Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

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"G'Nolga, you're being unreasonable!"

It was dark at the Arms-Master's Palace, and G'Nolga had returned from her little excursion to the local tavern. The Palace was well guarded, as the four guards at the main gate could testify to by their presence.

"You're going to ruin everything!" finished the angry male voice. So loud had it been that the outburst had been audible across the grounds surrounding the Palace.

Along one slightly diagonal wall, a shadow lurked, and was scaling it towards the open window eight feet over the roof of a lower floor … it was a well formed, if petite, female shadow, but it made progress.

"Say what you want, Tirant, but I won't change my mind!" snapped G'Nolga stubbornly. The sound of the heated conversation carried through the window the shadow was headed for. "I intended to face Julia in the final contest of the Tournament … No tricks! No traps!"

"And what happens if you lose, G'Nolga?" argued the man, Tirant. "All of our planning and hard work, shot to pieces!"

By this time, the shadow had gotten into the light cast from within, and revealed Sheila in her hybrid form as she flattened herself against the wall, barely looking in, while listening in on the conversation. Inside, she could see a tall, bald, muscular man in a grey robe, facing G'Nolga, who had her back turned to him, showing that she did not consider him much of a threat.

"I won't lose, Tirant!" protested G'Nolga confidently. "I swear I won't!"

"Why, oh why am I not reassured?" asked Tirant sarcastically. "Perhaps because you've never … EVER been able to defeat Julia without resorting to trickery or deceit …"

"That doesn't matter!" argued G'Nolga. "Nothing else matters!"

"Then what does, G'Nolga?" asked Tirant. "What?"

"Honour."

"Ugh … There's that - word again …" groaned Tirant. "Well, let me remind you a little of what's at stake. If you aren't the representative of the first champion of Jade, the Arms-Master, then we'll never be able to pass through the enchantments the Elders placed to seal the secret chambers of the Ancient Temples dotting this world … the Ziggurats!"

"Those temples are nothing more than museums and tourist traps, Tirant! Face it!" countered G'Nolga in a huff.

"What better place to put the most powerful weapons and defences ever created, G'Nolga?"

G'Nolga had nothing to say to this argument.

"The Elders created those artefacts after the first champion of Jade defeated the legendary Shadows to protect Jade … in the event of the Shadows' return," continued Tirant. "But they hid them to keep later generations from fighting over such tremendous power!"

Sheila was very surprised … she had suspected that G'Nolga was up to no good with someone, but this certainly took the cake and every other pastry she could name … now, if she could only find out what they did with their kidnapped victims …

So preoccupied was she with listening in on the departing two that she failed to notice a soundless shadow dropping down behind her on the ledge she was crouching on under the window … and the well endowed shadow had in its possession a huge sword.

Sheila did notice, however, when the shadow moved to strike her down with said sword, as the pale moonlight was just bright enough to cast a shadow on the wall, alerting her to the movement once she no longer had the two villains inside to focus her attention on.

She barely had time to throw herself to the side before the huge sword ploughed through the window and wall where she had been, incidentally casting the attacker in light, revealing a woman … the woman in charge of security, Hanza.

Sheila crawled away from the woman as she tried to pry her sword loose from the stone wall, wondering how she had snuck up on her … Sheila's jagwere hearing should have picked up even the slightest sound.

A closer look explained it all, as Hanza was cursing up a storm while pulling at her sword, yet not a sound escaped her. She had gotten a Silence enchantment around her, making it impossible for her to make a sound … including sounding the alarm.

Sheila came to the decision that she had better put Hanza out of commission before the situation changed, and called forth her weapon, the Ice Scimitar.

Hanza said something, but under the spell, no sound escaped … how fortunate for Sheila that she could read lips, and was not pleased.

In response to the derogatory profanity, Sheila continued the battle that Hanza had started.

"And the same goes double for you!" she added after informing Hanza of her skill in silent communication, slashing her Ice Fang upwards with enough speed to put Hanza partially off balance as she blocked.

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Back on the ground, Ranma, Beebee, Lydia, Gina, Brianna and Luan had arrived under the cover of some shrubs and bushes, and had a clear view of the roof where Sheila and Hanza were battling. Carla had trailed off as soon as they came near a bar, wanting to celebrate Julia's victory, and was therefore not with them.

It was dark, but Ranma could clearly see Sheila fighting some woman, and by the looks of it, she was about to lose.

