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.

Note.
Kai Names:
* Ranma Stormgard (Saotome) - Wild Horse
* Braxus Stormgard - Swift Blade

Wild Horse of Kai

By Montymouse

' ' - Thought
" " - Speech

Chapter Eight - Journey to Hammerdal

***

Sommerlund - Holmgard

It was dawn in Holmgard as reports of the Darklord's armies marching towards the capital spread. Also the news that the Lords of the Kai had been totally destroyed had spread fear and panic among the local population. All their hopes now rested on a certain pigtailed warrior of Kai as he prepared to take the long and arduous journey from Holmgard to Durenor's capital city: Hammerdal. There was no doubt in people's minds that this journey would be extremely dangerous, as agents would surely stop at nothing to prevent Ranma from succeeding.

In one of the many rooms of the King's Citadel, we see Ranma quietly in prayer as he hopes for success in bringing peace to his adopted home world. He also gave a silent prayer to all those who had died, but Ranma refused to believe that his brother had died at the Battle of Alema Bridge. The reports that he had received from the King's advisors were that the defenders at the bridge were heavily outnumbered as no reinforcements could reach them in time.

After half an hour, Ranma had finished with his mediation and prayer and gathered his things in a small backpack, save for his sword that he had taken from the royal armoury. Normally Ranma wouldn't use weapons, preferring to use his martial arts to defeat his opponents, but there were times where a sword would come in handy; and there were some creatures he wouldn't touch with his bare hands. He slipped on a chainmail waistcoat under his green tunic as a precaution as it offered some protection and flexibility, and was lighter than full plated armour. Chainmail would definitely be suitable for the journey. Strapping his sword made of the finest steel in Sommerlund to his waist and his money pouch to his belt, Ranma then put on his grey Kai cloak, buckled by a Kai emblem of a horse. Checking that the Seal of Hammerdal in his front pocket was still there, Ranma was ready to take on the journey back to Durenor.

Walking down the corridor of the King's citadel, Ranma was greeted by Lords, Knights, noblemen and clergy all wishing him good luck. They thought it would encourage Ranma to succeed in his quest to Durenor; but in reality all it really did was add more pressure on his shoulders which he really didn't want. The King's words kept coming back to Ranma.

"Forty Days, Wild Horse. We have the strength to stand against them for forty days."

Remembering his oath and promise to Kai and his fellow brothers, Ranma was determined to succeed. He proudly marched down to the end of the corridor to see Captain D'Val waiting for him.

"Wild Horse, are you ready?" asked Captain D'Val.

Ranma nodded and Captain D'Val and his men led him to the citadel gates. Looking outside as he was being led, he could see Holmgard's defenders saluting him along the wall.

Near the gates was a small covered wagon. Captain D'Val then turned around and spoke to Ranma

"Wild Horse, we will secretly transport you to your ship which is stationed in our harbour, and from there the ship will take you the rest of the way to Durenor. Do you understand?" Captain D'Val instructed.

"Of course captain," Ranma said. D'Val nodded as he lifted the cover to allow Ranma to clamber in, and before he covered the wagon again, he managed to speak to Ranma for one last time.

"Wild Horse, you know the importance of your mission and that we can only hold out for forty days?" D'Val said.

"Yes, I do. Rest assured that I will return with the Sommerswerd," Ranma said as he tried making himself comfortable in the wagon without making it too oblivious that he was inside.

"Good. My men and I have complete confidence that you will succeed. May the gods be with you." Captain D'Val grinned as he closed the cover over the wagon.

The citadel gates were thrown open as Ranma was led to Holmgard's harbour where his ship would be.

Soon the wagon stopped and the driver of the wagon pulled open the canvas flap.

"This is the quay, my lord. There is your ship, the Green Sceptre," the Driver spoke as he pointed across the quay to a sleek trade caravel anchored near to the harbour wall.

"The first mate's name is Ronan. You will find him waiting for across the square at the Good Cheer Inn."

"Thanks," Ranma said as he climbed out of the wagon and made his way to the Good Cheer Inn.

After finding the inn, Ranma felt something was wrong with the situation. The window shutters were barred making it quite dark, and there were barely any customers. Ranma noticed a sailor sitting across the room and walked over to speak with him.

"Are you Ronan?" Ranma asked but got no response.

"Hey are you listening?" Ranma reached for the sailor's shoulder, but was quite shocked that his skin was cold.

Rushing up to him, Ranma found that this was indeed Ronan, but he had a jagged looking knife stuck in his back. Sensing this was all a trap; Ranma got up to leave when the front door of the inn was slammed shut by a person hidden in the shadows. Two more thugs appeared behind the bar.

"I don't think you are going anywhere, Kai Lord," the thug threatened as he approached Ranma brandishing a sharp looking shortsword while his accomplices brandished daggers.

In Ranma's experience, these three thugs' skill levels were laughable, but that didn't mean that he would go easy on them: they were the ones who murdered Ronan. Not wanting to kill them as he wanted to question them first, Ranma used his martial arts which soon turned the fight into a bar room brawl.

Thug number one was sent crashing thought table by a swift roundhouse kick to the head.

Thug number two was thrown through the window, but cracked his head on the metal bars that Ranma had forgotten barred the windows of the inn.

The leader was cornered as he tried to stab Ranma with his shortsword and was disarmed in a blink of eye, being thrown across the bar and then picked up and thrown again, breaking more tables.

'I hope the owner of this inn has insurance.' Ranma thought wryly as he picked up the leader and pinned him against the wall.

The leader tried to punch him with his brass knuckles, so Ranma broke his arm to prevent him.

"Tell me, who sent you?" Ranma demanded having noticed that the other two thugs had abandoned their leader and escaped through the back way.

"Screw you!" The Thug spat at Ranma's face. Ranma retaliated by throwing him through a glass cabinet, then picked him and questioned him again.

"This is the last time, who sent you?" Ranma demanded as he tightened his grip around the leader's throat.

"Alright, alright already, I'll talk just stop the hurting please," the leader cried out.

"Who was it that sent you to kill me?"

"He just told me that he would pay me a lot of money to kill you. I think his name was..." The leader suddenly stopped speaking, tensed up and collapsed.

Ranma checked his pulse and found that he was dead. He could not work out what had killed him, but sensed foul magic was at work.

Checking the body, Ranma found a tattoo of a serpent of his left wrist and he knew that whoever sent them to kill him must already know of his quest. Making a mental note of the design for future reference, Ranma got up and looked around the destroyed inn. Not wanting to be found with the dead thug, Ranma left the Good Cheer Inn and made his way to the Green Sceptre, which was anchored about three hundred yards from the harbour wall.

***

Five minutes later, Ranma was onboard the Green Sceptre.

Ranma started to explain briefly what had happened to the captain of the ship, who was a tall man dressed in a gold braided uniform. His face was almost totally covered by a shock of bright red hair and a bright red beard. Ranma almost called the captain 'Redbeard' by accident because of his appearance. He told the captain that his first mate had been ambushed and murdered by a gang of thugs.

"Haul anchor!" The captain shouted as Ranma finished his explanation, and the crew sprang into action as if their very lives depended on it. The captain introduced himself as Captain Kelman and led Ranma to his cabin, making straight for his drink cabinet.

"Drink, Wild Horse," Kelman said as took out a bottle from his cabinet.

"No thanks." Ranma politely declined the captain's offer.

"You don't know what you are missing," he said as he poured himself a large glass of the spirit.

Ranma then started to explain in detail about what has happened. As he continued, Ranma noticed the captain's expression showed concern.

"There is evil treachery at work and the enemy already has plans afoot to thwart your quest." He then took a sip of his drink.

"It seems that you have lost the element of surprise. I have lost a courageous first mate. Let us hope that the voyage to Durenor be swift and safe." Kelman then drank the rest of the drink in one swig.

Ranma then followed the captain out onto the deck. Ranma was just in time to see the outline of Holmgard on the horizon. Ranma was beginning to feel a sense of pride mixed with his apprehension as he went below deck to his cabin, just as the last spire of the capital disappeared from his view.

***

Three uneventful days at sea have passed, and we see Ranma sitting on the railing of the Green Sceptre.

