"This is your ultimate technique? You're just running away! What kind of hero does that?" Sylph cried.
"A living one!" Ranma shouted back. He turned, and shouldered through one of the rotting doors right before the bunny android in the hallway opened fire, and tore the walls and floor to shreds.
"What are you going to do now?!"
"Strategize!"
The rapid sound of claws on wood reached his ears. The dragon and the assassin were close. With no way out, Ranma slammed his fist through the floor and made his own exit. The android that fell down behind him opened the hole wider.
Ranma didn't bother waiting around and smashed through another door and into a nearly pitch black hallway.
"So what's the strategy then?"
"Make it up as I go!" His body twisted mid run and a Moko Takabisha was fired off behind. The android in pursuit dodged and Ranma put on a burst of speed to clear the corner. Despite what he'd told Sylph, he was forming a strategy. Holy energy welled up from below, which almost certainly meant Alice and the knights were being kept there. When he pushed wind ahead of him to map out the mansion, the scent of stale air came back and turned him towards one door in particular.
Even without the hint, the door would have stuck out in a mansion like this, given its solid metal material and numerical keypad beside.
Ranma cracked his knuckles and braced himself. "Been a while since I've tried this. Here goes nothing!" His fist extended outward and a single finger extended from that. "Bakusai-"
FWOOSH!
Ranma blinked at the sight of the open door.
"Wow! That door opening technique was amazing!"
"Yes, Sylph, that's exactly it." Pushing his apprehension aside, Ranma took the stairs at a sprint. The darkness suddenly gave way to bright lights illuminating a long, straight hallway with hard, flat stone walls. It wasn't long after that the hallway opened up into a truly gigantic room.
"Sylph, what the hell am I looking at?"
"Um...I've got nothing."
Ranma had never been one for movies and his long sojourn away from civilization had left many holes in his knowledge, but even he could recognize how much this place resembled a stereotypical mad scientist's laboratory. Large glass tubes filled with liquid and misshapen figures lined either wall. Small panels with extensive notes were in front of each one and the tank-bound monsters gave off a vibe that they could break out at any moment. What added an extra layer of strangeness to everything, however, was the technology.
Bright electric lights illuminated the room. Actual computer screens were near many of the experiments, and while any of the devices wouldn't have looked out of place in Ranma's world, they were alien in a world that hadn't yet mastered electricity or gunpowder.
"Does your world actually look like this?" asked Sylph.
Her voice broke Ranma out of his stunned surprise. "Yeah...in science fiction stories."
Unfortunately, there was no time to unravel the mystery. It was a wonder that the androids hadn't caught up to him in the time he'd been staring. Remember the plan, he told himself. Find Alice, find Gnome, find Granberia, find Alma, and then find a way to get the hell out of this place.
"You might want to find a way to get rid of that venom, too."
Ranma grimaced slightly. Sylph's reminder sent a small shudder through his body. "Thanks for reminding me."
"Maybe you should rescue Alma first then?" Sylph suggested.
"I'll rescue whoever I can. It's not like I know where anyone is."
Ranma hurried through another network of halls. Concentrations of holy energy gave him a vague direction to go, but the place was a maze. One room was filled to the brim with dusty electronic devices, while another with simple cleaning supplies. Yet another seemed to be a mechanical repair bay, though the machinery sat eerily silent, as though the occupants had stopped their work and left suddenly.
As if to answer his growing apprehension, a loud buzzer sounded as he entered the next room. The door across from him lit up and gave Ranma mere seconds to leap up into the corner, sink deep into the soul of ice, and hide with the Umisenken.
The door opened and a squadron of androids filed in. Ranma held his breath and went still as the brown and beige colored feminine troops spread out through the room. Silently and efficiently, they swept the room with flashlights and targeted every corner. A single bead of sweat trailed down Ranma's forehead as the lights brushed past the dark recesses of the room. Would his technique hold?
"Room clear. Move on," said one of the troopers finally.
Ranma kept his cloak in place a good half minute after the last android had left.
"Sylph, is there a reason all these bots are female?" asked Ranma as he relaxed his arms and legs to drop to the floor.
"That scientist lady probably programmed them to subdue guys with sex."
"...why?"
"Why not? She gave them other emotions."
Ranma stopped short before he replied. There was a sense to that logic. Emotions were empowering after all. His Moko Takabisha was proof of that.
The next door did not respond to his push, nor was there any obvious method of opening it. He was definitely going to draw attention breaking through, but there weren't any other options. Extending his finger, Ranma approached—
—and nearly stumbled straight through as it opened.
"Wow, you really have a way with doors," Sylph praised.
"That wasn't me," said Ranma cautiously, taking a peek into the next hallway. Nothing. Was he being led somewhere? If so, to what point or purpose? If it was a trap, why not just alert the troopers instead?
"But you're going this way anyways, right?" Sylph pointed out.
"Doesn't mean I can't be worried about it."
The presence of the androids grew as Ranma moved through the lab. Most of the models were the uniformed female troopers, but occasionally a different model was mixed in. Some were recognizably human, others only barely so. All of them were meticulous and forced Ranma to push his Soul of Ice to the limit as he fought to hide and keep his growing arousal in check. The holy energy he'd sensed grew with each room he passed, until finally he hit upon a roadblock.
