Disclaimer: Sadly, I own neither Ranma 1/2 nor Slayers.
Okay, I know its been a while since I've updated, but hopefully the next will come out faster than this one. Unfortunately, my teachers for next year decided to be evil and gave me several assignments. For now, please enjoy this latest installment of "Anything Goes Dragon Slave!"
"..." normal text
'...' thoughts
Spells/Attack names
The smell of soil and rocks seeped into Lina's nose, its earthy taste filling her mouth. She was currently gaping at the result of a technique Ryoga called Bakusai Tenketsu, whatever that means. He had struck a finger to the ground, which somehow caused the surface to implode and reveal a tunnel. She turned to Gourry, who appeared to be at the same level of shock that she was.
'Its no Vlave Howl, but not bad,' Lina thought. She shook away her stupor and focused on the tunnel. "Oi, what's going on here? I thought Jusendo was on the other side of these mountains," Lina demanded.
"While technically true," Mousse answered. "The part of Jusendo we need to get to is in the mountain."
Lina nodded, accepting the short explanation. "Alright, but before we go any farther, we ought to do something about his arms," she said, pointing to Ranma. She got up close to get a good look at the material, tapping it and making small "mm-hm" noises occasionally. After a moment of observation, Lina straightened up and turned to face her partner.
"Gourry," Lina began, "You know what to do." A bright smile passed over Gourry's face, swiftly replaced with a look of determination. The rest of the group merely looked between the red-head sorceress and the blond swordsman. Gloved hand wrapped around black hilt, prompting very nervous looks. Ranma opened his mouth to question their intentions, but his sword was already drawn. A flash of metal, blade connected with its target, and Gourry was back to where he first stood, sliding the sword back into its sheath. All redirected their gaze towards the pigtailed martial artist's arms. The crystal was intact, not a single flaw.
"What the hell was that about!" Ranma yelled. 'There was definitely an impact, I felt it. So why...' his thoughts trailed off. Lina lifted a finger, twitching it back and forth, smirking and not uttering a single word. Ranma cocked his head, not getting what Lina was hinting at. He pondered the action, then curiously mimicked her movement, fully expecting nothing to happen. But instead of being frozen in place, his finger was granted its movement. Hairline fractures erupted along the length of both arms. The material fell away, piece by piece, freeing his arms from their bonds. Ranma had been left completely untouched.
Ranma, Ryoga, Mousse, and Jusenkyo Guide stared at Gourry's handiwork, amazed at his precision. Gourry smiled, pleased with his work, while Lina smirked smugly. "Now you see why he's with me. I don't let just anyone travel with me."
"That's because not a lot of people are willing to put up with her temper," Gourry piped up. His statement earned him a swift fist to his head.
"As I was saying," Lina growled, "Gourry here is one of the best swordsmen I've ever seen. Now come on, let's go."
The group of six entered the tunnel and went on their way. They were soon doused in darkness, content to travel in silence. Time passed by unnoticed, minutes blending together. Eventually, a light made itself known. Lina hurried her pace, somewhat eager to see the source of Jusenkyo. Gourry followed right behind her while the three other boys tensed up, recalling what had occurred earlier. The duo drew nearer to the mouth of the tunnel, shielding their eyes from the oddly intense light for a place in a mountain. Lina crouched low, pulling Gourry down with her to avoid detection, and observed the cavern.
Four things caught her attention. At the center of the ceiling was a hole, explaining where the light was coming from. Further down into the room were two very large structures, one shaped as a dragon and the other as what Lina guessed to be a phoenix. Her gaze trailed down to the base of the stone animals, noting that both seemed to originate from the same hole. The last object of notice was the egg. Judging by the size of it, it looked like it could hold a grown person.
The rest of the group caught up. Ranma led, Ryoga and Mousse flanking his sides, and Jusenkyo Guide hanging back. "What's the plan?" Ryoga asked.
"You said you need the cold water from the Dragon, right?" Lina began. A collective nod came from each. "Then the easiest thing to do would be for me to fly over and turn the key."
"Well, yes," Mousse answered. "But if we want to be sure this never happens again, we must destroy the Phoenix-wait, you can fly?" The trio of boys did a double-take to stare at the redhead. Ruby eyes narrowed the slightest of fractions in response to their reaction.
