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| Part Eighteen: The Destiny of the Dragon Warriors | ||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | ||||||||
| Ranma backed away from the large monster that eclipsed him. Talon craned its neck down and smiled a fang-filled smile at the teen that had dared to challenge him. Ranma did his best not to let his fear show. | ||||||||
| "For ten thousand years boy - I waited. I was immortal - I had forever. But that made me cocky - so much so that my foolish student was able to humble me!" the dragon shouted. The storm above continued to brew. | ||||||||
| "What - are you?" Ranma asked. | ||||||||
| "He asks - what I am? Why not? What good will knowledge serve you where you are going? I am Talon - last of my kind - my kind being - the Dragon Warriors. My people - from so long ago - stepped from the ether from where we once dwelled and found our way here," Talon began. Ranma closed his eyes and for a moment could see what Talon was speaking of. | ||||||||
| * * * | ||||||||
| My people - to say this out loud disgusts me - mastered every scientific form of fighting that could be devised. The voice of Talon whispered in Ranma's mind. The teen looked around and saw Dragons in human guise perfecting techniques he never knew existed. | ||||||||
| We saw what a - primitive world - this planet Earth was - and though we had the power - though we had the skill - the temple elders ordered us into hiding! We hid while you primitive monkeys polluted what was rightfully ours! The dragon's voice shouted angrily as Ranma saw the dragons making their way into the mountains. | ||||||||
| Many of us - saw this as a mistake - but the other cowards - they feared the elders. Feared what they might do if their order was challenged. Of all of them - only I - had the courage to speak. The dragon continued. Ranma watched as Talon shouted at a council of four old looking men. | ||||||||
| The fools - exiled me - banishing me from their circles. So I left and made my way into the world of man. A world I intended to conquer. I used my skills to - train you monkeys into something more useful to my cause. Through my teachings and manipulations - I forged an army the likes of which your world - had never seen! He continued. Ranma blinked as he looked at the sinister army that was at Talon's command. | ||||||||
| But - all was not to go as I planned. The elders - being the meddlesome fools that they were - they saw what I had done - and decided to even the playing field a bit. They chose to train other cultures in the ways of fighting. Talon continued. | ||||||||
| So that is why various styles ended up in different locations. Ranma thought. Remembering odd techniques that were in France - some in China - some in Japan. | ||||||||
| That was when I learned - that - they had to be dealt with. That was when I perfected a special strike. One that not only struck down the victim - but sucked out that person - that beings very soul. It took decades to master such a strike - but I did! That was when I made my way into the elder's city. One by one - I struck them all down. Devouring their souls - their powers and adding them to my own! Talon's voice echoed. Ranma watched as he saw Talon standing in a large temple surrounded by dead dragons in the guise of humans. | ||||||||
| That being done - with so much power at my command - and no one left to oppose me. I returned to that mortal world - and from it carved an empire - the likes of which no mortal era had ever witnessed! There I developed the mandate for my school - a school that would not be bound by elders! A school - where Anything Goes. His voice echoed. Ranma blinked as he saw a small army of elite soldiers fighting as one under Talon's tutelage | ||||||||
| It was then at the peak of my power - that - rebellion took root in the heart of my empire. Millions of peasants overpowered my elite soldiers. To this day - how they were able to do this eludes me. But even as I was forced to flee - I swore that I would return and I would usher an age of darkness and blood! Talon added as Ranma saw an enraged Talon looking back at his fallen empire. | ||||||||
| I suspected - that - some higher power had intervened. The gods of old were very meddlesome. It was then that I learned of a prophecy - one that spoke of my downfall - my demise. I went into hiding to ponder its meaning - find whatever might cause my downfall and deal with it before it could strike at me. The dragon stated. | ||||||||
| Beware of when he wakes - for only the soul of the living and the dead - can turn back the darkness and return the world - back into the light. A voice in Ranma's head whispered. | ||||||||