The dragon-bot he'd encountered upstairs was in front of the next door, standing tall and flanked by a handful of troopers on either side.
"I don't get how he's been avoiding the security sweeps," murmured one of them. "Promestein said he was a well-trained monk, not a thief."
"Maybe she got it wrong. How else would he be getting through the checkpoints?"
"He won't stay hidden long," said the dragon sharply. "Either he'll make a mistake or the aphrodisiacs will flush him out of hiding."
Ranma mentally cursed as he focused on the wind and immediately detected a subtle, sweet presence in the air. Small wonder his body still felt hot and bothered. Worse yet, there wasn't any apparent way to stop it.
"Well if you can find a closet somewhere, I could help," offered Sylph.
Ranma blinked. "But you're tiny. How would that even work?"
Sylph provided a mental image. Ranma blushed.
"Okay, that could work, but we don't have time for that."
"Really? Those androids don't look like they're about to move."
Behind the troops, the door opened, admitting yet another robot. This one was, again, different from the others. Instead of legs, she was balanced on a single wheel and in place of an energy weapon, her hands held a clipboard. Her design was more cute than menacing, and Ranma wondered what her purpose was.
"Promestein requires your aid in the west wing of the laboratory," said the wheeled girl.
"Impossible," snapped the dragon. "We've been tracking his progress. He's certain to come through here."
The wheeled robot stared at Riot. "Radio does not question mistress order's. Radio is a piece of junk."
"Did she say why?" the dragon pressed.
"Radio is not worth explaining things to," she said while bobbing on her single wheel.
From his hiding spot, Ranma could see the frustration on the dragon's face. Finally, she turned to the other robots. "He might be trying to free the fire knight. Seal this place off and reset the alarms."
The troops quickly moved to obey, and within a minute the room had been cleared and the doors locked. None of the bots had given Radio a second glance while she'd rolled into an out of the way corner. Quietly, Ranma observed her and waited, but she was entirely motionless. A minute passed and suddenly the lights in the room came back on and all the doors opened.
"Radio forgot something," said the bot before promptly rolling towards the previously guarded door. It didn't shut behind her.
"Did that seem suspicious to you? Because that seemed suuuuper suspicious," said Sylph.
Ranma eyed the door warily. "If it is a trap, it's a painfully elaborate one."
Ranma landed and slipped through the door. There was no sign of the smaller robot, yet conspicuously opened doors showed the path she'd taken, directly towards a source of holy energy. Almost as though she were leading him straight to one of the cells.
"Is she...intentionally helping us?" Sylph asked, mirroring Ranma's thoughts.
"Can't imagine why…" Nonetheless he followed and occasionally caught glimpses of her around corners and past doorways until finally the cell came into view, surrounded by enough holy energy to make his skin tingle. Radio was nowhere to be seen.
"No guards, no alarms, not even a camera. This is too easy. There's probably something bad in that cell," Ranma theorized.
His cloak dropped as he approached. No windows, no bars, just a solid metal door that burned with holy energy, which blocked any attempt to sense what was past it. Ranma raised his hand and pushed it flat against the barrier. Just like with Morrigan, he could sense the weaker points and pressed his energy against them. Once he'd sufficiently mapped it out, a firm push caused the entire thing to collapse.
"Easier every time," Ranma said with a smirk.
"What about the door?" asked Sylph.
The answer came in the form of a kick from the other side. The door nearly hit Ranma square in the face as Alma forced it open. "About time you showed up, hero boy. How long were you going to make a lady wait?"
Something was wrong. Alma's aura of lust was there, but stronger than ever and intently focused in his direction.
"Alma...are you okay?"
"Perfectly fine...now that you're here."
Ranma swallowed. "They doused you with something."
"They did, but it takes a lot to make a succubus go mad with lust, if that's what they were trying for."
Despite what she'd said, her eyes told a different story. One similar to what Morrigan's body language had implied back in San Ilia.
"Alice and Granberia are still captured, ya know," Ranma reminded.
Alma chuckled and stepped forward, her hips swaying along with her tail. "And what good are you going to be to them if you can't properly focus? You can't even look away from me. If I have a bit of your energy, they won't be able to bully me with these holy barriers either."
Ranma stared at her, body trembling slightly as she came within arm's reach. He'd thought Morrigan to be plenty powerful, but Alma's sheer presence was downright overwhelming. "It's annoying how much sense you're making."
A hand rose to his cheek and coaxed him to look up towards her face. "I was going to get my way somehow. Battling you with logic is faster than beating you up and taking what I want."
It occurred to Ranma that this may have been the trap all along. Lure him to Alma Elma and let lust do the rest. Unfortunately, there was little chance of stopping things now. Her hand slid around his neck, her tail pushed against the back of his legs, and with a strong tug he was caught in Alma's embrace.
Instantly, Ranma could feel his willpower being drained. Alma's body was soft and her skin flawless. Her aura mingled with his own perfectly, while his head found a pleasant resting place against her chest.
"Nice, isn't it?" Alma murmured into his ear. "Put your arms around me."
He couldn't tell if it was a charmed command or not. Either way, his body did as she asked.