Seeing that she could not hold her own against someone with superior skill, Ranma leapt into action … literally.

Before any of the women on the ground could blink, Ranma had launched himself at the roof, moving as silently through the air as a single leaf caught in the wind, which was little more than a whisper that could be passed off as a light gust of wind.

Behind him, Ranma could sense Brianna and Beebee readying their weapons for the coming confrontation.

Sheila had just struck the roof with an ice spell, causing large irregular shaped blocks of ice to spring into existence in an attempt to freeze Hanza inside, but Hanza had leapt clear of it, and was descending on Sheila with a flying kick.

This kick would have sent Sheila crashing off the roof, but not even an inch before hitting her mark, Sheila's forehead, her foot was caught by the ankle, and her momentum halted immediately by an unwavering black-furred hand. This caused both women to blink in confusion.

"Don't hurt my friends," growled Ranma warningly at Hanza before throwing her back in the direction she had jumped from, sending her bottom first into the blocks of ice.

Sheila, who had been on the edge of the roof, was shocked to see the kick stopped, and just as shocked to see Ranma again … as such, she lost her balance, got turned around and was teetering dangerously on her toes, windmilling her arms in an attempt to regain the balance she had lost. It was a good thing she was in hybrid form, as her human form's sizable breasts would surely have been a deciding factor in her fall.

"OW!"

A yank, gentle though it was, on her tail caused her to fall backwards onto the roof, and got a slightly sore bum as a result … better than the bruises Hanza would get …

By this time, Hanza had gotten to her feet, rubbing her sore posterior while keeping her weight on her sword.

She looked at her aggressor, and nearly laughed at his size … he couldn't be much taller than her, and since she became a woman, she was shorter than as a man, nearly as short as the jagwere she had been about to take care of. And judging from his outfit, he was a mage … wait, there was something familiar about him …

Ranma watched as recognition lit up in the woman's eyes. He had also recognised her … it was the former man he had been paired up against to test his skill before his sparring match with Weapons-Master Karia … Honda, Hansa … something like that … the one that ran away when he confronted her with her secret.

Hanza spoke, although no sound came out … but there was no need … Ranma could understand her intention. She was trying to inform him that she wasn't going to run away this time … that last time, she had been surprised by his revelation of her secret, and this was the only reason she had fled.

"Well, then …" sighed Ranma, drawing his sword from stuff space. "Let's do this thing …"

With a hum of power, the sword activated, illuminating the trio in blue light where they stood on the roof, and adding reflecting and refracting light because of the ice acting like a lens.

This was unlike any magic Hanza had ever seen … sure, she had seen swords light up, but not without a blade for the magical energy to be affixed to, and it was usually fire to deal out additional damage. There had been no blade at the end of that semi-hollow hilt-like thing, and he hadn't uttered an incantation or command to power the glowing beam that stopped growing at four feet in length … And since when did a mage chose a weapon over their magic?

Hanza was starting to think that this was a bad idea … that she should get out while she still had her health and body, despite it being female and more susceptible to powerful emotions … it was, after all, the only one she had, and without it, she was dead …

-KOOOOOOM!-

Hanza felt a surge of intense heat lick up her spine as she deliberated the possibilities, and noticed a bright flare-up of light originating just behind her.

Looking cautiously over her shoulder, Hanza spotted a huge hole in the roof behind her, ending just before the patch of roof she was on. Some smoke was rising from her back, causing her to try and catch a glimpse of its origin, something that was as easy to do as for a pitbull to catch its tail … she spun in circles trying to see, giving Ranma and Sheila a free view of the bare back of the former man … from the back, her outfit was little more than a bikini bottom barely reaching halfway up her behind, with a slim choker around her neck in a colour matching the bikini bottom, while forming into a one-piece suit in the front.

Sheila was quick in getting to her feet and covering up Ranma's eyes … it wouldn't be good for him to get such an eyeful and thereby find her less attractive … now, how could she get away with dressing like that, without Gar finding out about it and get beat up trying to do the same to Ranma for leering at his sister? And how would she hide him from the rest of Jade? There were still women out there looking for their mysterious werecat saviour, and one look at him would spread the word and make it impossible for her to keep him for herself.

