Ranma/Lone Wolf Crossover Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or the Lone Wolf Series or any other characters. The rights to Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and for the Lone Wolf Series Joe Dever. This story is created solely for entertainment purposes and no profit as gained from this.
Wild Horse of Kai
By Montymouse
' ' - Thought
" " - Speech
Chapter Four - The Journey to Sommerlund Part 2
***
In the Port of Anskavern, A Province of Sommerlund
The weather in Anskavern was quite warm and sunny. As with any other shipping dock it was quite busy, with everyone unloading and loading goods and cargo onto the merchant ships that had recently arrived in Anskavern. This was one of the main ports, which Sommerlund actually used to trade with their allies and neighbors. Ships from all over Magnamund come here, and we see in the corner of the dock there lies an anchored merchant ship with the name the 'The Lady Luck' written along its hull that has recently arrived in Sommerlund. Currently the ship was being unloaded of its cargo from Durenor, and nearby the ship were three people.
"Thanks for taking us to Sommerlund, Grimbold." Braxus said as he shook the sea captain's hand.
"Yeah thanks a lot," added in Ranma as he checked on their equipment and supplies before they went their separate ways.
"No problem lads, anything for a friend; and thanks for helping me fight off those so- called pirates. Ah... it brings back old memories just like your father did before. Oh... yeah, when you see your father say I said hi to him, alright," replied the merchant Grimbold.
"No problem. Bye." As the two walked away from the merchant captain they started to look around for their Aunt as they had promised to their mother that they would visit her when they reached Anskavern.
Anskavern was a fairly large place; not as big as Holmgard or Hammerdal, but still it was quite impressive as they saw the mixture of cultures and traditions that was going on around them. The only problem was that Anskavern had grown bigger than Braxus remembered it to be, the last time he was here. Both Ranma and Braxus were still wandering around the place, trying to find the Inn that their aunt was supposed to own.
As with any other place that Ranma went to, he still got some odd stares and was always the center of attention when he walked across the public square in the center of Anskavern. Ranma usually ignored them, but always felt uneasy when the female population his own age were staring at him. It was the same look that Ukyou gave him when she thought he wasn't looking.
"Braxus, do you actually know where this Inn is? We've been walking for ages and it feels like we're walking around in circles," Ranma asked, as he could have sworn that they were walking in circles as he kept seeing similar things as they wandered about.
"I generally do know where I am going, it just that it's been quite a while since I was here, and it has grown a bit bigger than I remembered," replied Braxus as he tried to remember any landmarks or features that could point to where his Auntie lived.
They eventually came to a junction that divided the path that they were on, in three directions. The one on the right led them to another part of the city, the middle one seemed to lead them to the market square, while the right path led down to a couple of Inns and shops.
"So Braxus, which way?" Ranma asked as he tried to figure out which route they should take.
"Down there." Braxus pointed to the right path as he saw a sign that he remembered from his memories. 'It has to be, that's the only thing that I remember,' thought Braxus as he hoped that they finally found what they were looking for.
"Okay then, the right path it is," replied Ranma. 'This better be the right place as my feet are killing me wandering around this city!' thought Ranma as he looked up at the sign.
'The Wayfarer Inn' the sign simply stated.
Both Ranma and Braxus decided this was the correct inn as they had searched over half the city and there wasn't much sunlight left. Hopefully this inn would be the right one and they would eventually find their auntie that owned the place. It was getting a bit dark outside and they needed somewhere to stay before they could proceed to their next destination.
As the two walked into the inn, they noticed that it wasn't crowded or cramped like some inns they visited in Anskavern. This inn had a fairly relaxing and friendly atmosphere to it. To one side of the Inn was a small bar and on the other side was the reception area. Behind the reception desk stood an older, beautiful female who had blondish hair and pale green eyes. She was currently talking to her customers. Ranma and Braxus decided to ask her about who owned this inn, and approached the reception desk. Not being rude, they waited patiently for her to finish her conversation with her guests. Once she had finished her conversation, she then turned toward the two.
"Hello there. Welcome to the Wayfarer Inn. How may I help you?" was her standard response to all her new customers.
"Err... are you Saria Ryder?" asked Ranma as he saw the Innkeeper gave a cautious look at both Ranma and Braxus. She was curiously wondering why these two strangers were looking for her.
"Yes, I'm Saria Ryder, the owner of this Inn. What's your business with me?" asked Saria. She noticed that Braxus seems familiar to her, but couldn't place his face. Ranma, she had no clue about.
'There's something familiar about him,' thought Saria as she carefully studied both of them, especially the person next to Ranma.
"Saria, it's me, Braxus Stormgard. I'm your nephew," Braxus said to Saria before he turned to Ranma and asked him to give him the necklace that Oriah had given to Ranma. Once Braxus showed the necklace given by their mother to Saria, it only took her a moment to recognize it and, when she did, Braxus was instantly glomped tightly in the blink of an eye by Saria. Ranma just stood there and smiled at the happy reunion.
'Well at least we found the right place,'' thought Ranma as he saw Saria asking Braxus a lot questions about him and her older sister. 'Better him than me,' he thought as he saw how Braxus was reacting to the sudden hug by Saria.
"Oh Braxus, it's been such a long time since I saw you! The last time I saw you, you were about this high when my sister left to go to Durenor. How are you? How is my sister doing? Who is this person that is with you?" questioned Saria, as she wanted to know everything about her older sister and family. Not getting a response from him, she looked at Braxus' face, which was turning into a nice shade of blue.
"Can't... Breathe..." whispered Braxus. She released him immediately, which made his face return to the right colour. Once he got his breath back he started to answer some of her questions.
"Well... I'm fine, so is my mother. She's currently happily living in the village with my father Jerek in Durenor, and to answer your second question, meet Ranma Stormgard, my brother." Braxus smiled as he saw Saria's eyes widen at his statement and slowly turned to approach Ranma and meet the newest member of her family.
'Oh no!' was the last thing that Ranma thought as two seconds later he was glomped by her in the same fashion as she had done with Braxus.
"Welcome to the family Ranma. My name is Saria Ryder; I'm your auntie and the owner of this inn. Please come here and sit down." Saria pointed to a nearby empty table as she ushered them to sit down and to tell her all about what had happened since her older sister moved with Jerek and her son to Durenor.
"Hey Natalie," Saria shouted across the inn to one of her waitresses. She was a younger woman than Saria, and beautiful, with blonde hair and brown eyes.
"Yes... Saria," replied Natalie as she approached the table where Saria and her guests were sitting.
"Please bring some food and drink for my guests here," called out Saria to her waitress, who nodded and quickly went into the kitchen. A few moments later Natalie came out with a large tray of food and drink. She then made her way to the table where Saria and her guests were sitting.
"Here you go," she said as she placed the tray on the table. At that moment she then noticed both Ranma and Braxus who was sitting next to Saria.
"So Saria, who are your guests? Are they single?" She winked seductively at Ranma and Braxus. As she noticed how handsome both of them were, especially Ranma with his exotic foreign looks, and his pigtail made him look even more adorable. The rest of the female staff of the Inn had also noticed the two that were currently with Saria.
"Oh Nats, stop flirting with them. You always do this to everyone who you think is cute or single. Nats, these are my nephews Ranma and Braxus Stormgard. By the way, haven't you got other people to serve?" replied an annoyed Saria to get rid of her. Natalie always flirted with her male customers. It did bring in the customers, which was fine, but not right now.
"Okay Saria, I'm going." Natalie said as she went back to her duties
"So where were we?" Saria said as they continued their discussion from before Natalie came and interrupted them. They mainly discussed how they found Ranma was all alone in this world, and how Braxus' family adopted him. Saria had started to take a liking to Ranma and happily accepted Ranma as part of the family. Saria was also quite interested of course in what Braxus had to say because she hasn't seen her sister or her family for quite a while since they moved to Durenor as she stayed here to continue her business.
