WARNING: While there will be no actual 'Lemon' content contained herein, adult situations, language, violence, and acts of a sexual nature are strongly implied.
Disclaimer: The rights to 'Ranma 1/2' are owned by its creator, Rumiko Takahashi. The rights to 'Gold Digger' are owned by its creator, Fred Perry. The rights to characters from other sources, which are likely to make cameo appearances, are retained by their respective creators. This story is for entertainment purposes only and written without expectation of monetary or material profit.
Notes: While drawing primarily from the original 'Ranma 1/2' Manga series, some elements and characters from the 'Ranma 1/2' Anime series may also be utilized. This is BOTH a 'Continuation' and an 'Alternate Universe' fan-fiction in regards to the characters and events of 'Ranma 1/2' and 'Gold Digger', meaning: the characters WILL be 'Out-of-Character' to one extent or another and that canon events the reader is familiar with may or may not have been altered to a greater or lesser degree. This fan-fiction is also a 'Crossover', combining elements from the two aforementioned sources. For most of the story, we will attempt to adhere closely to canon, in regards to Fred Perry's 'Gold Digger' series, but at some point, events will diverge from canon, and concessions will have to be made for the intermingling of the two base series.
Furthermore, it is 'presumed' that the events of the 'Ranma 1/2' Manga series take place over a span of less than one year, as there is little, if any, real indication of the passage of time in canon. Therefore, Ranma and Akane are still freshmen at the time this story begins, while Nabiki and Kunou are juniors.
Timeframe: Right after Battlemage Book 1, Ranma arrives in Paris, France, as he was invited to the wedding of Lisette and Jean-Paul. (Gold Diggers referenced will become apparent when shown.)
WARNING: This is self-beta'd. If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please PM me with the paragraph and fix.
BATTLE MAGE
By
Ryan Slicer
(original story concept, writing, and guidance)
Book Two: Journey
Part Six: Goodbye and Good Luck
It had been six months since Ranma left the Tendo household, and so far, he felt much better about his decision to leave and pursue the Neko-ken story that Keitaro and Yuki had found for him. Ranma and half the village watched as their friends climbed into several jeeps and cargo trucks. Xerses and Cyan, along with their new baby, approached Ranma, Charon, and Xeris.
"We will miss you," Xeris said as she hugged Cyan, "You too, little girl." Xeris tickling the baby in Cyan's arms.
"We will miss you too," Xerses said, with Cyan nodding her sentiments. They turned to Ranma and smiled at him. "Are you sure you don't want to join us? You could hop onto another flight from Germany to Japan."
"I'm sure. Lara said they would pick me up after they were done. We agreed to meet at the main gate for the Serengeti park." Ranma said, "I've got the radio frequency for the park rangers for a pickup once I'm done here. And their radio frequency once they get closer."
Xerses nodded, confident that the park rangers would assist Ranma. Some of them had a good relationship with the were-cheetahs. "All right. I'm sure Charon will stay in touch once we reach the Enchanted Realm. And you're always welcome to visit us."
"I'm sure I will. I need to keep up with my magic training after I leave." Ranma smiled and shook hands with Xerses. "Besides, I still need to challenge you again."
Xerses chucked and nodded, "Of course, Ranma. We will need to have a rematch to see who is better."
"Are you two done posturing for who's the better fighter?" Cyan said as she stood alongside Xerses and looked at Ranma, "Besides, you need to be a better uncle to Asha." She waved a finger at him. "So no sparing with Xerses when we meet up in the Enchanted Realm."
"Of course, big sister Cyan." Ranma cheekily said this before getting hit upside the head by Xeris.
"Better not act so cheeky either," Xeris said, "Or I'll revoke your status as godfather."
Ranma rubbed the back of his head and nodded, "Yeah, yeah. I'll play nice." Ranma smiled at the Xeris and then Cyan. "You can count on me being a good uncle that she can play with."
Cyan and Xeris smiled back before Cyan hugged Ranma. "Be careful going back to Japan," she said to Ranma. "We'll try to get you to the Enchanted Realm once we figure out how to get there ourselves."
Ranma nodded and gently tickled Asha, who giggled and reached out to Ranma's hand. She grasped his fingers and pulled on them, to which Ranma obliged, bringing his fingers closer to her mouth. Cyan gently pulled Ranma's fingers away before Asha could bite them. "We don't want an accident just before you leave, Ranma."
"I agree with that." Ranma smiled before looking at Asha. "No biting, uncle Ranma's hand." He gently spoke to the baby before stepping away from Cyan, "I'll be waiting for you guys."
"We appreciate it, and we'll talk as soon as we can," Xerses said before waving goodbye with the rest of the villagers who were leaving. Xerses climbed into the cab of one of the trucks, with Cyan and Ashe getting in on the other side. As the trucks and jeeps started towards the closest airport, Ranma looked at Xeris and Charon.
"Got some time to go over what spells I can do?" Ranma asked Charon.
"Of course, you're such an adept learner, you might be able to get past some of the most basic spells before you leave." Charon nodded as he, Xeris, and Ranma walked toward their home. "You tend to soak up knowledge like a sponge."
"I've always been a good student, once I got away from the ol' man." Ranma said, "He's the one that kept trying to hold me back from being one. So I had to hide it from him as much as possible."
"Well, you won't have that problem here," Charon said.
Ranma smiled as he nodded, "I haven't been bored since I got here."
The two were-cheetahs smiled at this, glad they could keep the teenager engaged with all the things happening around the village.
-LINE BREAK-
Ranma, Charon, and Amara sat in the mage circle as Ranma started meditating. He knew that he was getting closer to using the neko-ken ki-claws, it had taken him weeks to get to the stage where he could feel the claws extending from his fingertips while he was meditating, but as he stopped meditating, the claws would not appear, or only appear for a short while before the ki dispersed from his fingertips. "I wonder if it's even worth trying to get these claws working?" Ranma asked quietly after another failed attempt to manifest the claws outside of his meditation.
"You are attempting something even I wasn't aware of," Charon said as he looked at Ranma's attempt, the claws making marks on the dirt as Ranma had curled his fingers slightly after he manifested them in meditation. "It's too bad that we don't have a chi master in the village."
"All we can do is at least tell when your aura is messing with your ki, but nothing on what you're trying to attempt is referenced in any magic tome that we have here in the village," Amara said, consoling the young man in front of her.
"I guess you're right," Ranma stated as he opened his eyes fully after taking a deep breath. "At least I can do aura magic." Ranma smiled, knowing his magic training was slowly being built up like what he did with his martial arts.
