Will you people please comment? Even if it's nothing more
than "I like it." Seriously, it's gone from about a score
with chapter 1 to very, very few for chapter 5. At this
point I would welcome flames and nitpicks (well, the flames
would give me something to laugh at anyway). This fic is
being hosted by Sofaspud's Couch (www.sofaspud.org).
I'd like to once again thank Mark for pre-reading.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I never claimed to own them.
All rights belong to their creators. Please put down the
hammer. C'mon, Wulfgar, please? Can we talk about this?
<crunch>
The Warriors Path
Chapter 6: Sanctuary or "Home Away From Home."
Pirotess studied the edge of her knife as Ryoga finished
binding the mage to a chair. A gag was already in place to
prevent any spells from being cast. If the shifter was
psionic, there might be a slight problem, but Pirotess was
confident that her mental shields would repel any such
attack.
"Now," She whispered, laying the cool metal against the
man's cheek, "we can do this the easy way, with you telling
us everything, or we can do it the hard way." She poked the
tip of his nose with the point of her knife. "And we don't
want that, do we?"
His head shook with such force Ryoga was surprised it wasn't
dislodged.
"Good, now I'm going to undo this gag. I should warn you,
if I hear so much as a peep that sounds like a spell, it'll
be a race to see if you can get the spell out before my
knife is buried in your throat." She threw two of her
knifes, cutting off the gag but not even scratching his
skin. "Understand?"
A growing dark stain betrayed the mages calm. "D-dear
lady," he stuttered, "I h-have no intention of doing
anything like that. I shall answer any of your questions
with complete honesty."
"Especially since we defeated an army of demons in your
basement and your golem bodyguard is a pile of rubble?"
Pirotess smiled as she said it. Ryoga's breaking point
ability was rather useful.
"Well, there is that."
Ryoga suddenly spun around, searching the small room and
moving to the door.
"What is it?" Pirotess asked, annoyed at the interruption.
"I'm not sure," he replied, "just a feeling."
Just as she was about to give the boy a lecture on timing
and intimidation and how both are needed for an effective
interrogation, Ryoga swung Aegis-fang in a slow arc near one
wall. Three knives burst out of the woodwork to shatter on
the head of the hammer. From the angle, Pirotess saw the
they had been aimed at the shifter in the chair.
Ryoga shattered the wall with a single swing, revealing
Ashram on the other side. The stolen body was beginning to
look more and more like his old self. The black hair had
lengthened, and his skin was so pale it was almost
colorless. All that marred the image was a few missing
inches of height and several pounds of muscle.
"I'm impressed boy," even his voice was his original deep
monotone, though there was a hint of annoyance in it, "it
seems there are some side effects to that spell."
"Of course there are you idiot," the shifter was not happy,
"your mind may have been put in a different body, but you
still share the same soul. You'll always know when the
other is near, and if your close enough you'll know what
he's thinking. It won't stop until one of you is dead."
Ashram smiled at that, "I guess that means you'll be looking
over your shoulder, boy." He seemed to collapse into his
cloak, which them inverted and collapsed into itself.
Pirotess raised an eyebrow, "haven't seen that before." She
turned her attention back to the mage. "Now, then. You're
going to tell us everything or..."
"Or," Ryoga interrupted, "I'm going to use this hammer to
break your kneecaps." He grinned. "Shweathart."(1)
*******
"How much longer is she gonna take?" Ranma was pacing the
sitting room that the companions had moved to. A handful of
couches and chair were arranged in a loose circle. Deedlit
lounged on one couch, with Cologne occupying a chair next to
it. Drizzt sat across from them, one arm around
Catti-brie's shoulder. The young woman just stared off into
space, her tears spent.
"Sit down, Ranma," Cologne said, "most interrogations take
time."
"Not when Pirotess is the one doing the questioning,"
Deedlit's voice had a twinge of nervousness. "If it's been
this long, he either had a great deal of information, or was
being very stubborn."
"Oh?" Drizzt asked. "Why is that?"
"Most people, when trying to get answers, use a combination
of techniques, mostly involving letting the person stew and
putting the fear of the gods in them. Pirotess doesn't
believe in that. She once said 'I'm going to put the fear
of *me* into them, I follow through.' She would ask a
question while doing something to make the other nervous,
most likely something with a knife. If they refused to
talk, she would start the threats. If they still didn't
talk, she would carry out her threats one at a time until
they started talking, or they were unable to speak." A
shudder ran through her slim form, prompting Ranma to sit
down beside her. She then all but collapsed into his arms.
