Author's note: OUCH! "Six digit number" caught me. I made a continuity
error. Ahem… so without further ado (and a really quick fix), a revised
issue of this chapter.
* * *
"I don't understand," Ranma said again.
Mousse shook his head and tried to explain it in a different way. "When Akane used her 'gift', it put something like a curse on her and it lets the people who did this to her see everything we do."
"But that doesn't make any sense," Ranma said. "Why would they be so interested in us?"
"It doesn't matter," Ryoga said gruffly as he joined the group. "What matters is that they know which of the seven tombs to go to and we have to get there first."
Mousse nodded. "I agree. Time is of the essence here. If Tal Rasha's tomb is found before we can reach it, I hesitate to even guess at what they may do with the power they find there."
Ryoga and Mousse both looked at Ranma. "Okay, then let's go."
"Right," Mousse said, "But you understand… Akane has to stay behind."
Ranma nodded slowly. "Yeah, I got that. I'll go tell her."
With a reluctant sigh, he stood up and left the tent where the three boys had been conversing. He passed by and saw Ukyo and Shampoo preparing their weapons for the next fight. It took him a minute but he finally found her sitting by the fire.
"Hey," he said taking a seat next to her. She turned her face away. "Ah… did I say something wrong?"
"No," she said softly, drawing her knees into her chest. "It's just…" she trailed off.
"Hey, don't worry about that!" Ranma said, trying to cheer her up. "No one's blaming you or nothing…" He heard a sniffle. "Hey, Akane?"
"What?" she said, still sniffling.
"You know what the worst part about this?"
"What?"
"I don't get to see you toast some monster with that mean Firewall you've been working on."
Akane turned around. She smiled a bit through the sniffle. "Thanks."
"For what?"
"For saying that it's a good spell."
"It's a good spell," Ranma said. "Besides, I want to see something get fried other than me."
Akane's face darkened. "Well, maybe if you weren't such a jerk most of the time, I wouldn't have to fireball you."
"Maybe if you weren't so violent, I would have to worry about it."
"Who are you calling VIOLENT?" Akane said, standing up.
Ranma didn't wait a moment longer but took off running, watching as a fireball passed him by. He turned around and saw Akane smiling after him. With a roll of her eyes, she sat down. Dumb jerk… of course, he had cheered her up. In his own special way.
* * *
"There. That's his weakness."
"The girl? But all they do is fight?"
"The stronger the anger, the more fire to the…"
"Okay, I understand."
"What are you two nitwits talking about?"
Lime and Mint turned around and saw Herb slowly limping into the room. His side was still bandaged from the blow that Shampoo had dealt him. Lime and Mint melted slight under his gaze.
"We found something about the Paladin that might be of some use," Lime said softly.
"What is it?"
"He seems to be attached to one of the girls," Mint continued. "In the past he's always fought to protect her and from the talk of their parents, the two appear engaged."
"I thought they hated each other."
"I don't think so," Lime continued. "If anything, I think they aggravate each other to mask their feelings."
Herb sighed. "Which one?"
"The tainted one," Mint replied.
"She's useless to us anyway," Lime replied. "We can replace her easily and…"
"I'll take it to the master," Herb interrupted. "And you two stop looking in that damn glass ball. We need to be prepared. The master has found the tomb we were searching for."
* * *
"All right," Ranma said looking at the group. "We'll take one of Mousse portals right to the mountain above the Canyon of the Magi. Then we'll search the place for the right tomb."
"Shouldn't we split up?" Ukyo asked.
"No," Ranma said. "It sounds like we might have company and us splitting up tends to mean that at least half the group is coming back in pieces."
"Then let's go," Shampoo said standing up and looking over at Mousse. He stood up and pulled out a scroll, casting a portal spell. The air shimmered and turned blue as the portal appeared. Shampoo went through first, followed quickly by Mousse.
"You coming, Ran-chan?" Ukyo asked as Ryoga went through.
"Yeah, give me a sec," he said, motioning over to his father who was waiting nearby. Ukyo nodded and went through.
"Ranma," Genma said.
"Yeah, pop. What do you want?"
Genma paused, appearing to struggle with words. "Be careful."
"Right," Ranma said. "Of course, we'd be a lot safer if a level 32 Druid came with us…" But by then, Genma was gone, replaced by a furry panda. "Always the same…"
"Wait!"
He stopped just before the portal and turned around. He saw a blindfolded Akane walking down the hill. "Sorry, I wanted to see you all off but I kind of ran into a few things."
"Why are you… oh."
"Yeah, this way they don't know what we're doing," Akane said. "So ummm…"
"Yeah… well…"
"Good luck!" Akane said, suddenly outstretching her hand. Something came tumbling out of her fingers. Ranma reached forward and slowly grabbed it. "It's a piece of my helmet. It's not going to do me any good but Cologne said it might make a good amulet."
"Ah… thanks," Ranma said taking it from her.
"Okay, bye! Good luck!" she said waving and then turning around. It should have been a graceful exit but she was blind folded and ending up running into a few things along the way.
Ranma watched her go, a bit perplexed. He looked at the small triangle on a chain as it glittered in the sun light. Looking around, he made sure his father had left and quickly slipped it on, putting it under his shirt.
Somewhere in the shadows, Soun Tendo and Genma-Panda had themselves a little chuckle.
* * *
Ranma materialized outside the portal and looked around at the assembled group. Ukyo raised an eyebrow.
"Your dad had a lot to say," she said.
Ranma just nodded firmly. "So what's the story?"
"They here," Shampoo said, motioning with the head to the Canyon below. "Already go into temple but Shampoo saw them."
"And they left behind guards," Ryoga said gruffly. "When's the sun going to set?"
"Not soon enough," Ranma said. "We'll have to risk it. There's not too many of them there."
"What's to say they don't call up reinforcements the second they see us?" Mousse asked.