Charon and Amara chuckled softly, "Yes, that is right, and you are progressing much faster in magic after you figured out how to separate your aura from your ki." Charon said, passing the book over to Ranma so he could go over the spells they were practicing. "We'll go over some conjuring magic to see if you can create things out of thin air using your aura."
Ranma nodded and sat down in front of the two in the mages' circle while Charon began discussing conjuring magic. "Conjuration is a magical phenomenon that allows you to create anything using the Phantasmal force. You can sculpt it, weave it, and create any object or creature. However, creating such an object or creature requires an aura to stabilize it," Charon said as he tried to explain conjuration magic to the young man before him.
"So you're saying that I can create any object I want, but it'll require a bit of aura from me to solidify it?" Ranma said, "Sort of like when I create a Ki attack."
"Yes, that's one way of putting it," Charon responded to Ranma's question positively. Ranma nodded at that and wrote it down in his notebook. "However, you're only allowed three conjurations a day, as it may weigh down on you mana-wise." Ranma nodded at that, knowing he could only create so many Ki blasts before even he gets winded enough to cause exhaustion.
"Enhancements are ways to extend a current spell or object on its sphere of influence." Charon continued, "It allows you to keep a spell active for longer. An example would be casting an enchantment on a weapon that was created, keeping it sharp for a while before wear and tear decides to affect it."
"Can it be used to enhance physical abilities?" Ranma asked.
"In a way, yes, it can. But I would caution you on it as you may be subconsiously using more of your aura to sustain it, which could be just as dangerous as conjuring more objects than you're able to."
"So, kind of like when I increase my strength with ki, I just need to be careful I don't overwork myself on it." Ranma nodded and wrote it down in his notebook. If he could relate most of these spells and classifications to martial arts moves, he could utilize them a bit more. 'Just gotta remember that I'm not using Ki, got to use Ether.' Ranma thought, writing it down in his notebook for reference.
"Just remember, Ranma, that magical exhaustion still happens to even the best of us." Amara said, waving her finger at him, "It took a lot out of us to help you with your aluraphobia and that cat aura. Hence why we took breaks to 'recharge' ourselves before we did any more work."
"Is it like working a muscle? The more you use it, the less stress it puts on your body and magic." Ranma asked Amara, looking towards her.
"The younger you are to work on your magic, the better you can become utilizing it," Amara said. Ranma nodded at that and wrote it down once more. He wanted to see how much he could do with magic now that he wasn't a threat to everyone in the village.
Still, Ranma had a long way to go. While he could cast some of the simple spells, like Glow, he was having trouble with some of the other classifications. His best ability in magic seemed to be related to ignition and projection spells, but he couldn't cast them as readily as Charon or Amara could. "Is there a way I can cast some conjuration magic without it affecting me as much as it should?"
"You could start small, like a rabbit or a handkerchief. Always start small before moving to bigger things." Amara stated as she created a handkerchief in her hand. She handed it to Ranma, who could feel the softness of the material. "That should last long enough to be used before disappearing," Amara said. Thirty seconds later, the handkerchief disappeared in a mote of light.
"Some of these spells are in that spell book I gave you. Those are the basic ones, so you can utilize them to help gauge how much mana you have and what you can accomplish." Charion meitoned, "The conjuration spell Amara just did should be on page 34."
Ranma took the said spell book out of his subspace pocket, which interested the two mages as they had never heard of a ki ability or spell that could hide items on one's body without adding any additional weight to the user. They had gotten used to it as he pulled out small items, like his notebooks, pencils, and such, but nothing larger than a two-liter bottle of water. Ranma flipped through the book over to the page Charon mentioned. Ranma read over the page before looking at both his teachers. "Can I try it?"
"Go for it," Amara said, keeping an eye on him as he held his palm open. He closed his eyes after reading the page and speaking out the words.
"Conjuration: Handkerchief." Ranma said as he focused on the Ether being pulled into his hand. However, as soon as it came together, the ether collapsed and fizzled out before the object could be created. Ranma sighed before looking at the two, "Did I do something wrong?"
"From what we saw, you were doing the correct spell, and it was collecting the correct amount of Ether. But sometimes spells fizzle out due to other outside influences." Charon said, "Do you want to try again?" Charon activated his mage sight to watch Ranma's attempt this time.
"Sure." Ranma nodded, once more closing his eyes and holding out his hand, "Conjuration: Handkerchief." As before, the Ether was pulled into his hand and started to come together to make the handkerchief, but just like before, it fizzled out. "I can't seem to get it past the gathering of Ether."
"Well, it's not like you're pulling in Ki like you did before casting the 'Glow' spell," Charon said, his mage sight stopping after the collapse of the Ether in Ranma's hand. "Maybe more practice would help you out."
"I'm sure I can find time to practice these spells some more before I leave." Ranma smiled, glad that he was learning something new about what he could do.
"I'm sure you'll get the conjuring figured out before then." Charon smiled before getting up off the ground. Ranma and Amara also got off the ground and brushed off the dirt before walking toward the village.
Ranma took a moment to think as they were walking towards the village. "You said that I could create anything after I figure out conjuration."
"That's right, Ranma." Amara said, "There are many things you can create, but you'd need to make sure you're not overextending yourself when you do it."
"For example," Charon said, before conjuring a bunny. "As you can see, I can conjure an animal and make it act like a real bunny."
Ranma's mouth hung open for a bit before he extended his Ki out to feel out the rabbit. "It seems so real." Ranma noted, "I can feel it like it was truly alive." Ranma stated. The three stopped for a moment while Ranma reached out and petted the bunny, noting to himself that it felt real, too.
"It is, in its own way," Charon said as the bunny disappeared from his hand. This caused Ranma to look at Charon's hand and look back up to him.
"The Ki just disappeared like nothing was there.
"It's because I used a bit of my aura to stabilize it, then I put in a bit of my spirit into it to keep it alive." Ranma nodded at the explanation.
"That might be why I'm having issues. I do need to put something into it, but I couldn't figure it out." Ranma stated, "I still have a lot to learn about magic."
"I'm sure you'll get it. It only took you a day or two to figure out 'Glow,' which is the most basic spell provided. These are just more advanced types of magic." Amara said, patting Ranma on the back. "You'll do fine." Amara smiled before she turned towards her home. "We can talk later about the other types of magic; we'll find your specialty before you leave."
"Thanks, Amara," Ranma said, waving to her as she left them.
"Come on. I think Xeris has something cooking up for lunch.
-LINE BREAK-
Ranma sat down with Charon as the older man put down a few scrolls that he had grabbed from the bookshelf. "Each scroll is a teleportation scroll." Charon started to explain, "Because teleportation scrolls require information that the creator knows before being made, it'll be hard for us to get you back to Nerima as I've never been there, and you're just starting to understand how these scrolls work."
