Ranma ½
A Scary Thought:
What happened last time: Lemon with the escort of Ranma and Herb attempted to talk down Palm, only for this to backfire as Palm now has access to her real target.
Chapter 69
XXXXX
Peach landed on the rooftop, quickly shifting from her insect form to human before scanning about. 'They were here earlier...' she thought before smelling the air. 'No traces of them leaving, so teleportation maybe, but I don't sense any such magic. It makes no sense.' The kitsune growled in frustration. 'Well done, Palm. Well done. I underestimated you, but this isn't over yet.'
Taking in another quick few whiffs of the air, Peach once more transformed and flew off.
XXXXX
"Man, this sucks!" Ranma moaned irritably as he and Herb marched through the wood with a heavy downpour bombarding them. He shivered every part of him soaked through. "Is she trying to drown us or freeze us to death?"
"It certainly seems designed to be as uncomfortable as possible," Herb replied through chattering teeth.
"Ugh! So what is a bloody conceptual space anyway?"
Herb huffed, but after a moment began explaining. "Think of it as a dream made real. It is a space where the creator has made their own world, with its own rules."
"Great, that sounds very bad," Ranma concluded irritably.
"Indeed. It is fortunately not as flexible as a reality space though."
"Reality sp... Never mind! How does that help us?"
"A reality space, the creator can change the rules at will. Trapped in such a space we'd be helpless unless we too can create a similar space."
"Oh, so we're not totally screwed, just mostly screwed! How is this any better?!"
"A conceptual space is built with solid rules in place. So long as it is manifested, those rules must remain unchanged."
"So what are the rules here?"
Herb huffed. "I have no idea."
"Wonderful!" Ranma replied in annoyance. 'It feels like bloody hours we've been in here, and all she does is annoy us with this damn rain!' he thought in ever growing anger. Finally, frustration getting to him, he stopped and suddenly yelled out, "GET OUT HERE YOU COWARDLY BITCH! COME FIGHT US!"
"Do you honestly think she cares about your pathetic taunts?" Herb said with a growl.
"I don't give a damn! I'm sick of this," Ranma snapped back. "WHERE THE HELL YOU HIDING?! GET OUT HERE!"
"Quiet already! You're wasting your energy!" Herb admonished.
"Oh shut up!" Ranma countered before kicking a nearby tree angrily, snapping its trunk like a twig. "I'm sick and tired of this! I'm cold. I'm soaked to the bone. And I'm bloody hungry!"
"Pathetic," Herb quietly moaned, causing Ranma to turn sharply on him.
"Yeah, I'm sure you're perfectly fine with this, Miss high and mighty!"
Herb glared at Ranma before growing suspicious. "What is with you all of a sudden?"
"What's with me?! I'm just sick of being in here! What's with you?!" Ranma asked angrily before throwing up his hands in frustration. "Screw this! Let's split up! Staying together is getting us nowhere!" Without even waiting for a reply, Ranma began walking off in another direction.
"Fool," Herb muttered as she turned away and continued on their original course, alone.
Unseen by either, Palm simply smiled and slowly began following after the transformed prince.
XXXXX
'Stupid bloody dumb ass princess,' Ranma thought to himself as he marched on, barely taking notice of the rain slowly abating. This did nothing to ease Ranma's mind though, and his irritation at the whole situation simply continued to get worse. He continued to mumble and grumble to himself for quite some time before the sky above was now clear, and he entered a clearing.
He barely noted the change though before noticing Lemon standing across from him. Briefly the fog of his irritation made him think she was his target, but fortunately a closer inspection clued him in. "Damn it!"
"Ranma!" Lemon exclaimed on seeing him and rushed over. "Where's Herb?"
"Who cares! At least you're fine. Now where the freak is your Mom?! I want to give her a good piece of my mind!"
"You just missed her, she went right by you practically," Lemon responded.
"No way," Ranma replied in a mix of emotions as he looked back the way he came. "God damn it! Alright, I'm going after her. You stay here-"
"Hold on!" Lemon called out and grabbed the boy by the arms just as he turned to leave. "Kasumi's not the target. Herb-"
"I haven't got time for this-"
"What do you mean you don't have time?! Did you not hear me?! Herb is the-"
"I don't care!" Ranma said and tried to pull away but Lemon held firm, now frowning.
"You're not acting normal," she concluded but Ranma ignored her and more aggressively pulled, freeing himself.
"I'm fine!" he declared and started to turn away once again, but just then Lemon removed her hood.
The effect was instant as Lemon's natural magics overwhelmed Ranma's mind and he stood, mesmerized.
"Now, listen here. I don't know what's wrong with you, but I want you to act normally!" Lemon commanded.
Ranma blinked a few times and shook his head before looking around, somewhat confused. "What the... feel like my head is..."
Lemon restored her hood. "Something about this place is messing with your mind. You okay now?"
"Mostly," Ranma replied and looked back at Lemon and went wide eyed. "Wait, you were saying Herb's the target?!"
"YES!" Lemon nearly yelled in annoyance.
"Ah crap!" Ranma turned back the way he came but held his position. He considered a moment and turned to Lemon. "I thought she couldn't enchant us?"
"Not through the usual means. This place is doing it. It isn't a direct enchantment. If she had enchanted you, I wouldn't be able to override it," Lemon said.
"Right, makes sense. Herb said this was a conceptual space."
"So you were with him?" Lemon asked. "Is he far?"
"Yeah, uh... he should be..." Ranma said as looked back and considered. "Not... far... something doesn't feel right." He looked back at Lemon once more. "How long ago was your mother here?"
"Just about a minute ago."
"How long was she here with you?"
"A couple minutes maybe," Lemon answered.
"What you been doing all this time?"
"What all time? What you talking about? We just got here."
Ranma's eyes went wide once more. "Ah crap, that's even worse. No way, we've been here for hours, or at least me and Herb have."
Lemon shared in the surprise. "Then we have to find him quickly!"
"Yeah, our perception of time is all muddled," Ranma replied and turned back and started to move.
"It may be worse than that," Lemon said as she followed after him. "She may have actually bent time here."
"Meaning it didn't just seem like time passed different, it actually did?!" Ranma asked and Lemon nodded. "Bloody hell, yeah that's bad, especially if she's after Herb."
After a few more moments, Lemon frowned and after a second of consideration, shifted into her fox form, her clothes and cloak seemingly merging with her, and rushed ahead.
"Hey!"
"Just hold on," she said, surprising the boy.
'Didn't know she could talk in that form,' he pondered briefly before noticing her smelling the air. "Can you smell something?"
"Yes, I think so. It isn't her. Her scent is everywhere in here, but I strangely can smell Herb too."
Ranma thought on this. "Herb said the rules for this place are set by her. Maybe she rigged it so she can track people by scent more easily."
