A Shift In The Balance- Chapter 1
Ranma stretched langorously, his eyes and senses playing across his room as he awoke. The first thing Ranma did after climbing out of bed was to check the invisible mesh of chi and order that he maintained around himself constantly so as to keep chaos from being drawn to him. He still wasn't as good at balancing the forces of order and chaos as Cerryl was, and the few times that his aura shield had failed while he slept had left him with headaches that lingered for days and uncontrollable powers that were as likely to turn him invisible as they were to incinerate someone.
Not much had changed since his arrival in Candar three years earlier. He still didn't know how or why he'd ended up on another planet and almost every white mage he knew of wished him dead. He'd heard outrageous rumors that he was some kind of angel or demon, but he'd put those down with a heavy and glowing hand. He didn't even have wings, so how could he be one of them? At least now Ranma had a place that he could call his own and a duty that he felt was worthwhile. The Iron Guard, not really enough men yet to be anything more than a couple companies, were his responsibility and it fell to him to see that they were properly trained.
Cerryl's concept, the Guard was an answer the the order oages of Recluce and their black iron weapons and the order they held. A white mage, a typical one anyway, didn't live long after being nicked or scratched by an ordinary iron weapon, an ordered blade tended to make the mages explode into pillars of fire. The same was true for the lancers that Fairhaven employeed. Through long association with the mages of Fairhaven, the lancers came to hold a small amount more chaos within themselves than they should, and black iron turned them into explosives anti-personnel mines.
His men, few as they were, had no direct contact with any mages besides himself and the few Cerryl knew who were more gray than white. They were paid in gold that wasn't even minted in Fairhaven and their weapons and equipment were quality steel and standard field gear, unlike the lancers who used chaos reinforced white bronze in their sabers and lances. Ranma would train them, and free of chaos, they would train others, until eventually Fairhaven had a fighting force that couldn't be brought to its knees by a handful of order smiths and their black iron creations.
As he pulled on his heavy, thick-soled black boots, Ranma's eyes flickered to the sheathed longsword that hung on a peg in the wall next to the door. He couldn't really say why he'd had it made, but it somehow felt right. At its core was a chaos forged and chaos reinforced white bronze center and around that a casing of ordered iron. Ranma didn't know anything about the forging of weapons, but he'd supervised the entire porcess, reinforcing the bronze and ordering the iron himself. At the time he didn't know it, but through experimentation Ranma had found that the blade's unusual properties totally negated order and chaos shielding as well as allowed him to interrupt or deflect chaos attacks without expending his energy.
He strapped the shoulder harness on over his gray tunic and headed out for another day of training the newest recruits. Ranma adjusted the sword strap again, wishing he didn't need the weapon, but realizing that any advantage on this hostile world had to be milked for all it was worth. Someone had to teach the men how to use a sword properly, too. It might as well be Ranma Saotome, he thought with a smirk.
It was raining lightly, but Ranma stepped out into the spring shower and headed for the barracks. The curse was still around, though activating it took almost full submergence for at least a few seconds. Even then, the change took almost a minute to complete, a very uncomfortable minute during which Ranma could feel his internal organ and overall form slowly shifting into his cursed body. Changing back to a guy required very little lukewarm water and the change somehow happened even faster than he was accustommed to on Earth. It'd leave him disoriented and dizzy for a few moments after the change.
Ranma didn't know if it had to do with the chaos and order of Candar or if the disturbance that had brought him to Candar had somehow altered the curse. Either way, Ranma was happy with it.
****
The guard on duty outside Cerryl's quarters nodded to Ranma as he topped the stairs. [Mornin', Gostar, what's been going on?[ Ranma asked the older man pleasantly. Ranma would have asked the solid lancer if he'd join his Iron Guard, but Gostar had been around too much chaos in his life to meet the requirements of the Guard.
[Not that it's any of my business, ser, but there's been more mages in and out than I'm used to seeing in a week.[ Ranma nodded in thanks and the man spoke once again. [How's the boy doing, if I might ask, ser?[
The 'boy' was Gostar's oldest son, Gostar Jr. Ranma was still dubious about the boy's skills as an armsmen, but he was young and showing signs of being an order mage or healer. If the talent came forth, Ranma would have to turn young Gostar over to Leyladin for training or smuggled him to Recluce. White mages didn't really like order mages, even the healers they so often needed, and Cerryl couldn't protect someone indefinitely, as Ranma knew. [He shows a great deal of potential,[ was Ranma's reply, though it was deliberately misleading.
The guard grinned proudly and knocked on the plain white oak door leading to the High Wizard's quarters. [Mage Ranma here to see the High Wizard, ser,[ he announced loudly.
[Send him in,[ Cerryl called.
