The Dragon and The Ghost Part 8 The Terror of the Emperor's Staff. Akane walked behind the personal guard of the Emperor. She was dressed in full armor; her helmet shielded her face from the strong cold wind that blew across the city. She was riding on a giant black steed with an armor plate on its face. At her side was a long pike that held the Emperor's flag. Before them was a large castle that rested in the center of the mountain city of Joketsuko. "So, this is Joketsuko." "Yes Mistress," said Mint casually. "We have been here before, once or twice. Lord Herb has had a few diplomatic missions here," agreed Lime. "That doesn't matter. Stay close, and keep your eyes open," her words were not only directed at the pair of beast men, but the two ranks of black clad knights that rode behind her. Herb smiled slightly as he glanced back at her and the knights. "Well, it seems that bringing her was pointless." "Don't be so naive, she has other duties as well," commented the cloaked woman who rode beside him, the Emperor's personal aid. The monarch himself rode inside a large covered platform that was carried by four large looking men. His shadow could be seen behind the sheer silk curtain. His personal carriage waited just outside the city. "Ah, guard duty? How incredibly dull," replied the man. "As you say, I doubt if she'll be board on this trip." Guards poured out of the gates on either side of the imperial convoy. They lined up along the sides of the great bridge that crossed the large moat that surrounded the palace. The temperature was far too cold to keep a water moat, but a black oily substance filled the trench. It bubbled and steamed, sending an unpleasant odor into the air. A regal looking figure walked out of the front gate with several tall looking advisors surrounding her. Her face was pretty, but a strange veil surrounded her face on either side, a long cape also covered her body from view. "We are pleased to receive you here. Welcome to Joketsuko, our hope is that you will find your stay pleasant," said the woman calmly. She reached out with her hand, revealing three other arms hidden beneath the cloak on one side. The Emperor's aide removed the hood off of her face. She had short cut white hair, and an almost stunning beauty. "The Emperor hopes these talks will proceed favorably." The regal looking woman bowed her head to Herb slightly. "It is good to see you again, Lord Herb." "As it is you, Your Highness." "Come, let us go inside. The weather here is quite unpleasant at this time of year." The woman turned and led them inside the gates. The guards filed in just after the Emperor, just in front of Akane and her ranks. "Come on," growled the girl. +++++++++ Inside the throne room, the Queen sat in her throne in front of the visiting dignitaries. Her eight arms rested on armrests specially made for her, one on each tier. Her veil had been removed as well, revealing two other faces on each side of her head. One had a smile upon it; the other was an angry scowl. "We will begin the talks tomorrow. I know you must be tired from the long trek to our kingdom. Rooms have been prepared, the Emperor has already been shown to his room." "As you say. Highness, if I may be permitted," said Herb with a pleasant smile crossing his features. "You may speak," said the woman flatly. She had not shown any emotion since their arrival. "The Emperor wishes to see your dungeons, he is quite interested in such things. If it is not too much trouble that is." "We shall arrange it this evening," said the woman. "Thank you," replied the man as he bowed low. ++++++++++ Akane stood in front of the lavish doors that led to the guest chambers. They were extraordinarily lavish; the kingdom was not a poor one. Even the hallways had rolls of plush red carpets, they were brightly lit with hanging chandeliers that lined the entire passage. Various paintings and tapestries hung from the walls, and expensive looking tables held bouquets of native mountain flowers in fine vases. Lime and Mint stood with her on either side, normally; she would have her two best men with her. Since Herb had left them with her, she figured she might as well make use of them. Even if they were just there to spy on her. The Emperor seemed to like them more than the silent knights as well. She had to admit, they were amusing at times. They were also much better protection than her men. She hated to admit that, but it was something she accepted. Herb approached them slowly and nodded a greeting. Akane had to suppress a small growl, but bowed her head placidly to him and stood aside. He paused in front of the doors and did not look at her. "Queen Rouge has given us permission to see the dungeons. We will be leaving now, your duties will begin there." Akane's face frowned beneath her helmet. "She is a fool then." "Perhaps, but I think she just doesn't know. Tonight