Disclaimer: It's been a while since I started this so…
[]: Thoughts
{" "}: Telepathic communication
Chapter 34
Third Trial
Mind Games
Ranma Red and his brother were recovering in the Amazon village
when Taron and Soren once again appeared before them and their
family.
"Well done you two. You have succeeded in winning the first of
the two trials." Soren said.
Ranma Red was sitting at the dining table in Shampoo's house,
holding a hand against the shoulder that had been injured during
their titanic battle with Gaizera. His palm glowed with a soft red light
as he used a healing spell to the wound while his wife Shampoo was
using a damp cloth to apply some special herbs to the shoulder to
prevent any infection. On the other side, Ranma Blue and his wife
Ukyo were also present, along with their mother and their three
adopted sisters, Akane, Kasumi and Nabiki..
"I must admit, you two have certainly performed very well,
considering how little time we had to train you." Taron added.
Ranma Blue nodded as he handed the second medallion to Taron.
"I really feel bad that we had to kill Gaizera, but I didn't see any other
choice."
"That was a near thing though. He almost had us." His brother
added as he completed the healing ritual. When his Amazon wife
removed the cloth, there was nothing left of the injury that indicated
that it had ever occurred. The magic-using Masaki twin flexed his
shoulder a few times to make certain everything was in working order.
"So who is it that we have to face tomorrow?"
Soren cocked his head to one side as if he was listening to some
unheard voice. A moment later he had the answer. "According to
what Kami-sama just told me, you'll be going up against Ekoja, the
Puzzler.
"Puzzler?" Akane asked.
"Yes, he's supposed to be the trickster of the Dark World. He
loves to play pranks and create riddles. The problem is, his tricks are
always lethal. He's got a twisted sense of humor and he's very
cunning." Taron turned to the twins. "You two had better watch you
step."
"Don't worry, we can handle it." Ranma Blue assured.
"For the sake of the Earth, let's hope so."
Ranma Red and Ranma Blue looked at each other and each gave
his brother a look of uncertainty. Things were only going to get
worse.
Sometime later, the two boys were busy sparring with each other
in preparation for tomorrow's trial. As they threw punches and kicks
that were far too fast for the human eye to follow, they struck up a
conversation.
"So Red…" Ranma Blue said as he threw a punch at his brother's
face. "How's the shoulder?"
Ranma Red evaded the blow then countered with an axe kick to his
sibling's head. "It feels okay. That healing spell I learned from Soren
works really great." His expression saddened as he thought about
their former enemy. "It's a shame that we had to kill Gaizera."
"Yeah, I felt bad enough when we thought Mousse and Ryoga
were dead because of us." Ranma Blue commented as he dodged the
kick and retaliated with a fast three-hit combination. "But… Soren
and Taron did warn us that we may have to face that kind of decision
when we started training. I didn't see any other choice than to kill
Gaizera in order to win."
The magical twin nodded as he blocked each strike and countered.
"By the way Blue, how are you and Ukyo getting along?"
"Great!" The elemental twin replied. "She and I are planning to
move to Kyoto when this is all over and start up a new business. She
was doing great in Nerima but she wants to live closer to her father.
We've also been planning on a couple of kids along the way. Say…
speaking of kids, what's the deal with you and Shampoo? I would
have thought she'd be pregnant by now."
Ranma Red blushed a bit as he evaded a roundhouse kick.
"Uhhhh… I've been kind of using that birth control spell on her a lot
lately. You see, I didn't want her to be like that during the Contract.
Don't want to put her or an unborn child of mine in any danger."
"Oh. Well, don't wait too long bro. I can tell that Shampoo really
wants to get started on that family."
"Yeah, I know. When this is all over, she and I are going to make
up for that lost time."
The twins continued with their high-speed sparring session as the
rest of their family went about their daily business.
Kasumi was in one of the healer's huts, learning about their
methods of pressure points and herbal remedies. As a promising
nursing student, she found what the healers had to teach her was of
invaluable aid. Nabiki was chatting with one of the village's lore
masters, while Akane was busy with her latest training lesson with
Cologne. In the guest house of the Masaki family, Soun Tendo and
Nodoka were discussing their plans to have the Tendo patriarch
begin teaching classes at the dojo, while Ukyo and Shampoo were in
another room, talking about their future plans with their new
husbands. For the time being, everything seemed right with the
world.
However, by the next morning, the Chosen Twins were once again
standing before their mentors and ready to face off against the forces
of the Dark World. Behind them, the rest of the Masaki clan and the
elders of the village waited.
"Be careful Airen!" Shampoo gave her mate a crushing embrace
and kissed him. Ukyo followed suit with her husband.
"Go get 'em, Ran-chan!"
Both twins nodded as they stepped back and waited for Soren and
Taron to transport them to their next trial.
"Remember this, Red and Blue." Soren warned. "You'll be battling
Ekoja on his domain and by his rules."
"Good luck." Taron added as he and his brother waved their
hands and the Chosen Twins disappeared in a flash of light.
At the palace of Sharoka…
"Ekoja?" Makana asked in confusion. "Why him?"
Sharoka smiled as he replied. "Well, so far the Chosen Twins have
defeated our servants with overwhelming power and their weapons. I
thought it might be a bit more of a challenge if they had to use their
minds, rather than their physical abilities. Besides, that Ekoja had
become far too arrogant for my taste and I thought it would be
amusing for him to be taken down a peg or two."
"As you wish my lord." Katoka said. "But the Contract…"
"Has not changed." Sharoka said as he smirked while watching the
viewing portal. The circular disk depicted a scene where the twins
appeared before a tall, skinny tower that seemed to be a mile high.
When the two Ranmas appeared at the foot of the great tower,
which resembled the Tower of Pisa only straight up, a ghostly image
appeared before them in front of the main entrance. The wraith was
humanoid in appearance, but had pointed ears and slitted eyes. His
face resembled an elf's, or more accurately, a gremlin's. He wore a
medieval tunic and leggings and his skin was green. His body was
skinny and had long black hair. He wore a funny-looking hat that
resembled a jester's and the twins began to wonder if this was some
kind of joke. The figure was no more than five feet tall and didn't look
anywhere near as threatening as the Barada and Gaizera did.
Both twins took out their weapons as Ranma Red asked. "You…
wouldn't happen to be…?"
"Ekoja. At your service." The being gave them a smart bow and
grinned at them. "I am honored to meet with the ones who destroyed
Barada and Gaizera. I must say that this game of ours will be very
amusing! Mind you though, I will win our little contest. I have never
been beaten!"
"We've heard that claim before!" Ranma Red said as he ignited the
Light Star Blade. Ranma Blue followed suit by powering up Storm
Striker.
"My, my, my. You two are certainly eager to die. Well, let's not
have you expire too soon. It wouldn't be that much fun, now would
it?"
"Let's get started!" Ranma Blue said as he and his brother started
to advance on the apparition.
Ekoja held up his hands and said, "Oh, there's no point in
attacking me here. What you see is only an astral projection of
myself. No, if you wish to battle the real me, you must get to the top
of the tower." He gestured to the top of the structure, which was
enshrouded from sight by thick, black clouds.
"Not a problem." Ranma Red said as he and his brother powered
up their flight abilities and started rising upward. "We'll see you
there."
Ekoja chuckled a bit as he watched the twins streak upward. When
the two got to an altitude of two hundred feet, they suddenly faded
from view. A moment later, the twins reappeared back on the ground.
