Martial Artists and Mayhem: Third Edition
The Hunter
"A wild boar!" the shout rang out through the small village nestled in the forest as a loud bull was rung again and again. "On a rampage!"
The animal in question was much more than just another boar. It was a huge creature more than twice as tall as a man and larger than most carriages. Its huge eyes squinted angrily as it smashed through a wall, scattering villagers before it.
Everywhere people were running for whatever high ground they could find as the dire monster wreaked havoc through their village.
"We're doomed," an old woman muttered sadly as another house was destroyed. "It'll find its way up here soon."
"Skuld's blood," someone swore. "We had such a good harvest, too."
"Hey! Look at that fool!" somebody shouted, pointing at a young traveller that was walking calmy down the road. "Run you idiot!! Run!"
The traveller continued walking as the thundering sound of a charging boar grew ever closer to him. He turned around reaching up for the bamboo umbrella at his back, staring at the approaching beast in boredom.
In a simple movement he held the umbrella out in front of him and stopped the boar cold. The stranger's feet didn't even shift position from the impact. The boar exhaled angrily and pushed against the stranger, gouging the floor with its hooves.
"He stopped it one-handed!" somebody shouted.
The boar continued to push against the unmoving umbrella. Then the young man shifted slightly and the boar suddenly felt what it was like to fly. At least it flew for about twenty seconds, then it landed behind the young man as he was sheathing his umbrella again. A small crowd immediately began to gather around him.
"Are you one of them rangers from Ryugenzawa?" somebody asked.
"Where'd that monster boar come from?" another asked. The young man didn't answer them at first then he held up a map.
"Where is Furinkan Hall?" he asked simply.
"Furinkan Hall?" somebody asked.
"Oh he has a map," another commented.
"Let me see that," the man looked at the map and blinked. "Ain't this a map of North Tokyo?"
"That's hundreds of leagues away from here!" the man next to him shouted.
"I see," the young man said, taking back his map. "Forgive the commotion." He turned and started walking.
"Figger he's lost?" someone asked as a wind blew through the scene.
"Hey, ain't he going southeast?" someone else asked.
~Ranma Saotome! Prepare to meet me!~ the stranger thought. ~You can hide from me no longer.~
*******
In Nerima a storm of savage was raging outside the Tendo Monastary. Inside a storm of another nature was brewing.
"Okay, I understand that your clothes are..." Akane started.
"Burnt to a crisp?" Ranma said dryly. ~Stupid panda, what was he doing with a fire breath potion.~
"Right...but why do you have to borrow my clothes?" Akane asked. Ranma muttered something. "What did you say?"
"Akane, you have noticed Ranma's height, haven't you?" Nabiki asked. "And I use the term height loosely." Ranma twitched.
"Wait a minute, are you saying that I'm short?" Akane demanded.
"Nope," Nabiki said straightening.
"Then what..." Akane started as Nabiki turned around. "Oh...I didn't know I still had that." Akane's voice sounded a little disgusted. Ranma stood up and turned to see what they were talking about.
Ranma was expecting something rather practical, like an old training outfit, or some breeches and a blouse. What she got was something out of one of her nightmares.
It was red at least, but there all things Ranma liked about it ended. The item in question was a dress, which made her acrobatic method of fighting potentially embarrassing. It had long sleeves, if Ranma had to take her natural form it would fall
apart. But most importantly, it had BOWS. Big bows. Big YELLOW bows. It was something her mother and Uncle Xellos might dress her up in. The thought of Uncle Xellos brought him to look at Nabiki again and sigh expressively.
"Oh no," Ranma shook her head. "Not that!"
"Oh, but you'd look so cute in it!" Nabiki insisted.
"Yeah, terminally cute," Akane agreed.
"There is no way I am go..."
"Consider it one of my favors," Nabiki suggested. Ranma stared at her. There was dead silence for a long second.
"Oh yay," Ranma dead-panned. "It is such a wonderful dress, please let me wear it."
"I thought you might see it my way," Nabiki smirked.
~She's got something on him already?~ Akane wondered.
Soon Ranma was standing in Akane's chamber wearing the red and yellow garment. Strangely enough the irritated red head actually managed to pull the look off. Ranma investigated the dress as the Tendo sisters looked on.
"He actually looks nice," Akane said quietly impressed. "Perfect even."
"Ah, can't wear this," Ranma said cheerfully. "It doesn't fit."
"Oh," Nabiki crossed her arms. "How so?"
"The chest is too tight," Ranma said. "And there's way to much room in the waists. Not surprising considering whose it..."