'Maybe I should make some time to go on a trip to see my sister in Durenor,' thought Saria as she greatly missed her older sister despite her receiving letters from her on a regular basis. She couldn't leave yet as business in Anskavern was doing quite well; maybe she could hire someone to look after the inn. Putting aside her thoughts, she asked Ranma and Braxus a question.
"So where are you two staying?" Saria asked as she noticed that it was getting quite dark and she knew that most of the inns in Anskavern were quite full right now. She knew that she had room left; only they were reserved for special guests.
"Well... Our mother told us, you could accommodate us for a few days," replied Ranma, as they had nowhere else to stay because they spent most of their time looking for her.
"Of course you can. Family is always welcome here, and anyway, I still got some rooms left in the inn. Besides, I want to know everything that has happen in your family in Durenor." She said as she got up from where she was sitting and walked over to the reception desk. She then got a set of keys from behind reception desk and threw them to Ranma who caught without trying.
"Upstairs, second floor, third door on your left. I'll see you in the morning," Saria said as she left to attend to other customers who were waiting for her assistance. Ranma and Braxus simply nodded and picked up their things and followed the directions that Saria has given them to their room.
"So Ranma, what do you think of your Aunt Saria?" Braxus asked as he tried to find the right room number along the hallway of the inn.
'Now, where is that room?' thought Braxus. Most of the doors were the same, apart from the small numbers on them.
"She seems quite nice and welcoming," replied Ranma. He remembered how tight he was glomped by her and he could swear he had felt his ribs crack under the pressure.
"At least she likes you and accepted you as part of the family," Braxus said
"Yeah. Come on Braxus, where is that room you're supposed to find?" Ranma was feeling a bit tired from all that walking around.
"Here we are," Braxus replied as they came to their room and opened the door. In the room was a simple bunk bed, and it was nicely furnished with a table and a wardrobe in the corner. It was dark now, and they started to unpack their equipment and items. Ranma was starting to like this world because he had a caring family and it was nothing like his previous life; and now he met another member of his adopted family, Saria.
"Goodnight Ranma." Braxus slept on the top of the bunk bed, which he had had to toss a coin for; he won the coin toss anyway.
"Yeah Braxus. Goodnight to you too," replied Ranma as he slept on the bottom part of the bunk bed. Ranma thought about how much he had achieved in this world as he had a family to look up to and how he had made some friends. If he had stayed in his homeworld then things might have been different. He couldn't think about the things that his former father could have done to him if he had stayed with him.
Outside the inn, on the roof of one of the houses opposite stood the red haired female.
'So far, so good. No problems yet apart from that pirate attack, but they handled it like experts. Hmm... I wonder where that idiot Genma is right now? Maybe I should see him.' She smiled evilly and vanished into the shadows.
***
Ranma and Braxus spent a few days at Saria's Inn where Ranma learnt more about Sommerlund and her family history. Saria was quite pleased that her older sister was doing well for herself in Durenor and finding out both her sister's sons were going to enroll at the Kai Monastery was exciting news to her. This was because anyone who became a Kai master or Lord brought great honour and respect to their families, and no family member had ever become one yet.
They spent most of their time practicing their skills and helping Saria out around the inn. Every time they explored the area, it was Ranma that seemed to be the main focus of attention. Most of the people in Anskavern were wondering where Ranma was from, as they had never seen anyone who looked or fought like that from watching their sparring fights. Even the merchants and traders had a hard time placing Ranma in Magnamund, but they assumed that Ranma was probably from a place far away from the Lastlands, due south.
There were some occasional fight contests with the local people trying to see how good Ranma and Braxus were. Of course, it was too much of a temptation to enter into the contests as it helped them train and also generated a bit of money for their journey. They used the money to purchase new equipment and supplies. Most of the fight contests were done in a matter of minutes with either Ranma or Braxus winning outright, which did draw in a large crowd because it was such good entertainment.
Ranma could use a sword quite well but generally preferred to fight unarmed and use his martial arts. Braxus on the other hand was just plain good, and with the training of unarmed combat that he had received from Ranma he could take out most opponents with ease.
Finally it was time for them to leave Anskavern, though they had enjoyed it here with their Aunt Saria and getting to know her again. We see Ranma and Braxus outside the Anskavern gatehouse with Saria and some of her staff from the inn. They were currently saying their goodbyes and wishing them a safe journey.
"Now... Ranma and Braxus, you will visit little old me from time to time, won't you?" asked Saria in voice that dared them to disagree.
"Of course we will, and thank you for you're hospitably Aunt Saria," replied Ranma as he checked that he had everything with him and got on his horse.
"Yeah. It was nice to see you again Aunt Saria and I promise to visit you when I get the opportunity," Braxus said as he also got on his horse.
"Here have this, you may need this." Saria threw a pouch to Braxus, who then opened the pouch, which to his surprise contained a lot of gold coins.
'There must be about 40 gold crowns in here,' thought Braxus.
"Aunt Saria... I can't accept this, this is too much," Braxus said as it was too much for her to give to him.
"Just keep it... think of this as a gift for all your birthdays I missed, and you never know where it may come in handy," Saria simply replied.
"Thank you Auntie," Braxus said
"Come on Braxus let's go. Bye Aunt Saria," Ranma said as he waved to her and started to travel ahead of Braxus, who hopefully would catch him up.
"Bye Auntie, we'll come visit as soon as possible." Braxus started to move on his horse and waved goodbye to her and her staff.
"Bye you two. May you have a safe journey." Saria and her staff waved goodbye to them.
'It's good to see them again, maybe I should start preparing for a trip to see my sister,' thought Saria as she turned back to her staff
"Alright now. Back to work," Saria said to her staff.
We see Braxus riding quite fast as he caught up to Ranma who was quite ahead of him.
"Hey Ranma, wait up," called out Braxus. Ranma slowed down a bit to let him catch up. 'He just couldn't wait, couldn't he,' thought Braxus.
Eventually he caught up with him and they headed westwards. They were currently following the coastline of Sommerlund so they wouldn't get lost, as it would give them a sense of direction. At night they could easily find their way due to Jerek's training in following the stars to pinpoint their location.
"So Braxus, what is the next town on the your map anyway?" asked Ranma.
Braxus then took out the map from his belt and unrolled the map and quickly scanned it to see what their position was and their next destination.
"Toran, that way," was Braxus' reply as he pointed westward as indicated and then he put away his map.
"Okay, Toran it is," replied Ranma as they headed toward the next destination.
'It'll be nice to see Banedon again, I wonder how good he is now?' thought Ranma, as the two headed towards the next city. It would probably take them a day or so to get there but they weren't in a rush.
***
The Magnificent City of Toran Home of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star
Finally our two journeymen Ranma and Braxus had arrived at the Mage City of Toran. They were currently looking for the mage friend Banedon as they had promised that they would see him if they every passed through Toran. Braxus earlier had asked some directions from the local people to where the Magician's Guild was. The locals said that the guild was located near the center of city and that they should spot some magicians along the way, which should indicate that they were getting near.
As the two explored the city, they found Toran to have a high concentration of magical and mystic energy surrounding the city. It's probably due to the city, being the home of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star where the best magicians of Sommerlund and the Lastlands go to learn and teach. As Ranma and Braxus moved closer toward the center of Toran they noticed there were many young magicians and apprentices practicing their magical talents and skills. Some of them were good at what they were doing while others were prone to have slight accidents.
As the two were walking through the streets, some of the more wiser and experienced Guildmasters gave interesting stares and looks at Ranma, not because of his looks, but more into his chaotic aura that surrounded him which seemed to be naturally formed. Most of the apprentices in Toran found that some of their spells would turn out right if Ranma came close to them because his chaotic aura somehow disrupted some of spells being taught by their mentors. The Guildmasters had noticed that it was this certain pigtailed boy that was the sources of the interruption and came to the conclusion that it wasn't a serious problem and ordered their pupils to put more effort in their practicing.