"Once, she was interrogating a rather stubborn ogre. She
described in detail how she would peel his skin off, one
inch at a time. She was halfway up one arm before he began
talking."
Drizzt was stunned. "And you call her a friend?"
"You don't understand," Deedlit replied, "She hates doing
that. To her, the threats she made were promises, and she
always keeps hers. There was one time, the subject died
during the interrogation. That was the only time they
refused to talk until the end. The scene in the room was
grizzly, and I saw tears in her eyes as she burned
everything in it to ash."
"If that is so," Cologne mussed, "he must have a great deal
of information. I doubt we would not hear any screams if
she had to carry out her threats."
"You are correct," Pirotess said, entering. Ryoga followed
her in, dragging an intact mage behind him. "He was
somewhat stubborn, but broke down sometime after I told him
about dicing his genitals, while they were still attached."
She nodded to Ryoga, who promptly threw the stunned man into
a nearby chair.
"You didn't have to go into so much detail, though." Ryoga
winced at the memory.
"Yes I did," she replied, sitting down opposite the mage,
between the couches occupied by Drizzt and Catti-brie on one
side and Ranma and Deedlit on the other. "If I hadn't, he
wouldn't have broken down so soon. And we needed all the
information that Mr. Jed Clinton could give us."
The Earth natives looked to the mage, who's face had turned
red, and snickered. "Is that your real name?" Cologne
asked.
"Yes," Clinton muttered.
The earth group exploded into laughter, even Cologne. Once
they settled down, the "stares of death" returned to the
mage.
"It seems," Pirotess said, "that Jed here was paid a rather
large sum in gold, gems, and magical items to summon Errtu
here, then screw us over."
If looks could kill, Jed would have been reduced to his
component atoms.
"Does he know where they are?" Drizzt asked.
"No," Clinton said, "I do not. If you have any questions,
you can just ask me directly."
"Ah," Pirotess replied, "but how would we know if you were
speaking the truth?" She walked over and jabbed two points
on the man's neck. "Now, are you going to be quiet?"
A grimace of pain appeared on his face. "Yes," he gasped.
(2)
"Good," she said, releasing the pressure points, "and no,
there is not information on where they are. Though my guess
is they went to the magic zone."
"Figures," Deedlit mumbled.
"Oh come now, the demon population isn't as bad as it was
the first time we were there."
"True, but I heard those necromancers are back."
Pirotess shuddered. "We do not need that."
"What?" Ranma was getting a little impatient (big surprise
there).
"A couple of centuries ago, when we first encountered this
world, we ran into a group that makes the Coalition look
about as threatening and evil as teddy bears."
*******
"Is that even possible?" Ranger asked.
Jade simply pointed to the image in one of the crystal
balls.
"Oh," Amanda said, "them."
*******
"That's rather bad." Ryoga won the award for understatement
of the millennium.
"What do they have to do with us?" Catti-brie whispered,
finally joining the conversation.
"Hopefully nothing,"(3) Deedlit replied, "but we did hear
rumors that they were returning after disappearing in a war
that happened shortly after the cataclysm. The magic zone
is home to all sorts of kingdoms, very few of them
benevolent. Errtu would find plenty of like-minded despots
ruling there."
"I'm beginning to like this world less and less," Ranma
grumbled.
"Would you like to leave?" Pirotess asked. "There are plenty
of other universes out there"
"Hell, no," Ranma stated, "Ranma Saotome doesn't give
up."(4) Ryoga, Deedlit, and Drizzt groaned.
"When do we leave?" Ryoga asked.
"First light tomorrow. After we raid this guy's equipment,"
Deedlit said.
"We're leaving him alive?" Catti-brie sounded like she had
been stabbed in the back.
"Would you condemn three hundred people to death simply
because their protector was greedy?" Pirotess Walked over to
Clinton. "Like it or not, this one's too important to this
community to kill. We'll just settle for taking what we
need, including his payment from Errtu."
*******
They rode at dawn. Before, there had always been
conversation between the companions. Now, there was only
silence. What had been a mild sense of urgency had become a
rush of adrenaline, pushing them faster and further.
That feeling increased tenfold a few days later, when they
reached the Mississippi river.
"Will someone tell me what the hell that is?" Ranma pointed
to a bright, twinkling blue light on the northern horizon.
"That is the reason we've been swinging south," Deedlit
replied. "You may have heard of the Gateway Arch in your
time?" Ryoga nodded. "Well, when the cataclysm happened, a
giant rift appeared there, and it doesn't close."
"Oh."