'I know the areas outside the Mazoku barrier had limited knowledge of magic, but even they knew how to do the most basic of spells,' Lina mused. "I'll explain later. If we're going to destroy one of those things, what do you propose we do?"
The martial artists glanced at each other. "Fly me over to the Dragon. I'll turn the key while Mousse, Ryoga, and Gourry work to take down the Phoenix," Ranma answered. Ryoga bit his tongue, forcing himself to keep from yelling at his rival. As much as he wanted to outdo Ranma, it wouldn't help Akane if they bickered.
"It would be easier if I went alone," Lina countered. She held out her hand. "Just hand her to me and I'll do it."
Mousse and Ryoga winced, backing away out of precaution. Ranma lowered his gaze, bangs falling over his eyes. He slowly lifted his hand-
-and slapped hers away. "Yeah right! We may be allies for now, but there's no way I'm handing my fiancee over to some macho chick I barely know!" Ranma yelled. "Especially not one who could scare off a dragon!" Gourry's eyes widened in fear and promptly hid behind the nearest rock.
Several ticks formed across Lina's forehead, a clear display of her anger. "You ungrateful little-I'm trying to help you! If that's the way you're going to act, fine! Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that-!"
Her chant was silenced by two rough hands clamped over her mouth. Grumbling, she bit down on cloth-covered skin hovering over her mouth. Gourry yelped and pulled back, only to shift his arms so that Lina's were locked in place.
"Let me at him! He's got to pay for what he called me!" Lina yelled.
"Lina, calm down! Do you want to get us caught?" Gourry whispered furiously. She continued her struggle against his strong grip, watched by the boys and Jusenkyo Guide. She eventually conceded to his point, huffing one last time.
"Fine," Lina growled. She turned to Ranma, who clutched Akane tightly to his chest. "As soon as we fix her, be ready to kiss the ground." She glanced back into the cavern, observing the terrain. "Here's what we'll do: I'll fly Ranma over to the Dragon for the key. Now, does anyone have a way to propel Gourry over to the Phoenix?"
Gourry cast a worried look at her. The boys turned to each other, discussing it silently. Jusenkyo Guide watched with vague curiosity. Ryoga was the one to speak up.
"I've got one. I can shoot a Shishi Hokodan at him from behind. It shouldn't hurt him so long as I don't put in too much chi," Ryoga explained.
'Chi? I've never heard of that. Something to ask about later, I suppose,' Lina mused. "That should work. Aim Gourry for the Phoenix so he can attack it. After I get Ranma over, I'll help Gourry. Meanwhile, you two use any long range attacks you got," she addressed Ryoga and Mousse. The trio of guys nodded, agreeing to the plan.
"Lina, I don't know about this," Gourry said nervously. "Can't we just-"
"Calm down Gourry," Lina interrupted. "It'll be fine. Just aim for its neck. Everybody ready?" She received a nod from Ranma, Mousse, and Ryoga, and a fearful shake of the head from Gourry. "Alright, let's go! Levitation!"
The boys watched in wonder as the sorceress slowly left the ground. She reached over to Ranma, who grasped her hand this time. Manipulated air flowed down her arm, onto his, and wrapped around Ranma's body. The invisible tendrils lifted the stunned martial artist off the ground. He took a moment to make sure Akane was secure, and then they drifted out of the tunnel.
Sharp blue eyes watched as the ground took a sudden dip from underneath the trio, bringing them to mid-level in the cavern, barely above the statues' heads. They floated around the Phoenix, heading over to the Dragon with a sense of urgency.
"Shishi Hokodan!" Ryoga cried out. Lina and Ranma swept their gaze back to the tunnel, expecting to see Gourry come flying out, sword drawn. Instead, Gourry had pressed himself up against the wall, leaving the chi blast to barrel unhindered into the first object in its path: Ranma.
"Shit," Ranma cursed. Instinctively, he drew both arms across his chest in an effort to protect the small form of Akane. This action caused Lina to release her grip, withdrawing the spell from Ranma just as the Shishi Hokodan slammed into his back. Red eyes trailed after the soaring Ranma before turning back to the tunnel in a glare.
