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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters here that belong to Ranma 1/2. The Ranma 1/2 cast belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Nor do I own Suikoden 3 or any other characters that I put into this story except for my own OCs. Neither do I own any of the character in any of the crossovers I do. I'm just using them in this fanfiction and I have no money so don't bother suing me. You'll just lose money instead of gaining any. And remember to leave a review!
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Chapter 35 – Broken Bond
In the North Cavern –
Jestbomb walk into the backend of the tunnel with, Gasper following behind her carrying Reni. They reach the room where Watari and Ayame had their duel till Ranma had step in to stop them also where you could see the ship from Lake Castle. On one side of the room was a side tunnel that led down to a lower floor that they had discovered while they were setting up the place for the plan.
"Gasper take her downstairs and make sure that the gate is lock afterwards," Jestbomb said to her large partner. He nodded then carried Reni in his metal arms taking her down to the cage.
Jestbomb turned to the small girls working on what looks like pieces of wooden dummies, "Are they almost done yet?"
"Hold your horses, I'm working as fast as, I can they'll be ready by the time she gets here," Puppet said as she work on the dummies.
"So you think that the boss's plan is going to work? It took me awhile to find this thing," Sax asks walking into the room he was lugging a large sack on his back. He threw it off of his shoulders sending it onto the middle of the room.
"Well he hasn't been wrong so far," Jestbomb said, 'And, I really don't have a choice since without him, I would still be at the bottom of that elevator staff.'
"So what about, Ranma and the others they'll be coming to get that brat back," Sax asks.
"Don't worry, Blight and his new unit are going to head them off in the forest," Puppet said as she put the finishing touches on her work.
"Well then all we have to wait for is Chris to get here for the show to start," Jestbomb said not forgetting that fight they had at that ball.
"The girl is in the cage," Gasper said as he came back up.
"There done," Puppet shouted out, "I'll get to my place." She rolled up into a ball and rolled out of the room.
"Well our job is done time for us to leave," Jestbomb said.
"Shouldn't we stay and help her?" Gasper pointed out.
"Naw besides the new troops that Zomba cook up are going to be staying here to help her," Sax waved him off then grin, "Besides, I never did like her anyways."
"Let's be off then," Jestbomb said as she waved her hand teleporting them away. The sack that Sax threw onto the floor started to move as figures along the top of the wall and the shadows began to move forward.
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On the road to the Cavern –
Chris rode hard and fast on her steed as she race to the location where Jestbomb and Gasper took Reni. She cursed herself for not putting more protection on Reni especially after that near fatal attack on Maria. Borus and Percival tried to talk her out of this but she didn't let them stop her as her rode off on her horse.
'Ranma and the others will be able to make it in time to help me,' she thought to herself as she ride.
"Need some help!"
She turned upwards to see Landis flying besides her as well as Sharon her mother, Milia with, Futch and that warrior Jimba riding on Bright and Thrash.
"We came as soon as we heard the others are coming right behind us!" Jimba shouted as he had jump on board Bright as soon as he heard that Reni was in trouble and that Chris had went after her alone.
"Good fly ahead of me and clear the area," Chris shouted at them.
"Will do!" Milia shouted as she and Futch got their dragons to fly faster but Landis couldn't fly as fast so he flew next to Chris.
"Don't worry we save her," Landis said to her one of his rare moments of showing his caring side.
"I know," she said her eyes narrowing.
When they arrived at the entrance of the old mine they found the others in a heated battle with a group of six Rock Golems and three Ghost Knights. Bright and Thrush were holding them back as none of the monsters could fly. Seeing an opening in the group of monsters Chris rode through them ridding into the mine.
"Futch you and the others go with her," Milia shouted as she flew close to the ground so that Sharon could jump off, "Me and the dragons will hold these guys off!"
"Be careful!" Futch shouted as Milia was one of the few people that Bright would listen too since she does have the Dragon Rune. He and Jimba jump off of Bright and run into the mine.
"I'll stay and help you!" Landis shouted releasing a bolt of lightning at one of the Ghost Knights.
"Thanks," Milia said as Thrush used her ice breath on the golems.
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Inside the mine –
Chris ran ahead of the others as they race into the first open mineshaft. All of their weapons were drawn out ready for battle. Once they entered the mineshaft they found the mine completely empty. They would have thought that there would be some enemies trying to stop them.
"Where are they?" Sharon said as she held her shield and spear tightly.
"This is a trap," Futch said as he held the Bastard Sword that Sir Humphrey had given him before taking off.
"I know but, I need to get my daughter back," Chris said as she grip her sword hard.
"Chris you need to be careful," Jimba said as he saw the look in her eyes. It reminded him of what her mother acted like when she thought that Chris had really hurt herself when she was little.