"What's worse," Pirotess said (continuing only after the
shocked looks and mutterings of "what could be worse?"
ended), "is that the Coalition used to have a large outpost
there. They thought they could keep things from entering
this world, by blowing anything that comes through into
little pieces."
"What was their success rate?" Ryoga asked.
"Let me out it to you this way, gateway duty was one of the
most hazardous duties imaginable, worse than Xitixic
control."
"What are Xitixic?"
"I remember hearing about those," Ranma turned to Ryoga,
"think the Alien movies, except nastier, and no acid blood."
"But we shouldn't have to deal with them,"(3) Deedlit
reassured them.
"Is that 'gateway,'" Drizzt asked, "the reason we've been
swinging to the south?"
"Partly. Mostly because I want us to stay clear of CS
patrols. They still do flyby's on the arch, after all. So
if we were closer there would be a greater risk of seeing a
patrol. But if we wander too far south, we would be within
patrol range of Whykin, another Coalition territory."
*******
"Nice plan."
"Defiantly."
"A few holes, though."
"Of course."
*******
<the Magic Zone>
"This is it?" Ashram asked. "It's a cave."
"These caverns," Errtu growled, "are located on a nexus
point, and are easily to defend. They will suffice until I
have regained enough of my power to bring the rest of my
minions to this world."
"Oh, yes, recharging. You just had to show off, didn't
you. One portal would have been sufficient for all your
minions, four was just wasting energy."
"Would you consider the augmentations to your body another
waste?"
Ashram paused. "No, especially if I have to face him in
again in battle."
A voice came from the cavern entrance. "This would also
help."
The demon and the knight spun to face the intruder. The
passages leading to the cavern were heavily guarded.
Nothing should have been able to penetrate this far without
an alarm.
But someone did. She appeared human, with shoulder length
hair and wearing a Coalition military uniform. The thing
that set her apart was her eyes and hair, both a matching
shade of indigo. In her hands, she held a large sword. As
she stepped into the room, the sword began to glow a deep
red.
"Who are you?" Errtu asked.
"Someone who has very little patience for questions like
that." She moved toward Ashram. "My younger sister, an
acquaintance of yours, asked me to deliver this to you." She
slowly handed the sword over, then began to walk away.
"Wait," Ashram was in disbelief, "to whom do I own my
thanks."
The woman paused at the caverns exit. "My name," she
stated, "is Miang."(5)
"Very well, Miang. If there is any service to perform for
you, just name it."
Miang smiled, "I will think about it. But I must be going.
The control I have over some soldiers may wear off if I
spend too much time away from them."
Ashram drew his sword and saluted her as she walked out.
Errtu glanced at the sword, a feeling of unease coming over
him.
"What is that sword?"
Ashram smiled. "The demon sword, Soul Crusher."
*******
<South of the Devils Gate>
They made camp on near the banks of the Mississippi, far
enough away from the water's edge that any monster or CS
river patrol couldn't get the drop on them.
Ryoga approached Drizzt slowly. The dark elf and his
companion made the boy nervous ever since he acquired the
hammer. The hostile looks Catti-brie shot him stopped by
the time they left the shifter's home, but there was still a
sense of unease on both sides.
The pair looked up at him as he approached. "I need your
help," he mumbled.
Drizzt's expression was neutral. Only a raised eyebrow
indicated his curiosity.
"When it comes to hand to hand combat, I'm very good. I
also know how to use a variety of blunt and throwing
weapons." Ryoga hefted the hammer. "But this is
different. I'm not that familiar with hammers, and this one
is more powerful than anything I've used before. Some of
the enchantments on it, like returning after a throw,
require a whole new set of tactics. I got lucky in that
fight with the demon, and I don't like having to rely on
luck. I was hoping you could teach me."
Drizzt smiled. "That, I would be glad to do."
*******
Ranma had to work hard to contain his laughter. Ryoga was
getting training all right, but training that reminded Ranma
of the Old Ghoul's techniques. Ryoga would attempt his
usual offensive strategy, namely "pound it into the ground
quickly," and Drizzt would dance out of his way and slap the
various places on the youth's body with his scimitars. This
had been going on for several days, ever since they crossed
the Mississippi.
Ranma almost applauded when the handle of Ryoga's hammer
tapped the armor vest Drizzt aquired from the shifter, until
he saw the scimitar at Ryoga's throat. They broke apart,
Drizzt saluted and Ryoga gave a short bow.
Seeing that they were finished, Ranma approached Drizzt. He
had been studying the drow's movements and patterns for the
past few days. Ranma felt he was ready. After all, Ranma
Saotome always wins.