"RAAAANNNNMA!!!!"
*******
"Where is Furinkan Hall?" the wandering stranger asked the farmer in front of him.
"If its Tokyo," the farmer said. "Then it's about a ways south of here."
*******
One week later it was a clear day on the grounds of Furinkan Hall. A pair of guards stood wearily at the gates to the fortress wishing for some shade.
"Skuld's blood but it's hot today," one guard said.
"Who's that?" one of the guards asked, pointing at the cloaked stranger standing before the looming monument to strangeness that was Furinkan Hall. He seemed more than a little travel worn, his clothes caked in dirt from the road.
"I don't know," the first said. "Never seen him before."
The guards started toward him to investigate. As one of them came in range, the stranger casually reached out and snagged him. A field of angry menace seemed to radiate out from him. The other guard moved forward and found himself also grabbed and slammed against a wall.
"Where's Furinkan Hall?" he demanded of the first guard.
"Huh?" The guards looked at each other blankly, and then back at the stranger before pointing at the fortress. Covered in an abundance of flags proudly displaying Furinkan's coat of arms. The stranger set the guards down and growled irritably as the sound of
the wind filled the scene.
"Where is Ranma Saotome!" he demanded, the sound of foot falls approached from behind him.
"Saotome?" the guard repeated blankly.
"RANMA!! STOP!!" Akane yelled. The priestess followed angrily behind Ranma who was almost gliding across the ground.
"Come and get me!" Ranma yelled back as he effortlessly leaped into the air.
"You! You!" Akane growled from the ground. Both of them stopped as something new filled the air. Looking up Ranma and Akane saw the stranger descending on Ranma in mid leap, umbrella ready for a strike.
"RANMA!!" The stranger yelled. "Prepare to die!!" Ranma watched with an expression that moved from mute disbelief straight to irritation. He flipped around
in the air and dodged the downward strike as he and the stranger landed.
The sudden crater caused by the umbrella's blow sent Ranma temporarily reeling. The guards scattered backwards shocked at the force of the blow.
"You," Ranma said coldly.
"You haven't changed Ranma," the stranger smirked grimmly. "You're still good at running away."
"Someone you know?" Akane asked.
"Yeah," Ranma said. "He's...he's..." Ranma pointed dismissively. ~Shit, I can't say how I know him.~ The stranger watched the irritation flow over Ranma's
face with a slight look of disbelief on his face.
"Don't strain your brain remembering, Ranma," Akane said dryly.
"Just tell me one thing, Ranma," the stranger demanded cooly. "Why did you run out our fight!!"
~Oh, that's right,~ Ranam slammed his fist into his hand, and then pointed at Ryouga. "Ryouga Hibiki! You stood me up!" ~Again!!~
"Stood you..." Ryouga blinked and then narrowed his eyes angrily. "It wasn't a date!! It was a duel!! You set the challenge!"
"I waited three days," Ranma snapped. "Three days waiting to pound your face in."
"Three days?!" Akane said in disbelief.
"Yes! And when I came on the fourth day," Ryouga started. "You had already run away!!"
"Let me ask you something," Ranma said. "The place we were supposed to fight was that clearing in front of your cabin. So why did I have to wait three days for you to show?"
"Why you!?" Ryouga growled. "Do you think I was on a casual stroll for four days?!" Images of a chibi-Ryouga flashed by asking directions, often in the aftermath of some kind of battle. "I suffered to meet with you."
"Bad sense of direction," one of the guards whispered, his compatriot whole-heartedly agreed.
"Breaking a vow between men!" Ryouga snapped. "And running to Qinghai with your father!" Ryouga swung out at Ranma with the umbrella.
"I gave you lots of chances, Ryouga," Ranma shrugged cooly as he landed. "And NOW you want to finish your fight? Well I could care less about that now."
"'Finish our fight'?!" Ryouga snapped. "How feeble. I have a mission, Saotome." The umbrella in his hand was snapped open. "And YOU seem to be standing in my way!" The umbrella flew from Ryouga's hand whirling towards Ranma on a current of magic.
Ranma dodged the umbrella casually, never taking his eyes off of Ryouga. The umbrella curved around to a return path, nearly bisecting an incautious
courtier, and Ranma and Akane half-consciously dodged it again. Ryouga caught it smoothly.
"No matter what it takes," Ryouga said. "I shall destroy your happiness!"
"My happiness," Ranma repeated. He turned to Akane. "Am I happy?"