For three days, Ranma was bored. There wasn't very much he could do apart from practising his martial arts and swordmanship, and Ranma was becoming very good with the sword. Sometimes he would join the sailors below decks to play a game of cards and, for a change, Ranma won most of the games played thanks to Dancing Hawk's tutoring. Most of the day, Ranma just sat on the railing watching the horizon, thinking about the recent events, mainly about the Darklord's invasion, his brother's fate, the destruction of the Kai order, the mission to Hammerdal and now someone being out to kill him.

'It can't get any worse?' Ranma thought until he smelled smoke seeping from the hold.

"Fire in the hold!" Ranma shouted.

The ship was thrown into a frenzy of activity as sailors grabbed their buckets and blankets with which to fight the fire. Ranma joined in with the sailors' attempts to put out the fire as flames roared through the hatch cover while they attempted to control the fire before it spread across the hold of the ship; otherwise they would have to abandon ship.

After an hour, Ranma and the sailors managed to put out the fire. The damage to the ship was great; the entire store of food and fresh water had been destroyed and the midsection of the ship was badly weakened.

The captain then appeared from out of the smoking hold and approached Ranma, his face black with soot. Ranma noticed something in a bundle under his arm.

"We must talk in private, my Lord," he said quietly.

Ranma nodded and followed the captain to his cabin.

Entering the cabin, the Captain asked Ranma to shut the door while he went to his washbowl and washed the soot off his face. On the table was the bundle that the captain had been carrying. Ranma was wondering what was in the bundle, so he walked over to it and carefully opened the mysterious bundle, tipping the contents onto the table. What came out of the bundle were a large charred earthenware jug and several blackened rags. Ranma could immediately smell a strange oily scent.

"Do you know what this means?" the captain said as he finished cleaning himself up.

"That the fire was no accident," Ranma replied.

"Correct. This was an act of sabotage. Someone is trying to make sure that you do not reach Durenor. We are three days sail from Port Bax, and if luck is on our side we should reach our destination. With strong winds and a stout heart, we'll drop anchor and feast there in two," Kelman said as he sat behind his table. He pulled out another bottle of spirit and poured out another cup.

"What is the damage?" Ranma said as he pulled up a chair.

"The place where the fire took place was in the forward hold: the food store. As I found this oily jug and these soaked rags upon the floor, I have added a guard on our limited supply to prevent the saboteur from trying to finish his mission."

"Do you who is responsible?" Ranma asked the captain, but he shook his head.

"I do not know, my Lord. I suggest that you should get some rest as we are all exhausted."

Ranma nodded as he got up and went to his cabin.

***

Ranma's cabin

Everyone was asleep apart from the sailors who were on night-watch duty. The crew slept in the hold while Ranma and the captain were in their respective cabins. So far the watchman had reported nothing and all was quiet except...

The door to Ranma's cabin opened very slowly so no sound was heard and a shadowy figure stepped in. Seeing that its intended target was fast asleep, he crept forward slowly, the dagger reflecting the moonlight.

Creeping slowly, the shadowy figure reached the bed and began stabbing at the target repeatedly; but something was wrong. No blood was appearing on the bed sheet or on the dagger. The figure immediately threw back the bedcover to reveal not Ranma, but a couple of pillows and a bundle of clothes. Then the assassin felt a tap on his shoulder.

'Oh crap!' He spun around in time to see an incoming fist heading for his face.

SMACK!

Ranma's assassin was immediately knocked out by Ranma's punch. Soon the lights were lit, and Captain Kelman and some of his crew came barging into Ranma's cabin, weapons drawn.

"My Lord, what has happened?" the captain asked as he saw Ranma standing over one of his sailors.

"This sailor tried to kill me in my sleep and here is the evidence." Ranma crouched down and showed to the captain the tattoo of a serpent on the sailor's wrist.

The captain nodded and ordered his men to tie the traitor up to be interrogated later.

"How did you know that the culprit would attempt to kill you?" Kelman asked

"I didn't, but you get used to it when you have a couple of death threats on your head," Ranma said.

"Come with me, my lord. Let us see what our traitor can tell us."

Ranma nodded and followed the captain to where the prisoner was being held.

After a couple of hours of interrogating the captive, they found out that his mission was to kill the Kai Lord or to prevent the ship from reaching Durenor. But before he could reveal the identity of his employer, he died in the same way as the thug at the Good Cheer Inn.

Later, Kelman asked Ranma to join him for an evening meal to lift their spirits after recent events. Ranma agreed, as he was feeling a bit hungry. The meal wasn't much of a meal by Ranma's standards as it was made up of yesterday's leftovers.

'At least the meal is edible considering what we had to work with. Anyway it could be worse... far, far worse," Ranma thought as he began to pick at his food.

***

Ranma's home dimension

A certain tomboy sneezed.

Kasumi Tendo was ill so she couldn't make tonight's meal.

Nabiki Tendo had already left mysteriously.

Happosai was nowhere to be seen.

Guess who was in the kitchen?

SO that left Genma and Soun to taste her 'Cooking'.

"Err... Soun old buddy, why is your youngest daughter fighting with her 'cooking'?" Genma asked.

Soun just sweatdropped; he wasn't looking forward to this.

***

"I have a confession to make, Kai Lord. The fire destroyed our entire food store. We have barely enough in the galley for this meal. I am sorry if the meal does not meet up to your standards. I fear that we will have to survive on a diet of fresh fish until we reach Port Bax."

"There's no need to be sorry Captain Kelman. I don't mind really. At least it's a healthy diet," Ranma said, trying to lighten up the situation. Both Ranma and Kelman started to laugh.

"I must admire your spirit, my Lord. I just hope nothing else would goes wrong."

Ranma nodded as they continued to eat their meal. After dinner, the captain challenged Ranma to a couple of games of Samor, a board game a little like chess involving skilful strategy and bluff. Ranma did win a couple of games, but it was oblivious that Captain Kelman was an expert. Nevertheless, Ranma's quick learning of how to play the game impressed him; this was the first time Ranma had played Samor.

As dawn broke, a fierce storm rose and the violent rocking of the ship awoke Ranma. The floor of cabin was awash and the shouts of the crew could hardly be heard above the howling winds. Sensing that the crew was having difficulties with the storm, Ranma immediately got dressed and equipped before he made he way above deck.

Ranma soon joined the captain.

"Captain, what is the problem?" Ranma shouted as the noise of storm was making communication difficult.

"My Lord, get down below decks now! We've handled storms like this before so there is no need to worry."

Suddenly, a huge wave appeared and crashed down on the Green Sceptre, pushing Ranma into the sea before he had the chance to get below decks.

"MAN OVERBOARD!" was the last thing Ranma heard before he was knocked out.

***

Somewhere in the Gulf of Durenor

The storm eventually passed as the seas returned to their normal calm state. In the clear blue sea, there was nothing except for a broken mast, but as we look closer we can see that Ranma is unconscious but still holding tightly onto the mast as if his life depended on it.

The sun was beating down on Ranma as he continued to drift aimlessly across the vast oceans. It was many hours before Ranma was able to regain consciousness.

'Where am I?' Ranma thought, still dizzy and disoriented. 'Last thing I remember was being thrown overboard during that the storm.'

Judging by the sun's position, it was currently in the afternoon, and on the horizon, Ranma could see land. The only trace of the Green Sceptre was the mast that Ranma had been holding on to. Seeing the land, Ranma made a break for it, but not before giving a silent prayer for Captain Kelman and his crew.

The distance between where he was and land wasn't too difficult to cross. He had swum the distance between Japan and China so it wasn't really a problem. Eventually after an hour or so of non-stop swimming, Ranma finally reached the beach. He dug his fingers deep into the wet sand and slowly but surely clawed his way up to the shelter of some dunes. He then fell asleep and it was a few hours before he regained enough strength to wake up.

Ranma had no clue where he was, but continued to walk along the lonely coast road before night began to fall. Ranma had managed to find some food from Larnuma trees so he wasn't so hungry anymore. For over five hours Ranma kept walking along the road which, judging from his surroundings, was probably in the region known as the Wildlands.

