The child and the slime did not seem perturbed in anyway by Ranma's sudden loud outburst of incredulity. In fact the child with angel wings merely yawned and stretched her little body arching her back.
Raphtalia was up in an instant hands flailing for a katana that was no longer belted to her side, "Master what's….." she tried of at seeing the source of his confusion.
The blond girl opened her utterly piercing blue eyes that seemed to bore through him and the radiant smile that had been on her sleeping face reappeared. "Master!" she squealed bumping her head against his happily. "...Firo?"
She nodded and Ranma set up, Suu morphing into her busty humanoid form "Firo" she said as she looked down at the blond child.
"Suu!" the girl shouted wiggling out of Ranma's arms and leaping onto the slime girl to give her a hug.
"Firo" the slime said again, though her tone was softer, more gentle.
Ranma just sat there in a stunned sort of silence "M-m-master" Raphtalia said "What did you do?"
His mouth opened and closed several times "I didn't do anything"
"But Firo was a bird?"
"I don't have a shield or power that can do that, and my curse only works on me."
A light weight his his back as Firo reached around his neck and hugged him tightly "Now Firo can love on master just like Suu and Nee-san"
Ranma just sat there stunned by those words "...Raphatalia am I a bad person" he asked
"No master I'm quite sure this is you just you being you."
"Master, master" Firo said getting his attention "Watch this" She focused in the cute way only kids can do and magic flared as her body shifted back into her Phiol Rial form "Firo can transform at will" she told him.
Ranma just stared as a Suu's hand patted him across the head in a comforting way "I wonder what would happen if I adopted a pet rock?" he said aloud. Then he shivered "Better not to find out." Now how was he going to keep a shape shifting Philo Rial dressed if she decided to shift to human.
Speaking of shapeshifting Firo shifted down again into human form, and now he needed shapeshifting clothing, empty night where was he supposed to find something like that.
Hum...magic might be the answer, Illusion magic was a branch of spells all its own. But he knew nothing of that, having decided to focus on the battle magic more. Raphtalia was not quite done with her language lessons yet but she soon would be.
"If only I had an item that could cast illusions" he said out loud.
"What Master" Raphtalia asked.
He pointed at Firo who jumped at him causing him to catch her as she bumped heads with him again "Clothing is going to be an issue and I'm pretty sure there are no shapeshifting cloths readily available. I was thinking illusion magic could solve that for a time."
"You have Morrigan's Erring of Exhibition I don't see why you won't use that boy" They jumped startled surprise as the Katana spoke.
"What" Ranma said.
"*sigh* the Earring of Morrigan boy, that is what the thing literally does. You never knew if the Queen of Succubi was clothed or not. Plus she was a bit of an exibitionist and got a lot of thrills from walking around naked, it also allowed her to always be at the height of fashion when she wished that thing could create any sort of illusion clothing."
"...that is utterly terrifying... and how do you know that?"
The Katana snickered and the voice vanished, Ranma frowned and went to his pack reaching down to the bottom where another pack had been placed and opening that bag to pull out an obsidian earring.
"Well at least its not a charm artifact" he muttered, before he could think better of it he clipped it to his ear hissing as bite of pain. He stalked over to pool of water "Ok so I'm betting that if I think"
Suddenly the image of him wearing his old clothing from his world," Well that was easy"
He unclipped it "Hey Firo we need to have a talk"
"About what Master?"
It took half a day, one battle of dominance(Ranma won) and a well cooked meal and a kiss and threatening to sick Suu's tentacles on her to convince Firo to make the illusion of clothing when ever she sifted. Generally she wore the clothing she has seen him create but usually in shades of white and pink.
But with that done the got moving around the afternoon, Firo preferred to travel in monster from but occasionally when she felt Raphatalia and Suu were getting too much of has attention she would shift down to human form and demand attention. It really was not as bad as it sounded.
"Master!, Master!" Firo suddenly squealed. They had just reached a the Frontier town called Archon's Pass, oddly enough it was below a mountain pass of the same name. A wooden wagon rumbled by "Yes"
She pointed at the passing wagon "I want one"
*blink* "You want a wagon?"
She bounced like a child on a sugar high "Yes,Yes,Yes"
"Ok why?"
She gave him a look as if that was the stupidest question on the face of the earth "Because I want to pull it of course."
"...ok….I'll….put that on the to do list."
Firo nodded happily "Yay"
Several people noted their entrance, those several became everyone as the caught sight of Suu gliding along beside them. Well it was not like they planned on staying or anything,the road merely lead through it.
"Sir, Sir" a voice called.
Ranma turned to see who was calling them, a man who seemed to have no interest in Suu whatsoever was calling them. "Yes?"
"Sir did you happen to see the medical pelder on your way here?"
Ranma shook his head, the man looked almost panicked and very scared...but not for himself.
"What's wrong, maybe I can help." The man gave him a desperate look "My mother, she's sick and with her getting on in years she is not doing well. Do you have medical training?"
Medicine, that was what he had been forgetting to work on. "Not much but I do have some...magic that might help."
"I, I don't have much"
Ranma waved it off "I'm not charging anything, lead the way."
The man led them to a well built cozy house where he opened the door and glanced back "Can you companions wait outside please?"
Ranma nodded and turned to Firo "You listen to Raphtalia you understand the bird gave him a pouty look "Yes master"
Behind him the man jumped in surprise at the shock of the birds speech "Suu?"
*bloop*
"Ok you got it"
"Got it" she repeated.
Ranma shifted his shield to the Reiki Shield and stopped suddenly "Wait a minute" he called up the status window and began to move around proficiency points from his lesser shields to the Reiki Shield.
The shield color changed as veins of glowing white veins to weave like veins of blood across the shield.
True Power Unsealed: Ki Molding(Enhanced), Medical Bonus (Large), Special Ability: Ki Healing Bonus Based on Intelligence(Large)
"Ok healing enhanced by intelligence, that only meant one thing"
"I apologize for this" He told the villager man "But it will make it much easier for me to heal you mother" He took out a flask of water and dumped it over his head.
She shook her head as the cause to effect and walked past the stuttering villiger, his mother was lying on her bed, find white hair falling in an almost regal way about her head. She was coughing and pale but her eyes were sharp and determined. She was going going down without of fight, Ranma walked up to her "*Cough* who are you?"
"Someone here to help thats all" Ranma gently took her hand and focused her ki, what happened next was intense. The last time she had done this her healing had been to either replace what had been lost or destroy the hurt piece and replace it with a copy of her own that was what she had done with Raphtalia. Replaced her damaged lungs with perfect copies of her own far better and healthier lungs.
She had been able to tell the area which was affected but now her touch seemed to become a hundred times more sensitive. She, she saw what was happening in her mind eye, the festering poison of a spider bite tering its way through the bloodstream. Her ki raced along the veins of blood skipping good and healty cells and destroying and replacing only those infected or damaged. Before hand she would have had to destroy and replace all of it because she could not differentiate but now. It was like her ki was the perfect immune system for the body.
Her life force burned out the venom repairing damage done to the lungs, heart and liver with an almost impunitive ease. It didn't take long, not long at all. Ranma opened her eyes as she stood up, the old women took in a cleansing breath with no sign of coughing.
Ranma turned away "She will be tired, if you can get her some meat, if not heavy soup will do. If all goes well she with be out of bed by tomorrow."
The villagers mouth was opening and closing "But you just touched her, for like five seconds what, what did you do?"
Ranma stepped out of the house "healing duh" Firo, Suu and Raphtalia were waiting and moved in step with her "What who are you" the man called after him.
Ranma paused she knew other heros had passed this way, and if Motoyasu had been one of them the prefix shield might not be a good idea. What did those soldiers call her? "Minerva" She called back before turning away, they had to make good time today if she wanted to get the training she had planned and with the women healed no point in sticking around. The guy would probably try to pay her with something and that would get awkward.
