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Chapter Seven
Ranma watched as the first of the ogres came into the small clearing. Three large ogres broke through the trees first they looked around as if expecting someone to be there. Ranma let them know there was someone, as she tried to curtail her rage, she began by throwing the kindling she had gathered.
The scream of the first ogre caught the attention of the other two as they turned to see their companion's arm pinned to a tree by nothing more then sticks. They stepped back into the trees and began to survey the area more closely their stuck friend trying to free himself.
The shortest of the three stuck his club out in front of him as he slowly entered the small clearing. He knew they had more ogres coming behind them but he did not want to have to explain why they were stopped by nothing. He quickly backed up leaving his club impaled to a tree as the nothing threw more kindling down the entire shaft of his club, adhering it to the tree next to him.
The third ogre had watched the clearing and spotted the tree from which the projectiles were coming. He circled around while the other two kept the attacker occupied. When he reached the tree he took his massive spiked club and smacked the trunk. The tree fell over nearly crushing his companions. The three ogres searched the tree the one still bleeding from his wounds.
They found no one in the branches of the tree. The three ogres growled as they jumped for cover behind more trees. As a line of kindling ran between them sticking into the ground and the trunk of the downed tree. The three were so busy avoiding being shish kabobs, that they failed to notice the sticks glowing a black greenish yellow. When the three turned to look for the assassin they saw only the normal sticks.
The three ogres turned as the rest of their party arrived. There were twelve
in the rest of the party bringing their total to fifteen. The three explained to
their leader of the hidden adversary and were scoffed at as cowards. The three
looked at the bigger ogre with disdain and smugness as he entered the
clearing.
They laughed as he quickly returned a trail of kindling following
close behind him. He fell to the ground and watched as the glowing wood embedded
itself all the to their ends in the trunk of the tree in front of him.
"Find them or I will feed you to the dragons!" Their self appointed leader snarled.
The fourteen ogres spread out around the clearing keeping an eye out for any projectiles. Ranma sat in a tree just outside the circle of ogres a cold and calculating smile on her face. When one of the ogres came under her tree she reached down and tapped a paralyzing point on the ogre. The ogre stopped and could not move he tried to open its mouth to yell but his mouth refused to work.
He screamed through his closed mouths and his near by compatriots barely could hear him but they did. When they turned to see what was wrong they were shocked to see a small hand reach down from the tree and pick him up. They were even more shocked when his dead weight body crashed into them as the small arm threw him at them.
The body crashed into several of the ogres as they had headed for the tree where their friend was trying to scream. The ogres ended up a pile of legs and arms as they tried to move the unmoving ogre from their bodies. They all looked up at the shout from the tree.
"STRIKE! I love bowling with ogres their so stupid!" A soprano voice could be heard.
The ogres smiled as they enjoyed taking female prisoners they were so much fun to play with and this one will pay for her insults. The ogres coming from the opposite direction reached the tree. They looked up into the leaves but there was nothing there. They looked at each other with confusion as they had not seen anyone leave the tree.
One of the ogres suddenly found himself face first into the trunk of the
tree.
The other two tried to turn but could not move. They tired to scream as
they went airborne through the trees and into the clearing. The two unmoving
ogres crashed into their leader and two other ogres one after the other.
"BY THE DARK QUEEN WHAT IS GOING ON HERE! GET OFF OM ME OR YOU WILL BE SUPPER TONIGHT!" The enraged leader shouted but the two ogres wouldn't move.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGG!" The leader looked up to see another ogre heading for their pile.
His eyes narrowed as he saw blood coming from the airborne ogres nose and
mouth.
The new ogre landed unconscious on top of the others as he had hit his
head on one of the struggling ogres spiked clubs causing another bleeding wound.
"Oops was aiming for the other group, oh well!" The leader heard the soprano voice state as a new group of ogres entered the clearing.
"GET HER BUT SHE'S MINE! BRING HER TO ME ALIVE!" The last word of the command left no misunderstandings that their attacker's death would be long and painful for her but fun and pleasurable for them.
"OOO! All these new toys for little ole' me!" The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere but at the same time no where.
The ogres stopped and looked around as the three ogre pins joined them dragging their still unmoving companion. The leader and the two that were with him joined them. They threw the paralyzed ogre in the pile with the other three out of commissioned fighters.
Tanis, Sturm, Raistlin, Caramon and reluctantly Ryoga headed toward the clearing where Tika and Laurana had left Ranma. As they neared they heard the shouts of a female Ranma! They paused slightly at the unfamiliar words. They turned to Ryoga just to see him shaking his head.
"Still the same old Ranma!" Ryoga muttered, the men looked at him with confusion.
