The Dragon and The Ghost Part 6 The Goblin Path. Ukyo cheerfully walked beside Ranma as the group traversed along the path that would lead them into the foothills of the mountains. They had left the village no more than an hour before. "How many goblins are we looking at here?" said Ryu as he approached the pair. Ryoga and Shampoo caught up and kept stride close to them to listen to the conversation. "Probably around a thousand of them. I'm not certain. They've managed to blockade the entire area." Ukyo's face hardened for a moment as she said this. "That's an unusual maneuver. Goblins aren't very smart, but they usually know enough to leave human settlements alone." Ranma looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe there's a nest nearby? They are pretty territorial. It could be they don't know where they've nested." "That's a possibility," agreed Shampoo. Her face told them that she was skeptical about the idea. "I don't think so. I think it's deliberate. Otherwise they wouldn't have a higher beast lording over them," commented Ryu. "You're probably right. I'm betting there's a sorcerer behind this. A pretty strong one too. Goblins don't like people much, but they aren't the type to make blockades. Cutting off this road will put economic strain on Joketsuko. That has the earmarks of a magic user on it." Ranma sighed and kicked a stone that lie in his path. "Someone's trying to put pressure on the queen. Maybe it's the Emperor? He's coming here under a diplomatic pretense after all," said Shampoo. "I don't think so. His intentions are peaceful from what I've heard. Something about an alliance," commented Ukyo. "How do you know about that anyway? It's supposed to be a secret." "We have ways of finding these things out," said Ranma lazily. "In any case, I think that Ukyo is right. The Emperor would know that the knights here could clear out a blockade like this one easily." "So we're dealing with someone that is both stupid and strong?" snorted Ryoga. "Sound's easy enough. I'm not in any hurry to engage these beasts. My understanding is that our mission lies elsewhere." "Right. We don't have the time to deal with this. The knights will handle it when they arrive," agreed Ranma. Ukyo looked at him for a moment and then glanced away. Ryu took note of this and smirked. "What? Did you think we'd rush headlong into the hoards? We told you we wanted to sneak by." "I know. I just don't know if we'll be able too. The dwarf village is just ahead. Perhaps we can get some information there?" "Sounds like a plan," agreed Ranma. "No point in rushing into things. We don't have much time, but we have some." +++++++++++ Lightning crashed around the tall dark tower that stood on one of the cliffs in the mountain range. It was a twisted and old looking structure. Dark clouds formed just above it giving it an air of menace, the sky around the area was clear though. Inside the castle, the trader's route could be seen from the balcony far below. A dark cloaked figure stood watching with an evil glee in his eyes as the swarm of dark green goblins could be seen on the road below, even from the height where he stood. "Excellent." He turned away and walked into a large room that was covered in shadows despite the roaring fire that had been made in the giant fireplace. Long tables full of bottles and bookshelves full of magical objects and books lined the walls. In the center of the room was a round table with a crystal ball resting in its center. He sat down in front of it and smiled. "Everything is going according to plan. Soon the Queen's knights will fall, and I will rule Joketsuko with an iron fist." He waved his hands and a holographic image of a figure dressed in black armor stood glaring back at him. "I shall prove myself to you. Soon you will sit at my side as my queen!" "Sorcerer," a deep booming voice echoed through the room as the image vanished and was replaced by a reptilian pair of eyes. "Ah, my dear friend," said the wizard pleasantly. "When will I have my revenge? How much longer must I wait?" snarled the beast. "Patience my old comrade. The Knights of Bahamut will come to you in two days time. We shall slay their legions easily with your help. After that, I shall take control of the Queen's throne. Then our contract will be complete and you can return to whatever it is that you do." "You are certain that she will be with them?" snarled the beast. "I cannot say. However, she will come eventually. Especially after they find out about you. Have patience, surely you have learned that over the eons." "I have indeed, but mine grows thin wizard. I have brought you the power you have desired. Now you