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The town quickly fell behind them as Ranma started them into a nice jogging pace, monsters sometimes accosted them but it generally ended within several seconds. If this kept up it would be only a week to Fuma and that was just fine.
"Master" Raphtalia said "I think someone is coming"
Sure enough ahead of them fifteen armed men ran out into the road in a hurry, they were lightly armored at best and that armor looked utterly pitiful. The weapons looked fair mostly of the lot having a sword brandished with a dagger at their sides. One who was slightly better armored than the others and had a large oaken shield stood grinning as Ranma and her companions halted.
"Well, well, well" the man said licking his lips "what do we have here."
Raphtalia rolled her eyes and muttered "This ought to be good"
"A redhead, a good looking subhuman bitch and...whatever the hell that is?"
"That's a slime girl boss, they aren't supposed to exist"
"Ok then a slime girl" His eyes flicked over Ranma "nice tits" he said with a grin "So ladies you have a problem here, you see we fine gentlemen make our livings appropriating supplies, money, etc from travelers."
"So you're thieves" Ranma said
"Careful girl otherwise daddies gonna have to spank you, but as I was saying we would like your valuables and since you no doubt want to live we want to use your bodies as well if you don't mind"
There was plenty of muttered agreement between the men behind the man Ranma rolled her shoulders and popped her neck. "I'm gonna have to decline the offer generous as it is. Raphtalia, Firo buy me some time please, Suu keep them off me."
Before the bandit leader could retort Ranma was already speaking "I am the hero of the shield who commands the origin of power"
"Magic!" the bandit leader yelled "Get the mage" Whatever else he was the man was competent enough to see danger. His men surged forward at his yell, and Raphtalia hit them. Her target tried to twist his sword down to block a slash aimed at his lower legs but was nowhere close. She stepped past him angling her blade downward to deflect a slash, in the instant the enemys blade slid of her own she wiped the katana round her in a perfect Watershed strike.
Firo's reached her first opponent and kicked out hard, sending an armored man blowing through his companions like a leaf. Two made it through the girls vicious assault to strike at Ranma before she could complete the spell but Suu hit them like a wave. Literally a wave, her body morphed into a large wave that that crashed upon the two attackers with the force of a truck going thirty.
Then the girls jumped back "I have read and deciphered the laws of nature. Rain flames upon my enemies!"
"Tzuvait ・Fire Squall!"
Flaming balls of power rained upon their attackers like the wrath of Kami himself, Ranma had been careful not to put anymore power in it than needed. But whatever Saffron had done to her made the raining flame a powerful force.
The rain stopped and Ranma surveyed the destruction, they were alive, toasted but alive, Raphtalia had not been striking to kill so her targets were living as well.
None of them were moving however it seemed the fight had been taking out of them along with most of their skin. "What do we do with the master?"
Ranma pulled out his map "There is a town not far from here I was planning on passing it up but it does have law enforcement. She glanced from the men lying on the ground to Firo then to her shield "I have an idea, Firo how would you like to pull something?"
If a slime girl that was not supposed to exist caught attention, a White Phio Rial pulling fifteen men encased in green crystal made that attention tenfold. Ranma went about putting up the ropes she had used to let Firo drag them along. The several knights stationed here seemed to be in a bit of a shock as the shield her dumped fifteen crystallized bandits in front of them. "These guys were holding up travelers on the road that way?" she pointed "You guys can deal with them right?
"Um, ya...thank you I think"
Ranma nodded "Good, I'll be off then."
"Wait miss who are you?"
"Nobody important" Ranma answered as she and her companions took their leave, night found them near the area Ranma hoped they would end up in so they stopped for the evening. After going hunting to fill the nearly insatiable Firo and Suu Ranma was able to get some good magic training in. Raphtalia on the other hand finished the last tests of the Rosetta Shield and could now officially read and write. Good thing he had bought some illusion magic books for her, Suu and Firo had a sort of sparring match in which both of them spent more time trying to outdo the other in ridiculous stunts. So far Suu was the winner, I mean if your body is an amorphous goo held in shape by your own will there are a lot of crazy stunts you can do.
On the other hand both took their training seriously or at least he hoped Suu was sometimes it was hard to tell with her. But anyway Ranma's wind magic training was going very well the intermittent book was almost mastered. She glanced at the bracelet on her wrist the one which had some effect on wind magic. So far nothing felt off when she wore it nor did the wind magic behave in a way it was not supposed to.
She had translated the writing on it but it did not make sense, it said roughly translated "To me thou who are lord of the ever free, wind that shrouds all, air that saves all. Come to me ruler of air, come to me, I who bear you mark ask your aid and blessing, my name is" and then nothing. Whoever had made this had not inscribed there name.
What was the point of this bracelet? Ranma did not know but she wore it anyway given how life generally worked out its purpose would come out one of these days. With a shake of her head Ranma turned to head back to camp, and bumped into Firo who was in human from.
"Hold me" She demanded jumping at him. Ranma obliged catching the girl and placing her on her hip.
"Firo likes when you hold her."
She paused for a second looking at the angel child "That...that makes me glad Firo" The child made a pleased sound as Ranma carried her back to the fire they had going. Suu saw them coming and morphed into a ball. Ranma sat down on it and it shaped itself to provide a comfortable seat. Then her head reformed from the neck out and rested on her shoulder that was not occupied by Firo.
"Thank you Suu"
The slime girl smiled back at him and made a pleased gurgling sound that caused bubbles to float out of her body and into the air. Through the fire Ranma could see its light fall upon Raphtalia who was going over a Katana from. The way the shadows seemed to dance with her body only made her look more beautiful almost otherworldly so.
For a moment she pondered the thought of home, did she even want to go back? That through should have made her gut clench in nausea but it did not. The real answer was no she did not want to go back to a world of mallets and angry demi gods. She would much rather deal with swords and demigods thank you very much.
People needed protecting here, her companions needed protecting and that was enough. To protect and love that was more than enough and something she had found very little of in the world before.
A wet sensation touched her cheek and she turned her head to meet Firo's piercing blue eyes, the child had kissed her on the cheek. "Master's mind does not need to wander, Master can stay right here."
Ranma ignored a clenching in her throat and the sudden moisture in her eyes, she closed them smiling "Thank you Firo"
"Master can stay, Suu, Firo, Raphtalia will not hurt master, not like them."
Ranma whirled around in shock "Suu?"
The Slime smiled at him and mimed up but that had definitely been her voice speaking,"Not like them?" How in the hell would she know about them.
There was the sound of a blade sheathing as Raphtalia finished her form, she walked over to them sweat glistening in the fire light "Suu?" she said in a questioning tone. The slime expanded to allow another seat, with she took sitting down and leaning her head against Ranma's shoulder.
No one said anything more, no one needed to, this was a good place to let silence lull them to sleep.
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About noon the next day they started coming across something weird according to the map they were about to pass through a village called Rocks Edge what the map did not tell her was that it was over run by plants. The wooden houses that were not simply imploded from the inside out by huge vines coming out of windows and in the center of down a sort of central plant growing in the town square. All this Ranma could see from the top of the hill, just outside the village. She could also make out a makeshift camp beside the the town itself. There were people there, haggard and tired and losing hope, the tone of was somber and almost desolate.
"Master" Raphtalia said, but she did not need to continue Ranma was already walking down "Suu" she called out.
The slime engulfed her body solidifying into the invisible armor she could become, the only notable distinction that anything was different was Suu's turquoise and yellow feeler was attached in a like a link between a point on her lower neck and the point of the brain stem.
People noticed as they entered the camp and tired eyes turned to them, Ranma glanced at one of the men "Who is in charge here?"