All awhile above them Puppet was watching what was happening using a viewing globe that let her watch the action happening in the mine using spy orbs that are place all along the mine tunnels. She smiled as she saw the troops under her command were crawling along the walls of the mineshaft. They were the latest creations that Zomba had created using a mix of the goblins races here and the samples of the Lickers that they had recover created a new type of Goblins the Skull-Gobs. Malicious and aggressive, they would attack anything that they came into contact with.
They're short in stature, around five feet tall, about the height of the dwarves in this world but longer limbed, like the Lickers that they shared their DNA with. Unlike their counterparts the Skull-Gobs weren't skinless with a grey moldy colored skin but they did have the partially exposed brains. They also did have the heads of the Lickers but with huge eyes as they're meant to be night attacks but they didn't have the whip like tongues. And some of them have fang jaws filled with sharp teeth to tear into the flesh of their victims. Some of them did have the claws of the Lickers where they came from while others had normal hands. They were like nothing so much as cockroaches, numerous and hard to kill, and largely similar in appearance as there were occasional wild mutations, even among this new monstrous race.
Those with hands were armed with weapons and all wore armor that would appear ugly to most people eyes but were well made, very sharp and perfectly suited to the creatures that are using them. Although seemingly crude and brutal looking, the three-foot-long swords were an efficient design, incorporating the handgrip and guard into the blade, protecting the sword hand even as it provided an uninterrupted length of blade that could be used to chop down upon their enemy; the sharpened tip allowed the Skull-Gobs to stab at their foe and then retreat back behind their large shield, and the pommel had jagged coronels that would have turned it into a brutal clubhead. Although the blades were quite big for creatures of those Skull-Gobs size, it should be pointed out that they're wiry and were able to climb using their own strength quite easily; there was a lot of power in their musculature, so they would have no problem for them to swing a sword that big with great force. There were some that carried either two different types of staff weapons: a spear and a halberd. The staffs varied in length between four and five feet and had a barbed metal tip.
The shields were made of metal and were again relatively large. They resembled in shape parts of an insect shell or crab claw, as their ridged surface curved around the arm and ended in spikes that could be used for stabbing. They were held to the body by a handgrip and an arm strap; the latter could be used alone so that the shield hand was free to grip the stone when the Skull-Gobs were climbing.
Some of them carried bows of recurved type, shaped so as to get as much power into the short bow as possible. It was strung with sinew and twine, coming from the slaughter houses and pits that were taken from the boars. In addition to being suited to their relatively short stature, a bow of that size would be easy to carry through small spaces and climbing up walls without getting hooked up and damaged. The bows fired small black dart like arrows with barbed tips for extra damage. The quivers that carried the arrows were crude cone of leather, incredibly light and easy to make as there were so many of the Skull-Gobs being created out of the breeding pits. It had a long twist of leather up the back so that it could be lashed around the arrows when climbing or traveling at high speeds.
The black armor that they wore made them look very demonic. The helmets consisted of two pieces, the skull and the visor, both of which had spikes extending into the face area, and these were riveted together at a point in front of where the ears should be in such a way as to give the impression of a fanged maw. It also served to limit the amount of light shining on their sensitive eyes as their really suited to night attacks. Some of them wore mail hauberks underneath their armor or for the ones that are fast on their feet leather for quicker movements. Over these garments was worn a very basic and crude collar, cuirass, fauld and set of pauldrons, each consisting of no more than three or four metal plates that had been riveted together; again, these were fashioned into sections that resembled a carapace or scales, the jagged edges and pointed tips giving them the demonic look. The Skull-Gobs also wore leather gauntlets, which had pointed fingertips designed to give additional grip when climbing for the ones without clawed hands.
"It's time for you guys to break them up," Puppet smiled as she commanded the Skull-Gobs to attack them before they reach the second mineshaft.
The Skull-Gobs waited till they were climbing up before they sprang into action rushing down from their hiding places on the walls of the cave. Two of them rush at, Futch knocking him down off of the ramp sending them crashing down onto the bottom floor. Sharon block the incoming spear from one of them pushing him back knocking him off before fighting off three of the attacking Skull-Gobs.
"Chris go on ahead we take care of them," Futch shouted as he got onto his feet and began swinging his huge sword cutting through his two attackers in one blow. He spun around tearing through the armor of the ones that were too close to him.
"Yeah we can handle them!" Sharon shouted as she used her Fire Rune casting 'Fire Arrows' on some of the Skull-Gobs. One of the attackers leaped at her swinging both his shield and sword forcing her back blocking his blows with her shield before she managed to stab his neck with her spear.
"You're sure?" Chris asks as she dodges the arrows from some bowmen on the upper levels. She stabs through one of the attackers as it leaps down at her the strange thing was that it had talons that reminded her of those Lickers that Noclord created.
"Come on!" Jimba shouted as he grabs her arm and pulled her along as they ran up to the ramp.