"Why are you asking me?" Akane asked dryly. Then Ryouga lunged forward in an attack. Ranma leaped up and over the charging young man, and Ryouga lost track
of him as a slight push from the passing Ranma sent him teetering forward.
"You can't hide from me forever Ranma!" Ryouga shouted angrilly, rushing full tilt in a Random direction. In a few moments his yells faded to nothing as he turned a corner.
"What was that about?" Akane asked. Ranma shrugged non-commitally.
*******
"Skuld's blood," one of a group of farmers said looking over the huge boar that was now something of a benefit to village rather than a threat. "I wonder what happened to..."
"WHERE ARE YOU RANMA!!?!"
The farmer and boar turned to face the speaker along with everybody else and blinked in surprise.
"Oh...excuse me," Ryouga said, embarrassed before disappearing down the road again.
*******
Deep in the mountains Ryouga strode through the trees bitterly recalling how Ranma had escaped him again.
~Ranma, I shall remove you,~ Ryouga growled. ~I have failed so far because of you. I know you're hiding something from me, demon.~ Ryouga picked up a pair of walnuts. ~I shall find what it is, and then I shall crush you. Just like this walnut. Your time
has come Ranma.
"RANMA!! PREPARE TO DIE!!!" Ryouga shouted angrily.
The sound of a rumbling behind him brought to his attention the oncoming landslide created by his shout. Ryouga leaped into the air and great white and black feathered wings extended from his shoulder blades as his clothes seemed to magical change to accomdate the new body parts. A white glow seemed to emanate from the young man as he caught his breath and surveyed the near disaster.
"That could have hurt a damn..." Ryouga was interrupted by a lightning bolt striking down out of the clear sky. Ryouga, slightly crispy was plastered to the rocks. "Sorry mom." The young celestial said weakly.
*******
"Well Ranma," Akane asked impatiently. "What did you do to this Ryouga?"
"Not as much as I'd like to have," Ranma-chan muttered.
"Okay, so what did he do to you?" Akane demanded.
"He..." Ranma stopped in mid sentence. "I...uh...don't really remember." Nabiki and Akane looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
"Ranma, a message just came for you," Kasumi said, she walked in with a kettle of hot water. "From a man named 'Ryouga Hibiki'?"
Ranma took the scroll and unrolled it, revealing the word "challenge" almost immediately.
"You must have done something," Akane said. "This is more than your everyday annoyance." Ranma leaned forward and growled. Then she straightened up and
sighed resignedly. "I knew it."
"This out to be good," Nabiki smirked.
"Well we were in this militia or somethin together and there was...uhh...this girl," Ranma said.
"You were fighting over a girl?" Akane asked, eyes narrowed.
"She was a relative!" Ranma said quickly. "A...uh...cousin!" Nabiki arched an amused eyebrow.
"Okay so what was going on with this girl?" Akane demanded.
"Well, she..." he glanced at Nabiki and angrily noted the start of a twitter of laughter. "Was sorta interested in Ryouga."
"He didn't do anything to her, did he?" Akane asked cautiously.
"No," Ranma said angrily. "He didn't do anything to her. He completely ignored her, over and over AND over again. Actually he seemed to think it was funny
to completely miss meetings all the time. I heard he claimed to be lost once." Ranma rolled her eyes.
"How terrible," Kasumi said. "It must have been terrible to be treated so callously." Ranma and Nabiki stared at the eldest Tendo sister and wondered just how much she knew. Kasumi stared back at them innocently.
"What does that have to do with you?" Akane asked irritably.
"Well I got a little angry at the way he treated my...uh...cousin," Ranma said hesitantly. "So I sort of kept stealing his rations and picking on him. I finally set up that duel after she had waited through a thunderstorm for him. Maybe I forgot to say I knew the girl."
"Why didn't she ever say anything?" Kasumi asked, which was something Nabiki was wondering too.
"I guess she never thought to mention me," Ranma shrugged, embarrassed.
"And Ryouga never saw the two of you together?" Akane asked in disbelief.
"She had to sneak around a lot," Ranma said. "We weren't supposed to have female visitors even family." The sisters stared at him in surprise, especially Nabiki. "I didn't always change with a splash of water you know!"
"I don't know, Ranma," Nabiki said. "This didn't sound like a lover's spat." Ranma bridled over the term as Nabiki snickered.
"Yeah," Akane agreed. "He said something about a mission, remember. Something about you being in the way."
"I have no idea what THAT was about," Ranma shrugged as Kasumi poured the hot water over her. Akane unrolled the scroll a little further.
