Wanderer D
19th December 2003, 02:00 AM
Well... I just sat down after sending the other one
and wrote this... hope you guys like it.
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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: RP04.txt
-- Desc: RP04.txt
Ranma the Patryn
Disclaimer: Read the previous chapters. It's there.
Author's rant: Well, here's another chapter of Ranma the Patryn! It
feels good to be working on this, believe you me!
-WD
Chapter 4 - Lost Worlds
by Wanderer D (wandererd@hotmail.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"So, how is our young man faring?" Urd asked, walking to stand next to
Belldandy. They both stared down from where they floated at a huge lake
beneath them. As they stared the whole of the lake beneath them glowed
and they could see the image of Ranma walking out of his house.
"He's doing well. He has grown in wisdom and knowledge." Belldandy
intoned, then smiled sweetly as she turned to look at Urd. "And he's
already found love!"
Urd smiled. "Interesting. It will soon be time for him to decide, you
know?"
Belldandy's smile faded a little. "I have faith in him, Urd. I think he
will make the right choice. And his friends and family will help him."
Urd nodded, then followed her sister as they flew away and the lake
slowly returned to normal and the light faded and darkness obscured it
from view.
***
Ambereye growled as he sunk his jaws on the long neck of the other
Blood Dragon. She gurgled as blood flowed into her throat and started
trashing about but the male dragon didn't let go, instead, he racked
her wings and back with his claws before stabbing her back, his tail
intertwined with hers for a moment in the deathly embrace as her
ruby eyes opened wider for just a few seconds before they rolled back.
Her body slumped and Ambereye didn't even blink as he tightened his
jaws and snapped her neck. He let go of her then and as soon as her
body hit the ground he started eating her.
She had thought he would be weaker after his lair had been brought
down, and she had thought he would be easy pray. She had come in the
dead of the night, looking for him, and attacking him while he pretended
to be asleep.
When she discovered that he was neither asleep nor week she had scrambled
away, trying to hide and had unwittingly led him to her own lair.
There, he had made his presence known by challenging her and then
fought to the death.
Blood Dragons ate each other after combat. Or they did. It was a way of
honouring your opponent if it had been worthy. Dragon blood made the
scales darker, the blood purer and stronger. It was a rite of
purification for Blood Dragons that followed their traditions. Ambereye
had no doubt that if he had fallen... she would had left his carcass to
decay.
After finishing up his bloody feast, he used his magic to absorb whatever
Blood Dragon essence was left. A red mist emerged from the remains of the
dragon, and seeped into him. When it was over, there was nothing more
than a squeleton left, and all the knowledge that she had was now his
to do with as he saw fit.
As he flew into his new lair, he spared a moment of thought to Ranma,
the only being that had drank his blood and lived to tell the tale. He
had felt the boy's power in his blood, and he was sure his own blood
had planted the seed of the Blood Dragon in young Ranma. It was a
matter of time before he would be tested.
The dragon snorted. Ranma would fail. No Patryn could survive long after
drinking Dragon's Blood. Well, they could, he thought amused. But none
had survived long enough to know what would happen with such a powerful
bond.
***
"Ixar." Ramu said as soon as Ranma had entered the town hall. "How
fortunate you could join us." he glared at Ranma as the young boy took
his seat next to his party of Rescuers.
Ranma looked around. The hall was bursting with people. Sartan and
Patryn had come to see the trial. All the prisoners that had survived
were there, and surprisingly enough, one of the Dragons of Pryan stood
behind the council.
The council. Ranma almost flinched as he took in Haplo's and Marit's
faces. Alfred was also dead serious, his brooding slim figure silently
assessing the young man. Ramu was pure contained fury.
Ranma felt Rue's hand on his shoulder, and he put his own hand over
hers drawing strength from her presence. On his left, Hugh and Rena
smiled at him sportingly while Aghathar gave him a nod and a smile
from his seat among Ramu's group of Sartan.
"Now we shall hear the leader of this particular group of Rescuers."
Balthazar intoned from his place in the center of the council.
"Tell us, Ixar," Vasu said as Balthazar sat down. "Why did you decide
to go to the Blood Dragon's lair? It is commendable to try and save
our fellow Sartan and Patryn, but a member of the council has disputed
your right at leadership for risking the lives of your group."
Self consciously, Ranma stood and addressed the council.