'It can't get any worse. First I was attacked, then shipwrecked and now walking across these barren wastelands,' Ranma thought as he used his Kai cloak to wrap around him to keep himself warm.

Then it rained.

"Great, that's all I need!" Ranma muttered as he continued to walk soaking wet and cold.

Looking along the coast road, in the distance Ranma could see a wagon heading toward him. Seeing that he may pick up a lift, Ranma flagged down the wagon as it approached him. When the wagon came closer, he noticed it was a large passenger carriage, similar to those used by the highway travellers of Sommerlund. The driver pulled the horse to a halt and stared at Ranma from under the wide brim of his hat.

"Where are you heading?" Ranma asked.

"We're bound for Ragadorn. We will be there by noon today. A seat will cost you 3 Gold Crowns, but you can ride on the roof for only one," the coachman said.

Luckily Ranma still retained his money pouch and paid three Gold Crowns. His feet were killing him after walking for so long. The driver nodded and pointed to the rear of the carriage where Ranma should enter. Ranma found that it was warm and dry, which made a change from walking through the wet and cold.

After six hours of travelling across the wasteland, Ranma fell asleep totally exhausted from his journey. He was woken up as he heard a bell tolling in the distance and looking out; Ranma could see the old city walls of Ragadorn. The coach passed through the west gate and pulled to a halt. He then got off the coach and started to find the next coach station that would lead him to Port Bax. From the directions he received from the old women, Ranma headed south along the East Bank Wall.

Ten minutes later after walking through rat infested streets and crossing the Ragadorn Bridge, Ranma finally made it to the rubbish-strewn thoroughfare known as East Trade Lane where he could continue the rest of his journey to Durenor. After paying the coachman all the money he had on him, Ranma bought a ticket and was led by the coachman to the coach that was waiting near the east gate of the seaport.

"I must be early." Ranma saw that the coach was empty right now.

Taking a seat, he waited patiently for the rest of the passengers to arrive. Stowing his equipment beneath his seat, but keeping his weapon concealed in his cloak just in case, he waited. It wasn't long before five more passengers arrived. Then Ranma heard the coachman calling that he was about to leave the city of Ragadorn to indicate that the journey had begun.

After half an hour, Ranma was sitting quietly talking to a nice young woman called Viveka to pass the time, as the journey would take quite some time. She was a mercenary adventuress and was going to Port Bax to claim her bounty after a success in Ragadorn. Ranma also knew who the rest of the passengers were. Sitting opposite Ranma were two knights of the order of the White Mountain, Ganon and Dorier, Halvorc the merchant, who looked like he had been badly beaten up, and Parsion, a Sommlending priest who was sitting by himself in the far corner of the coach. Ranma just said he was a foreigner visiting Port Bax to go back to his home country, as he didn't really want to reveal his true identity.

The journey to Port Bax had been an uneventful trip as for two days the coach followed the trade route across the flat, treeless Wildlands, only stopping at coastal inns so that the driver and the passengers could get some rest.

The next morning there was a dreadful accident involving the death of the coachman when they were travelling along a narrow section of coast road following a dizzy course beneath high, overhanging cliffs. As Viveka and Ranma were helping the coachman remove a large rock from the path, a boulder crashed down from the overhanging cliff, killing the Driver and narrowly missing Viveka, who Ranma just saved in time, missing them by less than six feet. Ranma at first thought it was a natural accident, but his senses told him that someone was on the cliff, and the coachman wasn't the intended victim; Ranma was.

Everyone was shocked with the death of the coachman apart from the priest who was sweating nervously. Ranma thought he was acting a bit strange, but dismissed it, for now, as they had to bury the coachman. Halvorc volunteered to drive the coach to the next town, to which the other nodded and continued but were still shocked by the death of the coachman.

***

As Ranma got off the coach, he noticed that he was in a small coastal village known as Gorn Cove, which was mainly populated by outcasts, thieves and Szalls. Dorier was trying his best to explain to the crowd that there had been a terrible accident involving the coachman. The rest of the passengers decided to rest at an inn called the Forlorn Hope where they could decide what they were going to do. Ranma was given the key to his room by the innkeeper and was told by Dorier to meet up with the rest of them in the bar in an hour. Entering his room, he noticed that it wasn't really furnished, having only a bed and a small bedside table. Deciding to rest, Ranma placed his weapon next to the bed, removed his cloak and sat down on the bed.

As he was lying down on his back, Ranma couldn't help thinking that the intended victim of the attack was supposed to be him rather that the poor coachman. Almost an hour had gone by, and Ranma was starting to feel hungry; he hadn't eaten for quite some time. Someone knocked on the door. Wondering whom it was Ranma got up and opened the door.

It was the innkeeper, carrying a hot meal on a tray.

"With the compliments of one of your friends," the innkeeper said as he handed Ranma the food.

Ranma's mouth was watering, and the food smelled most appetising. Ranma was about to tuck in when he noticed that there were a few drops of clear liquid on the side of the plate and another on the tray. At first Ranma thought it was only water, but it was quite sticky. Ranma recognised it as the sap from the gnadurn tree, which was a deadly poison, used by assassins because of its lack of flavour or scent.

Ranma wasn't really surprised by this discovery. He had expected something of this sort would happen, but he knew he had to act fast otherwise the assassin would escape.

'Poison,' Ranma thought as he expression turned from shock to anger.

Grabbing his sword, he rushed out of the room. By the time he reached the bar, all the others were seated at a large table waiting for Ranma to appear.

'Who is it?' Ranma thought, knowing he had only one shot at nailing his assassin.

Ranma decided to attack Parsion. He had acted very suspiciously, but that wasn't the reason. It was because he was able to sense something very dark emitting from the priest which was highly unusual. The priest didn't seem to be surprised by Ranma's sudden attack, and he drew out a black sword from beneath his robes. Ranma caught a glimpse of the serpent tattoo on Parsion's wrist as he wielded his black blade.

After a brief fight, Ranma had mortally wounded the priest who was currently staggering towards the wall, trying to get up. Ranma walked up to him and demanded, "Who sent you?" as he levelled his blade against his throat.

"You expect me to answer that? Go to hell!" the priest spat out as he suddenly leaned forward, impaling himself on Ranma's sword.

"You first," Ranma whispered as he removed his sword.

Ranma found the evidence to prove that he was indeed the assassin. Inside his pockets he found a half-empty vial of gnadurn sap, the deadly poison that was used to try to poison him. Also there was a scroll written in Giak, giving details of Ranma's journey to Port Bax. Ranma noticed the weapon Parsion was carrying was a Darklord blade fashioned of black steel and forged in the furnaces of Helgedad. Everyone in the room was shocked with disbelief at Ranma's sudden actions.

As he was about to explain to everyone what he had found when he heard the heavy footsteps of an armoured soldier led by the innkeeper, who was screaming at Ranma that he was a murderer and ordering the soldier to arrest him. Seeing that the soldier wouldn't listen to Ranma's explanation, he bolted through the back door, closely pursued by the town guards.

He saw a horse that was outside the inn; Ranma recognised it as a means of escape, quickly riding out of the village.

***

Escaping from the inn due to a misunderstanding, Ranma had to flee the town. He could not waste time being struck in a cell. It wasn't his fault that someone was trying to kill him, but considering that his assassin was disguised as a priest it would be difficult for Ranma to talk his way out. Even with the evidence he had found on the body the town guards would not have believed him.

It was getting dark as he travelled across the barren wastelands of the Wildlands. Ranma estimated that he was about two hundred miles from the border of Durenor. The problem was that Ranma had only enough time to escape with what he had been carrying, his sword and the Seal of Hammerdal. This meant that Ranma had no provisions with him. This normally wouldn't have been a problem as Ranma could use his Kai skill of Hunting to search for food, and would have been fine if he was anywhere else but here. The Wildlands was a harsh place where very little survived.

According to what Ranma had learnt from his Kai lessons, the Wildlands were formerly a part of the country of Cloeasia. This region was laid to waste during the formation of the Maakengorge and the subsequent geological upheaval.

'At least it's not quite a desert. Might as well find a place to camp,' Ranma thought, looking for somewhere he could camp for the night. He and his horse was feeling tired after galloping halfway across the plains.