Ranma nodded and took one of the scrolls. He opened it up and read through the spell being used, "But teleportation could be used as a regular spell, right?"
"For short-range jumps." Charon said, pointing to a section of the scrolls, "We have to use coordinates of some kind to allow the portal to be generated. I can get the scroll to Nerima if I knew where Nerima was in relation to here."
"So if I knew the coordinates of where the Tendo dojo was, I wouldn't need to fly back here and find your village."
"That's correct," Charon said as he pushed the other two scrolls to Ranma.
Ranma opened one of the scrolls and saw the differences between the scroll for Nerima and the scroll that pointed to the village proper. "So these lines here show the coordinates in the center of the village?"
"Yes, you seem to have caught on." Charon smiled at that. "Once you get back to the Tendo Dojo, you can fill in the rest of the scroll using this spell." Charon held out his hand with his palm up. His other hand hovering over it. "Locate." Suddenly, the spell formed a visual view of the Earth and a small line pointed to the Serengetti with numbers over it. "This is the locate spell. It helps you identify where you're at anywhere on the Earth."
"Couldn't you use that spell to locate other places on Earth?" Ranma asked.
"Locate only uses the caster's location, not where they've been or where to look for any place," Charon said before he brought his hands together, canceling the spell.
"I see," Ranma stated. He held out his hands like Charon just did and closed his eyes to concentrate. "Locate." Slowly, the globe formed, but before the coordinates could appear, it collapsed on itself and disappeared from Ranma's hand. "Great, another spell fizzling out," Ranma grumbled, mostly to himself.
"That's a good first try, Ranma. Without looking at the spell book." Charon smiled at the young man. "That spell is on page 20," Charon remarked. "I'm sure you'll get it before you leave."
Ranma nodded. Since he was able to create the globe, he was one step closer to getting the spell to work.
"Take the two teleportation scrolls, Ranma. This way, you can come back with the completed Nerima scroll, and we can show you how to create these scrolls on your own." Once more, Ranma nodded and grabbed the two scrolls off the table that were mentioned.
"Thanks, Charon." Ranma smiled, getting up and walking toward the room that he was sleeping in. His pack was opened, and he slid the scrolls down towards the bottom of his pack, along with a few other scrolls and books that Charon and Xeris had given him.
"Dinner," Xeris said from the kitchen. Since Ranma was already up from his seat, he went to the kitchen to help bring the food to the table. Once the food was set on the table, the three of them began eating. "You know, with that transporter scroll, you can bring Nabiki and Kasumi over to the village and give them a proper vacation."
Ranma nodded and took a few bites of food before speaking, "It would be a good chance to get them out of the Tendo Dojo. Last time we had any type of vacation, something always happens and it ruins the trip."
"Usually, one of your fiancées that ruin it," Charon remarked. This caused Ranma to nod.
"Sometimes we have a good time, but there's always something that happens to make everything a competition on who would be the better fiancée."
"I see," Xeris said as she looked at the young man in front of her. "Is there anyone specific that you like out of them?"
"That's the problem right now. I'm starting to resent them for the things they've done over the past year since we stayed at the Tendo Dojo." Ranma admitted to the two, "I mean, Shampoo has been so clingy since she found out I was a guy that it's been getting on my nerves." He sat his fork down and gently pushed the plate away, half eaten after they started this discussion. This caused the two to look at him with concern as he continued his complaining. "Ukyo just plays the best friend card whenever things are not going her way; then, she'll play the fiancée card just to get me riled up." His hands were on the table, and they clenched into a tight fist. "Kodachi is just a crazy girl who thinks that because she's rich, she can get whatever she wants." He stopped and
"What about Akane? Your current fiancée from the Tendos?" Charon asked as he stopped eating as well to focus on trying to help the young man.
"I don't know. I mean, she hasn't been good to me after the wedding, but we've had some ups and downs, but lately, especially since I've been hanging out with Nabiki more, she's been kind of a pain."
"In what way?" Xeris asked.
"It feels like she's got something going on, like she owns me. And while I did like her, her faults and tendency to act before asking questions got me on the wrong side of her attitude." Ranma said quietly, "I mean, I know I've purposefully said things that got her upset, but there've been times where I didn't resolve an issue, like Shampoo clinging on me after she found me, and Akane just blows up before I can fix it."
"What about the wedding? Did you want that to happen?" Xeris asked him.
"Well.. I did at first, but when everything came down and destroyed the dojo, I figured it was time to reevaluate my feelings for Akane."
"And what did you find?" Xeris pushed on this, knowing what the answer might be from their discussions and stories that he told them.
"That all Akane wanted to do was be a winner."
"Being the one to marry you, even if she didn't want to?" Xeris asked.
"That's the thing, I couldn't tell you if she wanted to or not. But the way she acted and that she knew about the cask of Nannīchuan before I did and was holding that over my head to say that I would have to marry her before I could get it." Ranma sighed at that. "I think that's what is turning me off from even marrying her." Ranma bowed his head and was looking at his hands, clenched into a fist, trying to calm down at the fact that he was revealing that he was not feeling the same as he did since his arrival to the Tendo-ke.
"In all honesty, you shouldn't have been put into that situation at all." Charon said, taking a bite of his meal before speaking his mind, "I think neither of you were ready for a wedding, or marriage itself."
"I think you're right, Charon," Ranma said, looking up from his hands to the older man, who started acting more like a brother to him, even if he didn't know what that would feel like. "I know I wasn't ready for marriage. Heck, I know that this marriage would have been the end of me."
"You've explained that before, that getting married to Akane might have been the plan of both fathers for something," Xeris said
"Yeah. That's what Nabiki said, especially the options of marrying either Nabiki or Kasumi might have been disastrous." Ranma said quietly. "Especially if I married Nabiki, there might have been something that the fathers might have done to her to get whatever they're after."
"And how are you coping with your feelings for Nabiki and Kasumi?" Charon questioned, "You seem to be enjoying time with both of them, but you're closer now to Nabiki." He looked at Ranma, "Even after the party you mentioned you escorted her to and from, there must be something that you feel for her?"
Ranma blushed at that and nodded, "Yeah, I think I trust her more than I do any of the other fiancées." He looked at both of his new friends and gave them a small smile, "Though we do have to figure out if we're compatible." He gently scratched his cheek at that comment. "I mean, we have some of the same likes and to-do lists. But she's the only one that lets me have a say in what happened and listens."
"Well, once you get back and can figure out where the Tendo Dojo is on that locate spell, then we can get you three to see the world, or we might be able to visit you and see what you've been up to." Xeris said, giving the young man a smile of her own, "Of course, we'd have to have our baby first before we travel."
"I'd appreciate that," Ranma stated as he began to finish his meal. "I think Nabiki and Kasumi would like a good trip away from the house."
