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Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
The Phoenix and the Dragon
Chapter 3
"Prince Herb!" came the stereo call from both Mint and Lime, as
they leapt to the top of the stone battlements and prepared to descend.
"Stop!" commanded the elderly Sage. The single spoken word was
enough to halt both Musk warriors in their tracks. "This battle is
Prince Herb's alone. You cannot interfere."
"But, it's over, isn't it?" Mint questioned.
"Mint is right," Lime concurred. "We have to help Prince Herb
now!"
Sage shook his head. "This battle is far from over." He
gestured back to the battle where the two combatants were starting to
regain their feet.
Tojiko frowned. "You may wish to rethink that decision, Sir
Sage." The stocky Earth mage leaned forward, studying Herb and Genshi.
"Something doesn't feel right."
The owlish Musk librarian narrowed his eyes, trying to see what
Tojiko was talking about. Everything looked normal at first, but then he
saw it. Herb teetered a bit as he stood up, appearing to be a little
shaken. Based on how the battle had progressed so far, Sage believed
that Herb was doing well; he had taken stronger blows in previous fights
and come out just fine.
But something about Herb's movements made the elder Musk worry.
Tojiko was right; something was wrong. But what? Sage came to a few
conclusions, none of them good, and could think of only one thing to
say:
"Oh, dear."
Hinako Ninomiya collapsed into her couch and studied her
reflection in the vanity mirror. Thanks to the bowl of fighting fish, it
was the face of her older body that stared back at her.
Today had been a school day. Well, since it was Saturday, it
had actually been a half-day, but it was still a school day to the
usually energetic teacher. However, for the past couple of weeks her
attitude had been considerably less than enthusiastic, as she wondered
what the point of her continued presence was anymore.
She had prided herself on being a strict disciplinarian, having
cleaned up three schools prior to Furinken. Molding delinquent students
into mature young adults used to bring her such joy, but now, not even
draining a miscreant brought her much excitement. She knew why that was,
too.
Delinquents at Furinken were few and far between. Really, the
only one left was Ranma Saotome, and he had beaten her at every turn. In
addition, he would most likely be graduating soon. In the very near
future, Hinako would no longer be needed at Furinken High School. It was
time to move on, as there was nothing holding her here.
Three weeks ago, that wouldn't have been true, she realized
with much sadness, as she smoothed her dress over her voluptuous curves.
She took pride in the good looks of her older body and the way it drove
the boys mad with lust, but she never would have developed anything past
a student-teacher relationship with any male.
However, all that changed when she met Soun Tendo. She closed
her eyes and pictured his handsome face in her mind. He was kind and
attractive, and he had been so nice to her. For the first time, she was
afraid of someone finding out that the childish girl and the mature
woman were the same person. He would obviously think she was a freak and
then reject her. That was Hinako's worst fear, and it had come to pass.
He had witnessed her transformation, and the little teacher had run
away, having seen the surprise and disbelief in his eyes.
The curvaceous teacher moved to the opposite end of the couch,
away from the fishbowl, and felt her body revert to its diminutive child
form. Hinako Ninomiya then closed her eyes against the wetness forming
in them, realizing that, no, there was nothing left her for her here at
all.
"Impressive," Genshi complimented, observing the severed handle
of one of his scythes. He winced slightly at the pain in his chest, then
wiped the thin stream of blood coming from his cracked lip with his
sleeve, and grinned. "It's been awhile since I've faced such a
formidable opponent, one who's blows could penetrate my armor."
Herb glowered at his opponent, resting his hand a large rock to
steady himself. With the exception of the slice along his right leg and
the diagonal one across his chest, he was relatively untouched. Why was
he feeling a strange tingle, then?
"The Musk prince offers you one last chance to withdraw," Herb
offered. "I have seen your strength, and it cannot match mine."
Genshi grinned evilly. "Actually, it should be me offering the
chance to surrender. For you see, I already have you beat. Allow me to
demonstrate!"
With that, the Rogue General sprung forward with his remaining
blade. Herb smirked and raised his hand. A brilliant blast of green ki
exploded from his palm and engulfed Genshi, but the general emerged from
it seemingly unscathed. Herb was surprised, but not because Genshi had
withstood it. The Dragon Prince had put everything he had into that
blast, hoping to send the general flying all the way back to his camp;
it should have been much more powerful. For a split second, he wondered
what was wrong, then Genshi attacked.
Again, sparks flew as the remaining scythe glanced off Herb's
gauntlets, but the general had altered his attack pattern somewhat,
adding various level kicks and punches to his offensive dance. Herb
tried to block them all and retaliate, but as time went on, he was
forced to block more and strike back less. What's more, he found his
movements growing sluggish. A look into his adversary's eyes showed that
Genshi knew it, too.
