fighting styles?" Kensai Ma asked. "I may have mastered the original style but that hasn't stopped me from adding my touches to it. Besides, mastering something doesn't mean your training is done! It's just the beginning!" Zane said. "You must refine that style to higher heights." His passionate words got the masters smirking knowingly and Kenichi to nod at these words of wisdom.
"And no, I will not be teaching you. My training is for those who have a healing factor that will let them survive long enough to make use of the training." Zane said. "And what kind of training is that?" Miu asked. "Well, one of my teachers strapped meat to my body and had me run a trap filled path with dogs nipping at my heels." Zane said. Kenichi felt a chill as some of the masters wondered if it was a viable training method. "Then when I ran into his teacher years later, she chased me down hallways full of landmines with a spear and intent to make me bleed." Zane added as Kenichi was pale as a ghost.
"I can see why your training is not safe." Kenichi said shakily. "Too dangerous for reliable results." Elder said. "might work for you but Kenichi isn't as durable as you yet. What were the teachers?" Zane smirked and said. "Why, Cú Chulainn and his teacher, Scáthach, of course." Shigure, who was very interested in the spear, asked "Who made that weapon?" Zane pulled the spear out, it's edge eternally sharp, and let her look it over. "That is the Pure Nail (spear). It was made by a race of bugs, who name all their 'perfect' weapons 'Pure Nail'. In fact, all of their weapons seem to be called 'Nails'. Those that make them are 'Nail Smiths' and those that master using them 'Nail Masters'." Zane explained.
"it's beautiful and has taken a life." Shigure stated. The master of the dojo preferred not to kill but Zane was just an investor and not a member of the dojo, so they took it in stride. "My Universe can get so deadly at sparing some enemies is a fatal mistake. I have good judgment because my years of combat. Sometimes you just need to break a few bones to deal with a threat or…" He pauses wiping out the shovel 'sword' with fairy script on handle that meant 'THE ANSWER' "burying them six feet under. Whatever way works best." He said cheer fully.
"Is that for dealing with boys that want to date your daughters?" Sakaki joked. "Oh, THE ANSWER has dealt with more than just potential boyfriends, that turned out to be bad. I used it to knock sense into brainwash cult members that happened to be students that I taught at a high school of sorts for four years. One good hit to the head and they were free of the 'Light of Destruction's' influence." Zane said proudly. "It's called 'THE ANSWER'. Why that name?" Miu asked. "Because it's the answer to some problems, not all but still a useful Fae weapon to have." Zane said and everyone back up a little. "Oh, come up. It's not like I'm going to hit any of you." Zane said in a mock hurt tone, putting the Fae weapon.
"I almost forgot why I came here in the first place." Zane said, summoning Phil and jumping to the storage space. "This is so crazy." Kenichi said as Zane surfaced with multiple metal cases. Zane dismissed Phil and sorted the cases. "The cases here are the yearly donation, don't spend it all on booze." Zane said pointing to the pile of a dozen cases. The last bit was directed at Sakaki. "What about the last two cases?" Miu asked. Zane smiled and set them on the porch. He flipped them open to reveal knives and other metal kitchen tools. "I noticed you were using knives that were not the best. So, I made you kitchen tools that will last you for a hundred years, at least." Zane said
"You made these?" Shigure asked as she dropped a hair in the edge of a knife, and it was split length wise. "I made those with my own hands. If she is half the cook her Grandfather makes her out to be, she will be making full use of the tools. They are free of charge, think of it as an early birthday gift." Zane said. "These are the most amazing set of cooking knives I've seen in a long time. They lack any decoration other than the maker's mark, but the blades have a beauty to them." Elder said looking at a cleaver blade that almost sung as he did a few test swings in the air.
"By the way, do you know anything about a bunch of entitled punks in a gang with a Norse theme to them? Some moron wearing a glove said he was Berserker the 'Second Fist of Ragnarok'. He tried to fight me, but I put him through a wall. Kids these days are so eager to pick fights they can't win." Zane said. "They are a gang that are causing trouble around town and are after Kenichi because he beat some of their members." Sakakai said. "It's best let our disciple handle them, it's his problem." Zane nodded. "That's fair. It was nice meeting you again." Zane snaps his figure and he had all his cloths back up and spear in hand, in an instant.
"Feel free to drop by anytime." Elder said as Zane vanished into a portal.
An few days later
Zane's universe
Stand Earth
Naples, Italy
"So, the last time you saw her was over a year ago, just after she finished the stand training you gave her? I didn't even know he awakened her stand yet." Zane asked Giorno, Mista, and a turtle with a key in its shell that was possessed by Jean Pierre Polnareff, the Frenchman that helped kill Dio, as they ate at a café. "Yes. Jace, the jackalope that is a part of her stand, sent her somewhere after she requested 'Take me where I am needed'. We have no idea where she is, given the nature of her stand." Mista said annoyed. "And what is her stand?" Zane asked.
"It's a Sentient Stand that consists of a stone gate and a jackalope gate keeper. From what she figured out. It will take you anywhere randomly. It also works on anything else really. Throw some mook or say, a bomb you don't have time to defuse, into it and the gate will spit them out elsewhere." Polnareff said, his voice coming from the turtle was so weird. "Keywords can be used to narrow down the exit location but it's still random." Zane sighed. "Should have known she'd get a stand like that. Joestar clan get Stands that can cave your face in with their fists and Laskaris Clan gets Stands that are creative with solving the user's wish." Zane said.
"Please elaborate." Giorno asked, interested in this topic. "My Stand was born of my desire not to miss details around me, again." Zane said. "Electra's Stand seems to be based on her desire not to be in the family's shadow." They paused as the waiter brought a cart with five slices of cake. "Your family's shadow?" Mista asked. "Her mother, older sister, and I cast a long shadow of achievements. She was born into that and hated it. She loves us but at the same time, it's hard to stand out as her own person. That's why she sought out training from those that could be called 'shaman'." Zane explained.
"It explained the get up she wear sometimes." Trish, the pink haired daughter of the previous boss, said as she came back from doing her business. "She talked a lot about her family, including not blood related members. You are lucky to have a daughter who looks up to you but is willing to strike out on her own." Zane smiled at the blunt sounding compliment from Trish. "Did you know she has super crow named Trish?" Trish said with a smile.
"Trish is the name of at least two women I would prefer not to fight. You and a demon woman who is now for shooting people who annoy her. I can see why Electra would pick that name for a 'crow'." Zane said. He had an idea what creature Trish was talking about. She smirked at him as she took a seat and took her slice of cake. "Luckily they gave use five slices this time." Mista said letting his Stand, Sex Pistol (Yes that's his Stands name) eat the extra slice. It was a collection of six bullet creature numbered 1-7 but no number 4 among them.
"That's because I made them think there was five humans instead of four humans and a possessed turtle." Zane pointed out. "Got to love what a little magic can do to smooth over a meeting." Trish said. Giorno flicked a sealed letter to Zane. "She left this for you. We didn't find it until the metal panel on the ceiling, it was hidden behind, fell last week. I also have an urn of ashes that seems to be one of your clan members." He placed the small urn with elaborate designs on it on the table. Zane checked the Urn first. "This is the real deal and you are right. She was a clan member from 600 years ago, give or take a decade. Greek born but moved to Italy to marry her husband." Zane said reading the history inscribed on the urn in a way that only his clan could read.
"It was to be left with her family but if you had it, then something happened." Zane looked at the gangsters. "It was put up as payment by the owner to pay off a debt. He said it was passed down but his family, who got it after a relative died long ago." Mista reported. "Likely it was that woman's husband they were talking about." Mista said pointing to the urn. "We only took it because we knew you'd want it back."
"Thank you." Zane said. "Now to see what Electra wrote. 'I'm going with my gut and using my Stand's strongest ability. Don't know when I'll get back home. Wait for me, Papa.'" Zane chuckled at first but started laughing harder. "It wasn't the family curse that stuck without warning! It was her inviting it to take her for a journey." This was the best news he could have gotten. When a Laskaris invited the curse, thing happened a little differently. The craziness was much worse, but the reward was also greater. The problem lies in how long it would take for her to return. The last time someone pulled this, they were gone for years. "All I need to do is wait and she will return like a conquering hero!" Zane said with pride.
He paused and got up saying. "I think there's someone looking for trouble outside. They are trying and failing to break my moped with a lead pipe." Zane readied 'THE ANSWER' and step out. They heard loud cursing and a heavy thunk. Zane walked back in, cleaning blood of the shovel blade with a cloth. "The cops will think he fell and broke his nose because of how drunk he was." Zane said, sitting back down.
"That's 'THE ANSWER'? It really is a shovel 'sword', just like she described it." Giorno said, thinking back to the shovel user he 'fought' before his gangster days. "Why did you wait a year before asking us?" Trish asked. "I was preoccupied with teaching at a school of sorts. It was a four-year contracted job and they were a handful to teach but rewarding all the same. It was last week, when I got back home, that I heard the news from my wife. I had a job to do before coming here so that's why it took so long." Zane explained. Before Mista could say anything about four being bad luck, Zane added. "In the four year I taught, there was several near disasters but were dealt with."
"See! He gets it." Mista pauses then asks. "Was it because it was four years or because of your clan curse?" Zane just said, "a bit of column A and a bit of column B. It doesn't help that world has several incidents that happened because of, or related to, Shadow Magic. Things always get chaotic when Shadow Magic is involved. I bid you a good day." Zane said paying for the food and departing with the Urn.
A week later
Earth Chaos Delta (This will be explained later)
Virginia
Grandmother Willow's Grove
"You are not the first outworlder that visited me." The Willow tree with face on the trunk said. "You may look like Spirit lynx, but these old eyes can see you are related to that girl and her weird gate." Zane in his Spirit Lynx form sat in her branches. The talking tree was Grandmother Willow and someone Zane, came to for willow branches, freely given were more powerful than forcefully taken. "Then you met my daughter, Electra. How long was she here?" Zane asked. "Only an hour. She needed some of my branches. At least that's what the Jackalope said. Next thing I know, she requests the rude furball to take her where she is needed and steps into the gate." Grandmother Willow said looking up at Zane.
"Thank you for aiding my daughter. She is seeking something despite having no idea what it even is." Zane said. His ears swiveled as he heard oars hitting the water. "There is a guest coming to visit you. Likely your granddaughter." Zane said as he heard a raccoon arguing with a hummingbird. "Grandmother Willow? Are you there?" A Native American girl in her teen said as she exited her canoe. "Ah, it is you, Pocahontas. I was just talking with an old friend." Grandmother Willow said in greeting. "I've been having this same strange dream lately." Pocahontas said then explained the dream of odd white clouds and a spinning arrow. Zane knew what was happening sighed mentally. Of course, this world had to be based on the movie and not the real events.
"Interesting. Do you have any insight to what the dream means?" Grandmother Willow asked him. "I have seen the strange clouds before. They catch the wind to carry large boats, called ships, forward. Without seeing the arrow, I can't tell you much." Zane told the girl as a nosy raccoon messed with his ears. "Arrows can mean many things. What I can tell you is that it can lead you to something important."
He pinned the raccoon against Grandmother Willow's trunk with a paw, but no claws.