They fought their way up as the dark armored attackers tried to stop them. Jimba block a sword thrush and kick the attack off of the ledge but saw it grabbing a hold of the wall and began climbing back up. One of them wielding a spear charge at him but using his speed twisted around his thrush and slash at its throat letting out a spray of dark blood.
"Go get Reni!" Jimba shouted as he fought off the Skull-Gobs.
"Watch yourself!" she shouted as she drove her sword into the opening of the helmet of the one standing in her way before taking off.
'Go save your daughter, Chris,' Jimba thought to himself as the attacks surround him. He grabs one of them using him as a body shield, as a volley of arrows were shot at him. He threw the dead body into the mass behind him and used his Water Rune to make ices spears and fired them at the bowmen that were firing at him. Then he turned to the ones on the same ledge as he was on as swung away as they charge at him.
'Reni don't worry, I'll save you,' Chris thought to herself as she tore through the bowmen that were on the upper ledges.
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Meanwhile on the Yaza Plains –
Ranma was riding ahead of a small column of soldiers heading to the old mine. Since they needed to move fast these were the light cavalry as they needed to get to the mine as fast as they could. He had wasted so much energy in his fight with Top that he couldn't use his full power so he sandaled his horse, Brego and took off. Leo, Roland, Borus, and Percival rode aside him as well as the ones that could get on a horse or run as fast as one. They couldn't teleport there since, Iris could only teleport to places that she could see, Viki was still away and they couldn't find Little Viki anywhere.
'Hold on we're coming,' Ranma thought to himself as they're cutting through the forest.
"Ranma," Watari said as he ran next to him, "There seems to be some enemies hiding in the trees."
"See if you and the others can't clear a path for us," Ranma said as the light cavalry were mostly made up of young recruits.
"Well do," Kasumi said running on the other side of him, "Ayame is already handling the pest problem. But these guys don't even look human. More like those Lickers we fought before."
"Take care then," Ranma said as the two took off ahead of him.
"We're heading into an ambush," Roland said as he saw some movement ahead of them.
"It will take too long to go around we just power on through," Ranma said as he's more worried about Reni then himself.
"I know it's your daughter but don't be reckless," Borus shouted at him.
"She's also Chris's daughter also," Ranma said as he kept his eyes forward.
"Ranma once they start attacking go on ahead and take some of the men and go ahead," Leo said as he has more then once done this before.
"I take command," Percival said as he saw small armored enemies in the tree line.
Along the path bowmen pop out of the bushes bows draw. But before they fired Watari and Ayame leaping above them let loose a volley of throwing stars taking them out followed by an energy blast from Kasumi. A second attack wave burst out of the trees knocking some of the riders off their mounts. The forest quickly became a battleground as they fought off the dark armored attackers as the burst out of the underbrush and the trees.
Roland and the others with bows fought hard, steering their mounts with their knees, firing arrows into the mass of attacking dark armored as quickly as they could load and shoot. All around them, nets covered with leaves shot up with precision and speed, creating a webbed blockade that prevented the riders from exiting the forest in several directions. With the army of attacks were forced back into the forest clearing, where the attackers could tightly surround them.
A loud war cry from the back made Ranma turn around as Fight ran into the fray with Karayan and Lizard fighters following behind as their fast runners and had taken one of the Lizards underground highways to get as close as they could to the mine before running into the forest. Their charge broke through the netting and broke the formation of the small armored attackers. The attackers leap onto the trees climbing up and leaping back down into the fighting mass below them. Some of the bowmen were firing down hitting more then one of the Grassland forces those with bows on the ground fired upwards at them sending them crashing down.
Watching from the tree line, Blight watches as the Skull-Gobs went and soften the weaklings up. They were doing well as their small sizes made them well suited in fighting in forest areas. He turned to his unit of fifty Berserkers and smiled seeing them ready to join the fray. They're larger, even more fearsome versions of the Urukkins, standing about seven feet tall and weighing an estimated three hundred pounds of muscle. That included both the males and females that made up the unit as Blight knows all too well that females are just as good as guys are in battle. They wore tight fitting helmets that were filled with blood from the slaughter houses. The intoxicating smell awakened a bloodlust that drove them to a battle-frenzy. They had only two weapons, a huge sword with a five-foot blade and a foot-long double spike at the end; it was a cumbersome sword, requiring an enormous amount of strength to wield it, but the eighteen-inch-long handgrip allowed the Berserkers to apply leverage in the swing by placing his hands wide apart. Each side of the four-inch-wide blade was hammered to a sharp edge, and one blow from it could cut a man in half. It wasn't an elegant or particularly efficient sword – for example, the spikes could get caught in the victim – but the level of intimidation generated by such a nasty weapon was huge. Then there were the stronger ones that carried the double bladed long lengthen axes. That dwarfed the axes that Leo and Hallec are armed with.
