Disclaimer: I own neither Slayers nor Ranma 1/2, I only use them for the amusement of myself and whoever reads this. The same goes for Naruto(you'll see why).
Hey everybody, sorry for the wait. I've been having trouble with a certain Internet monopolizing company for the past month and a half. Between that, HSAs, AP testing, studying for finals, and now we're moving into a new house at the end of the month...so yeah.
Still, here it is! Thanks to Naga Shark for beta-ing yet again! Please enjoy this latest installment of "Anything Goes Dragon Slave", part two of the Trilogy of Fillers!
"..." normal text
'...' thoughts
Attacks/Spell names
"We're completely lost, aren't we?"
"No, we aren't."
"Then how come we haven't seen anything but trees in three days?"
"We are not lost! We're just...taking the scenic route."
"'The scenic route'? You don't even know where we are!"
"I have been looking at the map of this continent ever since I began traveling!"
"Never would've guessed that. We've been walking around in circles for days!"
"Oh, and I bet you think you could do better? I'd like to see you try!"
"I couldn't do worse!"
"Why I oughta!" Ranma and Lina squared off, tempers flaring.
"Will you two calm down?" Zelgadis grabbed the backs of their shirts and forced the two to collide heads. They staggered back, rubbing their sore foreheads, and glared at the part-time chimera.
A week had passed since their "party" for Zelgadis. Besides the town where they bought his guitar, which they hadn't been to ever since, they hadn't found even a small town. Not that it would be helpful considering they couldn't use Amelia's money, being incognito and all, and Lina had an iron grip on her wallet. It was because of this that the group decided to stow away their disguises until they found civilization again.
Speaking of Amelia, she has found herself unable to look at Zelgadis without blushing, avoids eye contact with him still and vice versa. They were lucky if a day went by without Lina poking fun at them for that single moment, if only to keep from going stir-crazy.
"Geez Zelgadis, what'd you do that for?" Lina questioned.
"Yeah, it's not my fault Lina got us lost."
"For the last time, we aren't lost!"
"Please stop fighting," Amelia pleaded. "Comrades shouldn't argue."
"Arguing won't get us anywhere," Akane added.
"I've already explained why we're going this way," Lina huffed. "We need to get to Gioconda without letting her know where we are and we can't just come barging from the front. This way, we can sneak in with a better chance of not being seen. Not to mention we might find that tiny animal along the way," she added with a gleam in her eyes.
"I know, but I've got to find some way to entertain myself. Just walking around is boring."
"Entertain yourself? If you're so bored-"
"Hey guys!" Gourry interrupted.
"What?" they asked simultaneously.
"There's something up ahead." They all looked forward and, thankfully, the trees were beginning to thin out, revealing mountain ranges. Further ahead was a large clearing and a stone path leading to a rather large town.
"Yes! Town means food! Let's go!" Lina shouted excitedly. She and Gourry both ran towards the closest at top speed, leaving the rest of the group behind. Ranma wasn't far behind and caught up easily. Akane scowled and took off after them. About a minute later, she saw Zelgadis and Amelia flying past all of them.
'Wait, why didn't Lina-san just use a spell to fly? Wouldn't that have been faster than running?' she wondered. Akane mentally shrugged and filed the thought away for later.
Amelia and Zelgadis pulled ahead of Lina and forced her to wait on a bridge leading to the city until everyone was together before entering. They moved on together, though Lina was nearly bursting at the thought of food other than what was in their supplies.
It was an odd place, which everyone-except maybe Gourry-could sense before even entering. It was rather spacious, with fairly average buildings, but its unusual quality was its decor. Balls of all sizes decorated everything. There was even a palace like building adorned with the spheres. And they weren't only for decorating, apparently, because they were passed by a group of men chanting and rolling a gray one away. Amelia gazed intensely at the scenery, as if she was searching for something.
"What is this place?" Ranma questioned.
"I don't know. I'm pretty sure I'd remember a place like this," Lina answered.