Both had a confused expression on their faces as they found
themselves back from where they started.
"What the…?"
Ranma Red looked at his brother, then up at the tower, then back
to his brother again. He then reactivated his levitation spell and tried
to go up the tower again. When he got back to where he had
disappeared before, he suddenly faded from view, then reappeared
beside his twin.
"What's going on?"
Ranma Blue's aura glowed with an intense light as he powered up
his gravity powers. He then rocketed up toward the top of the tower
at supersonic speed, leaving a deafening sonic boom in his wake.
However, once her got to an altitude of two hundred feet, he
disappeared. He then reappeared beside his brother just as the last of
the sonic boom was echoing away.
"What the heck?"
Both twins were dumbfounded as Ekoja was laughing his head off.
The champions of Earth turned at the trickster with glares that could
melt lead.
"What's the deal Ekoja?" Ranma Reds snarled.
Ekoja's laughter died down to small chuckles as he began
explaining. "Oh, I forgot to mention. My tower happens to be
surrounded by a dimensional field warp that causes anything and
anyone to be transported back to ground level, should they try to
ascend the structure from the outside. If you want to get to the top,
you'll have to go inside the tower and take the stairs."
Both twins grimaced as they realized how high the tower was.
Then Ranma Red remembered that they could use their flight ability
once inside the tower. Unfortunately, Ekoja dashed his hopes by
adding, "Oh, and if you think that using your flight abilities inside the
tower is going to help, think again. I have a modified version of the
dimensional warp spell inside, that will instantly transport you back
to the first floor should you try to fly."
Both Ranmas were getting quite annoyed at Ekoja's jeers and
couldn't wait to wipe that smirk off his face. The trickster gave them a
smile that would have put the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland to
shame. He then pointed to a large set of doors, which opened up
before them.
Both twins were now on edge as they approached the entrance.
They looked back at Ekoja who said, "You have no choice Chosen
Twins. I believe that Soren had told you that this is my domain and
my rules. If you don't go inside, then it will be seen as a forfeit. Now,
are going in or not?"
Ranma Red and his bother looked at each other as they considered
their options, which were nonexistent at the moment. They both took
a deep breath and stepped inside.
Only to be hurled outside when a tremendous blast of energy
suddenly exploded in front of them. Both twins were blasted out the
doors and sent back twenty feet to land on their backs. The blast was
more insulting than painful and the Masaki brothers quickly got to
their feet.
"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?!" Ranma Red shouted as he and his
brother faced the apparition of their tormentor.
"WHAT GIVES?!" Ranma Blue yelled.
Ekoja chuckled evilly as he replied, "Didn't you know that it's bad
manners to enter a person's home with unsheathed weapons? The
protective spell on the main entrance will forcibly eject anyone who
does not conform to household etiquette. I'm afraid that you two will
have to leave your weapons here. Don't worry. I'll make sure that NO
ONE touches them."
"Yeah right." Ranma Red scoffed. "Like we're going to leave them
with you."
"Well, you can't enter the tower with them in your possession."
Ekoja interjected.
Both Ranmas were at a loss of what to do until Ranma Red
thought up a solution. "So we won't be carrying them with us."
"So you'll be leaving them with me?" Ekoja asked hopefully.
"Not a chance." Ranma Red said as he deactivated his sword and
turned to his brother. "Hey Blue, give me the hammer."
"Are you sure you have a way?"
"Yeah, don't worry. We won't be losing our weapons to anyone,
especially to this jerk."
Ranma Blue regarded his twin for a moment, then handed him
Storm Striker. Ranma Red began focusing his energies and a moment
later, the two weapons disappeared.
{"What did you do Red?"}
{"I teleported them to the Realm of Infinity. We still have our
mental link to them so we can draw on them for information. We
might not be able to use them when we're inside, but it's better than
leaving them with him."}
Ekoja nodded as he realized what Ranma Red had done.
"Impressive. I must admit that I didn't think you would try something
like that. But remember if you ever call on them, the protection spell
will throw you out of the tower. In any case, you may enter now."
After saying these words, the apparition disappeared from sight.
"You ready, bro?" Ranma Blue asked.
"Let's do it." Ranma Red replied.
The two raced into the tower, eager to overcome the challenges
that awaited them.
On Earth, the Masaki clan was watching anxiously as they saw
their champions enter the tower.
"Won't my sons be at a disadvantage without the hammer and
sword?" Nodoka asked Taron.
"They had no choice Ms. Masaki." Taron replied. "I'm afraid that
Ekoja had planned to have them weaponless. We can only hope that
your sons can adapt to whatever he throws at them."
In Ekoja's tower, the twins were awestruck at what they saw. The
inside of the structure consisted of a huge, winding staircase that
went up against the walls and spiraled skyward. The top of the tower
could not be seen and the staircase had an infinite number of doors
lined up alongside it.
"Whoa! This thing is bigger on the inside than on the outside!"
Ranma Blue commented.
"Well, no time to stand here and enjoy the architecture. Let's get
to the top!" Ranma Red said as he began racing toward the foot of
the stairs. Ranma Blue followed suit. However, before they could
start ascending the steps, Ekoja's apparition appeared before them
again.
"Hold on a moment! If you think that you can get to the top by
simply climbing those stairs, then you'll be wasting your time. Those
steps lead to infinity, and will never get you to the top of the tower.
Those doors are what you should be using."
"Why?" Ranma Red asked suspiciously.
"Quite simple really. Each door is a gateway into a subspace
pocket. There are three pockets that link together to form a direct
path to the top. However, each pocket contains a riddle in which you
must solve in order to move on to the next level. And I must warn
you; each pocket also contains many dangers that are very lethal.
And so the game begins with this clue. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
The projection disappeared in a flash, leaving a ghostly message
that floated before the twins, which read:
64 SQUARES
A moment later the message disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Huh? What does that mean?" Ranma Blue asked.
"I'm not sure." Ranma Red then looked up at the first door and
noted that there was some writing on it. Noticing that it was in
English, he used his translation spell on himself and his sibling.
Looking further up, he noted that the other doors were also labeled.
Gesturing up toward the staircase, he said to his twin, "Looks like
that clue has something to do with those door labels."
"Yeah, but which one?"
"Hmmm, sixty-four squares… what does that mean?" Ranma Red
said in thought. A minute later his brother began heading up the
stairs while reading the labels.
"Hey brother! Over here!"
Ranma Red looked up and saw that Ranma Blue was up a few
meters and holding the knob to a door. He raced up the steps to
where he was and looked at the door's label, which had the number
4096 on it.
"Yeah, so what about it?'
Ranma Blue smiled as he said, "When the message said sixty-four
squares, I got to thinking that maybe that clue had a double meaning
to it. What's sixty-four times sixty four?"
Ranma Red groaned a bit, as math had never been their best
subject. A minute later he replied. "Four thousand and ninety-six?"
"Right! Four thousand ninety-six is equal to…"
"Sixty-four squared! I get it!" Ranma Red said happily, as he
comprehended the meaning of the clue.
"You ready?"
"Let's do it."
Ranma Blue opened the door and the two entered the subspace
pocket. They immediately began falling through an empty field of
nothingness until they landed on a gigantic plane of black and white
squares. The area was about the size of a football field. The twins
picked themselves up and stared at the plane for a while.
"This must be the right place." Ranma Red commented.
"How do you know?" Asked his brother.