the palace will be ours. I left a special surprise for the knights as well. Your sister cooked it up for me. She is quite skilled." "In more than spell casting I'll wager," grumbled Akane. "Come now. You know as well as I that I will make an honest woman of her soon enough." "There's nothing you can do to make her honest," replied Akane coldly. "True!" Herb laughed for a moment. "Come now, do try and be a little civil, we will be related soon you know." "Civil is one thing I'll never be to you, Lord Herb," spat the woman sharply. "As you wish, be prepared," said Herb with his face calming suddenly. "I am ready to serve, as always," she replied with her head bowed slightly. "Do try and behave yourselves in front of our ruler," said an amused voice from behind them. They turned to see the Emperor's aide beside them. Lime and Mint both stood rigidly and stared at the wall in front of them. She was not wearing her cloak, and the skintight body suit she wore didn't hide much from view. +++++++++++ The dungeon was cold and damp, water dripped from the ceiling from long icicles that seemed to cover the stones overhead, a thin coat of ice also covered most of the walls. As the tiny cloaked figure of the Emperor stared into the cells that contained the whimpering criminals. They were separated from them by a few rusted out bars of metal. There was no torture equipment in the room, mostly because the temperature alone was enough to deter most. They cowered before the group before them, huddled close to each other for warmth. Even the strongest among them shivered quietly, deathly afraid to speak. Akane's intimidating black form lorded over them as she stared coldly into the bars. Herb was slightly more friendly looking, but his powerful aura was not something they took lightly. "The smell disgusts me," commented Akane. "You'd think they'd at least hose them down on occasion." "They would freeze to death in a few hours if they did," said the aide calmly. "We are not here to see that," said the young voice from behind them. They parted and he stepped forward, the staff clanked against the ground as the metal touched the stone floor. "It is time, don't worry my friends, you'll be warm soon enough." He stared at the prisoners for a moment and smirked. He was nothing but a boy, he looked no more than twelve years old, but his eyes told of an age much more than that. His long dark hair had streaks of red in it. On his back were two black and red wings, like those of a bird. The staff in his hands was glowing with a red energy; the metal shone brightly illuminating the room around them. It was an ornate piece of metal, made with a strange red metal. A large ring rested on the top. The boy tapped the ground with the staff and released it. The thing was impaled on the ground from even the light blow and stood upright. The red energy began to spread across the floor around them. Slowly it crept across the floor towards the prisoners. The water dripping from the ceiling and walls hissed as it came into contact with the ground, and the bars of metal began to bend slightly under the temperature. The prisoners began to wail in panic as the superheated energy crawled towards them. Akane merely stared forward as they began to scream in pain. Her armor was enchanted, and protected her from the effects of the energy. Kiima, the Emperor's aide, was somehow immune, and Herb merely floated just above it with his arms crossed and a dark smile on his lips. Emperor Saffron turned towards her and smiled, ignoring the screaming men behind him as they slowly burned to death. Already, the screams of others within the castle above had begun to start. "Guard the Kajakan well." "Yes my lord," she replied as she fell to her knees in front of him. She drew the huge broadsword from her side and planted it into the ground in front of her. The black metal was unaffected by the red power, it also had serrated edges that made it look even more intimidating. "Come Herb, we have to go collect Queen Rouge, she will not be harmed by my power," said the boy calmly. "I shall accompany you as well," said Kiima. "As you wish," said the boy with a small chuckle. He paused for a moment. "What of the knights?" "They have been taken care of," commented Herb. "Akane's forces should be cleaning up any who escaped our little surprise." "Excellent," said the boy as he started forward again. ++++++++++ Ranma, Ryu, Shampoo, and Ryoga stood on the edge of the moat. "Well, he's here," commented Ryu. "Yup," agreed Ranma cheerfully. "We'll try and figure out where he's keeping the damn thing tonight. We'll go in after it tomorrow." "I'm not very comfortable with lying to Ukyo about this. I know she wouldn't help us if we told her, but it just doesn't sit well with me," said Shampoo. "I do understand why we couldn't thought." "How do you think I feel?" said Ranma