-LINE BREAK-
Xerses' head breached the surface of the ocean next to the plane that had recently crashed into the water. Sharks were starting to circle the area and were attacking anyone that was in the water. "Everyone, try to get to the shore!" he yelled out to whoever was able to hear him. He held his daughter in one arm, keeping her afloat. His wife, Cyan, held onto him as well until she could get herself above the waves and started swimming with him towards the shore. As they got closer to the rocky outcropping, the waves started pushing and pulling them away from the cliffside. Xerses managed to grab onto one of the many rocks and held on as the waves tried to pull him off the rock. As he looked up from his position, he saw Brendan's hand reaching out to help him. He grasped the extended hand and was helped up from where he was lying on the rock onto a more stable cliffside edge. Xerses looked around and saw many more werewolves helping out the were-cheetahs as each one was pulled out of the water. 'I'm so glad we were able to make it.' He thought as they were helped into a standing position and was guided towards the werewolves' lair. Off to the side, Jetta stood there with her arms folded and glaring at Cyan and Xerses.
A little while later, while everyone was getting dry and changing into clothes provided for them for dinner, Xerses looked at Cyan and his daughter Ashe, thankful that they had survived the crash and all the disasters that continued to plague them until they got to the lair. 'I hope everyone that stayed in the Serengetti is handling the drought all right,' he thought as he tightened his tie. The light grey suit fit him just right in his human form, and he was glad there were clothes for him to wear. He watched his wife hold Ashe close to her in her pink dress that covered her slim body. Ashe was in her swaddling blanket that the werewolves provided so that Ashe wouldn't be cold. "How are you holding up?" He asked Cyan as he walked up to her and Ashe.
"I'm okay. But there were so many of us that didn't survive." Cyan quietly spoke.
"I know." Xerses said, coming up and hugging her gently, "I'm glad the others are still safe back at the village." He gave her a waning smile. "We'll just have to remember how to get to the Enchanted Realm for all the others." This caused Cyan to smile, knowing that the other half of their village was still safe and weren't on the plane when it crashed into the ocean.
"You're right," Cyan said, holding their child close to her bosom. "Once we all make it to the Enchanted Realm, we'll be safe." She leaned into the hug, "We'll have a new life ahead of us."
"Yes, we will have that new life, a safe life." Xerses nodded and guided her out of the room provided to them to change. They followed the rest of the were-cheetahs and werewolves towards a lavish banquet hall where, upon entry, they saw their hosts, Brendan and Azalea, standing near the head of the table.
"Friends welcome." Brendan started; his dark green suit and bow tie covered his tanned human form. Next to him was his wife Azalea, in a white, off-the-shoulder dress that hugged her body like a snug glove. "Welcome to our lair." Brendan finished, extending his hand out to gesture to the table where they could sit down.
"Brendan... Thank you." Xerses said as the were-cheetahs all began to sit on one side of the table, where the werewolves sat on the other side.
"If only your journey here wasn't so... disastrous." Brendan sat down, with Xerses and Cyan following shortly behind. "I grieve deeply for those whom you've lost."
Azalea put her glove-covered hand up to her chest as she looked across the table at Xerses. "Xerses... We of the werewolf clan are honored that you and your clan have accepted our invitation of peace," She started, waving her arm out down to the rest of the table. "On behalf of our clan... our home is your home."
"Azalea, you are too kind," Xerses replied, nodding in appreciation to the kind words that she said.
"Funny, isn't it?" a small, blond Jetta in a bright pink dress with a bow across her bosom exclaimed, gently picking up the glass in front of her. "Just a few months ago, we were at each other's throats..." Jetta continued, "Now look at us, all snuggly and cozy together." She took a sip of her drink to clear her throat. The rest of the table looked towards her, both werewolves and were-cheetahs, with the same sorrow-filled expression.
"...Jetta..." Azalea spoke, almost glaring at her daughter for the remark, 'I thought we were over this.' Azalea thought as she remembered that Brendan and Jetta went to the village to broker peace between the two clans. 'She was fine when she arrived back home, even talking about a human that could be on par with her.'
"Don't you find this amusing, Mother?" Jetta responded, taking another sip of her drink, "Having a banquet with those who were our mortal enemies?" She put her glass down a bit, her eyes closed as she continued to speak, "That we're able to just forget all about the past?" She placed her glass down on the table. "Sitting just across the table... the ones who killed our loved ones..." She looked up from her glass and then up and down the table. "The warrior who we've sworn revenge against... the killer who showed no mercy. Just sitting right across the table."
More were-cheetahs and werewolves started to look uncomfortable at the accusations that the young werewolf was spitting out, "For example..." Jetta paused, once more picking up her glass to take another sip from it. "Sitting right in front of me is the mighty Cyan." She glared at the woman holding her child. "The expert fighter who took my older sister, Ishtar, away from me..." Another quiet sip was taken before she put her glass down, "Mother and Father may have forgotten, I have not!"
"Jetta, I'm..." Cyan started, her face showing how sorrowful she felt at that last remark. Fighting Ishtar was not as easy as it sounded, especially since the werewolf was far stronger than her. But they were on the field of battle, and neither one backed down until the other succumbed to their wounds. Ishtar fell in her animal form with Cyan breaking her neck and cutting it open with her jaw in her animal form. After that kill, she threw up what was in her mouth before changing back to her hybrid form. While they fought as warriors, that was the last kill that Cyan made between the werewolves and the were-cheetahs; it just wasn't worth the fighting anymore.
"No! Don't apologize, Cyan. You have every right not to!" Azalea said, standing from her seat. "Ishtar faced you in war as a warrior. You defeated her honorably." Her hand raised slightly from the table while her other hand stabilized her movement before she stood straight up. "You've committed no crime!" Azalea turned towards her daughter, who gave her a defined stare, "And as for you Jetta..." She lifted her hands towards her chest as she began her outburst, "Listen to me, girl. There is nothing as useless as revenge! When my mother and father fell in a duel, I sought revenge... But taking it only made me feel empty inside." She took a breath before continuing, "Revenge and hatred consume you! With hatred in your heart, there is no room for anything else!" She turned towards the rest of the table, who began to nod and acknowledge what she was saying, "That's why we choose to break the circle of vengeance. That's why we seek peace." Her voice started to quiet down, "We're tired of losing our loved ones in a meaningless war."