"I had no choice in the matter, it was either leave them to their luck
or rescuing them, the Dragon of Pryan that came with the group of
Rescuers captured asked me to save them, and I gave my word." he then
stepped back as Ramu stood up.
"Agreed on that point. That is clear to all present. But why and how
were you able to strike a deal with that Blood Dragon? If you had lost
your little bet you would have become a prisoner of the creature and
guaranteed the death of everyone, including your group!" He glared at
Ranma, then continued. "If taking unnecessary risks is going to be your
motto you cannot be a leader! If the situation was as dire as it was
you should have left the others behind and search for a group of more
experienced Rescuers!"
"What?!" Ranma shouted. "That Dragon had already killed three Patryn!
He was going to start his experiment with the Sartan! Then he would
have killed them all before anyone here went for them! If I didn't
strike that deal then they would all have died!"
Ramu's eyes turned to slits as anger built up in him. "There are too
many points to discuss, Ixar. You made a pact with a Blood Dragon, you
spoke in HIS language. Your pact was a BET with almost impossible odds
set against you for the lives of everyone there. If you had lost I
have no doubt your rag tag group of Rescuers would have died. My son,
Haplo's daughter, and Alfred’s two kids would have shared your fate."
At that moment Aghathar stood up. "Father! I can't believe what I'm
hearing! How is my life or Ixar's or Rue's more important than anyone
else's?"
Ramu glared at him, and one of his fellow Sartan put his hand on
Aghathar’s shoulder, whispering for him to stop. But Aghathar remained
standing and staring defiantly.
Rue also spoke up, her eyes straying to her mother. "That's true! Any
Rescuer can repeat what our trainers drilled into us! Our lives are
important, true, but if we are not willing to risk ourselves to save
others then why go into the labyrinth!" Merit, seating on the Council
smirked and nodded at her daughter, and Rue stopped talking in
surprise.
Hugh took it as his signal to speak. "Ixar couldn't have pulled this
off alone! We all agreed to go, he didn't force us, he was just as
scared as everyone else! If he hadn't created that distraction, we
would have been found!"
Alfred smiled at his son proudly, and his smile became a wider grin
when he saw Rena about to speak.
Rena also stood up. "And even without Ixar, our duty would have been
to do as much as possible to help them!" She waved her hand at the
Patryn and Sartan they had rescued. "The advantage we had over anyone
else is that out of all the Rescuer groups we don't use our power to
overwhelm, we use it as a team." Her eyes left Alfred's and stopped on
Ramu. "Sartan and Patryn, and proud to be together."
"So do not make the mistake of thinking that Ixar is a poor choice for
a leader, father." Aghathar said proudly, stepping off from where he
was standing and walking in front of everyone to stand by Ranma and
the others. "He has the heart, will and courage to lead us. And we
follow him because we trust him."
"THAT WILL BE ENOUGH!" Ramu shouted pointing an accusing finger at
the group.
"I agree." Haplo stated, making Ramu look at him in confusion, anger
forgotten. "We have heard the accounts of everyone present but Ixar's.
We have heard his reasons, and heard what his group had to say. I think
I have heard enough, Ramu, to make our decision."
Ramu was not happy at being interrupted, but nodded. "Indeed. Ixar is
not to be the leader." He said, and sat down.
"I couldn't be more proud of all of them, they are an example to all
runners and rescuers." Merit said. "I say Ixar stays."
"I am amazed at how quickly my son and daughter have reached maturity
enough to asses the situations they face and learn to live with the
consequences of their actions. If indeed Ixar is to blame in part for
that... I can only thank him. I say Ixar remains."
"Ixar stays." Haplo said.
Balthazar and Vasu had been talking as the others spoke, and at last
Balthazar stood up. He addressed the crowd. "Sartan, Patryn! You have
heard what the parents of those involved have said. All save one find
no objection to Ixar being the leader of that group. Under normal
circumstances all this matter would have been arranged by the Council
in private. But the exception was made because the children of the
members of the council are directly involved. Rescuers deal with the
dangerous mission of going back into the Labyrinth to look for
survivors, as we know the Labyrinth is becoming more dangerous by the
second. Generations of Patryn are trapped within, along with the
descendants of the Sartan that were imprisoned there long ago. The
leader of each group has to deal with many things, among them, making
sure his group survives. I believe that Ixar has proven that he has
these abilities. To survive, to fight, to risk and to save. It is my
and Vasu's decision that Ixar remains the leader of this group."