calmly. They had left her home the day before, under the pretence of continuing their voyage. Since that time they had been staying at a small in on the other side of town. They had approached the castle several times, observing the guards, trying to figure out the layout of the huge building, and figuring out what the best way to enter was. This was more dangerous than Ranma's usual jobs. They had to sneak Shampoo in as well, that meant the Umisenken wouldn't be of much use. Ryu's Yamesenken might come in handy though. They really had no idea about how well the place would be guarded. Ryu looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Hey, does something feel weird to you?" "Huh? What?" said Ranma in confusion. "He's right, something doesn't feel right," said Ryoga. "I hate the stench of death this black slime emits. "Was it smoking before?" said Shampoo with an uncertain frown. "No, I don't think so. Does anyone else feel a little warm?" Ranma glanced down at the ooze and frowned. The entire group stepped back; a slow moving orange glow began to crawl its way up the side of the wall. "What the hell is that?" snapped Ranma as he jumped back. "The Kajakan," said Shampoo with an angry frown. "What?" snapped Ryu as he watched it crawl up the side of the building in fascinated horror. "This is the power of the emperor's staff," said the girl calmly. "That's nuts!" snapped Ranma. "You of all people should know better than that," commented Ryoga. "I've stolen stuff that makes things super hot before, but an entire castle?" said the boy as he watched. The guards on the wall above had noticed the slowly creeping energy crawl towards them. Occasionally, a few flames would jump out of the wall as the wind blew by. Within moments he saw the men fall to the ground as screams of pain floated down to them. "Gods! How are we supposed to get near that thing?" snarled Ryoga. "We don't, not while it's like this at least. Even the Kajakan can't keep something like this too hot for long. It will be dangerous though, the entire palace will be like the inside of a volcano." "No reason to change the plan then," said Ranma. "It should have cooled enough for us to get through by tomorrow. Especially in this weather." Ryoga spoke suddenly. "Ranma, the knights will be targeted." "I know," said the boy coolly. "You intend to do nothing?" said Shampoo in surprise. "What can I do? I'm a thief, not a knight. If I tried anything, it would endanger our mission." The boy looked away from them for a moment. "Ranma, she was your friend," said Ryu. "What's more important?" snapped the boy angrily as he whirled around to face them. Tears streamed down his face. He calmed suddenly and turned away again. "Ucchan would want me to stop this, for her. The only way to do that, is to get that damn staff away from him." Shampoo looked worried for a moment. "He is right, misguided perhaps, but correct. We can do more good by stopping the source." They turned away and left the castle for the next day. ++++++++ Inside the barracks of the Knights of Bahamut, several men sat around a large table with cards spread out among them. They were dressed in uniforms, but their armor hung on the walls between the bed racks where they slept. The scene was rather relaxed; a few weapons hung from their sides. Several other men lay on the beds, or lounged around with various instruments. They had just returned from a rather uneventful mission. The goblins that had once held a grip on the trade route had been dispersed before their arrival by one of their own. "So, she beat us again," muttered one of the men at the card table. "Yes, she's getting worse," agreed another one of the men lazily. "It's almost like we aren't needed anymore. That damn woman is too good for our own good. We're getting fat and lazy just sitting here." "You're right, we're losing respect," commented the first man with a tiny amount of anger. "Well, what can we do? We can't fault her for being as good, or as lucky as she is. Any one of us would jump on the opportunity. I kind of like having her around," said a third knight. "Her cross dressing lackey came back today," commented one of the nearby men. "They seem like a good couple. I wonder who wears the pants in that home!" joked one of the men cheerfully. "She does," said a new voice. Everyone turned to see Konatsu standing in the doorway lazily. He was wearing a plain looking dress and had his sword strapped across his back. "Hey! Join us for some cards?" offered one of the men cheerfully. "Thanks, but no," replied the squire. Everyone in the room knew and respected him, if not openly. He could have been a knight on his own. He had waved the honor several times, siting that he did not want to leave his mistress's side. "Suit yourself," replied the man with a shrug. The feminine squire wasn't much of a socialite. He preferred to keep to himself