"I count sixty-four squares total."
"Okay… got any idea what this place is?"
Ranma Red focused on his connection with the Light Star Blade
and a moment later had the answer. "It… looks like a giant… chess
board."
"Chess? Is it something like shogi?"
"In a way. Check it out with your own weapon for the rules of the
game. I'll do the same with mine."
After a few moments of contemplation, both boys had
comprehended the rules and goal of the game. Suddenly, there was a
flash of light and the astral image of Ekoja appeared.
"Well done Chosen Twins! You have solved the first riddle!
Now… let the game begin!"
Both Masaki brothers were quite surprised when the surface they
were standing on suddenly started rumbling. On one side of the
playing field, gigantic stone figures in the shape of the white pieces
appeared. On the other side, the black playing pieces also
materialized and aligned themselves in accordance to their starting
positions in the game. Both twins noticed that the pieces themselves
were monstrous version of the normal characters in chess and almost
seemed alive. The pawns had lizardlike faces and toted wicked-
looking spears. The rooks resembled huge turrets of castles and had
tiny gremlins at their tops that were manning catapults. The kings,
queens and other pieces were armed with swords, scepters and other
blunt or sharp had-to-hand weapons.
Ekoja snickered as he then told them of the next clue. "Only you
two can put the black king in checkmate. Move accordingly or it will
be the end of the day."
The image of the Dark World trickster disappeared which signaled
the start of the battle. The white and black sides began advancing on
each other and engaged in a parody of the Middle Ages. The rooks
began shooting at each other with flaming fireballs. The pawns
engaged in duels and the higher-ranking pieces each began shooting
and cutting at anything that moved. Unfortunately, the magical and
elemental twins were smack dab in the middle of it.
Ranma Blue rolled to one side to avoid a fireball from the black
rook. When he landed on a black square, it suddenly faded away and
the elemental brother had to move fast to keep from falling through it.
"Whoa!"
The twin barely managed to move to a square opposite to it.
Fortunately, this square did not fade away. However, when a gigantic
pawn moved to that square, it did not fall through. Ranma Blue
puzzled at this development and wondered what was going on.
On the other side, Ranma Red was also having difficulties.
Jumping to the side to avoid a pawn's stab at him, he fell through a
square that dematerialized beneath him. Luckily, he managed to grab
the rim of the hole and swing himself out of the opening. He landed
onto another square that also suddenly faded from view, but he did a
fast vault to a side square that for some reason didn't fade away. He
stood up and called to his brother.
"Blue! What's going on?"
"I'm not sure but right now I'm a little busy!" A viscous black
queen that was firing sizzling bolts of energy with her scepter was
savagely attacking Ranma Blue. He was jumping and swerving to
dodge, taking special attention to where he was landing. Ever now
and then, a hole would appear the moment he stepped on a square,
then disappeared as soon as he got off it. He also fired bolts of
elemental energy and chi blasts as soon as he got the opportunities
to do so. Ranma Red began observing his sibling and noticed
something. Close range shots were not having any effect on the
black queen, but when Ranma Blue got two or three squares distant
from her, his shots were felt. Furthermore, some of the squares that
Ranma Blue landed on didn't fade away and those particular spots
were where he was getting some hits through. Remembering back to
Ekoja's clue, he took another look at the playing field. Noting how
the pieces were moving and also realizing something else, he
telepathically sent a message to his sibling.
{"Blue! Get to the white square behind you and to your left and hit
the queen hard with one of your stronger attacks!"}
{"Why?"}
Ranma Red then gave him his idea by telepathic communication.
Ranma Blue smiled, as he comprehended what his brother had figured
out. Making a backflip, he neatly dodged another one of the black
queen's attack and landed on the intended square. To his relief, it did
not fade away as he fired off an elemental attack.
"THUNDERSHOCK BOMB!"
A huge sphere of electrical energy was hurled at the black queen
and impacted heavily against her. The figure let off a horrified scream
as it was suddenly blown to pieces.
"All right!"
Ranma Red smiled as he leapt forward and twisted to his left.
Landing on a black square that did not fade away, he then shot at a
black pawn that was in front of him and a little to his right.
"MOKO TAKABISHA! RAPID FIRE!"
The stream of confidence-powered chi blasts struck the relatively
weak piece and reduced it to nothingness. Then Ranma Red jumped
to the vacant spot and noted that it didn't fade away.
On Earth, the observers were a bit confused with what was going
on.
"I don't understand. How are they doing it?" Akane asked.
"Are you familiar with the rules of chess?" Soren asked.
Akane nodded. Some time ago Furinkan High had hosted a chess
tournament. She, Nabiki, and Ukyo had competed against each other
and Akane had been a little miffed when the okonomiyaki chef had
beaten her but Nabiki had taken the championship.
"Take a good look at the board and tell me what's missing from it."
Soren asked.
Akane looked back at the viewing portal. Ukyo and the others also
looked at the playing field. Aside from the pieces that the twins had
already destroyed, there wasn't anything that they could see that
was unusual, relatively speaking.
It was then that Ukyo noticed something. "Hey wait! I don't see
any pieces that represent the white knights! I can see a couple of
black pieces shaped like horses but no white ones!"
"Exactly!" Taron confirmed. "The twins have figured out that
THEY are the white knights. The name 'Ranma' means wild horse and
the horse is the shape of the knight piece in chess. So that means
that they have to move and attack like knights."
Everyone who understood the game nodded as they watched the
twins move across the board toward the black king. Every maneuver
was two forwards and one-across, or one forward and two-across.
Every square they landed on did not fade from view. Nabiki noted
this and said, "Now I understand the rest of the clue. They have to
move accordingly or it will be the end of the day or… 'Knight' fall!"
Everyone groaned at the horrible, yet accurate pun.
On the giant chessboard, the twins were systematically destroying
the black army's pieces one by one as they advanced toward the
main player, the black king. The important piece had already made a
castle maneuver and was protected by a row of pawns and a rook.
With a few smart maneuvers, the rook was eliminated and both
brothers were in position to win the game. The black pawns tried to
move forward to defend the king, but Ranma Blue took out the
nearest one and was in its square to put the king into check. The
piece tried to move away from his position but that was when Ranma
Red moved up and blasted at the square nearest to it.
"Checkmate!" Ranma Red declared.
There was a bright flash of light as the board exploded into a
corona of whiteness.
A moment later, the twins suddenly appeared at the staircase
again. Looking down over the railing, they saw that they were several
flights above from where they originally started from. They nodded
to each other at having won the first game.
Ekoja then appeared again and smirked at the two.
"Impressive. Although, I could have ended that game in five less
moves that you would have done. In any case, here is your next
clue."
He once again disappeared and left another ghostly message
which read:
MINOTAUR'S SURPRISE
"Say what? What's a Minotaur?" Ranma Red asked.
"Hold on a second." Ranma Blue conferred with his weapon in the
other realm, then had the answer. "It's a mythical beast from Greek
mythology. It was half man, half bull. It was so dangerous that some
guy put that thing in some… wait a second!"
"What is it?"
"What's another word for surprise?"
"Uh… shock? Wonder? Awe?"
"How about as a verb? To surprise someone is to AMAZE
someone."
"Amaze?" Ranma Red thought for a moment then realized what his
brother was talking about. "I get it! We have to go look for a maze!"
"Right! It fits in with the legend of the Minotaur. It was trapped
within a labyrinth or a maze! Look for any door that has anything to
do with a maze."