"Duck boy right… need to take out guards silently," Shampoo said looking at Ukyo.
"Well… I could try but there's at least six of them there… but I think I might have an idea that will work," she said looking back at Shampoo with a wicked smile.
"What?" Shampoo said, hesitantly.
* * *
"Akane!"
Akane stopped walking and held out her hand for the wall. Soun and Genma were running to catch up with her. She smiled as they approached her, the sun glaring in her eyes. Apparently her eyes had not adjusted to the sunlight.
"What are you doing?"
"I was just going for a walk," Akane said, shielded her eyes against the glare. It looked like all the buildings were moving and the road was wavy. Even Soun and Genma looked a bit odd.
"But… but you're not wearing your blind fold."
Akane shrugged. "It's not like there's anyone here for them to watch."
"Exactly," Soun replied. "They'll know the others are gone! Oh, Akane this may ruin their chance at a surprise."
"I'm sorry," Akane said, suddenly realizing her mistake. Panicking she covered her eyes so as not to see anything more.
"This is exactly what I was talking about Tendo," Genma said. "I knew this was going to be a problem."
"I have to agree, Saotome," Soun said. "Especially now that Cologne has said the chance for a cure is minimal."
"What?" Akane asked, getting more distressed.
"Then there is only one thing to do," Genma replied.
"I agree," Soun said with a smile. "Akane, you will remain here. We simply can't take you along any further and risk you giving away our plans."
"Stay here?? I don't understand!"
Genma nodded. "Its for the best, besides Soun, your other two daughters are reportedly still alive. One of them can complete our contract."
"Wait just a minute!" Akane cried. "What are saying?"
"Well Akane," Soun said. "I can't very well leave one of my daughter behind in the desert by herself. And with Kuno having already shown so much interest, it won't be hard to convince him to take you on as a wife."
"Or a concubine," Genma said. "Let's face it, his supply just got wiped out."
"This is a joke!" Akane cried.
Soun and Genma turned to face her, looking at her as if she was completely out of her mind for not seeing it their way.
"Akane," Soun said. "You wouldn't want to disappoint your father, would you?"
"Yes," Genma said, "not after you disappointed him and the rest of your friends by betraying them."
"Besides it'll be a nice life here," Soun said. "We'll right letter, invite you to Nabiki and Ranma's wedding as soon as we find her."
Whatever shred of reality Akane held onto faltered and disappeared. With a sob, she just ran, letting her hand drop so she could see again as she moved through the streets and lost herself in Lut Gholeim until she ended up collapsed on the side of a wall, crying hysterically.
Back where she had fled from, Soun and Genma shrugged. Their disguises faded and Mint and Lime looked at each other with a sigh.
"That was too easy," Mint said.
"Well, we'll see. Herb should be putting the finishing touches on the plans as we speak."
* * *
Shampoo hugged her arms together and cursed Ukyo for her plan. She felt completely naked without her armor. She may as well have been naked with her body suit being her only protection against the elements. The sand hit her bare legs as she walked towards the temple.
Looking over, she saw Ukyo wasn't exactly pleased with the situation herself. But this was the best they could do. Six demons, two helpless looking damsels in distress. Only Ukyo could kill them with her bare hands and Shampoo has her spear folded nad strapped on her back.
"Hello!" Ukyo called out. "Hello!!"
Shampoo rolled her eyes and followed suit, waving to the demon guards. Ordinarily, this sort of getup would turn any human male to mush. It translated into lunch for demons.
It was surprising how quickly they moved towards the two girls. It was like they had been starved for the past several weeks. They had a ravenous look on their faces that almost made Shampoo want to turn and run away. But she held fast, placing a hand on her hip and waiting until they were close enough.
"NOW!" Ukyo cried.
Shampoo's hand went to her back and she whipped the spear forward, letting it snap into its full length as she did. She let the momentum carry it over her head, where she grabbed it with her other hand and use the force of gravity to send it forward, straight through the demon, cutting it in half. Not pausing for a second, she pushed it forward, spearing the second demon, killing him instantly. He fell, taking the spear with him, but Shampoo simply stepped forward and began to turn, using her body strength to rip the spear out of the dead demons body. As she came around, she slashed the third, ripping the skin around his neck and sending him to the netherworld in a haze of blood.
Ukyo's assault was similar. The first demon met with the palm of her hand, an instant kill shot. The second one was a bit trickier but Ukyo managed to step over the first corpse and let a devastating kick break the second one's neck. By now, her ki was building and all it took was a single ki- filled punch to fell the third and final one.
The two girls ended in the same place, more or less. Shampoo rearranged her hair with a sigh, hoping she hadn't gotten too much blood on it. Ukyo calmly brushed off some sand from her arm.
They turned around and watched as the boys emerged from behind a sand dune.
"What are you waiting for?" Ukyo demanded.
"Yeah, Shampoo need armor back now!"
But the boys remained a bit frozen by what they had just seen. "Remind me," Ranma said, "to never piss those two off."
* * *
"Akane? Akane!" Soun said, looking inside his daughter's tent. He frowned when he saw that she wasn't there.
"Tendo!"
"What is it, Saotome?" Soun said emerging into the main camping area.
"She's not with Cologne or Kin," Genma said.
Soun tried not to look worried. "Where could she have… Akane!"
Akane walked towards them slowly, a lethargy taking over her normally boisterious steps. "Hello father, Saotome-san."
"Akane," Soun said, suddenly very worried. "Are you alright?"
Akane looked at them, arching an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm just tired."
"Well, maybe you should get to sleep."
"No," Akane said softly. "I want to be awake when they return."
"Of course," Soun said. "But maybe…"
"Ah the fair Akane Tendo." Out of the shadows, Kuno suddenly appeared. His arms and body were still bandaged but he managed to hold onto a small bouquet of flowers. "It is a more worthy day not that I have chanced upon you. Accept this token of my undying love."