"Losing your will already?" Alma teased. "Snakes and foxes can brag as much as they want about their tails, but nothing compares to a succubus' embrace."
Faintly, Ranma wondered why Alma even bothered comparing the three. He was no less aroused from this than he'd been with Alice or Tamamo. Their techniques may have been different, but there was only so much pleasure a body could feel...right?
Alma set out to prove otherwise. Her wings spread and wrapped around him, bathing him in heat. Her hand tilted his head upward, her mouth closed in, and he went limp as she pressed him into a kiss. Her tongue passed through unresisting lips and coaxed him into motion. She was not aggressive or demanding, but she didn't have to be. Sheer talent and her sweet taste was enough to make him want to follow her lead, enjoy her warmth, and surrender himself to her whims.
He was hard. Painfully so, and her thigh rubbed between his legs while the blissful kiss continued. His sense of urgency, his worries, and his worked up adrenaline all faded, their energies redirected towards Alma and nothing but Alma in this heated moment.
His arms tightened around her back and his head pressed forward, trying to reciprocate something, but his 'attacks' were countered and his tongue soon trapped by her lips. The kiss eventually broke, but the heat remained. He was panting, out of breath, and desperately wanted more, but he didn't have the strength to take it.
Alma, however, knew exactly what she wanted. "When we get somewhere proper, I'm going to drain you, transform you, and then drain you again. Repeatedly. For now, I'll suffice with an appetizer."
Ranma rallied his willpower for one last retort. "If you get us caught because of this, I'm never letting you forget it."
"Ara...then we best not waste any time."
Adult content removed per site guidelines. Seek this story out on Archive of Our Own for the cut content.
"Warning. Flames detected. Activating fire suppression systems."
Water poured from the ceiling and hit Ranma like an icy waterfall. It wasn't enough to douse his lust entirely, but the shock of his, now her, transformation jolted some sense back into her mind.
Alma pouted as she looked at the female parts of her captive. "Hmph, now that's just rude! I was using that."
Ranma's smaller body allowed for some wiggle room and she was quick to use the scant freedom to reach out and grab Alma's horns. "Alice...won't be happy if we keep her waiting."
Alma's tail relaxed and finally unwound from Ranma. "Fine, we'll continue this later." With one final squeeze to Ranma's rear, Alma released her completely and allowed her to pull her pants back up. "I am curious what caused that, though."
Pants secured and thoroughly soaked, Ranma's focus trickled back, along with her energy. "They said it was a fire. Maybe Granberia got out."
"Or she still had some of your energy left over," Alma teased. "It's very invigorating."
Alma's wings rose to shield them from the water and her eyes moved to the metal door. The potent aura of lust that had filled the room before was now tightly focused. Her foot raised, and kicked open a new path. Mercifully, the sprinklers seemed to have only affected the one room.
Ranma shook water from her hair as she hurriedly followed behind. "Do you have any idea where you're going?"
"Not a clue, but if they keep putting doors in my path, I'll keep kicking them down."
"Guess stealth is kinda out the window now. I wonder why we're not being attacked?"
"They're probably preparing another trap. No sense worrying. More importantly, are you dating Beri-chan?"
Ranma stared at her incredulously. "How is that more important than getting everyone out of here?"
"A succubus needs to know these things, Ran-chan. Call it a professional interest."
"In what way is that professional?"
"Because I need to know if I'm competing against her and Alice or just Alice," Alma replied sweetly.
"There ain't a competition going on. The whole thing in San Ilia happened 'cuz Granberia needed my energy. Just like you did. And Alice that one time…"
Alma's smile grew. "And you keep going along with it? You'd sound more convincing if your cheeks weren't so red."
Ranma opened her mouth to retort but closed it abruptly when Alma held up a hand and peeked around a corner.
"How are you and Sylph getting along?" asked Alma as she waited.
"Huh? I guess I'm still waiting for a chance to really cut loose and see what we can do," Ranma murmured back.
"You know how to throw gales, don't you?" Alma's succubus wings spread wide. "Follow my lead."
With a twirl, Alma rounded the corner and gave a strong beat of her wings. Ranma was a step behind and caught a brief glimpse of a handful of troopers recoiling before she followed up.
Arms raised, she brought them down in a sweeping gesture, adding speed and form to the wind front and enough force to knock several of the androids off their feet.
Alma zoomed by her and was abruptly in the middle of the troops. Guns were knocked aside, bodies were flung away, and her wings, tail and hands moved in a blur of motion. By the time Ranma had cleared the distance, only one in the group was still on her feet. A quick rising knee and a hard hammer fist to the top of her head changed that.
"This ain't gonna keep 'em down," Ranma mused as she kept her foot on the back of the one she'd downed.
Alma grinned as she circled the others she'd subdued to kick away their weapons. A bright pink ball formed in her palms that she released directly into the pile to vaporize it instantly. "Anyone want to stand up and keep fighting?"
"Nope!"
"I'm good!"
"I never really liked Promestein."
"I'm not even supposed to be here today!"
"Smart choice. Now get out." Alma kept watch until the last trooper disappeared.
"Something ain't right here," said Ranma. "I must have passed a hundred of these troops trying to find ya. Why put just five of 'em in our way?"
Alma shrugged and quickly did away with another door in their path. "You worry too much, Ran-chan. I can drain that from you too if you'd like."