Finding a suitable campsite in nearby rocky area, Ranma decided that he would continue the rest of his journey to the Durenese border at first light. Finding a suitable place to rest - he had even left his bedroll back at the Forlorn Hope - Ranma had to rough it with his cloak as a blanket. Ranma tried to get some sleep during the night but kept tossing and turning as visions of death and destruction kept plaguing his dreams. Suddenly Ranma woke up in a cold sweat, awoken by an inhuman screeching in the distance.

Sensing danger, Ranma got up and grabbed his sword as he looked around for the source of the noise. The inhuman screeching suddenly stopped and all was silent again. Dismissing the screeching as nothing, Ranma turned back to the camp when he heard someone approaching. Turning around, Ranma could just make out the humanoid shape of what was coming.

Ranma was sensing something very wrong with this situation. His horse was beginning to make loud noises, which Ranma could understand through his Animal Kinship; it was very nervous of this stranger. Seeing this could be a possible threat, Ranma gripped his sword in readiness but did not take up an offensive stance, as he didn't want to display the wrong message to the stranger.

Soon the stranger was close enough for Ranma to see who it was by the smouldering remains of his campfire. Ranma breathed a sign of relief that it wasn't an evil creature as he had first expected, but it was a human.

"Hi friend, what brings you out here in the Wildlands?" Ranma asked the stranger.

The stranger said nothing and kept walking towards Ranma.

Ranma was beginning to feel uneasy about this situation and unsheathed his sword, pointing it at the stranger. His senses were telling him that this human was not what he appeared to be.

"Who are you? Don't take another step or you'll regret it!" Ranma threatened.

The stranger smirked an evil grin as it started to change its shape. Ranma immediately stepped back in horror as the stranger started to change into something far, far worse than anything he had encountered before. The skin of his face appeared to writhe and change colour, growing darker and shrinking as it decayed on his skull. His eyes burned with a bright red glow and long fangs protruded from his bottom jaw.

Ranma immediately felt dizzy and disorientated as the creature was attacking him with a powerful mindforce. The creature then leapt towards the disoriented, helpless human with its sharp claw-like hands outstretched to kill him. Ranma managed to recover from the mental attack by using his Kai skill of Mindshield and sidestepped to avoid him.

'Thanks Storm Hawk, wherever you are.' Ranma gave thanks to his former tutor, as he would have been defenseless without his Mindshield; probably dead.

Ranma realised it was a Helghast, a nightmarish agent of the Darklords, and knew that his sword wouldn't even harm it as only magic and magical weapons could harm it. Ranma was in serious trouble, as he had neither magic nor any magical weapon available to him. Trying to avoid the Helghast's reach, Ranma tried to attack it with his sword but each time he landed a blow, it seemed unconcerned with the wounds it was receiving. Its goal was to kill Ranma.

In an act of desperation, Ranma threw his sword like a spear, hoping that it would stop the Helghast dead in its tracks like it had with the Vordak. His Weaponskill made sure that the sword hit its target. The sword pieced its decaying chest through and it fell backwards due to the sudden impact of Ranma's sword impaling it.

Thinking that the Helghast was dead, Ranma sat down on a large rock to regain his breath and calm his nerves as he had fought the Helghast both physically and mentally. Then Ranma heard a sudden groan behind him.

Turning around, he could see that the Helghast was upright and it noticed the sword sticking out of its chest. Clutching the handle of the sword, it pulled it out cleanly and threw the sword away. It then got to its feet, intending to finish its job.

'Oh no!' Ranma thought. He was unarmed and martial arts wouldn't do jack against an undead. He could not hurt an undead physically as it was already dead.

He had only one option left, his special Chi technique that he had begun to develop at the monastery, but hadn't been able to make it work. Banedon tired to help Ranma with the development, but couldn't do much as it relied on Chi rather than magic. The Helghast had Ranma trapped against a sheer rock face and there was no way out except through the Helghast. The Helghast approached Ranma slowly.

Then Ranma heard a voice in his head. It sounded as if someone was communicating to him telepathically, but he was unclear as to who it was. Ranma couldn't make it out as he had his Mindshield up to protect himself from the Helghast's mental attacks. Taking a risk, Ranma dropped his Mindshield in order hear more clearly what it was that they had been trying to tell him. Expecting the full impact of the Helghast's mind attack, Ranma was surprised when nothing happened, though he heard a distinct wise voice communicating mentally.

*Ranma, I don't have much time as your life is in danger. Listen to me carefully.*

Ranma listened to the voice; after all, he was out of options and there was something familiar about it, but Ranma couldn't place where he had heard it before. Ranma initially thought it was Ranko that had been trying to help him, but the voice was more masculine and wiser.

'Err... Okay,' Ranma thought.

*Clear your mind of everything. What I am going to do is transfer to you a technique that will aid you against this abomination.*

Ranma was worried about the Helghast approaching him ever closer, but did what the voice was telling him. Clearing his mind of all thought, he allowed himself to be open, leaving himself vulnerable to mental attacks. Suddenly a wave of information flooded through Ranma's mind telling him how to actually perform the special Chi technique that he had been trying to develop all this time.

Once the initial headache due to the sudden wave of information was gone, Ranma looked up at the Helghast who was now just a few metres in front of him. He smirked as he cupped his palms together as though it was second nature to him, and shouted something as a blue ball started to form in his hands.

"Möko Takabisha!"

The blue ball shot out from Ranma's hands and sent the Helghast sprawling across the ground with a large hole in its chest.

"It works! It really works!" Ranma was about to celebrate his success, but a sudden thought came to his mind.

'Maybe it's not dead?' Ranma looked over to see the body of the Helghast remaining motionless.

Not taking any chances or waiting for it to get up and attack him again, Ranma gathered his belongings and his sword. He then got on his horse and galloped away far, far away from the undead creature.

The funny thing about the technique that he just performed was that he couldn't remember how the hell he actually did it. For that brief moment it felt as if he had known the move for ages, but right now he couldn't remember. It was almost as if someone had erased the technique from his mind. The only part he did remember was the words that he had said.

'Möko Takabisha, are you confident enough to face a fierce tiger?' Ranma thought as he continued to gallop across the Wildlands.

***

Near the Border of Durenor

After the incident at Ragadorn and the dreaded encounter with the Helghast last night, Ranma decided that to avoid future dangers, he should ride all night long without sleep until he reached the border of Durenor. Ranma travelled across the Wildlands, until he saw something that he was glad to see: the landscape started to change dramatically. The barren lands of the Wildlands soon gave way to the moors and waterlogged fens of fertile lands. A dark shadow ran the length of the eastern horizon for as far as the eye could see. Ranma instantly recognised the shadow as the woodlands of Durenor Forest, and to confirm his suspicions there was a wooden sign placed in the middle of a crossroad.

*Port Bax - 50 miles*

'I'm finally home,' Ranma thought as he was indeed in Durenor.

The village that he had called his home wasn't far from here, roughly 30 miles from where Ranma was, but he couldn't waste time to visit his village; time was running out for Holmgard so he had to press on to Port Bax. Riding on his horse, Ranma headed into the thick forest of Durenor. After a few miles the path was becoming tangled and overgrown. Normally anyone would be lost in Durenor Forest for many hours at this time of day, but luckily Ranma was a skilled outdoor person, and it felt like familiar territory, similar to when he was on his training trip in China.

Eventually Ranma had to get off his horse and make his own way through the forest on foot as he found it becoming more and more difficult to navigate through the forest as the path started to get narrower as he progress further through. After several hours of navigating through the forest, Ranma heard something moving in the nearby bushes and sensed that it wasn't the woodland creatures making that noise. Expecting it to be an ambush, Ranma slowly moved his left hand to rest on the hilt of his sword, pretending that nothing had happened and continuing on as normal.

Using his martial arts and Sixth Sense, Ranma was able to tell that the mysterious person was near but waited until the person was close enough for him to strike. Listening carefully to the footsteps coming ever nearer, he waited until the mysterious person that been trailing him was just a metre away.