He blinked and pointed towards a oldish man sitting at a makeshift desk writing a letter. Ranma began to make her way to the man when the sound of soft crying twinged her ears. Orienting towards it she made her way through the camp to a rather shabby looking tent. Around it people were very obviously not looking at it, at the entrance lay a dog one several times larger than any earth dog. But besides that looked exactly like a border collie, it was lying listlessly at the front of the tent whimpering in a low tone.
The crying was coming from inside the tent so she stepped around the dog and slipped into the tent. A woman was kneeling with a small childs head on her lap, the child was coughing even though she was clearly passed out. "Who are you" the mother asked.
Ranma looked from her to the child "What happened?"
The woman hesitated "She tried to go back to our house," her fist clenched "She just wanted her doll back, we had to leave it behind. She ran off while I was distracted and," more tears trailed "And some of the plants turned into monsters and attached her, poised her, without Kara" she looked to the dog lying on the ground she would have died. But no one has any antidote and the only merchant who came through here refused to sell for the little I had." her voice became quite "She's dying and I can't help her."
The shield morphed into the Reiki Shield without any conscious thought on Ranma's part "I think not" Ranma said and touched the girls heart. Power rushed out and Ranma could sense the poisonous pollen that was in her lungs slowly choking off her airways and seeping into her blood. And like cleansing fire Ranma's ki burned it away both she and the child glowing for a brief second. Then it was done Ranma stood and smiled at the mother "She will be fine" as if her words were the key the Child's eyes opened at that exact moment.
She exited the tent as the mother and daughter exchanged embraces, pausing only to heal the dog as well she made her way back to the man who was supposedly in charge. Behind her people looked in on what had happened and voices began murmuring as the new spread like wildfire.
The man was already coming to meet her by the time she got back "I am Kreat," he waved his hand over the village "I used to be mayor of this place until, well until the plants took over, if you don't mind my asking who are you?"
Ranma paused for a brief moment in thought "A traveler"
They stared at each other for several long moments "What happened here?"
He did not answer for a moment "Our Village was experiencing a famine, we sent out a request for help and it was answered by the hero of the spear."
Oh boy, Ranma thought. "The hero gave us a miracle seed that had been sealed since the time of the previous hero's.
Ranma glanced at the overrun town "I wonder why it was sealed" she said in a deadpan voice.
The mayor sighed "At first it seemed like a godsend, the harvest was amazing and things began to look up. But soon it began to grow out of control, nothing we tried could kill it and then as if in response to our attempts it evolved into a monster."
Ranma sighed "That fits"
"I dont...I dont understand why a hero would do this to us." The mayor whispered "We treated him with the utmost respect, no one insulted him, no one."
"Wild guess he probably had no idea what the seed did besides grows really well"
"But he's a hero"
"Who is still mortal just like the rest of us."
"Ahhhhh" a scream echoed from within the town.
Ranma whirled towards the source "What the hell"
"Oh no," the Mayor sighed " Some adventurers said they were going to go in to try and raise their Level. I tried to stop them, but they didn't listen. That scream might have been coming from them."
The Mayor spent several seconds staring at Ranma waiting for an answer before the afterimage of her figure faded.
Three adventures were lying on the ground with four plant like monsters wrapping them up in vines. Two died in an instant the force of of Ranma's speed and blow tearing the upper halves of the monsters clean off.
On of the other two reacted with commendable speed and unleashed a blast of poisons gas. Suu shifted her from slime crawling up cover Ranma's eyes and nose filtering the poison out of the air she breathed. One kick annihilated the third plant and Suu's head Reformed on her shoulder and fired off a beam of ki from her mouth killing the last one.
Ranma grabbed the adventures and in several moments was out of the village. Firo and Raphtalia were both in the process of moving when she landed in front of them. "Welp" She said "We have a job to do to."
She dropped the adventures on the ground and pointed at the Mayor "You take care of these morons."
"Raphtalia, Firo with me" The girls fell into place Ranma popped her neck "Alright listen up this time around you two are going to be front line, I'm gonna use this opportunity to try out magic."
"Yes master" They both said
"Ya know I've given up on telling you not to call me that but never feel like you have to."
"Yes master" they both said again purely to annoy her.
The Tanuki and the Philo Rial advanced into the town with Ranma several steps behind a spell held at the ready. Around them vines wired and shifted, just beyond sight monsters got into position.
The vines struck like living things abruptly tearing themselves off walls and lashing out. Like a flash of darkness itself Raphtalia blurred into motion severing the striking plantlife with contemptuous ease. It was slightly more difficult for Firo to deal with the vines kicking them, no matter how much power was put into it did little. The best she could do was not get caught, that changed however when the actual plant monsters attacked with more mass on them and a solid mostly unbending form they were turned into green paste by the Philo Rial.
Ranma raised her hand and lighting from it began to strike the creatures around her, she would have preferred to use fire but burning down what was left of the village did not seem like a heroic thing to do. Her mouth moved a mile a minute chanting the words to spells that she had burned into her memory. At the command of one hand stone tore its way from the earth to slam into monsters, pits opened under their feet and violently closed shut. At the command of the other lighting blasted out as Ranma turned the forces of nature into her own personal toys. However this was not an act of arrogance, she wanted to find out how well her mana held up with extreme use. This was a good a time as any to find its limit, but so far nothing was going wrong. Compared to the mana consumption of Reiki these spells were very little indeed.
Tremor sense warned her of and attack below and a she cast a spell the earth to crush the veins before they could surprise her companions.
Her shield told her the names of the demons they had been fighting were Bio Plant, Plantriwe, and Mandoragora.
Bio Plant is the general name for all the common plants. Plantriwe is a demon in the shape of a human made of vines. Mandoragora seems to be an immobile plant fortress.
According to Firo , the Plantriwe scatters poison pollen with the big flower on top of its head.
The Mandoragora sprays acid from a vine to weaken and drag in its prey.
Bio Plant is the demon that is producing these two.
Ranma called to the wind to spiral around the Raphtalia and Firo purifying it so that the poison goin everywhere would not affect them. Suu kept her safe, the slime girls body filtering out the poison in the air and releasing it off her back in little purple bubbles. But as this was happening Suu started speaking to her as if the poison somehow set her off. "Master is powerful Its sexy" her voice cooned in her head "But then agian master is always sexy aren't you?"
Had they been outside of battle in a normal circumstances this would have worried her, but her now, in the middle of a battle, adrenaline singing through her body. The elements of air earth and lightning swirling around her bending to her will. It felt good, in fact he could feel some of Suu's emotions merge with hers. Could feel the burning love and passion that was the core of the slime girl, the desire to be with the person that had given her the power to become what she was. Suu was not like a mortal, she did not need time to have love bloom, she loved her, she loved him, she loved Ranma no matter the face or body.
From that well of passion, love and lust, Ranma drew in confidence, gathering her mana she began to chant a spell that did not exist. From her practice she had created the theory of a spell and Suu's emotions gave her the confidence to test it. "I am the hero of the shield who commands the origin of power, I have read and deciphered the laws of nature. Let those creatures who exist in the embrace of air face the thunders wrath. Extinction Rain"
Ranma howled as power was ripped from her and sent skyward, for the briefest of instants she felt the existence of all who were surrounded by air in a several hundred yard radius. In that moment she bent the spell to ignore herself, Raphtalia and Firo.
The cloudless noon day sky was burned white as hundreds of bolt of lightning fell upon the town. The noise was deafening the light was blinding or would have been if Suu had not engulfed her entire body and shielded her against the effects.
The light faded as swiftly as it had come, Raphtalia and Firo were standing dazed by the light and noise. Ranma reached them and with the last her her mana used Reiki to alleave them. She felt Suu reassert her own feelings and pull them out of hers making it easier to think clearly.