"No more meals till everyone is rescued!" retorted Ranma with a huff.
The lights flicked on in the largest room Ranma had seen yet. It appeared to be another housing chamber for test subjects, but one tank in particular was three times as large as the others and the clear centerpiece of the room.
Alma stiffened when she saw it. The easygoing smile on her face vanished. "Okay...maybe it's alright to worry a little bit."
The creature held in the largest tank was a lamia. A large one that made Alice seem small by comparison. In fact, the intricate markings along the human body, the curved horns, silver hair, and even the flower entwined within her hair made it feel like he was looking at a larger version of Alice, albeit one with wings.
"Is that…" Ranma began.
"Alipheese the Fifteenth," said Alma grimly. "Her body at least."
The body, while pale and lifeless, looked to be in near pristine condition.
"Did the angels kill her?" asked Ranma while she put a hand against the glass.
"No, it was a group of adventurers acting in Ilias' name. Alice was only a child when it happened, but she was quick to take her revenge. Or so the story goes. I was just a young succubus at the time."
"Should we...do something?" asked Ranma, uncertain. "Whatever they want with her body, it can't be good."
"Once we have the monster lord, we can worry about it," said Alma firmly. "Where is the largest concentration of holy energy right now?"
"Just beyond that door," said Ranma with a gesture. "There's another below us though. They're both about the same strength."
"Forward then." A third hard kick from Alma smashed open the path, followed by a near immediate jerk backwards away from it as a hailstorm of energy blasts sliced through the air. "So this is where they were all hiding."
Ranma pushed the wind forward ahead of her and got a picture of the room. The trooper class models were well entrenched, hidden behind cover with the bunny android at the head. Every one of them pointed weapons down the corridor. The dragon bot was there as well and Ranma figured the assassin-bot was nearby.
"That's a lot of firepower," murmured Ranma. "Not sure even Sylph could keep me ahead of all that."
"Sure I could. You just have to move fast enough," Sylph huffed.
"Well I ain't gonna learn it in the next five minutes."
"Could earth resist a barrage like that?" wondered Alma.
Ranma shrugged. "Not sure. They're not using regular bullets. It's like some sort of converter helping 'em focus energy into concentrated blasts. Still wouldn't want to get hit by one of 'em."
"Then all we can do is try to distract them," concluded Alma. "Although I'm not entirely sure—"
CRASH!
The entire lab shook, a wave of heat washed down the hallway, and Granberia's enraged voice boomed. "Where is that damned angel? I've got a new sword I want to use on her!"
Shouts followed and gunfire wasn't far behind. Alma chuckled. "No better distraction than an enraged dragon. Shall we?"
Ranma charged. One of the troopers that hadn't been distracted fired at her, but it wasn't enough to pin her down. In a burst of wind, she swatted the android aside with Alma a step behind her. Troopers emerged from cover, Alma took to the air, Ranma caught a brief glimpse of Granberia, awash with flames and wielding the cursed sword in the thick of the fight, and from there chaos erupted.
Ranma ducked and weaved in between the lab equipment, moving from one target to the next to ambush troopers out of position. Meanwhile, Granberia's cursed sword absorbed all the energy it came into contact with, and every blow she struck drained the droids and left them inert on the ground.
Several of the troopers made the mistake of turning their rifles skyward to try and hit Alma, only for the succubus to weave between the shots and provide ample opportunity for Ranma and Granberia to take advantage. Half their number had fallen in the first minute and the rest were soon on the retreat.
And then, from the corner of Ranma's eye, a familiar ripple passed through the air. "Beri! Behind!"
Granberia twisted and brought her sword up to deflect Assassinroid's arm blade. Alma swooped to attack, only for a giant sustained beam of energy to chase her off. The elites had joined the fight, which meant—
Ranma jumped to avoid a tail that struck hard enough to dent the floor beneath. Claws followed and forced her to give ground. Ranma's retaliation was quick, but her fists ran up against that same synthetic padding that had let Assassinroid easily shrug off her blows from before.
"I am Riot, one of Promestein's greatest creations," said the dragon in the brief lull, "and you will submit to her wishes."
Riot was the polar opposite of the assassin. Her attacks were straightforward and direct, a whirlwind of kicks and slashes enhanced by the sharp claws on her hands and feet. The power of earth was prevalent in her form and she was even more solidly built, not only shrugging off blows but outright attacking through them.
There was no grace or style to Riot's fighting, merely overwhelming strength and durability, much like Ryoga...if Ryoga had decided to go at Ranma with clawed gauntlets. Fortunately, Riot's style had the same flaws, and her natural agility and Sylph's wind easily kept her ahead, even if that was all she could do.
Mentally, Ranma gave Sylph a front row seat to her mental ire. "You know, maybe Beri had the right idea with this mountain cleaving crap. I should punch boulders for a few months until I can punch through whatever the hell these things are made of."
"Then use the earth and hit them harder!" encouraged Sylph.
"If I use Gnome again after what Alma did—"
"Then go wake her up! She's in that metal tube the troopers are guarding!"
"Wait...what? Why didn't you say this sooner?!"
"You seemed busy. I didn't want to distract you."