****
As always, Cerryl was accompanied by Leyladin, the beautiful healer and order mage. Another mage sat around the small table. Ranma had seen her on a few occassions at Council meetings or in the meal hall, but he hadn't spoken to her. Though she didn't show any signs of it, most mages in Fairhaven couldn't tolerate Ranma for some reason.
[Have a seat, Ranma, we've been waiting for you,[ Cerryl said, gesturing to the only empty chair. After he sat down, Cerryl said, [Ranma, this is Lyassa, and old friend of mine. Lyassa, I'm sure you know of Ranma.[
Lyassa looked more Japanese than anyone Ranma had met so far in Candar. Her skin color was the same, her hair was a thick blue-black much like Akane's, and even her eyes were the same shape, but she wasn't Japanese, no one but Ranma could claim that title. The mage smiled at him, not a false smile or a condescending one, just a sincere and friendly smile. Ranma returned it tentatively.
[Now that that's over with, let's get down to business.[ The small mirror resting in the center of the table suddenly filled with silver mists that faded away to reveal an aerial view of an unfamiliar city to Ranma. The architecture was unlike any he'd seen in Candar, and the people below looked much darker of skin than anyone Ranma had seen since leaving Earth.
The view rapidly blurred, moving closer to the ground and turning to better see a ship yard that bustled with activity. Cerryl released the image, his forehead already beaded with sweat. After rubbing his temples to ease the headache Ranma knew screeing could cause, Cerryl elaborated,[Using the glass over such a long distance, especially with all that water between here and Hamor, is rather difficult.[ He took a sip from a mug of water before continuing. [You wouldn't recognize the signs of it, Ranma, but those ships being built are warships, a great many warships in fact.[
[Hamor doesn't have any land enemies,[ Ranma began, recalling his teachings,[so why would constuction of ships bother everyone so much? Hamor is a big place and to patrol that much open water you would need quite a few ships.[
[That's true,[ Lyassa answered,[but not this many.[
[Exactly. We never have been able to say for certain, since screeing a ship is impossible once it leaves port, but from reports brough to us from traders, Kinowin and I estimate that the Emperor is currently maintaining somewhere between ten to fifteen score war galleys and schooners.[ Ranma's mouth formed into an O of suprise and Cerryl smirked as his point finally made itself to Ranma. [There are at least that many under construction in various ports in Hamor.[ Ranma's mouth kept on making the O.
Fairhaven maintained less than two score vessels and that was enough to dominate Candar, with the exception of the ironclad ship an order smith from Recluce had built which was not quite invincible but not too far fromit. Less than forty ships costed thousands of golds every year to outfit and crew. Finally he shook himself and said,[Invasion fleet?[
[Most likely, though we don't know if their intended target is Candar or the two island continents, Brysta and Nordla. Recluce is also a possibility, but their weather mages would decimate the fleet before it ever reached their isle. The Emperor of Hamor knows this, from experience. I doubt he'll risk it again, no matter the number of ships at his command.[
[I have a bad feeling about this, and that feeling involves me, somehow,[ Ranma muttered, not attempting to keep it inaudible.
Leyladin smiled at him, radiant as ever and said,[Be nice.[
Even though she was only six or seven years his senior, Ranma meekly said,[Yes, ma'am.[ She didn't have Kasumi's mindless kind of cheer, but she acted much the same when she wanted to manipulate or shame someone.
[That's not fair, Leyladin,[ Lyassa responded, grinning at Ranma's submission.
[Whatever works,[ the healer shrugged.
[Anyway,[ Cerryl began exasperatedly,[the Guild needs to know what Hamor is planning. We can't be caught unprepared if they do decide to invade Candar. This is our home and our responsibility. Though you're not a mage of the Guild, Ranma, you are paid from the Guild's funds and provide us with a valuable service, no matter how much my colleagues wish otherwise.[
Ranma took the hint. [You want me to go spy on them? I'll do it, but wouldn't a mage able to use the glass be more effective at that kind of thing?[ He was getting bored with the training the Guard, and wouldn't mind a change of pace, but Hamor wasn't what he'd expected. He knew next to nothing about the place except that it was big, united, and run by an Emperor who's slightest whim, no matter how outrageous, became law.
[That's why Lyassa will be going with you. Besides having another chaos wielder along in case you need support, she can, as you said, scree, and knows the history and customs of Hamor as well as any mage in Fairhaven.[ Cerryl paused before adding. [The Hamorians don't care chaos mages, Ranma, and they don't hold women in very high regard, either. Iron has no unusual effect on you and the authorities would never think to check a woman to for the ability to handle chaos.[
[Arrangements have been made for you two to travel as husband and wife to the port of Tyrhaiven. From their you'll buy passage on a long haul transport to Hamor. Cerryl, of course, is going to give you lots and lots of gold to use as you see fit,[ explained Leyladin with a twinkle in her eye.