for the most part. It wasn't all that unusual among them; most of the knights who weren't sitting at the card table were like that. Konatsu walked by them silently and sat down on his bunk. He leaned against the wall and sighed. Something had been bothering him lately, a feeling of dread that he had not been able to put into words. He knew what it was though. "Something evil approaches. I sense that it is very near now, possibly even upon us all ready." "You worry too much. Who would be stupid enough to attack us here?" scoffed one of the men. A red ring of energy formed on the floor where the man stood. He screamed in pain as his body burst into flames and fell to the ground. Within a few seconds all that remained was a smoking skeleton. The men were on their feet in an instant and reaching for their weapons, scrambling to find their armor. It was far too late though. A dark green mass of scales slowly rose from the glowing ring and hissed at them. "What the hell is that?" screamed one of the men as it began to uncoil itself. "Wyvern," snarled another knight nearby as he prepared himself. The creature was a gigantic winged lizard, not unlike a small dragon. It's head scraped against the ceiling as it glanced around at those in the room. A small jet of flames escaped its mouth as it began to breathe. It's claws cut into the wooden floor and it slowly stalked forward towards the men. "Get ready!" called out one of the knights. "Die monster!" screamed a man beside him as he charged forward. The beast moved like lightening, it's neck snapped towards him and a ball of fire struck him in the chest. The unfortunate knight screamed in pain as he fell to the ground in flames. Konatsu was airborne in an instant. He flipped over the thing's head and slashed at it. A shower of sparks flew into the air as his sword cut into the scales on the thing's neck. He had managed to do nothing more than scratch its hide for his efforts. He landed and rolled away as the thing's tail snapped at him. "Get it!" cried one of the angry knights as he charged forward with his compatriots. They swarmed forward towards the beast. It roared angrily in reply and charged forward as well. Konatsu jumped up from the corner he had been standing in. Several flashes of metal appeared in the sky and stuck in the hide of the monster. Four throwing daggers that did nothing more than annoy the creature. The wyvern ignored him and tore into the crowd of knights with his teeth and claws. Blood sprayed into the air as they fell around him. Parts of their bodies flew and rolled across the ground leaving them screaming and injured or dead. "We need lady Ukyo," snapped Konatsu to the remaining knights. Only five had survived so far. He rushed towards the doors and was quickly followed. Once outside, another horrible surprise waited for them. Around twenty black clad knights stood with weapons drawn. The lead knight stepped forward and snarled. "Kill them. Kill them all." +++++++++ Ukyo Kuonji sat up in her bed. A cold sweat covered her body. "What is this feeling?" She rolled upright and hung her legs off the edge of the bed as she held her head. Her eyes were wide and terror stricken. She slowly stood up and stared forward at her spear. The blade was glowing with a white light. "Danger? Here? What's going on?" She walked over to her new armor and frowned as she lifted it off of its place on the wall. ++++++++++ Nabiki Tendo laughed as she stared into the mirror once again and watched the slaughter of the knights in an almost euphoric pleasure. "Oh, how could they ever doubt me. Come my pet!" She waved her hand over the image of the wyvern and smirked. A handful of the knights had managed to make it outside, where Akane's troops waited for her. "You have done well, return home now." She smiled as the thing returned into the ring of flames that had spawned it. The image changed to a view of the five knights fending off Akane's forces. "Oh sister dear, we do work so well together. It's a pity you could not be there to see it." She paused as something flashed for a moment in the image. "Hmm? Could it be? Oh well, these few puny knights shall make no difference." ++++++++ Konatsu frowned as he stood with the two remaining knights. The pair was young, and relatively inexperienced. They held their broadswords ready on either side of him. The knights had them completely surrounded. "We will die, as we should." "I've got no intentions of dying," snapped one of the men next to him. "Yeah, but what can we do?" replied the other with a clearly worried look on his face. "Cut a hole through the weakest point, and run. That is our only chance for survival," replied Konatsu. He had also begun to see past his anger, to the benefits of survival. After all, Lady Ukyo still lived. Or so he hoped. "Well? Now what?" snapped the other knight. "What the hell is that?" said