| The prophecy - stated that - I would be humbled. Me - the most powerful of all the Dragon Warriors! It said that I would be cast into a deep - sleep. It said that - the truth of my power - my legacy would be forgotten and that the world would be bathed in light! Talon hissed. Ranma looked around and saw a world that was evolving free of Talon's influence. | ||||||||
| I stayed recluse - for thousands of years - pondering the meanings of that which was destined to thwart me. That was around the time that - a young student - no more than ten years of age happened onto my temple's steps. His name was Happosai - had I known what a bane he would become - I could have slit his throat there and then. Talon grumbled. Ranma watched as a childlike Happosai begged to learn what Talon knew - how he wanted to be the greatest. | ||||||||
| Against my better judgement - I let the fool in. I trained him and was surprised at how proficient he was. But not too long after - he turned into some deviant pervert. Instead of becoming a legendary weapon he turned my teachings into a joke! Talon spat as Ranma saw Happosai peeping on girls and stealing underwear. | ||||||||
| I confronted him - I fought with him . in that time - he had learned a - technique that even I had not yet seen. I was stunned by it. As I prepared to slay the fool - the prophecy echoed in my mind. My temple - my city - collapsed around me. It was then that those wretched Amazons meddled. One of their elders cast a spell that kept me dormant. Talon said in disgust. Ranma saw a weakened Talon humbled by the warded statue. | ||||||||
| In my slumber - I then learned - of another prophecy one that spoke of my awakening. Beware of when he wakes - for only the soul of the living and the dead can turn back the darknessand return the world - back into the light. In my slumber I rejoiced - for I knew then that I would return - only I had no idea how long it would be before I woke - or how much my world would have chanced in my absence. He continued. Ranma saw images of Talon slaying everyone in the Amazon village. | ||||||||
| You see - though I had lost much - I had a spell - that could return all of it back to me. A spell that would raise my fallen army. An army that no mortal force could ever hope to defeat. All I needed - was to find my temple - and I have. Around us as we speak - my army continued to grow! The foolish humans are trying to keep us contained - but it will only be a matter of time before they falter. Then - like a dark tide - we will wash over the world! Talon screamed. Ranma shook his head and found himself once again in the dragon's shadow. | ||||||||
| "That would bring us to where we are now. The only thing that stands in the way of my total domination of your world Ranma - is you. Tell me boy! What chance has a mortal child against the mightiest of all the Dragon Warriors?" Talon taunted. | ||||||||
| Ranma did a series of flips until he was on the far side of the room. There he began to channel all of his energy. Talon laughed as he watched the boy's battle aura flare up. the laughing stopped - when the aura took on the shape of an elder dragon. | ||||||||
| "This is not possible! I killed you!" Talon screamed. "How in the name of the dark ones can you be here?" he demanded. It was then that he saw a ghost like image of girl-type Ranma perched atop the Dragon's shoulder. "The soul of the living," he muttered as he looked at Ranma who was still channeling energy. Talon then panned up and looked at the smiling girl who was on the dragon aura's shoulder "The soul of the dead? No! I won't let this happen!" Talon roared as he raced at Ranma in seemingly slow motion. | ||||||||
| Ranma arched his arms back - the dragon aura craned its neck and arms as though about to strike. | ||||||||
| "Hiryu - Shoten - Ha!" Ranma's voice echoed. Everyone watched as Ranma spun around throwing a punch at the charging dragon. | ||||||||
| * * * | ||||||||
| Down below - at the base of the temple - Akane looked up and watched as the dragon aura exploded into the death dragon. An explosion like nothing anyone could imagine erupted from the temple! | ||||||||
| A pillar of energy and light exploded up into the storm and then vanished. Akane could feel her heart hammering in her chest. It was then that the temple before her began to shake and cave in on itself! | ||||||||
| A cloud of dust exploded by Akane. She coughed as she did what she could to wave the dust away. It was then that she saw the mountain of debris. The only thought that was in her head was... | ||||||||
| "Ranma!" she screamed out as she leaped into the remains of the fallen temple and began sifting through the debris. It was then that she could feel her heart stop in her chest. Ranma was there - trapped under several large rocks - and he wasn't moving. "You can't be dead - not like this," she muttered as she cradled his body in her arms. | ||||||||
| To be Concluded! | ||||||||