"FOUR!" The group of companions turned at the shout, this time Ryoga headed for the voice leading the way.
The fact Ryoga went unerringly toward the clearing meant nothing to the
companions. To Ryoga it was a fleeting thought that he would consider
later.
He pushed through the trees glowing greenish yellow a snarl on his
lips.
"I ain't gonna let the pervert have all the fun!" Ryoga growled as he passed the group of men.
He entered the clearing in time to see small blue globes pepper the
clearing.
They pelted a huddled group of about eleven monsters. He noticed
four others in a pile struggling to move.
"HEY! RANMA SAVE SOME FOR ME!" Ryoga shouted as he charged the ogres his umbrella drawn.
"HEY P-CHAN NICE TO SEE YOU FINALLY MADE IT!" The female voice finally had a body as she appeared next to the pile of downed ogres.
Ranma's depression was washed away and replaced by her confidence as the battle continued. She was in her element in a fight and her natural confidence won out over her anger and depression. Though her blue aura still showed signs of the darker emotions. As did her treatment of the monsters.
"BY PALADINE! SHE'S A MAGE!" Ranma turned to see Sturm his mouth opened and the others standing behind him in shock.
Raistlin seemed the only one with his wits and smiled at the redhead. He shook his head at Sturm's unfounded conclusion. As he pushed past the group of men he turned to Strum and smiled evilly at him. When Sturm finally pulled his attention to the gold mage in front of him a scowl on his face, Raistlin spoke.
"No Sturm she is not a mage she has a magical curse but can not cast
magic"
Raistlin then walked into the clearing gathering the ingredients for a
magical spell.
Sturm's mouth opened and closed with indignation. He watched as Raistlin headed into the melee. His eyes narrowed as he watched the redhead as she joined Ryoga in hand to hand combat with the ogres. Caramon snapped out his stupor when he saw his brother enter the fight without him.
"Why should I believe an accursed mage!" Sturm grumbled as Caramon passed him on the way to fight.
"Because he is a mage he would know whether or not that was magical
energy"
Caramon stated as he ran out his sword drawn.
"Well old friend we can either stand here and let them do all the fighting or join in!" Tanis stated as he placed his hand on the Knight of Solamnia's shoulder.
Ryoga swung his umbrella like a club at the first ogre. The ogre smiled as this was something he understood. He blocked the lost boys swing with his club and tried to push him back. It was hard to do since Ryoga had extended his leg and knocked the ogres legs out from under him. The creature landed on his back with the air being knocked out of him and his opponents fist hitting him in the stomach to help it escape faster.
By the Dark Queen he hits stronger then most ogres! Was the last thought the ogre had, as Ryoga's fist connected with his face knocking him out.
"Geese, Kuno lasted longer then these things!" Ryoga complained as he ducked under the swing of a spiked club.
"Yeah well I guess they can't all be a challenge!" Ranma responded as she slipped under another ogres swing.
"KACHUU TENSHIN AMIGURIKEN!" Her hands blurred as she began raining punches down on body of the twelve foot ogre in front of her.
Caramon and Raistlin watched as the two martial artist fought with nothing but their bare hands and a thing they called an umbrella. Caramon's eyes widened as Ranma's hands blurred to near invisibility with her attack. Raistlin's narrowed as he found his special sight allowed him to follow her movements when the others couldn't.
He pulled his mind from Ranma and her skills and started his spell. Caramon protecting him till the spell was ready. Raistlin finished the spell and let loose a basketball sized fireball into the huddled ogres. The explosion sent the ogres flying parts of them burning with expanding flames.
Ranma and Ryoga jumped clear as the ogres flew around the clearing. Sturm and Tanis joined the fight their swards drawn. Tanis and Sturm quickly took care of the ogres Ranma had already immobilized. To the shock and horror of the two Nerimians.
"HEY! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!" Both martial artists shouted in anger.
"Because they are minions of the Dark Queen and to let them live would mean the deaths of hundreds of innocents." Sturm told them his face cold and emotionless.
Ranma and Ryoga looked at him with suspicion, and disbelief. The two teens ducked as two ogres tried to brain them from behind. Ryoga jumping to the side kicking the legs of the monster hard enough to break the bone. The sound it made resonated throughout the clearing. The scream that followed shook the nearby trees.
Ranma jumped straight up thirty feet flipped then as she came down snapped out with both feet onto the upper back of her attacker. He flew forward toward a tree. The ogre never got the chance to be knocked unconscious as Tanis stepped forward and sliced his head from its body. Ryoga and Ranma watched their eyes wide with horror. While the warriors finished the rest of the ogres that survived Raistlin's fireball.