[Uh, can't we pretend to be brother and sister?[ Ranma asked nervously, visions of being chaos roasted by Lyassa floating through his mind. He couldn't help that he had horrible luck with women, and mallets were bad enough, but getting cooked probably hurt a good deal more than getting hit with a hammer.
[Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Am I not good enough for you?[ Lyassa snapped.
[Oh no, it's starting all over again,[ Ranma moaned as he hung his head.
****
[I didn't mean anything by it, okay?[ Ranma pleaded as he sat across the table from Lyassa. They were in the Golden Ram, a better than average inn that Ranma and many other mages frequented.
Lyassa shook her head and asked,[What did you mean then?[
Ranma hesitated. He had never told anyone, not even Cerryl, about his life on Earth, not past his training in the martial arts, anyway. No one knew about the curse, the fiances, or the numerous rivals and enemies of his past. He settled on a partial truth. Anything less and Lyassa's ability to truth-read would alert her to his dishonesty. [Where I came from, I had a lot of troubles with women. It's not something I like to talk about. I wanted to be friends and they all wanted more. This whole plan of Cerryl's to pretend we're married just reminded me of things best left forgotten.[
[So you're a womanizer?[ Lyassa had seemed so nice at first, too. She still wasn't really being malicious in her anger, but Ranma could see a pattern emerging.
Ranma glared at the female mage and said,[It's nothing like that. I've never even been with a woman actually. I couldn't be a womanizer.[ Ranma realized he'd said too much and a slight flush suffused his cheeks. He tried to cover it up by taking a heavy swallow from the tankard of ale that sat before him on the table. In Candar it was better to a womanizer than a virgin, Ranma knew. Lyassa probably thought he was still a child.
Lyassa was at a loss for words. She'd heard of the practice, of course, but she'd never have thought of Ranma as a man who found comfort with other men. He just didn't seem like what she'd pictured in her mind such a man to be. [Oh, well, I guess that's different than what I was thinking.[ She paused, unsure of what to say next. The silence drug out until after they had both eaten the overpriced stew and were about to leave to go back to the Halls of the Mages and get their travel packs and the gold they would need in Hamor.
Finally, her curiousity got the better of her and Lyassa asked,[If it isn't too personal, could you tell me why you bed men instead of women?[
Ranma froze in his tracks, staring at the mage beside him in open shock. [Are you insane?[ he asked. [What makes you think I like men that way?[ was the nest whispered question.
[You admitted to it back in the Ram,[ Lyassa answered. She wished that she had just kept her mouth shut.
[How could you think that from me telling you that I was a virgin?[ he snapped.
[...Oh...that's what you meant...Aren't you a little old to still...[ Lyassa closed her mouth before she could swallow any more of her foot.
Blushing furiously, Ranma said,[I'll meet you in the main courtyard of the Halls in an hour.[ Then he jumped to the top of the three story tavern and was gone from sight. Ranma usually avoided such displays where normal people could see him, but Lyassa had flustered him badly and he wasn't used to dealing with women now anymore than he had been back in Nerima.
Lyassa didn't move from where she stood in the street for over five minutes as she stared at the place Ranma had leaped from. It just wasn't possible. No one could jump like that, not even if they had all the chaos and order of the world at their beck and call.
****
[It's going to be a little obvious that we're not Hamorian, you know?[ Ranma asked Cerryl. [I can't pretend to be a merchant or official either, because I haven't the faintest idea how to act like one.[
[The cover story has already been set in motion. You will be the eldest son of Layel, a factor based in of Spidlar who has fallen into disfavor with your sire for embezzling a large number of golds from his counting rooms. You and Lyassa are on the run and since no one would expect it, you're laying low in Hamor until enough time passes that you can go back and not be immediately recognized by agents or informants of Layel.[ Cerryl took another sip of water from his mug and turned to Leyladin.
[Father has agreed to go along with the charade. He's even planting rumors among the long haul traders who port in Spidlar confirming the lie. According to his last missive, he's enjoying himself immensely.[
They discussed a few more details of the mission, a mission Ranma still didn't feel confident of actually accomplishing. With dinner fast approaching, Ranma finally asked,[Not that I have anything against her, and I know she's your friend and all, but couldn't you have found someone besides Lyassa to go along with me?[
Cerryl frowned. [I thought you two got along well. What's the problem?[
[She just reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago. Don't worry about it. She's seems nice enough, I guess, and we didn't get that great a start.[ Ranma sighed, relenting before his question could really even be answered.