They all wore thick heavy armor plates that made them hard to kill. The breastplates covered their torsos while keeping their arms bare so that could swing their weapons freely. They did wear metal gauntlets with metal spikes on them when they couldn't swing their weapons. Thick pants and boots protected their lower body while letting them run fast. There were even some that didn't carry weapons but had huge metal gauntlets that covered their arms and equipped with barrels on the sides that could firer spikes. They're a mix of long and short range attackers making them very dangerous to face in battle. (1) Looking at them in their full gear it was hard to tell what sex any of the soldiers were that's if you didn't look at the breastplates as there were some that were made for a female built. They even shave their hair or cut it short so that it wouldn't get in the way when they fight. And only, Blight could lead them in battle without them going all wild forgetting about the orders they're suppose to be following.
Well there was, Anarchy who could lead them without losing control over them. Blight really couldn't figure him out. He wouldn't say it but something about him scares him, it wasn't as near as the level he feels from Dark Hat but was just as portent. The Beast Rune could feel something powerful, was inside of him it was something dark seeded with a deep hatred. It was something even deeper then his own hatred as if he has only known the darker side of life. He has never seen what was under his mask that he wears all of the time but that single eye that was shown told something that Blight couldn't put into words as there were no words for it. And then there was something that was even darker that he sense but he couldn't bring himself to look into it as he fears what he would find.
Shaking it off Blight turned to his unit, "Alright it's time to kill!" A loud roar sounded off as they charge into the battle swinging their weapons as they ran into the battle. The Grassland troops heard the war cry and turned to face their new attackers.
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Back at the mine –
Chris ran through the tunnel that connected the two mineshafts. After she had dealt with those bowmen she found her path free of enemies which worried her. They were planning something ahead of her and she wasn't going to let that stop her now not when she's so close to saving Reni. And she would never be able to look at Ranma's face again if she loses their daughter like this.
When she reaches the end of the tunnel she looks down from the ledge ramp that circled the mineshaft. On the bottom of the mineshaft Chris saw something that made her heart stop for a second. On the bottom of the shaft was Reni laying in a heap on the floor looking like she had been in a fierce battle. Bodies of those dark armored attackers lay about on the area next to her still form. But something was amiss with them as they had what appeared to be spikes running through their bodies but she thought nothing of it just that her daughter was hurt.
"RENI!" she shouted as she ran down the ramp steep side running at full speed so that she wouldn't lose her footing and fall.
Once on the bottom she ran to her daughter's side she began shaking her shoulders, "Reni are you okay answer me?"
Seeing that she wasn't getting anything out of her she grabs her and lifted her onto her back, "Don't worry baby, I'm getting you out of here."
As she began climbing back up the ramp, Reni's eyes flew open a wide smile spread across her face. Feeling something amiss, Chris turned her head around facing Reni's, "Reni?"
A scream burst out from the bottom of the shaft all the way to the top where Puppet smiled as she watches enjoying the show down below, "Well old lady you wanted to find your daughter but, I don't this was what you wanted."
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Back in the forest –
Ranma block the sword swing from the large attacker that suddenly appeared out of nowhere out from the woods. They had just run out from the trees and tore a path through their formation. Their large weapons made it hard for them to swing them around with the trees that were so close together. But the power that they generated with their weapons could cut through the armor that the soldiers wore quite easily when they get a good blow in. They also proved to be stronger then most of the fighters as only the Lizard Fighters with their superior strength could go toe to toe with them.
He knocks the sword aside and stab down into his attacker getting the side of his neck. Then turning to his other side he took the arm of one of them as it was swinging at one of his men. Brego was acting like a well train war horse kicking smashing the heads of his attackers with his hooves. And using his mouth biting the hands or faces shaking them in his jaws ripping the faces out and shaking them like rag dolls.
All around them the forest was alive with battle. The smaller ones were letting those big brutes do the hard works while they darted in and out stabbing. They were fighting in pairs or threes as they tried to live through this battle. With the Grass Clan fighters fighting along side with the mounted troops they were pushing back the attackers. But the thick trees made fighting hard as the tight spaces made it hard to move around.
Leo was matching the power from those big brutes smashing through their armor as easily as they were doing to the others. A female swung at him but he duck the blade as it became stuck in the side of a tree. She tried to pull it out but Leo slam the butt of his axe into her face then followed with a swing to the side cutting off the head of one of those smaller attackers as it tried to backstab him. Roland had managed to stay on his horse and was shooting between the armor of the enemies saving more then one of their troops. One of the big brutes with those massive metal gauntlets came out of the fray and aimed his arms at the elf archer. With a loud twang it fired a volley of darts at Roland knocking him off of his horse as some of the darts pierce through his armor. The poison that covered them began taking effect.
