Disclaimer: The four Ranmas were my ideas, which were based on the creation of the great Rumiko Takahashi. All other characters mentioned in this story belong to their respective creators.
Last episode: Due to a big mishap in four universes, the Skuld of each reality had accidentally sent the Ranma Saotome of their dimensions into another universe altogether. The four Ranmas have now gotten acquainted with each other and certain secrets of their respective pasts have been revealed. As of now, they are searching the Slayers world to find a special element they need to get back to their home dimensions. However, T-Ranma and D-Ranma had overheard a plot to kill the sorceress Lina Inverse and had decided to stop it. Unfortunately, this led to one gross misunderstanding…
Italic: Thoughts
(* *): Computer responses
T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech.
D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child
B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind
Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury
Battle's End and the Search Goes On!
Many of the citizens of the town were startled out of their slumber at the sound of the huge explosion. They began rushing toward their windows and saw the fireworks being displayed near the edge of the town's limits. They were all wondering what was causing the commotion and when the local law enforcement was going to respond.
Meanwhile, at the scene of the carnage, the leader of the Really, Really, Not-So-Nice Gang hid behind a tree and watched in awe at the carnage being wrought. He could have run with the others when the mayhem broke out, but instead decided to stay behind and watch for any opportunity to get his revenge on Lina Inverse, who was currently battling it out with the one kind of magic she had never encountered before: technology.
"FIREBALL!"
Cryogenic beam!
(*Affirmative. *)
A blue-white beam of intense cold shot out from T-Ranma's palm. The beam struck Lina's projectile dead-on and caused it to fizzle out. It kept on going and the red-haired sorceress yelped in surprise as she barely managed to duck out of the way. The blast struck an abandoned building and coated it in a thick sheet of ice in less than two seconds!
Lina blanched at the sight. Holy! What the hell was that? That was more powerful than a hundred Freeze Arrow spells! I didn't even hear him say the attack! What kind of magic is this guy using?
T-Ranma lowered his hand and said in a clam voice, "Now are you ready to listen?"
"NO! ELMIKION LANCE!"
The nanotech Ranma winced as he braced himself. With the arrival of his other two dimensional counterparts, the situation spun even more out of control. Thinking that they were here to attack them, Lina and their friends reacted in their usual ways of fight first and ask questions later. No one had been able to get a sane word in since then. As of now, each Ranma had gotten into their own separate battles with a member of Lina's party. T-Ranma had drawn the proverbial short straw and now super-science was mixing it up with the strongest powers of black magic and shamanism.
"RIPCLAW SLASH!"
Zelgadis bit down to suppress a scream of pain as Kojiro's claws actually tore through his stone skin. He jumped back to get some more fighting room and looked down at his flank. His eyes widened as he saw that the skin of a golem had proven to be no protection against the ki-powered strikes of the Cat Fist. Bits of stone were crumbling off the jagged gash and he could see his blood seeping through the open wound.
Looking back up to his opponent, who had shifted to his hybrid form when the fighting broke out, the Chimeran man wondered if he was facing off against a werebeast. Zelgadis had drawn his sword and tried attacking with it, since his blade contained some silver in it. Unfortunately, Kojiro proved to be far too agile and evaded each of Zelgadis' strikes. He continued to slash, kick and punch at the magician/warrior, using advanced fighting techniques that this world had never even dreamed of. Whatever magical attacks Zelgadis tried to use would be either evaded or countered with those strange energies of his. Zelgadis didn't want to use his more destructive spells in the town, but his foe clearly had an advantage in close-quarters combat. He was sorely tempted to use his Ra Tilt, but Kojiro was moving too fast and the injuries he had sustained so far were starting to add up.
"RUNE FLARE!"
Kojiro did a multiple somersault followed by a fancy evasion pattern to avoid the spears of fiery energy that his opponent started throwing. He then retaliated with his own.
"CAT'S EYE BEAMS!"