Herb growled, then twirled with as much speed as he could
muster, letting both hands grow ki-blades. He had to take a punch to the
wound on his chest and a savage kick to his shin to pull it off, but his
planned maneuver succeeded. The second scythe was batted from Genshi's
hand, while the other ki-blade cut into the underside of the general's
right arm. The Rogue snarled as he backed away, holding his injured arm.
"You'll pay for that!" Genshi snarled.
The dragon prince let the ki-blades dissipate, as he backed up
to rest against a boulder, feeling dizzy for a second.
The General's snarl turned into a mocking grin. "Though I can
see you are already paying for it. Are you feeling well, Prince? Maybe
you should lie down?"
"Would did you do to me?" Herb demanded to know, steadying
himself. Feeling a sharp stab of pain in his chest and leg, Herb glanced
down, shocked to see the red stripe across his pectorals was now black.
"It's a special poison, Prince, coated on the ends of my
weapons," Genshi explained. "Normal mortals would have been felled
within mere moments. I gather your dragon ancestry has given you a much
greater constitution. How long will you last, I wonder?"
Herb's eyes flashed with anger. "You cannot beat me in a fair
fight, so you resort to using common tricks and cheats. You have no
honor."
"What use is honor if you're dead?" Genshi asked. "This was a
fight, little Dragon Prince. The winner lives, and the loser dies. Given
that choice, I will choose to live every time. Honor plays no part in
that."
Herb could only growl in seething fury and hatred, as he felt
himself drop to one knee.
"Well, it looks like the plan is proceeding on schedule,"
Darmondo observed. He turned to the Shogun, respectfully dropping to one
knee and bowing his head. "With your permission, I will go ahead with
the second portion."
The Shogun's head nodded slowly. "Very well, proceed. But do
not fail me."
"I am loyal to the Shogun, from now until death," the
necromancer replied. He stood, covered his body completely with his
ebony, rune-inscribed cloak, then faded from view.
Kato observed the exchange and the wizard's departure, his brow
furrowing in confusion. This was the first he had heard of a second
portion to the plan. He just thought that Genshi was going to defeat
Herb, then the Shogun could claim the remaining mages in his castle.
[I should have known there was more to this then they let on,]
Kato realized. [But what is it?]
Whatever it was, Kato knew there was nothing to be done. He had
not yet learned what he needed to know. He had joined the Rogues
willingly and pledged to serve them, and for now, that's just what he
planned to do.
Karuma slammed another book shut and coughed at the dust that
rose. "Stupid dusty books."
The old birdman looked up and frowned. "Be careful with that!
Some of these books are thousands of years old."
"But none of them have anything on Captain Kiima's illness," the
young phoenix warrior complained, leaning his right elbow on the table
and resting his cheek in his hand. "None of these stupid books know
anything."
"The answer is here," the elderly librarian countered. "Of that,
I'm sure."
Karuma snorted. "Yeah, right. All these books are useless."
"This library contains all the knowledge of our ancestors, from
Saffron's first transformation through many generations afterward." The
old birdman sighed. "The answer to Kiima's condition is surely contained
within." [At least, searching for it will keep you out of trouble,
leaving you with less time to annoy your captain.]
"Maybe." The younger, tan-skinned warrior didn't looked
convinced, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Shut up and grab another volume." The elderly Phoenix librarian
ruffled his feathers and returned to his own book, but he had no sooner
started to read, then a particular passage caught his attention. "What
did you say were her symptoms again?"
Karuma paused after thumping another large tome on the table in
front of him. "What? Oh, uh she gets weak suddenly, and even passes out
sometimes. But the rest of the time, she's just fine. However, it seems
to be happening more and more."
"And what about her cursed form?"
Karuma blinked. "What about it?" He scratched his head. "Come
to think about it, it does tend to happen in her cursed form more often.
But what has that got to do with anything?"
The elderly birdman didn't respond, but instead eagerly
motioned the younger boy over. "I had a suspicion when you first
mentioned her weakness episodes to me. To be honest, I realized her
particular curse could be a problem back when she first acquired it. But
when she suffered no adverse effects, I assumed I was mistaken."
"Then this book is..?" Karuma prodded, looking over the passages
on the pages. The language was old, and he could only make out scattered
words.
The old Phoenix librarian nodded. "About Jusenkyo, correct.
This particular passage is what I was searching for. According to this,
when a new spring is made, if a spring already exists for it, then the
new one becomes more detailed. In Kiima's case, Jusenkyo had a spring of
drowned young girl. Hence, we were able to use it make an exact physical
duplicate of Akane Tendo."
"So what does this have to do with Captain Kiima?"
"Everything! If Kiima had killed the Tendo girl in that spring,
there would have been no problems. Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't."
Karuma shrugged. "She said she wanted to keep her alive as
possible insurance against the other landling. The one called Ranma."
The elder birdman nodded. "Yes, and that does make sense. But
it would have just as fine to kill her anyway and use the idea that she
was still alive to motivate the Saotome boy. I wish I knew what exactly
happened at Jusenkyo..."
