Chapter 10

Kingdom of Flaim

Ranma led his group, which now had grown from four... To eight as his mother, the Tendo girls which were now Saotome girls, thanks to his mother, and the good Doctor Tofu had joined them through a rather unique process. He didn't think Tofu knew the people he did, but Ranma was glad he did. While it was painful to see Kasumi and Nabiki again, he was happy to see his mother. Nodoka had explained to Ranma the situation after he was knocked into the portal, the funerals he missed and the girls' adoption. Even though both girls were of age, their emotional instability at the time had the government convinced enough to allow Nodoka to take them in. So now Ranma had two sisters which he simply took in stride, they would've been his sisters anyway if he and Akane had married.

The group stopped in a grove of trees, as Ranma asked his mother for the shrines of his father and Akane. His mother gave them to him, then walking to a clearing he knelt down, and put them on the ground. Then using his ki, to light the incense, and clapped his hands together as he began to pay his respects. He felt Pirotess arrive to his left and kneel down just as he had done. "I have seen things like this in your memories beloved, can you explain to me how you do this ritual of passing?"

Ranma smiled softly, "It's not too hard to do, just think of a prayer you wish to send. Then you clap your hands together, and then begin your prayers."

Pirotess nodded looking at the two shrines she glare at Genma's. "Do they have to be pleasant prayers?" Ranma chuckled and shook his head no.

"Nah, he don't really deserve it, I'm only sending him one. It's Akane that I'll be sending my good ones to," he said softly closing his eyes and clapped his hands again

Pirotess nodded, as she closed her eyes and clapped her hands together. She didn't send any prayers to Genma. It was more like curses and hexes, and she hoped it would make him scream in violent torture wherever his soul was. She didn't really send any prayers to Akane either, more like promises and guarantees, something she hoped the quick tempered young girl would understand, in her place in the after life. When she finished she opened her eyes and saw Ranma bowing deeply facing Akane's shrine. Pirotess quietly followed his example hoping that Akane would receive her assurances. With that Ranma finished his bow and leaned back up looking troubled. "What is the matter, love?"

"Thinking of some of the stuff I promised myself I would do that day the demon attacked. Damn pervert had to ruin everything by being petty, couldn't take the fact I beat him," the pigtailed martial artist slumped slightly thinking about all things he wanted to accomplish and never had been able to. Then he felt Pirotess gently pull him into a warm embrace, and for the first time since he fell out of the portal he shed tears.

Slader sat back smoking his pipe looking well, Nabiki raised her eyebrow at the Gnome, "You seem high and mighty, right now?"

"Oh yeah, getting home to my village, I'm going to throw a big banquet, to mark the occasion where the Gnomes second smallest group of people swear allegiance to a boy who rescued their Chief," he chuckled lightly.

"I saw in the mirror the Dark Elves did the same thing what kind of significance is that anyway?' Nabiki asked more to get information than anything, she doubt she could restart that in this world but she'd love to try.

"Basically if your brother asked us to take up arms for him, to fight a war or heck start one we'd do it without question. We haven't met Granite's tribe but just by asking for his friendship, your brother, has gained the entire Troll nation has his ally. If you think the Gnomes are getting the short end of this, you're sadly mistaken," Slader stated puffing his pipe. "Though the boy probably doesn't understand it, nor would he care if he did."

Nabiki smirked slightly she understood it well, "How big are these tribes?"

Slader shrugged, "Can't say for the Dark Elves. Since they have thirteen governing heads, well twelve now... One of the heads represents to my estimate of about 10,000 Dark Elves, male, female, and children are mostly trained as warriors since birth. Trolls at least 30,000 of them are scattered throughout the mountain ranges in the North. As for my people, I can tell you we're not small in number ourselves, I rule over 20,000 and that's one big headache if you ask me," he chuckled slightly. Nabiki quietly did the math in her head... She made a low whistle as she tallied it up. Slader chuckled, "As you can see if your brother asked us to, he be sitting on the throne of Valis by the end of the month.

"But he wouldn't do that," Nabiki stated confidently. "He's been many things, but a tyrant isn't one of them."

Slader nodded puffing his pipe again, "And that's why those that swear allegiance to him do so, because whenever he asks us to go to war it'll be damn good reason. The boy has too much purity of the heart to be like what this Emperor Beld was."

"So tell us Slader what was it like around here before Ranma appeared?" Tofu asked, his D&D nerd side getting to him.

The Gnome sipped some ale he had in a flask wiping his mouth, "Pretty horrific, according to the Dark Elf, there was a war between Marmo and Valis, since you don't know who they are let me explain," Slader replied as he cleared his throat. "I'd say roughly thirty years ago, war broke out between some wizard in the Far East beyond the desert Kingdom of Flaim. The wizard had created some sort of demonic army... Well six heroes were called upon to find and destroy the magical item that gave the wizard the ability to summon demons. Two knights, a warrior priest of Falis, a High Elf, a thief, and a wizard. The two knights were given special swords, sister swords that had the power to destroy magical items...A demon sword, and a holy sword if I wasn't mistaken."

"That doesn't sound good, putting swords that are polar opposites together for this journey," Nodoka whispers.