"Please stop messing with my ears." Zane told the critter, who froze at his light glare. "Meeko, be respectful to the spirit." Pocahontas scolded. Flit, the green hummingbird, was laughing at Meeko. "What may I call you, great spirit?" Pocahontas asked respectfully. "You may call me Zane. I'm just a keeper of secrets and teacher of knowledge." Zane said letting Meeko go. "Take me to your Tribe Shaman. I need to warn him of the visitors that may be coming to your shores. They must be dealt with like you would a wounded dog you don't know." Zane said.
"Are they dangerous?" Pocahontas asked. "They can be. But as I said, approach carefully and try to understand they have a different way of living." Zane said jumping down silently.
An hour later
Pocahontas' Village
"Daughter, who is this spirit that has followed you home?" Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas' father, asked gripping his staff warily. Spirits were best understood by his friend and advisor, Kekata the shaman. "Father, visitors are coming and the spirit, Zane, wishes to help us avoid bloodshed with them." Pocahontas told him, looking him in the eye. "Greetings Chief. I heard from your daughter of your latest victory. Sadly, the newcomers will be harder to understand." Zane said. "How so great spirit?" Chief Powhatan asked as the tribesmen watches them warily. "They came from across the sea and have culture that is different from yours." Zane said, looking at the people watching.
He took a deep breath and pinpointed the Shaman's hut. "I will talk to the only person that will get what I have to say." Zane said and padded over to the Shaman's hut.
Five hours later
Inside the Shaman's Hut
Kekata was an old man with a face framed by long gray hair. "You share much your me, spirit. But keep so much more hidden. Why is that?" Kekata asked after Zane had explained how to peaceful meet with the 'white man' visitors. "I am a teacher. I do not need to give all the answers, just the tools to help them figure out was the answer is." Zane said. Kekata's eyes widened. "You are one of the teachers that taught the visiting Shaman. She had long blue hair." Zane was interested in what Electra looked like, so he asked for more detail. Kekata threw something into the fire and an image appeared in the smoke. A blue haired figure wearing a mask and a cloak of feathers. In her hand was the staff.
"That is her. I was among the teachers who trained her." Zane said. "Was she looking for a willow tree?" Kekata nodded. "Yes. It was seasons ago. She came into the village and never said much. Her odd skin color, paler ours but not as pale as the white birch tree's bark, made the villagers wary. I knew she was a fellow Shaman, so I asked her what she needed. After she got the directions, she left. That is the last I heard of her." Kekata said respectfully.
"Thank you for sharing that. It has been many moons since I've seen her. I will be watching how you fare with this knowledge." Zane said vanishing. Kekata was puzzled by this spirit. It claimed to have seen what lays beyond the sea but never said any details. They he said the visitors could 'shoot' toxic pebbles using weapons that left holes in the body. Kekata was grateful for the knowledge to heal such injuries. He also had no idea why anyone would value yellow rocks from the earth. That was why they visitor were coming for, he called it 'gold'. But he also said they would be interested in food if it was proven to be safe to eat.
Kekata sat, deep in thought, when his friend entered his hut. "What has the spirit told, my friend?" Chief Powhatan asked, siting by the fire. "the visitors come seeking what they believe to be riches." Kekata said. "is there any way to coexist with them?" Chief Powhatan asked, worried. "Yes, we can teach them of foods they are unaware of, to show we can be peaceful. But among their tribe are snakes. These have ill intentions and hearts full of greed. Those are the ones we must be warry of." Kekata warned.
"What weapons do they use?" Chief Powhatan requested, knowing this would be important. "Long loud tubes that 'shoot' fast toxic pebbles. Zane has shared how to treat the wound that weapon leaves. They also wear stiff armor and their skin is like a white birch in color." Kekata said. Chief Powhatan sighed. "Thank you, old friend. You have found answers in troubled time." Chief Powhatan said and Kekata smiled in understanding.
A week later
Earth Chaos Delta
Virginia
The English settlement
Zane walked them digging and singing for a few days. He sniffed in distain as Governor Ratcliffe, the greedy black haired tubby of lard, slept in the fancy tent and everyone else had to make do with their standard issued tents. That twig of a manservant, Wiggins, was a skilled cook and artist but he was also a ditsy moron! Zane was impressed at that rate they made the log walls. It took the four days to do it. In that time, John Smith, the blonde liar on the real earth, but the brave explorer that would 'almost die' before peace was made, had gone off and encountered Pocahontas. He had told tubby of how the Chief of the locals was willing to meet peaceful with them at any time.
Tubby had the nastiest look on his face when he heard this. Then ranted about untrustworthiness and how they were savage murderers. Luckily, John and most of the men weren't buying it yet. They trusted John's judgment more than they did the Governor's. "So, you are the great spirit called Zane." John said as he sat near the tree Zane was watching from. "what of it?" Zane said. "Pocahontas said that you know about Europe. She didn't call it by name, but she implied it." John said.
"how would a 'spirit' know about ships, Europe and guns?" He asked. "you have no idea what Spirit Lynx are, do you?" Zane said. "We are keepers of secrets and we decide when to share those secrets, if ever." John was jotting it down. "And the reason I saw you in the camp but no one else could was?" He asked. "Spirits can choose to be seen or not." Zane said with a grin that showed off fangs. John shivered. He knew normal animals shouldn't glow or talk in English. If anything, Pocahontas had told him was truth, he was sure spirits were real as the creature he was talking to. "Finally getting how real the supernatural is? I can tell you for sure that Fae are just as real as I am. Good luck making lasting peace." Zane said vanishing from his sight.
A week later
Zane's Dream
"Thank you for smoothing that issue over." An old fisherman said to Zane. This 'fisherman' was just a mask Chaos wore to interact with lower beings. "What is with that earth?" Zane asked. "there is no mention of Christianity, God, or even Jesus." Chaos laughed. "You know the name of the world?" Chaos asked. "Earth Chaos Delta." Zane said and Chaos gestures for him to define the name. "It's the planet earth. A delta is a fertile land near rivers and sometimes a large body of water." Zane said. "Not sure where your name comes into play, but, the fact the largest religions in this world is called 'The Holy Church of Chaos', is very telling."
Chaos laughed. "This planet has been around as long as Earth Prime has. 'That' event added the Disney elements to it. I created it so far way it was never discovered until you it with you time traveling antics. This earth will never discover harmful practices like deforesting and nuclear energy. Spirits and Fae exist along with most of the other religions too. That's why it took this long for settlers to reach North America." Chaos explained. "that explains why people plant a tree after cutting one down and the harsh punishment for sport or profit hunting." Zane said.
"You scared 'Tubby' so bad, he confessed he was a greedy snake and begged the locals to protect him from the angry spirit Lynx that haunted him." Chaos said laughing. Zane had been letting only Tubby see him as he followed him around up until the two groups meeting each other for the first time officially. It only worked because he warned his men beforehand and the result was so perfect. Tubby looked like a nervous wreck by day six and was confined to the brig to 'escape the angry spirit'. It was better than killing him, because he would fear every cat he encountered from now on.
"I will make sure he never gets over his newfound fear." Chaos said. "Now on to the matter of Electra and the collecting she did." Zane paid attention to every word. "After collecting all the things, she visited the Fae to have them make something. Not going to spoil it but it was interesting to watch." Zane groaned at this. Chaos just smirked at him as he added. "She ended up somewhere interesting and hid her from your scrying methods until she returns. You'll thank me later." Chaos said as he gave the fishing pole to Zane and vanished from the dream.
"That is so like him." Zane grumbled. "Drops in my fishing dream and steals my fishing pole only to give it back after leaving me hanging." It was like talking to Lady Mew. "They are the same!" Zane said out loud. "But Lady Mew is more childish compared to Chaos. He, she, it or whatever they want to be called, is more like someone who likes to try out ideas and isn't afraid to kill the experiment to start fresh." Luckily, Chaos didn't do it often, Chaos just leaves it alone to do another project until it becomes a problem.
The rod bent as he got a bite. Reeling it in, Zane was rewarded with a large salmon. That's why he loved dreams like this, he could think and enjoy a nice seafood meal in peace. He built the fire and grilled the fish after gutting and cleaning it. He didn't question how he found the herbs and lemon in a clearing with a lake and trees that were blurred if you look far enough away. It was a dream after all.
He was reminded of how he got his ship the Crimson Hound from that sea goddess. The ship was made for her a payment from a ship maker who knew of magic and runes to a high degree. He did everything but prime the last rune with the 'blood of the captain', she insisted it was for someone she hadn't met yet but needed it one day. He remembered the day he walked into her swamp home to pick up herbs.
Flashback
Port Royal World
Tia Dalma's home
"Calypso, I'm looking for some herbs I know you have." The past Zane said as the dark hair goddess masquerading as mortal woman laughed harshly. "It is not plants that you need, but a ship of your own to cross my and other's waters." Calypso said. "That would be easer than brewing the potion that lets be undetected in water every time I want to go diving for treasure in this world but I'm picky about the ship I want." Zane pointed out. "Sora was lucky to get the magical ship he got! How many more ships made with magic incorporated from the start is there?"
Calypso smirked. "The maker of The Leviathan made another ship before his death. I know where she sleeps, dreaming as she waits for a captain to name her." She said in an accented purr that promised adventure, danger, and treasure." Whether she was Tia Dalma the voodoo mystic, or Calypso the sea goddess, she told the truth, but it had deadly hooks that could drown you. Zane sighed. "What's your price?" He asked, taking the bait. "I will tell you where to start looking for the ship, but you must swear that if any of your children desire to study my arts, you will let me teach them however I like." Calypso said grabbing his arm in a vice grip as her eyes were like a stormy sea.
Zane felt her aura of power as he swore the oath. He winced as the arm she gripped was branded with cryptic pictures. "Decipher those markings and the ship is yours for the taking. There is no time limit and if you find the ship, the markings will disappear." Calypso said as the aura was gone, and her eyes weren't stormy anymore. She let go of his arm as he looked it over. "Does it always sting when you brand a map on to someone with godly power?" Zane asked. "For most it's untold agony. You are lucky to handle pain so well." She says with a sadistic laugh. The sea can be downright nasty was scorned.
"It's good to know that you aren't angry with me." Zane said dryly. "You broke Poseidon's Trident last week and removed the curse of Flying Dutchman, along with every other sea related curse. I'm annoyed with you but not angry." Calypso commented dryly. "You would too if you held it and felt the sheer amount of bad juju contained within it along the control all sea life other than gods like you." Zane told her. "And the mermaids will never try to eat you for that very reason. Will Turner willing continuing his job, with more breaks on shore, is the only reason I don't kill you where you stand." Calypso said with a finger jab that sent him tumbling into the swamp outside of her home.
Zane surfaced with algae hanging off his body. "I hope you treat your students better than that." He says as he swam way followed by her laughter.
A few months later (still in the flashback)
An undersea island
It took him months to decode and follow the tattoo map and it led him right to an undersea island surrounded by man eating mermaids. Zane was so glad he was not on the menu. He entered the hidden air chamber and marveled at the ship that lay before him. He boarded it and coughed as years of dust was kicked up with each step. He found the ship's wheel and noted a rune that wasn't dark red like the rest of them. "It's not primed. That's why the runes are visible." Zane muttered to himself as he cut his hand and squeezed out blooded over the rune.
"Name me." A female voice echoed in his head. It had no texture to it, but his instincts said it was female and belonged to the ship. "You will be known as the Crimson Hound from this day forth!" Zane declared and the ship came alive as the runes glowed, blasting away the dust and grime. The figure head, flags and sails also changed into what Zane imagined his ship would look like. Zane felt a connection to the ship as the runes mostly hidden themselves.