"Captain Kiima never told us," Karuma replied. He remembered
asking about it, but Kiima merely gave him a cold stare that implied in
no uncertain terms that he should never mention it again.
"Anyway, the fact that she is still alive, is what's causing
Kiima problems now. Though I wonder why it's showing up now, nearly a
year after the fact? Something must have changed, but what?"
Karuma blinked. "Wait a minute, so, you know what's wrong with
her, and how to cure her!?"
The elder Phoenix librarian nodded sagely, slowly closing the
tome. "Yes. In order to save Kiima, the landling known as Akane Tendo
must die."
"Die!"
General Genshi was enveloped within the flash of brilliant ki
energy, and then an explosion which kicked up a large amount of dirt and
dust.
Herb sank down to one knee, panting heavily. That shot had
taken the remainder of his strength, and if it didn't work, he was in
trouble. Of course, he already knew he was in trouble, thanks to the
poison he could feel pulsing through his veins. He needed time to rest
and recuperate if he was going to purge it from his system, but he knew
he'd never get to the castle before Genshi finished him. Actually, he
didn't think he'd be able to get to the castle at all in his severely
weakened condition.
"Not good enough!" Genshi shouted, bursting from within the
smoke and dust to nail Herb with a powerful right cross. The Dragon
Prince's head was rocked sideways, blood and spittle flying.
The Rogue Warrior followed it up with a left cross, then spun
and lashed out with a spin kick then sent his opponent skidding across
the dirt path, stopping perilously near the edge. Just a few feet away,
lurked the cliff that dropped at least one hundred feet.
Herb struggled to get up, but only managed to rise on his hands
and knees. Much-needed air was driven from his lungs as Genshi swung his
steel-toed boot into Herb's stomach, causing the Musk Prince to collapse
once more. Genshi sneered at his fallen opponent, then picked him up and
dragged him to the cliff edge.
"I wonder, can a Dragon Prince survive a hundred foot drop?" he
asked in a conversational tone. "I'm actually rather curious, aren't
you?"
"ROGA RYUSEI DAN!"
"What...!?" Genshi dropped his opponent and leapt away, nimbly
avoiding the hail of thrown knives, except for the few that bounced
harmlessly off his armor. "How dare you interf-"
Lime's right fist cut off the rest of the general's statement.
The left fist further occupied Genshi's attention, and then Lime brought
both hands together for a downward piledriving blow that sent he general
to his knees.
But the Rogue Warrior wasn't out of it, proving that fact by
grabbing both of Lime's wrists and standing back up. The Musk boy
snarled as he applied his considerable strength to break free, but
Genshi's grip didn't budge.
"A mere tiger whelp attempts to challenge me?" Genshi stated,
amused. "Pathetic." With one hand, the Rogue General tossed Lime several
dozen yards away. "Begone. I must finish your liege lord first, and then
I may be persuaded to play with you."
Genshi turned to where he had left Herb, only to see a smallish
wolf boy attempting to half-carry, half-drag the Dragon Prince away.
Seeing that he had been discovered, Mint gently dropped the body and
unleashed a hail of knives, forcing the general to shield his face. When
the storm of steel ended and he could see again, Genshi realized the boy
in the tiger-striped clothing was carrying Herb over his shoulder as he
made a break for the castle.
"Come back here!" Genshi demanded, beginning to give chase. "I
will not be denied my prize!"
Mint blurred into existence right in Genshi's path. "Roga
Ryusei Dan!"
The hail of knives was sparser this time, and only slowed the
Rogue General down a little. He even managed to pluck a few of them out
of the air and toss them back. The wolf boy easily dodged them, however,
as well as the piledriving fist Genshi had intended to squash him.
"Nyah, nyah!" Mint taunted, neatly avoiding the general's
attacks. "Can't touch me!"
"When I get my hands on you, boy," Genshi threatened in a low
voice, "You'll regret your interference."
The flash of light was Genshi's only warning, but he managed to
parry the sword strikes on his gauntlets. The wound on the underside of
his right arm flared in pain as Mint managed to nick it. Snarling,
Genshi reached out and grabbed the blade with his bare left hand. Blood
trickled down the length of the weapon. Mint attempted to free it, but
that attempt cost him.
The split second he was standing still, Genshi landed a
powerful uppercut with his right hand. Despite the fact that his arm was
injured, it was still enough to send the youth flying up the mountain
path.
It was only then that Genshi realized his mistake.
The tiger boy carrying Herb had made it back to the castle, and
was racing inside across the lowered drawbridge. Growling in anger, the
Rogue General sprinted up the inclined trail. If he couldn't get into
the castle to finish off Herb, he would settle for the wolf boy. Someone
was going to die today.
But it was not to be.
A dozen feet from his target, the ground began to tremble.
Genshi cursed as he temporarily lost his footing. By the time he
recovered, a large earthen wall had been erected between him and the
wolf boy, and it was still growing. The angered warrior-general leapt
anyway, to no effect; the wall grew higher than he could jump.