must fulfill your part of the bargain." "Calm yourself, Yumatano Orochi. Soon the death of your master will be avenged, and I will rule all of Joketsuko." The wizard chuckled to himself for a moment and the reptilian eyes vanished. "See to it that you do not fail me sorcerer," said the voice, as it faded as well. +++++++++++ Ranma stood and gaped at the scene in front of him in shock. The group was sitting behind a large boulder in the path. They stared in shock as the goblins roamed freely through the remains of the dwarven village. They were small creatures, a head shorter than Ryoga. They all had dark green skin and wore light armor. Most of them had large noses and long pointed ears. They looked scraggly and thin, with a hint of their feral nature easily seen in their blood red eyes. Many of them carried spears and daggers, others were unarmed. They were dangerous even without weapons. Sharp teeth and claws, bolstered by their sheer numbers. "Damn it! This is worse than I thought! If they had the manpower to do this, then they must be much more powerful than I had thought." "This isn't a few thousand goblins. There's something much bigger at work here," said Ryu as he pointed to several large holes in the caves. There were a lot of burn marks as well. The village was made up of dug in tunnels within the mountain. The tunnels would have hundreds of large caverns dug into them to create the dwarven hovels and businesses. "A dragon!" muttered Ryoga harshly. He was holding his war hammer tightly in his grasp and wringing his hands on the handle. His face was contorted into a mask of pure anger. "This is much worse than I imagined," agreed Shampoo. "We have to find a way around this. The knights must be warned if they hope to win. They might be expecting a griffin, or possibly a giant to lead the goblin hoards, but a dragon will catch them completely by surprise." "Damn it! I hate playing the hero!" snarled Ryu. He hung his head in resignation and sighed. "We don't have a choice this time." "Come on Ryu, we'll probably get a reward for this or something," said Ranma in an attempt to calm his friend. "We'd better!" snapped the thief with another harsh whisper. "Come on, there is nothing more we can do here," said Shampoo as she began to sneak back down the trail again. ++++++++++ "How are things proceeding Nabiki?" The Emperor's personal aide stood next to the witch as she gazed deeply into a large mirror. The aide was a young woman by the sound of her voice, but the long brown cloak she wore hid her figure. They were in the center of a round stone room with several torches just around a circle that marked the center. The mystical mirror hung suspended in the air by some unseen magical force. There were no windows in the empty room, and the only exit was a large set of doors that led into the hallway. "Very well I'd say. That idiot, he doesn't realize that I gave him Yumatano Orochi. Joketsuko will lose its best fighting force, even if they succeed they will be severely weakened." "Exactly what I wanted to hear," said the aide casually. "Have I ever failed you?" Nabiki smirked and tossed her hair back. "You still live, do you not?" replied the woman as she walked away. Nabiki growled under her breath and turned back to the mirror again. A moment later the doors opened again. The familiar clanking of armor filled the barren room. Nabiki did not turn to face the newcomer. Nor could she see who it was, an image of the goblin hoard filled the glass instead of a reflection at the moment. "Akane. What can I do for you?" The image shifted to a wizard overlooking the blockade. Akane paused and stared at him for a moment. "Do I know that man?" "Probably not. He did serve under father for a short time. I believe he was kicked out of the Wizard's School, and became a soldier. He was far too weak for training as I recall. I don't believe he lasted more than a month. He was in your class though." "I see. I have come to find out about Joketsuko. My mission is unclear at the moment. I'll need information about the land surrounding Morid, and the path we'll be taking to get there." "Always the tactician I see. Too bad you were never as good at it as I was. The maps are in my study, you know where it is." Akane raised her eyebrow slightly at her sister. "Don't act like I didn't need to ask you first." "All right, I'll humor you. The spells protecting my chambers will be down for an hour, starting now. Get what you need, then give it back to me before you leave." "Thank you," said the younger girl as she spun around and walked out of the room. +++++++++++ "This just keeps getting better and better," muttered Ranma