There was some applause and cheers at that, and Vasu stood up. "Even
though, it has to be clear that Ixar still is very impetuous, and that
he should learn to think things through before risking everything in
a bet." he looked at Ranma sternly. "But as Rena also said, they are
an example of what we as a community of Patryn and Sartan hope to
become. THAT is why this meeting was open to all. That we might learn
a little and work together. That will be all."
Ranma slumped back into his seat. "Man, I HATE being used as an example!
I feel dirty. Bleh."
Rue smiled and sat next to him as people started walking out. She
grabbed his hand. "I know, Ixar, but father and the others always
mention us and your parents when there's a discussion of Sartan and
Patryn living together. You know that most of the Patryn that arrive
by themselves have been feeding their will from hatred of the Sartan."
Ranma nodded as he watched Alfred leave with his son and daughter. He
squeezed Rue's hand a little, drawing strength from her. "I just hate
it. It makes everything we do look like a race for fame rather than
saving the others."
He then noticed the Dragon of Pryan looking at him knowingly. There
was something familiar about him, but he just couldn't put his finger
on it.
Rue stood up and pulled him out of his chair. Ranma gave the dragon
one last look before leaving with her.
***
Urd stared at the lake under her as it showed her Ranma and Rue making
love. Under normal circumstances she would have rather enjoyed the show
and would have silently congratulated Ranma.
But she was not peeking at them out of voyeuristic impulses. She had
seen everything that had transpired since Ranma woke up. In fact, she
was so deep in thought that she didn't register what they were doing.
As a Goddess of Time she knew what was going to happen to HER world. It
was another reality altogether, but the results would be the same...
Just then she snapped out of her thoughts as something drifted past her
and slowly spiralled to the lake. The images faded as the pointed, grey
and much abused hat sent ripples on the water as it alighted there.
"Oh, my." A voice said from the side of the lake. "I seem to have lost
my hat."
She turned in the air, and curious, picked up the hat and floated to
where she had heard the voice come from.
"Now, where could it be?!" She looked down at a very old man with a
long white beard, dressed in a faded grey tunic held in place by a
belt full of pouches looked around miserably, stomping around the small
area.
She floated down next to him and touched him in the shoulder. "The old
man whirled in place and stared at her with huge eyes. "AAAAAAH!"
"WAAAAH!" Urd shouted back in surprised, then, becoming angry with
herself and feeling stupid for being scared, she glared at him. "What
are you doing here?"
The old man had a hand on his chest and was breathing rapidly. He eyed
her warily. "I could ask the same, young girl! What is the idea of
scaring your elders like that! You could have given me a heart attack!"
He scolded her, waving his walking staff above his head.
Urd sighed. "Sorry. My mistake. Now," She gave him the hat. "I would
like to know how you got here, this is a place for g-"
"MY HAT!" the old man shouted in glee, taking it from her hands and
putting it on his head, shutting his eyes and pulling down tightly for
good measure. The result was that he pulled the brim of the hat over
his eyes. "Ack! Struck blind by the gods!" he said in awe.
Urd closed her eyes and started counting to ten. Slowly. The old man
walked hesitantly around, hands stretched forth and searching. "Are you
there, girl? What is a blind old man going to do without guidance?!"
Urd opened her eyes and glared at him.
"Maybe I should get a dog!" he said, stopping abruptly, as soon as the
idea came to his mind. "One of those... Collie dogs? Like... Lassie?!"
"Listen old man," Urd started.
"Lassie! Is that you?! Oh my! I knew you were smart, but I didn't know
you could speak! Do you know how to read too?" the old man sighed
sadly. "I cannot read now, Lassie, so if you know how to read, then can
you do this old man a favor and read aloud my copy of 'You only live
twice'?"
"OLD MAN I AM NOT LASSIE!" Urd shouted, plucking his hat from his head.
"I CAN SEE!" the old man shouted, impressed. "It seems I won't be
needing you after all, Lassie!" He said happily. "But, here let me give
you a Scooby snack... Lassie?" The old man looked around and his
shoulders sagged. "She's gone. Oh well..."
"Listen old man, I'm taking you out of here, this is no place for
mortals." Urd declared.
"I am not 'Old Man', young lady. I have a name!" the man declared.
"Okay, what is your name then?" Urd asked, making ready to jump him
and tie him up so she could drag him out.