Raphtalia was breathing hard "Master, what was that?"
Ranma found herself breathing hard as Suu's body retracted so only her mouth was covered "That...that was a custom spell I had the sudden urge to try"
Raphtalia still half covering her ears muttered "A little warning next time would be great"
Ranma let out a nervous chuckle "Sorry"
Firo shook her feathered head as if shaking off water "That" She said "Was...Awesome" She hopped five feet into the air entire body trembling with excitement. Ranma felt a grin tug at her face, the dust thrown up by the spell fell around them revealing hundreds of dead plant monsters.
"Wow" Raphtalia whispered.
A low rumble as if that of an enormous creature, wood creaked and groaned as enormous veins were pulled out of houses and earth cracked and splintered as what appeared to be roots were retracted and all heading towards the center of the town.
They moved along with it until the reached the source, a tree like demon had grown inside the middle of town, as the sighted it the thing let out a low groan and a single enormous eye opened at its base.
Ranma opened her mouth to say something but the thing howled at them and veins shot out, with plant monsters pulling their way out of the ground. Narrowing her eyes Ranma stalked forward, veins and plant like hands grabbed at her feet and ankles but even in girl form her strength was more than enough to tear those to shreds.
With the eye before her she howled and punched it right in the center, words cannot describe how messy that was, as the inner parts of the eye went flying everywhere. For a moment Ranma could see a single floating seed in its center as the damn thing regenerated the missing piece.
Before it could do anything Ranma stuck her hand into the eye wrapped it around the seed and yanked it out. The tree became inanimate instantly, pain flared through her hand and tiny vines shot out from the seed piercing her flesh like needles and shooting up her veins. She let out a snarl as black and green veins replaced the normal colored blue and red. Her internal Ki flared up against the intruder and for a moment her arm looked like dark clashing with light as her lifeforce fought off something coming to take it. With a final snarl Ranma's arm bulged for a second and the ki annihilated the tiny veins. The seed in her hand went still as her ki washed over it, "Ow" she muttered opening her hand to stare at the tiny seed in it.
Around her the remaining plant monsters that had been rising withered to brown and collapsed, with the girls help she gathered the remains from the plants.
Requirements for Bio Plant Shield have been revealed.
Requirements for Plantriwe Shield have been revealed.
Requirements for Mandoragora Shield have been revealed.
Bio Plant Shield
Unsealing completed... Equipment Bonus: Plant Remodelling
Special Effect: Hook
Plantriwe Shield
Unsealing completed... Equipment Bonus: Intermediate Compounding 2
Mandoragora Shield
Unsealing completed... Equipment Bonus: Plant Analysis
"Plant Remodeling?" Ranma asked
She looked at the bio plant seed and placed it on the shield, a window appeared into existence with words and numbers.
Fertility 9
Productivity 9
Vitality 9
Immunity 4
Intelligence 1
Growth Potential 9
Variability 9
She thought about it for a moment putting her huge intellect to work "Each of these words they have to be plant attributes. So if this thing can change the values then" Ranma fiddled with stats Taking away the ability to mutate lowering the rate of growth, increasing quality of food produced. It was kind of fun actually, changing something as fundamental as a seed making it better.
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When she excited the village and entered the camp a cheer went up from those watching, a new man was standing next to the mayor, he was younger and taller but had a sort of humble air about him that Ranma found endearing.
The man bowed slightly "Greetings I'm the feudal lord of this land and I thank you for your help, um what is your name?"
Since Motoyasu had been through here that meant the he or Mein had probably spread some rumors. She her real name would most likely cause trouble. "Minerva" She said "My name is Minerva"
Two of the men who looked like that might have been soldiers once seemed to flinch at that name eyes growing wide as they watched her.
The feudal lord did not seem to see anything wrong as he nodded "I see thank you Minerva"
"It was nothing, things like this are what I do, and speaking of that" she handed the man one of the bio plant seeds "I took the liberty of modifying this seed to make is better and less prone to turning into a demon" Before the man could open his mouth and ask how "I used magic" she said. "Anyway you don't have to use it if you dont want to but it will help with the famine and will not turn into a monster."
The lord stared at the seed in his hand and closed it "Thank so much, how can we repay you?"
"...Do you have a spare wagon?"
"A heavy one master" Said Firo causing the lord and everyone near them to jump in surprise at the talking bird. "Let me rephrase that do you have a heavy wagon." she pointed at Firo "She's been wanting one.
As it turned out they someone was generous enough to simply give their wagon to them after all they had done, they also filled it up with produce from the now dead bioplant. "Well thats gona cover us for two or three days" Ranma said
"Again thank you Minerva are you sure you do not want to say the night?"
Ranma shook her head "No I have a quest I'm on you just happened to be on the road."
"Thank God for that then"
Firo was practically trembling with excitement at the thought of pulling a heavy cart which Ranma still did not understand but to each his or her own. The girl/bird probably would not wait an entire night to try out her new cart. Raphtalia looked at the cart with a slightly green expression on her face, "Don't worry I can take care of the motion sickness if need be" she told her.
The Tanuki girl did not look any happier at that statement but she did look a bit grateful,
"Suu" Ranma said.
The slime peeled off her into a pile of goop before reforming into her child like body, Ranma looked at her thoughtfully they would need to have a talk about that thing that happened in the fight. Emotions linking like that could not have been intended but the fact that it could happen and affect her decision making was a problem. Suu looked away from her the color of her body shifted to a deeper and somehow more sad blue.
"Hey" she said flicking her on her forehead "Mistakes happen, we will work them out. I dont blame you for anything."
Her color returned to normal and Ranma knew her instincts had been right about the change in color. Truthfully she was not mad, only concerned but this would be a private conversation later.
Raphtalia was still looking unhappily at the cart "How fast do you think Firo can pull it" she asked with a gulp.
"Faster than it could take normally" Ranma said with complete assurance after a moment in thought she asked "Suu can you armor this cart like you do to me?"
*Bloop* was her answer as the slime flowed past him and engulfed the cart body turning practically invisible. Once that was done her head formed beside where Ranma was going to be sitting at the reins. "There now it won't break apart"
Raphtalia sighed in defeat and got in the cart, while Ranma had one of the villiger show her how to harness and unharness Firo, once that was done she took took her place on the cart while Raphtalia curled herself up in a corner and looked unhappy.
Grabbing the reins and aligning themselves with the right road she let the eager Firo go and off they went. About two minutes into the ride Ranma found herself extremely glad Suu was helping hold this admittedly well designed cart together. Raphtalia had given up and allowed Suu to engulf her in a cocoon of slime where she could not see, feel or hear the jolts and jumps of the cart. Over Ranma Suu had covered her legs and thighs cementing her to the cart and keeping her from flying off like she had on the first time the wagon gained two feet of air.
1
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By the time an hour had passed Ranma was beginning to wonder just how much boundless energy Firo had, keeping a forty five mile and hour pace while pulling this cart was no mean feat and they were making incredible time when compared to jogging.
If Firo had been in charge she probably would have ran until she dropped from exhaustion, Ranma pulled her to a stop at four in the afternoon. Sweat covered the bird causing the sunlight to shine off her, the creature tried to give him a glare at making her stop but she tethered morphing into her human form to fall in her arms and give a contented sigh.
"Firo clothing" Ranma mentioned, the girl sighed and a simple cloth dress appeared "Thank you Firo"
"Your welcome Master" she muttered pressing her face against his chest, Suu's body slowly reformed peeling itself off the wagon and Raphtalia took a moment to get her bearings after being cocooned for four hours.
Upon seeing the position he and Firo where in she let out a growl of possession, Ranma shook her head and put the tired Firo against the wagon "Raphtalia we have to make camp."