"I will take good care of you." Zane tells the ship, patting the wheel.
Flashback end
Zane's dream
"And you did. No matter the storm I carried you and the crew watching each other's backs." A woman said as she appeared in his dream. She had a dangerous but welcoming feel about her as her blood red hair, styled to be feathered, shifted with each step. She wore a simple dress, that she shifted to sit next to him. "You have shown me seas I never imagined in my long years of dreaming, nameless and alone." The spirit of the Crimson Hound said in a voice that had an accent to it that reminded him of a dragon, cultured but with a rumbling of power to it. She was a Klabautermann, a water spirit that was the 'soul' of a ship that's well cared for. Oddly enough she looked nothing like what most of her kind did, small kobolds that have their futures hidden from view.
"Off course I'm different from my kin!" the Klabautermann said annoyed, reading his mind. "I've been exposed to your craziness for years." She was right, the Laskaris Clan didn't do things by half. "What brings you to my dream?" Zane asked. "I'm worried about Electra. She's there but she feels cut off." She said. "That'd be Chaos hiding her from being found before she returns." Zane explained. The Klabautermann said some very rude things about Chaos and what kinds of pain she'd love to inflict for hiding one of her beloved crewmates from her. "I blame the demigod kids for you picking up at least half the words you just said." Zane told her.
A few days later
TMNT Earth
New York City
A dinner
Zane watched as a reporter on Channel Six News on this version of earth, was talking about how last years claims of a 'bird' that made the super storm that traveled from the west coast to the east coast was not true. Nor were the reports of 'human sized ninja turtles' or the 'giant rat that wore clothes' that everyone heard over the years. Zane rolled his eyes at this. She could tell a lie good enough to fool the people but not him. "The Foot Clan is in fact real." The reporter said on the TV. This caught Zane's attention. "The Foot Clan is a sect of criminals who have been committing crimes undetected for many years now. "Little in known about their methods or their numbers but what is known is their the few members in jail, who escaped shortly after being integrated, swear that their leader, The Shredder, will rule the city." she reports shuffling her papers. "Who or what this leader looks like is unknown, but sources believe they share an Eastern Asian theme based on the 'ninja' theme the captured members had."
Zane heard a manhole slam down over the din of the dinner's conversions. It had happened after a man bundled up in a trench coat and hat left. He had ordered a salad and ate it with some protest, annoyed that they didn't serve pizza here. Zane checked the time, 8:39 PM. Something was going on and He would get to the bottom of it. He left a tip and headed out.
An hour later
TMNT Earth
New York City
The back alleys
Zane smirked inwardly as thugs with a purple eastern dragon tattooed on their arms 'cornered' him. They had mostly random weapons, metal and wooden bats, lead pipes, big wrenches, chains, and not a single gun on their person. "This part of town is the Purple Dragons' turf." The leader of the thugs, based on how much better dress he was, said. "You need to pay a toll." Zane noted how the Cueball seemed to believe he was in control of the encounter.
"I am aware, and I am looking for information your boss might have." Zane said, "Tell me where to find him and you won't be in pain." Zane laid out their option. They started to attack as he sighed and muttered, "the painful way it is."
Five minutes later
"So where is your boss?" Zane asked the Cueball, who was the only one not in pain and unable to think. His cellphone rang and the caller ID said 'Hun'. Cueball answered the phone. "Boss, there's someone that wants to talk to you." Cueball passed the phone to Zane. "Is this the boss of the Purple Dragons?" Zane asked. "Who's asking?" a gruff voice said. "Someone that is looking for information on the 'Thunder Bird' storm." Zane said. Hun was silent. "Is it lacking information or someone you are afraid of that holds your tongue?" Zane asked.
"You'd have better luck asking the Shredder or those damn turtles about that. I wasn't in town when she attacked the Purple Dragons. That bird rained lightning on them from the clouds and then she vanished. That's all I know." Hun told Zane. "Thank you for that information. I will leave a tip with your men." Zane hung up the phone and placed a case of American dollars in Cueball's hands. "Make sure Hun gets the full ten grand or I will find you." Zane said and Cueball nodded with fear of Zane and Hun.
A few days later
TMNT Earth
New York City
The Docks
"Why have you been attacking the Foot Clan?" The Shredder, a man in intimidating Japanese armor, growled as the Foot Clan members 'cornered' Zane in a warehouse. They had guns, swords, knives, and other weapons. "I only did that because they refused to give me the information I wanted. Why is it so hard for them to tell me about the Thunder Bird that visited this city?" Zane said that the tension reached new heights.
"That bird masquerading as a human took something from us and claimed she had better use for it." The Shredder said as his adopted daughter, Karai, showed Zane a video of Electra attacking the Foot Clan and leaving with a fist sized jewel. Karai returned to the Shredder's side. "She has been called the Thunder Shaman. She came to me to learn the art years ago and I trained her as much as I knew. I have no idea want she is doing other than collecting things for the Fae to make something for her." Zane said in half truths.
Karai, who was oriental with short black hair and wore Japanese armor (Foot Clan symbol proudly in red on front), drew the twin swords he carried and cross them over Zane's neck. "I hope you aren't lying, or she will liberate your head from your neck." The Shredder stated. "I will not kill you for being her teacher but that doesn't mean you will be unharmed. Deal with him." The Shredder ordered Karai. She sheaved her swords and impaled him through the stomach with a knife with the symbol hanging off the hilt. Zane fell as blood leaked from the wound. "Let this be a lesson not to mess with the Foot Clan." The Shredder said as the Foot Clan departed.
"Raph! Keep him still! I'll stop the bleeding!" a commanding voice said as anthropomorphic turtles came from the shadows. They had different colored headband masks on. "Are they gone?" Zane asked, spiting out blood as he sat up. "Dude! You have a dagger to your stomach! You shouldn't be moving." The turtle with an orange mask said with an easy-going voice. "It will take more than a dagger to kill me." Zane said tugging on the weapon in his gut, lightly. "It's made to hurt." Zane winced. The blade had hooks on it like a bee's stinger.
"Don't pull it out! That will rip you open even more!" the purple masked turtle said in a knowledgeable voice. "Then what can he do, Leo! He's bleeding out and he's seen us!" The red masked turtle said, clearly very angry. The blue masked turtle, the first one Zane heard talking, made a choice. "Raph, help him up. Donney, help Raph carry him back to the lair." Leo, the blue one, said as Raph, the red one, and Donney, the purple one, sling one of Zane's arms over their shoulders. "Mikey, go tell Master Splitter what happened." Leo said to the Mikey, the orange one, who ran off and Zane heard the scrapping of a manhole cover being moved.
"Which one of you were at the dinner a few days ago?" Zane asked. "That was me." Raph said, knowing if he kept Zane talking, he wouldn't pass out and maybe die. "I sometimes need to get away from my brothers and that dinner has some good food, even if it isn't pizza." By now they reached the open manhole.
Ten minutes later
Somewhere in the sewers
The Turtles' Lair
"Set him here." A human sized rat in red robe carrying a staff said as Zane was set on a medical slab. "This blade was made to tear the flesh painfully when removed." He said, "A weapon of torture and suffering." He sounded wise and tired. "Master Splinter, is there anyway to remove it safely?" Leo asked. "Nope. I know my blades and this one is made to hurt a lot." Zane said as he ripped the weapon out in a spray of blood. It hurt but not as bad as the worst wounds he got. Master Splinter stopped the turtles from going to Zane as he watched the wound heal quickly. "It is good to meet Electra father, even if it's like this." Master Splinter said. He then introduced his adopted children. Leo was Leonardo, Donny was Donatello, Raph was Raphael, and Mikey was Michelangelo.
"You mean to tell me that you could have pulled that out at any time?" Raph said getting angry at Zane. "We had to stop your blood from leaving a trail to the lair!" Raph was really getting into it, when Zane said. "If you wish to fight me, then just ask." Raph was more than happy to ask. The fight lasted one move from Zane. Just one kick and Raph was thrown into a wall. "You need to control and channel your anger properly or it will bring you ruin and death." Zane lectured as Raph winced as his body protested him getting up. "You are as much a master of your wrath as she told me." Master Splitter said, expecting this result.
"This is the weirdest blood I've ever seen." Donny said as he analyzed Zane's shed blood. "Electra's blood was odd, but Zane's is partially digital, somehow." He said, typing away at his supercomputer. "Who cares about that! He sent Raph flying without even trying!" Mikey said. "It was like fighting the final boss of a game early on in an unwinnable fight." Leo was thoughtful. "That analogy fits well. Zane is out of our league but Raph still challenged him and lived. If it was a video game, the defeated hero would use the loss to get stronger then beat the boss later." Leo said, getting what Mikey's train of thought was. It made even more sense when he looked at what was said.
"Do you have any idea why she stole this gem?" Leo said showing Zane a 3D printed replica of the gem Electra stole. It was a blood red spherical faceted gem that was larger than an average man's fist. Zane's blood ran cold as he paled. "Titania's Favor, a cursed fae item that has killed thousands." Zane said, not daring to take the replica. "How did this gem come to be and how has it killed so many?" Master Splitter asked gravely. "I only that over three thousand years ago a human was given a clear gem by the Fae Queen, who was quite scorned by something he said. She told him he had a year and a day to get it to the realm of the Fae and he'd get a wish." Zane said.
"And if he fails, he will die." Donny guessed. "you said it was clear, but the gem we saw was a deep red like blood." Donny looked ill as he realized the answer. "With each person killed by the gem or by some other means before the time was up, it grew darker red until it became what it is today." Zane said with disgust for the gem. "and what's the limitations of the wish?" Mikey asked. "Depends on how much lifeforce it absorbed before it gets returned. It socks up the remaining lifeforce of each owner as they die. Almost as bad as the Monkey's Paw when it comes to wish granting. At this point, Electra could wish for almost anything that doesn't break the rules of Life and Death." Zane explained.
"The Fae are as dangerous as you said they are, Master Splitter." Raph said, munching a slice of pizza while he sat on the couch. "I'd rather fight the Shredder alone and no weapons than face someone like that." He commented as Zane felt the Fae Queen's mark grow hot on his finger. She had heard and, based on the felling of amusement he felt, found it funny. "I wouldn't run your mouth because she's listening right now." Zane warned. "My dear favored human. You need to watch out for fake Shredders." Lady Titania whispered in his mind, revealing that the Shredder he met was just a robot someone used to make it seem like the Shredder, but not the TRUE Shredder, was still alive.
"I really hate it when the bad guy sends a body double." Zane grumbled as he melted the bloody dagger to nothingness. "Can't leave things like this lying around." Zane said as he used a minor curse on the one who stabbed him with a week of digestive issues. "That will wrap things up here. Thanks for telling me about Electra." Zane said as he teleported out of the lair, leaving them confused. "I really hate when people do that." Raph said annoyed.
A month later
Ranma 1/2 universe
Nerima-ku, Japan
Dr. Tofu's Clinic
"Welcome to my clinic. I am Doctor Tofu Ono I do chiropractic (relates to bones), acupuncture (uses needles on pressure points to heal the body), and moxibustion (traditional Chinese medicines), if that's what kind of problem you have." A cheerful dark-haired doctor said as he cleaned his glasses. "I'm looking for someone by the name of Genma Saotome." Zane ground out. The Laskaris had tracked his path of chaos all over this world, returning the things he stole and other issues for years now. Genma had always escaped the pursuers Zane sent. After the latest intel that was uncovered, Zane had enough. He had made his son agree to a senpaku (honorable suicide) contract as a child and then used a forbidden training method on his own blood. Zane was on the hunt and the fool was not escaping him.