Ranma was surprised … he had no idea why Brianna had missed, she spent hours calibrating her automated aim … not that he condoned her firing at his opponents, but this issue had him slightly worried … what if Beebee blew up because of a similar calibration error on Brianna's part? That would not be good … he had grown to like the former bit bomb.

Hanza was now panicking … someone had destroyed her clothes … this in itself was not so bad had she not been in them at the time, and had she just barely, by the skin off her back, escaped death.

Not wanting to take a chance of another of those blasts, she slipped on a ring on her finger, and faded off into thin air.

"You know," commented Ranma as Sheila removed her hands. "I really don't like those spell rings …"

He could have tracked the escaping woman through other means than visual, of course, but Gina and the others on the ground had started running along the ground in the opposite direction … and judging from Brianna's little miss, they were a bigger threat to themselves than the invisible woman. They needed him there to save them if they repeated another mistake like the incident that created a big smouldering hole in the roof.

The ruined suits of armour on the ground did nothing to reassure him of their safety … luckily those armours seemed empty so no lives were lost …

Sheila also seemed to give up on the idea of tracking Hanza, and followed Ranma, giving the big number of women he suddenly joined a glare for good measure. What, apart from the obvious, did they have that she didn't, to get him to come running like that?

This chase through the property continued until Gina stopped after three changes of direction.

"I don't get this!" she exclaimed in frustration. "According to my calculations, there is supposed to be a secret passage right here!"

"Then it looks like it's time for plan B!" said Brianna with a maniacal gleam and tone.

"What's plan B?" asked Sheila dumbly, watching as Brianna looked at the wall where the passage was supposed to be.

"HIT THE DIRT!" exclaimed Beebee once she recognised the signs of her creator's idea.

-FRAG!-

The warning had come a little late, as the wall now sported a large hole, with rubble spread in all directions from it … it was a good thing the shock wave was mostly blasted inwards instead of out, or the lot of them could have sported holes similar to the wall.

"WHOOO!" whooped Brianna triumphantly. "I AM SUCH A TANK!"

Gina was not pleased, as this had undoubtedly drawn more attention to them, and ensured that they would not be able to leave without further incident. Brianna countered playfully by stating that this would then have to become a Black Op, no witnesses … she quickly amended her statement by adding that she was joking. This, of course, had Sheila and Luan asking what a Black Op was, as they were not familiar with the expression.

"Let's just locate Sheila's team so we can get out of here!" huffed Gina and looked at her tracking device once more.

"Don't forget peebochu!" interrupted Brianna.

Ranma was slightly miffed that they hadn't thought to ask him to track anyone … he was good at tracking when he knew what to look for, and werecat auras would stand out in this place, if all its guards were animated suits of armour.

"I've got a lock on four bio-patterns!" chirped Gina suddenly. "They're werecats, just like Sheila! And I've located your bit bomb, Brianna … locking on …"

Enemy detected recited the mask Brianna had put on … her targeting system.

"Hot diggity!" crowed Brianna. "More targets!"

Ranma felt it before he saw it … someone teleported into the area, right behind Brianna.

"Brianna! Behind you!" screamed Luan, who had been watching. But the warning came too late, again, and the armoured man had used his twin swords to slash up Brianna's armour in a mighty shower of sparks, particularly the couplings holding the cannons in place, and sending her to the ground, unconscious.

Luan was the first to act, by pulling out a set off nunchaku and lunging at the armoured man even before Brianna had come to lie still from her fall.

"Leave her alone! I shall be your opponent!" declared Luan angrily just before arriving at her target with a downwards windmill swing of her weapon of choice. This attack was blocked with ease. "Run! I'll catch up!" she added to her comrades as she grabbed one end of the nunchaku in each hand and looped it around the armoured man's neck as she jumped over him.

As the chain connecting the two ends went taut, Luan was on the other side of the armoured man, and braced herself against the wall, preparing to give a mighty thrust that would send the man head first into the other wall, with her weight behind him.

"Hnf … nice moves," commented the armoured man casually. "Too bad I can do this!"

In a puff of flame, he had vanished from Luan's grasp, causing her to fall to the ground.

He reappeared a few feet away, one of his swords raised vertically along the front of his body.

"… and now-" he continued.

"Hold, Rook …" commanded a female voice. The woman stepped into sight, revealing G'Nolga, shouldering a Sansetsukon with two of its sections locked together. "Her technique … her fighting style … she is a student of Julia's for certain! She's mine!"