Finally they came to an open square where there were groups of young apprentices outside the guild entrance.
"So Braxus, where do we start to look for our friend Banedon? He's got to be here somewhere," asked Ranma.
"Alright Ranma, you go look over there while I go to the group near the guild," Braxus said as he went to a group of apprentices to ask if they knew where Banedon was. Ranma decided to go over to a nearby group in the corner of the square.
'Maybe Banedon is over there?' thought Ranma as he made his way over to the group.
As Ranma came closer to the crowd, he noticed a familiar person in the group who was currently chatting away with his fellow apprentices about magic and what they had learnt.
'That's must be Banedon, I'd recognise that hair and clothing anywhere,' thought Ranma.
As Ranma was about to ask the person who he was, the person suddenly turned around and immediately recognised Ranma and with a smile greeted him.
"Ranma! How are you? Where's Braxus? When did you get here?" asked Banedon as he shook Ranma's hand in friendship.
"Perfectly fine Banedon, we got here a few hours ago. Braxus is over there." Ranma pointed to where Braxus was.
"Hey Braxus over here," called out Banedon which caught the attention of Braxus who immediately waved to him and started to make his way over to where Ranma and Banedon were.
"So Banedon... How did you know I was behind you?" asked Ranma, as he hadn't said anything to warn Banedon that he was behind him.
"I sensed your aura through my magical senses. You're the only one I know that has that particular aura around here," replied Banedon. He then turned to greet Braxus in the same way as he did with Ranma.
"It's good to see you again. So, Banedon, how is your apprenticeship doing? Learnt any new spells or anything?" asked Braxus, as he wanted to know how strong Banedon was in the art of magic
"It's good to see you again. I'm doing fine right now and yes I learnt some things that you will impress you, and some you wouldn't believe your eyes; maybe I could show it to you later," answered Banedon. At that point Banedon's teacher came out of the guild to call his students for their next lesson.
"I better go now. I got a class to go to. Where are you staying in Toran?" Banedon quickly said as he could hear his Guildmaster calling his name.
"Well, me and Ranma here are be staying at an inn called Wizard's Rest," answered Braxus.
"You do know where it is, Banedon?" Ranma added to make sure that they could see him afterwards and talk about the old times
"Sure I know where it is, by the corner of Key Street. Bye now." As Banedon waved his two friend's goodbye he hurried up and joined his class before his teacher got annoyed.
***
At the "Wizard's Rest" Inn
It was in the afternoon and after Banedon had finished his lessons with his Guildmaster. He soon met up with his two friends at the Inn they had said they were staying at. The place where Ranma and Braxus were staying wasn't far from the Guild where Banedon was studying, and finding it wasn't a problem. He knew most of places in Toran anyway. As Banedon stepped into the inn to look for his two friends, someone called out his name.
"Hey Banedon, over here." Banedon turned to face the person who had called him; it was Braxus who was waving his hand to indicate where they were. In the corner of the inn were Ranma and Braxus sitting down and they were about to have their supper.
"Hello Braxus. Hello Ranma." Banedon walked over to the table.
"Come Banedon, why don't you sit with us and have dinner? You must have worked up an appetite by now with that training." Braxus pointed out to an empty chair.
"You're sure about that? I know how much you two can eat," asked Banedon.
'Those two can out eat anyone I know. It's like they are eating machines rather human.' Banedon remembered the last time they had eaten dinner together.
"Of course I'm sure, anyway I ordered enough food for the three of us," replied Braxus.
"Come on Banedon, I promised to slow down and leave you some," Ranma added to persuade Banedon.
"Well if you put it that way, of course I accept. I'm also feeling a bit hungry and why not, we haven't seen each other for quite a while now." Banedon pulled up a chair and joined them in their feast.
Once the food and drink came, all three of them started to tuck into the feast that they had ordered. They generally talked about what has happened to them since Banedon left to go to Toran and weren't surprised at all about Ranma being adopted by Braxus' family according to what Ranma had told Banedon. He agreed whole-heartedly that Ranma should have a new start and life in this world.
"So both of you are going to the Kai Monastery. Well I wish you the best of luck in training there. I know that the training regime is quite tough both mentally and physically but I know both of you will succeed," Banedon said as he finished off his meal.
"Thanks for your support Banedon," replied Ranma.
"Yeah thanks." Braxus lifted his cup to proposal a toast.
"To our eternal friendship and future," Braxus said.
"To our eternal friendship and to Kai," Banedon replied to Ranma and Braxus as he raised his cup.
"To our eternal friendship and a new beginning for us," replied Ranma as he did the same.
"Anyway I know you will become a powerful wizard someday when you get older Banedon. So on behalf of me and Ranma, we wish the best of luck."
"Thanks. Maybe I'll see you at the Kai Monastery later on," replied Banedon as he sat back down.
"Sure why not," answered Ranma.
"It's getting late now so why don't we turn in for the night?" Braxus said as he received approving nods from Ranma and Banedon.
"I agree, anyway I have to wake up early for my next lessons." Banedon got up from where he was sitting and started to leave. Braxus and Ranma also got up from where they were sitting and said their goodbyes to their old friend and turned in for the night.
After that, the two decided to stay in Toran for a couple of more days and were quite impressed with the amount of magical talent Banedon had. Some of the spells were more powerful than before while Banedon was quite impressed on how Ranma adapted to his new life in Magnamund. Banedon even taught them a few more tricks and spells that they could possibly use which both of them knew would come in handy in the future. But it was time to leave Toran and their friend Banedon to continue their journey. Banedon also promised that he would visit them at the Kai Monastery when he had the chance in his training program. After saying their goodbyes, both Ranma and Braxus headed in to woodlands.
***
Late Afternoon... Somewhere in a forest near the river Tor
The two journeymen were about a couple of miles outside the city limits of Toran heading towards the Kai Monastery. They were heading south west of Toran where the location of the monastery was but they had to go off the main road and through the woodlands. This meant that they had to leave their horses behind to navigate through the difficult terrain. It took them a couple of hour's non - stop walking through the dense woods. According to Braxus' map reading skills, he judged that they were about half way there.
Ranma noticed that it was about to get dark soon and perhaps it would be a good idea for them to set up camp first as they felt a bit tired from all that trekking thought the woodlands.
"Braxus, it's getting dark now why don't we set up camp otherwise it will be too dark to navigate through anyway. So how about it?" Ranma said to Braxus.
"Yeah... I suppose you're right, we should make camp over that hill. There should be a clearing in the woodlands that would be ideal for a camp site," Braxus replied. Ranma nodded as they made their way to the clearing.
Once in the clearing area they started to set up camp with Braxus out looking for some dry wood to light the fire in the middle of the camp while Ranma was in charge of setting up the tents and making sure everything was secure. Braxus then came back to the camp carrying quite a lot of dry wood and branches and promptly arranged them around the area marked as the fireplace. Then Ranma started to chant a small fire spell that Banedon taught him a while back at the village in Durenor. This wasn't a particularly strong spell but was enough to light a candle or to start a small fire without the need for matches. Once the fire was ablaze, both Ranma and Braxus stood around the fire to keep themselves warm from the chilling night.
'It's a good thing that Banedon taught me this simple trick,' thought Ranma as he remembered the first time he used the spell that he learnt from Banedon. The result was that his clothes were set alight which wasn't very pleasant. Luckily Banedon had an ideal solution, mainly dumping a bucket of cold water over him.
***
Back in Ranma's home universe - China, Jusenkyo
Genma Saotome was looking at this supposedly dangerous training ground; he had read about in a Chinese brochure. The only problem was that Genma couldn't read or speak a word of Chinese otherwise he would seen the bold danger warning in the brochure.
'Hmm... Doesn't look that dangerous.' As he scanned the area, the only things he saw were bamboo poles sticking out of the pools of water. He did notice that there were signs next to the pools of water but he couldn't read them due to them being in Chinese.
Also in the area of Jusenkyo was a boy who was carrying what looked like an extremely heavy backpack and was sporting a black spotted bandanna.