"Ranma, the date for this showdown was yesterday," Akane said.
"So? He's late for EVERYTHING!" Ranma reminded her. "He'll show up when its inconvenient, like in a week or so. He can't do anything when he says he's going to."
*******
"Then it's this way to Tokyo?" Ryouga asked pointing down a road. The man he was talking to almost pulled his hair out in frustration.
"It's this way! THIS way!" he shouted pointing down the main road. "Why are you going THAT way?"
*******
In another week, as Ranma predicted, he and Ryouga were standing across from each other on Furinkan's tournament ground. A large audience was gathering as a strong breeze sounded through the scene.
"We can't do this properly with all them here," Ranma said, gesturing at the people watching the fight.
"Just as well, Ranma," Ryouga smirked. "It's at least fair to give you the chance to die like a man rather than the fiend you are."
"It's been a year, can we just skip this," Ranma snapped. "So I was a jerk, so were you. Besides the girl moved on."
"Umm...what girl are you talking about, Ranma?" Ryouga asked. Ranma twitched. "The only one I can remember was that little redhead that used to like to hang around me. What was she, eight?" Ranma twitched again.
"I KNOW I'M SHORT!! You don't have to rub it in!" Ranma shouted, then stopped. ~Wait a minute, he still didn't know what kind of demon you were...oh shit.~ Ryouga stared at him for a moment then snarled.
"You won't trick me so easily, Ranma," Ryouga snapped. "You're not getting out of this fight by changing the subject. What are you hiding!!"
~He hasn't figured out I am that girl yet?~ Ranma thought as Ryouga launched forward, his umbrella leading in a vicious barrage of stabs and swipes. Ranma effortlessly backed away from the swinging umbrella.
Nabiki and Akane both nodded as they felt magic swirling strongly around both combatants. Personal enhancement spells, powerful personal enhancement spells. There was something odd about both fighter's power though. Nabiki knew in Ranma's case it was the inherited fiendish nature, but Ryouga's power completely baffled her.
"Wait a minute," Ranma leaped backward into the air and Ryouga followed. Akane was again struck at how they both seemed born to maneuver in the air, though Ranma was mildly more manueverable. "What are you talking about! Hiding what!"
"I have been told," Ryouga snapped. "My mission here lies through you! I have seen hell since my failure to deal with you!"
"Seen hell?" Ranma said dryly. "Really. How'd you get there?"
"I didn't mean literally you idiot!" Ryouga shouted, snapping open his umbrella. "Words can not begin to convey my suffering and all you're running does is prolong it!"
The umbrella flew out again narrowly missing Ranma. Ryouga ripped a bandana off of his head, and whipped out. The bandana wrapped around Ranma's hand. Ryouga
smiled grimmly.
"This'll keep you from running away!" Ryouga shouted as he lashed out with an open handed strike. Ranma blocked it to the side.
"Tell me something..." Ranma started as he kicked out at nearly the same time as Ryouga. Neither of the kicks connected, being blocked inches from the other's face. "How many bandannas are you wearing?"
"You'd better take me seriously Ranma," Ryouga growled. "I'll find out what I'm here for eventually, you can't stop me."
As the martial artists continued to duel the launched umbrella finally breezed downward to an easy stop. It closed itself up as it rolled across the ground and finally came to a rest. After it nearly tore a few of the audience into pieces. The fight
continued fast and furious, heedless of what was going on in the sidelines.
Akane was watching, concern growing as the fight continued. Behind her people were talking about how this Ryouga could be an even match for Ranma.
"What's with this thing!" somebody shouted to the side, attracting Akane's attention. She looked over to see a pair of guardsmen struggling to lift the discarded weapon.
"What's the trouble," she asked.
"This umbrella weighs a ton!" the man returned desperately. Akane narrowed her eyes curiously and moved to investigate. She picked up the umbrella, with effort. She certainly wasn't strong enough to use it one-handed.
~Ryouga,~ Akane thought. ~Swings this with one hand!~ She glanced out at the fight and gasped. ~This is no even match!~ She dropped the umbrella and
turned full towards the fight.
"RANMA!!" She shouted. "Don't stay in close with him!! Stay out of his reach!" As she shouted Ryouga launched another open-handed attack. Again Ranma dodged, but this time a line opened up on his face. Ryouga laughed once as the blood started to trickle.
"You CUT me!" Ranma snapped angrily. "That DOES it! You want a fight you got it!"
Back to Martial Artists and Mayhem: Third Edition