Leaping down from the trees Watari buried his sword into the backside of the neck of that dart shooter. He twisted the blade breaking its neck making sure it was dead as it fell to its knees, Watari leap off of it as it fell slicing his way through the enemy ranks to reach the fallen elf. Roland was still alive but badly bleeding thanks to the number of darts that went through his armor. He waved off the help from Watari to take him out of the fight as he drank an antidote then notch an arrow and shot through the neck of one of those dart shooters. Watari nodded as he stayed near the wounded elf watching his back. The other ninjas were busy helping those in need as they leap about in the battle using their skills to dodge the attacks from the attackers.
"Ranma!" Percival shouted as he rode up to him, "These guys are just here to stop us from getting to Lady Chris."
"I know that," Ranma shouted as he fired a Moko Takabisha into a group of the dark armored attackers. Rather than flying, they had been merely knocked off of their feet. It was enough for the Grassland troops to finish the quartet, but Ranma knew then and there that he was in dire straights. As he had wasted so much of his power in the fight with Top that he hadn't had anytime to recover his energy.
"You should go ahead we can handle these guys," Percival said as he knocks an arrow out of the air in mid-flight that was aimed at him.
"Just make sure you guys live through this," Ranma shouted as he took off.
As he rode through the forest he swung his sword at the attackers as he ran past them. Cutting off an arm there and chopping off a head of one of the foes helping the people on his side when he had the chance to. Then a twirling sound that he knew too well came out of the forest as a familiar double-bladed lance flew at him. Ranma barely managed to dodge the lance as it sailed over him and watch as it returned to its thrower.
"Ranma it's been awhile," Blight said as he lower his lance waving his troops away so that his victory wouldn't be won by one of his troops hitting Ranma while his back was turn.
"Haven't seen you since Dark Hat gave you that beating," Ranma said as he heard what happen after he had transforms into his tigerform.
Blight growled, "I would like to see how well you would do in a fight with him." Then he smiled, "But you are going to have to fight him if you ever want to marry that sister of his. So are you going to transform it won't be much of a fight if you don't."
'Don't have time for this,' Ranma thought to himself as he knew that Blight was just here to stop him from getting to the mine, "So what's with those troops?"
"Oh yes they're the Berserkers and those small guys are the Skull-Gobs we needed to test them out. Beside we already tested the other unit with that fort of yours," he smiled.
"So it was your handy work that killed my people," Ranma growled as he lost some good men and women when the fort was burn to the ground. He felt a powerful ki approaching to him coming from the behind him turning he saw Fight flying at them. She passed him in a blur and struck Blight him his face with a foot to his face knocking him back a couple of feet before he slam into a tree.
"Ranma go, I handle him go and save Reni," Tina shouted as she leaps at Blight pounding on him before he could get up.
"Be careful!" Ranma shouted as he rode out of the forest, "Reni, I'm coming!"
"Not without me you don't!" Borus shouted as he rode next to him.
"Coming along for the ride," Ranma asks knowing that Borus is deeply in love with Chris.
"Just making sure that Lady Chris is okay," Borus said as they rode off for the mine.
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Back in the mine –
"Reni what are you doing?" Chris shouted as she blocks off her daughters rapier strikes. She was carrying her on her back when she suddenly stabs her shoulder with her sword.
"Mama, I want you to die," Reni smiled as she stabs at her mother as she was bleeding badly from that wound she gave her on her right shoulder.
"Don't do this," Chris pleaded as she fought her off.
"Die mama, die mama," she chanted repeatedly while slashing at her wildly.
She slashes and thrust her rapier as Chris block and dodges her blows. Chris knew she was in trouble as that wound, Reni gave her was slowing her down and her mind was racing to a reason why her daughter was trying to kill her for. What did they do to her to change her so much? She needs to knock, Reni out before she hurts herself.
As she lunge at her, Chris grab onto her wrist twisting it making her let go of her sword. Then a kick to the side sent, Reni to the ground. She pointed her sword at her as she got back onto her feet, "Reni calm down, I get you back to the castle and there we fix you up."
Reni looks up at her and smiled then she leaps at her. Chris eyes widen as Reni impales herself onto her sword. She could feel something breaking inside of her as she stares at the still form of her daughter on the end of her sword.
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Miles away –
The seaport town of Yaser on the coastline of Toran Republic south of the Zero Nation who are now on friendly terms with each other. The town use to be a center of fishing and trade ports as it was located in the only open area where there was a path through the mountain range into the reign of the where the Village of the Dwarves is located at. But years ago before the Gate Rune war began an earthquake struck and caused a landslide that destroyed the only path through the mountains. When the mountain path was destroyed the life line of the town went with it as the trading that was done with the Dwarves halted. The trading ships stop coming when news about the earthquake had spread and the town quickly fell into ruin. People left the town as there was no reason to stay anymore and the town fell into the hands of pirates that found the town isolated location an ideal place for a hideout.
"You have set up a base here?" Albert asks as he walks along side with Anarchy and also accompanied by Starfire.