as he snuck through the brush just ahead of his companions. He turned back towards them and motioned for them to stop. After a moment they all sat behind a rather large shrub. They were inside a small forest that sat along the side of one of the mountains. "How does it look?" asked Ryu. "No good, we're surrounded. Somehow we managed to miss all of these imps. Damn, how could I have been so careless?" Ranma punched the ground in frustration. "So, we wandered into the middle of their blockade without even realizing it?" said Shampoo. "That's about the size of it. Now we're stuck. Ryu and I could make it through no problem, but you and armor girl over here won't make it." "Hey!" cried Ukyo. "He's right. That armor is polished to a shine. The slightest hint of light and you'll flash like a beacon. We're going to hide out until dark and try to make it through then." "Hiding in the dark from goblins is a poor idea," commented Ryoga. "We don't have much choice. That's when we'll be the least visible. I doubt if Ukyo is willing to leave her armor behind in a place like this. Out of all of us, she has the best chance of surviving if we're caught because of it." Ryu leveled a neutral gaze on her for a moment as he said this. "I have to make it through. We need to warn the other knights." "About what? We haven't even seen the dragon," pointed out Shampoo. "She's right. We don't know how big or how strong it is," said Ranma. "The damage to the village was enough to tell us it can't be ignored," said Ryoga. "He's got a point. Something that can do that to a dwarven village dug into a mountain can't be taken lightly," agreed Ukyo. The conversation was cut off suddenly by a high pitched laughing sound. The group turned to see a small goblin jumping up and down excitedly with a leer on its face. The creature was no more than three feet away from them. Its giggles were cut off suddenly, as Ryu cleaved the thing in half with his sword. "Damn. We've been spotted," he stood up and wiped his blade clean on his pants. "Don't just sit there, come on!" The group followed quickly behind him. "It's just one goblin!" said Shampoo. "When was the last time you saw just one goblin?" retorted Ranma as he moved behind her and forced her to run a little faster. "It could have been a scout!" growled Ryoga as he struggled to keep up with the group. All protests were cut off as another laugh came from behind them. It was quickly joined by another, and then yet another. After a short time Shampoo dared a quick glance back. The forest was crawling with them. They swarmed just behind them seeming to flow through the trees like a giant slime. "GO! GO! GO!" cried Ranma as he steered her towards a patch of light through the woods ahead. Shampoo screamed as she was pushed out into a clearing and over the edge of a cliff. Ryu, Ukyo, and Ryoga followed just behind them. ++++++++++++ "You! You knew about this lake didn't you?" screamed Shampoo angrily as she sloshed onto the shore of the small lake they had fallen into. The forest was just above them, about three hundred feet straight up. "How dare you scare me like that!" "We didn't know about the lake," said Ryu calmly as he helped Ukyo stand. He and Ryoga had to help her swim due to her armor. She wore a light chain mail over her shirt now. Her chest armor had been discarded with her helmet though. She gazed back into the water for a moment and turned back onto shore again. "Bah! I took a bath six months ago! I didn't need another one!" grumbled Ryoga. Ranma was lying on her back resting while the others climbed onto the tiny beach. "He's right. I had no idea this was here." "Then why did you jump?" snapped Shampoo. "Dying from falling hurts less than being eaten," answered Ryoga as he poured the water out of his helmet and placed it back on his head. Ranma stood up and dusted some of the wet sand from her pants. "Come on, we've got to get moving. It won't take them long to figure out what happened to us." "We'll be lucky if we don't freeze to death after this! We're soaking wet!" snarled Shampoo as she leveled her gaze on the redheaded elf. "Well, maybe you'd like it better back in the forest, Princess?" said Ryu as he walked by her. "We can't waste time building a fire right now. We've got to get the hell out of here. We can worry about our comfort later on," said Ranma calmly. +++++++++++++++ Deep within the caverns of the dwarven village. Something stirred restlessly. A huge reptilian head rose from the ground in the darkness and snarled. "I sense something... a presence I've not felt since..." The sound of scales scraping against the rock was all that could be heard in the pitch black