"Curse you Saotome!" and "You made my life hell!" were the only things coming from this strange boy. Genma sweatdropped and just ignored the strange boy as he moved carefully across the cursed springs until he noticed a shiny object in one of the pools. This caught Genma's eye as he thought it could be quite valuable and he slowly approached the pool of water. Genma tried to retrieve the object in the pool with a bamboo stick but he was having a bit of difficulty as it seemed to be trapped in the mud so he decided to lean over the pool and place his hand into the water. He almost got the object until...
A pair of small petite hands roughly pushed Genma right into the pool with a loud splash. Genma felt himself changing as his senses went wild. After a few moments he surfaced, trying to remember what had happened a few moments ago. He knew that it wasn't an accident as he had felt someone push him and laugh at him. He picked up the object that he was trying to get and saw that it was a worthless piece of metal. It was at that time he scratched himself with his paw.
'PAW!' As Genma looked his hand and then his reflection in the pool what he saw made him faint immediately.
The yellow black spotted bandanna boy had seen what had happened to the bald fat man with glasses and immediately ran away from the cursed spring as soon as possible. As he was in a rush to leave the place, he didn't notice a loose root sticking out and was tripped up. He then fell down the hill toward one of the cursed springs. The last thing the boy said before he hit a nearby pool with a splash was, "Damn you Ranma Saotome!!!"
SPLASH!!!
***
Magnamund Universe 'Aon'
Midnight... At the Campsite
Ranma Stormgard formerly Ranma Saotome sneezed while he was asleep in his tent.
It was midnight and all you could hear was the call of nature as creatures of the dark were coming out of their hiding places and beginning their hunt for food. You could hear in the distance their howling. The fireplace in the camp had gone out an hour ago and all that was left in the campsite were two tents. In one tent was Braxus who was already fast asleep while Ranma in the other tent was having difficulties in sleeping as if someone was nudging him to wake up. After a few more attempts, Ranma had had enough of trying to go to sleep and thought that maybe a short walk will help him. Also he had sensed a feeling that he had felt before when they were on their travels. It was the same as when he first felt that he was being followed when he left the village in Durenor. He could tell it was coming from outside the campsite and decided to investigate.
The air was cool around the campsite as Ranma came out of the tent already dressed, taking his sword with him just in case things got ugly. He walked a few metres outside the campsite and quickly scanned the area in front of him. It was easy for Ranma to see in the dark because of his keen eyesight which he had learnt during his training as he and his father were constantly in the rural countryside and often traveled through the darkness. (Mainly to avoid detection from angry villagers and families created by Genma). This meant it was easier for Ranma to have better night vision than normal people were.
Finally after his scan, he found that no one was out there and came to conclusion that he was just being a bit paranoid. As he was about to go back to his tent to get some sleep, Ranma suddenly felt his senses go wild and then saw something in the corner of his eye. Trusting his instincts, Ranma quickly looked around the surrounding woods until he spotted a glowing mysterious shape coming out of the dense woodland. It was slowly approaching him.
'I better get ready and warn Braxus if this is a threat. Maybe this is the person that was following us,' thought Ranma.
As the glowing shape came closer, he could make out that the shape was humanoid and female. She was wearing a grey hooded cloak. Ranma felt a bit cautious of this mysterious figure that was coming towards him so he reached for his sword and got into defensive stance.
The mysterious person then stopped a few feet in front of him and just stood there, facing him. Ranma couldn't make out the facial features of this mysterious character but he could make out that she had red hair.
"Who are you?" Ranma cautiously asked the cloaked stranger as he gripped his sword just in case she did something that was a threat.
"Well, Ranma, you should be more welcoming and respectful to me... but to answer your first question you may call me... Ranko," answered in a cute voice as she pulled back her hood to reveal herself to Ranma.
'Wild Child. I wonder how she knows my name?' thought Ranma as he could sense that she was no threat yet.
To Ranma's surprise what he saw was young teenage girl who looked a few years younger than he was. She was extremely beautiful with long red hair tied - up in a ponytail. She also had deep blue eyes. Ranma also noticed that this person had huge amounts of Chi and Ki energies radiating from her; he had never met anyone human with that much energy before - only the Goddess that had transported him here.
"How do you know who I am?" asked Ranma.
"I know all about you Ranma Stormgard or should I say Ranma Saotome. Your past history including those awful training trip with your father, the Neko-ken and many other things that I could mention," replied Ranko as she ticked off each one on her fingers to emphasis her point.
"What do want from me?" asked Ranma, as he wanted to know what her intentions were.
'How does she know this about me, the only people that know all about me and my background are the people that have I told,' thought Ranma as he only told about himself to his adopted family and his friend Banedon.
"What I want? ...Hmm, what I want right now is to see you in person and Ranma, please put away your weapon. I'm not a threat and I'm not going to harm you," replied Ranko in a calm voice.
'Besides, I think you're quite cute too,' thought Ranko as she saw Ranma relax a bit from her statement.
"Why?" asked Ranma. As she seems to be harmless for now he released his grip on his sword but still remained in a defensive stance.
"Well Horsey... You have a great destiny in this world as well as your brother and your mage friend," replied Ranko in a cute voice. Ranma groaned inwardly at her nickname.
"What is my destiny? What do my Brother and friend have to do with this?" questioned Ranma, as he wanted to know what he and his brother had to do with this. Ranko simply shrugged and replied.
"Patience Horsey, Time will soon tell."
Then she simply winked at him seductively and this caused Ranma to feel sleepy as he felt his eyelids becoming heavier and eventually fell asleep on the ground.
'Yes, this is the one that will save Sommerlund and all of Magnamund,' thought Ranko as she put on her hood back on and simply vanished into thin air.
***
Morning...
As first light broke through the Sommerlund forest and cleared away the darkness, we see the campsite where Ranma and Braxus were currently asleep in their own makeshift tent. It took quite a while for them to actually wake up and gather their belongings and equipment. Ranma suddenly woke up and found himself in his tent and not outside as he had first believed.
'I wonder, if that dream was real or not?' thought Ranma as he tried to recall that strange dream he had last night while packing away his stuff. Braxus noticed Ranma had a distant expression on his face and decided to inquire about it.
"Hey Ranma... what are you thinking?" asked Braxus.
"What?! ...Err... nothing Braxus, just nothing," replied Ranma as he was brought back to the present.
"Alright Ranma, we'd better leave now," Braxus said, half convinced. He could have bugged Ranma for information but let it drop.
'I know that something is bothering him but I won't press the issue,' thought Braxus.
Once they cleaned up the campsite, they were ready to set off on the final part of their journey towards the Kai Monastery. As Braxus and Ranma made their way through the thick woodlands of Sommerlund, Ranma decided to ask Braxus about something.
"So Braxus, how long till we arrive at the Monastery?" asked Ranma as he noticed they had been walking for quite a while now and they hadn't seen any monasteries.
"Not long Ranma, about a couple of miles that way over that hill," pointed Braxus who was studying the map closely and checking that they were heading the right way.
"You're sure we just heading the right way or are we just lost?" joked Ranma as he recalled how one, Ryoga Hibiki could get lost even in his own home.
'That boy could even get lost in room with a single exit,' thought Ranma as he chuckled to himself.
"Ha Ha, very funny Ranma. No, we are not lost. It's just a few more miles and we should be there before sunset," replied Braxus.
"Okay, you're the leader with the map," Ranma said as he trusted Braxus to make sure that wouldn't get lost.
After a few hours of wandering and walking through the forestlands, both Ranma and Braxus finally saw the goal of their journey. In the clear area of the woodlands stood a proud and beautiful large castle. You could see the checkered battle banner at the highest point of the building. Both Ranma and Braxus instantly recognised the banner, which was the war banner of the Kai Lords of Sommerlund.
"The Kai Monastery," whispered Ranma and Braxus as they doubled their efforts to get there before sunset.