"are you a debt collector or something?" Dr. Tofu asked. "something like that. Genma has been avoiding my people for some years now and we are fed up with that." Zane said with an aura of malice about him. "He's staying at the Tendo Dojo with his son, Ranma. Did you know they fell into the cursed springs of Jusenkyo?" Dr. Tofu asked. "I am aware. I had to prevent some kid from falling in only to end up in France because of his curse of getting lost. It took a while to figure out where Genma disappeared to by the time I got back to the valley in China." Zane said with a deadpan.
Five minutes later
Tendo Dojo
"Soun, there is someone after us. I felt his killer intent at Jusenkyo." Genma, an overweight but still fit bald man wearing a white gi, bandanna on his head, and glasses, said as he felt a chill down his spine. His friend Soun Tendo, a mustached black-haired middle-aged man in a mild colored gi, arched his brow. "are you sure?" He asked. "it could have been some animal you sensed. I heard there are larger animals that are quite angry at humans." Soun stated. "I believe it's linked with those red robed weirdos I've avoided for years."
"Oh! I sure it's their leader." Nabiki, Soun's middle daughter said with a smile. She was aware who was chasing Genma and could wait to get paid for tipping them off where Genma was. Genma tried to bolt outside and over the dojo wall but was repelled into the pond as tags on the perimeter walls glowed. A giant panda surfaced, his cursed form because he fell in the Spring of Drown Panda, started talking with a sign. "What the hell! You sold me out!" Gemna sign talked. Ranma, a black-haired teen wearing a red shirt, ran into the same barrier as he tried to leave for school, Genma was making him go, and landed a few feet back. "Why the hell am I stopped! It's Pops they're after!" Ranma yelled as Akane, Soun's youngest daughter, walked through without problem.
"I believe it's blood based." Kasumi, Soun's eldest daughter, said as she fixed her long hair, her sisters kept their black hair short. "Ranma is related to Genma so a wall that is meant to trap him would likely affect Ranma too." She guessed. "Indeed, that is the case." Zane said as he walked into view. "No one is going anywhere." He said as he herded Akane back into the house with a look. "Sit." He said and everyone did so as Genma wilted in terror at the malice directed at him. "Here's your reward for the good tip." Zane said passing Nabiki a suitcase of local cash. She happily opened it and started counting the money. Genma was sign begging, trying to say he was just a 'harmless panda'.
"You have caused a lot chaos and not the good kind." Zane said, glaring. "I am dissolving all contracts you ever made for someone without their permission." Zane said, using his power as deal making (digital) demon lord. "You can't do that! The houses must be joined!" Soun yelled but went 'EEP!' as the glare was turned to him. "Go ahead! We can find another way to join the houses other than marriage!" Soun said with his fear-stricken face pressed into the floor.
"So, how does that work?" Ranma asked. "All deals or contracts Genma made for someone without telling them the full detail is rendered null and void. Any deals you made without being tricked are still in effect." Zane explained. "So that amazon is still going to try to kill me?" Ranma asked. Zane blinked. "The only that would happen is if you were female." Zane said then deadpanned "You fell into the Spring of Drowned Female, didn't you?" Ranma was splashed with cold water out of nowhere and turned into a red haired, slightly shorter, curvy female. "Lovely. Not only do you have 'that' training and its aftereffects, but you also have the Kiss of Death on you." He sighed.
"Look, if you beat her as a man you will get the Kiss of Marriage. It is the only way to reseed the previous Kiss other than killing her and incur the rest of the Amazons' wrath. I know the rules of the Amazon tribe quite well." Zane said, leaving out the words 'of this universe'. Ranma looked annoyed but (S)he said. "I can work with that. All I need to do is wait for Shampoo to show up and beat her." Zane got a cup of water, boiled it with magic and poured it on Ranma, returning him to being male.
"neat trick. How does it work?" He asked Zane, while wincing at the hot water. "basic heating spell. Anyone with magic can do it, not sure if you can do magic." Zane answered as he threw water, just under evaporating temperature, at Genma, making him howl in pain as he returns to normal. "Are you trying to kill me!" Genma demanded as his face burned from the hot water. "You have it coming and then some. The Laskaris Clan has been fixing the problems you cause for years now and we are not happy." Zane stated.
"Genma! You pissed off the Laskaris Clan! What were you thinking! They are worse than 'HIM' easily!" Soun yelled shaking Genma. "Aren't you one of the oldest clans still following the traditions from its founding years at a large scale?" Akane asked, remembering it from a history lesson she had recently. "That's right." Zane said as he scanned Ranma and cursed when he saw what was displayed on the magical scanner. "I can't do a thing about the water curse, not surprising, but I need to call in a being of chaos to help remove the spirit of the cats' grudge. It's the secret to the 'Cat Fist' training." Zane explained how the collective hate for the teacher who throws the meat wrapped disciple, and the starving cats, into the pit possesses the subject of the training and that's how 'Cat Fist' works. (It's my interpretation of how it works.)
Everyone glares at Genma as Zane takes out a music box and winds it. A pleasant melody played then Mew, the pick floating kitty of chaos herself, appeared in the dojo, sitting on one of her pink bouncy bubbles. "Help Music man! How can the Amazing Mew help you today?" She cheerfully asked telepathically as Ranma's fear of cats acted up. Mew stopped him from panicking by basically dampening his brain's fear response. "Nasty nasty. Who invented such a not fun training method?" Mew said with a hurt tone as she pulled an orb of grudge energy, think a black oily looking energy with veins of red on it, out of Ranma with ease.
"That's the grudge?" Soun asked, looking a at the odd being of chaos that looked adorable as she shaped the orb like it was putty or clay. It was changing color to a cream, black, and blue mix. "Lady Mew, what are you doing?" Zane asked as Mew shaped the orb into a creature that looked like a Nekomata, a cat youkai with two tails. "Making him a protector. The nasty Panda man is clearly a bad parent." Mew said matter of factually. The finished creature was the size of a house cat with a blue cost of fur adorned with white tiger strips and its tails had black tips that spawned ghostly orbs, which hovered about its body.
"Tada!" Mew said with pride as the 'cat' napped in Ranma's lap. "The fear is gone or are you still messing with my brain?" Ranma asked as he looked at the 'cat' with the oddest feeling he had seen this cat before. "Her name is Grudge and will protect you from anything you can't handle." Mew said cheerfully. "The only reason you had that fear of cats is because of the icky curse wanting to kill the Panda man, using you. I could fix your other curse, but I won't!" She tells them as she returned to her home.
"She sounds like handful." Soun said. as Ranma hesitantly started petting Grudge, betting loud purr from the sleeping creature. Zane snapped his fingers and the tags incinerated themselves harmlessly. "Please stay, you need to explain to the people after Ranma about his new pet." Kasumi requested. "We have plenty of guest rooms you can use." Zane had a counteroffer. "Only if you answer a question I have. Are you aware that Dr. Tofu is in love with you?" Zane asked. She blushed. "I know but he's over five years older than me. I'm sure he has better woman closer to his age to marry." She said looking away. "As someone who is older than my wife, age isn't always a problem. Go on a date or something with him and test the waters. If it doesn't click between you then let him know how you feel." Zane advised.
Grudge yawned, showing of larger than normal fangs. Grudge's eyes were a sinister red that scanned the room before falling on Genma. With a rageful roar and flash of ghostly flames, the 'house cat' became a car sized beast that looked more like a tiger but retain the design of the 'house cat' form. Genma fled as Grudge, who turned out to be female, roared in Japanese, "Get back here you scum!". She tore after Genma, out the door and into the streets. "I like her." Zane comments as Ranma was smirking vindictively.
A week later
Ranma 1/2 universe
Nerima-ku, Japan
Tendo Dojo
Ryoga Hibiki, Ranma's eternally lost rival, finally made it here. He was the one Zane saved from falling to the cursed springs. "So, it's Genma's fault Ramna wasn't there for our duel years ago?" Ryoga asked as Zane checked how heavy the gear Ryoga carried was. The umbrella only was heavy enough shattered concrete when thrust like a polearm. Even the bandanas, he carried dozens of them in a pack that was also weighted, were like metal projectiles. This kid was strong. "Pops was behind a lot of events in my life. After I deal with an issue, we can have that duel." Ranma stated. Grudge returned from her weeklong chase with a bandaged like a mummy, Genma, hanging from her jaws. He deposited him at Ranma's feet like a cat does a mouse or bird.
She returned to her 'house cat' form and said. "I got him. He can run but I can find him no matter where he runs." Grudge was proud of herself. She delivered the same injuries Ranma got from the 'cat fist' training down to the last cut. She dragged him to Dr. Tofu before getting back here because him dying would be a mercy. Ranma gave her a juicy fish from the kitchen as a reward. "You are the best, little kitten." Grudge said and going off to eat the fish in private.
"why did that weird cat drop Genma like a fresh kill?" Ryoga asked. He had seen some weird stuff in his lost traveling. "That was Grudge, a protector/pet that really hates Pops for what he did to me. She is the best gift I got so far, even if that cat of chaos refused to deal with the Jusenkyo curse." Ranma said.
An hour later
Tendo Dojo
Grudge sat before Ranma with a young Siamese cat dangling from her mouth by the scruff of the neck. "This kitten wants to say something to you. Her name is ShanPu." Grudge said, the name being said in Chinese. "Is that you Shampoo? Did you fall into a cursed spring too? The cat meowed mournfully. "She says it happened during a punishment duel because your gender issue. You are also to wed her because Zane told them about your curse affecting your gender." Grudge translated for Shampoo. "I was meaning to find you to clear that issue up." Ranma said blushing a little. "You are a beautiful girl and strong too. I'm willing to see if this will work out."
"Wonderful news, Son-in-Law!" A tiny old woman with very long white hair, pogo-sticking on a long staff said as she landed in the room. "I don't remember you, but you must be from the Chinese Amazon tribe, right?" Ranma asked. She jumps off her staff introduced herself. "You may call me Cologne. And I am your great Grandmother-in-law when you marry. The one you know as Shampoo." She looks at Grudge intently. "A creature of malice and chaos with a connection to you. How odd." Ranma explained what happened and she nodded gravely.
"I knew that panda was a fool but not that foolish. Zane made the right call." She stated. "How do you know Zane? He knows your rules front to back and even sideways." Ranma asked. Zane had couched him on the culture he was now a part of for the last week. "He came to us over century ago and sold us beauty products in exchange for learning the rules of the tribe. The anti-wrinkle one is still working to this day." She points to her wrinkle free face. "We tried to get him to marry but his patron goddess made an appearance. He's off the market, as you youngsters say, and his wife is a deadly warrior. So, we relented and are on friendly terms with him instead."
She coughs into her fist and says, "As a male marrying into the tribe, it falls upon me to train you in our techniques." She pauses and adds "I might even train your rival a little to make it fair when you fight him. He might even marry one of the tribe's members, if we're lucky." She said, already scheming to use Ryoga to push Ranma's training to new heights and strengthen the tribe. "I know you are using him, fossil." Grudge said as she started grooming Shampoo, who tried escape but was pined with a paw. "But it is useful for the kitten to grown." She looks at Shampoo and stated, "If this kitten is my kitten's mate then that makes her my kitten as well."