Landing, Genshi's gaze locked in on the stocky, brown-robed
mage standing atop the castle's battlements, with hands raised. The
deathly glare lasted for several long moments, then Genshi turned and
walked down the mountain, his black cape flapping behind him.
Atop the ancient Musk battlements, Tojiko took a shaky step
backwards. The exertion involved in raising that high stone wall had
taken all of his reserves and then some. And the look the Rogue General
had given him, he would not soon forget. In fact, he remembered seeing a
similar look directed against his friend, Taynar, during the battle in
their Tibetan home.
Tojiko never saw Taynar again.
"Are you alright Sir Tojiko?" Sage asked, offering a hand to
steady the Earth mage.
"I... I will be fine," Tojiko replied, waving him off. He
glanced down to where to Musk guards were helping Mint back into the
castle. "I think it is your Master that will need help now. If any of my
mages can be of assistance, you need only ask. "
Sage nodded, his owlish features looking grim. He then turned
and departed down the stone stairwell to attend to his Prince.
Tojiko stayed where he was for several long moments, gazing out
over the top of his wall. In the distance, he could see the black spot
that was Genshi and his two aides, rejoining the army down below. As he
wiped the sweat from his brow, he couldn't shake the feeling of tragedy
and bad vibes he felt emanating he from the Rogue encampment. Death hung
like a pallor over that area, but for a brief moment while he was using
the full extent of his magic, he felt something else, something that
surprised him greatly.
Intermixed in the hatred and disgust, Tojiko detected a small
spark of profound sadness such as he had never experienced before.
For a brief moment, he wondered were it came from, they shook
it off as he turned to head back inside the castle. He needed rest, and
he had a feeling that this mystery was not going to be solved now.
Still, as he descend the stone steps, he couldn't help but feel as
though this sense was in some way significant.
"You failed," came the almost inhuman voice from beneath the
devilish mask. "The Musk Prince still lives."
Genshi stopped, standing directly to the side of the Shogun,
but facing back toward the camp. "My poison should finish the job."
Kato smoked his pipe from the shadow of a nearby tree, watching
this altercation with some curiosity. The General known as Genshi was a
formidable fighter, and he almost doubted if his own martial art
abilities would be a match.
"And if it does not, what will you do?" There was a tint of
accusation in the almost-dual sounding voice. "I want the Musk
destroyed, utterly!"
Genshi's eyes closed, a vein on his forehead throbbing
slightly. "I will not fail again."
"See that you do not!" the Dark Shogun commanded, eyes never
leaving the ancient Musk castle, now cut off via a large earthen wall.
"The Musk will be eliminated for all time, as their ways disgust me, and
in time the people of Mt. Phoenix shall be brought to heel, to prevent
the rise of Saffron."
"And the warrior woman tribe?" Genshi prompted.
Instead of answering, the Shogun was quiet for several
moments." They shall be left alone for now, though I have a feeling I
will need to take control of them. They did oppose me long ago, after
all."
Genshi merely nodded, but was prevented from saying more due to
a flash of black light. Darmondo had returned, and Kato was surprised by
the burnt and destroyed patches on the sorcerer's cloak.
"Were you successful?" the Shogun asked.
"The mages within discovered me," Darmondo explained, while
bringing out an object from within his cloak, "and they proved to be
quite troublesome. But, as you can see, I managed to obtain the
artifacts." The sorcerer made a show of kneeling and placing the two
objects into his Master's hands.
Kato gasped lightly as he recognized the ladle and bucket. [Was
this their original goal?] he wondered. [If so, why?]
The Shogun's eyes twinkled. "The Chitsuon. You have done well,
sorcerer. With this, I can realize my goals much sooner. Come, we have
preparations to make."
The trio turned and departed into the camp, leaving Kato alone
in the tree. He would have followed, but even his abilities wouldn't
have allowed him to remain undetected in the midst of the encampment.
Instead, we thought about what he had learned, and why the
cold-water ladle was important to them. He knew it had the power to lock
a person into their Jusenkyo-cursed form, but he was unable to determine
how that would help them. Was there someone they needed to lock in it's
cursed form? If so, who? And why?
Kato shook his head and took another long toke on his pipe,
exhaling the smoke in a long, protracted breath. There was some pieces
here that he was missing, but he couldn't fathom what they might be. He
needed more information, but all he could do right now was hang around,
and hope it would all be revealed.
He was long practiced in the art of self-preservation, having
lived for over a century, and he intended to weather the coming storm no
matter which side emerged victorious.
--------------------------
Author's Notes:
Hmmm, didn't have much of the regular cast this chapter, but I needed to
conclude the Herb/Genshi fight. I'll have more of Ranma, Akane, Shampoo
and all the rest next chapter, which will hopefully be out in a
reasonable timeframe, though I'll be getting Relative Peace Part 4 out
next.