"It didn't happen while they accomplished their task. The wizard's demonic army vanished before Valis had been breeched. But the one who wielded the Demon sword began to succumb to its power, Beld. He didn't know it at first and by the time he realized it, it was far too late. He left Lodoss for a time gathering followers asking for aide from trusted friends in the Goblins and the Dark Elves. It all accumulated in the war that began a year ago, and I believed ended in Marmo, when the wizard Wagnard tried to resurrect the Goddess Kardis, but a free knight by the name of Parn stopped him. I heard he'd used both the Holy and Demon swords to pierce the shell that sealed the High Elf, Wagnard tried to use as a sacrifice," Slader explained looking up at the clouds. "Or so rumors are pointing... Personally I'm not real good with rumors, I deal in facts and bloodshed," he chuckles taking another sip out of his flask.

Ranma and Pirotess rejoined them shortly after there prayers to the shrines of Akane and Genma. Ranma looked worn out, and yet at the same time, he looked better than he had in a long while. "So how far is it to your village Slader?" the pigtailed boy asked.

Slader casually waved his hands, "Bout another full day then we reach home sweet home," he smiled slightly. "So judging by the look of peace on your face, the Elf show you a good time?"

Pirotess blushed while Ranma looked confused, "She and I were sending prayers to my father and my dead fiancée. I hardly consider it a good time," Ranma stated crossing his arms.

The Dark Elf leaned over to Ranma and whispered something into his ear, Nabiki who had been watching the exchange and started to smirk. "Still as naive as ever." she thought, apparently the Dark Elf was explaining to Ranma, what the Gnome meant by his statement. When the Elf dropped her hand and stepped back from him, Nabiki could've sworn, she saw a vein pop out of Ranma's forehead for a split second.

"Perverted little Gnome," the former Tendo girl turned Saotome started giggling. "Hey it's not funny Nabiki!" Ranma's shouted, as his face turned as red as his armor.

Nodoka chuckled softly as they began to pack up and continue traveling again. It was tiresome though, since arriving in this new world the group had spent a bare minimum of time in villages, usually because of their huge companion. Nodoka never liked to travel as much as her husband and son, but she hoped that they could find a town or city soon.

The group passed through a broad dry field that overlooked a familiar mountain range, well familiar to Ranma and Pirotess. Stopping suddenly, Ranma looked up at the huge mountain which was smoking slightly from the opening at the top, no longer housing the dragon Shooting Star. He looked over at Pirotess who nodded and giggled slightly. "I don't know how we did it, but we're right back to where Pirotess and I started," Ranma grumbled.

Slader blinked, "Weren't we heading northwest?"

"Those days of fog and cloud cover must've turned us around somehow," Granite said softly.

The Gnome growled softly kicking a rock and crossing his arms looking annoyed, "Great, just perfect, damn fog screwed up our directions and the clouds couldn't let us check our course at night. So what now, by the time I return home, my brother will already be crowned Chieftain."

Ranma scratched his head looking to Pirotess for guidance, "Is there any place around this area outside that one place we came to when we first met, I am not lettin' those perverts touchin' my mom and sisters."

Pirotess nodded though she was reluctant to mention it, "The Kingdom of Flaim isn't far from here, though I don't except to get a well received welcome," she said softly.

Ranma gently took her hand and smiled to her, "If they try to hurt ya they got to get past me," he said causing his mother and sisters to gush.

"And they say chivalry is dead," Nabiki stated.

It took most of the remaining day to cut across the desert sands to reach the Kingdom of Flaim. The centerpiece of the Kingdom was a large busling city, which looked right out of the movie 'Aladdin.' Adobe lined buildings, a central marketplace, and hundreds of people giving the group glares, open stares, and hostile glances as they walked along. Most of them staring were situated on one individual, and this time it wasn't Granite. Having been in several battles with the people of Flaim working under Ashram and Beld, apparently many of the people had long memories. Pirotess was certain that if she had walked into the city by herself, she would've of been lynched before getting two feet inside the city limits.

As they walked further into the city, the crowd seemed to grow more and more the deeper they went in. Ranma's danger sense was constantly on alert. Apparently Pirotess' old life was going to coming back to haunt her now. Looking ahead he saw three heavily armed guards step into their path. "Halt, King Kashue wishes to speak with you," the lead guard stated coolly, "No doubt to ask why you brought that, into his kingdom," the guard glared at Pirotess.

Ranma grabbed the pike lifting it and the guard off the ground, his eyes narrowing at the man who was in a near panic now. "That's not nice," he hissed at the poor man. Dropping the man who crashed to the ground dazed at the immense strength of the young man. Ranma led his group to the castle, while the guards kept a respectful distance away from the crimson armored young man.

Brona quietly inspected the few undead warriors that hadn't risen yet examining the reason for it. Upon his scrutiny he found out, that those who have rose were missing their heads, or only had the neck was broken. Another reason he could see, was some had arrows in their skulls. "Of all the weaknesses to have, it had to be loosing its head. That's just too cliché," the old wizard grumbled, as he stood up and rubbed his beard. "Not like those fools in Valis will ever know," he chuckled darkly, while walking along the ranks all his troops were in now, standing and waiting for his order. "Beld, you may begin the invasion," he stated coming to the former ruler of Marmo. "Do not stop until everyone in the North have been annihilated... Show no mercy," Beld had been kneeling. "Rise."