Soun and Genma got ready to jump in to protect Kuno from an assault by Akane. But instead, she reached forward and grabbed the flowers. "They're very nice," she said with a smile. Soun and Genma paled.
"Your smile lights up my soul," Kuno replied. "But that I would have it for years to come at my side."
Akane smiled a bit. "Perhaps," she said. She quickly held out a hand in Genma and Soun's direction. "I hear you are very wealthy," she continued. "Do you have a boat?"
"A boat?" Kuno asked.
"Yes, a ship of your own. One that might carry us away somewhere we wanted to or needed to go."
Little light bulbs flickered atop of Soun and Genma's heads. Of course! Akane was merely negotiating them a ride to Kurast. At least…
"Ah, of course!" Kuno said. "Come I will let you inspect it." He took her arm and began to drag her towards the docks.
"That's my girl," Soun said, somewhat unsure of himself.
"Yeah, she was… ah… she was a real good actress."
"She had me fooled too!"
Silence.
"Let's go get in another round of go before the others get back."
"Right, Saotome!"
Akane carefully looked over her shoulder at the two retreating male figures. She smiled wickedly. As they passed an alleyway, Akane ignored whatever Kuno was saying and nodded to the darkness.
As soon as they were gone, Herb stepped out with a smile. The doll was working like a dream. They wouldn't know what hit them.
* * *
"I have a really bad feeling about this," Ukyo said as they walked into the empty tomb.
"I don't know why," Ryoga said gruffly. "It looks like the last twenty temples we went through."
"Yeah but they were all crawling with monsters."
"Shh…" Shampoo said. "Monster come if assassin and pig-boy not quiet."
"Who are you calling pig-boy!" Ryoga yelled. The group cringed as the sound echoed through the empty hallways. "Sorry," Ryoga whispered as they all turned to glare at him.
But it was too late. In the distance came the noise of feet running across the sandstone halls. Accompanying it was the unmistakable sound of slithering and finally the dragging of cloth.
"Skeleton, vipers and mummies," Shampoo said, picking out each of the noises. "Three dozen."
"We can make a run for it," Ukyo said.
"Right," Ranma said. "Mousse block the main hallway, we can take a few of the side rooms and have you cast Bone wall to prevent them from following us."
"What happens if they come from the other way," Ukyo asked.
Ranma unsheathed his sword. "That's where Ryoga and I come in."
Ryoga's face split into a huge smile. He gripped his axe tightly. "Finally," he said.
* * *
Akane finally managed to pick herself up from crying on the ground. She sniffled as she forced herself to walk. What was she going to do? She couldn't go back to the camp and there was no way that she was going to let them drag back to be Kuno's bride. She didn't know of a caravan heading back to the west anytime soon. There was no where to run!
She stepped out of the alleyway and realized she was by the docks. There were two ships docked there. One was very obviously freight vessel, the other was more luxurious probably the royal ship.
Cautiously, Akane approached the beat up ship. Maybe she could buy passage from them. There were a few moving figures on it and she hoped that one of them might be able to help her.
As Akane boarded the ship, doll-Akane led Kuno down the stretch of docks.
"Which one is it?" doll-Akane asked.
"Well that one, of course," Kuno motioned to lavishly decorated ship. "Would you like to see it?"
Doll-Akane almost refused but out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw the real Akane, making her way up the gangplank of the freight ship. "Yes, let's' go get a closer look of your ship," she said pushing Kuno along quickly.
"Hello!" Akane called out as she landed on the deck.
"Hello yourself."
Akane jumped. She looked around but couldn't see anyone. "Where are you?" she asked.
"Look up!"
Akane looked up just in time to see a figure spiraling down towards her. She jumped out of the way and almost fell overboard but a strong arm grabbed her.
"Woah, sorry about that," he said. Akane regained her balance and focused on the man in front of her. He had the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen.
"No, no, it's my fault, I'm bothering you in your work…"
"Are you crying?" he asked.
Akane looked up and shook her head. "No, no… it was just sand in my eyes."
"Ah… so what can I do for you Ms…."
"Akane," she replied.
"Shinnosuke," he said with a smile. "So Akane, how can the crew of the Nero-gia be of assistance to you?"
"Actually… I was wondering. Do you have room for any passenger?"
Shinnosuke frowned slightly. "We don't take passengers but maybe… maybe grandfather can find a place for you in the crew. Come on, I'll introduce you."
Akane nodded and followed him down into the bowels of the ship. Behind her, doll-Akane led Kuno away and back to camp.
"So did you enjoy my ship?" he asked.
"It was a most productive visit," she said with a smile.
* * *
"Cast it again!"
Mousse concentrated and cast the Bone Wall again. It quickly patched up the holes being caused the relentless attack of the horde.
"Come back!" Shampoo cried. "Need Mousse here to figure out wall!"
Mousse ran back to the wall and continued tracing where he had left off. "And all those who seek the knowledge of Tal Rasha need but utter the word of servitude and…"
"MOUSSE! BONE WALL!"
Mousse stood up and ran back to the door. He cast the bone wall and then returned to the wall.
"…utter the word of servitude and be granted admittance. That's it!"
"MOUSSE!"
He stood up and ran back towards the bone wall, casting another coating to it.
"What answer!" Shampoo cried.
"It's really simple actually," Mousse said. "Based on the…"
"MOUSSE!!"
He almost cast Bone Wall again before he realized they were yelling at him to hurry up. "Ferita," he said. "Same as the symbol of this tem…"
His sentence was drowned out as the wall shimmered and was replaced with a portal. It filled the dank cave with its blue light and filtered through the holes in the bonewall. The monsters behind it renewed their attack, realizing the pray was about to escape.
"GO!" Ranma screamed.