Brendan looked over at his daughter before speaking, "You see Jetta, we carry those whom we've lost in our hearts. It is there they live on." Brendan started, "We must carry them lightly with our hearts at peace." Brendan picked up his glass, "Which is why we've invited the were-cheetah clan to our home. You see, long ago, at the end of the Age of Magic, our magical kin evacuated the Earth-Realm to make room for the Age of Man." He took a sip of his drink before continuing, "Our clans were left behind until we could resolve our conflict. And now... Tonight... we shall leave this realm to finally walk into the Enchanted World... together." This brought applause across the table from both were-cheetahs and werewolves.
Xerses raised his glass and put his arm around Cyan's shoulder. "I propose a toast to Brendan and Azalea," he said, pointing the glass toward them. "For bringing eons of war to an end." The entire table raised their glasses in toast, with Brendan standing up alongside his wife.
"To peace." He said, with a grin on his face. His daughter caught that look and wondered what he was smiling for.
-LINE BREAK-
"A magical night, is it not, Cyan?" the werewolf Azalea asked the new mother. She wore a two-piece green bra and bottom, while Cyan donned a one-piece outfit resembling a bathing suit.
Cyan gently bounced her child to soothe her. "Thanks to you and Brendan, Azalea." Her husband Xerses stood beside her, holding a torch in one hand. "Still, I feel a bit silly wearing these clothes."
"Tut, tut, Cyan. When we arrive in the Enchanted Realm, you'll feel right at home." Azalea said as she pointed down the road, "At the end of this path is the 'old camp.' All we have to do is spend the night and when we awaken we'll be in our new home." Azalea looked behind her towards the keep, not noticing Breandan behind them "But where is Brendan?" She questioned herself, "Sealing the keep shouldn't have taken so long." She looked over at Cyan and Xerses before turning back towards the keep "I'd better go look for him."
-LINE BREAK-
"You impress me, Brendan, Alpha of the werewolf clan. But I'm a bit confused." A young man with brown hair in a red skin-tight suit said as he looked at the window. He could see the others walking down the pathway towards the old camp with their torches shining brightly in the night. "Why have you used the tiny fraction of magic I've given you in such ways?" He looked at Brendan with a grin as he continued to ask him the questions he wanted answers to. "Creating the drought in the Serengeti to drive the cheetah clan to the brink of starvation?
"All the better to have them desperate enough to trust my kind, hopeful words of peace o' Master." Brendan said, kneeling towards the man he called Master.
"Striking down the Cheetahs' aircraft?"
"A disaster designed to kill off a few of their numbers and for me to come to their rescue, sealing their trust in me." He grinned before looking up at his Master. "Heh, I sense now that you wish to know the final phase of my plan, young master?"
"Yes." The man said, as he turned fully to face Brendan, "To dominate the remaining mages on earth, I need an army. A magical army!" He raised his hand slightly as if to gesture to him to continue. "You told me you would trade your werewolf clan into slavery if I gave you the power of that book of spells." Giving the werewolf a slight glare as he questioned his servant. "How will this 'final phase' grant me control over your clan?"
"Tonight, instead of taking the clans to the 'promised land,' I will slaughter half of the were-cheetahs." Brendan grinned, knowing that his master would love this part of the plan. "Those remaining will surely be confused and will certainly go berserk. Attacking!" He looked up fully at his Master and kept his smirk across his face as he finished explaining the last of his plans. "The battle will end with the extinction of the were-cheetahs and my clan, weak and helpless from the effort." His eyes glowed slightly when the next step of his plan was revealed. "At that time, enslaving them should be no trouble."
"Well done, Brendan, well done!" The young man clapped his hand before gesturing with his finger, which glowed a light blue color. "As a reward for such cleverness, I grant you another fragment of magic. The book of spells will now allow you access to even greater power." The glow faded away before the young master frowned slightly. "Still, it's a pity about the were-cheetahs." He gave a convincing grin about the thought of having the were-cheetahs added to his slave group. "They would make splendid slaves."
"They're spoken for, Kyle." A tall were-creature appeared from the shadows. The ears and face looked like a rat's face, while the tail showed he was indeed a rat. A were-rat, to be precise.
"Gothwrain!?"
"The were-cheetahs' total extermination was the price I tacked on." He stepped closer to the two, hands behind his back and his tail flicking slightly. "A brokering fee of sorts." He moved his arms and moved them so they crossed over his chest, his eyes glowing green slightly at the thought of the extermination of the were-cheetahs. "After all, Brendan would have never been able to locate you if it weren't for me, eh, Kyle?"
"W-what are you doing here, Gothwrain?" 'Kyle' said as he turned to face Gothwrain fully.
"Just protecting my investments," Gothwrain said, before gesturing to Brendan to complete his task. "Brendan, I believe you have an appointment to keep."
"I'll take my leave then," Brendan said as he headed towards the stairs of the tower.
"Meanwhile, 'Kyle' and I have much to discuss."
-LINE BREAK-
"BRENDAN!" Azalea said, causing Brendan to stop in his tracks as he walked down the stairs of the tower he was in.
"Ah, Azalea." He stopped as he looked at his wife. "I see you still have that nasty habit of eavesdropping."
"We trusted you. I believed you!" She said, yelling out her frustrations at her husband, "You betrayed us!" Tears welled up in her eyes at the fact that her husband was conspiring to not only destroy the were-cheetahs but enslave the entire werewolf clan. "WHY?"
Brendan smiled at his wife, but it was not the pleasant smile he offered on some days when she approached him with excitement. No, this smile was evil, destructive, and powerful. Flames burst from one hand while the other grasped the book of spells. The flames then enveloped his body, and his eyes turned yellow like the flames themselves. "For this," he said before gripping her throat. She tried to scream, hoping that her cries would reach someone who could help her, but as the light faded from her eyes, she knew she had lost her husband to this power-hungry man. 'I hope that Jetta and the others stop him,' she thought before her body succumbed to the magic Brendan wielded, and her life slipped away by asphyxiation.
-LINE BREAK-
"Why don't you drop that cheesy illusion-aura, Diggers. It cheapens us both." Gothwrain said as he flicked his finger up, a small flame appeared at the tip of his thumb like a lighter. He lifted the cuban cigar in his other hand and lit it, sucking in the narcotic taste before exhailing the smoke. "I've known you were here ever since you arrived." He took another drag from his cigar, continuing his conversation with Diggers. "A pity you missed that plane crash earlier this afternoon. It was a splendid show."
Diggers looked over at Gothwrain before a light shined over the slim figure, and Diggers appeared differently. His body was a bit more muscular, covered in a full black skin-tight suit with tan pants and a leather jacket. His hands were covered in leather gloves, and to top it all off, he wore a leather fedora, which covered most of his blond hair.
"Ah. Much better." Gothwrain said. His tail flickers from side to side as if he knew something that Diggers didn't.