Ranma cursed under her breath, leaped back out of Riot's range, and extended a finger. "Alright, this time for sure!"
Riot swung in and missed by a mile. The troopers turned their rifles on her and let loose, but Ranma danced through the shower of lethally honed energy blasts like it was second nature. The bunny bot's laser swept out uncontrollably as she was tackled by Alma, but Ranma jumped back, swerved around Granberia, and found a new angle. She had her opening, she had her path, and with just a sliver of borrowed earth power, she was certain she could get the technique to work.
"Bakusai Tenketsu!"
Her fingertip pierced the metal and soon the rest of the hand followed as it broke through. Her momentum only stopped once her wrist was firmly planted in the tube. The container itself remained unbroken.
Ranma blinked and tugged at her wrist. It was stuck. "Damn, I really thought I had it that time."
Beep!
"Containment breach imminent. Evacuate the floor."
"...what?"
FWOOOSH!
From the single hole she'd put in the metal, a torrent of air erupted and gushed over her. Other parts of the container ruptured and let loose with their own blasts of wind. The entire construct let out a groan, then promptly burst into a hurricane that threw lab equipment, metal, and every fighter in the room into the air.
Ranma turned just in time to land hands and feet first against the wall. She could only glimpse Granberia and Alma amidst the tornado of metal, but they too were struggling to stand. "I thought Gnome was an earth spirit!" Ranma shouted.
"She is! Promestein is using wind to keep her powers in check!" replied Sylph.
Through the maelstrom, Ranma caught glimpses of a small, dark skinned figure, prone on a slab of metal. "Well can you stop it?"
"I'm trying! It's tainted!"
More holy energy, Ranma realized. Teeth clenched, Ranma braced herself and went headfirst into the wind. Her feet left the ground but she didn't push back and let herself get swept away. Chunks of metal flew dangerously close, but her read of the wind informed her movement and let them pass by. A kick off the wall and a bounce off a spinning table pushed her closer to the center.
The wind grew fiercer the closer she got and the holy energy cut into her skin, just as sharply as the gale was. Her clothes were torn, her eyes could barely remain open, but she could see the glyph, the cause of the once contained storm, and just like with every other seal, she could sense the way to break it.
Her hand grabbed the edge of the table even as her legs were blown about. It took every ounce of concentration to focus on those fracture points, but when her hand came down, the glyph shattered, along with the table beneath it.
The air stilled instantly. The quiet was deafening in the brief respite. Then, with a resounding crash, all the metal, lab equipment, and errant bodies tumbled to the ground and broke the silence. In the chaos, Ranma hadn't seen where the androids had fallen, but she did hear the sudden shut of a metal door. Fallen troopers still littered the ground, but the named droids were gone.
"Gnomey!" Sylph zipped through the air and crashed into the earth spirit's chest before she manically bounced up and down on her body. "Wake up! Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwake-"
SMACK!
With uncanny accuracy, Gnome's fist shot upward and whapped Sylph away. The earth spirit's eyes opened a moment later, and slowly she sat up on the table.
"Aww...she's adorable!" said Alma as she landed next to Ranma.
Ranma was inclined to agree. Gnome looked like a very cute dark-skinned girl, dressed in a thick layer of earthen-colored clothing and a large hat that concealed all but a pair of striking green eyes and pointed ears. Even so, inherent earth power surrounded her in an aura that could be felt.
"Show some respect, Alma, she's the spirit of earth," Granberia warned. The dragon looked battered, but stable. "Gnome, are you alright?"
Gnome's eyes turned from one person to the next before she settled on Ranma and nodded once.
"Were they using the wind to keep you trapped?" Ranma asked.
Gnome nodded once again. A hand was raised and pointed towards the fallen Sylph and then back to Ranma before she questioningly tilted her head.
Ranma got the gist of it. "Yeah, we made a pact. She needed help to come rescue you."
"And she's really good with wind, too!" Sylph had shaken off her daze and was right back at full excitement, her rapid movements akin to a hummingbird. "You should make a pact with her too! She's fighting against Ilias!"
Gnome gave Ranma a wary look then narrowed her eyes at Sylph.
"Whaaat? What do you mean you barely know her? She's been using your power already!"
Gnome turned a puzzled look onto Ranma, examined her, then shook her head.
"Oh that makes sense," said Sylph, a bit wilted.
Ranma blinked. "What did I do?"
"She doesn't have enough power to make a pact right now. She needs to return home first," Sylph explained.
"You got all that from a head shake?"
"Gnomese is my second language," said Sylph proudly.
Ranma gave her a flat look. "You just made that language up."
"Don't be silly. All languages are made up."
"Amusing as this is," interrupted Granberia, "we need to press onward. Lord Alice is still captive somewhere in this lab."
Ranma turned her eyes to the door that the droids had retreated into. "Through there. Lots of holy energy. I'm sensing Alice's energy, too."
Alma smiled and smacked a fist into her palm. "I still have plenty of Ranma's energy in reserve. I can break through a few holy barriers, no problem."
"This sword has proven effective against them as well," Granberia added. "I wonder why Alice didn't hold onto it?"
"Maybe she knew she might be singled out," said Ranma. "They're guarding her more than Gnome."