caverns after that. ++++++++++ Lime and Mint kneeled before Herb and bowed their heads deeply. "I see she has been keeping you two busy. Keeping Lord Kuno away from her is quite a task indeed." He gave them a passing glance as he lounged in his favorite chair. It was a small throne that overlooked a huge model of the imperial city. He had it built several years ago. "He is persistent," agreed Mint. "Very well, go back now. Her activities are incredibly dull as of late. I had hoped she would compete in the tournament again this year. I do enjoy teasing her, as well as humiliating her utterly every year. It seems she'll be off with the Emperor during the harvest this time though. Such a pity." The two beast men bowed deeper and scurried away into the shadows. "Worried about Akane?" Nabiki appeared from behind the throne and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Worried? Not really. I do like to know what she's doing though. She's a tiny annoyance at times, but one that could grow dangerous very quickly if I don't keep an eye on her." "So giving her your two lackeys is a tiny bit of worry?" Herb smiled at this and chuckled. "Don't pretend to be so naive. You and I both know that this is as much to keep an eye on the Emperor while he's away." "He does have one of us accompany him on almost all of his journeys. Usually, it's Akane or myself. I think Kasumi bothers him slightly." "You will tell me what I want to know to benefit yourself in the long run. Akane, on the other hand, does not like me very much I'm afraid." "So it seems. She can be so jealous sometimes." Nabiki laughed coldly for a moment. "What are you talking about? She's still angry over that little nick I gave her two years ago." Herb drew a line across his cheek with his thumb as he said this. "Herb. Your naivete astounds me at times. She is merely upset with you because of me. That scar may have started her anger, but her hatred grows more with each passing day we are together. That is how we will control her when the time comes. Soon she will give into her rage, and then she will belong to me." "You think she's angry because of us?" Herb chuckled at the thought. "No, there are a lot of reasons behind her anger. That is just the big one." "Ah well. It does not matter," Herb stood from his seat and rested his hands against the edges of the table that held the model. He gazed into the diminutive expanse of the city and smirked. "What do you think?" "I don't know. How about a shopping district here?" Nabiki pointed to a large church that sat on a hill to the right of the palace. "Trying to anger both of your sisters at once?" "Ha! Kasumi? She'll cry for about a week, but she'll eventually get over it. There's no reason those with money should be forced to buy their goods among the commoners." Herb gave a distasteful snort. "Sometimes I think you need me around just to keep yourself from going too far. The church will stay. This can go." He pointed to a large residential area. +++++++++++++ "Damn you Ranma! This is all your fault!" screamed Ryoga as he hacked through a large tree with a single stroke. The giant pine groaned loudly as it came crashing down into the large group of goblins behind them. They were running desperately away once again, with the vicious little imps right behind them, nipping at their heels. "My fault?" snapped the pigtailed girl. "Shut up and run!" screamed Ryu. One of the impish creatures landed on his back and clawed at his face. He grabbed it by the back of the head and tossed it away before it could bite down on his neck. Shampoo floated past Ranma, she was facing behind them and using levitation magic to flee. One of her battle maces was in her hand and she screamed in rage as she sent a small orange ball of energy into the swarming mass of goblins. Ten of them were vaporized as the magic spell exploded the mass of bodies scattered for a moment before resuming the chase again. The goblins were no more than three feet behind them once again a few seconds later. "Turn right!" screamed Ranma as she pulled Ryoga and Ryu by their shirts and forced them to follow. "Where are we going?" cried Ukyo as she staggered for a moment. Several bites and claws barely missed her feet as she managed to keep up. "That tower!" screamed Ranma in reply. She was pointing to the tall black structure that seemed to teeter precariously on the edge of a thin cliff. It could be seen through the end of the forest a few hundred yards ahead of them. "That's a wizards tower!" screamed Ukyo. "So what?" snapped Ryu as he ran next to her. "It's obvious that's where all of this trouble is coming from," said Shampoo as she blasted