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
The Phoenix and the Dragon
Chapter 3
"Prince Herb!" came the stereo call from both Mint and Lime, as
they leapt to the top of the stone battlements and prepared to descend.
"Stop!" commanded the elderly Sage. The single spoken word was
enough to halt both Musk warriors in their tracks. "This battle is
Prince Herb's alone. You cannot interfere."
"But, it's over, isn't it?" Mint questioned.
"Mint is right," Lime concurred. "We have to help Prince Herb
now!"
Sage shook his head. "This battle is far from over." He
gestured back to the battle where the two combatants were starting to
regain their feet.
Tojiko frowned. "You may wish to rethink that decision, Sir
Sage." The stocky Earth mage leaned forward, studying Herb and Genshi.
"Something doesn't feel right."
The owlish Musk librarian narrowed his eyes, trying to see what
Tojiko was talking about. Everything looked normal at first, but then he
saw it. Herb teetered a bit as he stood up, appearing to be a little
shaken. Based on how the battle had progressed so far, Sage believed
that Herb was doing well; he had taken stronger blows in previous fights
and come out just fine.
But something about Herb's movements made the elder Musk worry.
Tojiko was right; something was wrong. But what? Sage came to a few
conclusions, none of them good, and could think of only one thing to
say:
"Oh, dear."
Hinako Ninomiya collapsed into her couch and studied her
reflection in the vanity mirror. Thanks to the bowl of fighting fish, it
was the face of her older body that stared back at her.
Today had been a school day. Well, since it was Saturday, it
had actually been a half-day, but it was still a school day to the
usually energetic teacher. However, for the past couple of weeks her
attitude had been considerably less than enthusiastic, as she wondered
what the point of her continued presence was anymore.
She had prided herself on being a strict disciplinarian, having
cleaned up three schools prior to Furinken. Molding delinquent students
into mature young adults used to bring her such joy, but now, not even
draining a miscreant brought her much excitement. She knew why that was,
too.
Delinquents at Furinken were few and far between. Really, the
only one left was Ranma Saotome, and he had beaten her at every turn. In
addition, he would most likely be graduating soon. In the very near
future, Hinako would no longer be needed at Furinken High School. It was
time to move on, as there was nothing holding her here.
Three weeks ago, that wouldn't have been true, she realized
with much sadness, as she smoothed her dress over her voluptuous curves.
She took pride in the good looks of her older body and the way it drove
the boys mad with lust, but she never would have developed anything past
a student-teacher relationship with any male.
However, all that changed when she met Soun Tendo. She closed
her eyes and pictured his handsome face in her mind. He was kind and
attractive, and he had been so nice to her. For the first time, she was
afraid of someone finding out that the childish girl and the mature
woman were the same person. He would obviously think she was a freak and
then reject her. That was Hinako's worst fear, and it had come to pass.
He had witnessed her transformation, and the little teacher had run
away, having seen the surprise and disbelief in his eyes.
The curvaceous teacher moved to the opposite end of the couch,
away from the fishbowl, and felt her body revert to its diminutive child
form. Hinako Ninomiya then closed her eyes against the wetness forming
in them, realizing that, no, there was nothing left her for her here at
all.
"Impressive," Genshi complimented, observing the severed handle
of one of his scythes. He winced slightly at the pain in his chest, then
wiped the thin stream of blood coming from his cracked lip with his
sleeve, and grinned. "It's been awhile since I've faced such a
formidable opponent, one who's blows could penetrate my armor."
Herb glowered at his opponent, resting his hand a large rock to
steady himself. With the exception of the slice along his right leg and
the diagonal one across his chest, he was relatively untouched. Why was
he feeling a strange tingle, then?
"The Musk prince offers you one last chance to withdraw," Herb
offered. "I have seen your strength, and it cannot match mine."
Genshi grinned evilly. "Actually, it should be me offering the
chance to surrender. For you see, I already have you beat. Allow me to
demonstrate!"
With that, the Rogue General sprung forward with his remaining
blade. Herb smirked and raised his hand. A brilliant blast of green ki
exploded from his palm and engulfed Genshi, but the general emerged from
it seemingly unscathed. Herb was surprised, but not because Genshi had
withstood it. The Dragon Prince had put everything he had into that
blast, hoping to send the general flying all the way back to his camp;
it should have been much more powerful. For a split second, he wondered
what was wrong, then Genshi attacked.
Again, sparks flew as the remaining scythe glanced off Herb's
gauntlets, but the general had altered his attack pattern somewhat,
adding various level kicks and punches to his offensive dance. Herb
tried to block them all and retaliate, but as time went on, he was
forced to block more and strike back less. What's more, he found his
movements growing sluggish. A look into his adversary's eyes showed that
Genshi knew it, too.