"Maybe, but it works for me too," Lemon concluded and motioned for him to follow. "Come on, hurry!"
"Right!" Ranma agreed and the pair rushed off into the woods.
XXXXX
Elsewhere, to Herb, Ranma had just left and the transformed Musk prince was already questioning her own actions. She did not get much time to dwell on such before an amused chuckle came from the woods. It was distinctly female and put Herb's guard up immediately.
"Finally decided to show yourself?" Herb asked as she readied herself.
Out from the woods came Palm, dressed in an outfit Herb vaguely recognized from her various lessons about various world pastimes. As she considered exactly where it stirred the recollection, Palm spoke. "Yes. So nice of you to come out from your hidey-hole."
"I wasn't..." Herb initially started to question but instantly put the pieces together. "I see."
"Yes, I'm sure you do," Palm replied with an ominous look. "I can see why you all would conclude I was after Kasumi, but it seems Eyebright has need of her. Besides, she isn't the real party responsible," she explained.
"So you mean to kill me then? You realize Eyebright needs me as well."
"Oh yes, I realize that," Palm replied with a smile. "So, no, I won't kill you," she said and chuckled in a very unpleasant manner, before gesturing around her. "You like my little world?"
"Not particularly," Herb replied noting how despite the rain continuing to bombard her, Palm seemed to be unaffected, like the rain couldn't touch her.
"Fifty years of captivity takes a toll on you. After a while you have to find a way to shelter yourself, your mind, to escape it all or lose everything," Peach said, her face stoic. "I don't know exactly when it happened, or exactly how, but somewhere along the line my little world became this. A very useful thing it was. None of my captors knew about it, so it gave me ample time to tweak it and improve it," she reminisced with a slight smile before focusing on Herb once more. "My last captor particularly got familiar with it, or rather I made him familiar with it."
Herb frowned as she listened, both wondering where this was leading, but also remembering the particular uniform's origin that Palm was wearing.
"By the end, he was begging to die," Palm concluded, producing a horn from nowhere and blowing it. Herb could not help but back away in anticipation as she returned to looking at him. "You know what this is?"
"I have some idea," Herb replied as low shadowy figures started to approach through the woods.
"Yes. I find the practice particularly... distasteful, but it was a wonderful starting point for my twisted version of it," Palm replied as the shadows came out of the woods, revealing themselves to be demonic like dogs, and a black horse that stopped next to Palm. Palm quickly mounted the beast and smiled at the transformed prince. "So I wonder which prey is harder to catch, a fox, or you."
"You think I'm just going to run?" Herb challenged as she examined her new opponent.
"Oh, by all means, stay and fight. My little dogs here you will find are particularly persistent, and play rather rough. But, don't worry, you won't die... you'll probably wish you could though."
Dragon kin were not prone to fear, but it was an emotion nonetheless possessed and right now Herb was quite certain she was feeling it to an extent she had never done before.
XXXXX
"There is no sign of them," Peach explained back at the restaurant. "Even their scent cut off abruptly."
"What does that mean?" Kasumi asked as she and the others stood by and listened to the report. Even Frost had arrived and had her own scowl on.
"Normally I'd suspect teleportation, but there are no lingering traces of such. Plus, catching someone in a forcible teleport isn't easy. Even I would have trouble with it, and there was no sign of conflict," Peach continued.
"She's right. Forced teleports are mighty hard to get, especially on multiple targets," Frost confirmed.
"Usually use a portal for that sort of thing," Peach added. "But no trace of one here either. They just... vanished. She's used something I'm not familiar with for sure."
"Could she have masked the scent?" Shan suggested but Peach shook her head.
"Yes, but that too would have left a trace. I got none."
Collectively the group pondered this, but no answers came. After a moment, Frost huffed. "Ugh... I hate to suggest it, but we should contact Jasmine. She may have some idea, and Herb is... her... grandson." Many looked at Frost in surprise. "Yeah, I learned that while with her."
"It's true, and can't hurt. She is a premier magus. She may have encountered something similar," Peach agreed.
"Right, I can send a message with the fountain. Do you think she'll really respond?" Kasumi asked as she turned toward the castle.
Frost nodded. "She will, even if she is annoyed about it. Question is more when not if."
Kasumi nodded and rushed off.
"Hope she's quick," Kane said. "Don't know how long they'll be able to hold out."
XXXXX
'This is not good,' Herb thought as she felt her body growing weak. Already she'd been forced to abandon any hope of offense in an attempt to recover, but she was not being afforded the opportunity to do so, not that offense had done much.
These demonic dogs seemed basically immune to damage. They were like wisps of smoke that any form of attack simply passed harmlessly through. Sadly, while they might be immaterial when attacked, the same could not be said of their attacks. They were not only very real, but were also they were very deadly. Herb had already seen them tear a whole tree apart with a few bites. Their claws too could tear into stone with ease.
The prince had also attempted to attack Palm, but such was as futile as attacking the hounds. Unlike the hounds where at least there was some logic to their invulnerability, Palm just seemed untouchable entirely. Ranged attacks always flew wide of their mark as if the very world bent to ensure they didn't land. Getting up close was similarly impossible as the world thwarted every attempt to do so. In retrospect, Palm's seeming invulnerability to the rain should have been a strong clue, but Herb had to test just to be sure regardless.
'A very annoying set of rules,' Herb thought as she leapt between tree branches, doing her best to keep the hounds pursuing her at a distance. 'I can't think of any way to defeat her like this. I'm just using up energy constantly and making no progress.'
Of course, with Palm admitting Herb's death was not the objective, Herb had considered simply stopping and taking her chances, but quickly dismissed this. Maiming, wounding, torture... those all didn't need her to die. It could well be Palm's aim to do Herb such harm that while she would live, she would indeed wish not to.
'So now what, Herb?' the prince asked herself. 'Find Ranma? What point would there be in that? I doubt the rules would change any for him, and he doesn't even have the protection of his use to this stupid plan of Eyebright's. Maybe look for Lemon? I don't really see that being helpful either.' Herb sighed. Her only option seemed to be to continue to flee and hope that rescue from outside could arrive. However, such was little comfort.
Herb glanced back to gauge the distance of her pursuers, noticing quickly that there was no horse and thus no Palm amongst them. She quickly looked ahead, seeing the kitsune in question up ahead of his path, waiting. Herb stopped short and switched directions. 'Damn this place. Can't sense her at all... or rather she's everywhere according to my sense,' she thought as she continued on.
"Have you realized the futility of it all?" Palm called after her, but Herb ignored the taunt, instead concentrating on continuing ahead. She, however, only made it a short distance before finding Palm once more ahead of her. "There is nowhere you can flee that I cannot follow," she said with a sickening smile and gestured widely around her. "Your scent stretches out in all directions, and always leads directly to you."