Luan was shocked at the sudden appearance of G'Nolga, and as such, stuttered her name in fear.

G'Nolga's statement sunk in with the armoured man, Rook, and with a maniacal tone, suggested the others, who could only have some association to Julia, be taken as hostages.

"No," G'Nolga disagreed. "I'm not taking hostages this time … I want to beat Julia while she is using all her might and fury … her defeat will be all the more bitter when she cannot avenge her dead loved ones! Unless teacher's pet can somehow defeat me … come, girl, show G'Nolga what teacher has taught you!"

"Wait!" interrupted a firm, male voice. A spear lit up, crackling with electricity in the visible spectrum, spreading the scent of ozone around the corridor. Holding this spear was a familiar werejaguar, Gar. "She's not the only student of Julia, I am one of her pupils as well and if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"

Ranma moved to block Rook's access to the others, even if he knew that most of them could take care of themselves, but Brianna was not exactly fit enough to fight at the moment, and Gina was dependant on her gadgets.

Holding his deactivated sword at his side, Ranma tried to look as imposing as possible to deter Rook from attacking. Or at least as imposing as possible without using his techniques … it would have been excessive to use the Flaming Skull technique or any other technique … besides, more often than not the best solution was found in simplicity.

Rook seemed to understand, and was more focused on the impending battle between G'Nolga and two of Julia's students, an event for which Ranma himself gave a bit of his attention, while the rest was on the possible threat and those he protected.

"Two of Julia's students!" chuckled G'Nolga as she attached the last third of her weapon to the others, forming a complete eight feet long staff, which most would say was much too long for a dwarf. "What an excellent opportunity to refine myself against her techniques, albeit indirectly … but take heart, should you strike me even once, you shall be allowed your freedom … and I will face you both with my eyes shut! Ready? BEGIN!"

At her own signal, G'Nolga twirled her heavy weapon around her body expertly, striking at both opponents at once, and they barely managed to block the blunt weapon with their own before they were struck.

Before Gar could recover, G'Nolga spun around and swept his feet from under him from behind with her Sansetsukon, then used the other end to strike Luan across the ribs, just below the nunchaku Luan was attempting to block the attack with.

The force behind this attack send Luan crashing shoulders first into the ground.

Brianna had finally regained her senses, and was outraged at how her friends were treated in the fight, but a shift in Rook's posture caused her to shut up … Ranma had shifted with his opponent, and therefore deterred Rook from actually doing something, but it wouldn't be wise to test how far she could push the limits before they were attacked despite Ranma's presence.

"Gina," she commented. "We need to quit skipping mom's self-defense classes …"

Ranma watched as G'Nolga tried a reverse order of her previous attack, but failed, as Luan jumped the sweeping staff, and Gar blocked it.

Luan tried to get G'Nolga from behind, but her nunchaku was blocked easily by the female dwarf, who still fought with her eyes closed. "I'm running out of tricks!" the former ninja declared desperately.

"I've got one more up my sleeve!" grunted Gar and slammed his spear into the ground, holding it in place with his palms vertical and facing each other. One hand curled into a Ram hand seal, and static energy started flashing in arcs around him and his weapon. "Kaiser THUNDER CRUSH!"

A huge ball of electric energy rushed at G'Nolga, who opened her eyes in a snap and detached the three parts of her weapon. Swinging one end, she deflected the attack into the roof as easily as though it had been a foam ball.

"Good," complimented G'Nolga. "Very good! The fact that you're both still alive is a testament to your skill … you surprised me, not only did I have to use my eyes in battle – I had to section my staff as well … something I don't do unless I feel … threatened. You should feel honoured!"

Ranma watched this confrontation, but as he did, he heard Gina point out something hanging on the ceiling … it was peebochu.

The bit bomb was in stealth mode, but perfectly visible to anyone who knew what to look for, could sense it, or wore ultra or infra specs. It was hanging from the ceiling and glaring down at the dangers to its creator.

For a moment, Ranma felt a strong discharge of energy from the grounds surrounding this place, and decided that either reinforcements had come for G'Nolga, or for them … judging by the purity of the energy, he was willing to wager good money on the last choice.

Meanwhile, Gar was on the offensive against G'Nolga, swinging his spear in what appeared to be a sloppy move, something G'Nolga was all to pleased to point out, only to be surprised when as she blocked, a fist came at her, giving her just enough time to raise her forearms to protect her face.