Konatsu as she noticed the glowing orange form of the castle nearby. The lead black knight did not reply. "Take them." The forces around them charged and closed the trap around them. Out of the corner of his eye, Konatsu saw something move. +++++++++++ Ukyo Kuonji rushed across the rooftops of the city. It would take no more than a few moments to reach the barracks. She jumped down from the last roof and rushed into the large field the knights used for practice. The silver helmet that covered her head hid her stern face, and her long red cape billowed behind her as she charged around the back of the building. She stopped cold at what she saw. Seven black knights stood alone, they looked tired and battle worn. The bodies of three of her fellow knights lay on the ground around them. An aura of anger surrounded her as she stared at them hatefully. "What have you done here?" "Look, it's another one!" snapped one of them. The anger in his voice was quickly abated when he saw her aura burning around them. "You'll all die!" screamed the angry Ukyo as she pointed her spear at them. A ball of white energy began to form on the tip of the blade. It was no larger than a golf ball. "Get her!" cried one of the men in a panic. It was far too late. The last thing the men ever saw was a white light engulfing them. Ukyo fell to her knees and sobbed as the remains of their armor clanked to the ground in front of her. She slowly rose to her feet and began to search through the bodies. The three outside she could recognize, but once inside she could not make out the remains of her late friends. Those who were not burned beyond recognition, appeared to be chewed and half eaten by some unknown monster. She staggered outside of the building, out of the smell of burned and putrid flesh. She lifted the visor on her helmet and became violently sick. She staggered and leaned against the wall in an attempt to support herself. She fell to her knees regardless and looked towards the black knight's bodies. "There's a lot of them dead. I'm glad they all died bravely." Her sorrow began to overwhelm them again. She stood up and began to walk away. After a moment, she paused and looked at one of the black knight's remains. It looked like the back of his armor had been ripped off; there was nothing inside but a wet red mess with a few bones protruding from the gore. "What could have done this?" she wondered for a moment. ++++++++++ Ranma stood in the shadows and glared at the three men in front of him angrily. "Who are you? What are you?" said one of the younger men. "I'm something you never saw," replied the pigtailed boy darkly. "Right, I am Hiroshi, this is Daisuke, and the girl here is Konatsu," said the other man cheerfully. He made no move to approach the shadowy figure though. "We are in your debt. Please tell us who, or what you are? There will be questions." "So what. Stay away from the castle. You'll only get yourselves killed," snapped Ranma as he turned away from them. Konatsu narrowed his eyes slightly. "You are not with the Emperor, are you?" He recognized the voice from somewhere, but could not place it. "Tell them, the Dragon Ghost has rescued you," replied the shadow with a small chuckle as it vanished. "You'd best get out of town, take the other knight with you. You'll all be killed if you stay here. We will take care of the Emperor." "We?" said Daisuke in confusion. "Let's go. We're going to get Lady Ukyo," said Konatsu as he whirled around and walked out of the alley. Hiroshi watched the shadows nervously. "The Dragon Ghost? That was him? Man, what does a guy like that want here?" "It's not our concern at the moment. We have more important matters," snapped the feminine man angrily. "Right," replied both knights as they followed after him. ++++++++++ "You old softy, I knew you wouldn't leave her," said Ryu lazily as he met Ranma on a rooftop near the scene. "Shut up. I don't want a word of this getting around. I did what I could. Let's go." "My lips are sealed, for now," said the boy with a chuckle. "Come on, the others are getting worried. I'll just tell them you went looking for a whore or something." "You shut up!" snapped Ranma as he started to chase his partner across the rooftops. ++++++++++ TBC... Next time: The volcanic palace. Well, you finally know who the Emperor is. Everyone kept guessing Happosai, though, I imagine this won't be a surprise for a lot of you. I got tired of writing aide all the time, but if I gave Kiima away, you'd have known for sure. Oh well. On a side note, Hiroshi and Daisuke were last minute additions, that's why you don't see their names sooner. I was going to just kill all the knights. I figured I might get a few jokes out of these two. They won't be traveling with the party though, it's getting kind of crowded, and I don't want to over do it. P.S. Happy does have a part in this later on.