"I'm here to bring you in, Gothwrain. I've already taken Kyle down," Gothwrain gave a soft chuckle. "And Brendan's next in line." Gothwrain snorted in amusement, "But before I take you in. I want to know why... Why the death of so many innocent lives!"
Gothwrain couldn't hold in the laugh that exploded from his lips, "Pfft- Hahaha!" He looked over at Diggers with an evil smirk, "Stop it! You're killing me!"
"Gothwrain!" Diggers shouted at the wererat.
Gothwrain chuckled at that exclamation from Diggers, "I'm a wererat, silly. Of the remaining magical races on Earth... were-cheetahs 'creep us out.'" He took another puff from his cigar as he started his explanation. "But, I really don't want them all dead. Not as long as they don't know our clan exists." He gave Diggers a smile as he monologued, "However, the oracle caste of our clan demands it..." His smile grew as he focused on the young man in front of him. "And since they run things, what's one to do?"
"Sorry to disappoint you, Gothwrain, but..." Diggers started out, pointing at Gothwrain, "Your assassin, Brendan, just departed with an 'unloaded weapon.'" Diggers gave Gothwrain a satisfied smile. "I disabled every spell in that book with a spell he believed would give additional powers!" Diggers took a few steps towards Gothwrain as if to detain him, "Too bad, Gothwrain! You messed up!"
Suddenly, a few explosions were rumbling off in the distance that both could hear. "Is that a fact?" Gothwrain smirked at his foe.
Another rumble and explosion echoed off the tower's stone walls before Diggers spoke up. "What?"
"What was that, you ask? Why not take a peek for yourself Diggers!"
Diggers closed his eyes before speaking softly, "Clairvoyance." Diggers' eyes opened and lit up like flashlights shining in the darkness. As the spell settled, he received images from different locations on the werewolves lair, A female werewolf, broken and defeated with smoke coming off her neck, "It can't be." He spoke softly as he saw the rest of the dead bodies being burned. "I disabled every page in that spellbook!" He saw the large pile of skeletons with a fire raging next to them. "I..."
"Tsk, tsk..." Gothwrain said, taking another drag from his cigar, not too worried about lung cancer as his body regenerated all that damage even after smoking the best cigars with the high concentration of nicotine per puff, "It seems you are the one who has 'messed up' eh, Diggers?" He flicked the end of the cigar next to him before looking over at his nemesis. "And you call yourself an agent of the Mage Council."
"No! How is it possible?" Diggers exclaimed as he saw Brendan start another spell with the spellbook opened. A were-cheetah holding a young werewolf in his arms, another were-cheetah escaping Brendan with a small bundle in hers.
"Heh. That's right. You're an aura-mage... You don't usually deal with spellbooks. Just scrolls." Another flick before he took another drag off the still-smoking cigar. "I suppose no one's ever informed you that spellbook pages are blank when the book is shut." He grinned at Diggers before he closed his eyes for a brief moment of thought. "Just like the little light goes out when you close the door of a refrigerator." That grin widened a bit further. "You 'disabled' nothing!" He chuckled before continuing to taunt his opponent, "Such a pity. Your blunder cost the were-cheetahs their very lives! Tsk, tsk, tsk." Diggers' aura started to show, a light flame encompassing his body as he removed one of his gloves. "Wait until your friends in that self-righteous Mage Council hear about this one!" Gothwrain opened his eyes and looked over at Diggers, "They'll.. Diggers?" Gothwrain saw the glow of Diggers' aura and took a step back. "Uh oh."
Diggers silently glared at the wererat, putting his glove into his jacket pocket before moving towards the werecreature.
"Now, Diggers. Let's... not lose our temper..." Gothwrain continued to back up at the sight of the angry aura-mage, "Violence is not the answer!"
"You're right, Gothwrain, it's not the answer." This caused Gothwrain to take a sigh of relief for a brief moment. "Violence is the question..." And with two quick steps, he reached out and grabbed Gothwrain by the back of his head before slamming his flame-covered fist straight into his chest.
"The answer is YES!"
Gothwrain gasped as he felt his ribs crush against his lungs as he wheezed out, "Ughhh." He finally pushed out of his collapsed lungs before he saw Diggers step up to one of the windows.
"This isn't finished, Gothwrain!" Diggers called out before getting ready to jump from the window. "I swear I'll make you pay for this." Diggers stepped onto the window sill, "I'm sure your tongue would flap out some farewell quip if your ribs weren't crushed, so I'll take my leave." Diggers jumped out of the window, leaving the smoking wererat alone in the tower. 'I just pray there are victims left alive for me to rescue.'
-LINE BREAK-
Xerses held onto Jetta, his arm around her stomach and his other hand at her head. He knew this was wrong, mainly after they brokered peace between their clans. He saw Brendan floating there, glowing in magic and flames. "I mean it, Brendan!" He called out, holding the struggling Jetta tighter so she couldn't move. "I have your daughter! Turn back!" He said, trying to keep this peace going even though he was more upset about the fact that most of his friends were killed by these magical attacks. "Stop this now or..."
"Father! Please! He's not bluffing!" Jetta called out to her father, trying to pull Xerses' arm away from her stomach, "Nnh, He's gone mad!" She tried to move her head to face her father, once more with pleading eyes for assistance, "He's going to kill me!"
"So?" Brendan looked at his daughter and Xerses with an amused grin. "Go ahead and kill her. I don't care." He floated in front of the two as if he didn't have a care in the world. "It will keep you occupied while I find Cyan and your child."
"No..." Xerses said as he loosened his grip on Jetta, who managed to snake her arm underneath his so her hand could rise up with her claws attacking the man on his bicep to release her. Xerses pulled away from her just to look at the daughter of Brendan and Azalea before her claws struck across his neck, causing him to bleed out onto the forest floor below.
Jetta stood there, shocked that she had killed Xerses in such a manner that made her sick. 'This isn't honorable. This is just murder.' she thought, "I didn't..." She spoke out before he heard her father laughing.
"Ha ha ha hah ah... Good work, Jetta." Brendan smiled at his daughter as he saw her hand covered in Xerses' blood before slowly coming down to the ground.
"There was no honor in that-kill, Father..." She called out, looking at her father, "Why are we attacking the cheetahs? We declared peace!" Her blood-covered hand formed a fist as she watched her father land before he started walking towards the old camp. He stopped for a moment and faced her as she continued, "To attack them, to kill them after we invited them into our home in peace! An unforgivable disgrace!"
Brendan smirked at his daughter, his hand stroking his beard as if in thought. "Yes, isn't it." He watched as Jetta fell to her knees.
"We were once proud warriors!" She exclaimed, "Why, Father? Why did you force our clan to be shameful murderers?" She looked up at him as he started to walk away from her. "Why?"
As he walked, he waved his arm in a sarcastic dismissal. "Ask your mother, Jetta. Ask your mother."