ahead of them. "Gee, you think?" snapped Ryoga as he cut one of the goblins that had managed to get in front of him in half. Without stopping he jumped over the thing's body and burst out of the forest. The party rushed up the long path that led to the door of the tower. The were about halfway to their destination when Ranma suddenly stopped cold. "Ranma?" cried Ryu in alarm as he slowed down slightly and looked back. "Hey. Stop running!" Shampoo was standing with a frown on her face. Ryu realized that Ranma had stopped because he had noticed her standing there in front of them. "What's going on?" Ukyo slowly turned and gasped for breath. "The goblins. They've stopped," said Ryoga with a slight growl. "I've got a bad feeling about this," said Ranma as he glanced around. "What's the big deal?" said Ukyo. She was glad for the chance to rest. "Those goblins stopped chasing us for a reason. I think we're about to find out what it is," said Ryu. "Indeed you are," said a new voice. The group spun around and saw a figure dressed in black robes standing before them. "Who the hell are you?" snapped Ryoga. "My name is Hikaru Gosunkugi. I am a black sorcerer. I must say you have done quite well to get this far." The wizard pulled back his hood to reveal a sickly looking boy of about seventeen years in age. "Hey. I've heard of you!" said Ranma with a dumb look on her face. "R-really?" squeaked the boy. His face had changed from a scowl to one of pure joy in a matter of seconds. Ryu nodded his head as the story came back to him. "Yes. You were kicked out of the magic school in Horis. I believe the term was 'Worst base magical power ever seen in a human'. You were the laughing stock of the entire Sorcerer's Guild. It's said he couldn't even use the light spell. No one knows why he even tried to be a wizard." "That spell was hard!" snapped the boy angrily. "In any case, I've got power to spare now." He chuckled to himself for a moment and looked towards the sky. "This knight. Is she the one you are looking for?" "Who are you talking to?" said Ukyo as she realized that he was talking about her. "You are the last survivor of the men who killed Tiamhat?" Gosunkugi's grin widened even more. "Ranma, I don't like this," said Shampoo as she moved closer to the red haired elf. "How dangerous could this guy be? I mean, look at him. He's got no magical power, and he's a complete wimp," replied the girl lazily. "Let's just kill him and get this over with," snorted Ryu. Ukyo was completely silent during this conversation. She turned towards the wizard and pointed her spear at him. "What if I am the one who killed that hellish beast?" "I've got a friend who's just dying to meet you. Yumatano Orochi! I summon thee!" He raised his hand into the sky and cackled madly. Lightning slammed into the ground around him. He paused and looked at the burn markings on the ground for a moment. After that, he screamed like a girl and rushed back to his tower. Ukyo stood completely still. Her eye was twitching slightly and she dropped her spear to the ground. "What the?" "I told you we didn't have anything to worry about," said Ranma as she walked past her towards the tower. She stopped cold as the ground began to shake beneath them. It seemed to burst from the ground all around them. Serpentine heads that twisted in and out of one another as they rose higher and higher into the sky for almost four hundred feet. Finally they stopped and separated one by one. Each of them turned towards a different member of the party and roared angrily. "What the hell is this? How many dragons are there?" cried Shampoo as she backed away from the scene in shock. "Just one," said Ukyo with a stern look on her face. The silver blade of her spear began to shine with a mystical, white power. "Yumatano Orochi, the legendary eight headed general of Tiamhat." "Ranma! This is all your fault!" snapped Ryoga as he looked away from the beast for a moment. "My fault? She's the one who killed his friend!" retorted the redhead as she pointed at Ukyo. "We wouldn't be here if she wasn't your friend," said Ryu. "I really, really hate playing hero, Ranma!" "Look out you idiots! Eyes front!" snapped Shampoo as she sent a small spell into the ground at their feet. The three arguing men were thrown apart as one of the serpent heads slammed head first into where they were standing. "Men," grumbled Ukyo. She charged forward with her spear held over her head. "What the hell are we supposed to do?" growled Ryoga as he jumped away from one of the jets of flame the beast was breathing at them. "Kill the monster!" snapped Ryu as he jumped into the air and spread his arms. "Demon God