Ranma could feel from across the corridor that there was a break in her radius bone, not serious enough to require setting it right, but debilitating nonetheless. The force behind the hit also had the side effect of tearing the skin, which would be another disadvantage.

This was when Luan chose to make her move, and charged in with a downward slam that would have cracked G'Nolga's skull open, had she not rolled forward and out of the way in time … leaving instead a crater where the nunchaku struck. A loud expletive followed.

"We had her!" continued Luan after her outburst.

G'Nolga, meanwhile, skid to a halt against the opposite wall, breathing heavily from injury and physical strain.

"Why – you -" –huff- "- dirty -" -huh- "- pair of fakers!" G'Nolga gasped, only now figuring things out. "All this time! From the very moment we started! You two have been hiding your true abilities!"

Realising they had been caught, Luan cursed once more.

"Those shaky fighting stances you both used … that sloppy form!" this revelation seemed to excite G'Nolga even more than the battle had so far. "That false look of fear in your eyes – it was all an act! An act to get me to lower my guard! Oooh, Julia! Good job, Julia! Oh, you taught them well!"

Ranma saw and felt G'Nolga gathering her energy merely a moment before she rushed in, her sectioned staff held firmly in her good arm.

"A- a Master Technique!" exclaimed Luan in fear.

"Damn!" agreed Gar. "BLOCK!"

They didn't manage to raise their defences in time, and were hit with the full force of the attack, which sent them sprawling across the corridor, writhing and moaning in agony.

"Good job …" complimented G'Nolga as she caught the loose end of her section staff. "You almost had me that time … but that, I think, was your last try … as amusing as this contest has been, it is over … two fractured lower ribs …twisted right wrist …" she recited while looking at Luan. "… heavy internal bleeding … dislocated left shoulder," she added after shifting her sight to Gar. "No. I think you'll both be staying down this time."

Ranma was not about to let things go further. She would without a doubt finish the two off if left to it. With a nod to Lydia, Ranma sped up greatly, and got into position between G'Nolga and her defeated opponents. To anyone not trained well enough, it would have appeared that he teleported, but appearances were deceiving.

As soon as Ranma made his move, Lydia, Beebee and Sheila formed a protective circle-… er … triangle, around the two Diggers women, their weapons at the ready, and glaring at Rook to deter any action on his part.

G'Nolga was among those few skilled enough to detect Ranma's quick movements, but didn't make a move until Ranma had gotten to his mark, and then it was only into a defensive stance.

"Leave them alone," stated Ranma warningly, and held his deactivated sword at his side.

G'Nolga seemed surprised at the tone, and unnerved for some reason … there was something about him that made her uneasy. The only word she could think of to describe this deceptively strong werecat was … manly

"And what will you do if I don't, mage?" asked G'Nolga, gripping her weapon in a firmer hand. She was starting to get nervous … no man had awoken the sensations she now felt, and he barely seemed halfway through his teens … added to that, she was not at her best, and knew that fighting a mage at the level of skill this one seemed to be at would be difficult enough with both arms.

"I'll fight," replied Ranma in a tone that suggested that it should have been obvious. Now, Ranma was no fool, despite how he had been perceived before his transformation, and he knew that he stood a very small chance of winning against this woman … even with an injury like her broken arm. He would have to be as slippery as a wet, greased bar of soap in the shower to avoid her attacks … though he had the advantage of being less exhausted, not having used a great portion of his strength into a single strike …

The two stared at each other in still and silent combat of will.

"You'll never beat Master Julia," groaned Gar defiantly. "We would never have been able to injure Master Julia like we did to you … she's stronger than you ever will be! And with your injured arm, her victory will be all the simpler!"

G'Nolga's attention was shifted to the injured jagwere, and Ranma could feel her anger start to rise at the touchy subject. Ranma wasn't all that pleased himself … was that idiot trying to provoke her into a fight? When he healed, Ranma was going to seriously injure him … no one had the right to pick his battles for him, damn it …

"You don't have the heart to face teacher in a true battle, which is why you keep trying to find ways to weaken her will before each fight!" finished Gar smugly.

This was the last straw for G'Nolga, and with a roar of rage, her muscles tensed for another Master Technique.

While the loose end of the section staff descended with enough power to crack steel, Ranma activated his sword and brought it to bare, blocking the incoming blunt weapon, but surprisingly didn't cut through it.