If there was one thing that was constant in any universe, it was that energy was energy, whether it was created by science, sorcery or generated from one's own ki. The blazing hot beams fired out and were just barely stopped when Zelgadis managed to summon up a barrier. Unfortunately, the wounds from Kojiro's previous attacks had taken their toll and Zeldgadis began to falter. His shield shimmered when the beams struck, then the Neko Ken fighter upped the ante by firing a double-dose of ki blasts.
"RAGING TIGER BOLT! CRESCENT SLASH!"
Firing off an oval shaped projectile, followed by a moon-shaped one shattered Zelgadis' protective shield and he had no time to counter as Kojiro charged in at inhuman speeds and began slashing away.
Some drawbacks to magic was that one needed time to initiate the stronger spells, which was a critical factor in a fast-paced battle. Furthermore, a person could only cast one spell at a time. The four Ranmas were so experienced with their ki techniques was that they could use them instinctively. They weren't quite as draining as summoning up the power from the local spirits. Also, they could easily be combined to their physical to do multiple damage.
As Zelgadis was being slowly worn down by his feline foe, Gourry was getting the workout of his life. He had thought that T-Ranma's Beam Saber was impressive, but D-Ranma's Crimson Fang was definitely a match for the Sword of Light. The dragon Ranma was also no slouch when it came to swordsmanship and the blonde mercenary found himself against a very worthy opponent.
Whoa! Gourry thought. This guy's even better than Zangulus and that Demonic Howling Wind Sword of his! Lina's companion tried a side slash with the Sword of Light, only to have D-Ranma counter with a parry, then stepped inside to deliver a sidekick to Gourry's ribs.
The blonde mercenary's breath was driven out and it was lucky that D-Ranma didn't put much force into the kick. Gourry was sent flying backward, but he soon got to his feet. He looked to where his opponent was taking an odd stance with his sword held high and was glowing with a blue aura.
"The great Dragon King Surek taught me this technique! Behold the Hundred Wind Slash of the West!"
Lina's ears perked up at this announcement as she dodged a few stray plasma bolts from T-Ranma. Dragon King?
D-Ranma suddenly began swinging his sword in fast arcs, generating tornado-like winds toward Gourry. Lina's friend held up his sword to defend, but even an energy blade could not stop the wind. The blasts of air slammed into him and Gourry winced in pain as the air currents rushed by and began ripping though his body armor like blades. Gourry found himself swept off the ground and carried high into the air like a leaf caught in a hurricane.
D-Ranma leapt up and then made a spiraling maneuver with his sword.
"WIND SCREAM ATTACK!"
Spinning his sword so fast, the displaced air pressure created a focused sonic boom. At the same time, using his ki to direct it, D-Ranma slashed forward and sent the attack flying toward his opponent. The blast hit Gourry dead on; sending intense vibrations that caused whatever was left of his armor to shake apart. The impact also released a large sonic detonation, which caused Gourry's sense of balance and hearing to temporarily go haywire. The dragon warrior made certain that the attack was only strong enough to shake up his opponent and not kill him. The attack worked and Gourry lapsed into unconsciousness as he experienced vertigo from being tossed about in D-Ranma's earlier technique.
The blonde swordsman lost his grip on the Sword of Light as he fell to the ground. Fortunately, D-Ranma used a simple levitation spell to slow his descent and Gourry landed on the ground with all the impact of a cotton ball.
Meanwhile, Amelia and Sylphiel were having no luck whatsoever trying to defeat B-Ranma. Unfortunately, because they used magic in their attacks, their energies were way too easy for the blind Amazon to detect and anticipate their attacks. Of course, right now he was only dodging as he tried to calm them down. His sixth and seventh senses were telling him that his attackers weren't evil, just misguided. Though he did find it strange that Sylphiel's aura almost matched that of Kasumi's. Shaking his head, he continued to evade Amelia's attempts to fry, electrocute, freeze and blast him into next week. Sylphiel was holding back and prepared to use defensive spells should their opponent try to attack them. The white priestess didn't have much in terms of offensive magic, except for the very destructive Dragon Slave and a sometimes-working Flare Arrow.
