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| Part Seventeen: The Evil Master's Secret Power! | ||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | ||||||||||||||||||
| Talon slowly made his way towards where his enemy was and smiled as he saw him backing away. The fool put all his eggs in one basket - and the basket broke. He raced at Ranma to finish him off. The teen evaded the attack. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You are merely delaying the inevitable boy!" Talon goaded. Ranma ducked another blow from the evil master. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" he shouted as he threw hundreds of punches at one spot on Talon's chest - sending him sliding across the room. Talon dug his feet into the stone floor. The others watched as two long grooves formed in the rock until Talon finally came to a complete stop. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You fool you tried," he began as he fell to one knee. He moved a hand to his chest and gasped. It was possible - yet it was - he actually felt that! He growled as he glared at Ranma. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Well, well - looks like someone isn't as all powerful as he thought," Ranma stated as he cracked his knuckles. Talon slowly got up and moved his neck around causing several bones to crack. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Surprises keep sprouting from you like a fountain. Credit given when due. Your blows pack more punch? What of it? You think I will leave myself open to the same tactic twice?" Talon remarked as he took on a defensive stance. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "I remember you muttering something about arrogance earlier. You will leave yourself open. Because sooner or later - you will forget that I can hurt you - and when you do - I will finish you off," Ranma retorted as the two raced towards each other. | ||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | ||||||||||||||||||
| Back where Akane and several other injured people were - the teen slowly sat up. Thunder exploded across the stormy sky that spiraled over the newly formed canyon. She looked around and saw the condition that many of the people in the cots around her were in - namely bad. It was then that here mind flashed back. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Ranma?" she muttered. It was then that a nurse hurried over. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You gave us quite a scare," the nurse stated. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Where am I? How did I get here?" she asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "The paramedics brought you out of the canyon. I heard that some girl with a large spatula or something of the like carried you," she replied. Akane blinked as her mind spaced out. As if in a dream she remembered hearing Ukyo's voice - but everything was too cloudy. Akane got out of the bed and hurried out of the temporary hospital. She looked out to where the Tendo Dojo used to be and saw the temple that towered over the ruined landscape that had once been her home. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Ranma," she muttered. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "What do you think you are doing?" the nurse asked. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "He's out there. He's out there because of me," she muttered. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "If he is than you had best hope that the police and army can get him out," the nurse stated. It was then that they heard gunshots - and lots of them. Akane hurried away from the place she had been healing and hurried through the surrounding mob to the fenced in edge of the canyon. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Once there she looked down and saw hundreds of spirit fighters slowly making their way towards the line that the police and military were holding. | ||||||||||||||||||
| In her mind she could see Ranma fighting off Talon and knew that he would be in trouble. She got a grip on a fence pole and effortlessly jerked it from the ground. Before the surrounding security could stop her - she leaped from the edge. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Everyone watched as she hopped down from toppled building to toppled building until she had finally reached the canyon floor. She held her makeshift weapon ready as the large army of spirit fighters noticed her. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Ranma is in trouble - and if you think you are going to stop me," she began as she charged at them. The police and military were mildly stunned as they watched Akane - a school girl effortlessly knocking any monstrosity that got in her way. "Then you have no idea who you are dealing with!" she concluded as she hurried away. For a moment - the spirit fighters and military and police stopped and looked to where Akane had vanished from sight. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Don't just stand there! Shoot them down!" the police chief shouted as they resumed shooting at the army of spirit fighters. | ||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | ||||||||||||||||||
| Back in the temple - the two battle weary fighters were panting. Neither of them was making any progress in taking the other down. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Talon held a halberd defensively and slowly circled around his enemy. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "How is it that you can know - and see from where I will strike?" Talon asked curiously. Ranma looked over his shoulder and smirked at Talon. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Even if I knew - you think I would tell you?" he rebutted. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "I suppose not. You know - never - in ten thousand long years - has any mortal vexed me quite like you have," Talon remarked. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You know when I heard the old ghoul go on and on about three thousand years of Chinese Amazon history - I thought that was bad - but you - my nerves you are even worse," Ranma mocked. Talon scowled. He took on a stance and then pounced. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Those present watched as the two once again began a furious exchange of blows. Ranma landed a blow that began to knock Talon away. Talon spun his weapon around cutting Ranma from his hip to his opposing shoulder. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Moko Takabisha!" Ranma shouted out ignoring the pain. A blast of energy shout out from the teen sending the evil master rolling across the floor into the far wall. Ranma fell to one knee as the pain from the cut registered. He quickly shredded his top and did what he could to bind the wound. Luckily for him the cut was not deep. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Such a clever boy," Talon strained as he forced himself up to his feet. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "What does it take to make you stay down?" Ranma asked in disbelief. Talon quietly laughed as he staggered into the far wall - leaning on it for support. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Far more than a whelp like you has," he began as he coughed up some blood. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "That has yet to be seen," Ranma remarked. Talon quietly laughed as he took a few deep breaths. As he did - his wounds slowly began to heal. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "I can keep this up indefinitely. Mortals - even ones as gifted as you - only have so much stamina. Ranma tilted his head to the side. He did what he could to mimic what Talon was doing. Much to the shock of Talon - the boy was succeeding! "This can not be!" he exclaimed. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "So you say," Ranma remarked as he could feel many of his wounds beginning to heal. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "There is more to this drama than meets the eye. It seems that the need for - subtlety is passed mortal!" Talon growled as a powerful aura began to pulsate around him. Ranma attempted to fight through the aura but was flung back. | ||||||||||||||||||
| The teen hopped away and watched as Talon extended his arms out. Slowly they began to stretch outward. Then the legs began to do the same. Ranma hesitantly backed away as the martial artist's body began to elongate and grow more serpent-like. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "What?" he muttered. Talon grunted as his face shifted into that of a beast. He roared out as he began to grow and grow. Powerful wings all but exploded from his back. All color drained from Ranma's face. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Towering before him - was an ancient dragon. Its scales were a pallid - flesh tone. Its huge wings looked decayed and rotted. Its long - dirty tusk-sized claws elongated until the smallest was over six feet long. | ||||||||||||||||||
| The dragon dug its claws into the roof and in one fluid motion ripped the entire top of the temple loose. Revealing to all the spiraling storm that was above. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Ranma - I think - it is time we finished this - once - and for all!" Talon hissed in an almost demonic voice. | ||||||||||||||||||
| To Be Continued... | ||||||||||||||||||