The twins started searching for their next entry into subspace. A
few minutes later, Ranma Red gestured to a door further up the steps.
The label on it had a picture of an elephant with an arrow pointing to
its eye.
"What does an elephant's eye have to do with it?" Ranma Blue
asked.
"Just remember that Ekoja's clues always have a double meaning
to them." Ranma Red said. "At first I thought it was some kind of joke
when I saw it, then I remembered some of the poetry that we studied
in English class. I seem to recall an old song lyric that said something
about growing something that's as high as an elephant's eye."
"Hey! Now that you mention it, I remember that too. I think it was
about growing corn as high as an elephant's eye. So?"
"So… what's another word for corn?"
"Uh… you got me there."
"Mr. Sanoko told us that they used to call corn… maize."
"Smart thinking bro! Let's go!"
The twins went through the door. As before, the two found
themselves floating through empty space until they landed on solid
ground. This time however, they found themselves before a gigantic,
enclosed area the size of ten football stadiums. Ekoja's image
appeared before them and smiled.
"Bravo! Welcome to the Minotaur's labyrinth. You must get to the
center of the maze and defeat the beast within. Mind you, there will
be some more puzzles for you to solve and plenty of death traps!
Enjoy!"
The little imp disappeared as the gates to the maze opened up.
Knowing that Ekoja had probably enchanted the maze so the twins
couldn't cheat by blasting through it or run across the top of it, the
Chosen Twins had no choice but to run the maze on foot.
They began by going down a corridor to their left, then made a
right turn. It was then that Ranma Red noted a sign on the wall that
read:
MARRIAGE DEFINITION
"Huh? What does that mean?" Ranma Blue commented. He then
looked ahead and saw the answer.
"DUCK!!!"
From out of nowhere, a huge steel sphere that was the size of a
wrecking ball came swinging toward them on a massive chain that
was attached to the roof. The twins barely managed to evade it by
leaping to the sides. The massive orb smashed into the wall behind
them with a tremendous crash, making a gigantic hole in the wall.
Picking themselves up, the identical Ranmas looked at the rubble
and then at each other.
"Ball and chain." Both of them said as they began heading down
another corridor.
Some time later and another sign…
LOSER'S AHEAD
"Say what?" Ranma Red asked.
"Look out!"
Ranma Red turned to the direction in which his brother was
gesturing. A huge blade came swinging at their necks like a
guillotine.
"POWER BLASTER!"
"FLAMING CHI WAVE!"
The gigantic blade was reduced to harmless fragments before it
had a chance to give the twins a haircut at shoulder level.
"Loser's ahead." Ranma Blue growled.
"Ekoja's got one sick sense of humor. I'm not sure which is worse,
the traps or the puns."
Yet another sign…
COMPLETE BAKERY GOODS
Ranma Red and Ranma Blue were running like mad over the tops
of a herd of stampeding horses that suddenly appeared out of
nowhere. The equines were at least five times larger than normal and
would have trampled the twins if Ranma Red hadn't realized what the
clue had meant.
"Now what was that clue again?" Ranma Blue asked as he and his
twin jumped to the end of the stampede and watched the horses fade
away into the distant shadows.
"Another word for complete is thorough. Bakery goods usually
consist of pies, cakes and… breads."
"Thoroughbreds? Aw, give me a break!"
After a few more twists, turns and god-awful traps (Both the
dangers and the puns), the twins found themselves in an open space
with three doors. Each door was colored differently.
"Which door?" Ranma Blue asked.
"I don't know." Ranma Red answered as he paused to catch his
breath. They had been fighting hard for the last ten minutes, evading
lethal traps and monsters that roamed the maze.
"Blue, red or purple?"
"We have a one in three chance to get it right."
"Hold on a sec!" Ranma Blue said as he approached the red door.
He placed his hand on the knob and turned it. He screamed out as the
door flared with light and blasted him with Dark World energy. He
was sent flying backward and landed on his rear.
"Blue! You okay?"
Ranma Blue shook his head to clear it then said, "Yeah, I'm fine."
He got back up to his feet and then walked tentatively to the blue
door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he slowly turned it. This
time however, the door did not lash back at him and opened up.
"All right! That's the right door!" Ranma Red exclaimed as he
moved forward.
It was then that his brother grabbed Ranma Red's arm. "Hold it
Red! It's too easy."
"What do you mean? You opened up the blue door and nothing
bad happened."
"Yeah, but think for a minute. If the red door didn't open for me
but the blue door did, that must mean that the color of the doors must
correspond to our names. Ranma Red and Ranma Blue."
Ranma Red thought for a moment, then nodded. "So… if I tried to
open up the red door, I wouldn't get blasted?"
"Right. And if I miss my guess, if we tried to go through either
door, it would be the wrong one and something nasty would
probably be in the next room. Ekoja's riddles and puzzles always have
a double meaning to them." Ranma Blue looked at the purple door,
which was between the red and blue ones. "It's the purple door."
"Purple? But that door isn't colored to match our names."
Ranma Blue stepped up to the door and placed his hand on the
doorknob. He then gestured to his sibling. "Red! Come over here and
put your hand on this knob with me."
"Huh?"
"Trust me."
The magical twin looked at his brother with a questioning gaze
then shrugged as he did as he was asked.
"Okay bro? On three. One… two… three!"
The Masaki twins turned the knob together. The door opened.
"Let's go!" Ranma Blue said as stepped through entrance. Ranma
Red followed.
They followed the hallway until they reached a large room that had
a huge golden statue. Both twins saw that the giant figure was
shaped like a man but had the head and lower body of a bull.
"It's the Minotaur!" He looked to his side and saw that his brother
had a knowing smirk. "How did you know?"
"Simple. If you mixed the colors red and blue together, you get
purple."
"I get it. Since purple is made of both colors, we had to both turn
the knob to open that door."
"Right." Ranma Blue nodded. "I also reasoned that since Ekoja
was using warping spells on us, the red and blue doors would
probably only let one of us go though them. Red with red and blue
with blue. That probably would have been Ekoja's plan to separate
us."
"But the purple door would allow for both of us."
"And since that door was in the middle, it also meant that it would
lead us to the center of the maze and the Minotaur. Another word
that means middle is center."
"Excellent, Chosen Twins!" Ekoja's apparition appeared again.
"You are indeed worthy adversaries! I commend you for figuring out
my little ploy. You are correct! The red door would have only allowed
Ranma Red to enter and vice-versa with the blue door. And now, to
exit the maze, you must solve the Riddle of the Minotaur AND defeat
him!"
The specter of the trickster vanished as the statue suddenly to
tremble. With a bright flare of light, the Minotaur came to life and
began to approach them. In one hand was a massive scimitar, and its
eyes glowed with a fiery light. As it neared the twins, it began
speaking in a low, inhuman voice.
"I am essential for all reality to exist. I have served as both
destroyer and creator. I have no definite measure, yet all things are
measured by me. What am I?"
Ranma Red and his brother looked at each other as they prepared
to do battle with the Minotaur. The gigantic statue slashed at Ranma
Blue with its sword. The elemental twin evaded the stroke and fired
off a chi blast.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!"
The yellow fire ball streaked toward the golem, only to be
deflected by its sword. Ranma Red rushed toward the other side and
leapt high. Twisting in midair to avoid a slash, he cut loose with a
hyperspeed flurry of punches and kicks.