"Stand still enemy of justice and take your righteous punishment from a true defender of good!" Amelia threw a couple of fireballs and one Elmikian Lance.
B-Ranma wondered just what the heck she was talking about as he dodged the two fireballs and then used his senses on the Elmikian Lance. He immediately assessed the power of the spell and began focusing his ki into his battle staff. He then made a swinging arc, trailing a bright line of ki.
"KI CUTTER!"
Amelia and Sylphiel were shocked as the beam was sliced into halves, which passed, harmlessly by the blind Amazon and disintegrated.
"His staff must be enchanted!" Sylphiel exclaimed.
B-Ranma shook his head and replied, "No it's not. I just happen to know a few things about magic myself. Anyway, why are you attacking my friends and me? We haven't done anything to you."
"Do not try to deceive us!" Amelia piped up. "I saw your friend trying to put that magic inhibitor on Miss Lina. You're in league with those who no doubt, planned to do some horrible and unspeakable act upon her. It is my duty as the princess of Sailoon and avatar of righteousness that all those who pledge allegiance to evil must pay for their foul and dishonorable ways. I, Amelia Seyrrun, shall smite thee with the hammer of justice!" Amelia then took a heroic pose that would have put Sailor Moon to shame.
B-Ranma and Sylphiel both had large sweatdrops on the backs of their heads and then the Unseen Light martial artist pinched the bridge of his nose with a free hand and shook his head. And I thought Kuno's speeches were hard on my ears. He let off a sigh as he took a simple stance with his staff slung over one shoulder. "Very well. It seems that the only way I can get you to listen is if I defeat you. So come on." With these words, he charged forward.
"FLARE ARROW!"
Amelia released several fiery projectiles at her foe, but to her surprise, the blind Ranma casually dodged her attack with a forward flip. He then landed and grinned. "Cute, but predictable. Why don't you try something else?"
"BOMB SPREAD!"
B-Ranma made a kind of swaying maneuver and dodged the sparks as Amelia's energy ball exploded in front of him. Being blind did give him an advantage as he was not distracted by the bright flashes of light. Amelia had to shield her eyes though and was very surprised when she felt something tap her shoulder.
"That was amusing." B-Ranma grinned even more as he hopped back a few yards.
Amelia was getting frustrated as her attacks were being ridiculed. Time to get more serious! She began invoking her more powerful spells in shamanism. "Wind which blows across eternity, gather in my hands and become my strength! BRAM GUSH!"
As soon as B-Ranma sensed the power buildup, he knew that something big was coming. His senses picked up the sudden blast of wind coming at him as he held up his staff and began charging up his ki. He then twirled his staff and countered the arrow of wind.
"SPIRIT SPIN!"
The magical energies of the Bram Gush started flying apart as B-Ranma's ki energies interacted with them. When Amelia's attack faded away, the blind Ranma decided that it was time that he went on the offensive. He leapt forward and landed three yards in front of Amelia. He calmly slung his staff over a shoulder and gestured with a finger while standing in a neutral stance.
"Take your best shot."
The young princess of Sailoon was still dumfounded as to how B-Ranma had deflected her Bram Gush with just a staff. But now she saw an opportunity. She concentrated her energies and let loose with an attack.
"Wind, crimson flame. Grant the power of thunder to my hand. DIGGER VOLT!"
The blast of lightning streaked at the blind Amazon. Then he suddenly split into two separate images.
Huh? That never happened before! Amelia was expecting B-Ranma to be extra crispy, not become twins!
B-Ranma grinned as his two images became four. Then became eight. Then doubled again. Soon Amelia found herself encircled by seventeen illusions of her foe which floated and began to rotate.
"Chinese Amazon Technique. The Splitting Cat Hairs." The Unseen Light fighter explained from within the illusion.