They quickly scrambled through the new portal and disappeared into the light.
When they reappeared on the other side, they all had pretty much the same thought. They should have stayed with the normal monsters.
* * *
"So you'll repel any sea monster attack."
"Yes sir," Akane said. "I really appreciate this."
The elderly grandfather nodded. "Yes well, our resident mage was eaten last tri… I mean, retired."
Shinnosuke smiled slight. "Nice one, gramps."
"MEGATON PUNCH!"
Shinnosuke went sprawling backwards. "Now," grandfather said taking a seat again, "This will not be an easy trip. And you will have to pull your weight."
"I understand," Akane said.
The grandfather nodded and sat back into his seat. "We're leaving the hour. Is that enough time."
"Yes," Akane said softly. "I don't have to get anything from shore."
He looked at her. "No, I don't suppose you do. Shinnosuke!"
"Eh…" came the somewhat quivering ball of man.
"Take Akane to her quarters and promise that you'll look after her. I don't want to rest of the crew to get any ideas."
"Right," Shinnosuke said. "Come Akane, there's an empty bunk next to mine."
"Ah… okay," Akane said following him. Shinnosuke's grandfather watched them as they left and shook his head. Well, his ship had carried misfits before. Though for the life of him, he couldn't believe that that young girl had been anything but an angel.
* * *
"Here it comes again!" Ranma cried as he leapt backwards. Landing on the wall, he pushed forward, using his sword to slash through the tentacle. It exploded in a wave of green slime.
"Look out!" Ryoga called, seeing the second tentacle swing behind him. With a roar, he let his axe fly and split the tentacle in two.
"Now!" Ukyo cried. Shampoo stood up quickly, grabbing Ukyo leg and giving her a push upward. The young assassin flipped in the air and landed on the head of the monstrous beast. With a battle cry, she began to pummel it. Distracted by the foe on its head, the monster sent its tentacles back up towards its head.
Shampoo, Ryoga and Ranma took their cue and charged the body, slashing into the meaty flesh. The creature roared and the air around them got very cold.
"WATCH OUT!" Mousse cried, realizing what was about to happen.
He had one shot at this. At least the target was huge. He should be able to hit it…
The air shimmered as both began to cast their spells. Around the beast the air started to get heavier and tiny ice crystals began to form. Around Mousse, the air got colder as well but it was a different type of cold, the coldness that surrounds a new corpse. His robes began to billow as he repeated the words of the spell. It was a bit of a race to see who would cast first. While the melee fighters hacked away, none could score a kill shot.
Suddenly the world around Mousse seemed to stand still. A second later a huge bone spear appeared and flew forward. It hit the beast with such a force that the end shattered into a million pieces.
The beast lost all its concentration and its spell broke. It began to throw its body back and forth in death throws. Ukyo flew off first but her agility allowed her to merely flip off the wall and land softly on the ground.
With a shuddering sign, the creature fell and was still, dead at last. The heroes looked around to make sure they were all still standing. There were at least five minutes of silence as they tried to decipher what had happened.
"What was it?" Ukyo asked.
"Its name was Duriel. And you have done the world a great good by defeating it."
The group turned and watched as a mystical light filled the dark cavern. They were momentarily blinded by it but as soon as their vision cleared, they saw what the source of the light was.
A beautiful woman floated down from the ceiling, using two majestic wings to slow her descent. She was clad in silver armor, a large sword hung at her side. Her brown hair was short and when she smiled, it filled their hearts with a motherly sense of love.
"But you are too late to catch the evil that came here. Diablo has already fled and he has taken his brother Baal with him."
"Ball?" Ranma asked.
"Baal," the woman said, pronouncing each letter. "The two brothers of evil will seek out the third and the three of them will bring terror to this world. You must stop them."
"But why us?" Ranma asked.
"It has been prophesized that you all shall," she said. "Some of you know that," she said looking at Ukyo and Ryoga. "Some of you have denied it," she said looking at Mousse and Shampoo. "But the truth is that you are all destined to fight this evil. That is why it has hunted you. And why they continue to hunt you."
Her arms moved slowly into a circle a portal formed. "Go back to town and collect your group. You will need to travel on the path you have chosen. Across the sea is your next task."
The group looked at the portal. They weren't all too sure what she meant but the thought of going home seemed almost too appealing. Ryoga broke first, walking through the portal. Shampoo and Mousse were second. Ukyo cast one look at Ranma before she went through herself.
"You look familiar," he said.
The angel smiled. "Of course I do," she said. "Ranma, you must go now but please… please watch over my youngest child. She is losing her way and I fear you are the only one who can help her."
"Your…"
"Go Ranma, hurry before it's too late."
Propelled by a force he could no explain, Ranma moved through the portal. A second later he found himself in Lut Gholeim.
"Ranma!" Ukyo waved as she ran over to him. "Ranma, over here!" Ranma nodded and ran to meet her. "Everyone's at the camp! Akane managed to get Kuno to lend us his boat! We're going to leave as soon as we're ready."
"Ah, yeah," Ranma said, following her back to camp. He couldn't shake the angel's words though. Youngest daughter? What did she mean?
"Hello Ranma."
"Oh… hey Akane," he said as she walked up to him. She looked over a Ukyo with an icy glare and for whatever reason, Ukyo decided it would be best to move on.
"I heard you fought well," Akane said, her eyes examining him quietly.
"Yeah… I guess that amulet came in handy."
"Amulet?" Akane asked.
"Yeah," Ranma said confused. "The amulet you…"
"HEY! Ranma, Akane, get a move on it!" Ryoga called. "Ship is leaving now!"
Ranma turned to say something more to Akane but she was already walking away. With a shrug, he put off his concerns to battle weariness.
As he walked with them towards the dock, he saw the beautiful ship in dock. It seemed a bit silly to have such a large dock for a single ship. Yet if he strained his eyes, he could almost make out another ship on the far horizon.