"My name is..." the man stopped. "I am... hmm... Bond."
Urd blink-blinked. "Bond?"
"James Bond." the man clarified.
"You are not James Bond!" Urd accused, forgetting her plan.
"Yes I am! I can prove it!" the old man insisted, then started
searching on his robes. "Where's that gun Q made for me?" he muttered.
When he couldn't find it, he tried another tactic. "Well, I can't find
that gun, but you said yourself that I shouldn't be here, right?"
"Yes." Urd answered, nodding.
"Then that proves I'm Bond." the man said triumphantly.
"That doesn't- It's..." Urd sighed. "Okay, Mr. Bond, you have just
admitted that you shouldn't be here, so, now that your business is
complete, you should leave."
"Oh, no dear, I have business here of the utmost importance!" The old
man argued. "Her majesty herself sent me on this errand. I am looking
for Urd."
"That-... you're looking for me?"
"No, Urd. What kind of name is 'me' anyway?"
Urd gritted her teeth. "I AM URD!"
The old man blink-blinked then smiled. "Ah! I have finally found you,
my dear. Then this is for you." He pulled out an envelope and gave it
to her.
Urd took the red envelope and was about to open it when the old man
interrupted her. "The message will destroy itself after you've read
it." he said helpfully.
Urd nodded absently and ripped the side to take out the letter. As
soon as she put her hand on it if flared and only ashes remained.
"..." Urd stared at the ashes.
"Ahem." the old man coughed into his hand, he was clearly embarrassed.
"Right. Q told me that might happen. Here." he produced another
envelope this one blue. "This one won't blow up or anything, but you
will have to get rid of the evidence by yourself."
Urd glared at him then concentrated on opening the envelope. Nothing
happened. She took the letter out and read it. Then read it again.
"Hey, this is-" she half-shouted, turning around to confront the old
man, but there was no-one there.
She gasped and looked around. Nope. No old man. No hat. Nothing. She
looked down at the letter.
"Ranma can change that destiny. You just have to dare." she read
out loud again. "Signed F. the Magnificent."
"Mr. Bond?" she asked into the dark air, but no-one answered.
***
End Chapter 3
***
Next: Xar-Drax
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and wrote this... hope you guys like it.
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
http://photos.yahoo.com/
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: RP04.txt
-- Desc: RP04.txt
Ranma the Patryn
Disclaimer: Read the previous chapters. It's there.
Author's rant: Well, here's another chapter of Ranma the Patryn! It
feels good to be working on this, believe you me!
-WD
Chapter 4 - Lost Worlds
by Wanderer D (wandererd@hotmail.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"So, how is our young man faring?" Urd asked, walking to stand next to
Belldandy. They both stared down from where they floated at a huge lake
beneath them. As they stared the whole of the lake beneath them glowed
and they could see the image of Ranma walking out of his house.
"He's doing well. He has grown in wisdom and knowledge." Belldandy
intoned, then smiled sweetly as she turned to look at Urd. "And he's
already found love!"
Urd smiled. "Interesting. It will soon be time for him to decide, you
know?"
Belldandy's smile faded a little. "I have faith in him, Urd. I think he
will make the right choice. And his friends and family will help him."
Urd nodded, then followed her sister as they flew away and the lake
slowly returned to normal and the light faded and darkness obscured it
from view.
***
Ambereye growled as he sunk his jaws on the long neck of the other
Blood Dragon. She gurgled as blood flowed into her throat and started
trashing about but the male dragon didn't let go, instead, he racked
her wings and back with his claws before stabbing her back, his tail
intertwined with hers for a moment in the deathly embrace as her
ruby eyes opened wider for just a few seconds before they rolled back.
Her body slumped and Ambereye didn't even blink as he tightened his
jaws and snapped her neck. He let go of her then and as soon as her
body hit the ground he started eating her.
She had thought he would be weaker after his lair had been brought
down, and she had thought he would be easy pray. She had come in the
dead of the night, looking for him, and attacking him while he pretended
to be asleep.
When she discovered that he was neither asleep nor week she had scrambled
away, trying to hide and had unwittingly led him to her own lair.
There, he had made his presence known by challenging her and then
fought to the death.