Suddenly Ranma immediately spun around and unsheathed his sword to engage the person that had been following him all this time. A hooded person that was somewhat familiar to Ranma expertly blocked the strike with his sword. Ranma noticed that the person was dressed in a green and brown cloak and tunic so that it blended more with the forest surroundings better. Slung over his right shoulder was a quiver full of arrows and on his tunic was a circular badge that Ranma instantly recognised.

It was the family crest of the Stormgard family.

"It's good to see you have improved, son," the hooded ranger said.

"Father, is that you?" Ranma asked with surprise as the hooded ranger pulled back his hood to reveal to reveal himself as his father, Jerek Stormgard.

"Of course! What are you doing back here in Durenor? Me and your mother didn't really expected you to come back home for another six months," Jerek replied as he re-sheathed his sword.

"I'm on a urgent mission father, I must see the King," Ranma said as he also sheathed his weapon.

"I see. How important is mission may I ask?" Jerek said. Ranma showed him the Seal of Hammerdal to show the importance of his mission.

Ranma then gave his father the bad news about what happened to the order of Kai and of the invasion of Sommerlund. The expression on Jerek's face went from astonishment to sadness, which was eventually replaced with a serious expression.

"What are we waiting for? We must go with due haste, son," Jerek said.

Ranma followed his father back to where he was currently camping and waited as he packed up his equipment and supplies to accompany Ranma to Port Bax. Jerek walked over to his horse's saddle and pulled out a cloth wrapped parcel.

"Here Ranma catch. You must be hungry after your long trek?" Jerek said as he threw to Ranma the parcel.

"Thanks, dad." Ranma caught the parcel with ease.

Carefully opening the parcel, Ranma saw there was one of Oriah's homemade oatmeal cakes and a few pieces of dry meat with slices of cheese. He hastily ate up the food because firstly, Ranma had not eaten for quite sometime, and secondly, searching for food in the Wildlands was almost impossible. Feeling much better after eating the meal, Ranma gathered his things and his horse to set off, following Jerek through the dense forest of Durenor.

Jerek knew the area of Durenor Forest like the back of his hand and led Ranma through by the quickest route. Without his father's guidance, Ranma would have taken a few hours longer even with his Kai discipline of Tracking; but Jerek knew all the dangers and shortcuts. Ranma would also have had to abandon his horse due to the difficult terrain, but Jerek found a way of dealing with that too. As they were walking, Ranma and his father started to have a small conversation to pass the time.

"So Ranma, where is your brother?" Jerek asked, wondering what his other son was doing while Ranma was on this important mission.

Ranma thought for a split second and decided not to tell about Braxus' fate until he was 100% sure that he knew what had happened to him.

"Braxus, he is with the Prince of Sommerlund," Ranma said.

"Prince Pelethar, son of King Ulnar V?"

"Err... Yes how did you know?" Ranma asked his father who smirked at his questioning.

"Ranma, before I met your mother Oriah and moved to Durenor, I was Jerek Stormgard, Commander of the Royal Arms of Sommerlund and bodyguard to the royal family of Ulnar," he stated proudly.

Ranma was surprised by Jerek's statement about his past but it did provide answers to some of the questions that been nagging Ranma.

'No wonder he's so good with the sword. And I thought he was just a simple border ranger,' Ranma thought as he remembered the difficult training regime with his father in swordmanship and their constant arguments.

Jerek always said that in some situations relying on purely martial arts was not enough, but using weapons combined with his skill would always give him the extra edge in a life or death situation.

"Father, why did you give up your position as commander?" asked Ranma, wanting to know more about his family history.

"Ranma, let me tell you something about life. Once you meet someone special, you would give up everything to be with her and make her happy, so that's what I did with your mother Oriah. I followed my heart," Jerek said.

Ranma nodded in acknowledgement as he took in his father's words of wisdom.

"So have you met someone special yet?" Jerek asked.

There was a moment of silence as Ranma started to look somewhere else to avoid answering his father's question.

"So Ranma I take the silence as a yes?" teased Jerek.

'Hmm... Ranma never acted like this before. He always seems confident in his abilities. Maybe he had found someone,' Jerek thought.

"Dad!" Ranma hastily replied. Jerek started to laugh at his sudden shyness.

'This is so embarrassing! At least he's is not as bad as Auntie Saria,' Ranma thought.

"Alright son, I'll leave it at that. Anyway what is Braxus doing?" Jerek said to change the subject.

"Protecting the Prince."

"Acting as a Royal Bodyguard, very interesting," Jerek said, proud that his two sons were doing so well.

"Dad, how long before we reach Port Bax?" Ranma asked, aware of his tiredness due to a lack of sleep. Ranma had been awake for quite some time now, as there always seemed to be someone out there, trying to kill him. Also, his feet were killing him.

"Not long, just over this moor and we should be there," Jerek said as he pointed ahead.

Five minutes later, Ranma and his father were heading north following the river as it ran parallel to the Rymerift, the rushing waters of which were said to be over one mile deep. In the distance, Ranma could spot with his keen eyesight a bridge that spanned the dark water at its narrowest point. A small hut with a flat roof had been erected in the centre, and on top of it stood two soldiers. A sign pointed across the bridge.

*Port Bax*

"Halt! Who wishes to enter Port Bax?" demanded one of the guards.

"Hey Duncan, it's me Jerek Stormgard. How's the wife?" Jerek said to one of the guards. It took a while for the guard to recognise him due to the darkness.

"Oh, hi Jerek. It's been awhile since I seen you and Violet is fine, thanks for asking. Who is that with you?" Duncan said as he lowered his weapon.

"Duncan, meet Ranma, my son." Jerek introduced his son to his friend.

"Hi." Ranma waved as Duncan did the same.

"Duncan, are you going to let us in?" asked Jerek.

"Sure, but what's the password?" Duncan smirked.

"Duncan, you know who I am so let me in."

"Rules are rules, Jerek. You should know by now, they have to be upheld."

"Fine, it's Sunset Sunrise," Jerek replied with the password.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it Jerek?" Duncan smiled as he allowed Ranma and Jerek to Port Bax.

"You owe me a drink you know that?" Jerek said.

"Same place, same time," Duncan said as Jerek gave him the thumbs up.

As they crossed the bridge, Ranma asked who Duncan was, and Jerek replied that he was an old friend that he had met long ago.

***

Crossing the bridge, Ranma saw a familiar sight: the great harbour of Durenor, Port Bax. Like a diamond set in the green velvet shore, the towers of the city glimmered in the pale light of a waxing moon. To the north of the port was the formidable warfleet of the Durenese navy. To the east, beyond the moss covered city wall stretched the forest of Durenor and there, on the crest of a hill, stood a castle tall and proud, the crowning glory of this beautiful port.

"Come on Ranma. There is no time for sightseeing! We must head to city hall immediately," Jerek said when Ranma stopped to admire the city.

Hearing Jerek calling him, Ranma snapped out of his sightseeing and quickly started to chase after his father who was already some way ahead of him.

"Hey wait up!" Ranma called out.

Ten minutes later, both Ranma and Jerek were outside the city hall. Walking up the wide stone steps of the domed building, they entered city hall.

Inside city hall, the main chamber was quite well furnished and illuminated. Near the main entrance sat a kindly old man with a long beard. He was currently studying a huge leather-bound book that was as old as he was. Walking up to the old man, Ranma announced himself, sure that the old man hasn't noticed him yet, being too busy concentrating on the book.

Jerek coughed loudly to get the old man's attention.

"Oh hello there, sorry about that. Welcome to Port Bax city hall, how may I help you?" the old man said as he looked up to see Ranma and Jerek standing there.

"Yes, you can help us alright," Jerek said as he nudged Ranma to announce himself.

"Do you know where the Consulate of Sommerlund is?" Ranma asked.

"Of course. It is in Alin Square, near the harbour. Turn right when you leave and right again at the end of the avenue. That will take you to the Red Gate. Here you will need a red card as the consulate is in the naval quadrant of the city which is a restricted area," the old man said.

Ranma was about to ask the old man where to get a red card until Jerek interrupted him.

"Don't worry Ranma, I already got one," Jerek said as he showed Ranma his red permit card.