Herb growled, then twirled with as much speed as he could
muster, letting both hands grow ki-blades. He had to take a punch to the
wound on his chest and a savage kick to his shin to pull it off, but his
planned maneuver succeeded. The second scythe was batted from Genshi's
hand, while the other ki-blade cut into the underside of the general's
right arm. The Rogue snarled as he backed away, holding his injured arm.
"You'll pay for that!" Genshi snarled.
The dragon prince let the ki-blades dissipate, as he backed up
to rest against a boulder, feeling dizzy for a second.
The General's snarl turned into a mocking grin. "Though I can
see you are already paying for it. Are you feeling well, Prince? Maybe
you should lie down?"
"Would did you do to me?" Herb demanded to know, steadying
himself. Feeling a sharp stab of pain in his chest and leg, Herb glanced
down, shocked to see the red stripe across his pectorals was now black.
"It's a special poison, Prince, coated on the ends of my
weapons," Genshi explained. "Normal mortals would have been felled
within mere moments. I gather your dragon ancestry has given you a much
greater constitution. How long will you last, I wonder?"
Herb's eyes flashed with anger. "You cannot beat me in a fair
fight, so you resort to using common tricks and cheats. You have no
honor."
"What use is honor if you're dead?" Genshi asked. "This was a
fight, little Dragon Prince. The winner lives, and the loser dies. Given
that choice, I will choose to live every time. Honor plays no part in
that."
Herb could only growl in seething fury and hatred, as he felt
himself drop to one knee.
"Well, it looks like the plan is proceeding on schedule,"
Darmondo observed. He turned to the Shogun, respectfully dropping to one
knee and bowing his head. "With your permission, I will go ahead with
the second portion."
The Shogun's head nodded slowly. "Very well, proceed. But do
not fail me."
"I am loyal to the Shogun, from now until death," the
necromancer replied. He stood, covered his body completely with his
ebony, rune-inscribed cloak, then faded from view.
Kato observed the exchange and the wizard's departure, his brow
furrowing in confusion. This was the first he had heard of a second
portion to the plan. He just thought that Genshi was going to defeat
Herb, then the Shogun could claim the remaining mages in his castle.
[I should have known there was more to this then they let on,]
Kato realized. [But what is it?]
Whatever it was, Kato knew there was nothing to be done. He had
not yet learned what he needed to know. He had joined the Rogues
willingly and pledged to serve them, and for now, that's just what he
planned to do.
Karuma slammed another book shut and coughed at the dust that
rose. "Stupid dusty books."
The old birdman looked up and frowned. "Be careful with that!
Some of these books are thousands of years old."
"But none of them have anything on Captain Kiima's illness," the
young phoenix warrior complained, leaning his right elbow on the table
and resting his cheek in his hand. "None of these stupid books know
anything."
"The answer is here," the elderly librarian countered. "Of that,
I'm sure."
Karuma snorted. "Yeah, right. All these books are useless."
"This library contains all the knowledge of our ancestors, from
Saffron's first transformation through many generations afterward." The
old birdman sighed. "The answer to Kiima's condition is surely contained
within." [At least, searching for it will keep you out of trouble,
leaving you with less time to annoy your captain.]
"Maybe." The younger, tan-skinned warrior didn't looked
convinced, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Shut up and grab another volume." The elderly Phoenix librarian
ruffled his feathers and returned to his own book, but he had no sooner
started to read, then a particular passage caught his attention. "What
did you say were her symptoms again?"
Karuma paused after thumping another large tome on the table in
front of him. "What? Oh, uh she gets weak suddenly, and even passes out
sometimes. But the rest of the time, she's just fine. However, it seems
to be happening more and more."
"And what about her cursed form?"
Karuma blinked. "What about it?" He scratched his head. "Come
to think about it, it does tend to happen in her cursed form more often.
But what has that got to do with anything?"
The elderly birdman didn't respond, but instead eagerly
motioned the younger boy over. "I had a suspicion when you first
mentioned her weakness episodes to me. To be honest, I realized her
particular curse could be a problem back when she first acquired it. But
when she suffered no adverse effects, I assumed I was mistaken."
"Then this book is..?" Karuma prodded, looking over the passages
on the pages. The language was old, and he could only make out scattered
words.
The old Phoenix librarian nodded. "About Jusenkyo, correct.
This particular passage is what I was searching for. According to this,
when a new spring is made, if a spring already exists for it, then the
new one becomes more detailed. In Kiima's case, Jusenkyo had a spring of
drowned young girl. Hence, we were able to use it make an exact physical
duplicate of Akane Tendo."
"So what does this have to do with Captain Kiima?"
"Everything! If Kiima had killed the Tendo girl in that spring,
there would have been no problems. Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't."
Karuma shrugged. "She said she wanted to keep her alive as
possible insurance against the other landling. The one called Ranma."
The elder birdman nodded. "Yes, and that does make sense. But
it would have just as fine to kill her anyway and use the idea that she
was still alive to motivate the Saotome boy. I wish I knew what exactly
happened at Jusenkyo..."