Blood Dragons ate each other after combat. Or they did. It was a way of
honouring your opponent if it had been worthy. Dragon blood made the
scales darker, the blood purer and stronger. It was a rite of
purification for Blood Dragons that followed their traditions. Ambereye
had no doubt that if he had fallen... she would had left his carcass to
decay.
After finishing up his bloody feast, he used his magic to absorb whatever
Blood Dragon essence was left. A red mist emerged from the remains of the
dragon, and seeped into him. When it was over, there was nothing more
than a squeleton left, and all the knowledge that she had was now his
to do with as he saw fit.
As he flew into his new lair, he spared a moment of thought to Ranma,
the only being that had drank his blood and lived to tell the tale. He
had felt the boy's power in his blood, and he was sure his own blood
had planted the seed of the Blood Dragon in young Ranma. It was a
matter of time before he would be tested.
The dragon snorted. Ranma would fail. No Patryn could survive long after
drinking Dragon's Blood. Well, they could, he thought amused. But none
had survived long enough to know what would happen with such a powerful
bond.
***
"Ixar." Ramu said as soon as Ranma had entered the town hall. "How
fortunate you could join us." he glared at Ranma as the young boy took
his seat next to his party of Rescuers.
Ranma looked around. The hall was bursting with people. Sartan and
Patryn had come to see the trial. All the prisoners that had survived
were there, and surprisingly enough, one of the Dragons of Pryan stood
behind the council.
The council. Ranma almost flinched as he took in Haplo's and Marit's
faces. Alfred was also dead serious, his brooding slim figure silently
assessing the young man. Ramu was pure contained fury.
Ranma felt Rue's hand on his shoulder, and he put his own hand over
hers drawing strength from her presence. On his left, Hugh and Rena
smiled at him sportingly while Aghathar gave him a nod and a smile
from his seat among Ramu's group of Sartan.
"Now we shall hear the leader of this particular group of Rescuers."
Balthazar intoned from his place in the center of the council.
"Tell us, Ixar," Vasu said as Balthazar sat down. "Why did you decide
to go to the Blood Dragon's lair? It is commendable to try and save
our fellow Sartan and Patryn, but a member of the council has disputed
your right at leadership for risking the lives of your group."
Self consciously, Ranma stood and addressed the council.
"I had no choice in the matter, it was either leave them to their luck
or rescuing them, the Dragon of Pryan that came with the group of
Rescuers captured asked me to save them, and I gave my word." he then
stepped back as Ramu stood up.
"Agreed on that point. That is clear to all present. But why and how
were you able to strike a deal with that Blood Dragon? If you had lost
your little bet you would have become a prisoner of the creature and
guaranteed the death of everyone, including your group!" He glared at
Ranma, then continued. "If taking unnecessary risks is going to be your
motto you cannot be a leader! If the situation was as dire as it was
you should have left the others behind and search for a group of more
experienced Rescuers!"
"What?!" Ranma shouted. "That Dragon had already killed three Patryn!
He was going to start his experiment with the Sartan! Then he would
have killed them all before anyone here went for them! If I didn't
strike that deal then they would all have died!"
Ramu's eyes turned to slits as anger built up in him. "There are too
many points to discuss, Ixar. You made a pact with a Blood Dragon, you
spoke in HIS language. Your pact was a BET with almost impossible odds
set against you for the lives of everyone there. If you had lost I
have no doubt your rag tag group of Rescuers would have died. My son,
Haplo's daughter, and Alfred’s two kids would have shared your fate."
At that moment Aghathar stood up. "Father! I can't believe what I'm
hearing! How is my life or Ixar's or Rue's more important than anyone
else's?"
Ramu glared at him, and one of his fellow Sartan put his hand on
Aghathar’s shoulder, whispering for him to stop. But Aghathar remained
standing and staring defiantly.
Rue also spoke up, her eyes straying to her mother. "That's true! Any
Rescuer can repeat what our trainers drilled into us! Our lives are
important, true, but if we are not willing to risk ourselves to save
others then why go into the labyrinth!" Merit, seating on the Council
smirked and nodded at her daughter, and Rue stopped talking in
surprise.
Hugh took it as his signal to speak. "Ixar couldn't have pulled this
off alone! We all agreed to go, he didn't force us, he was just as
scared as everyone else! If he hadn't created that distraction, we
would have been found!"
Alfred smiled at his son proudly, and his smile became a wider grin
when he saw Rena about to speak.