The High Wizard shrugged, sharing a questioning glance with Leyladin.
****
Lyassa shuddered and eased herself over in the carriage as Ranma threw his bags into the seat. His eyes tracked her gaze and he noticed that she was staring distastefully at the sword belted around a bag. Ranma grinned and shifted the sword so that it faced him. Just being in close proximity to ordered iron often proved painful for some mages, but the unusual construction of his sword did strange things to a mages senses if they weren't careful to let them flow around the bound order and chaos.
[Do you have to bring that thing along? I understand that any white bronze weapon would be conspicuous, but I'm sure there are plenty of ordinary iron blades to be found in Fairhaven.[ The female mage glanced at the space where the weapon had once rested and turned away with one last shiver.
[No, I don't have to, but I am. I don't like it much myself, for entirely different reasons than you, I'm sure, but Hamor is dangerous, almost as dangerous as Candar. I've had enough people try to kill me to know that any advantage, no matter how small, can save my life.[ To further remove the sword from Lyassa's perceptions, Ranma re-ordered the light around it, obscurring it from vision and muffling its emissions. [Happy?[
[It'll do, I suppose,[ she replied glumly.
The driver finally climbed into his seat and the carriage jerked forward before assuming a more steady motion.
Trying to ease the uncomfortable silence that had sprang up between the 'married' couple, Ranma asked,[How long have you been a mage?[ While he wasn't a mage by Guild standards, those being that he manipulated chaos exclusively with the exception of using order to shield, Ranma was quite capable of using the both the white and black forces. He'd been learning the process of raising and controlling order and chaos almost since the day he'd arrived in Fairhaven three years ago, and he still found himself learning new control techniques or improving old ones. If she wasn't hiding her power, Lyassa was a moderately powerful chaos wielder, but she lacked the solid core of white energy that most mages possessed. Cerryl's teachings?
Lyassa shrugged,[Eight years come fall. Cerryl, Faltar, and I were all inducted into the Guild at the same time.[
[Oh yeah, I remember him mentioning that a while back when he was telling me about the black smith who built the steam ship. Uh, sorry, he was you're friend, right?[ Ranma planned on visiting Dorrin on Recluce one day, even if he had to do it with an army at his back. The smith was by all accounts an order focus, and while Ranma could possibly raise enough chaos to create another disturbance like the one which had brought him to Candar, he would still need the order to balance the forces.
[What about you? I know Cerryl taught you more than anyone suspects. How long have you been a mage, Ranma?[ Lyassa seemed genuinely curios.
[I'd probably have been able to get into the Guild on the basis of chaos control and power about three months after I got here, but there's a lot more about Candar that a mage needs to know that I still haven't even begun to learn. You know, history, politics, math. I've never been the acedemic type, anyway, not on Earth and certainly not here.[ Heh, not being a Guild mage had more than a few benefits. His current situation put him under Cerryl's authority and only his authority. At any time Ranma could give up his command of the Iron Guard and relenquish his rights as a citizen of Fairhaven. He didn't have to work for the guild like the others, who did what they were told or died by chaos flame.
Lyassa had been in Spidlar and its surrounding cities off and on for the past four years, rarely returning to Fairhaven. Of course she'd heard of Ranma, the young man who came from another world. She'd heard the stories straight from Cerryl about what that world had been like. Ranma handled being in a virtually uncivilized land of primitives much better than most people would. Still, as unusual as he was, there should be no way that Ranma could gain his power that quickly. Three months. A student mage could expect to spend at least that much time on sewer duty learning to harness and control their power, but they'd already had a life permeated by chaos and their studies led them into their power. Ranma hadn't even had any chaos or order within him when he'd arrived, though Lyassa couldn't comprehend how anyone could survive without the chaos of life or the order that gave that chaos form.
****
The Iron Shark's boilers finally reached optimal pressure, the coal-fired steam engine shrieking in readiness. Dorrin released the pressure control valves and allowed the steam to begin the process that would drive the pistons connected to the prop. This was the first of the battle ships commissioned by the Council of Recluce. It was superior in every way to its two predecessors, the first a steam powered scow and the second his Black Hammer. With proper funding and no lack of materials, Dorrin had been able to spare no expense, and it showed. Larger, with a greater crew capacity, larger coal bins and more powerful and accurate weapons, the Iron Shark further secured Recluce's control of the surrounding oceans.