"Or she just assumed you could use a new blade," offered Alma. "It hardly matters. We'll get her out no matter what trap they've set."
Ranma nodded and turned back to Gnome. "You gonna be okay on your own for a bit? We'll be right back after we deal with Promestein."
Gnome nodded once and then gestured towards Sylph, a question in her eyes.
Sylph seemed offended. "Of course I'm sticking with her! She's Ilias' number one enemy right now!"
"Thanks Sylph, I'm definitely gonna need your help," Ranma murmured as she eyed the final bulkhead between them and Promestein. Slowly, she extended her finger. "This time for absolute sure."
Before she could take a step, Gnome's hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. Ranma turned to see her shaking her head and gesturing towards a panel beside the door.
"Huh? You know the code?"
Nod.
"Kinda ruins the dramatic entrance I had planned…"
Another nod.
"Alright, fine, what is it?"
Gnome tapped her arm a few times.
"Seriously? That simple?"
A third nod.
"Makes me want to break down the door on principle. Everyone ready?"
"More than ready," affirmed Granberia.
Alma nodded too, and Ranma went to the keypad and typed in one, two, three, and four.
The door slid open onto a large circular room. Devoid of the more technical equipment that the other rooms contained, the entire place centered on one particular metal fixture on the opposite wall. Around it, a multitude of intricate seals, designs, and arcane scripts covered the walls and floor, none of which Ranma could decipher.
"All this just to hold Alice?" asked Ranma in disbelief. This was far beyond what had been keeping Morrigan captive and, as far as her senses could tell, lacked any apparent weakness.
"Not just hold her," said Alma. "This is the great ancestor's seal. It's drawing her power away for another purpose."
"Whatever that purpose is, it stops now," Granberia growled as she raised her sword. Her first step into the room was met with an ominous rumble. The second with outright shaking. By the third, cracks had appeared in the ceiling.
"Hey Alma, what room was right above this one?" asked Ranma.
Alma's eyes widened right before a surge of dark energy erupted from above. Ranma shouted but Granberia had already rolled to avoid the explosion and the flying hunks of metal that rained down from the ceiling. A figure crashed down amidst the wreckage and a familiar energy built, one Ranma recognized from the very first day she'd come to this world.
"Frost Ozma! Look out!"
Ranma hit the deck. Alma went high. A ball of ice detonated in the arena's center and exploded outward in sharp shards. Granberia's blade cut through many of them, but dozens more pushed her back. Gradually, the icy mist cleared, and their opponent was revealed.
"Lady Alipheese?" exclaimed Granberia. Her sword lowered and her face looked uncertain.
Promestein's voice suddenly echoed around the room from several speakers. "Only the body, sadly, but even in death, Alipheese the Fifteenth has provided a wealth of opportunities. Infusing her with her daughter's energy made it a simple matter to reanimate and control her."
Granberia glared at the monster lord, fist clenched tight around the hilt of her blade. "It's a shame the humans don't know how sick and twisted angels truly are."
"I'm not here to debate ethics," said Promestein. "I'm here to offer you a deal."
Ranma looked towards Alice's mother, completely motionless yet awash in powerful energies. She was a far cry from how she looked back in the tank. Her skin now had color and her scales were bright and shiny. For all intents and purposes, she seemed alive...save for her unsettling eyes. They were cold, listless, and unfocused.
"And what deal would that be?" asked Alma with feigned sweetness.
"Simple, really. I leave you Gnome, I leave you Alice, I leave you her mother's body, and I leave the forest of spirits, never to return. In exchange, you leave Ranma with me."
Alma's brow raised. "You're that desperate for a man? How long have they had you locked up here?"
Granberia had a far more direct answer. Angel Halo turned in her grip, and a powerful thrust drove the blade through one of the speakers Promestein spoke through. "We'll be taking all of those things. We're not trading."
Alma giggled, even as the reanimated monster lord's power began to build. "Oh Beri-chan, you've wanted to fight Alice from the beginning."
Promestein's voice rang out from a different speaker, much further away. "Leave the human alive. Do what you will with the others."
Alipheese the Fifteenth raised her arms, spread her wings, and turned the world to fire. A blaze swept around and ignited the air. Granberia smirked and stood still, but Alma took to the air and pulled Ranma up with her to avoid the blaze.
"Do your worst, Ran-chan!" Alma shouted before she flung her forward.
Even unplanned, Ranma was ready. Her body swerved in the air as a gout of flame was turned on her and her foot struck home in the monster's chest. A familiar burst of dark energy manifested and shielded the blow. Below, Granberia had waded through the flames to hit the base of Alipheese's coils, only to be turned aside, too.
Alipheese's tail uncoiled. It's size easily flung Granberia aside and the tip hit hard into Ranma's crossed arms. Behind, Alma circled around and drove her fist into the monster's head, but it didn't stop the next attack.
Dark energy poured into the earth, and sharp stalagmites broke through the ground to drive Ranma and Granberia back. Alma above, encountered a blast of cold air that forced her to land.
Granberia growled, cutting a path through the earthen spires. "Together! Overwhelm her!"
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
"Vaporizing Rebellion Sword!"
"Killing Flow!"