Rena also stood up. "And even without Ixar, our duty would have been
to do as much as possible to help them!" She waved her hand at the
Patryn and Sartan they had rescued. "The advantage we had over anyone
else is that out of all the Rescuer groups we don't use our power to
overwhelm, we use it as a team." Her eyes left Alfred's and stopped on
Ramu. "Sartan and Patryn, and proud to be together."
"So do not make the mistake of thinking that Ixar is a poor choice for
a leader, father." Aghathar said proudly, stepping off from where he
was standing and walking in front of everyone to stand by Ranma and
the others. "He has the heart, will and courage to lead us. And we
follow him because we trust him."
"THAT WILL BE ENOUGH!" Ramu shouted pointing an accusing finger at
the group.
"I agree." Haplo stated, making Ramu look at him in confusion, anger
forgotten. "We have heard the accounts of everyone present but Ixar's.
We have heard his reasons, and heard what his group had to say. I think
I have heard enough, Ramu, to make our decision."
Ramu was not happy at being interrupted, but nodded. "Indeed. Ixar is
not to be the leader." He said, and sat down.
"I couldn't be more proud of all of them, they are an example to all
runners and rescuers." Merit said. "I say Ixar stays."
"I am amazed at how quickly my son and daughter have reached maturity
enough to asses the situations they face and learn to live with the
consequences of their actions. If indeed Ixar is to blame in part for
that... I can only thank him. I say Ixar remains."
"Ixar stays." Haplo said.
Balthazar and Vasu had been talking as the others spoke, and at last
Balthazar stood up. He addressed the crowd. "Sartan, Patryn! You have
heard what the parents of those involved have said. All save one find
no objection to Ixar being the leader of that group. Under normal
circumstances all this matter would have been arranged by the Council
in private. But the exception was made because the children of the
members of the council are directly involved. Rescuers deal with the
dangerous mission of going back into the Labyrinth to look for
survivors, as we know the Labyrinth is becoming more dangerous by the
second. Generations of Patryn are trapped within, along with the
descendants of the Sartan that were imprisoned there long ago. The
leader of each group has to deal with many things, among them, making
sure his group survives. I believe that Ixar has proven that he has
these abilities. To survive, to fight, to risk and to save. It is my
and Vasu's decision that Ixar remains the leader of this group."
There was some applause and cheers at that, and Vasu stood up. "Even
though, it has to be clear that Ixar still is very impetuous, and that
he should learn to think things through before risking everything in
a bet." he looked at Ranma sternly. "But as Rena also said, they are
an example of what we as a community of Patryn and Sartan hope to
become. THAT is why this meeting was open to all. That we might learn
a little and work together. That will be all."
Ranma slumped back into his seat. "Man, I HATE being used as an example!
I feel dirty. Bleh."
Rue smiled and sat next to him as people started walking out. She
grabbed his hand. "I know, Ixar, but father and the others always
mention us and your parents when there's a discussion of Sartan and
Patryn living together. You know that most of the Patryn that arrive
by themselves have been feeding their will from hatred of the Sartan."
Ranma nodded as he watched Alfred leave with his son and daughter. He
squeezed Rue's hand a little, drawing strength from her. "I just hate
it. It makes everything we do look like a race for fame rather than
saving the others."
He then noticed the Dragon of Pryan looking at him knowingly. There
was something familiar about him, but he just couldn't put his finger
on it.
Rue stood up and pulled him out of his chair. Ranma gave the dragon
one last look before leaving with her.
***
Urd stared at the lake under her as it showed her Ranma and Rue making
love. Under normal circumstances she would have rather enjoyed the show
and would have silently congratulated Ranma.
But she was not peeking at them out of voyeuristic impulses. She had
seen everything that had transpired since Ranma woke up. In fact, she
was so deep in thought that she didn't register what they were doing.
As a Goddess of Time she knew what was going to happen to HER world. It
was another reality altogether, but the results would be the same...
Just then she snapped out of her thoughts as something drifted past her
and slowly spiralled to the lake. The images faded as the pointed, grey
and much abused hat sent ripples on the water as it alighted there.
"Oh, my." A voice said from the side of the lake. "I seem to have lost
my hat."
She turned in the air, and curious, picked up the hat and floated to
where she had heard the voice come from.
"Now, where could it be?!" She looked down at a very old man with a
long white beard, dressed in a faded grey tunic held in place by a
belt full of pouches looked around miserably, stomping around the small
area.