"CHESTNUT FURY!"
The magic Masaki brother blurred as he rained thousands of
punches and kicks on the Minotaur's back. The cavern echoed as his
blows caused the metal to resonate with a constant clanging. The
statue however, was unaffected as it used the flat of its blade to
knock him off like an insect. It was then that Ranma Blue made his
move.
"ARCTIC SPEAR!"
The blue-white lance of freezing energies slammed into the bull-
like creature, freezing it in a block of ice. Ranma Red followed through
with a magical attack.
"DRAGON SPIRIT!"
With their powers growing every day, the Masaki twins were able
to launch more powerful attacks without having to take the time to
focus. The huge, dragon-shaped apparition shot forward and
impacted heavily on the frozen Minotaur, causing it to shatter into a
pile of twisted metal and ice cubes.
Ranma Red stepped back and waited with his sibling. Then
amazingly, before their eyes, the pieces began to move toward
themselves, joining together and reforming the beast. In less than
three seconds, the Minotaur was on its feet again and advancing on
them again.
"Aw man!" Ranma Blue groaned as he and his brother leapt up to
avoid a slash.
{"We're going to have to use a stronger attack!"} Ranma Red
shouted as he rolled to one side and launched a stream of chi blasts.
"MOKO TAKABISHA! RAPID FIRE!"
These chi blasts were deflected by the Minotaur's sword and
headed toward the elemental twin, which he dodged. {"Yeah, but
even if we do destroy this thing, then what? How do we get out of
here? I wish this thing would just lay off. We don't have the time to
play with this thing!"}
{"Time? What a second! That's it!"}
{"What?"}
Ranma Red got to a position on the right of the Minotaur, while
Ranma Blue was on its left. {"Get ready to let him have one of your
stronger attacks."}
{"You got a plan?"}
Ranma Red nodded as he began focusing his energies. Minotaur
looked to each twin, as if considering which one to attack. Finally, it
turned and charged at Ranma Red.
{"Now Blue!"}
Ranma Blue flared up with energy and slammed a palm to the
ground.
"CRYSTAL SPIKE ATTACK!"
A huge spike made of diamond erupted from the ground and
impaled the Minotaur from below. The spike kept rising with its
hapless passenger until it slammed into the cavern ceiling. The
Minotaur let off a wail as its body was rent in two. The halves of the
beast came falling back toward the ground as Ranma Red prepared
his spell. When the two pieces landed, he noted that the lower half
was making its way toward the upper half in order to rejoin with it.
"Oh no you don't!" Ranma Red thrust his arms forward and let
loose with his attack, while saying, "The answer is TIME! DOUBLE
SOUL SPARKERS!"
Twin globes of elderitch energies leapt forward and sped toward
their targets. They slammed into the halves of the Minotaur, driving
them back into the cavern's walls. However, the parts exploded into
clouds of dust with no hope of ever resurrecting the beast again. As
the dust settled down, a glowing circle of light appeared at the other
end of the cavern.
{"That's it Blue! The portal to the next level!"}
Ranma Red gestured for his brother to follow him. The two leapt
into the circle and was instantly transported to the stairway of the
tower. When they looked over the railing, they saw that they were
even higher above their last position than before.
"So how did you figure that one out Red?"
Ranma Blue's brother nodded as he said, "Remember that Ekoja
said that we had to solve the Riddle of the Minotaur AND defeat
him? We were so busy trying to destroy that thing that we totally
forgot the riddle he gave us."
Ranma Blue thought for a moment then repeated what the
Minotaur had said to them. "I am essential for all reality to exist. I
have served as both destroyer and creator. I have no definite
measure, yet all things are measured by me."
"Right. The answer was TIME!"
The elemental Ranma cocked his head in thought, then nodded. "I
get it. Without time to use as a reference, things wouldn't exist. It
takes time to create or destroy things, and we can't measure time
since it goes on to infinity. However, we can measure how long
things can exist, like our ages."
"You got it. And when Ekoja said that we had to defeat the
Minotaur AND solve the riddle, that meant that we had to give the
answer and destroy it at the same TIME!"
The magic-using twin's brother groaned. "You were right. I'm not
sure which is worse, the traps or the puns!"
"Well anyway, there's the clue to get us to the top." Ranma Blue
gestured to another sign that floated before them.
WHAT IS A BED USED FOR?
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma Blue asked.
"It's used for sleep? Should we start looking for something that
has to do with sleeping or dreaming?" Ranma Red began looking up
the doors and their labels.
Ranma Blue followed his twin, then stopped suddenly when he
saw something on a door. "Hold on a minute Red. Look at this."
Ranma Red turned around and saw the pictures that were
inscribed on the door. "So what? It's a picture of a tree. What's that
got to do with sleep?"
"Okay, what's another word for sleep?"
"Hmmm… snooze? Nap? Forty winks? Rest?"
"Right. A bed is used for sleep or FOR REST!"
"For rest? Oh… I get it! Forest! Oh brother. Well, it matches with
every other clue we've been handed. Let's go."
The two opened the door and stepped inside. They were instantly
transported to the edge of a dark and spooky forest. Ekoja appeared
before them and said, "Welcome to the Forest of Despair! You must
cross these woods in order to reach the portal that will transport you
to the top of the tower where I'll be waiting. I am very impressed at
you having gotten this far. I'll see you there… maybe." With a
chuckle, the apparition disappeared.
Ranma Red and his bother took a deep breath before heading off
toward a path that was before them. For what seemed like hours, the
two traveled through the dense forest. As they reached the center of
the forest, they came upon a clearing that had a sign, which read,
TAKE THE UNSEEN AND UNSAFE PATH
Ahead of them was a fork in the road. The twins paused to
consider their options.
"We have to take one of these roads." Ranma Blue said.
"Yeah, but which one?"
"Hmmm, the unseen path..." Ranma Blue considered it for the
moment.
"Yeah."
"Well, I don't think Ekoja would have left us with that hint unless
it had something to do with the trials." He then took another pause.
"Hey, wait a minute. Close your eyes."
"Huh?"
"Trust me."
Ranma Red looked at his brother for a moment and then did so.
"Now use those techniques the Soren and Taron taught us to
enhance our senses. Let's find out if we can find the right path. The
clue says to find the unseen path, so that means that we have to use
something other than our eyes."
For a long while, the twins stood motionless as their auras glowed
with red and blue hues. Then a moment later, they took a step
forward on the pathway to the left. Suddenly, the right pathway
disappeared as a huge object came crashing down crashing down
with a thunderous impact.
Both twins were startled as they opened their eyes and saw what
had crashed down on the path where had not taken. It was a huge,
forty-ton… safe?
Ranma Red groaned as he said in a sarcastic voice. "Ha-ha. Really
funny. Taking that path would have been the 'safe' way." He saw
that if they had taken that route, they would have been crushed
underneath the massive storage vault.
"Yeah, and you can bet that the other path will have a lot of traps,
hence the meaning unsafe, but it's the one we have to take." Ranma
Blue commented as he and his twin started down the path.
As they went ever deeper into the deadly forest, they kept their
senses on alert for any possible dangers. Every now and then, the
two would encounter various obstacles and hidden traps. Among
these was a barrage of poison-tipped darts, several hordes of nasty
ogres, a group of flame-throwing beasts of various shapes and sizes
and an army of trolls. Of course, the twins made short work of all the
dangers they encountered, but they knew that Ekoja was only toying
with them. It quite a while later when they came to the bank of a huge
river. They saw a small raft waiting for them and another sign which
was said,
DESTINATION OF THE GUILTY
"Now what's that supposed to mean?" Ranma Red commented.