"Yes, I had thought ahead and set up this base since my future plans needs some sea travel," Anarchy said as they walk on the stone road of the once busy seaport.
"Grandfather Leon told me about this town he visited it often before it became a ghost town thanks to that earthquake that destroyed the mountain pass. Few people would even remember this place anymore," Albert commented, "So why you bought me to this place?"
Starfire shot him a heated glare and was about to say something before Anarchy wave her off, "Let me show you."
"So what happened to all of the pirates in this town?" he asks as this was a pirate port and he hasn't seen anything outside of the creatures that Zomba has made in his lab running around.
"Oh Fangface and the others of his kind had them over for lunch," the dragon girl said before her eyes turned to something in front of them.
Walking up to them was something that Albert knew that Zomba had cooked up in his lab. It was dress in an open long black trench coat and white baggy pants typically for a pirate as getting salt out of clothes was a lot of work. But the person was a walking shark that's walking like a human. He has a massive jaw that took up most of its face that was more shark then man with leathery grey skin hide and massive arms and legs showed that he's suited on both land and sea. Strapped onto his back was a large anchor, that must have weighed about a ton but he carried it easily with little effort.
"So this is that guy you told me about," the sharkman said giving Albert a look over.
"Yes with his help you'll be able to get the prize," Anarchy said before he turned to Albert, "This is Marko the latest member of my forces."
"Well come along and, I show you what the hub bub is about," Marko huff leading them down the road.
They walk in silences as they headed down to the harbor. As they neared a newly built building that took up most of the harbor, Albert began to hear sounds that reminded him of the work being done in Zomba's lab. The streets were mostly clear but for the Urukkins that were about in the streets, but he could sense that just on the other side the buildings were a hive of activity. Voices were shouting, strange hammering sounds echoed, sparks soared up out of the buildings, and above the rooflines of the vast sheds he could see the tops of great wooden wheels turning.
The doorway swung open, and Albert gasped for breath with the rush of scorching heat that flooded out to greet him. He felt a knot of fear but held it in check as he bent low and walked into the hellish scene before him.
The far side of the vast cavern was dominated by a high brick structure that filled one entire wall. The shed roof was open around it. A glaring red heat like the eye of the sun shimmered in the center of the wall.
"Our iron kiln," Marko announced, "We're getting three tons a day out of it."
"Straight ahead is the furnace where we convert the pig iron into cast," and he pointed to where dozens of workers and Urukkins, labored over a vast shimmering pit, stirring the molten metal with long metal rods. Fossils with their strength that was prodigious, work as beast of burden as they carried large tools and equipments around the factory.
A thundering boom started to echo down the vast shed with a rumble like a thousand war drums, making Albert look around.
"The tilt hammers," Marko announced, and he continued down the vast length of the shed and stopped before a series of man-size hammers that slowly rose up and then dropped down, striking sheets of hot metal, sending out vast showers of red-hot sparks. Crews of workers moved the metal with heavy tongs. As the group watched, a gang of workers lifted one sheet off, carried it over to a blazing kiln, and slid the metal inside, while another crew took a red-hot sheet and maneuvered it between the rollers, flattening out into a long sheet. Marko led the group around to the other side, where another team of workers stood ready, pulling the sheet over to a long table, where they started to trim the edges, squaring it off, while others, with heavy hammers and spikes, proceeded to punch holes around the side of glowing metal sheet.
"One-inch armor plating for the Ogunquit, and the other gunships that are being built," Marko announced proudly.
"Gunships?" Albert asks as he remembers something like that from the pre-Island Nation warships when Rune Cannons were still a common weapon on the ships.
"Yes, I'm planning on attacking the towns on the coastline of the Grasslands, Vinay Del Zexay and Lake Castle," Anarchy said to him, "They're expecting an attack from the land not by the water."
"So why am, I here then?" Albert asks knowing that there was something that Anarchy needed a Silverberg to plan an attack.
"Well, I'm planning on stopping by a place on an island that one of your ancestors help out with a war with," he answered him, "And, I know that you would have study on all of they plans that your ancestors laid out for the wars that they help to win. And, I want you to plan out an attack on an island city for me."
The young strategist sharp eyes narrowed as he turned away from the rollers and continued onto where a vast bed of sand was laid out on the floor. To one side a tower of dried clay rose up higher than most people could reach up, its sides as thick as a body of a horse. Above the clay tower a Fossil stood on a platform maneuvering a heavy dark ladle into place with a worker over seeing its action. The ladle tipped over, and out poured a river of molten iron.
"Come let me show you what we're making," Anarchy said as they walk out of the building to the sea side.
The courtyard outside the factory was aswarm with workers. A high earthen ramp led up one side of the building. An endless procession of Fossils walked up ramp with carts that they push up. As each reached the top he handed the basket to another who emptied the contents into s smoking hole, which Albert reasoned must be the top of furnace out of which the iron came from.