****
Author's Notes- I decided to jump a little into the future so as to skip a lot of explanations and useless settling in. Ranma's about 21 now and more mature than the last time we saw him after he first arrived in Candar. The next chapter will probably involve just the sea voyage to Hamor itself and very likely an encounted with Dorrin and his latest creation. C&C welcome at dark_phoneix@hotmail.com
Ranma stretched langorously, his eyes and senses playing across his room as he awoke. The first thing Ranma did after climbing out of bed was to check the invisible mesh of chi and order that he maintained around himself constantly so as to keep chaos from being drawn to him. He still wasn't as good at balancing the forces of order and chaos as Cerryl was, and the few times that his aura shield had failed while he slept had left him with headaches that lingered for days and uncontrollable powers that were as likely to turn him invisible as they were to incinerate someone.
Not much had changed since his arrival in Candar three years earlier. He still didn't know how or why he'd ended up on another planet and almost every white mage he knew of wished him dead. He'd heard outrageous rumors that he was some kind of angel or demon, but he'd put those down with a heavy and glowing hand. He didn't even have wings, so how could he be one of them? At least now Ranma had a place that he could call his own and a duty that he felt was worthwhile. The Iron Guard, not really enough men yet to be anything more than a couple companies, were his responsibility and it fell to him to see that they were properly trained.
Cerryl's concept, the Guard was an answer the the order oages of Recluce and their black iron weapons and the order they held. A white mage, a typical one anyway, didn't live long after being nicked or scratched by an ordinary iron weapon, an ordered blade tended to make the mages explode into pillars of fire. The same was true for the lancers that Fairhaven employeed. Through long association with the mages of Fairhaven, the lancers came to hold a small amount more chaos within themselves than they should, and black iron turned them into explosives anti-personnel mines.
His men, few as they were, had no direct contact with any mages besides himself and the few Cerryl knew who were more gray than white. They were paid in gold that wasn't even minted in Fairhaven and their weapons and equipment were quality steel and standard field gear, unlike the lancers who used chaos reinforced white bronze in their sabers and lances. Ranma would train them, and free of chaos, they would train others, until eventually Fairhaven had a fighting force that couldn't be brought to its knees by a handful of order smiths and their black iron creations.
As he pulled on his heavy, thick-soled black boots, Ranma's eyes flickered to the sheathed longsword that hung on a peg in the wall next to the door. He couldn't really say why he'd had it made, but it somehow felt right. At its core was a chaos forged and chaos reinforced white bronze center and around that a casing of ordered iron. Ranma didn't know anything about the forging of weapons, but he'd supervised the entire porcess, reinforcing the bronze and ordering the iron himself. At the time he didn't know it, but through experimentation Ranma had found that the blade's unusual properties totally negated order and chaos shielding as well as allowed him to interrupt or deflect chaos attacks without expending his energy.
He strapped the shoulder harness on over his gray tunic and headed out for another day of training the newest recruits. Ranma adjusted the sword strap again, wishing he didn't need the weapon, but realizing that any advantage on this hostile world had to be milked for all it was worth. Someone had to teach the men how to use a sword properly, too. It might as well be Ranma Saotome, he thought with a smirk.
It was raining lightly, but Ranma stepped out into the spring shower and headed for the barracks. The curse was still around, though activating it took almost full submergence for at least a few seconds. Even then, the change took almost a minute to complete, a very uncomfortable minute during which Ranma could feel his internal organ and overall form slowly shifting into his cursed body. Changing back to a guy required very little lukewarm water and the change somehow happened even faster than he was accustommed to on Earth. It'd leave him disoriented and dizzy for a few moments after the change.
Ranma didn't know if it had to do with the chaos and order of Candar or if the disturbance that had brought him to Candar had somehow altered the curse. Either way, Ranma was happy with it.
****
The guard on duty outside Cerryl's quarters nodded to Ranma as he topped the stairs. [Mornin', Gostar, what's been going on?[ Ranma asked the older man pleasantly. Ranma would have asked the solid lancer if he'd join his Iron Guard, but Gostar had been around too much chaos in his life to meet the requirements of the Guard.
[Not that it's any of my business, ser, but there's been more mages in and out than I'm used to seeing in a week.[ Ranma nodded in thanks and the man spoke once again. [How's the boy doing, if I might ask, ser?[
The 'boy' was Gostar's oldest son, Gostar Jr. Ranma was still dubious about the boy's skills as an armsmen, but he was young and showing signs of being an order mage or healer. If the talent came forth, Ranma would have to turn young Gostar over to Leyladin for training or smuggled him to Recluce. White mages didn't really like order mages, even the healers they so often needed, and Cerryl couldn't protect someone indefinitely, as Ranma knew. [He shows a great deal of potential,[ was Ranma's reply, though it was deliberately misleading.
The guard grinned proudly and knocked on the plain white oak door leading to the High Wizard's quarters. [Mage Ranma here to see the High Wizard, ser,[ he announced loudly.
[Send him in,[ Cerryl called.