Amelia looked from one image to another, trying to discern which one was the real B-Ranma. She was very frustrated as she tried concentrating her magical senses on her opponent, but there was a problem. There was no magic involved, rather that the technique simply caused the user's ki to blanket out to create those illusions. As a result, Amelia couldn't lock onto her foe's life energies. Then she felt something press against the nape of her neck and she suddenly slipped into unconsciousness.
The illusion faded away, leaving B-Ranma standing over the fallen girl after touching her sleeper point.
Sylphiel stared in amazement at B-Ranma, who then directed his attention to her. With just a finger and a simple-looking illusion spell, Amelia had been defeated!
B-Ranma was about to go into a defensive stance, but then sensed that the girl wasn't any danger to him. He then smiled as he casually walked up to her.
"S-S-Stay back!" Sylphiel held up her hands, preparing to release a spell.
The blind Amazon shrugged as he knelt down and put an index finger to the ground. He then focused his ki into the dirt and directed it toward the area where the white priestess was standing.
A cloud of dust was suddenly kicked up around Sylphiel, distracting her for just a few moments. That was all the Unseen Light fighter needed as he rushed forward and delivered several shiatsu strikes, immobilizing her voluntary skeletal muscles and her larynx. Sylphiel found herself paralyzed and unable to say anything. She was effectively prevented from casting any spells.
B-Ranma gave her a whimsical smile while patting her shoulder. "Why don't you keep out of this fight, all right? It's almost over."
Lina Inverse was breathing really hard as she had been fighting against T-Ranma for a good ten minutes nonstop. The nanotech warrior showed no signs at all of tiring and she had been throwing her more destructive spells at him with little or no effect. The area had been devastated by wind, fire, ice and lightning.
Her opponent however, either dodged her attacks or pulled out some strange weapons out of nowhere. She had never seen such things as a CX-949 Mark II Buster Rifle, a T-499 AcMag Blaster, or H-188 Stun Grenades. She began thinking that he was some kind of magic user with access to a really big hole in the astral plane where he stored all those weird weapons. Those devices had more firepower than entire kingdoms!
Her reserves of magic were almost depleted and now she was starting to feel the telltale signs of something else. She had started to feel those cramps the previous day and she knew that it was beginning to hamper her magical performance.
Oh no! It's getting to be that time of the month! Not now! Lina grimaced as she became a bit unbalanced. That familiar feeling of nausea and increase in body temperature confirmed it. She took a quick glance and saw that her allies were being defeated. Amelia and Sylphiel were out of action due to B-Ranma's pressure point attacks. Gourry had been trounced by D-Ranma, who was now holding the Sword of Light. As for Zelgadis, Lina became horrified as he was picked up by Kojiro and slammed headfirst into a nearby wall. The Chimera rolled to the ground and was unconscious.
Nearby, The Neko Ken fighter winced and held his side where a small gash was bleeding. He growled at his foe and said, "When I knock you down, you BETTER STAY DOWN!"
"Zelgadis!" She then took another look at her fallen friends, then shouted out to her adversary. "You hurt my friends! Attacking me with a magical inhibitor is one thing, but nobody does that to my friends!
T-Ranma, who had just made his last weapon disappear and was standing before her, replied with a stern expression. "I didn't start this fight, but if you don't stop this nonsense and listen to reason, then I'm the one who is going to finish it!"
"We'll see who finishes who!" Lina began concentrating her remaining strength as a ball of light appeared in her hands. "Darkness beyond twilight…"
D-Ranma's magical senses went on alert as he saw the ball of light. He began to have memories of what his teacher Sojan had told him about certain spells. Spells that were powerful enough to kill a dragon.
"Crimson beyond blood that flows…"
D-Ranma's eyes widened as he suddenly realized what spell Lina was about to cast. "Ranma! Look out! It's a Dragon Slave!"
T-Ranma nodded as his biocomputer began registering the power buildup. "I've got it covered Just make sure everyone's clear of the blast zone!"
D-Ranma nodded as he gathered up the fallen body of Gourry and motioned for Kojiro and B-Ranma to do the same with the others. When they all came together, the dragon warrior began erecting a barrier.