"We have to ship in the charcoal and ore from the Dwarves brought through middle-men," Marko explained, "We did have to make a new path through the mountains though."
The young strategist spotted a Fossil loading what he remembers from drawings of what a Rune Cannon looks like. A small battered craft was anchored in the middle of the harbor, a hundred yards away. An Urukkin from the magic unit forces his magic into the Rune Shell before it fired send the shell flying through the air. As the smoke cleared he saw a geyser of spray kicking up around the vessel, showers of splinters boiling up into the air.
The smoke blew away, and the Urukkins that were watching around the cannon cheered lustily. The small boat bobbed and swayed in the foaming water, and even so slowly started to settle.
"A little to the left!" a tall armored figure shouted to the crew manning the cannon.
"Trojan how's the cannon training going?" Anarchy asks.
"Well we gotten how to power up a Rune Cannon down but it's aiming that we need to work on," the armored man said.
"Albert here will be planning the attack," Starfire informed him.
"Just make sure you don't plan on getting more then what acceptable casualties that my units will take during the attack," Trojan said eyeing the strategist.
Anarchy suddenly turned as he saw something that only he could see, "Kage so you got the blueprints that, I ask for?" As a ninja appeared out of thin air in front of him, Albert knew who it was when he saw who it was.
Kage is a contract ninja. Rumors say that he will kill his own family if the right price was given. He has no loyalty to anyone, but if he is paid to do a job, he definitely gets it done. In that respect he has his own sense of ethics. He is highly competent as well, and many of his acts have affected history. For example, he was the one who brought the blueprints for the Burning Mirror to Pannu Yakuta when he was hired by the Scarlet Moon Empire, and on the other hand, he was hired by the Toran Liberation Army to deliver the blueprints for the Fire Spears to the Rebel Factory. During the Zero Unification War, he was hired by Highland to work as a messenger between Luca Blight and Jowy Atreides before Jowy murdered Anabelle. After the war Kage pop up now and then but it was hard to tell which were true or not some even thought he had died.
'So he's still alive,' Albert thought to himself as even his network had a hard time of keeping track of Kage's whereabouts as he was just that good.
"Here are the blueprints that you ask for," Kage said as he handed him a blueprint.
Anarchy took the scrolls then pulled out a bag then reaching into it then let the contents of the bag to fall back into it. Light shine off of the colorful gems, red, blue, and green as they fell into the bag then he gave the bag to Kage, "And here's your payment for a job well done." Kage nodded as he disappeared as fast as he came.
"Sir that was a large sum of gems that you just gave to him," Starfire said to her boss.
"Well let's just say that where, I got those gems at, it's nothing more but pocket change," Anarchy said as he made the blueprints disappear.
Albert was about to asks what the blueprints were for when the cannon fired again. An instant later the target ship seemed to lift into the air, it's back broken. The two halves of the ship sank as the crew working the cannon cheered seeing that they sank the ship in one shot.
"Nice shot," Trojan said seeing that the cannon unit getting better with the cannon.
"How did you recreate the Rune Cannons and Rune Shells, I thought that the making of them had died with their creator?" Albert asks as the few Cannons and Shells that Harmonia manage to gather before the Island Nation destroyed all of their. The mages tried to recreate them but none of the experiments they did showed any results in creating them. They couldn't look for any blueprints as Warlock the mage that made them had a photographic memory so he never needed to write out how to make them. The only one that might know anything about it would be his teacher Crowly but getting anything out of him was out of the question.
"Zomba had some in one of his storage rooms that he gotten years ago but never got around to it and since it's a magical powered device he figured out how to recreate them," Anarchy explained to him.
"You never had to plan an attack that uses such advance weapons, before have you," Starfire smiled.
He shuns it off, "Give me time and, I'll set up a plan for this attack of yours."
A light appeared as Jestbomb teleported in front of her boss, "Puppet has the plan going in full gear sir."
"Good make sure you get her out of there when it's done. No need to lose someone like her," he said.
"Anarchy what is this plan of yours?" Albert asks.
"Let's just say, I'm going to test the bond that's said to be the deepest," he said the single eye that showed narrowed as everything that his plans are resting on of what path they will follow shall be of the result of this plan. He had waited till one of the Hat siblings started their test on Ranma knowing that when he returns he wouldn't be at full power. Then he needed to wait till one of his daughters wasn't guarded and strike. And now all he has to do is waits, till he finds out whether everything went as plan or he has to use plan B. As there was no way that he would make the mistakes of others in relying in just one plan so he always has backup plans for everything.
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Back in the cave –
Chris grips her sword two-handed fashion as she slice the head off of another Reni doll. She still couldn't believe that she had thought that wooden doll was her daughter. Pulling her sword out of that doll she saw there wasn't any enough blood on her sword as she seen what he sword looks like after she had pulled it out. Tearing the clothes off of the thing she found that thing was a wooden body but she spotted the hole her sword made and tore the wooden shell off. Her eyes widen as she saw that underneath the outer layer of wood was muscle tendons the doll was using muscles taken from people to operate this… thing. Then more of them showed up these dolls and began attacking her in a seemly endless waves, some of them carried weapons while others just scamper on all fours like spiders as they easily clung to the rough surface of the mineshaft walls.