"I got it." Ranma Blue said as he and his brother got on the raft.
"Where do people go when they're found guilty of a serious crime?"
"Uh, prison?"
"Right. In other words, they're sent UP the river. He's directing us
to go upstream."
"Aw man!" Ranma Red moaned as he saw that the river was
flowing at extreme speed and it was going to be hard work fighting
those currents. Unfortunately, due to the threat of being transported
back down to the first level, should they attempt to use their flight
abilities, they had no choice but to make their way on the raft.
The twins made quick progress as their enhanced strength allowed
them to paddle hard against the currents and make their way up the
river. However, that did not make their voyage any easier. The twins
found themselves in constant battle to stay on the flimsy raft while
beating off various monsters that inhabited the waters and the banks.
"Look out!" Ranma Red screamed as a gigantic, winged lizard
dive-bombed bombed them from overhead.
"ARCTIC SPEAR!"
The flying monster was encased in a solid block of ice and crashed
into river, the gigantic splash almost caused the raft to capsize. It was
then that Ranma Blue and his brother notice a huge black shape swim
up and crush the frozen predator in its huge jaws.
The Chosen Twins braced themselves as the water serpent broke
through the surface of the water and then lunged at them.
"SPIRIT FIST!"
The mystic attack slammed into the water demon's head and sent
it flying into a nearby whirlpool. The identical Ranmas paddled
furiously to prevent themselves from being pulled into the swirling
waters. The unfortunate water serpent was dragged down into the
eddy and was gone from sight.
With supreme effort, the two brothers managed to evade the
serpent's fate, but were then swept toward some fast moving-rapids.
"Huh? I thought we were moving upstream!" Ranma Blue shouted
as he used a chi blast to destroy a rock formation before their raft
smashed into it.
"Remember that Ekoja likes to warp things!" Ranma Red said as he
used his chi ability to blast another river monster that was heading
their way. He then saw a school of monstrous fish that resembled
armored sharks head toward them. Looking behind them, he saw
another group on a collision course with the first one. The problem
was that they were smack dab in the middle.
Between keeping their raft afloat and defending themselves
against the hordes of beasts that were attacking them from both
sides, the twins had found themselves with their hands full. As they
continually blasted the monsters and struggled to keep themselves
from being dashed against the rocks, they were totally caught off
guard when a large armored shark came up from below and smashed
their raft apart. Both twins were pitched into the river as the predators
dived in to devour them.
The surface of the river thrashed about as the sharks went into an
intense feeding frenzy. It seemed that the twins had finally been
killed. However, a minute after the two had disappeared beneath the
waters, there was a huge explosion as if someone had detonated a
depth charge. The monstrous fish went flying, many of them already
dead from sudden burst of chi energies. Several of them fell on the
banks of the river, their carcasses flopping about like goldfish whose
bowl had just been broken. Others splashed back down into the river
and settled down on the river floor, later to be eaten by scavengers.
Ranma Red and Ranma Blue came up a few minutes later and
started swimming up the river.
A long time later…
Both twins were beaten and had several cuts and bruises when
they dragged themselves onto the bank. After a long a perilous swim
up the river, fighting creatures that were too hideous to describe,
they had finally made it to their destination.
Ranma Red moaned as he took off his shirt and began wringing
the water out. "Aw man! I thought we'd never get to the end of this
thing!"
Ranma Blue nodded as he sat up and began assessing his body.
Aside from a few superficial cuts and the lack of any broken bones,
he and his brother were relatively fit to continue on. However, as of
now, their stores of chi, mystical and elemental energies were getting
low. Constantly fighting those water demons and swimming against
the fast currents of the river had taxed them to their limits. It was then
that he looked up and saw… it.
It was a western style door that was just standing near the
riverbank. Gesturing to his sibling, Ranma Blue began walking up to
it. It was just a doorframe with nothing behind or in front of it. At first
Ranma Red and his brother thought that it was some kind of joke, but
then realized that this was where they needed to go. On the front of
the door was a label that said 'Final Riddle.' Then suddenly, the label
flipped itself over and showed the word on the other side, which said
'Enter.'
"Well, this has to be it." Ranma Blue said.
"Uh huh. Kinda strange that it's this easy. No riddles or any
hidden traps. Maybe Ekoja's finally run out of tricks?"
"I don't know, but we don't have anywhere else to go. We're at
the edge of the forest and this is the only portal that I can see." The
elemental twin took a deep breath and said, "Are you ready?"
Ranma Red nodded as he said, "Let's do it."
They reached out and grasped the doorknob, giving it a slow turn.
When they found that it was unlocked, they slowly opened the door
and stepped through it. As they had expected, the door was a
dimensional portal and they were whisked away to the top of the
tower.
At the top of the Tower, Ekoja was waiting for the twins to arrive.
He smiled as a bright flash of light appeared in the space before him.
When it faded away, the two Ranmas found themselves face to face
with their adversary.
"Well done Chosen twins! No one had ever made it to the top of
my tower before! I must commend you for solving my riddles and
puzzles! You were indeed worthy adversaries."
"What do you mean 'were?' We're not finished yet!" Ranma Red
said as he and his brother took a stance.
Ekoja snickered as he said, "Oh but I must insist on the past tense.
Oh and by the way, look down at your feet."
"Yeah, like we're going to fall for that one." Ranma Blue scoffed.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Ekoja said as he snapped his
fingers.
The twins were about to charge their opponent when Ranma Red
felt something grip his right ankle. Looking down, he saw a gristly
hand emerge from the ground and wrap itself around his leg. Before
he could power up his ki, another hand appeared and grabbed his
other leg. Ranma started getting nauseated as he started to
experience a familiar sensation. He could feel his energy reserves
begin to drain as the hands grew in size and clamped themselves
around his body.
"Red!" Ranma Blue screamed as he rushed to his brother's aid.
Unfortunately, two more hands burst from the ground, grew in size
and clamped themselves around the elemental twin. He soon found
himself in the same predicament as his sibling as his energies were
being leeched away.
Ekoja threw his head back and laughed as his enemies' powers
were being drained. "Hah ha ha ha ha ha! I can't believe that you two
fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book!" He was still snickering as
he looked on the twins, who were struggling to free themselves from
their bonds. "It's no use boys! Those hands were specially prepared
for your individual energies. They happen to be modified versions of
the Leech Dome. However, I have learned from the failures of
Makana, Katoka and Barada. The hands that hold Ranma Red are
specifically attuned his mystical energies while Ranma Blue is held
fast by hands that drain elemental power. You can't rely on each
other to break free this time! I have won! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Don't count us out just yet, you jerk!" Ranma Red scoffed as he
began focusing his energies.
"Oh really? And what do you mean by that?" Ekoja said as he
stifled a snicker.
"These… hands stop elemental power, right?"
"Yes." Ekoja said with a smug grin. "In a few minutes, they will
drain every drop of elemental energy from your body, and your life
force of course. I had it specifically made to your powers."
"Well then…" It was then that the blue-shirted Ranma flared up
with a red aura and let loose with a blast of mystical energy.
"SPIRIT FLARE!"