From three different angles, the attacks slammed into Alipheese. Her body recoiled, but it may as well have been a dent in a sheet of metal for how much it affected her. Alipheese's tail swept around and returned a wave of earth and fierce winds to knock all of them back.
Alma shouted, "Beri, fire! Ranma, wind!"
Granberia took a deep breath and released a gout of flame. Alma's wings caught the wind while Ranma threw her strongest vacuum blade. The flames expanded exponentially, just in time to meet Alice's powerful frost ozma and turn it into a deluge of water.
"Like mother like daughter," Granberia panted.
"You almost beat her last time," said Alma. "What's your secret?"
"She wasn't seriously trying to kill me."
Ranma stiffened as a new type of energy built up. It's very presence made her danger sense go haywire. "What now?"
Alma grimaced. "The monster lord's signature attack. Brace yourself!"
Granberia was already focused. Ranma quickly brought her aura to full strength just in time for the dark energy to detonate and wash over the arena like a tidal wave. Ranma's aura was battered hard. Dark energy slipped in between the gaps...and then the pain started.
Her blood felt like it was boiling. Sharp, needle-like pains dug into her skin as if every pressure point was being triggered all at once. Her aura pushed back, only for a second wave to hit, and then a third. Unbidden, a cry left her lips and vaguely she could hear Alma and Granberia's screams as well.
Ranma's legs gave out and her body might have collapsed had Granberia not grabbed her shoulder. Even then, it was a challenge to remain upright, and the pain remained after the energy had faded.
Ranma struggled to move. "Please tell me she can't use that again…"
Alma groaned as she gingerly moved her wings. "Well, if she hits you with it too many times, she might kill you, so maybe not if they want you alive."
"Still hurts as much as it did back then," Granberia grumbled. "We need to punch through her energy or free Alice. Any ideas?"
"I've got one!" said Sylph suddenly, appearing in front of them. "Turn around and hold out your hand. It's not much, but Gnomey can do this right now."
Ranma turned and nearly bumped into Gnome's held out arm. Her own arm came out and grasped Gnome's. New energy infused her body along with a renewed sense of stability and calm. The pain was still there, but more muted. Beside her, Granberia and Alma also touched Gnome's arm.
"Not that I'm ungrateful, but we still have to deal with Alipheese," murmured Alma.
The monster lord had yet to move after the dark energy attack, but her power was still very prominent. Whatever had halted her, it wasn't fatigue.
Ranma's brow furrowed. "Granberia, let me see that sword."
Without hesitation, Granberia offered the hilt. Ranma opened herself to the energy and once more peered into the hellscape that was the sword's history, but her eyes weren't on the wielder. Instead, she focused on the angels. There it was. Swift, deadly, and nearly impossible to see. It was the first blow the sword's owner had taken. With a start, she pulled back.
"You want to try using that?" asked Sylph excitedly. "It looked tough."
Ranma grinned. "What are you talking about? We just gotta move fast enough."
"Even Heinrich wasn't that fast."
"Heinrich had a sword slowing him down."
Alma chuckled. "You look like Beri when she's figured out a new technique. That usually ends with me having to nurse her back to health."
"Just be ready in case this works."
The sword went back to Granberia while Ranma approached the monster lord. To her surprise, Alipheese turned to her and spoke in an eerie, distorted voice. "Are you finished? Surrender and I will promise your survival for the next century."
"I've got a counter offer," Ranma shot back. "Give me one shot. If I hit you, we keep fighting. Otherwise, I'll give up."
"Very well, human, impress me."
"Risky," said Sylph mentally.
"We'll nail it first try," Ranma insisted before she closed her eyes and focused.
Speed. She needed speed. Faster than her chestnut fist. Faster than Cologne or even Happosai. Faster even than Akane's ability to jump to conclusions. She could feel the wind whip around her, just as excited as she was to see this technique to fruition. Just how fast the angel in that vision moved wasn't clear, but she wanted to be even faster than that.
"Try not to crash," said Sylph helpfully.
The wind was at her back, but more than that, she had internalized it. Sylph's power wasn't just some fancy way to push the air around. It could be embodied, just like when she'd used the earth and the water. Her body hummed with the power, and slowly, she raised her palm like she would have a blade, up and over her shoulder.
The wind around her died down. A hint of that energy Gnome had gifted her was at her fingertips and the final ingredient she'd already sampled from the Angel Halo. Holy energy. The technique's name came to her mind, unbidden.
"Flash Kill."
The world stood still while Ranma moved. Her arm struck out and felt nothing but air. Somehow, she'd managed to stop before she hit the wall, but it was only after she heard the crash that she even realized Alipheese had been hit at all. Her dark energy was in a chaotic flux, like it was bleeding out from where the side of her palm had struck. Her large body had crashed to the ground as well, and while she wasn't out of the fight, there was an opening.
"Demon Skull Beheading!"
"Shamshir!"
Granberia and Alma crashed into Alipheese, each with their own powerful attacks. The fight was back on in earnest, and Alipheese's elemental magic roared back to life. Her defenses had been breached, but she retaliated with a flurry of ice and wind.
"Don't let her barrier reform!" Granberia shouted.
Ranma focused and waited for her opening. Between Alipheese's attacks, Granberia's swordplay, and Alma's martial arts, there weren't many, but she didn't need a large window.