-LINE BREAK-
Cyan walked towards one of the huts in the area that she managed to arrive in. She looked around and saw that no one else was around. Asha cried out as she tried to find some place to hide. "This is it. The ancient place. The village Azalea described." Cyan rocked Asha slightly to hopefully calm her down before Brendan arrived. She walked into one of the huts and saw a box of clothing that she could lay Asha down in. "Shhh... we'll be safe here." Asha continued to cry as Cyan began to lay her down and cover her up, "Shh... Mommy's here; don't cry." She cooed as calmly as she could in the situation, "Please, please, don't cry." She leaned over the box and kissed her daughter on the forehead, "Shhh... Shhh... Don't cry; Mommy's here." She gently rubbed Asha's hair to calm her down, "Shhh.. Everything's going to be all right." Asha began to calm down and slowly went to sleep for the moment. "Don't worry. Mommy's here. Mommy's right here." She leaned away from her daughter and against the wall next to the door, "Everything's going to be all right." She rocked the box slowly and quietly so as not to disturb her or provide Brendan with knowledge that Ahsa was there in the box. "Mommy's here... Mommy loves you." Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the door and waited hopefully for a chance to take Brendan down. "And Mommy won't let anything happen to you..."
She caught a glimpse of Brendan's aura coming down the path, his hand and body still glowing with flames. 'I hope he doesn't find Asha. I wish Ranma were here to help; he might have made some progress against this man,' Cyan thought, having been out of shape during her entire pregnancy and not yet in top form so soon after giving birth. 'It won't be long now.'
-LINE BREAK-
A bolt of lightning appeared in the forest next to the ancient village. The young man with a fedora stepped away from where the bolt of lightning had landed during the transportation spell. He stood up and expanded his aura out to feel if there was anyone around. "T-too late!" He growled out, "I can't feel anyone alive. I'm too late!"He continued to walk through the forest before coming across the hut the Cyan had arrived in. He turned his head towards it and thought he might have found one survivor. 'Please let there be one survivor of this horrible disaster,' he thought to himself as he walked towards the hut. He stepped inside and saw the female were-cheetah lying there, burnt, and blood flowing onto the floor. "Too late..." He said, his head bowed in defeat.
Asha began to cry as she saw the man in her view. Theo perked up at the sound and turned towards it. He saw the young baby swaddled in a blanket and a shirt. He reached out with one hand, and the baby grabbed his gloved finger. "H... He didn't find you." Tears began to roll down his face as he picked her up. "Little one, this is all my fault... Could you... Could you ever forgive me..." He said as he held her gently in his arms. The baby reached out and gently patted his tear-covered face, not knowing how much sorrow Theo felt at that moment. "I'll take you home with me, and we'll figure something out," he said, holding the baby close before he opened one of his scrolls. It disappeared in a flash of light before a circle to an office opened. He stepped through the portal, and it closed behind him, leaving the dead where they lay.
-LINE BREAK-
A week passed, and while much wasn't done, Ranma still had to finish up one last thing before he decided to leave. Ranma sat with Omari in front of a chess board while he waited for Charon to finish his checks on the wells. It seemed that the drought from a few months ago might have been just the unique weather they were getting. So far, it hadn't rained yet, so they were dependent on the well's supply until they got their annual rain, which was due to arrive in a few weeks. Ranma moved his rook out from behind a line of pawns. He looked up at Omari and smiled before Omari made his move, using a knight to take out a bishop piece that Ranma was hoping he would go for. "You're move, young Ranma," Omari said, holding up the piece and setting it aside.
"I was expecting that, Omari." Ranma nodded and moved his queen to take the knight Omari had recently moved. Omari frowned slightly as he saw that Ranma had taken another piece.
"Who's winning?" Charon asked as he came back from his journey. He sat down at the side of the board, watching the two making moves across the board.
"So far, Ranma is." Omari moved another piece. "He's taken half of my pawns and my knight."
"I still think you're going easy on me as I've never played chess until I got here." Ranma smiled at Charon before looking at his pieces on the board. "But so far, I've only won every third or fourth game." Ranma moved a pawn forward another step and watched as that one got taken by a rook from Omari's piece. "So how are the wells?" Ranma said, looking at Charon again after making his move.
"The wells are spewing out water, so they're starting to fill back up," Charon remarked as he visited all the wells and faucets around the village. "Each one was still pumping out water from the well that was dug out for them to use. I still think that we need to keep an eye on them until we hear back from the group in Germany."
"A sound plan, Charon." Omari said, "We'll let the others know to keep watch over the wells."
Charon nodded in response and looked over at Ranma. "Ready for lunch?"
"Sure." Ranma smiled at Charion before looking at Omari. "Finish this later?"
"Of course we can." Omari smiled and set the board aside. Knowing Ranma's appetite, that food always came first before anything else. Except when it came to martial arts. "Enjoy your lunch, and we'll talk later." Omari nodded to Ranma before standing up with him.
"Thanks, Omari." Ranma nodded, and Charon got up as well from his place at the side of the board.
"You're welcome, Ranma." Omari waved to the two as they left for Charon and Xeris' home.
-LINE BREAK-
"Ranma, you be careful going back to Japan," Xeris said as she hugged the young man in front of her, her belly extended as if she was almost ready to give birth. "You get that scroll finished up and come back here soon." She pulled back and held him at arms length, "And bring those wonderful girls over too." She smiled at Ranma as he smiled back at her.
"Sure." He said, stepping away from her before looking over a Charon, who reached out with his hand to shake his.
"Make sure you practice what we taught you so we can move on to the next step of your lessons," Charon said before handing him another book. "This is a book about advanced spells in case you can't find time during your busy life to come back."
Ranma took the book, and his grin was infectious as Charon smiled back, gently patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks Charon, I'll be sure to review this once I get some time to do so."
"You're welcome, Ranma."
"And for your trip back, we gathered some supplies for you for when you get picked up by your friends," Omari said, gesturing to Ranma's pack, which had dried food and water for his journey back to Lara Croft and her expedition crew.
"Thank you, Omari, but are you sure you guys will be okay with me taking some of your supplies?"
"Do not worry, Ranma, we'll be fine now that the water supply is coming back." Omari gently smiled at the young man's worry, knowing that they would be fine until they heard from the others. "Besides, we have enough supplies to last us for the next few months, which we hope to hear from the others soon."
Ranma nodded and looked over at Amara, who smiled and hugged him as well. "I'm glad to have met you, Ranma."
"You too, Amara," Ranma replied. "Thank you for helping me."
"Just remember to come back. We want to take you to the Enchanted Realm with us." She smiled and stepped back. "Be safe out there as well."