"Captain Kiima never told us," Karuma replied. He remembered
asking about it, but Kiima merely gave him a cold stare that implied in
no uncertain terms that he should never mention it again.
"Anyway, the fact that she is still alive, is what's causing
Kiima problems now. Though I wonder why it's showing up now, nearly a
year after the fact? Something must have changed, but what?"
Karuma blinked. "Wait a minute, so, you know what's wrong with
her, and how to cure her!?"
The elder Phoenix librarian nodded sagely, slowly closing the
tome. "Yes. In order to save Kiima, the landling known as Akane Tendo
must die."
"Die!"
General Genshi was enveloped within the flash of brilliant ki
energy, and then an explosion which kicked up a large amount of dirt and
dust.
Herb sank down to one knee, panting heavily. That shot had
taken the remainder of his strength, and if it didn't work, he was in
trouble. Of course, he already knew he was in trouble, thanks to the
poison he could feel pulsing through his veins. He needed time to rest
and recuperate if he was going to purge it from his system, but he knew
he'd never get to the castle before Genshi finished him. Actually, he
didn't think he'd be able to get to the castle at all in his severely
weakened condition.
"Not good enough!" Genshi shouted, bursting from within the
smoke and dust to nail Herb with a powerful right cross. The Dragon
Prince's head was rocked sideways, blood and spittle flying.
The Rogue Warrior followed it up with a left cross, then spun
and lashed out with a spin kick then sent his opponent skidding across
the dirt path, stopping perilously near the edge. Just a few feet away,
lurked the cliff that dropped at least one hundred feet.
Herb struggled to get up, but only managed to rise on his hands
and knees. Much-needed air was driven from his lungs as Genshi swung his
steel-toed boot into Herb's stomach, causing the Musk Prince to collapse
once more. Genshi sneered at his fallen opponent, then picked him up and
dragged him to the cliff edge.
"I wonder, can a Dragon Prince survive a hundred foot drop?" he
asked in a conversational tone. "I'm actually rather curious, aren't
you?"
"ROGA RYUSEI DAN!"
"What...!?" Genshi dropped his opponent and leapt away, nimbly
avoiding the hail of thrown knives, except for the few that bounced
harmlessly off his armor. "How dare you interf-"
Lime's right fist cut off the rest of the general's statement.
The left fist further occupied Genshi's attention, and then Lime brought
both hands together for a downward piledriving blow that sent he general
to his knees.
But the Rogue Warrior wasn't out of it, proving that fact by
grabbing both of Lime's wrists and standing back up. The Musk boy
snarled as he applied his considerable strength to break free, but
Genshi's grip didn't budge.
"A mere tiger whelp attempts to challenge me?" Genshi stated,
amused. "Pathetic." With one hand, the Rogue General tossed Lime several
dozen yards away. "Begone. I must finish your liege lord first, and then
I may be persuaded to play with you."
Genshi turned to where he had left Herb, only to see a smallish
wolf boy attempting to half-carry, half-drag the Dragon Prince away.
Seeing that he had been discovered, Mint gently dropped the body and
unleashed a hail of knives, forcing the general to shield his face. When
the storm of steel ended and he could see again, Genshi realized the boy
in the tiger-striped clothing was carrying Herb over his shoulder as he
made a break for the castle.
"Come back here!" Genshi demanded, beginning to give chase. "I
will not be denied my prize!"
Mint blurred into existence right in Genshi's path. "Roga
Ryusei Dan!"
The hail of knives was sparser this time, and only slowed the
Rogue General down a little. He even managed to pluck a few of them out
of the air and toss them back. The wolf boy easily dodged them, however,
as well as the piledriving fist Genshi had intended to squash him.
"Nyah, nyah!" Mint taunted, neatly avoiding the general's
attacks. "Can't touch me!"
"When I get my hands on you, boy," Genshi threatened in a low
voice, "You'll regret your interference."
The flash of light was Genshi's only warning, but he managed to
parry the sword strikes on his gauntlets. The wound on the underside of
his right arm flared in pain as Mint managed to nick it. Snarling,
Genshi reached out and grabbed the blade with his bare left hand. Blood
trickled down the length of the weapon. Mint attempted to free it, but
that attempt cost him.
The split second he was standing still, Genshi landed a
powerful uppercut with his right hand. Despite the fact that his arm was
injured, it was still enough to send the youth flying up the mountain
path.
It was only then that Genshi realized his mistake.
The tiger boy carrying Herb had made it back to the castle, and
was racing inside across the lowered drawbridge. Growling in anger, the
Rogue General sprinted up the inclined trail. If he couldn't get into
the castle to finish off Herb, he would settle for the wolf boy. Someone
was going to die today.
But it was not to be.
A dozen feet from his target, the ground began to tremble.
Genshi cursed as he temporarily lost his footing. By the time he
recovered, a large earthen wall had been erected between him and the
wolf boy, and it was still growing. The angered warrior-general leapt
anyway, to no effect; the wall grew higher than he could jump.