Cologne laughed a little at Shampoo's predicament. "My granddaughter does need a good cleaning after shipping herself in that dusty box. Maybe you can teach her to fight in her cursed form. Think of it as a way for her to stay safe and Ranma stays happy." Grudge glared but went back to grooming Shampoo, who was meowing resigned. "Oh hush! Your fur is messy and out place. No one ever taught you to groom yourself right." Grudge scolded her. "I wonder how I missed Ryoga disappearing?" Ranma wondered. "His curse is a strong one and strikes at random moments. He vanished not moments after I mentioned training him. One moment he was listening, next he was gone along with everything he had save for that bandana." Cologne said pointing out the bandana on the floor.
A few days later
Ranma 1/2 universe
Nerima-ku, Japan
Cat Café
Shampoo, who was a long dark blue haired girl around Ranma's age, set a giant steaming bowl of ramen before Zane. "One extra-large Cat Ramen special, honored one." She said bowing before returning to the kitchen where her father was cooking. The Chinese Amazons had set up a café near the dojo to be closer to where Ranma was living and make a little profit on the side. "How dare you let her marry!" Mousse, a male amazon and childhood friend of Shampoo, yelled as he sent weapons on chains from his sleeves at Zane. Zane threw cold water form his glass and turned the attacker from a human with long black hair and thick glasses, to a white duck wearing thick glasses.
"At least you remembered your glasses, Duck Boy." Zane said as the weapons missed him and his food. When Cologne came to see what was going on, Mousse made himself scarce. "I hope he wasn't disturbing you. He had his heart set on wedding Shampoo but never was skilled enough to impress her." The old woman said shaking her head. "I'm sure Ranma will a husband you will be proud to have marry her." Zane said, picking up his chopsticks.
"Did you say Ranma?" A female customer, with brown hair in her early forties at the latest, asked. "Are you married to a man named Genma?" Zane asked getting a good look at her. "Yes, I am Nodoka Saotome, Ranma's mother. My husband stopped sending me letters weeks ago and I knew he was friends with the Tendos." Nodoka said very worried, especially when the senpaku contract Genma had signed burned to ash before her very eyes out of nowhere. "Ranma agreed to a contest that resulted in him being wed to my great granddaughter, the waitress that served you." Cologne stated. "You didn't mention the fact Genma got the both of them cursed, and Shampoo cursed." Zane said amused.
"Did Genma cause the young man to turn into a duck?" Nodoka asked. "No, he didn't have his glasses on and walked right into the cursed spring on his own." Cologne said embarrassed. "I complied a detailed list of what Genma did. Feel free to read it." Zane said hand her a thick folder. She got angrier farther she read. Zane didn't flinch as the other customers moved away from her visible aura of dread. "I'll be back." Nodoka stated and stomped out with a sheathed blade in hand, gripped so hard her knuckles were white. "a gold bar that she still loves him but is not going to let him pull any more crap like that again." Zane bet.
"Sucker's bet. I researched Ranma's family and found her to be too much in love with the panda to divorce him." Cologne countered. "I bet five gold bars Grudge will like her on sight." Zane laughed. "Deal." He agreed. Ten minutes later he would be handing over five gold bars to her, but he did mind.
A few weeks later
The World
Delta Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground
Hulle Granz Cathedral
"What can you tell me about the Epitaph of Twilight?" Ovan, a man with short blue hair, glasses, and wearing armor that was mostly shades of blue, asked as he sat down on the pew next to Zane, who's features were complete hidden in a black robe with a hood up. "It is the 'inspiration' of the eight phases, you could say." Zane said cryptically. Ovan was a 'player' of the Steam Gunner Class. He and his guild, the 'Twilight Brigade', wanted to unravel the secrets of The World.
To most of the 'players', The World was just an extremely in-depth detailed VR game, not realizing it was a world made of data but just as real as Earth. "you contacted me and only stated you'd give some answers. If you are willing to answer, what is The World? I can taste, smell, and feel things. There is pain, but not really." Ovan puzzled. "Oh, you noticed all that. Most 'Players' pay it no mind." Zane said with an unseen smirk. "Instead of answering that question myself, give me your answer to it." Zane said flipping the question on Ovan.
"It's too real to be 'just a game' but how would a world made of data exist in the first place." Ovan said, clearly have pondered this a while. "How is it so hard?" Zane asked. "Because of the energy and processing power needed is beyond anything on Earth." Ovan pointed out. "Who says it's on Earth?" Zane interjects. "You said it yourself. It's too real to be a game." Ovan looked at Zane with a great interest. "You aren't a 'Player', are you?" He finally asks. "I never said I was. Good luck decoding my world's secrets." Zane said, fading as he walked away.
"The Creator of The World is challenging us." Ovan stated, more amused than shocked. The World was marketed as a 'deep dive' VR game made by Laskaris Games. They were known for making games that were lifelike but not on this level. Years of data complied to creator a living data world with its own people and history. All because he stumbled upon this church. He stared as the statue of a girl in white with a clasp that looked like an infinity symbol. He had uncovered information from one of the inhabitants that called her Aura, daughter of the Creator. They adored and cherished her. They we're very touchy about some topics, like the name of the Creator. They had revealed what the words on the sword in the opening screen meant. The 'Key of the Twilight' was what had spared him on to form his guild and search of it for it was 'a guide to the truth' as legend called it.
An hour Later
The World
Twilight Brigade HOME (The guild space basically)
"Wait, you meet the Creator of The World and he all but stated it's not a game?" Sakisaka, the green garbed Steam Gunner, said, eyes wide behind the goggles of his onion helmet. "You said you were going to me a 'player' that had some answers." Sakisaka said as the goggles flashed symbols to express his annoyance and frustration. "But that's good news." Shino, a human Harvest Cleric, said with a smile. "Right, Haseo?" She asked the silver haired Adapt Rogue with red tattoos and facial markings. Haseo was the newest member of the guild and wasn't sure if he believed what Ovan told him, yet. "I'm not sure. We've been pulling teeth to get anything out of the inhabitants. Both literally and metaphorically." He says with a shudder, remembering the quest that had him killing demonic tooth monsters that were 'corrupting' a fleshy dungeon.
"It wasn't that bad. Sure, hearing the walls groan and rive in pain was off putting but soon as we killed the last tooth thing, it stopped." Tabby, a Lei Tribe (a tribe of beastkin, mostly feline) Tribal Grappler, said as she looked at her new set of rare cat paw weapons Shino gave her. "It was nauseating, and I am never looking at rotten teeth the same way ever again." Haseo deadpanned. "All we got from that Vital Vista (Steam powered robots with self-awareness and personalities) was that the Creator has 'facets' running around. Who knows if we'll ever find any of them?" The Guild Grunty (A pig like creature that takes on the appearance of the Guild Master) push up his tiny glasses and said, "It's easier than you think. You just need to request an audience with The Monk. Depending on the information you request the price will fluctuate."
"The old guy that helps 'players' is an aspect of the Creator? Why hasn't anyone figured that out yet?" Ovan asked. The Guild Grunty just shrugged "It's common knowledge but you 'Players' never ask the right questions. 'To reach the truth you must ask the right person the right questions', it's one of the many nuggets of wisdom the Creator of The World left us inhabitants." He said calmly. "So, this whole time we've been asking the wrong questions?" Sakisaka ground out. "Quite the opposite. You are asking the right questions, but you have a long way to go before the truth is in your grasp." The Guild Grunty corrected.
Ovan got a message from his little sister, Aina, a Shadow Warlock class 'Player', who had said she found something in [Delta Lonely Silent Great Seal]. "Aina found something and is on her way here momentarily." Ovan said as a blue haired girl in a gothic-Lolita dress entered. "Brother! I found The Creator's Room!" Aina said, hugging Ovan around the waist. She told them of the encounter.
Flashback
The Creator's Room
Aina found herself in an odd white room. With a rocking chair in the middle of the room. "Welcome, Truth Seeker." A man in a black cloak, Zane, said as he sat in the rocking chair. "What is this place?" Aina asked. "This is The Creator's Room, one of the rooms Aura grew up in. A safe place for the ultimate AI to take shape without worry of interruptions before she is stable." Zane said. "Big Brother Ovan will be so happy." Aina said happily. "I have so many questions." Zane smiled as she said this. "Is Aura your only Daughter? Do you have a wife? What is The World to you?" She fired off. "I have more children, you might have met them here, or you might not of." Zane shrugs. "I have a wife more beautiful than the Fae, that's my personal bias." He paused before answering the last question. "Continue to hunt for the truth of The World and you will truly understand what it is to me."
Zane gave her a pair of items called 'Bonds Beyond Distance', a pair of oval lockets that lacked chains. "share this with your brother and you can know where he is anywhere at any time." Zane said. "Thank you, Creator." Aina said, bowing and leaving to back to the Root Town she came from.
Flash back end
Aina traded Ovan one of the lockets and they appeared around their necks without warning. Ovan opened his and found photos of him and Aina in it. He checked his windows and the locket wasn't in his inventory or equipment page. The chain of the locket had no clasp and that was the what made him think it was more than just an item made of data. "Why did you ask those questions?" Haseo asked. "They seemed to be the most important. It's not like he would just tell me big secrets like the last question." Aina said annoyed. "Besides, I wanted to know if he was like the Greek gods." Aina mood brightens as she says, "And he's not unfaithful to his wife at all. And he loves his children." Ovan pats her head with a smile. "You asked the right questions. To understand the truth of a creation, you must understand the mind of its creator." Ovan said wisely. The Guild Grunty pipped in "Another nugget of wisdom from the Scrolls of the Creator."
Haseo, who recently got the job extend quest done, remembered the weird book he got along with the Edge Punisher form. Adapt Rogues were a class that started with one class, Haseo started with Twin blade, and could unlock more classes, letting them switch between weapons on the fly. "Guild Grunty, what's your name?" Haseo asked. "I am Rune Grunty. It took you long enough to ask." Rune Grunty fumed. "Can you despipher this text?" Haseo said taking the book out and showing Rune Grunty the cover.
"Here did you get this?" Rune Grunty asked, shocked. "From a quest a few days ago. This weirdo Blademaster with green skin was waiting for me at the end and gave me it after unlocking the Edge Punisher form." Haseo said. "This is a rare book that talks of the Lost Grounds. It was protected by the Three Azure Knights." Rune Grunty said. "You must have met one of the Descendants of Fianna, Orca of the Azure Sea." Ovan commented. "And the other is a white winged Blademaster called Balmung of the Azure Sky. Oddly their leader is a short Twin Blade in red, named Kite of the Azure Flame. That title is not is the Epitaph of the Twilight, but the inhabitants don't seem to care."
"Of Course, it doesn't matter! They honored warriors with an important task given to them." Rune Grunty said annoyed. "Too bad no one really knows what that task is. They are ether impossible to find or walking around The World, pretending to be like the rest of the 'players', for some reason."
a few hours later
The World
Delta Server
Mac Anu, Aqua City
Near the Chaos Gate, a blue orb with golden rings spinning around it, was a 'Information Shop', run by an old monk. "What can I do for you?" The Monk said looking at the group that consisted of Ovan, Tabby, Aina, and Haseo. "We are looking for the next 'step' to find the truth." Ovan said cryptically. The Monk laughed good natured. "I've been waiting for someone to ask that for many years. Come inside, Truth Seekers, this is not for just any ears." The Monk says as a door appears on a wall.