* * *
"I don't understand," Ranma said again.
Mousse shook his head and tried to explain it in a different way. "When Akane used her 'gift', it put something like a curse on her and it lets the people who did this to her see everything we do."
"But that doesn't make any sense," Ranma said. "Why would they be so interested in us?"
"It doesn't matter," Ryoga said gruffly as he joined the group. "What matters is that they know which of the seven tombs to go to and we have to get there first."
Mousse nodded. "I agree. Time is of the essence here. If Tal Rasha's tomb is found before we can reach it, I hesitate to even guess at what they may do with the power they find there."
Ryoga and Mousse both looked at Ranma. "Okay, then let's go."
"Right," Mousse said, "But you understand… Akane has to stay behind."
Ranma nodded slowly. "Yeah, I got that. I'll go tell her."
With a reluctant sigh, he stood up and left the tent where the three boys had been conversing. He passed by and saw Ukyo and Shampoo preparing their weapons for the next fight. It took him a minute but he finally found her sitting by the fire.
"Hey," he said taking a seat next to her. She turned her face away. "Ah… did I say something wrong?"
"No," she said softly, drawing her knees into her chest. "It's just…" she trailed off.
"Hey, don't worry about that!" Ranma said, trying to cheer her up. "No one's blaming you or nothing…" He heard a sniffle. "Hey, Akane?"
"What?" she said, still sniffling.
"You know what the worst part about this?"
"What?"
"I don't get to see you toast some monster with that mean Firewall you've been working on."
Akane turned around. She smiled a bit through the sniffle. "Thanks."
"For what?"
"For saying that it's a good spell."
"It's a good spell," Ranma said. "Besides, I want to see something get fried other than me."
Akane's face darkened. "Well, maybe if you weren't such a jerk most of the time, I wouldn't have to fireball you."
"Maybe if you weren't so violent, I would have to worry about it."
"Who are you calling VIOLENT?" Akane said, standing up.
Ranma didn't wait a moment longer but took off running, watching as a fireball passed him by. He turned around and saw Akane smiling after him. With a roll of her eyes, she sat down. Dumb jerk… of course, he had cheered her up. In his own special way.
* * *
"There. That's his weakness."
"The girl? But all they do is fight?"
"The stronger the anger, the more fire to the…"
"Okay, I understand."
"What are you two nitwits talking about?"
Lime and Mint turned around and saw Herb slowly limping into the room. His side was still bandaged from the blow that Shampoo had dealt him. Lime and Mint melted slight under his gaze.
"We found something about the Paladin that might be of some use," Lime said softly.
"What is it?"
"He seems to be attached to one of the girls," Mint continued. "In the past he's always fought to protect her and from the talk of their parents, the two appear engaged."
"I thought they hated each other."
"I don't think so," Lime continued. "If anything, I think they aggravate each other to mask their feelings."
Herb sighed. "Which one?"
"The tainted one," Mint replied.
"She's useless to us anyway," Lime replied. "We can replace her easily and…"
"I'll take it to the master," Herb interrupted. "And you two stop looking in that damn glass ball. We need to be prepared. The master has found the tomb we were searching for."
* * *
"All right," Ranma said looking at the group. "We'll take one of Mousse portals right to the mountain above the Canyon of the Magi. Then we'll search the place for the right tomb."
"Shouldn't we split up?" Ukyo asked.
"No," Ranma said. "It sounds like we might have company and us splitting up tends to mean that at least half the group is coming back in pieces."
"Then let's go," Shampoo said standing up and looking over at Mousse. He stood up and pulled out a scroll, casting a portal spell. The air shimmered and turned blue as the portal appeared. Shampoo went through first, followed quickly by Mousse.
"You coming, Ran-chan?" Ukyo asked as Ryoga went through.
"Yeah, give me a sec," he said, motioning over to his father who was waiting nearby. Ukyo nodded and went through.
"Ranma," Genma said.
"Yeah, pop. What do you want?"
Genma paused, appearing to struggle with words. "Be careful."
"Right," Ranma said. "Of course, we'd be a lot safer if a level 32 Druid came with us…" But by then, Genma was gone, replaced by a furry panda. "Always the same…"
"Wait!"
He stopped just before the portal and turned around. He saw a blindfolded Akane walking down the hill. "Sorry, I wanted to see you all off but I kind of ran into a few things."
"Why are you… oh."
"Yeah, this way they don't know what we're doing," Akane said. "So ummm…"
"Yeah… well…"
"Good luck!" Akane said, suddenly outstretching her hand. Something came tumbling out of her fingers. Ranma reached forward and slowly grabbed it. "It's a piece of my helmet. It's not going to do me any good but Cologne said it might make a good amulet."
"Ah… thanks," Ranma said taking it from her.
"Okay, bye! Good luck!" she said waving and then turning around. It should have been a graceful exit but she was blind folded and ending up running into a few things along the way.
Ranma watched her go, a bit perplexed. He looked at the small triangle on a chain as it glittered in the sun light. Looking around, he made sure his father had left and quickly slipped it on, putting it under his shirt.
Somewhere in the shadows, Soun Tendo and Genma-Panda had themselves a little chuckle.
* * *
Ranma materialized outside the portal and looked around at the assembled group. Ukyo raised an eyebrow.
"Your dad had a lot to say," she said.
Ranma just nodded firmly. "So what's the story?"
"They here," Shampoo said, motioning with the head to the Canyon below. "Already go into temple but Shampoo saw them."
"And they left behind guards," Ryoga said gruffly. "When's the sun going to set?"
"Not soon enough," Ranma said. "We'll have to risk it. There's not too many of them there."
"What's to say they don't call up reinforcements the second they see us?" Mousse asked.
"Duck boy right… need to take out guards silently," Shampoo said looking at Ukyo.