Ekoja was taken by surprise as the Masaki twin let loose with a
sudden burst of magical energies, causing the bony hands to explode
into tiny shards which disintegrated into nothingness.
"W-W-What?! This is impossible! You're not supposed to be able
to do that!"
It was then that the other Ranma burst free from his own bonds by
causing flames to appear.
"FIREBURST EXPLOSION!"
Ekoja was more than shocked at seeing Ranma Red perform an
elemental power and began stuttering. "Y-Y-You're not supposed to
do that either!"
Both Ranmas smiled as they began advancing on their enemy.
Then the twin who was wearing the red shirt said, "Looks like YOU
fell for an old trick! You see.. I'm not Ranma Red. THUNDERBOLT
STRIKE!"
A large blast of electrical energy blasted forth from the palm of the
Ranma and blasted into the little imp, sending him back toward the
edge of the tower.
"And I'm not Ranma Blue! SPIRIT FIST!"
The powered-up spectral fist sent Ekoja further back toward the
edge. The Dark World trickster stopped himself before being forced
off the tower. He got to his feet and staggered forward. "H-How?"
Ranma Blue smiled as he said, "We used the old switcheroo on
you. It was simple matter to change the color of our shirts to fool you
while we were in that river."
Flashback…
Ranma Red and Ranma Blue were underwater, using their strength
and martial arts to keep the sharks at bay.
{"Hey Red! We can't keep going like this! Every time we solve
one of Ekoja's riddles, we use up more and more power, not to
mention waste time!"}
{"I know! He's wearing us down! We need a plan to catch him off
guard!"}
{"I got any idea! It's crazy but it just might work!"} Ranma Blue
related his idea to his siblings as they began charging up their
energies.
{"You know… it's worth a shot! Let's do it!"}
End of flashback…
Ekoja grinned as he considered the ruse. He had to admit, it had
worked. "I am impressed! It was a simple yet effective tactic! But
now, the games are over. Now, you will die!"
Both twins readied themselves for the final attack as Ekoja took a
ready stance. "Bring it on!" Ranma Blue barked.
Ekoja chuckled as he said, "Oh I most certainly will. You see…
what you see before you is NOT my true form. And now, you shall
discover that I have been holding back my real power! Behold!"
Ekoja's body began to glow with an intense light as his eyes
glowed with an eerie green light. It was then that his body exploded
into tiny gory bits as something burst out from within. At this
moment, the Chosen Twins saw a twenty-foot monstrosity that
loomed over them. Unlike the harmless-looking imp that had been
tormenting them throughout the trial, this creature was anything but
harmless. It was like a humanoid, but it had reptilian characteristics,
including scales, a tail and a lizardlike head. Ekoja's jaw opened wide,
revealing rows of sharp teeth and a forked tongue. Its hands had four
fingers each and each digit had a sharp talon on its tip.
Ekoja let off a savage roar as his eyes suddenly glowed and
released twin beams of green energies. Ranma Blue leapt high to
dodge the blasts, then retaliated with a chi attack.
"FLAMING CHI WAVE!"
The crescent-shaped blast sliced toward the monster, but Ekoja
simply deflected it with a swipe of his claws. He then whipped his tail
at Ranma Red with blinding speed. The magical twin ducked and
rolled to the right. Raising a hand, he let loose with a spell of
summoning.
"THREE STARS ALIGNED, POUR FORTH THY LIGHT, AND FILL ORION'S
BOW WITH MIGHT!"
Three lights appeared above the tower and were lined up in the
belt pattern of the constellation of Orion. The hunter of legend
appeared in a transparent image and let fly with a mystic arrow from
his bow. After loosing the arrow, the hunter vanished from sight.
Unlike Ranma Red's Soul Arrow attack, this projectile could cause
physical damage and was far stronger. The arrow struck Ekoja in the
chest, causing a large explosion that staggered the monster.
However, Ekoja was made of sterner stuff and the journey to reach
the top of the tower had taken much out of the twins. The attacks
were far weaker than they should be.
It was then that Ekoja opened his mouth and spat out a huge gout
of green flames at the mystic martial artist. Ranma Red just barely had
time to put up a mystic barrier, but that was when Ekoja rushed
forward and used his eyebeams to shatter through the shield.
Ranma Blue thought that he had a chance to get Ekoja while his
back was turned and charge at him. His hands crackled with energy
as he prepared to let loose with a sizzling electric attack.
Ekoja suddenly smiled as he stopped his assault of Ranma Blue's
brother and then used his tail to slam into the floor. The tower
shuddered under the impact that caught both Ranmas off guard.
They were momentarily unbalanced as the floor beneath them
shuddered. With lightning fast moves, Ekoja grabbed both of them
and the twins soon found themselves being crushed in the grip of the
monster's massive hands.
"Now you die!" Ekoja said as he continued to squeeze.
Both Ranmas screamed out in pain as they felt their bodies being
compressed. Their ribs began to creak under the intense pressure and
it would only be a matter of seconds before they would snap.
{"Blue! It's time to give this jerk our other surprise!"}
{"Go for it!"}
Ranma Red began to glow with an intense light, but Ekoja just
laughed as he said, "Struggle all you want! My grip is unbreakable!
In a few moments, you and your twin shall be crushed like walnuts!
Your powers are depleted and your little tricks won't work now!"
Ranma Red managed to get an arm free as he smiled and said.
"That… little switch we did before… was only part one of our plan.
Here's part two!"
The mystic twin focused his concentration and it was then that the
Light Star Blade appeared in his hand and ignited its blade. Ranma
Red swung down with the sword and the energy blade cut into
Ekoja's arm. The transformed trickster howled in agony as his limb
was sliced off. The sudden dismemberment caused his other hand to
reflexively open. Once free, Ranma Blue summoned forth Storm
Striker. Leaping high, he swung hard at Ekoja's head. There was a
tremendous echo as the elemental hammer struck the giant lizard's
head. Ekoja staggered back from the blow while his remaining arm
clutched at the stump of the other.
"It's… impossible! The spell… I cast…" Ekoja was in sheer
disbelief as he stared at the twins.
"Your spell only prevented us from taking our weapons INSIDE of
the tower!" Ranma Red said with a smug look.
Ranma Blue's expression mirrored his sibling's. "But we're not IN
the tower any more. We're on TOP OF IT!"
Both Ranmas charged at the wounded beast, intent of finishing
him off. However, Ekoja was far from helpless. Despite the loss of one
arm, and the granddaddy of all migraines, he still had oodles of
power. He then started blasting at the twins with eyebeams, fire-
breath and power bolts from his remaining arm. The sudden barrage
almost caught them off guard as they were forced to employ their
weapons to parry and deflect the bolts and other energies.
{"Man, he's still not going down!"}
{"We're going to have to pull out all the stops! I may have a spell
that'll stop him cold! Think you can keep him busy for a few
seconds?"}
{"Just give me an opening!"}
Ranma Red nodded as he charged at the beast. Ekoja started
blasting at him, but the twin dodged each of the blasts, then set up
for a slash to the trickster's eyes. Seeing that he was too close, Ekoja
tried to swipe at him with his remaining arm. It was then that Ranma
Red pulled back in a feint maneuver, then thrust out a palm.
"SUNBURST EXPLOSION!"
The sudden flare of superbright light was totally unexpected and
at point-blank range, it was extremely effective. Ekoja was instantly
blinded as Ranma Red jumped back to begin focusing his energies.