"So your hounds will always know where I am," Herb concluded and Palm only nodded. "Tch," Herb said before once more moving away.
"You mean to buy time, but that too is futile, or did you fail to consider that?" Palm taunted from behind.
'No, I considered it. I'm just hoping you're bluffing,' she thought silently in response. She knew well that places such as these could twist time just as easily as they twisted space. 'At the least, she should have a time limit of her own. Surely such a world like this cannot be maintained indefinitely... I hope.'
"I'm surprised you haven't attempted to negotiate," Palm said, practically from right next to him.
The prince didn't miss a beat, dodging away, but continuing her retreat. "There seemed little point. You seemed gripped by madness."
"Madness?" Palm repeated with a laugh and gave chase. "You're right in there is little point, but it is not madness but grips me, but righteous fury."
"Righteous?" Herb repeated back before huffing dismissively. "You have a demented idea of righteousness."
"Do I? Are you going to lecture me on it?" Palm asked as she continued her chase. "I know all about Lemon's transgressions."
"Yet you are here, hunting me," Herb shot back.
"Exactly. After all, you're the one responsible," Palm replied, before vanishing and reappearing next to Herb once again. "You think she did it for fun?"
Herb dodged away once more, quickly moving to ensure the hounds stayed behind him.
"You did it because you boxed her in," Palmed said, once more at his side.
Frustrated with her constant interference, Herb momentarily paused. "I did nothing of the sort."
"Such arrogance," Palm replied harshly. "You toss her aside to chase after a woman you barely knew, one you would learn was married to one and engaged to another, yet didn't care. You know well the consequences she was facing."
'At the time I didn't,' Herb thought.
"What would you do under such circumstances? Give up? Or fight with every asset at your disposal?"
"There were other ways," Herb countered.
"Were there now? Perhaps, but you forced her into that situation, a situation she should never have been in if it were not for your greed... your entitlement!" Palm snarled before suddenly smiling. "Although I suppose there is some good in this situation. You're now the duty bound bride. How that must gall you."
Herb clenched her teeth in response before noticing the hounds had closed the gap and here unpleasantly now surrounding him. 'How? Damn it, I think she tricked me into moving into a trap.'
"Tell you what, Herb, I'll let you off easy. Renounce your male form entirely and fully embrace this new role and I'll free you. Deal?" Herb just scowled. "No? Well, the offer remains open."
Just as she said the words, the nearest hound set upon the tree Herb was standing on. But that wasn't all, the others quickly tore down those around her as well, leaving no avenue of escape save by the ground. Herb desperately timed her jump to maximize her airtime, and flew as far as her strength would allow before reaching the surface. It was all for naught though.
The first hound rushed her, and it was all Herb could do to raise an arm to shield herself. In an instant she felt intense pain as the hound snapped down on the limb, and she could hear the crunch of her own bones. All her forward momentum ceased at this point and another hound reached her and seized her by the leg, its teeth biting through the flesh as if it was little more than warm butter. Herb's attention was momentarily shifted by this, but soon returned to her arm as the hound holding it sharply twisted away and a gush of blood scattered over the grass.
Herb knew at that moment it was over, so took the only course of action left to her and shut out all sensation as the rest of the pack descended upon her.
XXXXX
Herb took in a sharp breath and sat up sharply, her body shaking. She looked down to see both her hands intact before noticing the shadow of Palm's horse over her. She looked up at the kitsune in confusion.
"I told you, you won't die, or rather won't stay dead," she said coldly. Before Herb could respond, Palm raised her horn to her lips and blew once again. As before, shadowy figures appeared in the woods and slowly stalked forward. "So, shall we begin again?" Palm asked with a wicked grin.
Herb could only curse her circumstances before once more attempting to flee.
XXXXX
"There's that damned horn again," Ranma said as he followed behind Lemon who continued to race through the woods. "How many times is that?"
"I don't know. I don't like it," Lemon replied. "I don't understand! We don't seem to be getting any closer."
Ranma nodded as he looked around. "Yeah... I swear we've been by here a few times already."
Several more minutes passed before another horn sounded in the distance. "Hold up!" Ranma called out, bringing Lemon to a stop.
"What? We have to hurry!"
"That I know, but we're not getting any closer," Ranma responded before looking at a nearby tree for a moment, seizing a branch and snapping it. "Alright, let's go."
Lemon cocked her head at the strange action, but quickly turned and rushed off once again, Ranma following. He looked back, watching as the tree fell out of sight, and returned his attention ahead. Another few minutes passed and another horn called out. As it did Ranma scanned around and after about half a minute called for another stop. "There!"
"What?" Lemon asked as Ranma pointed at a tree.
"It's the same tree."
"No it isn't! You snapped a branch, remember!" Lemon replied in irritation.
"Yeah, but look at it. It is identical."
Lemon did as bidden and looked the three up and down before stepping back in shock. "You're right."
"I remember, when we entered this damned place, she tried to separate me and Herb, and the whole world stretched between us. I think this is sort of the same thing. I think she's got us caught in some kind of loop."
"Then we'll never reach him," Lemon said in defeat.
"Don't... just let me think," Ranma said as he examined the tree, and once more snapped the same branch. "Let's hold here for a minute."
Both intently watched the tree as the seconds passed. Then, suddenly the branch seemed to reverse in time, repairing itself. Shortly after came the call of the horn. "So she's not just messing with the area."
"What good does that do us?"
"Not much," Ranma concluded and looked the way they had been heading. "That horn didn't sound any more distant though."
"So?"
"So, if I'm guessing right, we have the time between horn calls to catch up. Maybe the same trick would work..." Ranma thought aloud.
"What trick?"
"Flickering, but I'd have to chain use it I think. It is easy to use repeatedly in the same general space, but not so much if you have to go a long distance. Not sure I'll manage it," Ranma replied. He shook his head. "It is the only thing I got unless you have some way to speed up?"
Lemon shook her head.
"Alright. Getting there is one trick, the other is getting us out. Any ideas there?"
"No. I don't know anything about... what was it?"
"Conceptual spaces. Yeah, I figured. I'm clueless on them too."
"Only suggestion I have is that if it is like other magics, if she loses concentration it might have an impact."
"Right... well, that's all we got. Hmm... Change back to normal would you?"
Lemon did so, but frowned. "Why?"
"I need a test subject," Ranma replied much to Lemon's un-amusement. "Sorry, but we need a way to mess your mom up and collapse this space. I have an idea on that, but need a kitsune to test on."
Lemon withdrew, but the sound of another horn call caused her to moan and nod.
XXXXX
Herb ran. It was all she could do, delay the next loop. This loop was already a lost cause. A slip had cost her the use of her arm, and the blood loss was already taking its toll. She wouldn't manage much longer.