Ranma nodded, "I will. Lara might have another archeological site that she may want to check out before I leave."
Suddenly, the portable radio that Ranma had with him crackled to life. "Is Mr. Ranma Saotome still on this channel?" the voice on the other end asked. Ranma then picked up the hand set and pushed the button.
"This is Ranma Saotome speaking, over," Ranma replied.
"We have a Miss Lara Croft at the main entrance waiting for you."
"Lucky timing," Ranma said to himself before he responded to the ranger station, "I'll be there in a bit." He looked over at Omari before he nodded. They began to pile his belongings into a jeep that they had. While they did use the jeep to reach out to others, they mostly kept it in good condition in case of an emergency. And while this wasn't an emergency, it was a need to get Ranma to the main entrance soon so this Lara Croft wasn't waiting for him.
"Climb aboard, Ranma," Omari said, changing into his human form and getting into the driver's seat. "We'll have you over there in no time."
-LINE BREAK-
"Ranma!" Lara yelled as she spotted the young man in the Jeep. She smiled and was walking towards the Jeep as they slowed to a stop. When Ranma opened the door, she grabbed him into a big hug.
"Easy there, Lara," James said as he and the rest of Lara's explorers came up. Lara stepped back to let the others give him hugs and shake his hand. "Nice to see you again."
"Likewise." Ranma said to James as they shook hands, "How did the expedition go?"
"A total dud," Joslyn said, frowning at the fact that they hadn't found what they were looking for. "We got there, only to find out that the chalice was not where we thought it would be." She responded. "But we did find some treasure and other things that might be of use to the museum once we categorize it and identify where it needs to go to."
"Can we stop off at Cairo as well? I want to thank the curator of the museum for what I found."
"I'm sure we can, lad." Monty said, "It'll take a few days to get there anyways."
"Thanks Monty." Ranma smiled at the taller man. Knowing that the older gentleman would take him back to Cairo, "Then I can hop onto a flight back to Japan from Cairo."
Lara frowned at that, hoping to spend some more time with the young man that helped her and saved her life on more than one occasion. "So you're not coming back to London with us?" Lara asked.
"I have to get back. I've already missed three months of school." Ranma replied, "But it was worth it to meet you guys and get my problem figured out."
Lara's eyes widened at that. "So you found what you were looking for?"
"Yep, it took some time, but cats don't bother me as much anymore." He smiled, "So now I can live without the fear in case someone brings cats around me."
"That's wonderful news," Sam said before looking at the Jeep that had brought him there. "I'm assuming that he's the one that helped you?"
Ranma walked back to the Jeep and picked up his pack. "He's one of the people that I needed to find to help me with my phobia." He turned to Omari, "Omari, these are the people I mentioned that would help me back to civilization." Ranma said, hoisting the pack onto his back. He raised his arm and pointed to each person for introductions. "There's Lara, James, Joslyn, Sam, Stephanie, and Monty." Each person nodded or waved at Omari. "Guys, this is Omari, chief of the village I was at that helped me cure my phobia."
"The pleasure is all mine," Omari said as he bowed his head after getting out of the Jeep.
"Thank you for taking care of Ranma for us," Lara said as she grabbed Ranma's arm. "He's been a wonderful asset to us, and we'd like to repay you for your hospitality."
"Think nothing of it," Omari said as he walked over to Lara. "He's been a wonderful guest and will always be a part of our village." He smiled at the two before nodding to the rest. "I'll be on my way back, Ranma. Just remember that you can always visit us anytime you desire."
"I'll make sure I come back to visit," Ranma said with a smile before Omari got back into the car and drove off back towards the village.
"Come on, let's get into the trucks, and we'll head back to Cairo as our first stop," Monty said as he herded the group back to the truck and Jeep.
"Shotgun!" Ranma said, putting his stuff into the back of the Ural truck.
"Aw, man. I've been driving shotgun this whole time." Sam said before jumping into the back of the Jeep with Lara. James sat in the driver seat as he had been during their entire expedition. Once the vehicles started back up, they turned around and headed back towards Cairo, Egypt.
-LINE BREAK-
Deep within chrono-space, a tall man with long black hair stood still in the air of his lair as he continued his project of weaving an enormous ball of ceramic twine with metallic threads interlaced within the twine. Each strand was carefully placed within the ball that was inscribed with ribbon writings from ages past. As he was handling one of the threads, a vision appeared in his mind. 'There's a change in the universe.' He thought before looking at the threads in place. One specific thread was lit up, and the ribbon writings vanished from the strand. "No!" He reached into the ball and pulled on that strand gently to see that part of the universe had changed. Suddenly, his mind was filled with the vision that he saw before he found his lair.
In this vision, he saw the same outcome: an older version of Gina Diggers was crouched over a device, while several other figures fended off a single opponent. What he did notice was that there was a new person next to Gina. However he thought it might have been her sister, but the woman looked nothing like the were-cheetah that escaped his grasp along with Gina. The woman was thin and carried a pack on her back, handing tools to Gina as she tried to fix the device she was leaning over. "Who are you?" Dreadwing said, "And why are you there?"
-LINE BREAK-
The white haired woman appeared over the village that should have been empty was still bustling with people and animals, her body covered in a white mage suit with a grey cloak that covered her body as she stood there in the air. Her round glasses began to display images and information only she could see before it marked something on a line graph. "This isn't normal." She said, before turning to her companion, a round, silver orb, "Subtracto, what's going on?"
"I've determined that the anomaly called Ranma Saotome caused a significant change in this timeline. Only this change happened because he was in the area before the were-cheetahs took the offer of peace from the werewolf Brendan." Subtraco said. He displayed a small graph with the timelines appearing. "As you can see, the change started in 1978 of this timeline here." Subracto highlighted the timeline split: "But from here, the timeline stabilized and was running parallel to the original timeline, Miss Gina."
"So not only did he make a change in 1978, which was last year of this timeline, he improved the chances of the were-cheetahs living after they decided to go the Brendan's lair," Gina said, putting a hand under her chin while her other arm rested underneath her bosom. "So what did he do? Or what did he not do in the previous timeline?"
"Because we're focusing on your younger self within the original timeline, we can't be sure what exactly was changed." Subtracto floated around Gina and faced her. "However, I have been following him on the side and found that he had taken a journey out of Nerima instead of staying there."
"Yes, there was something he was supposed to do."
"He had committed suicide before his 18th birthday in the original timeline. But now, he's past that timeline and has been traveling for the last six months."
"All right, keep a more focused eye on him. Since he hasn't died yet, there must have been something that was said or done here that kept the werecheetahs here."
"Of course, Miss Gina," Subtracto said before they both disappeared in a portal that appeared behind them.