"Yeah, me too," Gourry added. 'No you wouldn't,' most of the group thought immediately. Lina captured him in a headlock when Amelia suddenly shouted.
"Gongoro!" Lina faltered, releasing Gourry from her grip.
"What?"
"This must be Gongoro village! Otou-san told me a long time ago about a village where a lot of things are made of balls!"
"Talk about peculiar places," Lina commented. "Ah well, let's leave that aside and go find us some food!"
"Ano, excuse me." An old man wearing a dark robe came up to the group. He had long gray hair and a beard of the same color and carried a tall staff with a red ball at the top. He continued, eyeing the group carefully, "If its food you're looking for, I can show you a restaurant nearby."
'What's this guy's deal? He looks suspicious,' Akane thought cautiously.
"Lead the way old man!" Lina cried, pumping a fist in the air cheerfully. Akane had to catch herself from stumbling.
'Isn't she concerned at all?' she wondered incredulously.
The group moved silently, Lina nearly jumping for joy at the thought of restaurant food. The past week in the forest had meant they had to scavenge for enough food for everyone and cook whatever could be cooked. They had all agreed to take shifts as to who would cook when. At first, none of them could understand why Ranma urged them to leave Akane out of the shifts, but not anymore. Even Gourry, who had enjoyed the whale meat during the "dragon cuisine" incident, could barely stomach her meals.
'I haven't seen food that bad since the stuff Xellos made at the Artemay Tower a couple years ago,' Lina thought with a shudder.
They soon found themselves at a roomy little tavern, littered with round tables and chairs, all made of wood. They sat in threes; Zelgadis, Amelia, and Akane at one table with Lina, Gourry and Ranma at another while the man who brought them there standing off to the side, stealing glances at the group nervously.
Amelia and Akane received moderate portions, Zelgadis was settled with only coffee, and the second table rapidly piled high with food. Lina and Gourry attacked the food with vigor as Ranma was forced to defend what was set in front of him. The other three watched the "battle" with either indifference or curiosity. By the end of it all, the table was groaning under the stacks of plates and the trio were patting their content stomachs.
"Ah, thanks for the meal old man," Lina sighed gratefully, everyone nodding their agreement.
"Think nothing of it," he said slowly, set aback by the scene he had witnessed. "In fact, I will pay for everything."
"Really?" Lina cried with tears in her eyes. "If that's the case, send out some more!"
"Only on one condition!" he said hurriedly. Lina slumped back in her seat.
"Of course. So what is it?"
"Well," he began cautiously, wringing his hands, "The way you talk, the way you carry yourself, and those talismans on your hands and waist..." Lina quirked an eyebrow.
"Yeah, what about them?"
"You all must be quite the sorcerers, am I right?" The group suddenly tensed and slowly stood. Lina, however, smirked and tossed her hair back.
"You have a good eye, old buddy! You got it right. I am the beautiful genius sorceress Li-" Every body suddenly had her pinned to the ground and hushed before her identity was revealed. Unfortunately, it was too late.
With a hard look in the man's eyes, he struck the ground using his staff. Iron bars appeared, slamming down with a thud in front of the doors and windows.
"What is the meaning of this?" Zelgadis demanded.
"Please understand, I can't afford to let the other villages get their hands on you."
"What d'you mean by that?" Ranma asked.
"You see, I would like you all to assist in our Gongoro festival."
"Gongoro festival?" Amelia questioned, somewhat incredulously.
'What a lame name,' Lina thought from the floor.
"Its a festival where, once a year, a ball is dedicated to the mountain. In essence, you roll a huge ball up the mountain."
"You mean the one with the pyramid at the summit?" Akane asked. He nodded.
'I knew this village was weird.'
"Aren't festivals supposed to be done by villagers?" Zel inquired. "Why are you asking us outsiders?"
"A golem is supposed to take the ball up, but the local sorcerers are leaving town."
'Sorcerers leaving? Sounds like there's a story behind it,' Lina pondered.