****
As always, Cerryl was accompanied by Leyladin, the beautiful healer and order mage. Another mage sat around the small table. Ranma had seen her on a few occassions at Council meetings or in the meal hall, but he hadn't spoken to her. Though she didn't show any signs of it, most mages in Fairhaven couldn't tolerate Ranma for some reason.
[Have a seat, Ranma, we've been waiting for you,[ Cerryl said, gesturing to the only empty chair. After he sat down, Cerryl said, [Ranma, this is Lyassa, and old friend of mine. Lyassa, I'm sure you know of Ranma.[
Lyassa looked more Japanese than anyone Ranma had met so far in Candar. Her skin color was the same, her hair was a thick blue-black much like Akane's, and even her eyes were the same shape, but she wasn't Japanese, no one but Ranma could claim that title. The mage smiled at him, not a false smile or a condescending one, just a sincere and friendly smile. Ranma returned it tentatively.
[Now that that's over with, let's get down to business.[ The small mirror resting in the center of the table suddenly filled with silver mists that faded away to reveal an aerial view of an unfamiliar city to Ranma. The architecture was unlike any he'd seen in Candar, and the people below looked much darker of skin than anyone Ranma had seen since leaving Earth.
The view rapidly blurred, moving closer to the ground and turning to better see a ship yard that bustled with activity. Cerryl released the image, his forehead already beaded with sweat. After rubbing his temples to ease the headache Ranma knew screeing could cause, Cerryl elaborated,[Using the glass over such a long distance, especially with all that water between here and Hamor, is rather difficult.[ He took a sip from a mug of water before continuing. [You wouldn't recognize the signs of it, Ranma, but those ships being built are warships, a great many warships in fact.[
[Hamor doesn't have any land enemies,[ Ranma began, recalling his teachings,[so why would constuction of ships bother everyone so much? Hamor is a big place and to patrol that much open water you would need quite a few ships.[
[That's true,[ Lyassa answered,[but not this many.[
[Exactly. We never have been able to say for certain, since screeing a ship is impossible once it leaves port, but from reports brough to us from traders, Kinowin and I estimate that the Emperor is currently maintaining somewhere between ten to fifteen score war galleys and schooners.[ Ranma's mouth formed into an O of suprise and Cerryl smirked as his point finally made itself to Ranma. [There are at least that many under construction in various ports in Hamor.[ Ranma's mouth kept on making the O.
Fairhaven maintained less than two score vessels and that was enough to dominate Candar, with the exception of the ironclad ship an order smith from Recluce had built which was not quite invincible but not too far fromit. Less than forty ships costed thousands of golds every year to outfit and crew. Finally he shook himself and said,[Invasion fleet?[
[Most likely, though we don't know if their intended target is Candar or the two island continents, Brysta and Nordla. Recluce is also a possibility, but their weather mages would decimate the fleet before it ever reached their isle. The Emperor of Hamor knows this, from experience. I doubt he'll risk it again, no matter the number of ships at his command.[
[I have a bad feeling about this, and that feeling involves me, somehow,[ Ranma muttered, not attempting to keep it inaudible.
Leyladin smiled at him, radiant as ever and said,[Be nice.[
Even though she was only six or seven years his senior, Ranma meekly said,[Yes, ma'am.[ She didn't have Kasumi's mindless kind of cheer, but she acted much the same when she wanted to manipulate or shame someone.
[That's not fair, Leyladin,[ Lyassa responded, grinning at Ranma's submission.
[Whatever works,[ the healer shrugged.
[Anyway,[ Cerryl began exasperatedly,[the Guild needs to know what Hamor is planning. We can't be caught unprepared if they do decide to invade Candar. This is our home and our responsibility. Though you're not a mage of the Guild, Ranma, you are paid from the Guild's funds and provide us with a valuable service, no matter how much my colleagues wish otherwise.[
Ranma took the hint. [You want me to go spy on them? I'll do it, but wouldn't a mage able to use the glass be more effective at that kind of thing?[ He was getting bored with the training the Guard, and wouldn't mind a change of pace, but Hamor wasn't what he'd expected. He knew next to nothing about the place except that it was big, united, and run by an Emperor who's slightest whim, no matter how outrageous, became law.
[That's why Lyassa will be going with you. Besides having another chaos wielder along in case you need support, she can, as you said, scree, and knows the history and customs of Hamor as well as any mage in Fairhaven.[ Cerryl paused before adding. [The Hamorians don't care chaos mages, Ranma, and they don't hold women in very high regard, either. Iron has no unusual effect on you and the authorities would never think to check a woman to for the ability to handle chaos.[
[Arrangements have been made for you two to travel as husband and wife to the port of Tyrhaiven. From their you'll buy passage on a long haul transport to Hamor. Cerryl, of course, is going to give you lots and lots of gold to use as you see fit,[ explained Leyladin with a twinkle in her eye.