Ranma bid farewell to the old man as they left city hall and, following the directions from the old man, they immediately headed toward the Consulate of Sommerlund. Ranma was wondering how well connected his father really was in Durenor. Walking down the street, Ranma could see a large red gate at the end and noticed that two soldiers guarded it. Ranma could also make out the masts of ships moored in the harbour but couldn't make out too many details as it was dark now.

Jerek approached one of the guards and showed him his red permit card. After a brief moment they saluted him and allowed Ranma and Jerek to pass through the red gate. The two walked into an open square lit by the tall beacons lining the quayside. Ranma instantly recognised the marble pillars of the Sommerlund Consulate and the sun - flags of Sommerlund.

'That must be the Sommerlund Consulate,' Ranma thought as he and his father climbed the stone steps.

The Guards at the entrance instantly recognised Ranma and disappeared inside, quickly returning in the company of a tall grey haired official. His anguished expression suddenly changed to a smile of joy as he beheld Ranma's ragged cloak and tunic. He also noticed Jerek standing next to Ranma and immediately recognised him and saluted, Jerek doing likewise in response.

"Thank the gods that you live, Kai Lord. The scant news that has reached us from the west has caused us great alarm."

"Obviously, the news is false as I am still here," Ranma replied.

"That is good to hear, Kai Lord."

The officer quickly ushered Ranma and Jerek inside and took them immediately to the envoy of Sommerlund, Lord Lieutenant Rhygar, Consulate of Sommerlund

***

Consulate of Sommerlund

When he entered the lavishly decorated room, Ranma was quite surprised, as he had half expected him to be servile old man. Lord Rhygar was somewhat different to what Ranma expected; clad in heavy chainmail, he was neither old nor servile. He sort of resembled Jerek in build and appearance, but lacked the uniform of a Sommlending Knight.

"Lord Rhygar, may I introduce Kai Lord Wild Horse and Lord Stormgard." The officer announced their presence as Lord Rhygar was currently studying a map of Magnamund.

Lord Rhygar immediately recognised Jerek and the Kai Lord by Ranma's uniform. He walked up to Ranma and shook his hand.

"I am indeed heartened by your presence Lord Wild Horse. It must have been a difficult journey here and your arrival here shows you are a exceptional Kai Lord," Lord Rhygar said. He then looked to the person standing next to Ranma as a smile slowly crept to his face.

"Jerek Stormgard. My, my how long has it been since we saw each other... two... three years?" Lord Rhygar greeted as he saw the former legendary commander of Sommerlund and old friend.

'How many people does dad know?' Ranma thought as he watched Jerek reunite with his old friend and battle brother.

"It's good to see again Rhygar and it's been two years. How are you?" Jerek smiled as he gave him a firm handshake.

"Fine, thanks for asking. How is family life doing?"

"Very well although I do miss some of the adventures that we had, Rhygar."

"I understand. And how is Oriah doing?"

"She doing well and she also with child."

"Well congratulations! I never expected you to be a family guy."

"Me neither but that's the way life is."

"True," Rhygar said as Jerek nodded.

"Lord Wild Horse, Jerek may I offer you something to eat?" Rhygar suggested.

Receiving warm approval and a nod from Ranma, Rhygar ordered a large sumptuous meal, which Ranma thought was far the best food he had tasted since the war began. During the meal, they began to talk about Jerek's and Rhygar's past history when they were in the king's service.

Ranma learnt that Lord Rhygar was born of a Sommlending father and a Durenese mother and that he and Jerek had had many adventures together. Both Lord Stormgard and Rhygar were known as legends in this city by the tales of their courage and heroism told about them. Both Jerek and Rhygar were quite similar characters; both were wise in peace and fierce in war.

Ranma listened with keen interest as they talked about when they had managed to defeat the invading armies of the Ice Barbarians of Kalte or when they had negotiated a peaceful settlement with two warring nations. Rhygar was surprised that Jerek had adopted Ranma and that he and his other son Braxus were becoming Kai Lords. Rhygar even considered finding someone nice and settling down like his old friend Jerek had done with Oriah.

"Lord Wild Horse..." Rhygar said.

"Call me Ranma for now," Ranma said. He was too tired and being called Lord all the time was beginning to annoy him.

"Of course, Ranma. We leave for Hammerdal at first light. Escorting us will be three of my best men who will act as bodyguards and guides as Hammerdal is about 230 miles from here."

"Good, as time is against us," Ranma said as he finished off his meal.

"It always is, isn't that right Jerek?" Rhygar said, and Jerek nodded with approval as they, too, had been in that type of situation.

After they had finished their meal, Lord Rhygar sent for someone to help patch up Ranma's Kai tunic, and a physician to attend to any wounds they might have sustained. After that he led Ranma and Jerek to their chamber to rest up before they set off on the final part of their journey to the Durenese capital, Hammerdal.

***

Next Day - Outside the Consulate of Sommerlund

It was early morning. Ranma and his father Jerek were already awake and dressed when Rhygar had come knocking on the room and led them to the enclosed garden at the rear of the consulate. In the garden area were three soldiers standing next to their horses, dressed in full battle uniform. Ranma could tell that they were experienced veterans who had already faced death and survived.

Ranma was given a fine horse, as they would accompany him to Hammerdal. Mounting his horse, he noticed that his father was standing next to him without a horse.

"Are you coming with us, Father?" Ranma asked, to which Jerek shook his head.

"No son. I'll have to go back and check on your mother's condition. Besides, I'm sure that Rhygar can take care of things, right Rhygar?" Jerek said as he noticed Lord Rhygar approaching behind Ranma.

"Indeed, there is nothing in Magnamund that will stop our mission to Hammerdal," Lord Rhygar said proudly as he turned to face Ranma.

"My Lord, we should be setting off now," Rhygar said.

Ranma nodded in acknowledgement.

"Goodbye Father," Ranma said.

"Good luck on your journey. Perhaps me and your mother will see you in Hammerdal," Jerek said.

He waved Ranma goodbye and they left the Consulate compound. The streets of Port Bax were just beginning to come to life as Ranma, Rhygar and their bodyguards rode through the town. They headed for Hammerdal, little knowing the dangers that lay ahead for Ranma and his companions.

***

For roughly four days, Ranma, Rhygar and their escort travelled through Durenor without too much trouble or any real problems. They had ridden along the highway, following the route up to the river valley of the Durenon. In the distance were the peaks of the Hammerdal Mountains. In the centre of the peaks was their objective: The Capital City of Durenor - Hammerdal

They were currently travelling along a well-used path that would lead them across Durenor, and so far everything seemed to be going smoothly. As Ranma was walking along the road, Ranma sensed something in the air that was familiar to him and brought back dread memories.

'Oh crap! It can't be them,' Ranma thought as he saw six hooded riders appear on the forest highway blocking their path.

Lord Lieutenant Rhygar demanded that they should let them pass as they were on a royal mission. Seeing that the hooded riders were not moving or allowing them to pass, Lord Rhygar immediately unsheathed his weapon.

"If you do not care for reason, perhaps our swords will turn your tails!" Rhygar threatened the cloaked riders who didn't seem impressed.

"Rhygar, we must escape now," Ranma said.

"What do you mean?" Lord Rhygar said, confused.

"I mean we cannot not hope to defeat these guys as I have fought with one of them and barely succeed."

"Why can't we defeat them?" asked an even more confused Rhygar.

"Because they are Helghast," Ranma said in quiet voice.

Hearing those words made Lord Rhygar's blood froze. The Helghast were powerful undead beings and were extremely difficult to kill; but that wasn't what made the Helghast so dangerous. It was their ability to adopt human form like assassins. Rhygar had only encountered them once before, and that was bad enough.

"Ranma, leave now! We shall take care of them," Rhygar shouted. Ranma was about to reply against Rhygar's order but saw the cold determination in the Lord Lieutenant's eyes as he aided his men in fighting off the Demons.

Ranma galloped down the road, but not before seeing one of the riders raising a black staff high above its head. Seconds later, a blue flame shot out towards Ranma. Luckily Ranma was able to leap clear from his horse before it got vaporised by the blue flames, but the force of the blast pushed him sideways and he tumbled into the undergrowth. Ranma was lying face down in the tangle of thick bracken. As he got up, someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Immediately, Ranma spun around and drew his sword.