"Gourry you jellyfish! Don't make me come over there," Lina threatened. A shiver ran up the blond swordsman's back, frantically shaking his head at the notion. He swiftly got into position, lining himself up with Ryoga and the Phoenix. Ryoga brought both hands together, concentrating his chi, as Gourry unsheathed his sword.
Lina huffed in annoyance, redirecting her attention back to Ranma. Against the pushing force of the attack, he swung his legs forward, clamping the key between his feet. The attack gave one last push, breaking the key out of the stone and sending Ranma tumbling, before finally dissipating. She sighed, exasperated, and flew after him. She found him clinging to the Dragon's solid whiskers with one hand, supporting Akane with the other hand, and the tool gripped between his feet.
"Oi, you need help?" Lina called out from above. Ranma spared a glance in her direction.
"Nah. Here, catch," he called back, flinging the key up at the sorceress. A chill passed through her body as the tool rested in her hands. The muscles in his arm tensed as he flung his body upward, twisting in the air to land on his feet.
"Hm, not bad," Lina commented. "Still, I think you need this more than I do." She tossed the key back to Ranma, flying back over to the Phoenix. As she moved closer, she could see Gourry standing on the faucet's neck, tugging at his sword. "What did you do this time?" Lina accused.
"I swear, I didn't do anything!" Gourry defended. He scowled, furrowed his brow, and cried "Reveal Thy Soul!" Blue light erupted from the crack in the stone. A moment later, Gourry was standing 10 feet away with a sizable crevasse in the neck.
"Alright Gourry, let me take it from here," said Lina. "Oh, source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson, let thy power gather in my hand. Fireball!" An inferno blazed into existence, compacted into an orb that fit in her hands. Lina gave a shove, sending the spell into the fissure. As the fireball soared toward the gap, she let loose one last command as she swooped down to pick up her partner.
"Break!" she cried, flying back over to the tunnel with Gourry in tow, just before the fire met stone. The projectile lost all sense of form as it exploded, sending enough energy into the faucet so that the crack split wide open, bringing the stone beak down to pierce the egg. Oddly enough, hairlike threads formed from the egg, parting and weaving around the stone head, holding it in place in an attempt prevent any further damage to the egg.
Meanwhile, Ranma had a problem of his own. When he had collided with the key, it broke off from the base which had held it still. It now had a case of stone around end of it and would not slid back into its place.
"Come on," Ranma growled, "Get back in there!" He took a moment from stabbing at the Dragon faucet to get a good look at the tool in his hands. It was staff-like, similar to the Kinjakan, along with two handles below the head. The head itself was a crescent, small runes etched into both sides.
He spent not a moment longer, shaking his head in frustration. "I don't have time for this! Akane needs the water now!" Those words said, he raised the key high above his head and begun a downward arch to stab it once more into the faucet.
"Saffron-sama!" The name sent Ranma back to the earlier occurrences, freezing his actions. A deep chill settled down his spine and he instinctively ducked down to avoid being detected, if he wasn't already. Peering over the brow of the Dragon, Kiima and the phoenix elder came into view, rushing toward a badly damaged egg. He cast a quick glance over to the group, nearly regretting it as he came close to falling off.
Lina was currently struggling to stand, pinned down by Gourry. Judging from Gourry trying to keep her quiet and the direction of her killer glares, it looked like she was ready to tear somebody a new one, specifically Kiima. Jusenkyo Guide had retreated further into the tunnel while Mousse and Ryoga acted as lookouts. Shaking his head, Ranma turned back to watch the scene below.
"Saffron-sama!" the elder repeated. "Who could have done such a thing?"
"I believe I know: the landling intruders. The foolish whelps must have returned," Kiima snarled and swept her gaze across the cavern, as if she knew they were so close. "The damage done could cause Saffron-sama to awaken at any moment."
"No! It is too early! His powers will not be stable!"