"Buried in the stream of time, that's where your power grows…"
(* Magical energies now registering at 100,000. Massive destruction imminent! *)
Annihilator. Set for one billionth of maximum payload.
(*Affirmative. *)
"I pledge myself to conquer all those who stand…"
T-Ranma held out an arm and his most destructive weapon came into being. The super anti-matter cannon was the size of a field artillery piece as it rested on his arm like an oversized bazooka.
"Against the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand…"
A targeting sight slid out and fitted itself in front of T-Ranma's eye. He mentally disabled the locks and was about to thumb the firing mechanism.
"Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess!"
Fire.
"DRAGON SLAVE!"
The ball of energy that Lina had been collecting suddenly shot forward and became a beam of multifaceted light. At the same time, the Annihilator spewed out a huge beam of anti-matter from its barrel to impact heavily against the most powerful spell of black magic. For one brief moment, the two forces battled against each other, each trying to overpower the other. However, an instant later, the Dragon Slave lost the battle as the Annihilator's beam enveloped the spell and kept on going. Though Lina's attack was strong enough to destroy a dragon, the anti-matter contained in the beam EATS up energy like candy. The power of the Dragon Slave merely strengthened the Annihilator's beam.
Lina screamed as she saw that attack heading toward her. She had absolutely no time for a counterattack or defense. Not that there was anything she knew that was strong enough to stop the attack as she braced herself and prepared to die.
Killing her was not T-Ranma's intent though. He had aimed his blast carefully so that the Dragon Slave would become absorbed and by tilting up the cannon slightly, the beam passed over Lina's head. Fortunately, since he was facing away from the city at the time, the beam would not endanger anyone. The blast went streaking off into the distance, where it impacted heavily on a distant mountain range. He had also taken into account of where his ship was parked and aimed away from it. There was brilliant flash of light and the night sky was lit up until it was like noon. There was a huge shockwave and even though they were more than twenty miles away, the earth rumbled as if subjected to an earthquake. The aftershocks caused trees to be knocked over like matchsticks and the citizens of the city huddled in terror at the sudden light show and destruction.
When it all settled down and the light faded away back into night, T-Ranma lowered the cannon a bit and Lina found herself staring down the barrel.
"Next time, Lina Inverse, I won't aim to MISS!"
Lina gulped as she looked behind her and saw that a huge wedge of the countryside had been reduced to a blackened ruin and that the mountains that were there were now nonexistent. Whatever that weapon was, it had proven to be even more powerful than anything she had ever seen. It definitely put her Dragon Slave to shame. It might even be more powerful than the dreaded Giga Slave.
"There they are!"
"Get them!"
"They're the ones who have been causing all the trouble!"
T-Ranma looked over to one side and saw a mob of people heading toward them. He saw that some of them were wearing uniforms and assumed that they must be from the local authorities. Shaking his head the entire debacle, he made his Annihilator disappear and motioned for the others to follow him. It would take far too much trouble for them to try to explain everything so it made sense for them to just leave. He engaged his anti-gravity systems and shot up into the heavens.
Taking this as his cue, D-Ranma grabbed both of his dimensional counterparts and he too lifted off into the air. In no time whatsoever, they were gone from sight.
Lina Inverse stared up at the retreating group as they disappeared into the heavens. She then remembered her friends and rushed over to where they were. Gourry and Zelgadis were just starting to come around and Sylphiel began to feel her arms and legs again. Amelia was still asleep. As she helped Gourry to his feet, she began wondering who those four were and what kind of magic they had used. She was especially interested in T-Ranma's Annihilator.
Eventually, Lina and her group had discovered that T-Ranma and his friends had been telling the truth. When they came across the bandit leader under a pile of rubble, they coaxed the truth out of him (rather they threatened massive bodily harm). Lina was feeling pretty embarrassed with her impulsive actions, but then she had time to think about it as they were being chased out of town by an angry mob.
Sometime later, the five of them were sitting near a campfire, tending to their wounds and talking about the strange group that had given them all runs for their money.