They entered a private room with a low table and cushions for seats. "Now let's see what we've go. A party of four different classes and an Adapt Rogue with two classes unlocked. Good, you got that requirement met." The Monk said as he pulled a scroll from the far wall. He blew the dust off as Haseo asked. "What requirements are you talking about?" The Monk unrolled the scroll and looked at it glanced at them then back to the scroll, repeatedly. "The Creator set requirements to some questlines to make sure only the right people complete them. In this case, a diverse group that includes someone like you." The Monk points his wrapped weapon at Haseo. "Of all the classes, Adapt Rogues are the most unpopular but can be the most dangerous one to fight if you devote enough time to mastering it."
Haseo got that. In 'The World', you didn't have too much system assistance to when it came to the finer details of fighting. You had to learn this through hard work. Adapt Rogues had to learn more than one class styles, that was one of the reasons it wasn't used much. "And what are the other requirements?" Haseo asked. "To have the right mindset. You do not PK for the fun of it nor do you shy away from combat. We've kept an eye of you and the other Truth Seekers. Those that are not apart of your guild but still will play a role, weather they know it yet or not." The Monk stated.
"What is the payment you require?" Shino asked. "There is no free lunch after all." The Monk laughed at the Greek proverb. "Very true. The payment will be doing jobs for me from now on until you pay off the debt that this will put you in." The Monk said showing them the monetary value. It was astronomical. "That is the price of the Truth of The World?" Ovan asked. "No, no, that is the price of getting the chance to find the truth. It's not cheap because you will be seeing the light and the dark of The World." The Monk corrected.
"Is 'The World' made of data?" Aina asked. "Yes. The Creator laid a seed and The World was born. I remember watching as the Hulle Granz Cathedral formed first." The Monk said smiling fondly at the memory. All of the 'Truth Seekers' got a quest notification at the same time. Each one was a different quest but they all would lead to the 'Truth' at some point. "Off you go." The Monk said as the door reappeared. They bowed and left. A humanoid purple cat with giant rabbit ears and wearing green armor entered from the shadows. "So, that's why Endrance got that quest. I can't wait to see how they fare when Father's Truth is before them." She said. "Mia, you know your role. Please do your job and not waste time hanging out with your boyfriend." The Monk said to blunt digital daughter of The Creator. "I can do both. I am one of Father's more powerful children." The Monk sighed. Mia was an inhabitant but was acting like a 'player' of the Blademaster class for the longest time. "Fine. Play your games. I have no idea what you cook up at times." The Monk said as she disappeared with a smirk.
Elsewhere
Delta Hidden Forbidden Dead Wood
Dead World of Indieglut Lugh
Endrance, a tall blue haired 'player' of the Blade Brandisher class wearing a purple outfit, sat at the waters' edge. The falling water droplets echoed loudly in the cave. He was staring at the glowing white tree. "Master En! I need your help!" A blonde Shadow Warlock 'Player' where a jester inspired outfit, said as she appeared. "Bo told me some weird quest appeared and I took control of our character to ask you." Saku, the 'sun' personality of Sakubo (Bo being the 'Moon' personality'), said.
"You got one too? Mia said she was going to ask someone what's going on." Endrance stated. "I'm back! The Truth Seeker Quest has finally begun." Mia said as she appeared from the shadows. "Oh, you must have gotten the guest too." Mia said noticing Sakubo. "What's going on! Bo doesn't have any idea why he got the quest." Saku demanded with a glare at the cat who she tolerated because she was dating 'Her Master En'. "Just the biggest event of The World since the war in the past." Mia said. "What war? The World isn't two decades old yet." Saku replied. "In normal time it is." Mia said. "What she means is that before the first 'players' came here, time was sped up. To the inhabitants it's been eons since it's creation. The war in the backstory happened after a fashion as did many of the other events. It's something Mia has alluded to in the past." Endrance explained.
"That is why I love you." Mia said. "Now tell me what the quest you got is, miss second personality." Saku bristled at their secret being aired like that. "It says 'The Path of The Machinator'." She said bitterly. "Oh! You are lucky as Endrance is. He got 'The Path of The Temptress' One of eight important Questlines that the Truth Seekers need to complete to find the Truth." Mia said smirking, knowing something they didn't. Endrance had an idea what his girlfriend really was but was waiting to voice it.
"The other paths are The Terror of Death, The Mirage of Deceit, The Propagation, The Prophet, The Avenger, and finally The Rebirth. What do those have in common?" Mia said. "Those are the titles of the Eyes of Morganna." Saku said. "What does the titles of programs have to do with anything?" Mia smirked. "You must have noticed it. That odd feeling you get when you log in. The one that feels like 'jet lag'." Mia said cryptically. Saku felt a creepy dread as Bo said to her mentally 'The World isn't a game. It's another world.' She started at Mia as she was notified that she completed the 'Eyes Opened' Quest. "You aren't a 'player' you are an inhabitant." She said. "Bingo! I am a digital entity who was born in The World. You humans are so lucky to be born with flesh and blood. I had to figure it out years ago." Mia said cheerfully.
It was completely possible to for Inhabitants of The World to materialize, like digimon can, but it required permission from The Creator aka Zane to do so. "I was right." Endrance stated with a smile. He knew there was more to her, but his questline had hidden quests to it that told him to unravel her secrets, those quests were hidden from her for some reason.
A few days later
The World
Raven Home
Serpent of Lore
"Any progress on your ends." Yata, a tan skinned buzz cut blonde haired Macabre Dancer class 'player' wearing a Buddhist inspired robe and glasses on his face. He fingered his weapon, a pair of folding fans. "That's the weird thing. We did the quests like you said and the latest said for us to meet you here." Kuhn, the blue pony tailed yellow garbed Steam Gunner said. Pi, the red scantily clad Tribal Grappler with pink hair into large pigtails, nodded and pushed up her glasses. "That's right, sir." She said. "I got that quest too." Yata admitted as the computer that looked like the world serpent eating its tail, the name sake of this room, behind him picked up something odd.
"Hello there." Zane said appearing while holding Seer Grunty, Raven's Guild Grunty who looked like Yata with wide rice hat on. "Don't attack him! He's the Creator!" Seer Grunty said as they drew their weapons. "That's right. The World is my creation and not for CyberConnection Corporation to make a profit on." Zane said as they flinched at the same time. Not long after The World was released, CC Corp had sent some 'players' into the 'game' to crack its code for CC Corp to copy. In six months, CC Corp was bought out by Laskaris Games and stripped down to bone and rebuilt as Electra Electronics.
"That would make you, Zane Laskaris, our boss." Kuhn said as Zane pulled his hood off. "And if you want to keep your jobs, you will keep walking the path that leads to the 'Truth' they wanted so badly." Zane warned as he set down Seer Grunty, pat him on the head and vanished. "Any idea why he let us off the hook so lightly because I'm confused?" Kuhn asked. "The Creator is willing to give second chances if he sees at least some part of you wants it." Seer Grunty said pushing up his glasses. They got the quest complete ding, twice. The second time was for completing 'Survive the boss without getting brown pants' quest. "He has a sense of humor." Yata comments amused. "Continue to monitor the 'Truth Seekers' as you do the questline. Be discrete if you can but if confronted, try to not make enemies of them." Yata ordered.
Two months later
The World
Sigma Hidden Forbidden Sin Realm
World of Sin Ran Hati
Haseo cut he way through enemies as he participated in the 'Forest of Pain' event. It promised great reward for those that survived the maze-like forest Lost Ground. He had information that the other 'players' didn't, Skeith was waiting for him. He had unlocked his third form, Flick Reaper, (The new black armor made him very feared as he PKed the PKers.) and had been waiting to face one of the Eyes in battle as the other Truth Seekers had. For some reason, eight 'players were chosen by the Eyes of Morganna and had the hardest quests thrown at them compared to the other Truth Seekers. Upside was that they got 'Lost Weapons', weapons with an eye motif and relating to one of the Eyes of Morganna, as one of the rewards.
He cleaved through a plant monster with Shadowy Death, a badass looking scythe with good stats. He soon found a stone as the BBS post about the event described. Soon as he touched it, he was taken somewhere else.
Testing Ground
He was in battlefield doted with ruins. Skeith, a humanish stone horned creature with an eye on its chest. It had a tall red wand floating near it. "You have come for the final step of this path." Death said as he landed. "You are the last to face their Eye. And the last Key to The Truth awaits you." Haseo sighed. The Key of the Twilight turned out to be something more than just an object. It was a title given to 'the Keys of The World', the master key to the system but with some limitation.
Skeith said nothing as Haseo launched himself with weapon bared. No matter what Haseo did Skeith took no damage, but fight was not about beating them. "You claim to hate PKers but weren't you one yourself, as the 'Player' Sora?" Death asked. Haseo gritted his teeth. The seven others had told him they had every secret dredged up in the duel with the Eyes, but he had no idea that would be the first thing brought up. Sora was a twin Blade class 'player' he made a few years ago and had indulged a little with, killing 'players' and stuff like that. Then Skeith appeared and 'Data Drained' him. His data was gone, and he had made his current one after taking a year to think why this happened.
Death spent a few more minutes poking and prodding all Haseo's buttons. "Just SHUT UP!" Haseo yelled, he was knocked away by Skeith's wand. "What's wrong? Didn't you want to reach the Truth?" Death asked. "You know what you must do. The key to passing in your inventory." Haseo had it. "Was it wrong to be a PKer? I was completely unaware of the Truth back then. It was just a game, and no one ever died." Haseo said, demanding answers. "It's not wrong to be a PKer in a game but this is not a game, there is rules and you broke them." Death said in a calm slow voice. "Accept who you are, and the Truth is open to you."
Haseo switched out his scythe for a pair of thin, long katars that extend and retract from wriest guards, Last Betrayel, the main weapon he PKed with. With a roar he stabbed Skeith but it was like the world shattered and he fell through the hole.
Aura's Room
Haseo stumbled as he looked around the room, he found himself in. There was a four-poster bed with silk bedding and curtains, stuffed animals everywhere, a rocking chair, and a shelf of books. "Welcome Truth Seeker." Aura said with a smile. She looked just as they described her. Haseo noticed he had a new white armor and was carrying two bladed guns. "where am I? And what happened to me." Haseo asked. "As reward for facing your past, you have been awarded with the Xth Form, of the Duel Gunner Class." Aura said, giving him three more pairs of guns. He wasn't a high enough level to use them, but it was the reward for the event. "You still didn't explain were we are?" Haseo said looking around. "This is my home. The Other Truth Seekers were greeted by my knights or one of Father's aspects when they completed their paths." Aura said with a smile that made Haseo relax. No matter how much he wanted to put up a cold front, Aura's smile and kind demeanor melted it away.
"Why am I different?" Haseo asked. "You remind me of Father. You go so far because your friends want to find the Truth. I can show you it now. The others with be seeing the same thing too. The Truth is best view alone then discussed with others afterwards." Aura offers a hand and Haseo takes it.
Memory of Creation
Haseo watched as Zane, floating in black void, holding a book with a giant seed made of data floating above it. "Are you sure this is wise?" The Monk asks. "I do this to leave a legacy that all my subjects can talk about with pride. From something taken I will give a gift of life to this empty void." Zane said as the seed dropped into the void and the Hulle Granz Cathedral appeared with the lake it sat on. Slowly the void was filled with locations of The World.