The girl sighed and got to work, having done this for the past several weeks it was a swift and easy process. Suu hung off to the side waiting for the talk she wanted to have with her, after they were done and Firo was napping on a sleeping pad Ranma said "Raphtalia I need to have a private talk with Suu."
Raphtalia hesitated "Yes..master"
Hands in pockets Ranma headed off a short distance with Suu following "Suu if you would could you please answer my questions."
"...Yes Master"
Ranma sighed, she really, really wished they would call her Ranma "What happened back there with our emotions?"
Suu came to a stop along with her and studied her "That...bond came from this" she waggled the green and yellow feeler on top of her head for emphasis. "It is how Suu's kind communicate master," her eyes turned away from him "No slime could speak" A smile alit her face "Until I met you, until you showed Suu the power of her life force to change to become strong. We slime use our emotions to communicate with each other and it is done through this" she pointed to her feeler again. "As Suu gets stronger, as master uses Suu longer our bond deepens and if Suu is not careful our emotions link."
Ranma pursed her lips "I see, thats not so bad, I just need to prepare for it." Tilting her head thoughts ran through it "Hmm, Suu armor me again."
"Yes master"
Suu engulfed her as she had before connecting her feeler to Ranma's brain stem, the martial artist closed her eyes focusing on that point. She felt it when there minds touched, it was hesitant at first on both sides but quickly they found a middle. Without speaking Ranma thought what she wanted Suu to do. The slime around her left hand tightened as Ranma held her hand in a Knife hand pose. She could just barely see and edge as Suu tightened and hardened the slime around it. "Combat Shapeshifting" Ranma said outloud "Cool"
At her thought Suu peeled off her reforming into her mid form inbetween busty and flat "Thank you Suu"
The girl smiled "Will Master Kiss Suu?"
"...well in for the penny"
Ranma leaned over touched the Slime girl's cheek and planted a gentle kiss on her lips, it was obvious that Suu had not expected Ranma to actually do it as the Slime's color shifted to scarlet but just as quickly fading back to normal blue.
They walked back to came only to find Raphtalia glaring at them, "W..What" Ranma asked.
Her lips pursed and she stalked over to Ranma, on reflex Ranma felt her body flinch in expectation of a hit but all that was side was "You better Kiss me to."
Ranma blinked "You were spying on me?"
"No the sword told me"
Ranma glanced at the sword "How did it know."
"Its not fair" Raphtalia sniffed "Unless.. you dont like me"
"Oh for the love of" Ranma snarled grabbing the back of Raphtalia's head and pulling her into a hard rough kiss. She pulled away watching as Raphtalia's face flushed and the stumbled back in a daze.
"Satisfied?" Ranma asked
She nodded as she sort of flopped to the ground blinking and grinning "No fair, No fair, No fair" Firo said stomping up to him in her human form "You can't just kiss Nee-san and not me"
Ranma just stared wondering how things had gotten like this "No fair" Firo said again Wings flaring out in agitation "Fine, Fine, Fine," Ranma said kneeling down and giving the girl a short light and chaste kiss on the mouth.
"There" she said
Firo puffed her cheeks looking non too happy at the difference in how she had kissed her compared to Raphtalia. But thankfully for Ranma's sanity the girl decided that it was fine for now, in the silence that followed she came to the realization that she had just down her first legitimate consensual kiss….as a girl….
Ranma sat down a frown on her face as she stared into the fire wondering just what had come over her. "I am spending way too much time as a girl" she whispered to herself.
Starting up she grabbed a couple of magic books and went off to practice, leaving Raphtalia and Suu in there post kiss afterglow and Firo to rest from her running. Yes some training might clear her head, that and a little monster killing. Tomorrow they would be heading north and from what she had heard things were gonna get chilly.
Four days that is how long it took them to reach the Eastern part of the country and just as Ranma expected it got a lot colder. Firo was fine though she was spending more time in bird from which was much warmer. Raphtalia was enduring and did not complain at all, granted Ranma thought it was mostly because of having an excuse to share the same bedroll as him in the name of conserving warmth. Suu seemed fine though he was not sure if Suu was even slightly affected by the elements save for extremes.
He was fine, after swimming the way from Japan to China and his training in soul of Ice this was nothing.
Ranma LV 50
Raphtalia Lv 40*
Firo Lv 40*
Suu Lv 40*
"The hell was that star and why had they stopped leveling?" Ranma found himself wondering.
He had recently enhanced the Sword Horn Shield as it was his main offensive weapon, the damage aura buff/debuff was upped and the shield had gained the piercing keyword which meant that a defence no matter how powerful still took some damage. He had also on a whim enhanced the the Diamond Dog Shield which increased its defence and gave a more powerful version of the Crystal Wall ability.
In the distance a mountain rose towards the heavens and according to the map they were near Fuma where Crassus was apparently headed. The mood of the land changed as they reached this point, the soil was dark enough to be called black, the trees were dead and dried, the road was in disrepair and a feeling of oppressive malfeasance seemed to permeate the very air itself.
"Master" Raphtalia said with a shiver as they rounded a bend in the road "Something is wrong"
"I know what you mean."
The Village came into sight and their mutual feelings on the matter were proved right, in normal circumstances life in a village was active as everybody worked to prepare for winter or plant for spring. This place looked one step above a zombie town most of the people Ranma could see were moving slower than normal. Many had ragged coughs and in the distance he could see a Wagon with several dead bodies being carted away.
Without a word he opened a flask of water and dumped it before the single person who seemed to be guarding the village could clearly see them. When they got close enough he waved them off "Please miss you should leave a plague had fallen on us." He leaned on his spear hacking for several seconds "You need to leave now. Ranma pulled to a stop and got out of the cart "Miss please" the man started to say before she touched him. Her ki flared out and the man shuddered at the sensation "Wha?" he whispered touching his throat "What did you?"
Ranma walked past him speaking "Bring me all the mana potions you can find and spread the word I'm a...healer and I am here to help."
The man blinked staring at her in stunned silence "Well...hop to it."
With a start of surprise the man took off running, as things naturally did word spread fast the healthy ones dragged themselves to her as Ranma performed Reiki on everyone she could get her hands on.
Many asked "Who are you" to which Ranma answered "Minerva"
She did not pay attention to the almost worshipful way they looked at her as she laid hands on them. House to house she went to the bedridden ones who could not walk to her, with the guard who had managed to find fifteen mana potions and her her own natural recovery rate she was able to keep moving.
A crowd had gathered at the sight of her and whispers and rumors began to fly at the speed of wildfire but Ranma did not care. Raphtalia and Firo helped as best they could carrying people to her for Reiki within two hours Ranma was at the building where the ones worst off have been placed.
A man they called a treatment master was working on them when she arrived, his words had fallen silent on shocked lips as Ranma's ki burned away the plague from the bodies of the dying. From the windows the crowd watched the martial artist having been forbidden by the treatment master to enter. Of course he did not know Suu was hiding in her next to invisible armor from on Ranma but that would not hurt him.
The last of the victims breathed easy as Ranma took in a breath and plopped down in a chair the Treatment master held out. Even for her stamina what she had just down was exhausting, if it had not been for her advanced Reiki shield what she had done would have been suicidal.
Something hot pressed against her hand and she realized the Treatment master had handed her a cup of hot tea. It was bitter but in a good way, something in it soothed the nerves and relaxed the body. Only after she had taken two large gulps did the man speak to her, "I...words cannot convey how grateful I am you did what you did."
She took another gulp of tea "Wha...what did you do, what kind of magic destroyed the plague, She let out a tired laugh "The magic kind"
Apparently humor was not the best thing for this sustain as the man just blinking "My apologies, it is an ability unique to me, I'm just glad it is of use."