Sensing movement along the roof, Ranma extended his arm towards where the peebochu was, and held it in place with telekinesis … it was a breach of his limitations, but if that thing exploded in this corridor, lives could be lost from the explosion or the falling rubble of the collapsing building.

It was a good thing the force of the blow he blocked pushed him back a little, so the arm gesture could pass off as an attempt to balance himself.

G'Nolga was far from finished, and instead of strength, started focusing on speed, so Ranma did the same, and made sure to block every weapon attack with his own weapon, and dodge anything else … he wasn't going to concede himself into believing that he could take what was being dished out, no matter how much of an additional edge his hybrid form gave him. He would not use his sealed techniques to win …

To his credit, he was keeping up with the pace G'Nolga was setting, and avoided every attempt to sneak in a strike or kick following her weapon, which only served to further agitate her.

"Stand still, you little brat!" G'Nolga bellowed finally as Ranma leapt over her low sweeping kick, and tagged her on the chin. For some reason, she was starting to get excited … this kid was keeping up with her, but unlike the students of her nemesis, he was not biting off more than he could chew by attacking recklessly. And despite his shorter-than-average height, he was certainly no slacker … in fact, he seemed to be a very seasoned warrior, knowing the pitfalls that others might have fallen into in their quest to find an opening in her defences. And his weapon was unlike any she had seen before, but he wielded it expertly.

"No," replied Ranma as he ducked below a swipe of the Sansetsukon and retaliated with dropping to the ground and sweeping at G'Nolga's feet. "That would be dumb, especially against a stronger opponent, and I try to keep dumb moves to a minimum, thank you very much …"

Ranma's fight had drawn the attention of his group, which left their backs unprotected from sneak attacks.

Rook took advantage of this, and teleported to the back of the group just as Sheila accidentally moved her Ice Fang to that exact spot, instantly freezing the ghost in armour into a solid block … an off-balance block of ice that teetered dangerously until Brianna seized the opportunity and poked Rook's head, sending him crashing into the ground, and smashing the ice, and anything in it, into countless pieces. Of course, it helped that the ice made Rook extra brittle …

The crash made G'Nolga look away at a crucial moment, and thus got tagged at the side of her head by Ranma's airborne roundhouse kick.

The kick had been weak in comparison to G'Nolga's attacks, bust still strong enough to cause her to fall down.

"Why you little-" growled G'Nolga and wiped away a trickle of blood from the side of her mouth, using her good arm.

Any further statement was blown away quite literally, as the doors at the end of the corridor exploded inwards, revealing Dr Diggers, Carla and the rest of the Northern Edge Guard.

G'Nolga may be many things, but not a fool … and she realised that there was no way for her to win against this many battle-ready opponents, especially when she was having trouble with the one she was currently fighting.

Getting to her feet with as much dignity as she could muster, G'Nolga grabbed her weapon and walked away further into the Palace.

"You are all trespassing …" she stated formally. "Giddoff my property!"

Before she was out of sight, she gave Ranma another look. She would definitely have to finish this fight later when she was in better health and didn't have Julia to fight just after.

Now, where did Rook get off to?

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All was calm in the small town that had been made with the Tournament in mind, most of the honest folk had gone to bed so they could be well rested to watch the battles taking place the following day.

This was not the case for all, as a swirling portal sprung into being on the street, depositing a large group of people. These people were Dr Diggers, Gina, Brianna, Sheila, Gar, Beebee, Lydia, Onoli, Thropan, Tirga, Carla, Luan and finally Ranma.

"Jinkies!" exclaimed Gina as she exited the gate, holding on to her hat so it wouldn't get blown off by the gusts of wind created by the gate. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that Dimension Gate of yours, dad … that was nuts!"

"I planted an "anchor" here before I went to G'Nolga's Palace …" explained Dr Diggers. "But even with the "anchor", the Dimension Gate suffers severe disruption from the enchantments protecting that palace. I wouldn't even have risked it under normal circumstances … come on through, everyone, the gate has stabilised."

"Thank you, Sensei," said Ranma gratefully and in a sedated tone … he hadn't been reprimanded for his behaviour, but Ranma was certain that his sensei disapproved of his actions at the Palace. Some form of punishment was sure to come once most of the group had cleared away.