The worst thing about it all was not the pain, or the fear, but that she was not able to deal with it. Intellectually she understood, under these conditions while it was painful, it was ultimately meaningless. She'd always come back. But knowing this did not change her feelings. Every loop felt like the first. Every chase was a matter of life and death. Every attack the horror of it felt fresh and new. And, no matter how many times it repeated, she just couldn't get used to it in the slightest.
It was a rule to the place, no doubt, that much she has already concluded but like everything else, knowing it did nothing to combat it. Even Herb's dragon mind could not shield her from it. She could well imagine the havoc such a condition played on a normal person when even she felt as she did now.
She could already feel her pace slow as her sense of her world diminished. It would not be much longer before she was overcome, but still she could not even will herself to give up. Somehow, she felt certain this would be the last time and there was no loop to come, despite all evidence to the contrary.
'Damn it all,' Herb droned in her mind, already sensing the hounds nearing. Rather than dwell on the inevitable, Herb used the one mental trick left at her disposal and preoccupied her thoughts with other things.
'She's not wrong,' she thought. 'I knew of the engagement... knew that tossing aside Lemon would have consequences, just didn't care to think about them. If I'd just accepted it, all this nonsense with her clan would never have happened. Hmph, if I'd kept my cool back when meeting Kasumi instead of seeking some petty revenge out of annoyance she would never have gotten wrapped into things at all, and I'd probably be back home... not here dying over and over again.'
As Herb looked ahead, her vision was fading as her blood loss was nearing critical levels. Already she could barely remember why she was even fleeing, but had enough sense left to her to continue. 'Is this my punishment for my arrogance? Was I wrong to love her? To pursue her? Is it so wrong to love someone and throw everything aside for them, to seek my own happiness? Kasumi would probably think so. She is one to always give of herself, even to a fault... always one to see the best in people, even when they're at their worst... to never give up on them, no matter what it costs. It is so foolish, yet so...'
Herb stumbled, dropping to her knee, but quickly pushed back to her feet and continued her run. "You may have to consider giving up something far more precious to you," she recalled Sorora's words from long ago. At the time she really didn't grasp what Sorora was speaking to, and right now she truly still did not.
'Did she foresee something like this?' she thought, her mind clouded, not even sure what she meant. 'Maybe it isn't that I've tossed aside things... but that I haven't tossed aside enough. I'd give anything for... anything for...'
Herb's footing gave way with a bad step, and she found herself falling to the ground. Recovery was impossible so she gave up even trying, simply panting on the ground as her consciousness continued to slip.
"Giving up? Or maybe you're ready to beg for release?" Palm asked as she and the hounds surrounded their prey.
'Beg?' Herb repeated mentally, truly considering the proposal. 'What good does pride truly do me?' She never did answer the question as Palm huffed, impatient at Herb's silence.
"Suit yourself," she said coldly and signaled the hounds in.
Only a moment later it was over, only to begin anew. Herb stood up, looking at Palm, but her eyes seemed like glass, with little recognition behind them.
"Tch, broken so quickly?" Palm asked, honestly unsure of the answer. Herb did not answer, instead looking back at her. The kitsune frowned. "Hmph, disappointing... or perhaps some trickery?" she thought aloud and smirked. "Fine, I have all the time in the world," she declared before sounding the horn again.
Herb barely responded, but did turn away on instinct and began a new attempt to escape.
XXXXX
"This better work," Lemon said in a mix of emotions.
"Yeah," Ranma replied. "Just follow behind as quickly as you can. I'll do my best."
"You really think you can make it?"
Ranma shrugged. "Won't know unless I try. It worked last time, so if I push it hard I can probably do it... I hope."
Lemon nodded and together they listened. It wasn't long before the next horn could be heard and Ranma acted immediately.
He moved into the flicker and pushed as hard as he could to race ahead to the source of the sound. A key flaw Ranma had learned of the technique was limited in the ground it could cover. Not only were you limited by a breath, but reorienting in the new space usually took a moment. Normally you would avoid this by confining your movement within a well understood space, but Ranma did not have the luxury and had to chain together the flickers one after another.
With each flicker he pushed on faster, trying to minimize his time outside. 'If I can't reach him, it is all over,' he thought as he pushed even faster, stretching out the flickers as far as his lungs would allow.
Just as he was beginning to have his doubt he saw it, a wisp of darkness, running ahead of him. 'That must be it!' he thought as he continued to push on and closed the gap. Soon it became clear what that wisp truly was, along with the many others around it. 'Wolves? No, hounds, twisted ones,' he thought as he continued on, rapidly rushing past them towards their target.
It took only one extra jump to reach Herb. Before Ranma could even announce himself, though, Herb glanced at him, nearly stunning him. 'God damn,' Ranma thought as he looked at Herb's vacant expression. There was hardly any recognition there, or much of anything else. 'Damn it, I took way too long! She's totally spaced out.'
"Hey, snap out of it!" Ranma yelled as he looked back. "What's been going on here?" Ranma asked before looking back to Herb, the pair still continuing to run. Unfortunately Herb gave no reply and seemed to lose interest in Ranma, returning his full attention ahead. 'Okay, that's definitely not a good sign.'
"You should have stayed, human. This is none of your concern," came Palm's voice from Ranma's side.
He started in shock, but kept his pace as he looked over at her. "What the hell you done?" he demanded.
"Oh, just let him play with my hounds a few times," Palm replied.
"Play? I can just bet..." Ranma retorted before attempting a quick jump kick at her, but found himself flying radically off target. 'I should have figured it wouldn't be near that easy,' he thought as he adjusted, flickered once more and joined Herb again. 'Hounds... play... bloody heck, I have a sick feeling I know what's been going on here.'
"Hmm, I see... Lemon must have enchanted you," Palm said from the opposite side now. "You both should simply stay out of this."
"Yeah, not happening," Ranma replied. 'I'm guessing running with the flicker isn't a real option if Herb isn't trying it. She probably can move just as fast here. She isn't attacking herself though, so that's a positive. I'm already pretty spent though from getting here. Got to think up something quick.'
Ranma looked back at the hounds before refocusing on Palm. As he was contemplating his next move, Herb finally spoke. "Attack... useless."
"Yeah, I kinda figured," Ranma replied before looking over at Herb in surprise. "So you're still with us, at least a little?" he asked, but got no reply. "Okay, fine, save your energy. I got this."
"Useless," Herb repeated, but Ranma ignored her.
"He is right, you know," Palm said from the side and unexpectedly reined her mount in and raised her hand. In response the hounds halted their advance. "This world is mine to command. You have no power here."
Ranma huffed and came to a halt as well, noticing Herb do likewise. "Yeah, call me stubborn," he said before firing off a blast of ki at the distant hounds. None reacted, and the blast hit true but did nothing as the form of the struck beast simply scattered like smoke only to reform. "Cute."