"Originally, the Gongoro festival was an event where the village came together," he explained, a distant look in his eyes, "and dedicated a ball to the mountain, wishing for prosperity. However, as they received special privileges and higher standing in the village, their wild behavior became a problem. A civil war broke out within the village."
"Just from ball rolling?" Ranma asked dubiously. Akane smacked his shoulder, hushing him.
"After the war, the Gongoro village split into Gon village, Go village, and Ro village. Now we push the balls up in a race format." His eyes darkened. "Obstructions to each other became absolutely threatening." Amelia gasped. "For example, a guy from Go village painted graffiti on our ball. So we paid them back in kind." The group collapsed to the floor, astonished at his idiocy. He continued, oblivious. "When Ro village made our ball spikey, we made numerous holes in theirs. Eventually, things escalated to the point of setting traps on the routes to the mountain. It became dangerous, so we began to use golems and sorcerers to control them."
"I feel bad for the sorcerers who get dragged into this mess," Zelgadis muttered under his breath.
The old man grabbed Lina's hands and pulled her to her feet. "Please! I beg you, take part in the Gongoro festival. As the village chief of Gon, I don't want to lose to the other two."
"Even if you say that," Lina said hesitantly, "There's still a little problem-"
"I'll pay as much as you want!" he interrupted quickly. "I'll prepare however much food you wish." Her eyes shone brightly and she gave a thumbs up.
"You got it old man! Leave everything to me!"
'That was fast!' Everyone thought.
"Oh, thank you, thank you!" he cried. "Now then, let us be off. I will take you to my shop."
'Hm, I wonder where Pokota-san is right now?' Amelia pondered.
The old man led them to his house and down to the shop. Like the rest of town, the room was littered with medium to large sized balls. Though she was doing a good job of concealing it, Lina was getting very nervous. Amelia, on the other hand, walked around the room in wonder and gazed at the hanging portraits.
"I've made all these balls. I won't lose to some unknown craftsman out there," the village chief said, gesturing across the room. He stopped in front of the largest ball, colored bright red. "The balls get bigger every year. Plus, you get disqualified if the ball breaks on the way, so I made it with all my heart."
"Wow, this ball is pretty amazing," Gourry commented. He reached out to touch it, but was blocked by the chief.
"Don't touch my Sophie with your dirty hands!" He turned around and rubbed the ball with a handkerchief.
"You named your ball?" Ranma scoffed.
"It is custom to bestow girls' names on the balls. The ball for dedication is the villages treasure." Amelia suddenly yelled, causing everyone to jump into the air a good five feet.
"What's the matter Amelia-san?" Akane asked warily.
"It-it's Otou-san!" she cried, pointing to a painting. Akane and Ranma looked at each other, curious. Maybe they would finally find out why Lina refused to call him "prince". What they saw was quite...unexpected.
The painting showed a large, muscular man in what looked like a wrestler's gear. He wore black arm guards and spiked straps over his chest. He had a bushy mustache and black hair sprouting under a crown. Ranma and Akane gaped at the picture and slowly turned back to Amelia. How could this burly giant be related to the petit and bouncy Amelia?
"Ano, Amelia-san, didn't you say your father was a prince?" Akane questioned.
"Yep, the crown prince of Saillune," she said proudly, still staring at the portrait. Akane's face fell as Lina leaned over to the female martial artist.
"Let me guess: you were expecting something more noble, in white, and riding a horse?" she whispered, patting her shoulder sympathetically. Akane blushed. That wasn't exactly what she had been thinking, but it was close enough. Truth be told, she had been expecting someone who looked more like Herb or even Saffron.
Gourry looked at the plaque at the bottom of the picture. "It says five consecutive wins."
"What does this mean?" Lina asked. The chief finally pulled away from "Sophie" and staggered toward Amelia.
"Would you happen to be the legendary ball rolling king's, Philionel-san's, daughter?"
"Legendary ball rolling king?" Amelia and Lina asked.