"And Gina?" continued Dr Diggers after nodding to those coming through, acknowledging their gratitude. "Next time, please wait before charging through! Any lesser mage may have lost you …"

"Oh …" Gina hadn't realised how close she was to simply cease being. "Sorry, dad …"

"Listen up, guys …" started Sheila as soon as her fellow Northern Edge Guard members had gotten through the green swirling portal of energy. "I overheard G'Nolga and her cohort talking before the trouble began. They're trying to get their hands on some ancient artefacts! Powerful ones! We can go inside and I'll give you all the juicy details … I think I've cracked this caper wide open!"

"Artefacts, hmm?" asked Dr Diggers thoughtfully.

"So the mission was a success," concluded Thropan.

"You're the one who sent Sheila on that mission?" demanded Ranma, suddenly much closer to the werepanther than he had previously been, and radiating enough anger to cause even the most hardened warriors participating in the Tournament to pause. "She could have gotten seriously hurt or worse if we hadn't arrived at the scene in time! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Thropan, not prepared for the sudden change in moods from the dark-furred werecat, gulped nervously as he leaned away from the scary face.

"I- er" the werepanther started, but realised that there was nothing he could say that would not make him look guilty or try to shun the responsibility onto others … neither of which would get him out of a beating, something he would rather avoid considering that Ranma was a werecreature, and injuries sustained from magic, silver or fellow werecreatures took at least twice as long as normal to heal.

"Oh, Ranma! You do care about me!"

-FWUMP!-

Ranma suddenly found himself hugged by a tall, muscled and well stacked woman in a much too tight outfit that reminded of a bathing suit with a cumber bun in matching colour, and with an intentional hole for a tail at the base of her coccyx, exposing a patch of pale skin just above where her cheeks split.

This was no doubt Sheila in human form, Ranma concluded, but found that he was in no position to argue the motives his actions, as his natural reaction had been to turn to the incoming person, a reaction which had landed his face, including both intakes for air, smack between the abundant globes of flesh that threatened to burst from their dark confinement at any moment.

"Hey!" interrupted Beebee. "Leave some room for me!"

Had Ranma felt any hope of being rescued from this embarrassing position, it dwindled as he found himself breathing easier, but with an additional pair of arms around him and some semi-firm globes poking into his back.

This started a landslide of females wanting in on the action, as Brianna, Gina and Lydia tried to squeeze in as well.

Carla had other plans, for some reason she was not interested in Ranma. Luan and Gar, on the other hand, decided to seek out a healer on their own, as no one else had the presence of mind to take them to one.

Ranma had one leg in Heaven, and one in Hell.

He was being hugged by several beautiful and well endowed women, all of whom were very interested in him. But on the other hand, not all of them were in agreement of sharing, and were trying to get the others away without waking the ire of their affection, causing them to inadvertently squeeze him harder in aggravation.

Just before he passed out from asphyxiation, Ranma couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve this sweet, sweet torture.

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Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Amazons were licking their wounds, so to speak. Pride had been their biggest casualty during their heated reunion with the pink, exploding, mechanical turtles, and other than a few singed strands of hair and some bruises, they were mostly in good health.

Cologne was among those most badly injured as she had made an attempt to shield her warriors from the explosions … it had not been as successful as she had hoped.

The Amazon leader from Jade hardly had a scratch on her, as her group had been more of a perimeter guard to make sure no outside interference could disturb the retrieval of the wily werecat … of course, those little buggers hardly needed outside assistance in their tasks …

But the mission had not been completely fruitless … they had learned that the werecat was no longer present, but the avatars of technology had interfered before they could get the new location.

This left them in somewhat of a bind.

They had little left of their rations, and they could not spend the gold they had with them, because it was payment from the Earth Amazons for services rendered, and the Head of the Clan would not appreciate them spending village funds. Hunting for food was always an option, but there were not enough edible wildlife around to support them for long, and the inhabitants of the area would undoubtedly start missing their domesticated animals if those became their next prey.

And as none of them had essential papers with them, such as passports, visa or identification of any other kind, gaining temporary employment was also out of the question, and their honour would not allow them to … appropriate their supplies for long enough to wait for Ranma to return. Cage fighting was an option, but given that the last time they had underestimated one of the pathetic male fighters in this country, he ended up married to nearly half a dozen of them … it would not do to have to bring more unwilling husbands with them than the one they currently had to contend with.