"I wonder just who those four guys were." Lina mused as she let Sylphiel use her white magic to tend to the scratches and bruises she received from her battle with T-Ranma. The white priestess couldn't do anything about Lina's 'time of the month' condition. That was a natural function of the female body and she would have to come out of that on her own. Which was just as well that her opponent and his friends had decided to leave. At that moment, she didn't have enough power to do anything besides a Lighting Spell.
Lina shivered as she remembered the image of her Dragon Slave being devoured by that strange weapon. The massive destruction it caused made the most powerful attack in black magic look like a firecracker. She smiled slightly as imagined herself with such a potent weapon at her disposal.
What I wouldn't give to have that! And all those other magical weapons too. Since Lina Inverse was about as familiar with technology as Gourry was with knowing what a fiancée was, she naturally assumed that T-Ranma's arsenal were mystical artifacts that were powered by some unknown form of magic. She knew absolutely nothing of fusion reactors, meson/anti-meson thermoelectric batteries, or quantum-energy projectiles.
As Lina was contemplating this, the others also talked about their opponents.
"I'm telling you, that creature I fought was some kind of werebeast!" Zelgadis stated as he rubbed his bandaged side and began invoking a healing spell. His head also throbbed a bit from being rammed headfirst into a wall.
"That can't be right, Mr. Zelgadis. Look, there isn't a full moon out tonight." Amelia pointed up at the sky, which depicted a quarter-moon that was partially hidden behind some clouds. "Besides, it didn't burn when you managed to cut it with your sword."
The Chimera man nodded as he thought about it. He had managed to nick Kojiro before the Neko Ken fighter had slammed him into a wall. Instead of screaming in pain from the contact with silver, the Cat Fist fighter had gotten angry and… Zelgadis couldn't remember anything else after he had blacked out and awoken after the battle.
He then began thinking about those strange energy attacks of Kojiro's. They weren't magic. As a proficient magic user, he was quite familiar with the kinds of energy that was created by white and black magic as well as shamanism. Other than a slight emanation of supernatural energies, Kojiro emitted no considerable amounts of mystic energy. So what exactly did he shoot from his hands and eyes? And the way he used that same power to cut through his stone skin like parchment? Whatever those attacks were, they hurt!
Zelgadis took on a thoughtful look. "You may be right Amelia, now that I think about it. I'm not sure what those people used, but it wasn't magic. At least it wasn't anything that I'm familiar with."
Amelia nodded as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I still don't know what that other guy used to put me to sleep like that. I swear that all he did was touch me with one finger. And I've never heard an illusion spell called the Splitting Cat Hairs." She turned to where Sylphiel was sitting. "How about you Sylphiel?"
The white priestess shook her head. "I'm just as much in the dark as you are. I don't understand how he could have paralyzed me with just his finger. He also somehow prevented me from speaking so I couldn't cast any spells. And when he touched the ground and made that cloud of dust appear, I didn't hear him invoke any of the Earth spirits."
Amelia looked off to stare at nothing in particular. "He beat us both, with almost no effort at all. The way he moved, it was if he were reading my mind. He anticipated my every attack. I've never seen anyone move like that."
"One thing for sure, those guys were really tough."
Everyone turned to Gourry, who was at the moment fixing a spare blade to the Sword of Light. Sylphiel had already healed the worst of the swordsman's injuries, but he was feeling depressed. He had thought himself as proficient with the blade, but after first being outmatched by T-Ranma, then blasted by D-Ranma, the blonde mercenary was feeling a bit low on self-esteem.
"Gourry dear, you mustn't be sad. You had to fight two of them." Sylphiel said to comfort him.
"Yeah, well I've never seen that kind of swordplay before, and those swords they had, well I'm pretty sure that last guy I fought was using a magic blade."