"Of use?" the man stuttered "You just cured the town of a plague in two and a half hours" the man paused "At last until they catch it again"
Ranma glanced up "No chance they built an immunity to it?"
The man shook his head "This plague is not the natural kind"
"Of course its not" Ranma said "Why would it be"
"I take it you did not know what has been going on?"
She shook her head "I was coming her too" she shook her head "Damn I forget do you know if Antillus Crassus is here?"
He pointed to a man sleeping on one of the cots "He was one of the worse off until you saved him, probably going to be out for a while."
"Thank god" Ranma breathed.
"Do you mean to tell me that you did not know the plague was here but simply started helping because you saw it?"
Her stamina was starting to return must have been something in the tea "Sure"
"But what if they don't pay you" She waved a hand "Thats not important and I really could care less." She looked up at the treatment Master "I help people, that is what I do" she stuck out a hand "Minerva"
"Dorn of the Medical Guild" The man said in an automatic fashion.
"You said this was not natural so what is causing it"
The man seemed to almost get whiplash at how fast Ranma had switched the conversation of possibly of no reward to what the hell was going on. Shaking his head as if he could not understand it he began to speak " About two weeks ago the hero of the sword came on a quest to slay a dragon that had taken up residence in the local area."
"Ren" Ranma muttered.
"Normally dragons make their nests in the deep mountains or other inhospitable environments that are easily defended but this one decided not to. It was harassing the locals or at least that is what they say, I was not there from that particular incident but they posted a reward and the Sword Hero answered."
"Ok" Ranma said "I follow"
"He killed it in short order and and took what he wanted from it, after that adventures began to ferry materials from it to here the villages bought and sold it for a great profit."
"I'm sensing a but coming"
The man paused and almost gave a cynical laugh, almost. "Yes, but as time when on the corpse of the dragon began to rot." He looked away and into the distance "Dragons are powerful creatures of magic and strength truly someone should have know better than to let the body rot away."
"So the rot of the dragon is causing this?"
"The rot, the remnants of magic, hell its core might still be there for all we know."
Ranma paused "why haven't you disposed of it then."
"By the time it was noticed everything had changed, the poison, the Misma of the thing has permeated the air the closer you get to it the stronger it grows. As you breath it in it steals straining away from your body and will kill you given enough time. Normal adventures would die before they reached it and most of them have been avoiding this area because of the epidemic."
"That fits with normal human nature" Ranma said.
"Indeed, and what's worse the Misma had made the demons of this mountain range stronger, I am sure you noticed the difference while you were coming here."
As a matter of fact she had not, but that was probably due to the immense difference in power between her and everybody else in the world.
"Things are getting worse, you coming had changed that somewhat no one will die in the foreseeable future but unless the source of the plague is taken out they will catch it again."
Ranma leaned forward "So where is this dragon corpse"
"You are not seriously thinking"
"Oh i'm done thinking about it."
"But the misma"
She waved her hand "I have ways of dealing with that, or rather someone I know does."
*Blink*Blink* "I..I think I believe you"
"Well thats good"
After staring at her for a few moments Dorn shrugged and asked "Do you have a map?"
"As a matter of fact" Ranma said pulling out the one she had been using to travel with.
The crowd parted as she exited the treatment building "Firo, Raphtalia"
They pushed their way through the crowd and fell in behind her "Are you going to save us?" One person asked.
Ranma paused for a brief moment thinking "A martial artist protects the weak" she said and continued walking. She made her way back to the cart and glanced at the guard whom she had healed first "Is there any place I can put this?"
As it turned out a stable was opened up at truly supernatural speed for Firo's wagon, Firo herself was very disturbed at the thought of leaving it behind but Ranma assured her they would come back for it. word had spread that she was going to do something about the source of the plague. "Who is she, why is she doing this. Is it for a reward?" All these and more we're questions flying around her, questions that she did not care about.
Her fake name was also flying about "Minerva" again several of the men, men who looked like they might have been soldiers at one point were given pause at that name. And the looks they gave her were far more intense and piercing as if they were having a struggle with themselves.
Ranma knew Cyril found the name amusing but he had never told her why or even why some of the people in his division found meaning in that name. But no matter she had a dragon corpse to burn or and this was the more likely situation given her life to recall then burn. Because the option for thing to reanimate and try and kill her had happened several times in the past.
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They left the towns borders and once they were away from prying ears Ranma stop them "Alright listen what they think is happening is that a rotting corpse of a dragon is causing this. Now given my luck if the thing is not a zombie now it will be by the time I get there. Now apparently the plague is spread through air so Suu can you do something for them?"
The Slime's head appeared and she nodded "Um Master what is she going to do?" Raphtalia asked nervously.
The slime spit two globs of goo into the faces of Raphtalia and Firo and both cried out in surprise as it spread over her mouth and nose. "That will keep you two from being affected" Ranma told them.
Firo shook her head and stomped her foot "This is weird" she protested.
"But better than being sick" Ranma pointed out.
"But master would just heal us"
"That is beside the point" Ranma informed the Phio Rial.
The path followed a large valley in between the slopes of two mountains, what had once probably been a lush green forested area but the misma of the mountain had twisted the land into a desolate shadow of its former self. Demons attacked frequently but posed little real threat beyond slowing them slightly. Along the way she managed to unlock a few more shields
Requirements for Poison Tree Shield have been fulfilled.
Requirements for Poison Frog Shield have been fulfilled.
Requirements for Poison Bee Shield have been fulfilled.
Requirements for Poison Fly Shield have been fulfilled.
Most of these shields would be for use only to reskill other shields but it was nice to see see her weapon evolve even further.
As the ventured deeper more demons would appear and poison began to rise from the very ground itself. However thanks to Suu it was no problem whatsoever, however purple bubbles began to float away from the layer of the slime girl that covered her body.
Similarly the slime Suu had used to cover the faces of the other girls were giving off purplish bubbles. In her head Suu's voice spoke "Its how we get rid of toxins master"
That was kind of cool to know, pulling her head back into the game Ranma unleashed a barrage of punches that pushed back an entire wave of demons. The monsters seemed to come to the conclusion that attack was useless and abruptly the attacks stopped.
Of course the attacks could have also stopped because they reached the dragon corpse. It was not a pretty sight as dead bodies go. Apparently Ren and other adventures had taken its teeth, wings, tongue, save for small bits of rotting skin the thing was literally bones and rotting meat.
Several of those poison flies were buzzing around but sped off as the got closer, Ranma halted forty feet away from it. "Even though dragon parts might be able to give me new shields I think this is close enough."
She raised her hand "I am the hero of the shield who commands the origin of power. I am the keeper of flame who rises to meet the blessed sun, now burst and disperse. Inferno."
It was like someone lit a bonfire the size of the creatures huge body, fire and flame engulfed it and a horrid stench filled the air. Ranma waited, watching for any sign of movement "Master perhaps it wont"
"Dont say it" Ranma shouted in a panic "That always makes it". A roar erupted from the burning husk "Worse" she shouted readying the Stone Hide Shield. The magical flame she had set to light was extinguished as the creature's own aura quashed it.
It was almost fascinating to watch as the Dragon stood on its bone legs howling to the sky, inside the bones meat began to liquify and new scales began to from, skin and muscle, wings and tail. Pieces were still missing from all over the place so it was not perfect but the thing seemed almost berserk with rage and its black eyes found them.
"Sorry Master" Raphtalia said after a moment.
"Not your fault" Ranma replied.
There was no signal between them, no look or glance, all three burst into motion at the same time. Moving to strike before the dragon could prepare it own assault, the things almost clumsy paw swipe was easy to avoid. Leaping lightly into the air Ranma landed on the outstretched forearm running up it and driving a knee into the things smaug like head. Even weakened physically as she was by her female body the power behind that blow would have torn steel apart.