The sounds that they made were getting to her as they made creaking sounds with every movement that they made. These new dolls didn't wear any clothes showing the craved wooden bodies of theirs. But their faces it was their faces. Each time that she cuts one down it was the face of her daughter and her voice screaming as the dolls were destroyed by her hands. The look of death on their faces hit a deep note inside of her as she destroyed one after another.
"So how you like your daughters?" a new voice came out of one of the dolls as one all of the dolls stop attacking her and stood in place.
Her eyes harden as she realized who the voice must be coming from, "You, you're the one that's doing all of this."
The Reni dolls all smiled eerily their eyes glimmering, "Yes, I put a lot of work into them. Tell me how does it feels being attack by someone that you love?" the voice giggled.
Chris could tell that it was from a young girl's voice from the sound of it, "So who are you?"
"Call me Puppet old lady," the voice laugh, "And your daughter is waiting for you."
"Reni!" Chris eyes widen as the wounds she has receive during the fight forgotten as the thoughts of her daughter entered her mind, "Where is she! What have you done to her!"
"She's in the back with some of my dolls having a smack."
Chris eyes widened as she burst into action. Her body was wounded, bleeding badly and it wanted to rest but she paid no mind to her body wants as she ran on pure adrenaline. The world around her began to blur becoming nothing more then twisting blades and wooden body parts flying through the air as he cuts them down like wheat. The faces of her daughter, Reni on those dolls each time one of them was cut down images of, Reni flash into her mind. She wasn't going to lose her like this she wasn't going to lose her child.
She ran down the tunnel to the place where Puppet said where she was at. She saw a group of those dolls about ten of them on all fours gathered around something. The sounds of flesh being torn apart and the blood that spayed in the air caused her to feel like something just punch her guts. Remains of a small child was laying in a pool of blood the ribcage was broken open the head smash into pulp that the dolls scoop up putting them into their mouths. The body was so torn up that she couldn't even tell what gender the child was anymore. Then she saw it her rapier… Reni's rapier… laying near the group of dolls that are feasting on… her body…
Chris didn't even hear herself scream in rage and lost as she ran at the dolls. She cut through them like wet paper, her rage, her lost going into every swing cutting down these monsters. She didn't stop even when she saw that they were cut into pieces she smashes their heads making sure there was nothing left of them. A doll came out of a side tunnel its face lit up with joy as it ran at her screaming out mama. Shaking with rage in disgracing her daughter like this she thrust her sword through its chest smiling as she saw the doll wipe that smile off of its face.
"Nice work in destroying my dolls," Puppets voice came from somewhere in the cave as the high walls made it impossible to locate where the voice had came from.
"How dare you!" Chris scream tears flowing down her cheeks as she stared at the body that the dolls were eating, "Ranma will make you pay for what you did to our daughter!"
"Me?" Puppet laugh, "I didn't do anything to her… you handled that end of the plan. It took her awhile to free herself and her timing couldn't be better."
Chris eyes widen as she turned to the doll that she had just stab. The dolls face was lock in disbelieve as tears flowed down its cheeks it started gasping for breath as it fell to its knees blood pooling around it as she pulled her sword out. The doll chokes out 'why… mama' as it drew out its last breath.
Up above the cave Puppet smiled as she enjoyed getting Chris to kill her own daughter. "There's nothing like seeing a bond between a mother and daughter," she giggled as she pulled her shields together forming a ball rolling away before anyone spotted her.
She stared at the body that she had just killed. Staring at the body that she knows that is Reni her daughter. Her daughter that she has just killed with her own hands… her own blood covered hands. She just stared at her body laying there in front of her the world around her disappeared as she stared at the body in front of her. She called her mama as she did with hers, seeing her as her own mother. Chris loved her as her own even if she wasn't the one who gave birth her, all that mattered was that she loves her. Even as Ranma along with Borus finally made it to the chamber running into the room seeing both of them then kneeling next to her and Reni's dead form. She didn't hear anything or see anything, just the body that lay in front of her staring at her with unblinking eyes and the bond that she has just broken…
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Next Time – The bond has been broken and Anarchy plans are into motion. As the 108th stars are gathering old ones will be pulled into the conflict of the Grasslands. Next time in 'Darkness Raising'.
Also anyone knows where, I can find a fic where Ranma gets hit with a potion that makes him live through one life after another as the others try to make an antidote in time before his mind is destroyed as in each life he dies?
Author's Notes
1 – Think of those soldiers in Final Fantasy 8 with those arm gun things like Biggs.
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