Assault Bomb!" He slashed his arms and kicked, sending three vaccume blades into one of the scaly necks. The beast's head was knocked to the side slightly, but otherwise undamaged. "Where the hell is Ranma?" "Did that coward run away?" snarled Ryoga as he dodged another strike and swat at one of the massive heads with his battle axe. To the dragon, he was less than a mouthful. "I can't sense him!" said Shampoo as she looked up in horror. One of the heads was looking down on the battle and not moving. Ukyo was being kept busy by three of them, while the others merely had one of the beast's heads to deal with each. "No! He couldn't have been..." She felt an unfamiliar anger suddenly fill her. "Ryu! Raise your sword!" called Shampoo as she ran just ahead of the thing's snapping jaws. "Why?" asked the boy as he did so. A ball of blue light formed in her hands and she thrust forward. "Strike now!" Ryu gave a battle cry as he slashed at the beast that had been trying to sneak behind him. It roared in pain as the blade cut into the scales and began to frost over. It reared back and the sword was ripped from Ryu's hands, stuck in the beast's snout. He was sent rolling away across the ground. "That's great! You've managed to piss it off!" he snapped as he jumped to his feet again. "Ryoga!" said Shampoo. Ryu noticed that both she and the dwarf were looking up at the sky. His gaze followed theirs and he saw what she had meant. The head he had struck was not moving, and had turned a light blue color for about the first ten feet of its neck. The dwarf grunted as he threw his war hammer. It sailed into the air about two hundred feet up and slammed into the frozen dragon head. The creature shattered like glass. All of the other beasts roared in pain for a moment. Ryu smiled for a moment and cheered. "Yeah! That got him!" His smile quickly fell away and he started to turn and run away. "Move it!" he cried as he rushed into Ryoga and Shampoo. He managed to grab both of them with his arms and pulled them away as the neck came crashing down just behind them. At the last moment he rolled away and narrowly avoided getting them crushed. Shampoo stood up and dusted herself off. "Of all the..." "Look out! Ya blasted woman!" snapped Ryoga as he rolled onto his back. Shampoo turned and put her palm up. Two jets of flames slammed into the ice wall she had created. It melted away just as the blasts subsided. "Damn! Now what? There are still six more!" said Ryu angrily. One of the heads let out a roar of pain and slowly sank to the ground. "What the?" said Ryu as he glanced towards the center of the tangle of necks. "Hey! I was wondering where he went!" He pointed towards Ranma. She was standing with her sword driven deep into the fallen neck. After a moment she faded away again as two of the remaining dragon heads slammed into the ground where she had stood. Her sword was still stuck in place; after the two monsters realized that they had missed they moved away and slithered towards the group again. The sword seemed to vanish from the neck after that. "We're in trouble. Unless you know a spell that can kill a dragon we're in really big trouble," commented Ryu. Two heads moved on either side of them, blocking them in. "We're in trouble then," confirmed Shampoo. +++++++++++++++ Ukyo Kuonji squared off against three of the beast's heads. She jumped and dodged around blasts of fire and the snapping teeth of the monster skillfully. Several slashes were apparent along the thing's necks from the strikes of her spear. It still glowed with the mystical white light along the blade. "Damn! I can't get in a good shot! They're too fast." She grunted as she came into contact with one of the necks and was thrown to the ground roughly. She rolled away just as two of the heads bit into the earth where she had landed. "Damn it! I'll kill you yet monster!" A long scrape had appeared on her arm, several similar scratches were apparent all over her body where she had come into contact with the dragon's scales. "Ucchan! Look out!" cried a familiar voice. The knight whirled around just in time to see a massive set of jaws closing in on her. She was saved as a blur slammed into her side knocking her out of the way. "Ranma?" muttered the knight as she stood up shakily. The redheaded elf was standing in a combat stance just in front of her. "Ucchan. How the hell did you piss this thing off?" "I helped kill his boss," replied the girl with a small smirk on his face. "Great. We won't last much longer. We've only taken out two of these things so far. Ryu and the others used their weapons up doing it. Now what?" The elf girl started dragging her away