TBC...
***
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or the Lone Wolf Series or any other characters. The rights to Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and for the Lone Wolf Series Joe Dever. This story is created solely for entertainment purposes and no profit as gained from this.
Wild Horse of Kai
By Montymouse
' ' - Thought
" " - Speech
Chapter Four - The Journey to Sommerlund Part 2
***
In the Port of Anskavern, A Province of Sommerlund
The weather in Anskavern was quite warm and sunny. As with any other shipping dock it was quite busy, with everyone unloading and loading goods and cargo onto the merchant ships that had recently arrived in Anskavern. This was one of the main ports, which Sommerlund actually used to trade with their allies and neighbors. Ships from all over Magnamund come here, and we see in the corner of the dock there lies an anchored merchant ship with the name the 'The Lady Luck' written along its hull that has recently arrived in Sommerlund. Currently the ship was being unloaded of its cargo from Durenor, and nearby the ship were three people.
"Thanks for taking us to Sommerlund, Grimbold." Braxus said as he shook the sea captain's hand.
"Yeah thanks a lot," added in Ranma as he checked on their equipment and supplies before they went their separate ways.
"No problem lads, anything for a friend; and thanks for helping me fight off those so- called pirates. Ah... it brings back old memories just like your father did before. Oh... yeah, when you see your father say I said hi to him, alright," replied the merchant Grimbold.
"No problem. Bye." As the two walked away from the merchant captain they started to look around for their Aunt as they had promised to their mother that they would visit her when they reached Anskavern.
Anskavern was a fairly large place; not as big as Holmgard or Hammerdal, but still it was quite impressive as they saw the mixture of cultures and traditions that was going on around them. The only problem was that Anskavern had grown bigger than Braxus remembered it to be, the last time he was here. Both Ranma and Braxus were still wandering around the place, trying to find the Inn that their aunt was supposed to own.
As with any other place that Ranma went to, he still got some odd stares and was always the center of attention when he walked across the public square in the center of Anskavern. Ranma usually ignored them, but always felt uneasy when the female population his own age were staring at him. It was the same look that Ukyou gave him when she thought he wasn't looking.
"Braxus, do you actually know where this Inn is? We've been walking for ages and it feels like we're walking around in circles," Ranma asked, as he could have sworn that they were walking in circles as he kept seeing similar things as they wandered about.
"I generally do know where I am going, it just that it's been quite a while since I was here, and it has grown a bit bigger than I remembered," replied Braxus as he tried to remember any landmarks or features that could point to where his Auntie lived.
They eventually came to a junction that divided the path that they were on, in three directions. The one on the right led them to another part of the city, the middle one seemed to lead them to the market square, while the right path led down to a couple of Inns and shops.
"So Braxus, which way?" Ranma asked as he tried to figure out which route they should take.
"Down there." Braxus pointed to the right path as he saw a sign that he remembered from his memories. 'It has to be, that's the only thing that I remember,' thought Braxus as he hoped that they finally found what they were looking for.
"Okay then, the right path it is," replied Ranma. 'This better be the right place as my feet are killing me wandering around this city!' thought Ranma as he looked up at the sign.
'The Wayfarer Inn' the sign simply stated.
Both Ranma and Braxus decided this was the correct inn as they had searched over half the city and there wasn't much sunlight left. Hopefully this inn would be the right one and they would eventually find their auntie that owned the place. It was getting a bit dark outside and they needed somewhere to stay before they could proceed to their next destination.
As the two walked into the inn, they noticed that it wasn't crowded or cramped like some inns they visited in Anskavern. This inn had a fairly relaxing and friendly atmosphere to it. To one side of the Inn was a small bar and on the other side was the reception area. Behind the reception desk stood an older, beautiful female who had blondish hair and pale green eyes. She was currently talking to her customers. Ranma and Braxus decided to ask her about who owned this inn, and approached the reception desk. Not being rude, they waited patiently for her to finish her conversation with her guests. Once she had finished her conversation, she then turned toward the two.
"Hello there. Welcome to the Wayfarer Inn. How may I help you?" was her standard response to all her new customers.
"Err... are you Saria Ryder?" asked Ranma as he saw the Innkeeper gave a cautious look at both Ranma and Braxus. She was curiously wondering why these two strangers were looking for her.
"Yes, I'm Saria Ryder, the owner of this Inn. What's your business with me?" asked Saria. She noticed that Braxus seems familiar to her, but couldn't place his face. Ranma, she had no clue about.
'There's something familiar about him,' thought Saria as she carefully studied both of them, especially the person next to Ranma.
"Saria, it's me, Braxus Stormgard. I'm your nephew," Braxus said to Saria before he turned to Ranma and asked him to give him the necklace that Oriah had given to Ranma. Once Braxus showed the necklace given by their mother to Saria, it only took her a moment to recognize it and, when she did, Braxus was instantly glomped tightly in the blink of an eye by Saria. Ranma just stood there and smiled at the happy reunion.
'Well at least we found the right place,'' thought Ranma as he saw Saria asking Braxus a lot questions about him and her older sister. 'Better him than me,' he thought as he saw how Braxus was reacting to the sudden hug by Saria.
"Oh Braxus, it's been such a long time since I saw you! The last time I saw you, you were about this high when my sister left to go to Durenor. How are you? How is my sister doing? Who is this person that is with you?" questioned Saria, as she wanted to know everything about her older sister and family. Not getting a response from him, she looked at Braxus' face, which was turning into a nice shade of blue.
"Can't... Breathe..." whispered Braxus. She released him immediately, which made his face return to the right colour. Once he got his breath back he started to answer some of her questions.
"Well... I'm fine, so is my mother. She's currently happily living in the village with my father Jerek in Durenor, and to answer your second question, meet Ranma Stormgard, my brother." Braxus smiled as he saw Saria's eyes widen at his statement and slowly turned to approach Ranma and meet the newest member of her family.
'Oh no!' was the last thing that Ranma thought as two seconds later he was glomped by her in the same fashion as she had done with Braxus.
"Welcome to the family Ranma. My name is Saria Ryder; I'm your auntie and the owner of this inn. Please come here and sit down." Saria pointed to a nearby empty table as she ushered them to sit down and to tell her all about what had happened since her older sister moved with Jerek and her son to Durenor.
"Hey Natalie," Saria shouted across the inn to one of her waitresses. She was a younger woman than Saria, and beautiful, with blonde hair and brown eyes.
"Yes... Saria," replied Natalie as she approached the table where Saria and her guests were sitting.
"Please bring some food and drink for my guests here," called out Saria to her waitress, who nodded and quickly went into the kitchen. A few moments later Natalie came out with a large tray of food and drink. She then made her way to the table where Saria and her guests were sitting.
"Here you go," she said as she placed the tray on the table. At that moment she then noticed both Ranma and Braxus who was sitting next to Saria.
"So Saria, who are your guests? Are they single?" She winked seductively at Ranma and Braxus. As she noticed how handsome both of them were, especially Ranma with his exotic foreign looks, and his pigtail made him look even more adorable. The rest of the female staff of the Inn had also noticed the two that were currently with Saria.
"Oh Nats, stop flirting with them. You always do this to everyone who you think is cute or single. Nats, these are my nephews Ranma and Braxus Stormgard. By the way, haven't you got other people to serve?" replied an annoyed Saria to get rid of her. Natalie always flirted with her male customers. It did bring in the customers, which was fine, but not right now.
"Okay Saria, I'm going." Natalie said as she went back to her duties
"So where were we?" Saria said as they continued their discussion from before Natalie came and interrupted them. They mainly discussed how they found Ranma was all alone in this world, and how Braxus' family adopted him. Saria had started to take a liking to Ranma and happily accepted Ranma as part of the family. Saria was also quite interested of course in what Braxus had to say because she hasn't seen her sister or her family for quite a while since they moved to Durenor as she stayed here to continue her business.