Memory end
Aura's Room
"The book was the source of Creation?" Haseo asked. "Stolen by a fallen angel turned Demon lord. Father wished to use it for good. Electra would be happy to know there was Truth Seekers at long last." Aura said "Electra? As in Electra Laskaris, daughter of Zane Laskaris and technical owner of Electra Electronics?" Haseo asked. "Father is kind to his family. When she returns from her journey, she promised to visit me." Aura said. "So, that's what we worked so hard to find? Zane decides that making a game isn't a good enough legacy. NO! He needs to be the best dad in the universe and made a whole world from data and make it evolve to the nth degree." Haseo said laughing at the crazy answer he got.
"Father isn't sane, but he is the best father I could ask for." Aura said. Zane popped in. "Hello there, Haseo, did you enjoy the Truth?" Zane asked. "You are the weirdest person I ever met. Question, did you threaten to cave Endrance's face in with a 'shovel sword' if he hurt his girlfriend?" Haseo asked. "Father got more protective after Sakura got stalked by 'unsavory piles of pond scum', as Father described. So, he got the 'ANSWER' to deal with threats to his family." Aura explained. "Humans are so odd." She said with a puzzled expression. Zane pats her head saying, "You have much to learn daughter of mine." He turns to Haseo and says, "Thank you for helping deal with the PKers."
A Week later
Remnant
Island of Patch
"Who requires the services of the Great Demon Lord, Daemon?" Zane said in Daemon (Cloaked) mode. "It worked! Ruby's demon summoning circle worked!" Yang said in disbelief. Zane groaned. He had dabbled in Contract magic and as a result anyone could summon him and make a deal. More deals he made over the years, bigger deals he could make. Add in time travel and Daemon encouraging him to make it a full-time job, resulted in him being one of the most reliable 'Deal Makers' to summon.
"Look. Just because 6-year-old Ruby, in her infinity wisdom, summoned me to 'make Zwei a super dog' doesn't mean you can just summon me on whim." Zane said. "I know that. I'm going to be joining Beacon this year and want to do something special for her." Yang said, brushing her hair out of the way and rolling her eyes.
Zane stepped out of the poorly drew circle, much to her surprise, and looked it critically. "You are lucky it's me you got. Other Deal Makers aren't as nice as I am." Zane commented. "What kind of 'surprise' do you want for your half-sister?" Yang huffs annoyed. "I was hoping for a magical item that will give her a leg up if she loses her weapon or faces something that is a walking mountain." Yang says "She doesn't have magic or semblance that makes her hit harder. Sure, she can use a gravity round to hit faster." Yang rambled.
Remnant had changed from what it could have been, mainly because the Dark bother didn't kill off magic and the moon was still whole. Instead of Dust being found, the Brother Gods signed a deal with Zane to make 'crystallized magic stones' in its place to see how it would affect humanity's future. Zane also 'created' Faunus and unlocked aura in people as a result of a deal. The Deal Maker was so entrenched in the culture that he was viewed as a being only topped by the Brother Gods in importance.
"Right. So instead of going to a mortal craftsman or even the Brother Gods, you summon The Deal Maker, who is the boss of every other deal maker that you could call on this marble you call home." Zane said in a deadpan. "See! You get my thought process. The Brother Gods' alters are too far away and you aren't as stringy as your employees." Yang said with smile. Zane felt a headache coming on as an alive and healthy Summer Rose opened the door and demanded "Yang Xiao Long! What have I told you about summon Deal Makers?" She had that glare only a disappointed mother could give their kid.
"It's good to see you still alive, Summer." Zane greeted. Summer sagged in relief. "It's good to see you again, Zane. Please don't ask for an arm or her soul as payment." She said. "Given what she wants, half her hair will do." Zane said. Yang was torn, she loved her hair, but it was for her baby sister. "It can grow back, right?" Yang asked. "Of Course, it will. It's the act of giving up half your hair for your family that is the payment." Zane explained. Yang signed the contract and cut her hair. Zane too the payment and gave her a charm, about the size of a silver dollar. "This is the Thorns of Agony charm. If the wearer is harmed, the attacker gets hit with thorns, dealing some damage." Zane said as Yang looked at the thorny vine ball look of the charm.
"So, she wears this, and it will harm the attackers with thorns? Is it because she has a rose petal semblance?" Yang asked. "Because it's a little on the nose." Zane rolled his eyes. "You asked for a magical item for Ruby, I gave you one she'd like. Be happy you got a Charm. I've been working on recreating them for years." Zane pauses as he feels another summon. "I got another summoner calling." Zane says as he lets the call pull him.
Elsewhere
Somewhere in Vale city Warehouse district
Zane said his intro and waited for Cinder Fall, of all people, to make her request. "I want power." She started to say but Zane cut in. "Hold it! Be more specific or you'll regret it." Mercury Black, who was off to the side, was snickering. "He's not lying. My old man made that request and he got power, so much that he exploded. That's why I lost my legs." He pats in prosthetic legs from the knee down. "Wasn't your father a 'nominee for Worst Father of the Year' according to you?" The mint haired dark skinned, Emerald Sustrai, snarked. "Yeah but our boss is making a deal with The Deal Maker. It's like asking the Grim Reaper for an extension on your life. I heard they know each other." Mercury said. Zane laughed internal at this comment. To the people of Remnant, he was three major figures of legend, the third being the Blood-Stained Knight.
The Blood-Stained Knight was the reason why this Remnant's Great War didn't end with everyone dead. There was a lot of broken bones, but the armies were stopped, and peace restored. He was still angry that it started over the ethnics of Faunus slavery. When Zane entered the last major battle, it became clear that death was less painful than the blows he gave out as the pro-slavery armies were unable to grip their weapons or even stand anymore. What history said was that the King of Vale had summoned the Deal Maker and asked for a way to end the war. What he got was a monster of warrior that stopped the war without any more lives lost needlessly.
"What would you suggest then?" Cinder asked. "What are your goals?" Zane asked. "You don't need to know." Cinder says as the ginger-haired thief, Torchwick and his silent friend, Neapolitan came into the warehouse with a few crates of magic stones in tow. "She wants to become more powerful than the royal families." Torchwick says taking a drag of his cigar. "No idea why but she's paying me to steal stuff for her 'Grand Plan'." Cinder glares as the thief told Zane what he knew. Neo smirks and flipped her tri colors hair.
"Right, that is vague as her first request." Zane says, "How much are you willing to give up for this 'power'?" Cinder, without hesitation, said "If I have to give up an eye, I will." Zane knew just what to give her. "In exchange for your eye I will give you a fallower who will listen without question." Zane says presenting the contract. She smirks and signs. Like a viper, Zane's claw rips her right out of the socket. Flames swirled on the floor and Zane threw the eye into it. From the flames, an elemental of molten rock and metal pulled itself and bowed to Cinder, who was screaming in pain. The empty socket was burning as the connection was forged. "Enjoy." Zane said vanishing.
Ten minutes later
Cinder learned heavily on a wall, panting in pain. "That's what you get for making a vague request." Torchwick said Cinder glared, her right socket filled by a molten orb. "So does the new eye do anything?" Torchwick asked. "I can only see everything the elemental servant sees." Cinder said testily. It felt like her blood was lava soon as she signed her name. She didn't realize how painful it would be. "That's why I didn't ask to regrow my legs." Mercury stated. "And what did you ask for?" Torchwick asked. "the ability to walk under my own power. Had to give up my broken legs permanently, but it was better than bleeding to death." Mercury lifted his pant legs to reveal very life like metal prosthetics fused to his flesh. "state of art to the point that I can feet sand like it was flesh and blood legs. They even grow like flesh legs do." He bragged.
"So, you traded shattered limbs for metal versions?" Cinder asked, "Was it painful?" Mercury laughed "like there was lava in my veins. But I didn't have much choice at the time." He stated. "You show see what happens to those that ask of 'power' rudely. They get screwed over royally." Mercury laughs sadistically. "I'm betting that Jacques Schnee got added to the list with his 'unfortunate death' a few days ago."
"And what gave you that idea?" Emerald asked. "he died inspecting a mine when the floor caved into the motherlode of Magic Stone crystal deposits." She stated bring up the article on her Scroll (it's like an iphone). "Out of all the people there, only the overseer and him died. The overseer was a racist and Jacques is known for using anyone and everyone for his own gain. None of the Faunus workers fell in, somehow, despite being the ones that caused the hole to form." Mercury pointed out. "That sounds like a monkey paw wish outcome to me." Torchwick said. "the question is, did the CEO make the deal or did someone else? My money is on his son Whitley, based on the horrified look on his face." They look at the faces of the family on the article and noticed he was right. The male hair had a face of horror and gilt, much worse than the others family members' sad faces.
"where did the second daughter get that scar? She didn't have that in her performance at last years Ball they held." Torchwick asked after Neo pointed it out. "Oh that? Dear old daddy made her fight an Arma Gigas Grimm to try and stop her from being a huntress. She beat it but got that scar on her eye. You should have heard her latest song that roasted him and his view on people." Mercury said.
A few days later
Kingdom of Mantle
Atlas Capital
Schnee mansion
"Well, a new customer and a royal one at that." Zane said as the Royal Magictech army (RMA) of Atlas pointed their weapons at him. King Ironwood, Zane had no idea how that happened, but it did, looked as he did in cannon. "Did you kill Jacques Schnee, Demon?" He demanded calm yet with steel. "He's dead? His son wanted to inherit the CEO job, so I gave dear old daddy a little misfortune." Zane said and started to leaf through a ledger. "We are aware of that deal." General Winter Schnee of the RMA stated curtly. "AH! Here's the problem. One Adem Taurus requested the overseer that branded him to suffer a mining related death." Zane said. "That would explain was happened. It was purely bad luck Father was near the Overseer in question." Winter stated and signaled for them to lower their weapons.
"Now that the interrogation is over, we can get to deal making." Zane said, "Ask for anything that doesn't break the Rules of Life and Death, or my rules, and it's yours for a price." Willow Schnee, current head of the family because her son getting jail time, stepped forward. "how can you act to calm! Your deals killed people!" She demanded. "Yes, and I warned every customer that might happen. Contract magic, like all 'Deal Making Magic' has a touch of danger to it." Zane said showing them two figures signing a Geis. One of the figures dies suddenly as Zane says, "In the case of Geis, death is the most common thing when you break the agreement."
"He was a terrible human, but I loved him, a little." Willow said in a pained tone. "love can be blind, and it can even harm you. But what is living if there isn't something that makes the good parts better?" Zane said. He took something from Willow "I'm taking your dependency to drink away your problems for that nugget of wisdom." He said holding an orb of 'weakness' that smell like booze. "Would you be willing to help my friend Ozpin? He's the king of Vale and Headmaster of Beacon." Ironwood asked.
"Maybe if you are willing to pay for me to do it. I already taught at a school for four years and it was annoying with all the chaos that happened." Zane said. "Name your price." Ironwood said. "hmmm, you are half magitech already so no body parts." Zane mutters then gets an idea. "Make me an identity so I can teach without them demanding deals from me without going through the proper channels." He indicates the circle he was standing in. He hands the contract and the information Ironwood needed for his 'ID' and history. "It will be filed in the week." Ironwood says signing.