The dragon's head rocked back just as Firo kicked it in the chest, the power behind that blow from that creature physical lifted the damn thing off the ground by several inches.
Both of their attacks were based of off strength the power to strike with metal crunching force, Raphtalia was different, strong though she was especially due to her training with Ranma. She was technically the physically weakest of the group. Her attack still had enormous power behind it but also something more, it was the timing, it was her breathing, the way she angled her Katana just so.
She came in low, just behind Firo and when the dragons body was bent upward by the combined force of the Shield Hero and Phio Rial she attacked in an upward slash that struck the lower part of the dragons chest.
Her blow created a gash almost four feet in length and nearly a foot deep, she lept to the side as a truly gory amount of black ichor spewed out everywhere.
The roar of the dragon shook the stone beneath them and it reared onto its hind legs and spewed out a breath of pure misima. It engulfed the three of them in a cloud of pure death, and Ranma felt Suu's indignation, her will to challenge this monster. Her power protected them from that torrent of poison and Ranma rammed herself into the dragons midsection. The thing did not need to breath but its mouth reflexively snapped shut. Firo lept clean over her, the birds feet striking in a perfect flying side kick. At the same time Raphtalia spun behind the dragon and cut at the sinews of muscle in its leg.
The culmination of all three events was the dragon tipping over backwards and landing on its back. Ranma switched the Stone Hide to the Sword Horn and with a howl of her own shoved it right where the things heart should have been.
The hoped for kill strike was a failure and the dragon rolled forcing her off of its exposed midsection. The even now Ranma could see the damage they were inflicting heal, not quite too fast yet but healing it was.
Well she could try hitting it harder, blurring forward avoiding a snap of its mouth she unleashed hundreds of punches in the space of a breath battering and deforming the Dragons ribcage and cutting off one of its roars in mid swing.
Its wings snapped forward creating a gust of dust and wind that nearly knocked her off of her feet. It sensed her weakness and its wings snapped back for a second buffet. Until Raphtalia cut the right one off and Firo broke the joint that connected the left one to its body.
Its tail flickered out smashing into Firo and knocking her tumbling, Raphtalia had to dive roll away from the fight to avoid the backswing of the tail.
Before anything else could happen wind suddenly wiped around Firo helping her right herself "Now Firo mad" she screeched. The bird took a moment to right herself and when she started running the ground where she had been standing actually broke apart. As she moved magic seemed to bend around her, streamers of wind peeling off behind her. "Firo Kick" she shouted.
Her kick punched through the dragon's scales like they were nothing, skin and body rippled as her blow pulverized the dragons insides. Against a normal creature that might have outright killed or at least severely damaged it.
However the zombie like nature of their opponent meant it had a different reaction, it roared in pain which it could still feel and twisted its neck like a snake. Firo's leg was trapped inside its body and she had to take a moment to pull it out. The dragons head snapped at the bird, Ranma reacted instantly a ball of ki flaring to life powered by fear and rage. She did not even take the time to scream out the name of the ability. A split second before the dragons head could reach Firo the ball of screaming ki crashed and exploded blowing off two thirds of its head.
Somehow the thing still roared with most of its head gone and Firo leapt back as it blindly tried to use its head as a club. Its tail wiped out in an arc but in its blind agony it was slower than it should have been. Raphtalia had taken to the air in a perfect fling leap bring down an overhead slash at the midpoint in tail.
Her katana cleaved through leaving a trail of black blood along her arc the thing started thrashing wildly and they were forced to leap back to avoid it. Ranma took that moment to catch her breath, she watched at the tail, deformed rib cage, began to return to normal. But the head of the dragon was not growing back, the part where she had thrown her lifeforce at was not healing.
A grin touched her face "That made perfect sense, life was the opposite of death, this dragon was something dead. Her ki, her lifeforce was the manifestation of the very fact she was alive. Several options came to mind as to how she could take advantage of this and she puked the craziest and most subtle of the options. The shield on her wrist shifted to the Glow Shield, and with a quite effort she sent her ki through it. The light from the shields became somehow brighter and purer taking on a almost white gold flare.
Her status screen updated suddenly "Requirements for the Glow Shield have been changed, true power changed….true power unsealed: Sacred Light Aura (Creates an area of life in a fifty foot area centered around the user. While within this space all healing, and regeneration based off negative energy and Death are reduced to 0. In addition all users without the undead descriptor have weapons that count as Holy for purposes of dealing damage and ignoring damage reduction)
A glow shrouded Firo and Raphtalia and the looked over themselves in confusion, the dragons healing came to an abrupt stop as the aura engulfed it as well. With a wide grin Ranma howled as she charged forward blurring from sight, there was a flash of light and the dragons ribcage was dented in again. The dragon swiped blinding but Ranma jumped forty five feet into the air, flipping over and slamming down breathing its spine.
Firo repeated her magic wind charge this time shoulder ramming the dragon as not to get her foot stuck. The force of her charge flipped the dragon over on its broken back where it thrashed around like a fish out of water.
Magic flared from the dragon and a cloud of poison exploded outward, once again Suu's power protected them from the affects. Ranma landed on the ground and began to chant again "I am the hero of the shield who commands the origin of power. I am the keeper of flame who rises to meet the blessed sun, now burst and disperse. Inferno." she put part of her ki into the spell as an experiment.
Before the flames had looked like normal flames, now it was a blinding white gold that seemed to feed off of the very aura of the dragon devouring its scales, skin and muscles. For a moment the bones seemed to hold together as if the force of the Zombie dragon's will.
A shadow seemed to writhe around Raphtalia twisting around her blade and body defying the light coming from the shield, for a brief moment her eyes turned completely black. "I am the sword of the void, who commands the origin of power. I am the one who strikes with the cleansing darkness of justice, Now show thy name, Restia!"
Darkness shrouded Raphtalia as she charged the bones of the dragon held together in proper shape tried to stand. She seemed headless of the fire as her entire body vanished in a blaze of darkness as she crashed into the final remnants for the dragon.
There was an explosion of darkness snuffing out the flame and washing over everyone. It was so strong that the glow shield's light vanished for a brief moment.
The light returned to the mountain and a silence fell upon the mountain, around them the miasma of the dragon began to fade. Where the dragon had been Raphtalia knelt as if exusted from the effort her part of her blade buried in the ground so she had something to lean on. Shadow, real shadow seemed to dance along the blade as she breathed slowly and deeply her hair hanging about her face.
In front of her what looked to be a single jet black gem about the size of a heart, Ranma approached Raphtalia as she felt Suu slip off her having no reason to say with the disbursement of the miasma. From Raphtalia and Firo's face the slime started falling off as She stooped sending power to it.
Ranma touched Suu's head "Thank you Suu that poison could have been a problem."
"Your welcome master"
"Firo did good to!" the bird said loudly.
Ranma laughed "Indeed you did" she said as Firo shoved her head under her other hand almost like a dog would.
Raphtalia unsteadily got to her feet looked at her blade in shock "Restia, your name is Restia." Nothing answered back and she sighed "Not talking, of course you're not."
"Are you all right"
She glanced at her "Yes" she said tiredly, a grin marked her face "Did you see me?"
"I don't think I could have missed you."
Slowly she sheathed her Katana "She told me her name" Raphtalia whispered "and...and power came from be saying it."
"What the hell is that blade?" Ranma whispered.
She bend over and picked up the gem and bit back a his from the cold necromantic presence at touching it. "What is that Master" Suu asked.
"I dont know, but it sort of feels like the dragon."
Raphtalia blinked "It might be the core of the Zombie, the bigger ones need an internal source to power them."