"Well… I could try but there's at least six of them there… but I think I might have an idea that will work," she said looking back at Shampoo with a wicked smile.
"What?" Shampoo said, hesitantly.
* * *
"Akane!"
Akane stopped walking and held out her hand for the wall. Soun and Genma were running to catch up with her. She smiled as they approached her, the sun glaring in her eyes. Apparently her eyes had not adjusted to the sunlight.
"What are you doing?"
"I was just going for a walk," Akane said, shielded her eyes against the glare. It looked like all the buildings were moving and the road was wavy. Even Soun and Genma looked a bit odd.
"But… but you're not wearing your blind fold."
Akane shrugged. "It's not like there's anyone here for them to watch."
"Exactly," Soun replied. "They'll know the others are gone! Oh, Akane this may ruin their chance at a surprise."
"I'm sorry," Akane said, suddenly realizing her mistake. Panicking she covered her eyes so as not to see anything more.
"This is exactly what I was talking about Tendo," Genma said. "I knew this was going to be a problem."
"I have to agree, Saotome," Soun said. "Especially now that Cologne has said the chance for a cure is minimal."
"What?" Akane asked, getting more distressed.
"Then there is only one thing to do," Genma replied.
"I agree," Soun said with a smile. "Akane, you will remain here. We simply can't take you along any further and risk you giving away our plans."
"Stay here?? I don't understand!"
Genma nodded. "Its for the best, besides Soun, your other two daughters are reportedly still alive. One of them can complete our contract."
"Wait just a minute!" Akane cried. "What are saying?"
"Well Akane," Soun said. "I can't very well leave one of my daughter behind in the desert by herself. And with Kuno having already shown so much interest, it won't be hard to convince him to take you on as a wife."
"Or a concubine," Genma said. "Let's face it, his supply just got wiped out."
"This is a joke!" Akane cried.
Soun and Genma turned to face her, looking at her as if she was completely out of her mind for not seeing it their way.
"Akane," Soun said. "You wouldn't want to disappoint your father, would you?"
"Yes," Genma said, "not after you disappointed him and the rest of your friends by betraying them."
"Besides it'll be a nice life here," Soun said. "We'll right letter, invite you to Nabiki and Ranma's wedding as soon as we find her."
Whatever shred of reality Akane held onto faltered and disappeared. With a sob, she just ran, letting her hand drop so she could see again as she moved through the streets and lost herself in Lut Gholeim until she ended up collapsed on the side of a wall, crying hysterically.
Back where she had fled from, Soun and Genma shrugged. Their disguises faded and Mint and Lime looked at each other with a sigh.
"That was too easy," Mint said.
"Well, we'll see. Herb should be putting the finishing touches on the plans as we speak."
* * *
Shampoo hugged her arms together and cursed Ukyo for her plan. She felt completely naked without her armor. She may as well have been naked with her body suit being her only protection against the elements. The sand hit her bare legs as she walked towards the temple.
Looking over, she saw Ukyo wasn't exactly pleased with the situation herself. But this was the best they could do. Six demons, two helpless looking damsels in distress. Only Ukyo could kill them with her bare hands and Shampoo has her spear folded nad strapped on her back.
"Hello!" Ukyo called out. "Hello!!"
Shampoo rolled her eyes and followed suit, waving to the demon guards. Ordinarily, this sort of getup would turn any human male to mush. It translated into lunch for demons.
It was surprising how quickly they moved towards the two girls. It was like they had been starved for the past several weeks. They had a ravenous look on their faces that almost made Shampoo want to turn and run away. But she held fast, placing a hand on her hip and waiting until they were close enough.
"NOW!" Ukyo cried.
Shampoo's hand went to her back and she whipped the spear forward, letting it snap into its full length as she did. She let the momentum carry it over her head, where she grabbed it with her other hand and use the force of gravity to send it forward, straight through the demon, cutting it in half. Not pausing for a second, she pushed it forward, spearing the second demon, killing him instantly. He fell, taking the spear with him, but Shampoo simply stepped forward and began to turn, using her body strength to rip the spear out of the dead demons body. As she came around, she slashed the third, ripping the skin around his neck and sending him to the netherworld in a haze of blood.
Ukyo's assault was similar. The first demon met with the palm of her hand, an instant kill shot. The second one was a bit trickier but Ukyo managed to step over the first corpse and let a devastating kick break the second one's neck. By now, her ki was building and all it took was a single ki- filled punch to fell the third and final one.
The two girls ended in the same place, more or less. Shampoo rearranged her hair with a sigh, hoping she hadn't gotten too much blood on it. Ukyo calmly brushed off some sand from her arm.
They turned around and watched as the boys emerged from behind a sand dune.
"What are you waiting for?" Ukyo demanded.
"Yeah, Shampoo need armor back now!"
But the boys remained a bit frozen by what they had just seen. "Remind me," Ranma said, "to never piss those two off."
* * *
"Akane? Akane!" Soun said, looking inside his daughter's tent. He frowned when he saw that she wasn't there.
"Tendo!"
"What is it, Saotome?" Soun said emerging into the main camping area.
"She's not with Cologne or Kin," Genma said.
Soun tried not to look worried. "Where could she have… Akane!"
Akane walked towards them slowly, a lethargy taking over her normally boisterious steps. "Hello father, Saotome-san."
"Akane," Soun said, suddenly very worried. "Are you alright?"
Akane looked at them, arching an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm just tired."
"Well, maybe you should get to sleep."
"No," Akane said softly. "I want to be awake when they return."
"Of course," Soun said. "But maybe…"
"Ah the fair Akane Tendo." Out of the shadows, Kuno suddenly appeared. His arms and body were still bandaged but he managed to hold onto a small bouquet of flowers. "It is a more worthy day not that I have chanced upon you. Accept this token of my undying love."