"That was cold blooded murder!" Ryoga snarled as the men joined to two teens.
"They would have turned their anger at losing to us toward their next
victims.
Would you want to be responsible for a child's death, because you
let them live." Sturm asked his eyes showing the rage his face did not.
"But to kill so callously it is not what a martial artist does. We protect those that can not defend themselves, but not with outright murder." Ranma stated her eyes staring at the bodies around them.
"This is a war girl not some fancy idealistic romp through the world. We are fighting to save the lives of the peoples of this world." Sturm stated as he turned and started to walk back toward camp.
"And when does it stop! Soon you will be telling me you need to kill a few
innocents to save thousands! No life is expendable at the expense of
another"
Sturm stopped in surprise as an angry glowing redhead suddenly
appeared in front of him.
Ranma turned an angry shocked look on her face as she faces Raistlin whose hand still rested on her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed as she waited for him to speak.
How does he do that! Only the old ghoul and freak can still sneak up on me like that. Her mind wondered absently as she stared down the mage.
"Ranma, you must understand we are fighting a war with evil an evil that wants to enslave our planet and destroy all that is good. You can not be a warrior and not know that some will die. We try not to be the cause of those deaths but allowing the evil to survive an attack will bring about pain and suffering to the next innocents they come across." Raistlin told her his eyes glowing golden in the setting sun.
"I can't do it I can not kill for no reason! There has to be a reason I can see one I can believe in." Ranma said shaking her head as she remembered her fight with Saffron.
"Like that battle you told us of to save your fianc??" Tanis asked, Ryoga watched as the men whittled away at Ranma's resolve and his.
Ranma glared at the half elf, but nodded. Caramon stepped forward standing next to Ryoga. His body still dripping in sweat and blood from the battle. He looked from Ryoga to Ranma his face full of confusion.
"Then you will kill to save someone you care about but not an innocent you never met or possibly will never meet?" Caramon's question was asked in innocence but a tinge of anger was heard in his voice.
Ranma and Ryoga turned to the gentle giant. Ranma's mouth opened for a retort but it died on her lips. She looked to Ryoga who was having the same conflicts as she. Ranma felt an arm go around her shoulder when she turned she found Raistlin standing next to her. He slowly directed her out of the clearing and back toward camp. Thus ending the debate for a later time. The others watched Ryoga with confusion the warriors with shock.
In the Abyss a roar can be heard for miles. A large five headed dragon raised its head to the dark blood red sky releasing blasts from each of her heads. A robed man in black standing still and trying to look small stood near by his face covered in the shadows of his black hood.
"I SINCE A NEW CHAOS! THIS COULD HENDER MY PLANS! FIND IT AND EITHER MAKE IT MINE OR DESTROY IT!" Five distinct voices being heard from the dragon.
The robed figure nodded, then bowed to the dragon. He turned and walked away into the shadows. The dragon watched him go shifting her shape into that of a voluptuous woman with long black hair and not much on. She moved seductively to a throne of bones and sat a sensual pout on her lips.
"So brother you have brought in outsiders to our fight! It will not help I will either win their loyalty or destroy them!" Her soft and husky voice echoed throughout the Abyss sending its residence into hiding.
In Godshome a large platinum dragon looked up his eyes wide with
surprise,
sitting next to him in the shadows was a man in red, a book opened
in front of him he also looked up a frown on his face. He rose and walked to the
dragon displeasure on his face.
"You can not upset the balance of good and evil, Paladine!" The man glowed with anger.
"I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE! NEITHER IS TAKAHISIS! I SENSE NO EVIL IN THIS POWER ONLY CHAOS!" The other man looked shocked then frightened.
"You don't think he..!" The man could not finish the thought.
"I DO NOT KNOW BROTHER, I DO NOT KNOW!" The dragon stated as he shifted to a tall man with long white hair and bread.
"However, Gilean we will need to protect this power! We can not control chaos and as much as you would like to it must be allowed to exist and choose its own path." Paladine disappeared leaving his brother to ponder the meaning of his words.
"Takahisis!" Escaped his lips as he followed his brother and vanished.
Nodoka glared at the three Tendos and her husband across from her. When her gaze fell on Kasumi it softened. The Takashi members of her family noticed this with interest. Cologne it was decided would be the spokesman for the three elders. She looked to the group across from her, her face as unreadable as the middle Tendo daughter.
"The first order of business is the dishonor brought to the Amazons by Akane Tendo and Ryoga Hibiki. It seems that Miss Tendo knew of the curse and took advantage of it to have an intimate relationship with Hibiki. While making Elder Saotome's life a nightmare.
"Oh my! Akane how could you?" Kasumi was shocked and only Nodoka's family and the elder saw the relief on her face.