just ahead of the serpent's jaws. "Yumatano Orochi is a legendary eight headed dragon. "We need to find the master head and destroy it." "Great! How the hell do we do that?" snapped Ranma as she pulled her friend away. Ukyo noted that she was moving towards the rest of them and two more heads. Shampoo was using a mixture of magic and her bonbori to keep them at bay. "If I knew that I'd have done it!" snapped the knight in retort. "Tactical retreat?" said Ukyo with a little hope in her voice. "Retreat where? Back into those goblins?" retorted Ranma. "Shit. Ranma Honey! I don't want to die before you take my virginity!" The redhead fell flat on her face and took Ukyo with her. One of the dragon heads passed over them just as it happened. "Can we not talk about this now?" said Ranma as she got up and started running again. Ukyo stopped and ripped her hand away from Ranma's. She turned and faced the two heads just behind them with a stern look on her face. "Damn it! Can't you see we're busy now!?" She slashed the spear as they passed on either side of her. This time they did not rise back into the air, but fell to the ground dead. Ranma paled as she noticed that the two heads were almost completely removed by the strikes. "Now, Ranchan. What were we just talking about?" "I, uhh... I dunno." Ryu and his group rushed up to them. "Great, now we're down to three left." "Four," corrected Ukyo. "Huh?" sputtered Ryoga. "Yumatano Orochi is an eight headed dragon. There are only seven heads right now," explained Ranma. "So where the hell is the rest of it? We're running out of options fast!" said Shampoo. As if in answer the remains of the destroyed heads and the three living ones slid back under the ground. A deep rumbling sound filled the air and the party was thrown onto the ground roughly by the tremors. "Now what?" screamed Ryu. The ground in front of them burst out revealing a gigantic row of teeth. Each tooth was as big as a man and the head it was attached too forced them back to the edge of the forest by just it's huge size. It roared angrily sending the whole group to their knees in pain. The mountain shook violently from the sheer force of the sound. "Screw this!" snapped Ryoga as he started to turn away. "I'm with him," said Ryu as he stared in awe at the beast. Shampoo was too shocked to speak. She had never seen anything so large before. Ranma was staring at Ukyo. The girl was standing with her pike held in front of her. A white power seemed to surround her body. "Ranma. Please, I just need a little time." The redhead stood up and glared at her for a moment. "How much?" "About a minute." "Done." With that, the redhead seemed to vanish in an instant. Ukyo closed her eyes, the aura surrounding her flared up, it was bright enough to rival the sun. She grit her teeth as memories of her past comrades filled her mind. They had died doing what she was asking of Ranma. "Please, hang on Ranchan." "Are you out of your mind?" screamed Ryu as he stepped towards where his partner had been. He fell silent and pulled Shampoo and Ryoga into the forest with him. The elf girl refused to turn around and watched the scene as he pulled her by her hand. Ryoga didn't need much help to run, but Ryu shoved him along anyway, just to be sure he was moving in the right direction. Not surprisingly, there were no goblins waiting for them. +++++++++ Ranma seemed to appear in front of the beast several times. Each time she slashed at it with her sword. She wasn't doing any real damage, but it was enough to annoy the beast into attacking. Jets of flame struck wherever she appeared just after she vanished again. The three remaining smaller heads also attempted to attack. She smirked and vanished just as two of them slammed into each other. "Hurry up Ucchan. I don't know how long 'till this thing gets lucky." Ukyo's eyes flew open suddenly. "It's time!" Her lance changed into a beam of pure light in her hands, the power flared across the handle as she rose it over her head and prepared to strike. "Eat this beast! King Dragon Tooth!" She jumped twenty feet into the air threw it down at an angle. It jumped like a lightning bolt towards her target. The dragon opened its mouth to roar, but it never finished. Ranma appeared just in front of the thing's eye with her sword slashing down at the pupil. In mid strike she seemed to notice the beam of light that was heading straight for her and gasped. "Ranchan! No!" screamed the knight as the projectile slammed home into the beast's eye. Then, everything went white. +++++++++++ Ranma found herself in incredible pain. She was lying on the ground covered in rubble and dirt. All that remained of