"Yes, it was before the golems were used in the festival," he said nostalgically. "He pushed the ball up the mountain alone. Nobody was able to stand against him with his gallantry, and he won the race five times in a row. Then after a little break, he came back for another three victories. His rolling skills were absolutely enchanting," he said, tearing rolling down his face. "He's still a tale in Gongoro village." Lina whistled.
"Wow, Phil-san is really amazing."
"So Amelia's father is the Gongoro King?" Gourry wondered. Amelia collapsed to her knees, tears dripping to the floor.
"Y-you're amazing, Otou-san. To you, I'm nothing more than a newborn calf." She rubbed the tears from her eyes, stood, and flipped up onto a banister, seemingly burning with determination. "Otou-san! In order to come closer to you, I will do my best to win the match!" The chief clapped, enraptured by her gusto, while Lina almost broke out in a cold sweat.
'Calm down, Lina. There's still Zel and Amelia. Everything will work out fine.'
"She looks really pumped for this," Ranma stated. He was too, in fact. This was a good chance to test himself, something which he hadn't had much of a chance to do since leaving Japan.
The chief grabbed a hammer a chisel. "Okay then, let me work on making the best ball for you. Let's name her...Barbara! Yes, Barbara!"
"You name it at this point?" Zelgadis deadpanned.
"Lina-san, let us do our best with Barbara!" Amelia cried.
"You're really quick to get into the spirit of things," she replied nervously.
"Hey Lina, are you okay?" Gourry questioned. "You look nervous." Suddenly all eyes were on her, except the chief who had exited to work on "Barbara".
"I-It's nothing, guys," she stuttered, trying to laugh it off. It didn't work.
"What aren't you telling us?" Zelgadis inquired. Lina rubbed the back of her head.
"Nothing, just that, well, Ican'tmakegolemsrightnow," she winced.
"Wait, what?" Akane asked.
"I...can't do magic."
"Why not?" Ranma questioned. To his and Akane's surprise, Lina, Amelia, and Zelgadis each blushed and turned away. Gourry had a more understanding reaction.
"Oh, well why didn't you just say it was that time of the month Lina?" Akane and Ranma both developed blushes of their own, confused and embaressed at the same time. Lina, still red in the face, grabbed her partner in another headlock.
"God dammit, jellyfish! Did you have to say it like that?" she yelled. She sighed and released him. "Once every month, all priestesses and sorceresses lose their magic. I'll get it back in a few days, but for now I'm stuck with really low-level magic."
"Then why did you agree to do the festival?" Akane inquired. 'So that's why she didn't fly here.'
"I couldn't give up his offer! However much pay and food I want!" She pointed to Zelgadis and Amelia. "Which is why you two will be in charge of creating the golem!" She turned back to Ranma, Akane and Gourry. "You three will be protecting the ball from any traps during the festival!"
"And exactly what will you be doing?" Zelgadis demanded.
"I'm supervising, obviously." Many groans and eye-twitches aside, Amelia at least was excited by the notion. This was going to be a long festival.
"Excellent design Zelgadis, Amelia!" Lina praised their golem. "Its almost like I did it myself!"
'You're the one who didn't like the original and made us start over several times,' Zelgadis thought sourly. In the end, their golem resembled a large tumblebug.
"This is the ideal form for rolling a ball," she had insisted. When the chief saw it, he had collapsed to the ground in tears.
"Whoever thought my Barbara would be rolled by a tumblebug like this," he had whined. Lina had merely waved him off.
"You want to win, right? Just trust me on this." The group made their way to a large stadium filled with people from the villages and waited for the festival to begin.
"The chief of Gon village has poor taste as always," spoke an unfamiliar voice all of a sudden. A wrinkled man with dark gray hair came up to them, a blue ball with legs and arms walking behind him. The Gon village chief stood, glaring the newcomer in the eye. What surprised them was sitting atop the ball.
"Ah, Pokota-san!" Amelia greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"You little animal! I'm going to get you for getting me blamed for destroying those mage tanks!" Lina shouted. Pokota pulled his eyelid down and stuck out his tongue in response.