Lina and Amelia had to nod at that. They had sensed great magic from D-Ranma. That Dragon Fire attack of his was more powerful than a Fireball. The girls still had the burns on their posteriors to prove it. However, they had also seen him use that same strange energy that the others were using as well. They were still wondering that reference he made to the Dragon Kings and wondered if he had been referring to the ones on Kataart Mountain.
The five of them decided that it was just too much to think about for the moment and decided to get some sleep.
Some distance away, the four Ranmas were also sitting near a campfire beside T-Ranma's spacecraft.
"Well that was a waste of time." Kojiro remarked as he idly munched on a sandwich. Thanks to a few high-tech medical supplies from the ship, the wounds he had sustained from fighting Zelgadis had been healed up in a flash. The others were also healed up and were enjoying a late-night snack.
"Yeah, talk about gratitude." D-Ranma remarked. "Try to save a person's life and what do you get instead of thanks? Mass destruction spells and a couple of swordsmen that are trying to run you through."
"Well, what's done is done." T-Ranma sighed. He took a bite out of his own sandwich. Though technically, he could survive on minimum amounts of food due to his highly efficient physiology, he still needed to keep up appearances and he did enjoy the taste of good food. In any case, he could store and use any food energy he consumed with 98% efficiency. Hoping to change the subject, he asked two of his counterparts if they had located any kerium.
Kojiro and B-Ranma shook their heads. It was at that time that the Neko Ken fighter said, "Hey Ranma. What was that big cannon that you used to stop that girl's spell?"
T-Ranma sighed as he replied, "That was the most powerful weapon in my arsenal. It's a mark twenty-five, super anti-matter cannon called the Annihilator. I had hoped that I wouldn't have to use it but when that Lina Inverse used the Dragon Slave, well it was the only thing I had to stop her from blowing us up, not to mention the entire town. As you may or may not know, anti-matter eats up energy, so I had no problems in absorbing that magical attack. And that was only at one billionth of the Annihilator's maximum."
"One billionth?!" The other three Ranmas eeped.
T-Ranma smirked. "I've only used it once at full power and trust me, it's not pretty. At full power, I could take out an entire quadrant. In any case, enough about what's already happened. We still need to find that kerium and get out of here."
"Yeah but where do we look?" D-Ranma asked.
T-Ranma gestured to his ship, which began projecting a holographic image of the world they were in. It also sent metal images into the head of the blind Ranma. It then displayed the geographical location of a large city. "What you're seeing is a city that the natives call Sailoon. My probes tell me that there are large deposits of gemstones and artifacts that are emitting energies that are similar to that of kerium. Since there is so much magical interference, my ship's sensors can't isolate the kerium from the rest of the magic items there. If we want to get any kerium, we're going to have to go to Sailoon and check it out with our compuguides."
"Just so long as we don't meet up with that crazy bunch again, I'll be happy." D-Ranma stated.
T-Ranma nodded as he opened the hatch to his ship and let the others inside to sleep for the night.
The very next morning, Lina and her group were on the road heading back toward Amelia's hometown.
"So why are heading back to Sailoon, Amelia?"
The little princess smiled as she thought about her father. "The message that my father has sent me a couple of days ago told me that Sailoon had received a shipment of mystic stones that had just been discovered. The priests of Sailoon are now studying them. Some of these stones had fallen from the sky and possess some strange magical energy that we have yet to identify. They say that these stones could actually quadruple a person's magical powers."
Lina's face perked up with interest at this news. The thought of actually getting more powerful appealed to her and she began thinking about just how to… borrow a few of these stones.
Zelgadis also showed some interest as he thought about getting enough power to change back to his human form.
As Lina's group made their way, from the opposite direction, a ship that was using its cloaking field, was also racing toward Sailoon.
Meanwhile, in someplace that was dark and evil, another was planning to make a trip to Sailoon. However, his intentions were as dark as his own heart.
To be continued…
Author's notes
Well, that does it for chapter two. Next up, the conclusion to the visit to the Slayers World as the four Ranmas try their best to get back to their home dimensions. However, it's not going to be easy for them as a new evil will try to thwart their plans. Stay tuned!