Expecting it to be one of them, Ranma was surprised but also relieved that it was Rhygar, but looked like crap as his face was bloodied and his armor was battered and charred.

"Rhygar, are you all right?" asked Ranma.

'Stupid question!' Ranma thought.

"To be truthful no, I'm not but thanks for asking. We must flee these demons, Wild Horse. Strength and steel will be no use here."

They quickly slipped away under the cover of the wooded hillside. Ranma used his Kai discipline of Camouflage to aid their escape, but couldn't do anything for the doomed escort as the Helghasts continued to slaughter Rhygar's men.

Ranma and Rhygar managed to run non-stop as they continued to increase the gap between them and their Helghast pursuers. Ranma was impressed with Rhygar's endurance and determination, as he wasn't young man and he was clothed in the heavy armor of a Sommlending Knight. Ranma was beginning to feel tired and fatigued as they ran. They would only stop when they had reached the entrance to Tarnalin, the western tunnel through the Hammerdal Mountains. After four hours of running they had finally reached the entrance, but both of them were extremely exhausted; despite his training, Ranma was tired too.

The Tarnalin was one of three tunnels of Durenor that were excavated during the age of the Black Moon, and each tunnel was over forty miles long and passed through the huge circle of mountains known as the Hammerdal Range to the capital. These tunnels provided the only access to the city.

Rhygar sat beside Ranma and took some bread and meat from his pack.

"Eat this. You must sustain your strength for the journey to Hammerdal, for from here you must venture alone through the Tarnalin. I will stay and hold back those Demons. Do not argue Ranma."

"But you're up against six of them, and there's only one of you. How can you possibly hope that you will succeed?" Ranma said as he pointed out the facts.

"Trust me, it is not as bad as you think. This will be a piece of cake, and I've faced worse. Besides, I've got some tricks that will take care of them."

"Like what?" Ranma asked with interest, wanting to learn an alternative way of defeating them.

"It's a secret," Rhygar simply said as Ranma facefaulted on the ground.

"Ranma get up and go now will you!" Rhygar ordered as he pointed down the tunnel.

Ranma bid farewell to Rhygar and entered Tarnalin.

***

Tarnalin

For more than an hour, Ranma was walking down the huge tunnel. As he continued, Ranma was having a nagging feeling as for more than an hour, he hadn't seen anyone or any creature along the path. Then Ranma noticed someone ahead having trouble with an overturned wagon and Ranma decided to help so he walked over to see what he could do.

Approaching slowly, Ranma called out to the person to see if he needed help but didn't receive a response. Thinking that he didn't hear his calling, Ranma walked closer. Suddenly Ranma's danger senses were telling him it was trap. Stepping back slowly, he looked around to confirm what he senses were telling him. The man attending to the wagon turned around and revealed himself as a Helghast. Two more came behind the wagon and surrounded Ranma as they drew their black steel blades.

Three Helghast surrounded Ranma and seeing how difficult defeating one was without a magical weapon, Ranma knew he was in serious trouble. Knowing that steel wouldn't work, maybe martial arts would. Ranma kicked the sword out of one the Helghast's hands to disarm him. He then kicked another one in the head but it didn't seem to be concerned with its head snapped at an awkward angle. None of the moves that Ranma made seems to slow them down; they just kept getting up from Ranma's martial arts attacks. Running out of options, he started...

To use one of the oldest Saotome techniques, one that he would have never thought he would use.

"Saotome Ryü Ögi - "Sö, Kö, Kö" Ranma shouted and ran away.

(Translation: Saotome school ultimate secret - run, think, attack)

The classic move that anyone in their right mind (even Genma) would use if they were up against three almost invincible undead creatures:

RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

So that was what Ranma Stormgard did, he ran not because he was a coward, but because he needed time to work out what the hell he was going to do.

'Come on Ranma, think?' Ranma thought as he continued to run as fast as he could while devise a plan.

Ranma was running out of time as the Helghasts were slowly catching up with him. Along the tunnel path, Ranma noticed several sharp looking stalactites above him, which gave him a good idea.

Stopping immediately, Ranma turned to face the Helghasts who also stopped, wondering why this human had stopped running.

Ranma shouted as loud as he could and it echoed in the huge tunnel. The good news was it had caused the stalactites to start crashing down from the ceiling, killing one the Helghasts in a painful way. The bad news was Ranma was in the immediate area of one of the falling stalactites. He dodged it and bolted to a nearby tunnel to avoid getting killed.

'Oh $&$&%£$%!' Ranma thought. It had seemed such good idea when he first thought of it

Ranma had managed to escape the danger, but as he was running Ranma tripped over a rock and fell face first onto the cavern floor. Trying to get up, Ranma found that he had strained his ankle badly. Looking up, Ranma came was face to face with the only surviving Helghast. Seeing Ranma was unable to move, the Helghast raised its cursed weapon above his head to deliver the final blow. Ranma thought he was doomed as he closed his eyes to receive the painful blow.

It never came.

Ranma opened his eyes to see what had happened to the undead creature. Expecting to be face to face with the undead, what he saw wasn't a Helghast but...

Long flowing red hair and bright blue eyes were staring directly at him.

"Ranko! What are you doing here and where is that Helghast?" Ranma asked as he jerked back at the sudden closeness. Ranko just pouted at him cutely.

"Silly Horsey, I came to help you and that disgusting creature... hmm... let's say its been dealt with," Ranko replied as she helped Ranma get to his feet.

Noticing Ranma's strained ankle, Ranko touched it with her finger that started to glow to heal his ankle. Ranma soon found that his ankle was all right and wasn't hurting anymore.

"Thanks Ranko," Ranma said, appreciative of Ranko's help.

"No problem, Horsey."

"Err... Ranko you don't suppose you know a way out?" Ranma asked, sure he was lost in the tunnels.

"Of course I know a way out. Here let me show you."

Ranko moved next to Ranma's side. He was getting a bit nervous as Ranko snuggled up a bit too close to him.

"Now put your right arm around my waist," Ranko said.

"Is this really necessary?" questioned Ranma, a bit hesitant about putting his arm around Ranko's slim waist.

"You want to get out don't you?" Ranko pretended to be annoyed at Ranma.

"Err... of course I do."

"Just do what I instruct okay," Ranko said and Ranma nodded.

Ranma slowly wrapped his arm around Ranko's waist and in blink of an eye and a flash, she teleported Ranma near to the exit of the tunnel. Ranma was trying to get his bearings as Ranko's teleportation trick had left him disorientated - or was it because Ranko was happily snuggling up to his side a bit too much.

"Ranko, where are we?" asked Ranma.

"We're near the exit of Tarnalin and the city of Hammerdal is just over there," Ranko pointed.

"Thanks Ranko for everything," Ranma said as he gathered up enough courage to give Ranko a quick kiss on the cheek.

"No problem Ranma, I have to go now," Ranko said. She then turned from him quickly to avoid Ranma seeing her blushing the same colour as her hair.

'Never thought he would have the courage to kiss me by himself,' Ranko thought as she touched her cheek where Ranma had kissed her.

She then vanished leaving Ranma to make his own way to Hammerdal.

***

Ranma was in a hurry, as he had to get to Hammerdal before any more trouble came up. So he ran, estimating that had to cover at least three miles. Ranma then noticed a group of wagons in the distance that seemed to form a barricade along the road and he instantly recognised the red uniforms as Durenese soldiers along the barricade.

Ranma could hear the excited chatter echoing along the tunnel and as Ranma got closer, there was a sudden silence as the soldiers spotted Ranma along the path. Then a detachment of ten soldiers, led by a knight whose shield bore the Royal Arms of Durenor advanced towards Ranma.

Ranma decided to raise his hands in peace, as he had sensed no evil aura from them as he had from the Helghasts.

"Err... Hi," Ranma said as the soldiers surrounded him.

Ranma allowed the soldiers to disarm him and take his backpack, wanting to show them he meant no harm and that he was friendly. Once the soldiers had searched Ranma's clothing, the knight stepped forward and raised the visor of his helm.