Ranma, Firo, and Suu stared at her "I read now" she reminded them "I did not stop just because I learned how."
"What do cores do?"
"Apparently they power the thing and unless you have way to stop it from healing the best way to destroy a zombie is to shatter the core."
Ranma sighed "That would have been really nice to know ten minutes ago "Sorry master I did not believe you when you thought the dragon would turn into one. According to the book I read a creature spontaneously becoming one even if it has the magic to do is is rare."
She shook her head "Its ok Raphtalia" she looked into the black core "I wonder if I could purify it."
"You're not going to absorb it master?"
"No not yet I don't know what would happen if I let the shield absorb something like this."
"Nothing I read about said anything about purification."
Ranma shrugged "I just want to try something with it before I let the shield eat it, now lets go back and tell them the news."
"Yes Master" they all thee said.
When the started walking Suu started lagging behind, in a single motion Ranma turned pick up the slime girl. The girls color flickered red "Suu just tell me if you are tired."
"mmm" she muttered.
"I'm serious Suu I care about you and I am supposed to take care you."
Raphtalia pulled out her cheeks at that statement "And you too." Ranma said exasperated.
"Then why don't you carry me" she whispered in a voice so quiet that she must have thought Ranma could not hear it.
Rolling her eyes, She shifted Suu to on arm and swept up Raphtalia with the other arm. "Waaa" she squealed face flushing.
Ranma laughed until she saw Firo eyeing them looking ready to jump on her "Please no" she asked
"Master hold Firo later?"
"Yes"
"Then Firo will wait."
"Thank you"
1
1
1
Someone must have been watching for her coming back down because as the village came in sight people began to gather. No doubt they already knew the source of the plague was gone, the aura of the mountain had become less oppressive. Not a single demon attacked them on the way back in fact they had seen them fleeing as fast as they could fly/walk.
Eyes focused on the slime girl in her right arm as Suu had been in her invisible armored from when they had walked through her first. The crowd left a path open for her walk through most gawking at the slime girl she was holding. However the several men she had pegged as soldiers seemed not to care about that. One was holding a small statue and was looking from it to her and back again as if trying to confirm something.
The statue was of a women, one whose….one who looked a very similar. The thing was made out of clay and not by a professional. But it still held the air of something a person had spent a great deal of time and reverence on, strange.
"Is it dead" one asked
"Are we safe?" another asked.
"Yes to both accounts" Ranma replied "Now if you will pardon me I need to speak to someone"
"Yes of course" they said moving out of her way.
"Master they are looking at you funny" Suu said.
"It happens" Ranma answered unperturbed. "And besides they are looking at you strange too."
"That is because Suu is unique, Suu is one of a kind."
"I will not disagree on that."
Ranma glanced over "Raphtalia why are your eyes glazed?"
She blinked "What? Sorry I was not paying attention."
Ranma started chuckling "Never mind" She filed away the fact that holding the Beast Girl seemed to calm her down really well.
The treatment master was waiting for them, no doubt having been informed of her return by the populace he too was surprised by Suu's presence and also the fact that Ranma was holding an adult women in one arm without any visible effort.
"You..your won, I can't believe it"
Ranma shrugged "Really?"
The man nodded "Even getting close to the sources, well, anyone short of a hero should have been too weak to do anything."
"The fact that it was a zombie dragon made it a bit more annoying."
"...zombie?"
She nodded "Ya, freaking annoying."
"A...do you meant to tell me that you fought and beat a Dragon corpse that had been reanimated?"
"Truth be told I expected it, that's generally how my life goes"
The man started making noises as if he could not find what the right words to say, "Is Crassus awake?"
Dorn pointed to a door which led to a smaller room, Ranma nodded and went that way depositing Suu and Raphtalia on one of the benches.
She knocked and waited tell she heard "What?"
Opening the door she took her first good look at the man called Crassus, he had light blond hair trimmed into this world's equivalent of a buzz cut. The man was lean, like a runner from the look of his right and and the calluses on his hand he was an archer. He looked a little pale and his body needed some working out to return him to his pre sickness body.
The man gave her a frank look "May I help you?"
"I'm a friend of Captain Cyril"
That name got his attention "...I see...do you have any proof of that?"
Ranma reached into her pocket and pulled out a black stone with the runic marking one it."
Crassus looked at that and nodded "Ok, what do you want."
"I'm hunting the Cerberus of the Wave and I was hoping you could point me in the right direction."
The mans eyes darkened "That thing killed my friend if anyone one."
"My companion watched her parents torn apart by it so she has just a good a claim as you."
Crassus tried to stand but sank back to his bed "*Huff*Huff* damn it"
"I healed you but you still need time to recover."
The man sighed "I know"
He took in a breath "I Followed its trail up to here and it got sick with the plague and avoided this village. I thought that it would have been my perfect time to strike but, but I got sick with this damn stuff."
"Its around here" Ranma asked
"No It movement was slowed but not stopped, as far as know it is still headed in the direction of Silt Welt."
Ranma tilted her head "Silt Welt?"
"The country of Demi Humans that borders Melromarc the damn thing has been growing bigger and stronger. The only reason I think that it is moving that way is because it got sick here and wants to avoid a repeat."
"I see" Ranma held out a map "You know this thing better than most where do you think it will head."
Crassus stared at the map for several minutes in thought "If it keeps going down the path of least resistance, which is what it has been doing the whole time I think it would go here."
He marked a place on the map "Maps like these don't have any information about other countries but there is a the city of Areasth close to the border here. The only real road between Silt Welt and Melromarc goes through here."
"Won't it be well guarded"
Crassus looked away "Normally yes, a good portion of their army stays there but with the wave I will bet ten to one only a ghost garrison is there."
"Any reason the Cerberus would know that?"
"Common sense says no but monsters from the wave seem to have objectives, even ones with no real intelligence are well aimed so." he shrugged "I don't know but it would not surprise me if something sent it there."
Ranma nodded "I need to get going then, right the hell now."
Crassus tried to stand again but fell back "Damn it, I would be going with you."
"Get better" Ranma replied "Cyril did not say it but he was worried about you, and I personally think you are needed back there."
Crassus sighed "I see"
Ranma stood up turning to leave but paused for a moment "Do you know what a star next to your level means?"
"Oh that, It means you have to have a class up before you can level more."
Ranma stopped "How do you do that?"
"You have to get permission from the government and use the dragon hourglass."
"Shit" Ranma said.
"What?"
"The...government does not like me."
"Hmm, that sucks but if you manage to save Areasth you could just as the people of Silt Welt, Im sure that they would be glad to let you use it if you saved a city."
That was cheerful thought "I see, thank you."
Ranma exited the room motioning with her head at Firo, Suu and Raphtalia "Come we have to move very far, very fast."
Firo literally jumped "Firo get to use cart?"
"Yes Firo get to use cart."
"Wait" Dron called out "You should be rewarded for"
"Don't need it" Ranma called out "I don't have time to stay, and besides this is what I do, I don't need a reward for it."
The village people had very little time to gather as Ranma dragged the cart into the street hitched it to Firo. Suu engulfed it and Raphtalia as well as buckling her to it.
They might have been trying to thank her or something but she really had no time for that "Let go" she called out.
Firo burst into motion and they shot off, they had very little time hopefully they could reach Areasth before the Cerberus did. Well if it was even headed that way, but in these cases Ranma was glad for the chaos that haunted her life. It would be way to easy not to find the monster there, therefore it was more than likely the Cerberus would be there. She was counting on it, people were in danger and as a Martial Artist she could not sit back and watch. Raphtalia had lost her parents to that thing, Crassus had lost a friend, how many others were there who had lost something to it.
Well it was for reasons like this she existed, existed for the one phrase "A Martial Artist protest the weak " And that was what Ranma would do.