Soun and Genma got ready to jump in to protect Kuno from an assault by Akane. But instead, she reached forward and grabbed the flowers. "They're very nice," she said with a smile. Soun and Genma paled.
"Your smile lights up my soul," Kuno replied. "But that I would have it for years to come at my side."
Akane smiled a bit. "Perhaps," she said. She quickly held out a hand in Genma and Soun's direction. "I hear you are very wealthy," she continued. "Do you have a boat?"
"A boat?" Kuno asked.
"Yes, a ship of your own. One that might carry us away somewhere we wanted to or needed to go."
Little light bulbs flickered atop of Soun and Genma's heads. Of course! Akane was merely negotiating them a ride to Kurast. At least…
"Ah, of course!" Kuno said. "Come I will let you inspect it." He took her arm and began to drag her towards the docks.
"That's my girl," Soun said, somewhat unsure of himself.
"Yeah, she was… ah… she was a real good actress."
"She had me fooled too!"
Silence.
"Let's go get in another round of go before the others get back."
"Right, Saotome!"
Akane carefully looked over her shoulder at the two retreating male figures. She smiled wickedly. As they passed an alleyway, Akane ignored whatever Kuno was saying and nodded to the darkness.
As soon as they were gone, Herb stepped out with a smile. The doll was working like a dream. They wouldn't know what hit them.
* * *
"I have a really bad feeling about this," Ukyo said as they walked into the empty tomb.
"I don't know why," Ryoga said gruffly. "It looks like the last twenty temples we went through."
"Yeah but they were all crawling with monsters."
"Shh…" Shampoo said. "Monster come if assassin and pig-boy not quiet."
"Who are you calling pig-boy!" Ryoga yelled. The group cringed as the sound echoed through the empty hallways. "Sorry," Ryoga whispered as they all turned to glare at him.
But it was too late. In the distance came the noise of feet running across the sandstone halls. Accompanying it was the unmistakable sound of slithering and finally the dragging of cloth.
"Skeleton, vipers and mummies," Shampoo said, picking out each of the noises. "Three dozen."
"We can make a run for it," Ukyo said.
"Right," Ranma said. "Mousse block the main hallway, we can take a few of the side rooms and have you cast Bone wall to prevent them from following us."
"What happens if they come from the other way," Ukyo asked.
Ranma unsheathed his sword. "That's where Ryoga and I come in."
Ryoga's face split into a huge smile. He gripped his axe tightly. "Finally," he said.
* * *
Akane finally managed to pick herself up from crying on the ground. She sniffled as she forced herself to walk. What was she going to do? She couldn't go back to the camp and there was no way that she was going to let them drag back to be Kuno's bride. She didn't know of a caravan heading back to the west anytime soon. There was no where to run!
She stepped out of the alleyway and realized she was by the docks. There were two ships docked there. One was very obviously freight vessel, the other was more luxurious probably the royal ship.
Cautiously, Akane approached the beat up ship. Maybe she could buy passage from them. There were a few moving figures on it and she hoped that one of them might be able to help her.
As Akane boarded the ship, doll-Akane led Kuno down the stretch of docks.
"Which one is it?" doll-Akane asked.
"Well that one, of course," Kuno motioned to lavishly decorated ship. "Would you like to see it?"
Doll-Akane almost refused but out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw the real Akane, making her way up the gangplank of the freight ship. "Yes, let's' go get a closer look of your ship," she said pushing Kuno along quickly.
"Hello!" Akane called out as she landed on the deck.
"Hello yourself."
Akane jumped. She looked around but couldn't see anyone. "Where are you?" she asked.
"Look up!"
Akane looked up just in time to see a figure spiraling down towards her. She jumped out of the way and almost fell overboard but a strong arm grabbed her.
"Woah, sorry about that," he said. Akane regained her balance and focused on the man in front of her. He had the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen.
"No, no, it's my fault, I'm bothering you in your work…"
"Are you crying?" he asked.
Akane looked up and shook her head. "No, no… it was just sand in my eyes."
"Ah… so what can I do for you Ms…."
"Akane," she replied.
"Shinnosuke," he said with a smile. "So Akane, how can the crew of the Nero-gia be of assistance to you?"
"Actually… I was wondering. Do you have room for any passenger?"
Shinnosuke frowned slightly. "We don't take passengers but maybe… maybe grandfather can find a place for you in the crew. Come on, I'll introduce you."
Akane nodded and followed him down into the bowels of the ship. Behind her, doll-Akane led Kuno away and back to camp.
"So did you enjoy my ship?" he asked.
"It was a most productive visit," she said with a smile.
* * *
"Cast it again!"
Mousse concentrated and cast the Bone Wall again. It quickly patched up the holes being caused the relentless attack of the horde.
"Come back!" Shampoo cried. "Need Mousse here to figure out wall!"
Mousse ran back to the wall and continued tracing where he had left off. "And all those who seek the knowledge of Tal Rasha need but utter the word of servitude and…"
"MOUSSE! BONE WALL!"
Mousse stood up and ran back to the door. He cast the bone wall and then returned to the wall.
"…utter the word of servitude and be granted admittance. That's it!"
"MOUSSE!"
He stood up and ran back towards the bone wall, casting another coating to it.
"What answer!" Shampoo cried.
"It's really simple actually," Mousse said. "Based on the…"
"MOUSSE!!"
He almost cast Bone Wall again before he realized they were yelling at him to hurry up. "Ferita," he said. "Same as the symbol of this tem…"
His sentence was drowned out as the wall shimmered and was replaced with a portal. It filled the dank cave with its blue light and filtered through the holes in the bonewall. The monsters behind it renewed their attack, realizing the pray was about to escape.
"GO!" Ranma screamed.
They quickly scrambled through the new portal and disappeared into the light.