[Uh, can't we pretend to be brother and sister?[ Ranma asked nervously, visions of being chaos roasted by Lyassa floating through his mind. He couldn't help that he had horrible luck with women, and mallets were bad enough, but getting cooked probably hurt a good deal more than getting hit with a hammer.
[Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Am I not good enough for you?[ Lyassa snapped.
[Oh no, it's starting all over again,[ Ranma moaned as he hung his head.
****
[I didn't mean anything by it, okay?[ Ranma pleaded as he sat across the table from Lyassa. They were in the Golden Ram, a better than average inn that Ranma and many other mages frequented.
Lyassa shook her head and asked,[What did you mean then?[
Ranma hesitated. He had never told anyone, not even Cerryl, about his life on Earth, not past his training in the martial arts, anyway. No one knew about the curse, the fiances, or the numerous rivals and enemies of his past. He settled on a partial truth. Anything less and Lyassa's ability to truth-read would alert her to his dishonesty. [Where I came from, I had a lot of troubles with women. It's not something I like to talk about. I wanted to be friends and they all wanted more. This whole plan of Cerryl's to pretend we're married just reminded me of things best left forgotten.[
[So you're a womanizer?[ Lyassa had seemed so nice at first, too. She still wasn't really being malicious in her anger, but Ranma could see a pattern emerging.
Ranma glared at the female mage and said,[It's nothing like that. I've never even been with a woman actually. I couldn't be a womanizer.[ Ranma realized he'd said too much and a slight flush suffused his cheeks. He tried to cover it up by taking a heavy swallow from the tankard of ale that sat before him on the table. In Candar it was better to a womanizer than a virgin, Ranma knew. Lyassa probably thought he was still a child.
Lyassa was at a loss for words. She'd heard of the practice, of course, but she'd never have thought of Ranma as a man who found comfort with other men. He just didn't seem like what she'd pictured in her mind such a man to be. [Oh, well, I guess that's different than what I was thinking.[ She paused, unsure of what to say next. The silence drug out until after they had both eaten the overpriced stew and were about to leave to go back to the Halls of the Mages and get their travel packs and the gold they would need in Hamor.
Finally, her curiousity got the better of her and Lyassa asked,[If it isn't too personal, could you tell me why you bed men instead of women?[
Ranma froze in his tracks, staring at the mage beside him in open shock. [Are you insane?[ he asked. [What makes you think I like men that way?[ was the nest whispered question.
[You admitted to it back in the Ram,[ Lyassa answered. She wished that she had just kept her mouth shut.
[How could you think that from me telling you that I was a virgin?[ he snapped.
[...Oh...that's what you meant...Aren't you a little old to still...[ Lyassa closed her mouth before she could swallow any more of her foot.
Blushing furiously, Ranma said,[I'll meet you in the main courtyard of the Halls in an hour.[ Then he jumped to the top of the three story tavern and was gone from sight. Ranma usually avoided such displays where normal people could see him, but Lyassa had flustered him badly and he wasn't used to dealing with women now anymore than he had been back in Nerima.
Lyassa didn't move from where she stood in the street for over five minutes as she stared at the place Ranma had leaped from. It just wasn't possible. No one could jump like that, not even if they had all the chaos and order of the world at their beck and call.
****
[It's going to be a little obvious that we're not Hamorian, you know?[ Ranma asked Cerryl. [I can't pretend to be a merchant or official either, because I haven't the faintest idea how to act like one.[
[The cover story has already been set in motion. You will be the eldest son of Layel, a factor based in of Spidlar who has fallen into disfavor with your sire for embezzling a large number of golds from his counting rooms. You and Lyassa are on the run and since no one would expect it, you're laying low in Hamor until enough time passes that you can go back and not be immediately recognized by agents or informants of Layel.[ Cerryl took another sip of water from his mug and turned to Leyladin.
[Father has agreed to go along with the charade. He's even planting rumors among the long haul traders who port in Spidlar confirming the lie. According to his last missive, he's enjoying himself immensely.[
They discussed a few more details of the mission, a mission Ranma still didn't feel confident of actually accomplishing. With dinner fast approaching, Ranma finally asked,[Not that I have anything against her, and I know she's your friend and all, but couldn't you have found someone besides Lyassa to go along with me?[
Cerryl frowned. [I thought you two got along well. What's the problem?[
[She just reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago. Don't worry about it. She's seems nice enough, I guess, and we didn't get that great a start.[ Ranma sighed, relenting before his question could really even be answered.