"It's not my fault you've got a horrible reputation, Flatty!" Lina bristled.
"What'd you just say?"
"You heard me, Queen No-Chest of Boobless Kingdom!" Lina erupted. Growling, she took off towards Pokota. A rope encircled her body and tightened, binding her arms to her sides. Amelia jerked on the rope and forced Lina to the ground, pinning her friend down.
"Sorry Lina-san," she said apologetically.
"Dammit Amelia! Let me at 'im!"
"Calm down. You can do whatever you want as soon as you get your magic back." Lina growled and glared daggers at Pokota, who was kicking back and sneering at the stuck sorceress.
Ranma rolled his eyes at her behavior and turned to observe the area. Coming through the entrance was who he guessed to be the chief of the third village. The man had a weasel-like face and balding brown hair. Behind him was a man riding atop a humanoid golem, both, oddly enough, with sweatdrops on the back of their heads.
"I'm telling you I'm fine. I still don't see why we need that rock-thing," said a very familiar voice. Ranma stared silently, trying to pick his jaw up as the third ball was carried into the arena. Akane looked at him strangely and followed his gaze.
"Ryoga-kun?" He blinked and turned. His eyes widened incredulously as he dropped his load, nearly giving the third village chief a heartattack. Ryoga bounded over to their group.
"Akane!" he greeted with a smile. Ranma quickly moved to cut him off before the lost boy could reach Akane.
"I know I shouldn't be surprised, but how did you get here P-chan?" Ryoga cast a hasty glance at Akane, making sure his cover hadn't been blown.
"Quit calling me that Ranma! I swear, one of these days-"
"Would you both stop that?" Akane interrupted. She would never understand why they disliked each other so much. "Now Ryoga-kun, could you please explain how you got here?" Blood pooled under his cheeks and he looked away, scratching the side of his face.
"I was trying to find my house. I tried tunneling to get there faster. When I got out, I was here."
"Oh wait, let me guess. You got angry and destroyed something, so now you have to win the festival as compensation?" Ranma teased.
"How did you know that?" Ryoga demanded, baring his fangs. Ranma burst out laughing, holding onto his sides.
"I didn't, I was just messing with you," he said between chuckles. Ryoga growled and grabbed one of his many bandanna, spinning it around.
"That's it Ranma! Prepare to die!" Ranma quieted and shifted into a loose stance, ready for a fight.
"Quit it! Both of you!" Akane shouted, glaring. "Save it for after the festival, alright?" She whipped out her mallet for emphasis, daring the boys to do otherwise. Ranma merely shrugged and walked away. Ryoga forced himself to do the same.
'Where does she keep that mallet?' most of the contenders wondered simultaneously. Fireworks burst into the sky, signaling the start of the festival. Up on a high pedestal, out came an old woman, dressed in a black robe, carrying a golden rod decorated in chimes.
"Everyone, ready your preparations!" she declared in a rough voice. The crowd roared and the contestants tensed. Large, sweaty men in loincloths turned two gears, which in turn pulled back two huge balls on ropes. The old woman yelled incoherently, wiggling her arms and legs around like she was trying to dance.
"START!" she shouted. The balls were released and slammed together. Ryoga lept up to the top of his golem's head and everyone in Lina's group piled onto the tumblebug, some more reluctant than others. The three groups passed under their own archway. The race had begun.
The groups branched out onto three paths: Lina and co. went left, Pokota took the middle path, and Ryoga went to the right. The path Lina's group went down was soon surrounded by high rock walls.
"This is a very strange composition," Zelgadis said from the back of their golem.
"Looks like the tumblebug was the correct choice," Amelia replied. "Barbara is rolling very smoothly."
"See? What'd I tell you guys?" Lina said proudly, her spat with Pokota all but forgotten.
"Something's coming," Ranma and Gourry said together. Lina turned to the front. All she could see was a large dark mass before everything went dark and her face was in pain.
"What the hell?" she exclaimed, or rather, she tried to exclaim. What came out was a cry muffled by a boulder. She grabbed the cause of her pain and pitched it off the golem.