"Who are you? What is your purpose in Tarnalin?" the Knight demanded in a gruff voice.

Ranma thought for a second and decided to reveal his true identity to the Knight.

"Kai Lord Wild Horse of Sommerlund. I'm on an urgent mission to King Alin," Ranma stated.

The Knight seemed unconvinced because of Ranma's foreign looks and his story.

"Tell me Wild Horse, why should I believe you are a Kai Lord as you are obviously not a Sommlending?" questioned the Knight.

"I'm am a Kai Lord and I must meet the king." Ranma tried to persuade the Knight that he really was a Kai Lord and that his story was true. He then revealed the Seal of Hammerdal to the Knight and his Kai badge as evidence of his story.

The Knight was surprised for a split second but regained his composure at the sight of the Seal of Hammerdal. Without hesitation he ordered his men to return Ranma's weapons and belongings and ushered him through the wall of wagons. Ranma was then led to a horse drawn carriage waiting in the centre of the crowded tunnel.

"Back to Hammerdal without delay!" the Knight ordered the driver of the carriage. Ranma almost lost his balance due to the sudden speed that the coach was moving at.

The Knight then sat down opposite Ranma in the coach. Taking off his helmet, he introduced himself.

"I'm sorry for not believing you Lord Wild Horse," the Knight apologised.

"It's okay, I get that a lot around here."

"Well my name is Lord Axim of Ryme, Commander of King Alin's personal bodyguards, at your service." The Knight offered his hand in friendship.

"Nice to meet you, Lord Axim. Can you tell me what has happened here?" Ranma shook his hand.

"We had to be careful around here as me and ten of my warriors were the only survivors when we were ambushed by Helghasts as we entered Tarnalin from Port Bax. We first thought you were a Helghast, as you know that they can take on human form, so I am sorry for the rude welcome. Where is your escort? " Lord Axim said.

"We were on our way to Hammerdal with Lord Rhygar and his men when we too were ambushed by those Helghasts," Ranma replied. Lord Axim nodded in understanding.

'I do hope that Rhygar is okay,' Ranma thought, not wanting Rhygar to be part of the casualties of war.

Ranma started to talk to Lord Axim about his journey and the many dangers he had encountered to pass the time because it would still take roughly about five hours to get to Hammerdal.

"My Lord, you should get some rest now as the journey to Hammerdal will take a while," Lord Axim suggested.

"Sure, just wake me up when we get there."

"Of course Lord Wild Horse." Ranma started to drift off to sleep in the coach while Lord Axim was constantly looking out for any trouble.

Ranma started to dream some good dreams for once since he left Holmgard. He dreamt that he was wielding the Sommerswerd, and his brother had returned to Holmgard and together they would lift the siege of Holmgard and kick the Darklords' forces back to where they came from.

***

"Lord Wild Horse, it's time for you to wake up. We have almost reached Hammerdal," Lord Axim said as he tried to wake Ranma up from his peaceful sleep.

"Huh... what, we already here?" Ranma said as he woke up with a yawn.

"Yes, Lord Wild Horse, see," Lord Axim said as he pointed outside the coach.

What Lord Axim was pointing at was the breathtaking spectacle of Hammerdal, the Mountain City, the capital of Durenor. What made Hammerdal more impressive than any other city that Ranma had seen was that Hammerdal did not need any man made fortification as the encircling peaks of the Hammerdal Range offered a far more secure protection to the people within. Hammerdal was made up of many towers and wide streets, and was surrounded by lush farmlands.

Twenty minutes later, the carriage halted at the tower gates. Ranma looked up at the King's tower; a magnificent structure made of glass and stone. Lord Axim then led Ranma to their King, Alin IV.

Entering the tower, Ranma thought about the trials he had had to go through. Then suddenly Ranma realised that he would be receiving the legendary weapon Sommerswerd and he would become part of the oldest legend of the Lastlands. Once they entered the throne room of the King's tower, Ranma could see King Alin IV sitting alone in his domed tower, viewing the mountain domain through one the many portals of tinted glass. The throne was quite impressive, decorated similarly to the court of Holmgard.

King Alin IV was a fine, regal figure, noted for his wisdom and fairness of judgement. He did his best to appear considerate and kindly, no matter how aggravating the person he was faced with. The King was not a man of action, preferring to settle things through negotiation and alternate methods rather than resort to war. However, if Durenor were to be threatened, he would defend his country to the bitter end.

Ranma and Lord Axim were formally announced as Ranma entered the chamber and bowed respectfully to his Majesty. Lord Axim turned to Ranma and asked if he could have the Seal of Hammerdal so that he could show it to the King. Upon receiving the ring, he walked over to the King's side. Ranma waited patiently as Lord Axim and the King talked about recent events. Ranma noticed their somber faces reflecting the seriousness of the situation and was wondering what would happen after this.

After an hour, the King rose from his throne and addressed Ranma for the first time since Ranma had entered the King's chamber. Lord Axim was standing next to the King, waiting for the King to speak to Ranma.

"Alas, the Darklords have woken once more, and once more does Sommerlund come in search of our aid. I had prayed that my reign would be remembered as a time of peace and fulfillment but in my heart I knew it was to be otherwise."

The King then removed a golden key from the pocket of his white robe and inserted it into a marble dais standing in the centre of the chamber. A gentle humming filled the room as the stone cover slid back to reveal the hilt of a golden sword.

The king then stepped back from the marble dais and turned around to face Ranma.

"Take the sword, Wild Horse. It was foretold that only a true lord of Sommerlund could release the powers that lie within its blade. If you really are a true Kai lord then its powers will be revealed to you."

Ranma was of course nervous, having learnt from Storm Hawk's tutoring was that only a Kai Lord may wield it, and that if the Sommerswerd was wielded by anyone else apart from a Kai Lord then its powers would fade and be lost forever. Ranma did qualify as a Kai lord as he had taken the Kai oath when he began his training at the monastery, and the senior Lords considered him as part of their order.

The problem was that Ranma was not born in Sommerlund or even on Magnamund. He just hoped that it was enough for him to wield the sword. Looking around, Ranma could see Lord Axim and King Alin watching his every move, having the same doubts as Ranma. Lord Axim was sure that Ranma was worthy of wielding the Sword of the Sun. Seeing him a bit nervous and hesitant to approach the golden sword, Lord Axim spoke up to encourage Ranma.

"Kai Lord, from what I have heard from you about your perilous journey from Holmgard to Hammerdal you are indeed brave and courageous as to accept such a dangerous mission. Surely the agents of Naar would have stopped at nothing to make sure you failed. But here you are in Hammerdal and alive. I truly believe that you are indeed a true lord of the Kai despite your background or appearance, and as a true Kai lord, you would do everything in your power to protect the people in your care and uphold what is good in this world. So go on and take the sword of the Sun, Wild Horse of Kai."

Hearing Lord Axim's encouraging speech, Ranma was filled with confidence as he proudly walked toward the marble dais. He then reached out and grasped the glowing hilt of the Sommerswerd.

'It's now or never. For Kai and for Sommerlund,' Ranma thought.

Picking up the golden sword, Ranma felt a tingling sensation ran up his sword arm and started to spread across his body as the power radiating from the Sommerswerd now radiated in him. Ranma felt his senses being overwhelmed as the true power of the Sommerswerd flowed, and instinctively he raised the blade above his head, allowing a shaft of sunlight to catch the very tip of the blade, flooding the chamber with a blinding white glow.

The King and Lord Axim watched with keen interest and at once were satisfied that Ranma Stormgard aka Wild Horse was a worthy wielder of the Sommerswerd. They both nodded with approval - and also relief - as the sword glowed brighter than even rather than fading, as they had feared would happen.

Slowly the light started to fade and Ranma started to regain his senses. During that moment of touching the blade, he was oblivious to his surroundings or anyone around him. Lord Axim approached Ranma and placed his hand on Ranma's shoulder.

"Come, Wild Horse, there is much to prepare for your return to Sommerlund."

Ranma sheathed the Sommerswerd in its jewelled scabbard and followed Lord Axim as he left the King's chamber.

TBC...

***