"You see. And you'll find any attempt to attack me equally futile," Palm explained.
"Yeah, figured you a coward," Ranma responded, causing Palm to scowl.
"Coward?"
"Yeah. Rigging the fight like this. Seems pretty damn cowardly to me,"
"Tch. This is not a fight. This is retribution."
Ranma huffed once more. "Retribution? Is that what you call this? Seems more like some sicko fantasy to me. There is nothing noble about this."
"I don't lay claim to being noble," Palm replied.
"Yeah, you're just a lowlife," Ranma retorted quickly, once more causing Palm to scowl.
"You're pushing it, human. You think yourself protected? You are of no consequence here. There is nothing to shield you."
Ranma let out a laugh. "Lady, I don't need a shield to fight you. You want a piece of me, come at me! Oh, I know, you'll have your little puppies do the deed, just like the coward you are. No wonder you got captured. Probably wet your panties-" Ranma never finished the line as he suddenly found Palm right in front of him, a look of unbridled rage in her eyes. That wasn't the concerning bit though. No, the stabbing pain in his chest that ran clean through to his back was the greater worry.
"You know nothing!" She spat out as Ranma let out a pained groan and desperately reached out at her, able only to barely touch her face before strength left his arm. Palm withdrew her hand, now covered in Ranma's blood and shoved the boy backward to the ground.
From her vantage point, Herb could see the life leave Ranma, a large hole in his chest right where his heart would be. Despite this alarming sight, the prince gave no indication of a reaction, and simply watched. As Ranma seemingly took in one last breath, the wound quickly sealed and repaired itself, even his clothing being restored and Ranma took in a new shocked breath before bolting upright.
He cursed as he checked his chest and took in several unsteady breaths. "God damn," he muttered as he finally stood up.
"Still wish your fight, human?" Palm asked.
Ranma steadied his breathing and forced a smile onto his face. "Yeah," he said after a moment. "Thing is, you already lost."
"What are you babbling about?" Palm asked before she seemed to notice something. She looked about sharply, then to the opposite side, as if trying to trace a sound. She spun about, still confused when she raised her hands to her head and started to make confused grunts.
"Alright, it worked," Ranma said and rushed back to Herb.
"What..." Herb droned.
"Explain later, but if I'm right, she's about to lose control. Can you sense Lemon? She still should be coming this way."
Herb looked at Ranma, still spaced out for a moment, but finally nodded and pointed. "Right, let's move!"
As their brief conversation had been underway, Palm's confusion had graduated into panic as she desperately held her head and she began to hyperventilate. However, before Ranma and Herb could begin their run, she screamed out and lashed out, her arms changing into long slender rope like appendages that slashed through the trees around her. Both Herb and Ranma managed to duck under the wild attack, and bolted the second she paused to scream again.
As they ran, Ranma looked back to see the kitsune repeat her flailing assault on the trees around her, but they were now out of range. However, while the assault itself did not reach them, a nauseating sensation washed over him. 'Okay, hopefully that's a good sign,' Ranma thought as he powered through the sensation, but soon found the very ground seemed to be swelling and dipping erratically. Both he and Herb stumbled and fell to the ground as the sensation worsened and the world started to bend entirely around them. "Think we're about to be spit out!" Ranma yelled as the trees began to warp and even the notions of up and down seemed to lose their meaning.
Unfortunately for Ranma, this collapse was not easy on him either. The nausea only intensified and vertigo assaulted him, forcing him to close his eyes in a desperate attempt to manage it. Fortunately, though, the effect did pass, and he finally opened his eyes to see he was once more on the rooftop, apparently having never left. Collapsed next to him was Herb, apparently having been feeling the same effect, and Lemon was just a few short feet in front of him. Just as relief was starting to set in, a loud scream came from behind him, and only pure instinct saved him.
Palm was still thrashing behind him, but now, outside the conceptual space, all four were now confined to the rooftop, a much smaller space, and one which put them all within each other's easy reach. Ranma barely dodged another sweeping attack, and in the next instant had to snatch up Lemon as she too nearly became a victim. Herb fortunately seemed to have regained enough sense to dodge on her own, carrying all three out of harm's way for the moment.
Palm continued attacking randomly around her, forcing them to continue to dodge as the rooftop was quickly laid to waste. "Okay, didn't plan for this part!" Ranma called out as she dodged yet a third attack. Having to do so with Lemon was already taxing his already limited energy reserves. "We have to make a jump for it!" he called out, intending to leap off the building. However, before he could test just how far he could fall carrying someone before breaking some bones, a new voice could be heard.
"Alright little lady, I think you need a time out," an unfamiliar voice said and Palm's screams suddenly ceased. Ranma looked back in confusion to see a new woman on the rooftop standing over what looked like a pool of water on the roof itself. Ranma puzzled at this until he saw her gesture up and the pool rise off the roof, and reveal itself to instead be a decorated mirror with several charms attached around it. The surface of the water grew still turning into the mirror-like surface, but from within Ranma could see Palm in a great void continuing to silently lash out at the nothingness around her. "Well, you lot did quite the number on her," the woman said before floating the mirror next to herself and smiling at them.
"Gave her a really bad attack of synesthesia," Ranma replied as he set Lemon down and let himself finally feel the fatigue gripping him, taking a moment to examine the newcomer. From the brown pink hair she sported, Ranma guessed she was another kitsune allied with Peach, although the blue dress she was wearing seemed ill suited to combat. She had a bit of a mischievous air about her that gave him some pause, but he sensed no hostility in her.
"Synesthesia?" the unknown kitsune questioned, looking into her mirror. "She's having quite the meltdown for a bit of sensory manipulation."
"More like cross wiring than simple distortion, should wear off soon though," Ranma explained before noticing Herb start to stagger. "Hey!" he called out as he quickly moved to balance the prince. Lemon transformed and rushed over as well, while the woman simply observed. Simple support proved insufficient as all strength quickly left the prince and she collapsed, although Ranma managed to catch her. "Hey! Damn it! Hey, don't you check out on me just after we escape! Hey!"
Herb barely registered the words before passing out.
XXXXX
"She's burning up..."
"Doctor, is she's..."
"Jasmine said it is probably..."
"Nothing to do but wait..."
Consciousness returned to Herb with the sound of silence around her. She still remembered the distant echoes of those speaking around her, but could recall little of the actual conversations. 'I seem to be alive at least,' she thought as she tested all her limbs, quickly realizing she was both intact and in a bed.
Nearby were two familiar feelings, that of Shampoo and Kasumi. Herb opened her eyes to see a dimly lit room she soon recognized as Kasumi's before looking to the side and seeing Shampoo asleep next to her, resting on top of the covers. Kasumi wasn't in easy view, apparently lying down on a nearby couch that obscured her, a side table lamp next to the couch providing the room's only illumination.