'Maybe I should make some time to go on a trip to see my sister in Durenor,' thought Saria as she greatly missed her older sister despite her receiving letters from her on a regular basis. She couldn't leave yet as business in Anskavern was doing quite well; maybe she could hire someone to look after the inn. Putting aside her thoughts, she asked Ranma and Braxus a question.
"So where are you two staying?" Saria asked as she noticed that it was getting quite dark and she knew that most of the inns in Anskavern were quite full right now. She knew that she had room left; only they were reserved for special guests.
"Well... Our mother told us, you could accommodate us for a few days," replied Ranma, as they had nowhere else to stay because they spent most of their time looking for her.
"Of course you can. Family is always welcome here, and anyway, I still got some rooms left in the inn. Besides, I want to know everything that has happen in your family in Durenor." She said as she got up from where she was sitting and walked over to the reception desk. She then got a set of keys from behind reception desk and threw them to Ranma who caught without trying.
"Upstairs, second floor, third door on your left. I'll see you in the morning," Saria said as she left to attend to other customers who were waiting for her assistance. Ranma and Braxus simply nodded and picked up their things and followed the directions that Saria has given them to their room.
"So Ranma, what do you think of your Aunt Saria?" Braxus asked as he tried to find the right room number along the hallway of the inn.
'Now, where is that room?' thought Braxus. Most of the doors were the same, apart from the small numbers on them.
"She seems quite nice and welcoming," replied Ranma. He remembered how tight he was glomped by her and he could swear he had felt his ribs crack under the pressure.
"At least she likes you and accepted you as part of the family," Braxus said
"Yeah. Come on Braxus, where is that room you're supposed to find?" Ranma was feeling a bit tired from all that walking around.
"Here we are," Braxus replied as they came to their room and opened the door. In the room was a simple bunk bed, and it was nicely furnished with a table and a wardrobe in the corner. It was dark now, and they started to unpack their equipment and items. Ranma was starting to like this world because he had a caring family and it was nothing like his previous life; and now he met another member of his adopted family, Saria.
"Goodnight Ranma." Braxus slept on the top of the bunk bed, which he had had to toss a coin for; he won the coin toss anyway.
"Yeah Braxus. Goodnight to you too," replied Ranma as he slept on the bottom part of the bunk bed. Ranma thought about how much he had achieved in this world as he had a family to look up to and how he had made some friends. If he had stayed in his homeworld then things might have been different. He couldn't think about the things that his former father could have done to him if he had stayed with him.
Outside the inn, on the roof of one of the houses opposite stood the red haired female.
'So far, so good. No problems yet apart from that pirate attack, but they handled it like experts. Hmm... I wonder where that idiot Genma is right now? Maybe I should see him.' She smiled evilly and vanished into the shadows.
***
Ranma and Braxus spent a few days at Saria's Inn where Ranma learnt more about Sommerlund and her family history. Saria was quite pleased that her older sister was doing well for herself in Durenor and finding out both her sister's sons were going to enroll at the Kai Monastery was exciting news to her. This was because anyone who became a Kai master or Lord brought great honour and respect to their families, and no family member had ever become one yet.
They spent most of their time practicing their skills and helping Saria out around the inn. Every time they explored the area, it was Ranma that seemed to be the main focus of attention. Most of the people in Anskavern were wondering where Ranma was from, as they had never seen anyone who looked or fought like that from watching their sparring fights. Even the merchants and traders had a hard time placing Ranma in Magnamund, but they assumed that Ranma was probably from a place far away from the Lastlands, due south.
There were some occasional fight contests with the local people trying to see how good Ranma and Braxus were. Of course, it was too much of a temptation to enter into the contests as it helped them train and also generated a bit of money for their journey. They used the money to purchase new equipment and supplies. Most of the fight contests were done in a matter of minutes with either Ranma or Braxus winning outright, which did draw in a large crowd because it was such good entertainment.
Ranma could use a sword quite well but generally preferred to fight unarmed and use his martial arts. Braxus on the other hand was just plain good, and with the training of unarmed combat that he had received from Ranma he could take out most opponents with ease.
Finally it was time for them to leave Anskavern, though they had enjoyed it here with their Aunt Saria and getting to know her again. We see Ranma and Braxus outside the Anskavern gatehouse with Saria and some of her staff from the inn. They were currently saying their goodbyes and wishing them a safe journey.
"Now... Ranma and Braxus, you will visit little old me from time to time, won't you?" asked Saria in voice that dared them to disagree.
"Of course we will, and thank you for you're hospitably Aunt Saria," replied Ranma as he checked that he had everything with him and got on his horse.
"Yeah. It was nice to see you again Aunt Saria and I promise to visit you when I get the opportunity," Braxus said as he also got on his horse.
"Here have this, you may need this." Saria threw a pouch to Braxus, who then opened the pouch, which to his surprise contained a lot of gold coins.
'There must be about 40 gold crowns in here,' thought Braxus.
"Aunt Saria... I can't accept this, this is too much," Braxus said as it was too much for her to give to him.
"Just keep it... think of this as a gift for all your birthdays I missed, and you never know where it may come in handy," Saria simply replied.
"Thank you Auntie," Braxus said
"Come on Braxus let's go. Bye Aunt Saria," Ranma said as he waved to her and started to travel ahead of Braxus, who hopefully would catch him up.
"Bye Auntie, we'll come visit as soon as possible." Braxus started to move on his horse and waved goodbye to her and her staff.
"Bye you two. May you have a safe journey." Saria and her staff waved goodbye to them.
'It's good to see them again, maybe I should start preparing for a trip to see my sister,' thought Saria as she turned back to her staff
"Alright now. Back to work," Saria said to her staff.
We see Braxus riding quite fast as he caught up to Ranma who was quite ahead of him.
"Hey Ranma, wait up," called out Braxus. Ranma slowed down a bit to let him catch up. 'He just couldn't wait, couldn't he,' thought Braxus.
Eventually he caught up with him and they headed westwards. They were currently following the coastline of Sommerlund so they wouldn't get lost, as it would give them a sense of direction. At night they could easily find their way due to Jerek's training in following the stars to pinpoint their location.
"So Braxus, what is the next town on the your map anyway?" asked Ranma.
Braxus then took out the map from his belt and unrolled the map and quickly scanned it to see what their position was and their next destination.
"Toran, that way," was Braxus' reply as he pointed westward as indicated and then he put away his map.
"Okay, Toran it is," replied Ranma as they headed toward the next destination.
'It'll be nice to see Banedon again, I wonder how good he is now?' thought Ranma, as the two headed towards the next city. It would probably take them a day or so to get there but they weren't in a rush.
***
The Magnificent City of Toran Home of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star
Finally our two journeymen Ranma and Braxus had arrived at the Mage City of Toran. They were currently looking for the mage friend Banedon as they had promised that they would see him if they every passed through Toran. Braxus earlier had asked some directions from the local people to where the Magician's Guild was. The locals said that the guild was located near the center of city and that they should spot some magicians along the way, which should indicate that they were getting near.
As the two explored the city, they found Toran to have a high concentration of magical and mystic energy surrounding the city. It's probably due to the city, being the home of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star where the best magicians of Sommerlund and the Lastlands go to learn and teach. As Ranma and Braxus moved closer toward the center of Toran they noticed there were many young magicians and apprentices practicing their magical talents and skills. Some of them were good at what they were doing while others were prone to have slight accidents.
As the two were walking through the streets, some of the more wiser and experienced Guildmasters gave interesting stares and looks at Ranma, not because of his looks, but more into his chaotic aura that surrounded him which seemed to be naturally formed. Most of the apprentices in Toran found that some of their spells would turn out right if Ranma came close to them because his chaotic aura somehow disrupted some of spells being taught by their mentors. The Guildmasters had noticed that it was this certain pigtailed boy that was the sources of the interruption and came to the conclusion that it wasn't a serious problem and ordered their pupils to put more effort in their practicing.
Finally they came to an open square where there were groups of young apprentices outside the guild entrance.