Ranma Blue, seeing that Ekoja was temporarily disabled, charged
forward and began slamming Storm Striker against his body. The
night was alive with sound as the copy of Mjolnir dealt out massive
amounts of damage.
Back where Ranma Red was, the mystic began chanting as he
stood in a ready stance. He had sheathed his blade and was making
slow, intricate motions with his hands.
"YOU WHO ARE MINDLESS! OBEY YOUR OATH OF BLOOD!"
As soon as Ranma Blue heard the echoing tones of his twin, he
knew what was about to happen. Storm Striker was also aware what
was about to happen. The elemental twin leapt clear as Ranma Red
continued to build power. The only person who was unaware of the
imminent danger was Ekoja. He was still sightless due to the light
spell and was now blindly thrashing about.
"COME FORTH FROM THE LAND OF AVLAND!"
Ekoja stopped thrashing about when he heard these words. He
strained his eyes to clear them of the flashes that still clouded his
vision.
"LET THE FIRES OF GAIHENNA TURN YOU TO ASH!"
Ranma Red was enveloped in a pillar of light as he prepared to let
loose with the spell. Ekoja trembled as his vision finally cleared. It
was then that he saw his opponent fly toward him, his body alive
with a brilliant corona.
"EXODUS!!!"
Ekoja barely managed to launch a barrage of power bolts, but they
were as nothing to Ranma Red's attack. The fire-based energies were
easily absorbed and added to the destructive power of the spell.
Ekoja screamed as Ranma Red hit him head on.
Ranma Blue ducked for cover as the two collided. The top of the
tower was bathed in a torrent of heat and light. The stone ramparts
began melting under the searing temperatures and many of the
tower's structures crumbled. After a minute of total chaos, the
conflagration began to die down. Miraculously, the tower was still
standing after the explosion and finally, the eternal night of the Dark
World was returned.
Ranma Blue managed to pick himself up and he stared in
amazement at what was left.
The entire top of the tower had been reduced to a smoldering and
blackened ruin. In the middle of the roof stood his brother and at his
feet was the charred body of Ekoja. He slowly began walking over to
them and was soon standing next to them. He bent over slightly to
look at their opponent.
"I don't believe it. He's still alive after all that?"
Ranma Red nodded as he said, "Yeah, he's a tough bastard. But,
he's too weak to fight back now."
Ekoja was just barely conscious as he looked up at the ones who
defeated him. In a strained and ragged voice, he spoke. "Well… it
seems… that… I underestimated you. You… beat me."
"Damn straight." Ranma Red commented as he nodded to his
brother. "We've won the third trial."
Ekoja's face was a disfigured mess, but he still managed to give a
smile as he chuckled and said, "Who said… that you won the trial? I
said… you have beaten me. That doesn't… mean that you'll leave
this… tower alive. Heh, heh. You still haven't solved… the final
riddle."
It was then that the tower began to tremble and shake. Both twins
were put on alert as the entire structure shuddered. The tower began
to sway as support pillars began collapsing and it would only be a
matter of seconds before the entire thing would topple over.
Both twins began powering up their flight abilities. Since they
were already at the top, then the warping spell that Ekoja had set up
would not apply to them. Ekoja chuckled as he felt his life force
ebbing away. "Heh, heh. If you think… that you can just fly off the…
tower, think again. Look above you."
Both twins looked up and saw that the sky was shimmering with a
transparent field.
"It's not a very powerful… leech dome… since I used up a lot of
energy… to trap you with those specialized… hands, but it will hold
you here … long enough to… make… sure that you… will go with
me." Ekoja's smile became even wider. "And if you… think that you
could… survive the tower collapsing… think again. The energies you
two… used to get up to the top… had been absorbed by the… tower.
When the tower… collapses… then it will cause a massive chain
reaction. You may… have beaten… me… but the Dark World… has
the final victory!"
Ranma Blue and Ranma Red looked at each other then approached
the dying Dark World representative. "We haven't lost yet Ekoja.
You told us yourself that we have to solve the final riddle."
Ekoja gave off another short laugh. "Yes, if you can solve the
riddle, then you'll be safely transported away. Good luck in finding
the answer when you don't even know the question. I don't even
what the last riddle is. To ensure that you would be killed, Sharoka
himself had made up the final riddle for the trial. He didn't tell me
what it was, so there's no point in trying to beat it out of me. Face it!
You are doomed!"
"Not really." Ranma Blue commented.
Ranma Red nodded. "Yeah. We already know the answer."
Ekoja's eyes became wide when he heard this. "WHAT?!"
"We figured it out a long time ago. The door that led to the top of
the tower was the final riddle. It even said so." Ranma Blue stated.
"Since that door led us to you, then that means that you were the
'answer' to that clue."
"How can I be the answer?" Ekoja demanded, his life almost at an
end.
"It's pretty simple." Ranma Red said. "This entire tower has been
nothing but a long series of double meanings and warped
definitions."
"You twisted words. You used warping spells to make things
topsy-turvy. Everything was turned around, reversed and made
backward to torment us and entertain you. You know what? Because
of your inverted sense of humor, you forgot one thing. Because
everything was the opposite of reality, to solve the final riddle, we
must turn the answer around as well."
"Stop speaking in riddles and TELL ME!"
Both twins grinned as they had the trickster stumped. Then Ranma
Red lowered the boom. "You were always so fond of using English
words, since they can have a double meaning to them. You also liked
to turn things around. Well, guess what? When we read the sign on
the door, it flipped itself over. That means that the answer must be
flipped over as well. Your own name spelled backward is the answer.
E… K… O… J… A. Spelled backward, you are nothing more… than
A JOKE!"
Ekoja was stunned at the very ramifications of the final riddle. It
was then that the Ranma twins faded from view and were gone, just
as the tower shuddered its last and toppled toward the ground. Ekoja,
driven mad by the entire event, burst into a bout of insane laughter.
An instant later, the entire structure exploded in a massive fireball of
energy and the body of the trickster was obliterated, along with his
tower.
At ground level, Ranma Red and his brother reappeared at a
distance of five miles from the explosion. They checked themselves
over and saw that they were relatively unharmed. A small flash of
light caught their eyes and they looked down to see another
medallion at their feet. This one had a question mark engraved on it.
Ranma Blue bent over to pick it up. Once he had it in his hand, the
two were transported back to the Earth realm.
At his castle, Sharoka was laughing his head off when news of
Ekoja's defeat reached him. Nearby, the demonic sisters were a bit
nervous over the three victories of the Chosen Twins.
"My lord. Shouldn't we be more concerned with the fact that the
twins have now won three of the trials?" Katoka asked.
Sharoka calmed down, his guffaws dying down to slight chuckles.
"You two need not worry about that." He gestured over to where the
mysterious orb was, its gleaming surface seemed to be ready to
release the pulsating energies within it. "After all, you two will be
facing off against the twins in the next trial."
Both sisters were surprised at this development. "Us?" Both said
at the same time.
Sharoka nodded as once again burst into hideous laughter.
To be continued…
Author's Notes
Whew! It took longer than I thought to finish this chapter. In any
case, we're coming close to the home stretch and I'd say that the
story has about three more chapters to it before it ends. Due to the
other projects and the start of school again, I've been getting
sidetracked lately but I will try to keep on top of things. I'd like to
thank all my readers for sticking by this story for this long.
I was inspired to write this chapter after seeing Batman Vs the
Riddler on TV.