'How did I end up here?' Herb wondered before taking another note of her situation. She was under the covers which felt moist with sweat, but more importantly she currently lacked any clothing. 'Why...' is all she could ponder as she felt herself flush.
"Awake finally," Shampoo mumbled as she stirred and propped herself up.
Kasumi was soon in view, sitting up and setting aside a book she had apparently been reading before coming over. "How are you feeling?" Kasumi asked as she checked Herb's forehead.
Herb considered the question for a moment, before honestly replying. "Exhausted."
"You had a high fever... very high fever since escaping."
"Had put in ice water to just keep in check," Shampoo added as she sat up.
"Ranma and Lemon?"
"They're fine. They carried you back here," Kasumi answered, before going to another side table where a pitcher of water was set and pouring a glass. "Here, you're probably dehydrated."
Herb sat up, careful to keep the covers over herself and took the glass and quickly drank its contents. Indeed, her body immediately cried out for more, which Kasumi provided as Shampoo stood up and stretched. After the 3rd cup, Herb finally started to feel sated.
"Ranma told us what he thought was happening... some sort of loop. Do you remember anything?"
Herb sighed and thought before frowning. "Yes but... it is oddly... hmm, I..."
"Jasmine said you probably were in a mental purge state," Kasumi explained.
"Mental purge?"
"Yes, I didn't quite get it myself, but she said those of your clan can enter such a state to... purge themselves of unwanted or troublesome memories. Apparently your grandfather did it a few times."
"I see... that makes sense given what I do remember," Herb replied. "It is like... I watched it on the television, or read it in a book rather than lived it."
Kasumi nodded. "Yes, she said that would be the likely effect."
"Probably for the best," Herb said with another sigh and looked outside. "How long?"
"It is a bit past one a.m.," Kasumi answered.
"Despite that, I don't feel like I've slept at all," Herb replied.
"I imagine the fever is the cause of that," Kasumi offered. "But, it seems to have completely broken now."
Herbed nodded in agreement with that before pondering her situation again. 'They must have been the ones who bathed me...' she thought and flushed once more about her lack of clothing.
Apparently sensing Herb's discomfort, Kasumi stood up. "Why don't you get a shower, and I'll switch out the bedding. Shampoo, can you get him some fresh clothes?"
Shampoo nodded and headed out the door while Kasumi went to the closet. Given the opening to move, Herb swiftly made her way to the attached bathroom and shut herself inside. She sighed once more and took in several calming breaths before shaking her head. 'Pathetic! What does it matter if they have seen me naked? I have seen them disrobed before,' she recalled but flushed in embarrassment at the memory. Shaking her head once more she banished the thought. 'Why didn't I purge that memory?' Another calming breath and Herb headed into the shower.
XXXXX
Shampoo returned to the restaurant proper with a few sets of clothes with a slight sigh. Herb's disappearance had been a tense time there. Kasumi was pacing around the whole time, and Shampoo was prepped most that time to tackle her should she attempt to leave to 'help'. Fortunately it hadn't come to that, but it was plain to everyone that Kasumi was not taking the situation well.
When Ranma and Lemon had returned carrying an unconscious Herb, that certainly didn't help matters. The prince was alive, of course, but seeing her in such rough shape was cause for alarm. Fortunately, Jasmine had finally replied to the message sent to her earlier and explained the likely cause, but until then they were trying everything they could think of to treat Herb's condition. Even the normally calm Ranma was noticeably tense, so it was totally understandable that Kasumi was pushing a near panic state that only Jasmine's response had avoided.
Mint and Lime had nearly bowled her over with questions when she had come to collect the clothes. She felt sorry for the pair. Thery were Herb's guardsmen and now had a fair list of failures at their jobs to their record. Palm had actually already assured them that their presence would have changed nothing, and in fact potentially could have made the situation far worse. Still, Shampoo knew that feeling of feeling more like a liability than a help and the pair were likely feeling something akin to that. Still, that was not her primary concern for the moment.
No, her current thoughts were on her own response to the incident. Shampoo had to admit, even she had been worried, and not just as a proxy of Kasumi's worry. Over these months she had grown rather comfortable with his presence. While it had been relatively quiet of major situations, there were a few incidents where being able to confer with him had been helpful. However, while that might explain some of her feelings on the matter, she actually did not believe that fully covered it. It certainly didn't rise to the level of her feelings for Kasumi. Had Kasumi been in the situation, it would have been the others tackling Shampoo to stop her from going to help. No, it was nothing to that level, but...
Shampoo arrived at the door to her room and paused just a second to consider before entering. She could still hear the drone of the shower running in the bathroom, while Kasumi was about half way through swapping the bedding, and currently back in the closet fetching some more.
"He seems to be taking his time," Kasumi commented from the closet. The comment itself was neutral enough, but Shampoo knew it spoke more to a hint of continued worry.
Shampoo was about to just lay the clothes aside, but considered and a mischievous thought hit her. Spontaneously, she decided on a more interesting path. Thus she went straight into the bathroom.
Their particular shower stall did have frosted glass covering all the interesting bits, but the unexpected entrance clearly took Herb off guard as he jumped and in his alarm threw the lever on the tap, quickly shifting the temperature of the water back to cold. Shampoo smirked slightly at this.
"Don't you know how to knock?!" Herb complained as she turned the water quickly off.
"Is my bathroom, no need knock. Besides, no see anything anyway," Shampoo replied calmly as she laid the clothing on a nearby counter. "Would think Musk teach no be ashamed of body."
"It's... I'm not used to this body," Herb replied, although this only puzzled Shampoo.
After taking a second to consider calling out the odd answer she decided to simply drop the matter and get more direct, opening the shower stall to Herb's further shock. "Here," she said, tossing the prince a towel.
"I'm perfectly capable of getting that myself, you know," Herb retorted, but despite that, having Shampoo directly looking at her was clearly throwing her off.
Shampoo huffed and turned away, allowing Herb to break out of her stupor and begin drying herself. Shampoo returned to the doorway, but paused there, still considering. "You sure you okay?"
Behind her she could hear Herb hesitate, but respond. "It is fine."
Shampoo looked back to see Herb in thought. She considered another moment before speaking. "You should stay here for night."
"Hmh?"
"Make sure no side effects," Shampoo explained.
"Don't need to stay here for that," Herb retorted.
"No... but Kasumi probably feel better if here," Shampoo offered.
"Kasumi hmh?" Herb replied and Shampoo frowned at having her ploy being detected. This seemed to fortify the prince's confidence and she boldly walked over to Shampoo, where her clothes were and idly reached for them only for Shampoo to block them. The two had a brief stare down. "What?"
"Stay," Shampoo repeated, now more forcefully.