Landing, Genshi's gaze locked in on the stocky, brown-robed
mage standing atop the castle's battlements, with hands raised. The
deathly glare lasted for several long moments, then Genshi turned and
walked down the mountain, his black cape flapping behind him.
Atop the ancient Musk battlements, Tojiko took a shaky step
backwards. The exertion involved in raising that high stone wall had
taken all of his reserves and then some. And the look the Rogue General
had given him, he would not soon forget. In fact, he remembered seeing a
similar look directed against his friend, Taynar, during the battle in
their Tibetan home.
Tojiko never saw Taynar again.
"Are you alright Sir Tojiko?" Sage asked, offering a hand to
steady the Earth mage.
"I... I will be fine," Tojiko replied, waving him off. He
glanced down to where to Musk guards were helping Mint back into the
castle. "I think it is your Master that will need help now. If any of my
mages can be of assistance, you need only ask. "
Sage nodded, his owlish features looking grim. He then turned
and departed down the stone stairwell to attend to his Prince.
Tojiko stayed where he was for several long moments, gazing out
over the top of his wall. In the distance, he could see the black spot
that was Genshi and his two aides, rejoining the army down below. As he
wiped the sweat from his brow, he couldn't shake the feeling of tragedy
and bad vibes he felt emanating he from the Rogue encampment. Death hung
like a pallor over that area, but for a brief moment while he was using
the full extent of his magic, he felt something else, something that
surprised him greatly.
Intermixed in the hatred and disgust, Tojiko detected a small
spark of profound sadness such as he had never experienced before.
For a brief moment, he wondered were it came from, they shook
it off as he turned to head back inside the castle. He needed rest, and
he had a feeling that this mystery was not going to be solved now.
Still, as he descend the stone steps, he couldn't help but feel as
though this sense was in some way significant.
"You failed," came the almost inhuman voice from beneath the
devilish mask. "The Musk Prince still lives."
Genshi stopped, standing directly to the side of the Shogun,
but facing back toward the camp. "My poison should finish the job."
Kato smoked his pipe from the shadow of a nearby tree, watching
this altercation with some curiosity. The General known as Genshi was a
formidable fighter, and he almost doubted if his own martial art
abilities would be a match.
"And if it does not, what will you do?" There was a tint of
accusation in the almost-dual sounding voice. "I want the Musk
destroyed, utterly!"
Genshi's eyes closed, a vein on his forehead throbbing
slightly. "I will not fail again."
"See that you do not!" the Dark Shogun commanded, eyes never
leaving the ancient Musk castle, now cut off via a large earthen wall.
"The Musk will be eliminated for all time, as their ways disgust me, and
in time the people of Mt. Phoenix shall be brought to heel, to prevent
the rise of Saffron."
"And the warrior woman tribe?" Genshi prompted.
Instead of answering, the Shogun was quiet for several
moments." They shall be left alone for now, though I have a feeling I
will need to take control of them. They did oppose me long ago, after
all."
Genshi merely nodded, but was prevented from saying more due to
a flash of black light. Darmondo had returned, and Kato was surprised by
the burnt and destroyed patches on the sorcerer's cloak.
"Were you successful?" the Shogun asked.
"The mages within discovered me," Darmondo explained, while
bringing out an object from within his cloak, "and they proved to be
quite troublesome. But, as you can see, I managed to obtain the
artifacts." The sorcerer made a show of kneeling and placing the two
objects into his Master's hands.
Kato gasped lightly as he recognized the ladle and bucket. [Was
this their original goal?] he wondered. [If so, why?]
The Shogun's eyes twinkled. "The Chitsuon. You have done well,
sorcerer. With this, I can realize my goals much sooner. Come, we have
preparations to make."
The trio turned and departed into the camp, leaving Kato alone
in the tree. He would have followed, but even his abilities wouldn't
have allowed him to remain undetected in the midst of the encampment.
Instead, we thought about what he had learned, and why the
cold-water ladle was important to them. He knew it had the power to lock
a person into their Jusenkyo-cursed form, but he was unable to determine
how that would help them. Was there someone they needed to lock in it's
cursed form? If so, who? And why?
Kato shook his head and took another long toke on his pipe,
exhaling the smoke in a long, protracted breath. There was some pieces
here that he was missing, but he couldn't fathom what they might be. He
needed more information, but all he could do right now was hang around,
and hope it would all be revealed.
He was long practiced in the art of self-preservation, having
lived for over a century, and he intended to weather the coming storm no
matter which side emerged victorious.
--------------------------
Author's Notes:
Hmmm, didn't have much of the regular cast this chapter, but I needed to
conclude the Herb/Genshi fight. I'll have more of Ranma, Akane, Shampoo
and all the rest next chapter, which will hopefully be out in a
reasonable timeframe, though I'll be getting Relative Peace Part 4 out
next.