"WWWWAAAHHHH! My little girl dishonored the family name!" Soun cried out his tears pouring like a torrent.
"Now the schools will never be joined! WWWWAAAAHHHH!" Soun continued as Genma sat with his back straight and a stone glare a head.
"The schools will be joined wife! It is a matter of honor we will move the
engagement since Akane is now tainted and unsuitable. There will be a
Tendo,
Saotome marriage." His hands crossed over his chest, and his eyes
narrowed with anger.
"There will be no wedding EVER! You speak of honor you do not even know its meaning." Nodoka snarled as her father threw a folder on the table at a nod from his daughter.
"That Genma is evidence of your abuse of your son, by selling him into
slavery.
You may call it engagements but we checked it was as a slave each
and every time. Including Ukyo. There is proof of your thefts and the bills you
racked up and put under our son's name putting a debt on him and any family he
married into in the poor house. That is why you want this marriage so you can
pawn of your massive debts onto Soun." Nodoka snarled as she scattered the
papers across the table.
The Tendo patriarch's face paled as his eyes caught site of the page in front of him. Which listed Ranma's assets as collateral for payment of a theft Genma was caught in. Genma swallowed hard as a dark red glow formed around his old friend.
Akane picked up a group of papers and began to read, her fingers tightened
around the papers as the words where unbelievable at best and enraging at
most.
Before her was the proof that Genma had signed away all the rights to
the Anything Goes name including any combined schools for nothing more then a
piece of wild rabbit. Akane's aura started glowing a darker red then her
fathers.
Nabiki looked down at what lay in front of her and she gulped when she saw that Genma Saotome not only sold his son into slavery to a group called Tanaka Consortium but also Ranma's children and any family members he is taking care of. The glow around Nabiki was almost black as she picked up the paper and read more.
Kasumi looked at her family her eyes wide with shock. When she spotted a piece of paper in front of her. She looked down and her eyes narrowed and a black as midnight glow appeared around her. The whole room looked at the oldest Tendo daughter shock evident on faces of all that knew her. Genma tried to back away from the glowing Kasumi but could not as a sword was at his back.
Kasumi stood and silently left the dinning room. The paper still in her
hand.
She disappeared upstairs and returned a few moments later. She walked
up to Genma Saotome and pulled forth the Tendo Honor blade. She raised the blade
for the killing blow and quickly brought it down intending to cleave the head of
the frighten Genma in two. Kasumi's blade hit that of a Takashi blade.
"Now I am all for ending this miserable retches life but that should be the right of his wife shouldn't it?" Hayashi Takashi told her.
Kasumi's eyes were filled with rage as she stared at the oldest son the Takashi clan. A snarl on her pretty face. She flicked her wrist slipping her sword under the swordsman and using the tip of her sword, caught the hilt of his blade and pulled it from his hands to send it flying. It landed in the opposite wall and embedded half way up.
The room was deathly quiet no one knew what to do this was a side of Kasumi never before seen. No one ever knew Kasumi could do that. She then began her killing blow but her sword fell from nerveless fingers as Cologne had pressed some of her pressure points. With a smile Hayashi lifted her unmoving body and sat her on the sofa taking the paper from her pocket that started it.
He looked at the paper his smile fading. He then looked up an enraged expression on his face. He walked toward the conference table and let the paper fall in front of the group of Tendos.
"We should have let her kill him!" Was all he said as he walked back to the sofa to sit with the older Tendo daughter.
Soun picked up the paper and read it. His face paled as his hand tightened on the paper. His knuckles white while his eyes read the document. He slowly rose to his feet. He bowed to Nodoka and the other Amazon elders.
"I thank you for supplying us with this information although after my daughters dishonorable behavior you have every right to call for a blood feud." Soun straightened his eyes hard as ice.
"HEY! HE WAS A PREVERT! SLAP!" The slap resounded through the room, Akane glared at her father as she held her cheek.
"Just because you called Ranma a pervert does not make him one. He loved you
we all saw it but you. Why do you think he risked his life to save
you?
Despite the way he was raised he had honor something Hibiki did not have
and evidently neither did you. I am afraid however that was my fault. I knew of
the Hibiki boys curse and hoped to use it to make Ranma jealous enough to marry
you." He turned back to the women before him and bowed to them then turned to
leave.
"I would like some time to think on this information, may we meet again this evening at about eight?" Soun asked over his shoulder, the women nodded and rose and left.
The Takashi males with them. Hayashi was reluctant to leave since the pressure points on Kasumi were still in effect. Cologne released her and they all left leading Genma out by the point of a sword. Cologne nearby to stop him if he bolted.