When they reappeared on the other side, they all had pretty much the same thought. They should have stayed with the normal monsters.
* * *
"So you'll repel any sea monster attack."
"Yes sir," Akane said. "I really appreciate this."
The elderly grandfather nodded. "Yes well, our resident mage was eaten last tri… I mean, retired."
Shinnosuke smiled slight. "Nice one, gramps."
"MEGATON PUNCH!"
Shinnosuke went sprawling backwards. "Now," grandfather said taking a seat again, "This will not be an easy trip. And you will have to pull your weight."
"I understand," Akane said.
The grandfather nodded and sat back into his seat. "We're leaving the hour. Is that enough time."
"Yes," Akane said softly. "I don't have to get anything from shore."
He looked at her. "No, I don't suppose you do. Shinnosuke!"
"Eh…" came the somewhat quivering ball of man.
"Take Akane to her quarters and promise that you'll look after her. I don't want to rest of the crew to get any ideas."
"Right," Shinnosuke said. "Come Akane, there's an empty bunk next to mine."
"Ah… okay," Akane said following him. Shinnosuke's grandfather watched them as they left and shook his head. Well, his ship had carried misfits before. Though for the life of him, he couldn't believe that that young girl had been anything but an angel.
* * *
"Here it comes again!" Ranma cried as he leapt backwards. Landing on the wall, he pushed forward, using his sword to slash through the tentacle. It exploded in a wave of green slime.
"Look out!" Ryoga called, seeing the second tentacle swing behind him. With a roar, he let his axe fly and split the tentacle in two.
"Now!" Ukyo cried. Shampoo stood up quickly, grabbing Ukyo leg and giving her a push upward. The young assassin flipped in the air and landed on the head of the monstrous beast. With a battle cry, she began to pummel it. Distracted by the foe on its head, the monster sent its tentacles back up towards its head.
Shampoo, Ryoga and Ranma took their cue and charged the body, slashing into the meaty flesh. The creature roared and the air around them got very cold.
"WATCH OUT!" Mousse cried, realizing what was about to happen.
He had one shot at this. At least the target was huge. He should be able to hit it…
The air shimmered as both began to cast their spells. Around the beast the air started to get heavier and tiny ice crystals began to form. Around Mousse, the air got colder as well but it was a different type of cold, the coldness that surrounds a new corpse. His robes began to billow as he repeated the words of the spell. It was a bit of a race to see who would cast first. While the melee fighters hacked away, none could score a kill shot.
Suddenly the world around Mousse seemed to stand still. A second later a huge bone spear appeared and flew forward. It hit the beast with such a force that the end shattered into a million pieces.
The beast lost all its concentration and its spell broke. It began to throw its body back and forth in death throws. Ukyo flew off first but her agility allowed her to merely flip off the wall and land softly on the ground.
With a shuddering sign, the creature fell and was still, dead at last. The heroes looked around to make sure they were all still standing. There were at least five minutes of silence as they tried to decipher what had happened.
"What was it?" Ukyo asked.
"Its name was Duriel. And you have done the world a great good by defeating it."
The group turned and watched as a mystical light filled the dark cavern. They were momentarily blinded by it but as soon as their vision cleared, they saw what the source of the light was.
A beautiful woman floated down from the ceiling, using two majestic wings to slow her descent. She was clad in silver armor, a large sword hung at her side. Her brown hair was short and when she smiled, it filled their hearts with a motherly sense of love.
"But you are too late to catch the evil that came here. Diablo has already fled and he has taken his brother Baal with him."
"Ball?" Ranma asked.
"Baal," the woman said, pronouncing each letter. "The two brothers of evil will seek out the third and the three of them will bring terror to this world. You must stop them."
"But why us?" Ranma asked.
"It has been prophesized that you all shall," she said. "Some of you know that," she said looking at Ukyo and Ryoga. "Some of you have denied it," she said looking at Mousse and Shampoo. "But the truth is that you are all destined to fight this evil. That is why it has hunted you. And why they continue to hunt you."
Her arms moved slowly into a circle a portal formed. "Go back to town and collect your group. You will need to travel on the path you have chosen. Across the sea is your next task."
The group looked at the portal. They weren't all too sure what she meant but the thought of going home seemed almost too appealing. Ryoga broke first, walking through the portal. Shampoo and Mousse were second. Ukyo cast one look at Ranma before she went through herself.
"You look familiar," he said.
The angel smiled. "Of course I do," she said. "Ranma, you must go now but please… please watch over my youngest child. She is losing her way and I fear you are the only one who can help her."
"Your…"
"Go Ranma, hurry before it's too late."
Propelled by a force he could no explain, Ranma moved through the portal. A second later he found himself in Lut Gholeim.
"Ranma!" Ukyo waved as she ran over to him. "Ranma, over here!" Ranma nodded and ran to meet her. "Everyone's at the camp! Akane managed to get Kuno to lend us his boat! We're going to leave as soon as we're ready."
"Ah, yeah," Ranma said, following her back to camp. He couldn't shake the angel's words though. Youngest daughter? What did she mean?
"Hello Ranma."
"Oh… hey Akane," he said as she walked up to him. She looked over a Ukyo with an icy glare and for whatever reason, Ukyo decided it would be best to move on.
"I heard you fought well," Akane said, her eyes examining him quietly.
"Yeah… I guess that amulet came in handy."
"Amulet?" Akane asked.
"Yeah," Ranma said confused. "The amulet you…"
"HEY! Ranma, Akane, get a move on it!" Ryoga called. "Ship is leaving now!"
Ranma turned to say something more to Akane but she was already walking away. With a shrug, he put off his concerns to battle weariness.
As he walked with them towards the dock, he saw the beautiful ship in dock. It seemed a bit silly to have such a large dock for a single ship. Yet if he strained his eyes, he could almost make out another ship on the far horizon.