the blast was a large hole where the dragon had emerged to face them. She shook her head and sat up. "What hit me?" Something slammed into her sending her back to the ground. She tightened up instinctively, but relaxed when something soft and warm met her lips. She felt a wetness on her cheeks as if she had been crying. "Muh?" Ukyo broke her kiss and looked into her confused and disoriented love's eyes. "Oh Ranchan. I thought I'd lost you." She sobbed and clung to his neck even tighter. "What happened?" muttered the redhead. "You almost got skewered you dope," said Ryu as he appeared next to Ukyo. Ranma sat up again and looked down. Her shirt had a large portion torn away on her torso. There was also the beginning of a light burn that covered almost half of her stomach. She looked up at her companions and smiled. "Did we get it?" "Aye, that we did. The goblins are nowhere to be seen either," said Ryoga. He and Shampoo were sitting on some of the rubble from the fight nearby. Everyone looked beaten and dirty, but also relieved. "So, we saved Joketsuko. Funny, Ryu doesn't look too unhappy. He hates this kind of stuff." "Har, har," muttered the boy. "I just haven't had the chance to feel my injuries yet. When I do, you can be sure I'll get you back for getting me involved with this mess." "Whatever. Hey, aren't we forgetting something?" said Ranma suddenly. "I don't think so. The dragon is dead, and without him, the goblins will disperse on their own." A high pitched laughter filled the air suddenly. Everyone turned to look at the tower. Hikaru's image appeared in front of them with an evil grin on his face. "You haven't beaten me yet! I shall rule all of Joketsuko soon enough! You still have to get through my gauntlet of traps, and by then I'll have summoned another powerful beast to do my bidding! Bwahahahahahahahaa!" Ranma sighed as the image vanished. "Ryoga, you take care of this." "Aye lad. It'll be my pleasure," said the dwarf as he cracked his knuckles and walked towards the cliff that held the dark tower. "When will these stupid wizards ever learn?" said the pigtailed girl. "What do you mean Ranchan?" asked Ukyo. Ryoga stopped just in front of the tower's doors. He thrust his hand into the ground suddenly. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" The path exploded and the tower slowly started to tilt backwards. "These idiots always build their fortresses on these skinny little cliffs. I still don't know why." The group stood and watched the fortress topple over and fall into the ground far below. "What was that you just did? I've never heard of that technique," said Shampoo as she walked up to the dwarf. "Just a mining trick we dwarves use. It's actually kind of old, and most dwarves don't use it anymore now that we have explosives." He shrugged and started walking. "Come on, we can set up camp here." "Right. I'm starving," said Ranma as she jumped to her feet again. Ukyo looked like she wanted to say something to him, but fell silent at the last moment. "Worry about it later," said Ryu as he grabbed her shoulder gently. "Come on, we need to get cleaned up and rested. We've got a long day ahead of us. Right?" "Yeah. Right." The girl smiled slightly and seemed to relax. "Thanks Ryu." "Anytime," said the boy without turning to face her. +++++++++++ The Emperor's aide frowned at Nabiki. "Who is that elf girl?" "I believe that is the one the wizards call 'Dragon Ghost'." replied the girl carefully. "So, she is the famous thief? Interesting." "I suppose so." The image vanished suddenly. The cloaked woman turned to face Nabiki. "What happened?" "No one can get more than a moment's glance at the Dragon Ghost. How she does it is one of her best kept secrets." "I see. Still, your plan failed." "Did it?" said Nabiki with a small twinkle in her eyes. "Yes it did." "I never told you what my plan was. I merely wanted to get rid of another unwanted admirer for my little sister. Gosunkugi was becoming as obsessive as Kuno." "And what you told me of the knights?" "Would have been a perk if Ukyo had not shown up so soon. Even I can't foresee everything." "Congratulations then." "Thank you, I'll have those Knights out of the way soon enough. Your orders were not forgotten." "Nabiki, see to it that you don't fail me again." The witch turned back to the mirror and scowled at her own reflection. She had managed to save some face, but it was still obvious that Ranma had ruined her plans. "If I didn't need you so badly, I'd destroy you for that, boy. Your time will come soon enough though, once you've outlived your usefulness that is." Her frown changed into a dark smile. TBC... Next time: Joketsuko.