This left them little choice … they would have to assume that Julia Brigand Diggers had returned to Jade to regain her honour, and that Ranma had come with her, but for what reason, Cologne shuddered to contemplate. If what she feared turned out to be the case, retrieving Son-In-Law would prove far more difficult than she was comfortable with, and they had vested far too much effort and gold into Ranma to simply release him from the Kiss.

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Britanny was having a frustrating day.

Those crazy, armed women had left the property a mess … well, technically, more than half of the damage was made by the exploding peebos, but those women had set them off!

She had tried to get those Super Construction Votoms to clean up the damage, but for some reason, those dern things remained unresponsive to her commands.

It was enough for her to want to tear something apart.

So here she was, wandering through Gina's labs in search of some SCVs that actually reacted, while Stryyp coordinated some basic clean-up of the property.

-Sniffle-

Her delicious grilled tuna had been ruined in the fight … and she had honestly intended to share with everyone … well, maybe not, but it was still mean of those women to ruin her favourite food.

As she walked down the corridor, Britanny couldn't help but feel that something was amiss … but what?

The walls were in one piece … or, rather, the sectioned plates that made the walls were not broken or out of place.

None of the lights had gone out …

Everything was kept immaculately clean …

The wererat prisoners were missing …

The instruments seemed to be in place …

The computers were running through series of test simulations that Dao no doubt was keeping tabs on for Gina, or at least he would be when he was done clean-

"Wait a minute …" Britanny muttered and retreated a few steps.

There it was, indisputable proof that Gina should never leave anything of importance behind when she went on her trips … the cell that had held the two wererat ninja for weeks was empty, and the force field that served as a door was still active.

Oh, she was so never going to hear the end of this …

"Crud …"

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Author's Notes; Don't hate me! I thought it had been a long time since the "manly" shtick had been seen and couldn't resist the siren song that compelled me to bring it back …

It also seems that I have trouble distinguishing between the words "Emphatic" and "Empathic" … I will take those words under a more thorough investigation before use the next time around …

For the past week, I've tried to post this chapter, but really didn't want to, because as you may have noticed, the ruler I use to separate sections would not function, and I was determined not to post until I could get it to function again ... unfortunately, I became impatient, and hope you can forgive me for deciding that I can correct it later when the ruler function is working.

Further more … it seems I will have to increase the number of writing tips per chapter, because as it now stands, I have enough for more than the next twenty chapters, meaning I've planned into the fiftieth chapter for writing tips, but not for the plot … yet …

Small writing tip; "Than" and "Then". You use "Than" after a comparative adjective or adverb in order to link two parts of a comparison. "Then" means at a particular time in the past or future. You use "Then" in conversation to indicate that what you are about to say follows logically in some way from what has just been said or implied. You use "Then" to introduce the second part of a sentence which begins with "if". The first part of the sentence describes a possible situation, and then introduces the result of the situation.

Second writing tip; "Stare" and "Star". I assume most people out there know what a "Star" is, but for those who do not, it can mean one of two things, either one of the billions of celestial bodies hanging around in outer space, or it means a celebrity. If you "Stare" at someone or something, you look at them for a long time, or sometimes, "the answer can "Stare" you in the face," meaning the answer to a bothersome quandary is right in front of you.

Additional writing tip; Do not use chat-slang or spelling (like U instead of You, H8 instead of Hate, etc) unless the character is chatting with someone online … you are supposed to be writing a story, and those who use this style are only annoying their readers to the point of driving them to reporting the story to the site Management. If you have objections to my friendly advice, take it up with the management and make sure to read through the rules of this site one more time … they can actually kick authors out for doing that kind of stuff enough times … trust me, there is little that is more frustrating than being cut off for a couple of weeks for some infraction of the rules, I know from personal experience …

Credits; Thanks to Martex for correcting me on the Moat … I have no idea why the spell-check missed that one … and thanks to those who pointed out to me that I accidentally crossed a few wires in the Tavern scene and called Ranma for Harry, and trust me, there were a few of you who did write me, though not all in reviews … I've been reading Harry Potter fanfics lately, and you'd be surprised how many times I had to correct the names, but the one in question must have slipped through the cracks … the errors pointed out has been corrected on file, and will be posted as soon as I've caught up with the rereading … I'm currently around the point where someone feels I started to give away that I can't write …