*******
Multiple groans sounded.
"In a war between pride and common sense, pride rarely
looses," Ranger laughed.
*******
"Hey Drizzt," Ranma called when he was close enough, "care
to go against me."
Drizzt sighed. "No, but I doubt you will stop pestering me
until I do. Very well, I see you could do with some
instruction." He drew his scimitars, and assumed a ready
stance.
Ranma wasted no time. He charged in, delivering a flurry of
punches to Drizzt's location and in the direction he knew
Drizzt would go.
Too bad the dark elf wasn't there.
Drizzt maneuvered around and slapped Ranma on the buttocks.
"Lesson one, never throw the first blow."
Ranma spun around, ready to deliver a series of speed
punches. As the first round went off, Drizzt parried, spun,
and slapped Ranma in the face, drawing a thin line of blood
on his cheek. "Lesson two, speed in the hands means nothing
if the feet are slower."
A set of alternating kicks, which Drizzt blocked with the
flats of his blades. Before Ranma could devise another
strategy, Drizzt went on the offensive. Ranma had to jump
back as Drizzt suddenly spun, his blades flashing like a
glowing screw. Ranma held back, sure that Drizzt would be
too dizzy to perform any action once the maneuver was
completed.
He was wrong. Drizzt closed quickly, and ended his
corkscrew with a sweep kick that Ranma barely jumped over.
As the boy descended to the ground, Drizzt hooked Ranma's
ankle with a scimitar and pulled, forcing the boy to land
flat on his back.
Ranma looked up to see two scimitars, one glowing blue,
resting on either side of his neck, crossing just below his
chin.
"Lesson three, if you believe that you know how an enemy
will react in battle, your belief is false. Class
dismissed."(6)
*******
Deedlit had to restrain her giggles as she placed a tended
to Ranma's cuts.
"What's so funny?"
"You are, you dummy," Deedlit laughed. "Ranma, you're very
good, but you have to realize that there are hundreds,
perhaps thousands or more, mortals out there that are better
than you. Drizzt is one of them."
"Nobody beats me. I'm the best."
Deedlit just sighed and shook her head. "You really have to
get over that superiority complex of yours. I can name
several things on this planet alone that can have you for
lunch."
"Bring 'em on."
Deedlit murmured a spell that sent an electrical jolt
through Ranma's body. For some strange reason, she suddenly
wished she had a mallet.
*******
Ten days, four monster attacks, and an encounter with two
score of mechanical skeletons later, the companions arrived
at a wall of mist in what was once Ohio. Of the group, only
Pirotess was able to clearly see the outlines of a city.
Ranma and Drizzt saw vague shadows, and the others saw
nothing at all.(7) Even so, Deedlit and Pirotess knew they
had reached their destination.
*******
They passed through the wall of mist into a paradise. A
protective stone wall encased innumerable sparkling, white
towers. Castles fit for the middle ages were intermixed
with buildings of more modern designs. Beings of every
shape and form walked down the wide avenues. For the first
time since arriving on this world, the travelers felt a
sense of peace.
"So this is Psyscape?" Catti-brie was almost breathless in
awe.
"Yes," Pirotess replied, "a sanctuary on this world. We
bought a small house here a few decades ago, we'll be
staying there for now."
"When do we head out again?" Drizzt sounded almost anxious.
"A few days," Deedlit replied, "at least. We should be
rested before trying to hunt down a demon. We also need to
find out where the beast is, and that could take a while."
"And once we find him," Ranma sounded a little dour, "things
get ugly."
"The calm before the storm." Ryoga said.
End Chapter 6.
Notes:
1: Anyone care to guess where I got much of this scene from?
2: For all you Star Trek fan's, that's the real effect of
the "Vulcan neck pinch." Trust me, it is rather painful.
3: Bet's anyone? <insert maniacal laugh>
4: Too bad that's caused more problems than anything else.
5: How she got there is another story. Since Xenogears is
questionable in terms of being anime, I most likely won't
post that one here.
6: Ranma did so badly because he was expecting Drizzt to
react in a certain way. Drizzt didn't oblige him. So don't
try another "Ranma should have won" argument. He's not that
far behind Drizzt, but he was also overconfident (big
surprise), which lowered his rating a few notches.
7: Only people with psionic power can see Psyscape from
Earth. Pirotess is a Mystic (mage augmented by psi-powers),
Ranma has sixth sense abilities and combat enhancements, and
Drizzt has a limited form of empathy.
Next Time:
The wall burst inward, revealing the local amazon. "What
pervert girl do with great-grandmother?" Shampoo screamed.