A few days later
Vale
Beacon Academy
Headmaster's office
"You made a deal with The Deal Maker to let him teach my students?" Ozpin asked Ironwood over the coms. "I had to make some deal. That's one of his rules." Ironwood defended himself. "He caused a double murder and was the only one that knew why it happened. Every person, human or faunus deserves justice, no matter how vile they are." Ozpin sighed. "that is true, my friend, but why teach?" Ozpin asked. "I don't know why he picked that. I was hoping for him to beef up security or something. I have no idea what he's planning."
Ozpin looked at the 'fake name' on the profile of the new magical history teacher. "Are you aware that I met an 'Electra Laskaris' at the Domain of Light. She had left with a fresh soul. When I questioned where she got it, she said she first visited the Land of Darkness before coming to visit the Domain of Light." Ozpin asked. "Are you saying that that The Deal Maker has a daughter?" Ironwood asked shocked. "What I'm saying is that, this 'Electra' has a connection to him and is a very gifted Shaman if she got a fresh soul from the Brother Gods." Ozpin stated. "I will keep a close eye on him. Keep in touch." Ozpin ended the call as the elevator dinged and Zane Laskaris walked in with Glynda.
"Dr. Laskaris, your resume is impressive. Why should I hire you?" Ozpin asked. "Because I wish to fill in a gap in your teaching." Zane said. "And what gap is that?" Ozpin said with an arched brow as Glynda looked annoyed. "The Role of the Deal Maker in history and how his rules work. It's glossed over and it's just begging for a disaster to happen because some fool blunders a deal with him." Zane states with brief smirk only Ozpin caught. "You're hired. The next Semester starts in a month. You may go." Ozpin stated. Glynda stayed behind.
"Wait did you hire him? It's like inviting a beast into your own home, hoping he isn't hungry." She said heatedly. "It is better to keep him where we can watch him, than somewhere else, planning something with us in the dark." Ozpin said looking for a photo. "Look at this photo and tell me what you see?" She takes the photo. "It's that young Shaman, Electra." Her eyes narrow as she takes the file on the newest teacher. "She looks like him, his child or maybe a descendant." She says. "If Summer's information is right, his 'fake name' is in fact one of his 'real' names, just as 'Daemon' is." Ozpin says. "We may get answers to what happened in the past. Another race of humans doesn't just pop out of nowhere."
A month later
Beacon Academy
Magical History Class
"welcome to Magical History Class." Zane said as he waited for Dr. Oobleck to pass out textbooks at his hyper normal speeds. "Ether Dr. Oobleck or I, Dr. Laskaris, was be teaching about the history of the world and all magical and mundane things that have happened because of those events." He stated as Ruby and Yang sat silent with wide eyes. "Team RWBY, please stay after class so we can discuss your leader's two years of lessons she skipped." Zane ordered. Most of the students snickered at them being called out on the first day. Ruby was hiding under her hood, face beet red with shame. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you." Dr. Oobleck said drinking his coffee thermos/flamethrower. "It is a sign of talent to get into Beacon two years early."
After class ended
"You girls are aware of why I really asked you to stay behind." Zane stated. "Because you are the Deal Maker and don't want us to blab?" Blake, who was not hiding her Faunus trait, Black cat ears, under a bow, guessed. Weiss was the only one out of the loop. "What? But why would you teach here? Don't you have better things to do, like causing more deaths?" She said bitterly. "Blame Adam Taurus and your brother's requests for your Father's death. When misfortune curses go near 'Death' curses, it ends badly for both parties." Zane said. "Adam did what?" Blake asked cat ears flat with fear.
"Traded me his luck for 12 hours to make sure someone he hated died." Zane said. "He stubbed his toe, tripped on a tree root, burnt his food, and got pelted with nuts by wildlife for the time frame." He looked at Blake as he said this. "As for why I'm teaching, to get you kids to stop summoning me for random ideas, miss demon summoner at age 6." He glares at Ruby. "I said I was sorry." She squeaks. Weiss looked ready to say something Ruby's lack leadership skills. "That is why I will make sure you become the finest leader you can be." Ruby wasn't sure what to say so she hugged him.
"You're the best Uncle Zane!" She mumbled into his shirt. "Adopted into another family. Lucky me." Zane chuckled. "Here's passes for your next class" He says, and they leave. "You should ask Ozpin if you can teach a Leader only class. It may help the other student leaders at the same time." Dr. Oobleck suggested as he cleaned his glasses. "That's a great idea. I'll ask him at the weekly meeting." Zane said. "Tell me, is your name any relation to the 'Laskaris' that forged the weapons Mr. Arc is wielding?" Dr. Oobleck asked. "If it is the blade used during the war, then yes, it is. Sometimes it requires a 'human' touch fulfill my end of the deal. I have a lot of faces and names to draw on but this one is my preferred human look." Zane told him.
"Fascinating. That explains your ability to deliver on what you promise. Are you aware there is mentions of a Primordial Mother Goddess that might have 'inspired' the Brother Gods?" Dr. Oobleck asked. Zane choked on his coffee briefly. "Who told you about Tiamat?" Zane asked. "A young Shaman by the name of Electra. I met her in downtown Vale, and she told me about The Primordial Sea that could create life. Too made Tiamat never came to this planet, I'd love to meet her." Zane laughed a little. "you wouldn't be able to understand her. She doesn't have a vocabulary, really. But she is one of the best mothers you could meet." Zane said, remembering how she would greet you with a hug if you let her.
"Maybe one day we will find a way to travel among the stars." Dr. Oobleck says.
A month later
Beacon
Zane's Office
"Jaune Arc, homeschooled enough to just barely get into Beacon by the skin of your teeth." Zane said. Jaune, the leader of team JNPR, sat looking nerves. "I know I'm falling behind a little, but I know I can improve if you give me more time." He said nervously, hoping he wasn't going to be expelled. "Who thought you to fight?" Zane asked. "You wouldn't believe me." Jaune said. "Try me." Zane challenged. "The Blood-Stained Knight. I made a deal with The Deal Maker to be a hero like the rest of the family. I don't have talent for spells." Jaune said. Zane snorted. "the rest of your team can come in." Zane said as Nora, Pyrrha and Ren fall in when the door opened on its own. "One, you can use magic. You are the best White Mage classed student in this school I've met. Sure, the only thing you can kill with magic is undead and 'evil' things, but you can heal wounds and even prevent harm." Zane stated.
"Besides, you signed this contract and I aim to uphold it." Zane holds up Jaune's contract. "See Ren, I knew he was The Deal Maker! Who else would memorize all those rules?" Nora, the orange haired master of whack-a-mole, said. "Yes, I am he. And I also made that weapon you carry, Jaune. May I see it?" Zane asked. Jaune handed over Crocea Mors (It's the current version, not the volume one version). Zane unsheathed it and cradled it gently. "Looks like the Arc's didn't do as I said. This is a weapon, not a thing to hang on the wall and forget about for generations." Zane grumbled and the sword shivered. "You made him steal you off the wall? You must have really wanted to be used, my dear." Zane told that sword.
"Sir, why are you talking to the sword? And how did you know he stole it?" Pyrrha asked. "I made this weapon for Jaune's Great-Great Grandfather. One of my better creations as a blacksmith. Nothing to crazy, made it unbreakable and added a two-handed mode to it among other things but I guess no one even figured them out yet." Zane sheathes it and two edges appear and slide up a little. "I had no idea it could do that?" Jaune said. Zane laughs as the sword shivers. "Give me a few days and I'll show you how to really use her. She's can repel things with a blast of gravity and be used to make a barrier of magic. I know you can put them to good use." He returns it to default mode and gives the weapon back.
"How is our fearless leader doing besides is fighting?" Nora asked. "He's acing everything else. Only his lack of training is what's limiting him. Great leader but needs help applying it to real life. Why do you think I started the Leadership classes?" Ren answered this "to make sure the Teams are led by good leaders after they become full Huntsman and Huntresses?" Zane smiled. "Exactly! Prince Oscar is heir to the throne, even if he is Ozpin's grandson and only the heir because he's the closest living member still alive. So, he is required to take the classes too." Zane stated.
"What's the prince like?" Nora asked. "He grew up on a farm in Mistral and never wanted to be the Heir." Jaune said. He and Ruby had gotten to know young Oscar and come to be tentative friends with him. "I've said what I needed to say, and you have classes in the morning. Get enough rest." Zane dismissed them.
five months later
Beacon
Magical History Class
"Today's topic is one that I've been saving for some time. The origin of the Faunus Race." Zane said. Velvet Scarlatina, a brown hair rabbit Faunus with a love for photography, perked up, as did her team leader Coco Adel, fashionista and leader of team CFVY. Blake knew this was coming and was ready to take notes. "You are all aware of how 'unspecified wishes' can be fulfilled in 'weird' ways." Zane said and Coco raised her hand. Zane nodded at her and she asked, "Are you implying that The Deal Maker created the Faunus?" Zane knew she didn't believe him, so he had them turn to a page in the textbook.
"On this page you will see the interview that was conducted with The Deal Maker. He was asked by a tribe of hunters to 'make them. and their descendants, better hunters' with really telling him how to do it. He did so by granting them animal traits and that makes Faunas better than humans in some regards." (Note: this is not cannon to the show as far as I know) There were some that scoff that is information, too wrapped up in their bias to care.
Weiss raised her hand and when she was called on, she asked, no demanded, "Are you saying the ruffians of the White Fang are right about being better than Humans as a whole?" Zane laughed, hard. "That misguided bunch of protesters turned violent, are still human. So, no they aren't completely right to call themselves 'superior to humans' but they have a few good points. They are being looked down on even today. That is one of the reasons I've chose to teach all of you." Zane said.
"And I, for one, am glad you are finally telling the humans that information." Sienna Khan, the dark-skinned tiger ear and striped Faunus leader of the White Fang, said as she walked into the room, clapping slowly. "I find your description of us a little rude, but you are just a human." She said not caring that she was insulting almost everyone in the room. "Why are you here?" Weiss demanded. "I was invited by Dr. Laskaris. I apologize for any grief Adam Taurus caused your family in his quest for revenge." She said sincerely. "But his chapter of the White Fang is not the whole group and request you not call bunch rotten because a few bad apples get mixed in." Sienna said as she stood next to Zane.
"Your parents want you to call them, Blake." Sienna tells Blake who was pale as a ghost. Zane got a call and the whole school felt his anger swell up. "Someone stole WHAT!" He reined in his anger as he packed up his stuff. "I am sorry to say but this will be the last week of class. I planned for it, but some entitled brat broke into one of my properties and stole a spice blend record, one of the publicly sold blends, but you get why I am a little angry." Zane said as they were petrified. "May the gods have mercy on their soul because this monster is fresh out of it." Sienna muttered.
A week later
Food Earth (Shokugeki no Sōma based world. I'm also putting it as the earth that the Western Restaurant Nekoya is for reasons later)
Tokyo, Japan
Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute
Front gate
Zane walked up to the gate of the massive cooking academy sitting on the mountain, which was also owned by the school. Zane remembered this place well. He came to this world to find where that magical restaurant was and heard about this 'school'. He enrolled and in four years he made the name of Laskaris a household name. People around him were speed walking away from the aura of dread coming off him as he walked in without even giving his name to the security, who were too afraid to stop him.
Author's Note: I'm going to leave it here before it gets too long. Like a Dragon, he guards his cooking secrets with a vengeance.