"What the hell you guys? If you saw something coming at us, why didn't you destroy it or something?"
"We thought you could dodge it," Gourry said with Ranma nodding his agreement.
"It doesn't matter what you thought! If something's coming at us, get rid of it!" she ranted.
"You mean like those?" He pointed dead ahead, indicating the swarm of blue balls rolling down the path at them.
"Exactly-so get rid of them!" Gourry unsheathed his sword, Akane brought her hammer back out, and Ranma began gathering chi in the palms of his hands. The group erupted in a flurry of motion.
Gourry sliced apart any that came his way. Ranma blasted them apart using his Moko Takabisha. Akane sent pieces and even whole balls flying to the next country. Even Zelgadis and Amelia helped with their spells while Lina maintained her position in the middle of the group. The barrage was over in moments.
Over on the other paths, both groups faced identical situations. Pokota handled the problem easily by having the golem limbs retract into the ball and roll around the obstacles. Ryoga dealt with each using Bakusai Tenketsu, his sorceror partner taking out any that made it past Ryoga.
At about the same time, all three groups entered dark tunnels.
"Amelia! You know what to do!" Lina ordered.
"Coming. Lighting!" Amelia conjured an orb of light in the palm of her hand, supplying them at least ranged sight. She was just in time, as more projectiles, this time smaller and golden, were heading their way.
"Damu Brass!" Zelgadis commanded. The wave of rocks exploded above their heads, showering the group in rubble and dust.
"Nice work Zel!" Lina offered him a thumbs up when another group of rocks came through the cloud left by the first batch. This time, Lina dodged by grabbing Gourry and putting him between her and the rocks.
"Lina, cut it out!
"Quit complaining and do your job! You're supposed to be my protector, so protect me!" Akane giggled at the duo's actions and went about whacking the small boulders away.
Several waves of the small balls came and were obliterated and where followed only by a length of darkness. In less than a minute, a small pinpoint of light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Amelia extinguished her light and everyone shielded their eyes from the rays that burst in the mouth of the tunnel. Blinking the light from their eyes, everyone could see they were now in another stadium. The seats were filled to the brim and the crowd roared at their appearance.
'What's a blimp doing here?' Ranma thought off-handedly, looking up at the sky.
"Hmph, looks like the tiny animal made it through," Lina huffed. From up above on a platform, out came the same old woman who initiated the festival. On a platform just below her was the three village chiefs.
"Everyone, rise! It is time for the climax! Let your hearts run wild!" she decreed. The crowd became even louder, chanting "Gongoro, Gongoro".
"Welcome to the battle stage, my warriors of the festival," she continued, waving her arms around.
"Battle stage?" Ryoga questioned, a grin coming over this stage. 'If its a fight, I can win this hands down. Finally, Ranma will get what's been coming to him!'
"This is the holy ground where the golems hit the balls against each other," the old crone explained. "The one who breaks the others' balls and wins the match will be the only one allowed to go to dedicate the ball." She went still and her arms shot up, her eyes bulging. "Now! Warriors! Fight!"
The three balls were moved to the center of the ring, the competitors more or less ready to finish it.
"Looks like we've got no choice now but to fight," Zelgadis groaned.
"Come now, Zelgadis-san! We'll win this!" Amelia cheered.
"In your dreams," Pokota smirked. "I'm winning this."
"Oh yeah? I'm going to pay you back for every insult you've said to me!" Lina crowed. The old lady put an end to the taunts, hitting a gong to start the final match.
"Charge!" Lina cried. Their tumblebug and Barbara surged forward, colliding with Pokota's in a solid thud. He ground his teeth and retaliated. His golem lept into the sky, retracted its limbs, and fell down towards Lina. The group beat a hasty retreat, switching foes and heading for Ryoga and the sorcerer.
"Where do you think you're going?" cried the sorcerer as Ryoga slid down the side of his golem.
"Relax! I got this!" he yelled back. He cracked his knuckles and concentrated on the red ball.