"So Braxus, where do we start to look for our friend Banedon? He's got to be here somewhere," asked Ranma.
"Alright Ranma, you go look over there while I go to the group near the guild," Braxus said as he went to a group of apprentices to ask if they knew where Banedon was. Ranma decided to go over to a nearby group in the corner of the square.
'Maybe Banedon is over there?' thought Ranma as he made his way over to the group.
As Ranma came closer to the crowd, he noticed a familiar person in the group who was currently chatting away with his fellow apprentices about magic and what they had learnt.
'That's must be Banedon, I'd recognise that hair and clothing anywhere,' thought Ranma.
As Ranma was about to ask the person who he was, the person suddenly turned around and immediately recognised Ranma and with a smile greeted him.
"Ranma! How are you? Where's Braxus? When did you get here?" asked Banedon as he shook Ranma's hand in friendship.
"Perfectly fine Banedon, we got here a few hours ago. Braxus is over there." Ranma pointed to where Braxus was.
"Hey Braxus over here," called out Banedon which caught the attention of Braxus who immediately waved to him and started to make his way over to where Ranma and Banedon were.
"So Banedon... How did you know I was behind you?" asked Ranma, as he hadn't said anything to warn Banedon that he was behind him.
"I sensed your aura through my magical senses. You're the only one I know that has that particular aura around here," replied Banedon. He then turned to greet Braxus in the same way as he did with Ranma.
"It's good to see you again. So, Banedon, how is your apprenticeship doing? Learnt any new spells or anything?" asked Braxus, as he wanted to know how strong Banedon was in the art of magic
"It's good to see you again. I'm doing fine right now and yes I learnt some things that you will impress you, and some you wouldn't believe your eyes; maybe I could show it to you later," answered Banedon. At that point Banedon's teacher came out of the guild to call his students for their next lesson.
"I better go now. I got a class to go to. Where are you staying in Toran?" Banedon quickly said as he could hear his Guildmaster calling his name.
"Well, me and Ranma here are be staying at an inn called Wizard's Rest," answered Braxus.
"You do know where it is, Banedon?" Ranma added to make sure that they could see him afterwards and talk about the old times
"Sure I know where it is, by the corner of Key Street. Bye now." As Banedon waved his two friend's goodbye he hurried up and joined his class before his teacher got annoyed.
***
At the "Wizard's Rest" Inn
It was in the afternoon and after Banedon had finished his lessons with his Guildmaster. He soon met up with his two friends at the Inn they had said they were staying at. The place where Ranma and Braxus were staying wasn't far from the Guild where Banedon was studying, and finding it wasn't a problem. He knew most of places in Toran anyway. As Banedon stepped into the inn to look for his two friends, someone called out his name.
"Hey Banedon, over here." Banedon turned to face the person who had called him; it was Braxus who was waving his hand to indicate where they were. In the corner of the inn were Ranma and Braxus sitting down and they were about to have their supper.
"Hello Braxus. Hello Ranma." Banedon walked over to the table.
"Come Banedon, why don't you sit with us and have dinner? You must have worked up an appetite by now with that training." Braxus pointed out to an empty chair.
"You're sure about that? I know how much you two can eat," asked Banedon.
'Those two can out eat anyone I know. It's like they are eating machines rather human.' Banedon remembered the last time they had eaten dinner together.
"Of course I'm sure, anyway I ordered enough food for the three of us," replied Braxus.
"Come on Banedon, I promised to slow down and leave you some," Ranma added to persuade Banedon.
"Well if you put it that way, of course I accept. I'm also feeling a bit hungry and why not, we haven't seen each other for quite a while now." Banedon pulled up a chair and joined them in their feast.
Once the food and drink came, all three of them started to tuck into the feast that they had ordered. They generally talked about what has happened to them since Banedon left to go to Toran and weren't surprised at all about Ranma being adopted by Braxus' family according to what Ranma had told Banedon. He agreed whole-heartedly that Ranma should have a new start and life in this world.
"So both of you are going to the Kai Monastery. Well I wish you the best of luck in training there. I know that the training regime is quite tough both mentally and physically but I know both of you will succeed," Banedon said as he finished off his meal.
"Thanks for your support Banedon," replied Ranma.
"Yeah thanks." Braxus lifted his cup to proposal a toast.
"To our eternal friendship and future," Braxus said.
"To our eternal friendship and to Kai," Banedon replied to Ranma and Braxus as he raised his cup.
"To our eternal friendship and a new beginning for us," replied Ranma as he did the same.
"Anyway I know you will become a powerful wizard someday when you get older Banedon. So on behalf of me and Ranma, we wish the best of luck."
"Thanks. Maybe I'll see you at the Kai Monastery later on," replied Banedon as he sat back down.
"Sure why not," answered Ranma.
"It's getting late now so why don't we turn in for the night?" Braxus said as he received approving nods from Ranma and Banedon.
"I agree, anyway I have to wake up early for my next lessons." Banedon got up from where he was sitting and started to leave. Braxus and Ranma also got up from where they were sitting and said their goodbyes to their old friend and turned in for the night.
After that, the two decided to stay in Toran for a couple of more days and were quite impressed with the amount of magical talent Banedon had. Some of the spells were more powerful than before while Banedon was quite impressed on how Ranma adapted to his new life in Magnamund. Banedon even taught them a few more tricks and spells that they could possibly use which both of them knew would come in handy in the future. But it was time to leave Toran and their friend Banedon to continue their journey. Banedon also promised that he would visit them at the Kai Monastery when he had the chance in his training program. After saying their goodbyes, both Ranma and Braxus headed in to woodlands.
***
Late Afternoon... Somewhere in a forest near the river Tor
The two journeymen were about a couple of miles outside the city limits of Toran heading towards the Kai Monastery. They were heading south west of Toran where the location of the monastery was but they had to go off the main road and through the woodlands. This meant that they had to leave their horses behind to navigate through the difficult terrain. It took them a couple of hour's non - stop walking through the dense woods. According to Braxus' map reading skills, he judged that they were about half way there.
Ranma noticed that it was about to get dark soon and perhaps it would be a good idea for them to set up camp first as they felt a bit tired from all that trekking thought the woodlands.
"Braxus, it's getting dark now why don't we set up camp otherwise it will be too dark to navigate through anyway. So how about it?" Ranma said to Braxus.
"Yeah... I suppose you're right, we should make camp over that hill. There should be a clearing in the woodlands that would be ideal for a camp site," Braxus replied. Ranma nodded as they made their way to the clearing.
Once in the clearing area they started to set up camp with Braxus out looking for some dry wood to light the fire in the middle of the camp while Ranma was in charge of setting up the tents and making sure everything was secure. Braxus then came back to the camp carrying quite a lot of dry wood and branches and promptly arranged them around the area marked as the fireplace. Then Ranma started to chant a small fire spell that Banedon taught him a while back at the village in Durenor. This wasn't a particularly strong spell but was enough to light a candle or to start a small fire without the need for matches. Once the fire was ablaze, both Ranma and Braxus stood around the fire to keep themselves warm from the chilling night.
'It's a good thing that Banedon taught me this simple trick,' thought Ranma as he remembered the first time he used the spell that he learnt from Banedon. The result was that his clothes were set alight which wasn't very pleasant. Luckily Banedon had an ideal solution, mainly dumping a bucket of cold water over him.
***
Back in Ranma's home universe - China, Jusenkyo
Genma Saotome was looking at this supposedly dangerous training ground; he had read about in a Chinese brochure. The only problem was that Genma couldn't read or speak a word of Chinese otherwise he would seen the bold danger warning in the brochure.
'Hmm... Doesn't look that dangerous.' As he scanned the area, the only things he saw were bamboo poles sticking out of the pools of water. He did notice that there were signs next to the pools of water but he couldn't read them due to them being in Chinese.
Also in the area of Jusenkyo was a boy who was carrying what looked like an extremely heavy backpack and was sporting a black spotted bandanna.