"Flash Kill!" It was slower this time, but still fast enough for her palm to cut straight through the dark energy and disrupt it further. Ranma could already feel her body was going to pay for this later, but she couldn't stop now. The three of them were coordinating amazingly, the heavy hits from the knights landing moments after her new technique, and every time Alice's dark energy reformed, it was weaker than before. They were winning.
"Just...one more," Ranma growled despite her body's protests. The earth beneath rippled with Alice's attacks and spires of ice littered the arena. Nothing could touch her speed, though.
Alipheese's distorted voice rang out. "Witness the monster lord's cruelty!"
Except that. Her hand cut through the first dark energy wave and the second, but the third and fourth were too much. Pain blossomed, her pace faltered, and her technique went wide and sent her straight into a wall, the pain too intense to properly vocalize.
Granberia and Alma were laid out as well, but Alipheese ignored them and slithered towards Ranma. "Rise again and my next attack will be your last."
There was little chance of that happening. Collapsed and near prone against the wall, Ranma could barely move, let alone attack while the monster lord drew near. "Hey Sylph, you think I got a chance of escaping Promestein if I get caught?"
"You're not out of this yet!" Sylph encouraged. "Just make up a new technique and pull through!"
Ranma's mind raced. Was there anything she could do? No. But maybe she only needed to do something for someone else. Holy energy was against her back. Her stumble had put her right up against Alice's metal prison. A single finger extended from her hand. "Third time's the charm?"
"...well you've got nothing to lose."
It was a herculean effort to even turn around, but she managed the feat, brought her fist back, and then thrust it forward, finger first. "Bakusai Tenketsu!"
The holy barrier shattered and the metal rippled and bent inward. Her fist passed through, followed by her arm, and the whole construct groaned...and then all was silent.
"Oh come on, that was perfect!"
A gloved hand latched onto hers and immediately energy was drained from her unresistant body. A moment later, a tail punched through the metal from the other side before the containment door was ripped away.
"Idiot," said Alipheese the Sixteenth as she looked down at Ranma. "Next time, free me first."
"Next time don't get captured," replied Ranma with a tired grin. "You can take her, right?"
"Maybe if I'd been in there for a full day they could have drained me enough for it to be a problem."
Alice's eyes flashed and the agony in Ranma's body faded. She still felt limp and listless, but the dark agonizing pain was gone. With a small smile in Ranma's direction, Alice squeezed her hand then released it. "Sit tight, this won't take long."
Alipheese spoke as she approached Alice. "My dear daughter-"
"Shut up," said Alice immediately. "Spare me your pale imitation. You may have my mother's body but you don't have her soul."
Nor, as Ranma quickly saw, did she have the younger Alice's power. Spells crashed against one another, dark energy ravaged the arena, and the young Alice stood and weathered every attack while her mother faltered and was driven back. Around them, the laboratory gave an ominous rumble and chunks of stone and wood crashed to the ground.
"How do you still have so much energy?" Alipheese demanded. "That seal should have made you no stronger than a child!"
"Even as a child I could level castles," said Alice bluntly. "Now hurry up and die."
Magic charged and Alipheese recoiled. Ranma shivered. Whatever Alice had prepped, it was big. Too big.
"Hmph. I am not going to give up this prize so easily. We will finish this another time." The wings on Alice's mother spread, and with a push upward, she went through the hole in the ceiling and straight through the mansion above.
Alice's building power winked out abruptly. "Idiot. Ranma, can you stand? I'll need you to carry one of my knights."
Ranma stood. "You're not going after her?"
"No, the seal did a number on me. I'll need time to recover."
"Wait, that was a bluff?"
"Whoever was controlling her was not a fighter. Even the most powerful weapon is useless in the hands of a moron."
"What about Promestein?"
"This place is about to collapse. My subordinates come first."
Logical, Ranma admitted silently. With some help, Granberia was placed on her back and Alma on Alice's. As they made their way back through the crumbling structure, Ranma could see that most of the trooper bodies were conspicuously absent, power was cut to most rooms, and even the testing chambers were empty.
"Hey Sylph, is Gnome alright? Did she get out ahead of us?"
"She's outside doing what she can to hold the land together," came the reply. "Get moving!"
Through doors, up stairs, Ranma took the lead and retracted her steps back to the entrance. The mansion, already quite old and worn, looked as though it would topple at any moment, and when they finally made it outside, they were greeted by a relieved Gnome who looked ready to collapse.
"Let it go, everyone is out," said Alice.
Gnome nodded and took her hands off the ground. Beneath them, the earth rumbled. Carefully, Alice set Alma down before she turned to the mansion.
Ranma blinked. "Alice? What is it?"
"One last thing to take care of," she replied. "Might want to cover your ears."
Ranma did so just moments before Alice tossed a dark ball of energy through the open door of the mansion. Her hand raised up into the air, her fist clenched, and the entire structure imploded, sucked into a vortex of dark energy. When her fist relaxed, the debris exploded outward and scattered over the new crater than had formed below. There was nothing recognizable inside.
"I'm going to eat whatever the elves left behind, and then I intend to sleep," said Alice shortly. "Take care of my knights."
Ranma could only mutely nod as she looked at the jagged hole where the mansion used to sit.