Herb, apparently having overcome the momentary bout of modest, simply crossed her arms. "I am not your to command. Besides, I thought you wanted Kasumi to yourself," Herb said.
"Do, but you really think Musk marriage just go away? Even if did, you going give up?"
"No," Herb answered simply, only to frown. "Why now?"
"Why not?"
Herb frowned once more before turning away slightly and sighing. "This is not the kind circumstances I would prefer to forward a relationship on."
"First time I stay with Kasumi... well, when she not drunk, was after I get hit with fear spell. Take what you can get," Shampoo countered.
"What about Ranma?" Herb asked.
"He too busy with Ukyo," Shampoo replied. "Besides, you stay like that, what problem, unless you want go further?"
Herb frowned. "No... not this night at least," she replied before looking at Shampoo curiously.
The look had enough question behind it for Shampoo to say, "No get wrong idea. You barely candle in wind next to inferno that is Kasumi."
"A candle..."
Shampoo nodded tartly. After a moment longer of silence, Shampoo asked, "Then you stay?"
"If Kasumi-" Herb barely got out the condition before Shampoo sharply returned to the bedroom.
"I think Herb should stay rest of night," she announced to Kasumi who had just finished with the bedding.
"Uh... okay," she replied easily.
Shampoo smiled and turned back to Herb who just sighed muttering about this was not how she envisioned things. "I suppose I could take-" Herb started to say only for Shampoo to cut that off as well.
"Plenty of room on bed," she countered, and grabbed up a shirt and underwear and thrust them at Herb. "And this all you need." Herb hesitated. "Or you can go without." Herb quickly grabbed the two garments.
XXXXX
End Chapter 69
Next time in A Scary Thought: With the Palm incident at a close, Ranko, Shan and Kane prepare to head off.
Hmm, about time I review this blurb... okay, time for a new style:
Full Crossovers:
Sailor Moon (anime) - Usagi, Rei, Minako, Makoto, Ami, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, Setsuna, Luna, Artemis, Seiya, and Mamoru
Sukeban Deka (anime) - Saki, Sampei and Remi.
Street Fighter - Shadow Lady, Shadow, Rose, Chun Li, Sakura, Gill, and Karin. (Hot damn, SF6 is out and on season 2... when I start SF4 wasn't even out. Damn SF has evolved a lot since I first used it. A whole bunch of stuff is out of date or inaccurate, so not really compatible with any continuity anymore, but it is what it is. Already tossed in a few retcons so probably do some more down the road if it comes up)
Other author FFs:
Shampoo 1/2 (DB Sommer): Be Bea and Perfume (one version that is although only mentioned)
A Very Scary Thought (Jim Bader): Garnet
Black Rose Blue Thunder (Dreiser): Siren
My own FFs:
Most Unlikely of Friends: Ranko, Kane (Akane), Shan (Shampoo) and various minor others. Perfume (my version, I know it is confusing, deliberately so) kinda but she's this world's version but she did first appear in Most Unlikely of Friends. As an aside here, I am attempting to keep the shared continuity between these two consistent so... yeah.
References/Cameos:
X-files - Kitsune is inspired by Mulder and some of his acquaintances.
Gargoyles - various spells, Gen-U-Tech and the La Bac.
Vocaloid - Miku, Neru, and Haku
Sleeping Beauty (Disney) - a spell
Fate Stay Night - Saber's weird naming... we'll leave it at that.
Not Crossed with:
Ah My Goddess - Some other 'Scary Thoughts' stories use this crossover but I do not.
Negima/UQ Holder - A lot of similar ideas, but ultimately no.
Lastly, thinking of echoing this on Archive of our own. It is a lot of annoying work, but they do have some interesting options over there that I like and ff net has had some weird issues now and then that concern me. Less an issue of late though which has downed my probability of doing so, and I can just guess if I do so I'll probably be dragged into a bunch of editing again.
XXXXX
It's time for another installment of Kitsune's Corner! And today I've convinced-
"Dragged is more like."
Ahem... today with me is Crystal.
"Sigh. I already told you I'm not an expert in this field."
Fine, fine, we'll keep it simple. First of all, before we get to the heavy stuff, how is it you got in with Cologne?
"Happenstance honestly. My previous place of work had a particular man who was getting a bit too close."
Jerk?
"No, quite nice actually, but one looking for a family..."
Right, and you can't.
"Not with a human, and explaining that would be a pain... just... yeah... I felt it better to make an excuse to get away rather than get wrapped up in something complicated. Unfortunately, it was rather sudden so I got a bit hasty in finding other work. Of course she smelled me out rather quickly. Fortunately, she's one of the understanding sort, not one of those overeager demon hunters."
Still having to deal with those?
"Rarely. I haven't run into one personally, but you do hear tales of encounters with some novice who hasn't a clue and flips out the second they run into any demon."
Right, that would be troublesome.
"Yes, but since it is the inexperienced ones. It usually doesn't end too badly, but one can't be too careful."
Umhmm...
"Sigh, I know you're just chomping at the bit to ask."
We can beat around the bush a bit more...
"Just do it already..."
Mmm... okay, okay, demons... I know you're one, a weak one...
"Very weak, even by my species standards which is rather low to start with."
And you're not the evil sort.
"Well, no."
Not the 'born with no sense of empathy sort'?
"Definitely not... where did you get that from?
Certain popular new media, don't worry about it.
"Yes, well, no. That's not to say said demon types don't exist, but they are usually loners.
Loners?
"It is darn difficult to have a functioning society within your group if you all lack empathy. Empathy is a pretty broad concept and if you are a hostile sort to function with others of your own kind you'll need some sense of this to not be in constant conflict. Just knowing that the big demon is likely to attack me, the smaller demon, if I step out of line is a form, albeit minor, of empathy. Likewise the big demon knowing it can intimidate the smaller demon is essentially empathy, again albeit minor."
Hmm... I don't think it was meant that strictly, but I get your point.
"Yeah, the.. psychopathic demons generally at best form very small groups as if they have any intelligence they know the others of their kind will kill them at the drop of a hat if it is convenient for them, and thus they are likely to kill the others for no other reason than to preserve themselves. Hard to get any kind of organized society from that."
Yeah, I bet.
"Yeah, and honestly most demons have the full range of emotions if they're intelligent, if for no other reason than it makes them better at knowing their enemies. That's not to be confused with them caring at all about the wellbeing of other species though, or not being malicious sons of... you know... In fact, the unfeeling ones are often far less dangerous, not completely safe, but usually totally functional in their approach to things so if they're going to kill you, they'll kill you. They won't be mean about it, although they won't be nice about it either."
Makes sense, in a morbid may. So, there are quite a few demon types?
"Whole bunch. I only know a few, and most can't live naturally on Earth so little to worry about from them."
Hmm, that reminds me, I never did get your species name?