Ranma saw him running at them and ordered, "Zelgadis! Amelia! Turn this thing around!" Without offering an explanation, he jumped to the ground to confront the lost boy. He glanced behind him and, thankfully, the rest of his team was moving away. He turned back to Ryoga.
"You're not getting past me, Bacon Breath." Ryoga ground his feet to a halt, clenching his fists.
"Dammit Ranma! You're always getting in my way! Prepare to die!" He grabbed his umbrella and the two ran at each other. Ryoga swung at Ranma's midsection, only for him to jump onto the heavy umbrella. He growled and swung up, propelling Ranma into the air. He flipped and kicked Ryoga to the side. Ranma landed easily and held his fists up, ready for more.
On the opposite side of the arena, everyone else was locked in battle. Most everyone else, at least. Pokota and Lina's team were going at it, while Ryoga's partner was on the sidelines.
'I'll just wait back here and let those guys take each other out,' the sorcerer plotted.
"Forward!" Lina commanded. The tumblebug rolled Barbara forward at the same time Pokota moved his, moving the balls into a deadlock. Akane took advantage of the moment and dropped to the ground.
"Akane-san, where are you going?" Amelia called out to her.
"You'll see!" she replied, running to where the blue ball meet the earth. As she ran, Akane took up her mallet once again.
"O-Oi! What do you think you're doing?" Pokota faltered.
"This!" She mustered her strength and swung at the ball. With a loud crack, it was sent into the wall of the arena, startling the audience and causing most to fall over. An imprint of the head of her hammer was set in the ball's side. From the imprint came a crack, spreading deep into it and causing it to split in half.
"Yosh!" Lina cheered. "Nice work Akane!"
"No! Caitlin!" cried the green-haired chief.
"It's not over yet!" the sorcerer interrupted. "Dug Haut!" Stone spikes shot up from the ground, several of them managing to skewer Barbara. The ball broke and the Gon chief was hysterical.
"My Barbara!" Lina rubbed her head sheepishly. Just then, Ranma flung Ryoga over his head onto the last ball standing. He shook himself off and held up a finger.
"You aren't going to stop me this time! Bakusai Tenketsu!" He thrust his finger into the stone, realizing too late that it was the wrong one. It exploded, taking out the humanoid golem with it.
'You idiot.'
"Ilene!" The third chief sobbed. Ryoga chuckled nervously, standing in the middle of the carnage.
"So, uh, does this mean the festival ends here?"
"Absolutely not!" the old woman cried. "If a ball is not dedicated to the mountain by nightfall, a terrible curse will befall the village."
"So you say," Lina began, "But how do you expect us to do that? Our tumblebug is a kabob, the tiny animal's is out, and dumbass over there just took care of the last golem!"
"Can't you use magic to do it?" Akane asked.
"No. Who knows what kind of curse will come from that," the third chief said flatly.
"Well then, let's all take it up together," Gourry suggested. The three chiefs immediately rescinded the idea, arguing amongst themselves.
"Then are you giving up on dedicating the ball?" Zelgadis cut in.
"W-Well..." the three stuttered.
"I don't really care what you guys decide," Lina said, "But isn't dedicating the ball the main purpose?"
"Now isn't the time to be stubborn," Akane agreed.
"They're right! There's no point in fighting!" said Amelia. The chiefs looked to the ground, ashamed.
"Those girls are right," the old woman said softly. "Let's all work together and dedicate a ball." The chiefs nodded, and together, fashioned a new ball from the remains of Barbara, Ilene, and Caitlin. A group of village men arrived to aid in pushing it up the mountain, all of them wearing only white loincloths, Amelia right by their sides. Gourry, caught up in the excitement, stripped from the waist up and removed all his armor and got in line to help roll it. Ranma, not one to be out done, did the same and got in next to him. Lina, Akane, and Zelgadis just rolled their eyes and got in line behind the ball.