'Not stable?' Ranma silently questioned. 'What does he-' His train of thought was abruptly cut off by a deafening pop in the air. Fissures blinked into existence over the once-smooth surface of the egg, intense light pouring out of each opening. A sudden heat filled the room that seemed to originate from the egg. Kiima took several steps back and the elder rushed out of the room. The top of eggshell caved in, revealing the wet, nude form of grown man. As he stood, wings fanned out from his back, completely white save for the ash-colored tips.
Kiima knelt to one knee and the elder reentered the chamber, robes in hand.
"Saffron-sama! Please accept our apologies, for we have failed you," the elder said as he handed over the clothes. Saffron took them silently and dressed, as his loyal servants waited his decision.
"Enough. Other chances shall arise in the future." His stoic gaze moved around the room, eventually settling on Ranma's perch. "Ranma, I do believe was your name, allow me to explain the true fate of the kings of Phoenix Mountain before I dismember you and your friends." Kiima shot to her feet and followed his gaze, glaring at the same spot.
He stood as calmly as he could, bracing himself against the fierce heat. "Why should I listen? Why shouldn't I turn the Dragon on here and now?" Ranma countered.
"Protocol," he said coolly. "Besides, if I wished, I could burn you to a crisp right now." He conjured a ball of fire in one hand, not unlike Lina's spell, to demonstrate a small portion of his abilities. By now, Lina had redirected her attention to the enigmatic man, anger diffused for now.
Ranma's eyes flickered down to Akane, still held securely by the ties to his shirt. Her eyes were still wide open, relieving him of his worries temporarily. As he stared into her eyes, he could almost hear her voice. "Don't worry about me, you baka. I can wait, just keep yourself alive."
The pigtailed martial artist let out an inaudible sigh and relaxed his muscles, yet he did not sit. He locked eyes with the Phoenix king, both daring the other to make a move. Tension mixed with the humid atmosphere, so thick it threatened to choke the occupants.
"I see you wish to be brief," Saffron finally spoke. "Very well. Just know that you are only hastening your demise. Since the founding of our people, the true king must go through a process of rebirth, which you yourself witnessed here today. Once reborn from the egg, the king becomes like the Phoenix itself. The king gives off continuous amounts of heat and light. They fill the mountain with their radiance, giving freely of their power for the benefit of their people. The kings have been the source of peace and comfort for their people for generations, a contentment that you have denied them."
"You mean this is all because you guys can't figure out electric heating?" a very angry, and female, voice rang out, all but shattering the tension. All eyes flew to the source: a red-headed girl with daggers in her eyes. Kiima's gaze narrowed, instantly recognizing Lina. Gourry, Mousse, and Ryoga stood up behind her.
"Hm, so there were two more than before," Saffron said, unfazed by her outburst. "Nevertheless, none of you will be leaving here today." As if on cue, a swarm of guards flooded in through the entrance.
"Come on Gourry, let's show them what happens when you mess with Lina Inverse!" she cried, pushing off the edge of the tunnel and vaulting into the open air. Saffron's guards beat their wings, trying to get to Lina. She smirked and yelled "Fireball!" Guards dropped like flies, black smoke rising from charred clothes. Lina let out a gleeful giggle and kept flying for Kiima. While most others gawked, Gourry took the lead and slid down the wall, sword drawn and knocking out any who came in his path. Ryoga and Mousse followed his example, only for Ryoga to be tackled by a blur of black and white. Mousse stopped to look at his ally, jumping back when he felt a presence behind him. He turned back around, eyes widening behind Coke-bottle lens as twin chui crashed into the ground.
Meanwhile, Ranma looked around the room, sweatdropping at Lina's antics. His eyes hardened, remembering the task at hand. His grip on the key tightened as he lifted it once more. Just as he began to swing it down, a ball of intense heat came flying at him. Seeing no alternative, he crossed both arms over his chest and leapt down the neck of the Dragon. He turned back once he was stable. Saffron waltzed out of the dispersing flames, fire coating his arms without injury.
"You are mine mortal," Saffron said. "You should rejoice while you have the chance, for once I am done with you, you will be reunited with that wretch of yours." Ranma bristled at the statement. He settled into a loose stance, ready for battle.
Its finally done, and yet I can't shake the feeling that something still isn't right. If anyone catches something, put it in a review! Please! Ja ne!