She floated down next to him and touched him in the shoulder. "The old
man whirled in place and stared at her with huge eyes. "AAAAAAH!"
"WAAAAH!" Urd shouted back in surprised, then, becoming angry with
herself and feeling stupid for being scared, she glared at him. "What
are you doing here?"
The old man had a hand on his chest and was breathing rapidly. He eyed
her warily. "I could ask the same, young girl! What is the idea of
scaring your elders like that! You could have given me a heart attack!"
He scolded her, waving his walking staff above his head.
Urd sighed. "Sorry. My mistake. Now," She gave him the hat. "I would
like to know how you got here, this is a place for g-"
"MY HAT!" the old man shouted in glee, taking it from her hands and
putting it on his head, shutting his eyes and pulling down tightly for
good measure. The result was that he pulled the brim of the hat over
his eyes. "Ack! Struck blind by the gods!" he said in awe.
Urd closed her eyes and started counting to ten. Slowly. The old man
walked hesitantly around, hands stretched forth and searching. "Are you
there, girl? What is a blind old man going to do without guidance?!"
Urd opened her eyes and glared at him.
"Maybe I should get a dog!" he said, stopping abruptly, as soon as the
idea came to his mind. "One of those... Collie dogs? Like... Lassie?!"
"Listen old man," Urd started.
"Lassie! Is that you?! Oh my! I knew you were smart, but I didn't know
you could speak! Do you know how to read too?" the old man sighed
sadly. "I cannot read now, Lassie, so if you know how to read, then can
you do this old man a favor and read aloud my copy of 'You only live
twice'?"
"OLD MAN I AM NOT LASSIE!" Urd shouted, plucking his hat from his head.
"I CAN SEE!" the old man shouted, impressed. "It seems I won't be
needing you after all, Lassie!" He said happily. "But, here let me give
you a Scooby snack... Lassie?" The old man looked around and his
shoulders sagged. "She's gone. Oh well..."
"Listen old man, I'm taking you out of here, this is no place for
mortals." Urd declared.
"I am not 'Old Man', young lady. I have a name!" the man declared.
"Okay, what is your name then?" Urd asked, making ready to jump him
and tie him up so she could drag him out.
"My name is..." the man stopped. "I am... hmm... Bond."
Urd blink-blinked. "Bond?"
"James Bond." the man clarified.
"You are not James Bond!" Urd accused, forgetting her plan.
"Yes I am! I can prove it!" the old man insisted, then started
searching on his robes. "Where's that gun Q made for me?" he muttered.
When he couldn't find it, he tried another tactic. "Well, I can't find
that gun, but you said yourself that I shouldn't be here, right?"
"Yes." Urd answered, nodding.
"Then that proves I'm Bond." the man said triumphantly.
"That doesn't- It's..." Urd sighed. "Okay, Mr. Bond, you have just
admitted that you shouldn't be here, so, now that your business is
complete, you should leave."
"Oh, no dear, I have business here of the utmost importance!" The old
man argued. "Her majesty herself sent me on this errand. I am looking
for Urd."
"That-... you're looking for me?"
"No, Urd. What kind of name is 'me' anyway?"
Urd gritted her teeth. "I AM URD!"
The old man blink-blinked then smiled. "Ah! I have finally found you,
my dear. Then this is for you." He pulled out an envelope and gave it
to her.
Urd took the red envelope and was about to open it when the old man
interrupted her. "The message will destroy itself after you've read
it." he said helpfully.
Urd nodded absently and ripped the side to take out the letter. As
soon as she put her hand on it if flared and only ashes remained.
"..." Urd stared at the ashes.
"Ahem." the old man coughed into his hand, he was clearly embarrassed.
"Right. Q told me that might happen. Here." he produced another
envelope this one blue. "This one won't blow up or anything, but you
will have to get rid of the evidence by yourself."
Urd glared at him then concentrated on opening the envelope. Nothing
happened. She took the letter out and read it. Then read it again.
"Hey, this is-" she half-shouted, turning around to confront the old
man, but there was no-one there.
She gasped and looked around. Nope. No old man. No hat. Nothing. She
looked down at the letter.
"Ranma can change that destiny. You just have to dare." she read
out loud again. "Signed F. the Magnificent."
"Mr. Bond?" she asked into the dark air, but no-one answered.
***
End Chapter 3
***
Next: Xar-Drax
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