"We have an old demonic name... I can't even pronounce it... never was good with my demonic."
There is a demon language?
"Several, but one common one that gets referred to as demonic by most, although it has its own name, which again I can't pronounce."
That tough on the tongue?
"No, just more that I was never very good at it. There are some variants that humans can't pronounce but the common version is learnable, I just never did."
Ah. Yeah, I find some stuff in other languages are real pain myself.
"That all said, we do have a common name, which comes from our relation to Succubi, namely Psychebi."
Psychebi... never heard of it.
"Yeah, because who cares about us. Not like we go around sucking people dry of their life-force. We're more a curiosity than a big worry."
Yeah, all the bad sorts get all the press I guess.
"Exactly."
Speaking of Succubi, they around on Earth?
"In small enclaves, yes, mostly over in Europe. Wouldn't worry about them. The ones still hanging around are pretty principled and keep their feeding to non-lethal levels. As long as they limit their feeding, their food sources can recover with some rest."
So not a permanent sort of thing... getting the feeling these ladies are the brothel sorts...
"Oh yes, that's their usual way, although they've moved to 'escort services' lately."
Certainly, got to keep up with the times.
"Umhmmm."
You get along with them?
"I have met only one in passing, but if you mean in general, we're on neutral terms. Like I said, the remaining ones are principled. Most of the unprincipled ones were driven off or killed by demon hunters. So long as they don't go out of line, it seems the magic community lets them stay, and just keeps an eye on them. I honestly don't know much about that situation beyond that. Sure there is lots of politics involved."
Yeah, always is. Any other types out there?
"All sorts, but if you mean large populations, there isn't too many of those. Just as an example, there is a clan of... I guess you'd call them wolfweres, not werewolves, but that's not their real name... honestly don't know what they call themselves... was it Lycen? No... maybe... bah, I don't remember, not important. Anyway they're over in Europe."
Right... the wolves that turn human. Europe eh? Why do I get the feeling despite being the opposite way around there is confusion there?
"Yeah, most definitely. That said, I do hear there are various werewolf curses out there."
Various?!
"Well, yeah, dumb mages throwing around dumb magics without thinking on the consequences. I don't know much about it though, but since I don't hear much about incidents I'm guessing whatever types are still around aren't major issues."
Hmm... good to know. Back to the... Lycen... we'll go with that for now, they dangerous at all?
"You don't want to tick them off, but in general no. Same with the kitsunes, they're relatives after all."
Right-
"Oh, sorry, that's misleading, I mean the demon kitsunes, not the divine kitsunes you all have been dealing with."
Hmh? What's this now?!
"Yeah, I know, it is confusing. There are two types out there, demon and divine, or heavenly as they're sometimes known. Demon kitsunes are, well, demonic, originating from another plane like other demons, while the divine kitsunes are from Earth, created by some divinity long ago, or so goes the tale anyway. The important part is they originate here, not on another plan, and hence are not demonic. They have different properties too, which means a lot of the legends about one are mixed with details from the other... quite messy and I don't know the details."
Err... Okay, that's... ah... kinda annoying actually.
"Sure they find it annoying too. They actively dislike each other supposedly, although I don't think it is so far as open conflict. You'd have to ask one of them."
Maybe I will. Where are those kitsunes?
"Not sure. They may not even have a proper settlement here. They keep to themselves really heavily as they have a pretty bad rap... which is apparently pretty legitly bad as most the negative kitsune legends they are responsible for."
So, bad sort?
"I hear those still here are nice enough, no worse than those wolves. Honestly, I'd be more worried about the divine types as they're a lot stronger and, well, as you probably know, they are wrapped up in things here on Earth that give them reason to get nasty."
Right, I get ya. So, other types? They principled too?
"Generally, those remaining, at least those with any respectable population. Again, all the others were driven out. There are scattered individuals or small populations though."
I know of Dark Kingdom demons...
"Yep, nasty lot those ones. Thank god they're mostly died out! Even other demons hate them!"
Any others?
"Oh lots, as I said earlier. You probably heard of Oni, those are demonic, mostly gone now. They are a bit confusing as they a possessive sort."
Possessive?
"They possess living creatures and twist them."
Ah.
"Dark Kingdom also did that. In fact, it is a pretty popular method of demons to live on Earth. Remaining big populations don't though. We're shapeshifters, the other popular method."
You can shapeshift?!
"No... well, yes, technically, but not in any useful sense. If I concentrate really hard, and spend multiple days at it, I can alter my appearance slightly, maybe pass myself off as European, or African... that's about it, and that's exhausting. I'm really bad at it, honestly, and have only really managed to shift my skin tone a tiny bit before I gave up. It was way too much work."
But other Psychebi can?
"Yes, but again it is hard for them. Best of the best can change their appearance from one race to another in about a day if they can allocate their whole attention to it. Most don't bother, it is just not worth it."
I guess the others you mentioned are better.
"Oh yes. The wolfwere's obviously do human and wolf, but are limited to that. The demon kitsune's are pretty flexible, but still far inferior in most respects to the divine types. In particular they have a real hard time hiding their tails I hear."
Ah, yes.
"Succubi can do pretty much any human-like appearance. They're very good at it. And they can even turn pretty demonic too."
I see.
"They aren't good copy cats though. Still have to keep their basic facial features from what I hear."
So no impersonating people like Lemon did.
"Exactly, at least nowhere near that convincingly. That said, I heard some are pretty capable mages which means they can use illusions too so may not matter that much."
Hmm, side question, Incubi, they're the male Succubi right? Heard some conflicting reports of them being a different species.
"They are Succubi actually."
Huh?
"Shapeshifters, remember. They aren't limited to female form."
Oh! Right... but they can father children?
"Yep, one advantage they have over other shapeshifters, like divine kitsunes. They are fully functional in both forms. They usually prefer female because... well, men tend to be easier targets."
Yeah... So I guess that makes them... Asexual? Nono, wrong word... Hermaph... nono, that's not right either... hmm...
"I know what you mean, and yeah, they are."
And you said you weren't an expert!
"I'm not! This is all basics! And don't even try asking me about that interdimensional stuff. I'm totally clueless there! I'm no mage!"
Okay, fine. Was that all the demon types around?
"No, like I said, there are some others, big and small, mostly small though. Not all of them here above board though. Still, most those live in very remote areas in less developed countries where they can go more unnoticed."
Those dangerous?
"I couldn't say, depends I guess. Probably some yes, some no. Again, not an expert."
Right, right. Okay, I think we've beat this subject to death for the time being. Hmm, now I need an interdimensional expert.
"Don't look at me!"
Yeah, yeah. Hmm... that Tae-il might do the trick, but he's in another universe... hmm... HMMM... MMM...
Sigh... I'll see what I can arrange. No promises.