They all got up to the mountain, a path of boards laying in wait for them. Ranma went first to the top and waited so he could stick the ball at the top. Up came the ball and its rollers. Behind them was a group of chanters, waving around fans and chimes, the village leaders, Lina, Akane and Zelgadis among them.
"This is the epitome of stupidity," he muttered under his breath.
The ball finally reached Ranma just as the sun touched the horizon. The transgender martial artist grunted as he lifted the ball over his head. He shuffled his way the rest of the way and set it down, nestled on top of previous balls. A roar of cheering came from the group behind him.
Ranma turned around and saw the rollers and Gourry flexing and posing. Behind them, Lina had her shaking head in her hand. Further back, the village leaders were surrounding the old woman, who was blushing.
'I don't think I want to know,' he thought, shivering slightly. Suddenly, Amelia flew above the small crowd and landed on the multi-color ball.
"From now on, let's preserve this festival together!" she declared. The ball under her dropped slightly under her weight. All the cheers immediately quieted. Gravity won and the ball began rolling down. Amelia flailed, trying to keep her balance.
"It's going to fall!" Ranma called out to the crowd. They panicked and started shoving people out of the way to get to safety.
"What are you doing Amelia?" Lina exclaimed.
"I can't stop it!"
"Run for it!"
In the end, no one was seriously injured and struck the incident up as the curse. Still, the villagers had no idea what to do because all of the balls from past festivals had fallen back to the foot of the mountain. Lina's group snuck away during the confusion, donned their disguises and managed to sneak out.
"What a way to end," Zelgadis said.
"I hope they aren't too mad at us," Amelia worried. Akane blinked, just now remembering.
"Hey Ranma." He looked at her. "Did you see where Ryoga-kun went?" He snorted.
"Doesn't really matter which way he went. He'll always end up somewhere he didn't mean to."
The air was still over the mutilated shingle roof, destroyed by attacks and trickery. A man, wrinkled and aged in something like samurai armor, stared suspiciously at his opponent. He knew that right now he and his village was paying for his past mistake, but he planned to remedy that today.
His opponent had a sickly pale complexion and ivory hair with snake-like attribute to his appearance and mannerisms. He was in the middle of forming seals with his hands, readying a large attack. All of a sudden his hands stopped and he sneered as the roof beneath their feet rumbled ominously. Seemingly from the shingles came a coffin with the word "one" on the lid. Then came a second, labeled "two". The old man's heart nearly stopped as he realized what his opponent planned to do.
As he suspected, a third coffin poked out from in front of the first two.
'I can't let him be resurrected!' he thought. Determined, the old man grabbed a handful of throwing stars and daggers, called shurikan and kunai respectively, and threw them dead ahead. They embedded themselves into the first two coffins, managing to stop the last one halfway. He wouldn't allow himself a sigh of relief as he knew the contents of the first coffins were just as dangerous by their own rights.
He settled back into a ready position to fight what would come out, watching his opponent smirk at what he surely thought was a futile effort.
"What the hell?" The old man faltered, startled by the yell from inside the stuck coffin.
Nothing living should have been in there and that certainly did not sound like the Fourth. He checked his opponent's face, confirming he had not expected this either.
With a loud crash, the coffin splintered open, kicking up a small cloud of dust. When it cleared, he saw, to his astonishment, a young boy of about sixteen or seventeen years. He had short black hair held back with a bandanna. He wore a large pack on his back that supported a red umbrella and a long-sleeved yellow shirt.
The boy looked around, clearly surprised.
"Where the hell am I now?"
Well, I don't know about you guys, but this has to be one of my favorite chapters to date. Not to mention the longest. I have to thank Sean Malloy-1 for a review he had for a previous chapter, seeing as it planted the idea for the last part with Ryoga "Broken Compass" Hibiki.
Anyhoo, not much else here to say except "Curse you licensed Internet and cable company for cutting off our Internet and landing us with dial-up!"
Also, please review. I really would like to know what whomever reads this thinks about it. Its nice to know what people think about your work, you know?
Til next time, ja ne (Happy birthday bro!)!