"Curse you Saotome!" and "You made my life hell!" were the only things coming from this strange boy. Genma sweatdropped and just ignored the strange boy as he moved carefully across the cursed springs until he noticed a shiny object in one of the pools. This caught Genma's eye as he thought it could be quite valuable and he slowly approached the pool of water. Genma tried to retrieve the object in the pool with a bamboo stick but he was having a bit of difficulty as it seemed to be trapped in the mud so he decided to lean over the pool and place his hand into the water. He almost got the object until...
A pair of small petite hands roughly pushed Genma right into the pool with a loud splash. Genma felt himself changing as his senses went wild. After a few moments he surfaced, trying to remember what had happened a few moments ago. He knew that it wasn't an accident as he had felt someone push him and laugh at him. He picked up the object that he was trying to get and saw that it was a worthless piece of metal. It was at that time he scratched himself with his paw.
'PAW!' As Genma looked his hand and then his reflection in the pool what he saw made him faint immediately.
The yellow black spotted bandanna boy had seen what had happened to the bald fat man with glasses and immediately ran away from the cursed spring as soon as possible. As he was in a rush to leave the place, he didn't notice a loose root sticking out and was tripped up. He then fell down the hill toward one of the cursed springs. The last thing the boy said before he hit a nearby pool with a splash was, "Damn you Ranma Saotome!!!"
SPLASH!!!
***
Magnamund Universe 'Aon'
Midnight... At the Campsite
Ranma Stormgard formerly Ranma Saotome sneezed while he was asleep in his tent.
It was midnight and all you could hear was the call of nature as creatures of the dark were coming out of their hiding places and beginning their hunt for food. You could hear in the distance their howling. The fireplace in the camp had gone out an hour ago and all that was left in the campsite were two tents. In one tent was Braxus who was already fast asleep while Ranma in the other tent was having difficulties in sleeping as if someone was nudging him to wake up. After a few more attempts, Ranma had had enough of trying to go to sleep and thought that maybe a short walk will help him. Also he had sensed a feeling that he had felt before when they were on their travels. It was the same as when he first felt that he was being followed when he left the village in Durenor. He could tell it was coming from outside the campsite and decided to investigate.
The air was cool around the campsite as Ranma came out of the tent already dressed, taking his sword with him just in case things got ugly. He walked a few metres outside the campsite and quickly scanned the area in front of him. It was easy for Ranma to see in the dark because of his keen eyesight which he had learnt during his training as he and his father were constantly in the rural countryside and often traveled through the darkness. (Mainly to avoid detection from angry villagers and families created by Genma). This meant it was easier for Ranma to have better night vision than normal people were.
Finally after his scan, he found that no one was out there and came to conclusion that he was just being a bit paranoid. As he was about to go back to his tent to get some sleep, Ranma suddenly felt his senses go wild and then saw something in the corner of his eye. Trusting his instincts, Ranma quickly looked around the surrounding woods until he spotted a glowing mysterious shape coming out of the dense woodland. It was slowly approaching him.
'I better get ready and warn Braxus if this is a threat. Maybe this is the person that was following us,' thought Ranma.
As the glowing shape came closer, he could make out that the shape was humanoid and female. She was wearing a grey hooded cloak. Ranma felt a bit cautious of this mysterious figure that was coming towards him so he reached for his sword and got into defensive stance.
The mysterious person then stopped a few feet in front of him and just stood there, facing him. Ranma couldn't make out the facial features of this mysterious character but he could make out that she had red hair.
"Who are you?" Ranma cautiously asked the cloaked stranger as he gripped his sword just in case she did something that was a threat.
"Well, Ranma, you should be more welcoming and respectful to me... but to answer your first question you may call me... Ranko," answered in a cute voice as she pulled back her hood to reveal herself to Ranma.
'Wild Child. I wonder how she knows my name?' thought Ranma as he could sense that she was no threat yet.
To Ranma's surprise what he saw was young teenage girl who looked a few years younger than he was. She was extremely beautiful with long red hair tied - up in a ponytail. She also had deep blue eyes. Ranma also noticed that this person had huge amounts of Chi and Ki energies radiating from her; he had never met anyone human with that much energy before - only the Goddess that had transported him here.
"How do you know who I am?" asked Ranma.
"I know all about you Ranma Stormgard or should I say Ranma Saotome. Your past history including those awful training trip with your father, the Neko-ken and many other things that I could mention," replied Ranko as she ticked off each one on her fingers to emphasis her point.
"What do want from me?" asked Ranma, as he wanted to know what her intentions were.
'How does she know this about me, the only people that know all about me and my background are the people that have I told,' thought Ranma as he only told about himself to his adopted family and his friend Banedon.
"What I want? ...Hmm, what I want right now is to see you in person and Ranma, please put away your weapon. I'm not a threat and I'm not going to harm you," replied Ranko in a calm voice.
'Besides, I think you're quite cute too,' thought Ranko as she saw Ranma relax a bit from her statement.
"Why?" asked Ranma. As she seems to be harmless for now he released his grip on his sword but still remained in a defensive stance.
"Well Horsey... You have a great destiny in this world as well as your brother and your mage friend," replied Ranko in a cute voice. Ranma groaned inwardly at her nickname.
"What is my destiny? What do my Brother and friend have to do with this?" questioned Ranma, as he wanted to know what he and his brother had to do with this. Ranko simply shrugged and replied.
"Patience Horsey, Time will soon tell."
Then she simply winked at him seductively and this caused Ranma to feel sleepy as he felt his eyelids becoming heavier and eventually fell asleep on the ground.
'Yes, this is the one that will save Sommerlund and all of Magnamund,' thought Ranko as she put on her hood back on and simply vanished into thin air.
***
Morning...
As first light broke through the Sommerlund forest and cleared away the darkness, we see the campsite where Ranma and Braxus were currently asleep in their own makeshift tent. It took quite a while for them to actually wake up and gather their belongings and equipment. Ranma suddenly woke up and found himself in his tent and not outside as he had first believed.
'I wonder, if that dream was real or not?' thought Ranma as he tried to recall that strange dream he had last night while packing away his stuff. Braxus noticed Ranma had a distant expression on his face and decided to inquire about it.
"Hey Ranma... what are you thinking?" asked Braxus.
"What?! ...Err... nothing Braxus, just nothing," replied Ranma as he was brought back to the present.
"Alright Ranma, we'd better leave now," Braxus said, half convinced. He could have bugged Ranma for information but let it drop.
'I know that something is bothering him but I won't press the issue,' thought Braxus.
Once they cleaned up the campsite, they were ready to set off on the final part of their journey towards the Kai Monastery. As Braxus and Ranma made their way through the thick woodlands of Sommerlund, Ranma decided to ask Braxus about something.
"So Braxus, how long till we arrive at the Monastery?" asked Ranma as he noticed they had been walking for quite a while now and they hadn't seen any monasteries.
"Not long Ranma, about a couple of miles that way over that hill," pointed Braxus who was studying the map closely and checking that they were heading the right way.
"You're sure we just heading the right way or are we just lost?" joked Ranma as he recalled how one, Ryoga Hibiki could get lost even in his own home.
'That boy could even get lost in room with a single exit,' thought Ranma as he chuckled to himself.
"Ha Ha, very funny Ranma. No, we are not lost. It's just a few more miles and we should be there before sunset," replied Braxus.
"Okay, you're the leader with the map," Ranma said as he trusted Braxus to make sure that wouldn't get lost.
After a few hours of wandering and walking through the forestlands, both Ranma and Braxus finally saw the goal of their journey. In the clear area of the woodlands stood a proud and beautiful large castle. You could see the checkered battle banner at the highest point of the building. Both Ranma and Braxus instantly recognised the banner, which was the war banner of the Kai Lords of Sommerlund.
"The Kai Monastery," whispered Ranma and Braxus as they doubled their efforts to get there before sunset.
TBC...
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