The High Wizard shrugged, sharing a questioning glance with Leyladin.
****
Lyassa shuddered and eased herself over in the carriage as Ranma threw his bags into the seat. His eyes tracked her gaze and he noticed that she was staring distastefully at the sword belted around a bag. Ranma grinned and shifted the sword so that it faced him. Just being in close proximity to ordered iron often proved painful for some mages, but the unusual construction of his sword did strange things to a mages senses if they weren't careful to let them flow around the bound order and chaos.
[Do you have to bring that thing along? I understand that any white bronze weapon would be conspicuous, but I'm sure there are plenty of ordinary iron blades to be found in Fairhaven.[ The female mage glanced at the space where the weapon had once rested and turned away with one last shiver.
[No, I don't have to, but I am. I don't like it much myself, for entirely different reasons than you, I'm sure, but Hamor is dangerous, almost as dangerous as Candar. I've had enough people try to kill me to know that any advantage, no matter how small, can save my life.[ To further remove the sword from Lyassa's perceptions, Ranma re-ordered the light around it, obscurring it from vision and muffling its emissions. [Happy?[
[It'll do, I suppose,[ she replied glumly.
The driver finally climbed into his seat and the carriage jerked forward before assuming a more steady motion.
Trying to ease the uncomfortable silence that had sprang up between the 'married' couple, Ranma asked,[How long have you been a mage?[ While he wasn't a mage by Guild standards, those being that he manipulated chaos exclusively with the exception of using order to shield, Ranma was quite capable of using the both the white and black forces. He'd been learning the process of raising and controlling order and chaos almost since the day he'd arrived in Fairhaven three years ago, and he still found himself learning new control techniques or improving old ones. If she wasn't hiding her power, Lyassa was a moderately powerful chaos wielder, but she lacked the solid core of white energy that most mages possessed. Cerryl's teachings?
Lyassa shrugged,[Eight years come fall. Cerryl, Faltar, and I were all inducted into the Guild at the same time.[
[Oh yeah, I remember him mentioning that a while back when he was telling me about the black smith who built the steam ship. Uh, sorry, he was you're friend, right?[ Ranma planned on visiting Dorrin on Recluce one day, even if he had to do it with an army at his back. The smith was by all accounts an order focus, and while Ranma could possibly raise enough chaos to create another disturbance like the one which had brought him to Candar, he would still need the order to balance the forces.
[What about you? I know Cerryl taught you more than anyone suspects. How long have you been a mage, Ranma?[ Lyassa seemed genuinely curios.
[I'd probably have been able to get into the Guild on the basis of chaos control and power about three months after I got here, but there's a lot more about Candar that a mage needs to know that I still haven't even begun to learn. You know, history, politics, math. I've never been the acedemic type, anyway, not on Earth and certainly not here.[ Heh, not being a Guild mage had more than a few benefits. His current situation put him under Cerryl's authority and only his authority. At any time Ranma could give up his command of the Iron Guard and relenquish his rights as a citizen of Fairhaven. He didn't have to work for the guild like the others, who did what they were told or died by chaos flame.
Lyassa had been in Spidlar and its surrounding cities off and on for the past four years, rarely returning to Fairhaven. Of course she'd heard of Ranma, the young man who came from another world. She'd heard the stories straight from Cerryl about what that world had been like. Ranma handled being in a virtually uncivilized land of primitives much better than most people would. Still, as unusual as he was, there should be no way that Ranma could gain his power that quickly. Three months. A student mage could expect to spend at least that much time on sewer duty learning to harness and control their power, but they'd already had a life permeated by chaos and their studies led them into their power. Ranma hadn't even had any chaos or order within him when he'd arrived, though Lyassa couldn't comprehend how anyone could survive without the chaos of life or the order that gave that chaos form.
****
The Iron Shark's boilers finally reached optimal pressure, the coal-fired steam engine shrieking in readiness. Dorrin released the pressure control valves and allowed the steam to begin the process that would drive the pistons connected to the prop. This was the first of the battle ships commissioned by the Council of Recluce. It was superior in every way to its two predecessors, the first a steam powered scow and the second his Black Hammer. With proper funding and no lack of materials, Dorrin had been able to spare no expense, and it showed. Larger, with a greater crew capacity, larger coal bins and more powerful and accurate weapons, the Iron Shark further secured Recluce's control of the surrounding oceans.
****
Author's Notes- I decided to jump a little into the future so as to skip a lot of explanations and useless settling in. Ranma's about 21 now and more mature than the last time we saw him after he first arrived in Candar. The next chapter will probably involve just the sea voyage to Hamor itself and very likely an encounted with Dorrin and his latest creation. C&C welcome at dark_phoneix@hotmail.com