ã€ŠMessage in a Bottleã€‹


 Prologue

    Volcano Kommorte leaked hot ash into the sky in the distance, marring the gray skies with a charcoal scar. The anger of the volcano-god was constant these days, demanding constant appeasement and sacrifice to ward off cataclysmic eruption. Cataclysmic at least for the locals of Pinto, the island upon which Kommorte smouldered.

    A lone figure leaned against the taffrail of the merchant ship sailing towards Pinto. He was slender, with swarthy skin and black hair coiled up into a knot on the back of his head. Days-old stubble threatened to become a proper beard if not cut back soon.

    His violet traveling robes protected him from the occasional salty spray. He seemed poised and confident, but also bored. Like merely existing was effortless. From his lilac-accented sleeves he produced a long, straight pipe and detached the bowl before retrieving a packet of dried herbs that he began packing into the bowl.

    Orryn Vanadar was on vacation. He could indulge in as much of the heaven-grown herb as he wanted. But he sighed and drew from a second bag containing a cheaper ¡ª but he swore flavor-enhancing ¡ª blend of herbs he''d gathered in Creation during his travels. Just because he didn''t have to worry about being sober for now didn''t mean he could be irresponsible with his salary.

    Orryn Vanadar was also not on vacation. He was inhabiting the resplendent destiny "Dynastic merchant." Most of the passengers on the ship fit that description, and it was one that proved useful for Vanadar in the past: merchants were generally allowed through checkpoints and into cities and nobody wanted to incur the wrath of the Scarlet Dynasty.

    Well, not in the past. It''d been a liability more and more frequently since the Empress disappeared five years ago, and many of the lands conquered by the Dynasty began questioning its presence as it began the slow collapse under its enormous bureaucratic and logistic weight without a strong leader on the throne.

    There were other destinies he could adopt though, and Pinto was still loyal to the throne. It wouldn''t be a problem. He couldn''t wait until they reached the island though. Even better than a merchant, once you''d reached a destination, was "naive customer." Then he''d really be on vacation.

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    For a few days anyway. There was a true purpose for his visit: recruitment. Eighteen years ago his partner and mentor mysteriously disappeared. Amusing that a Chosen of Mercury, mistress of Journeys, would ever be lost, Vanadar eventually allowed himself to joke. But her successor was fated to Exalt soon.

    He took a long drag of his pipe and let his thoughts begin to drift. Fifty years ago after he''d first Exalted he was worried he''d lose the ability to gain any sort of enjoyment from his favorite vice. When he discovered that he could get just as intoxicated without any of the usual downsides he jokingly referred to it as his Third Breath. His old partner laughed at him. She''d been his mentor too, a sort of assigned journeyman-apprentice situation that worked out.

    After everything the two had been through, after 32 years of friendship, romance, heartbreak, and reconciliation, he doubted her replacement would be able to measure up. But he needed to see her again, even in a new life. Even if almost nothing of her was left.

    For 18 years he investigated her disappearance and monitored the Loom of Fate for her Exaltation''s return. After interviewing Pattern Spiders, charting constellations, consulting omens, and even following leads delivered in his dreams, he''d put together a thorough dossier on her inheritor.

    They''d be found in the Wavecrest Archipelago. An island chain of dozens of islands covering thousands of square kilometers. If it was true, it would be the smallest area ever calculated for the apperance of a new Sidereal Exalted prior to their Exaltation. By a matter of days. Assuming their Exaltation was as dramatic and visible as they typically were there was a good chance he''d see it on the horizon.

    But even that accomplishment was minor compared to the second piece of information he''d managed to uncover. He hadn''t even had a chance to report it to the Bureau before he left: he''d learned it in a dream his first night sailing.

    A full name, given and family: Ryoga Hibiki.

 Dreams and Omens

    On a cold day in Nerima, Japan, sometime in the early ''90s, the overcast sky projected a pallor onto the Saotome and Tendo families who had gathered at the Tendo dojo. Everyone was dressed in funeral attire after bearing witness to the passing of a great man: Happosai, founder of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, was dead.

    Naturally, the mood was festive, bright, and wild. Even Kasumi Tendo, usually so composed and reserved, was helping herself to a glass of wine. The younger Tendo sisters, Nabiki and Akane, were excitedly listing the ways they could relax now that the menace was gone. Nabiki was happy she could stop locking her drawers and cabinets, Akane could empty the loose floorboards under her bed.

    Akane''s fianc¨¦, the dark-haired, ebullient Ranma Saotome was quietly thankful that he could finally bring some of the clothes he''d stashed around town inside and reminded himself to ask if he could borrow some of his fianc¨¦e''s closet space. He''d put together quite the wardrobe for his red-haired alter ego and was eager to consolidate.

    The sound of racuous laughter disrupted his thoughts and he frowned at his and Akane''s fathers, Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo. They were getting steadily drunk on cheap beer ¡ª having already polished off the good shochu ¡ª while sharing their worst memories of Happosai and the abuses they suffered under his tutelage, mostly to each other and with decreasing coherence.

    Ranma''s mother, Nodoka, hadn''t interacted with the odious pervert much, and she listened to everyone''s stories with a pained look on her face. Whenever someone would mention how often Ranma took advantage of the deceased''s primary weakness ¡ª by turning into a girl and enticing him with her body ¡ª she looked at him with a mix of concern, pity, admiration, and judgement.

    A loud knock rang out from the household''s front gate and Ranma eagerly sprang to his feet to answer it, giving him an excuse to stretch his legs and spare himself more of Genma''s skull-pounding guffaws. Introspection had occupied him in for the past few weeks. Sometimes it seemed like the past two years of his life had been one catastrophe after another. It was nice that the past eighteen days were so¡­low-key. No megalomaniacal demigods, no violent challengers, no pompous fools uttering self-righteous declarations of superiority, and most importantly no suitors, fianc¨¦s, or fianc¨¦es, save the one he actually wanted.

    Not that he had successfully told her that while both of them were wholly conscious at the same time.

    Of course, fate could intervene at any moment and disrupt his transient peace. Like, for instance, as soon as he opened the gate and saw who had come calling.

    One was a stranger, a young man with glasses and a half-hearted attempt to grow a moustache in a courier''s uniform pushing a dolly full of secured boxes carrying a misshapen package and clipboard. His name tag read Tsuyoshi Serizawa.

    Tsuyoshi was was sweating. Not because of the weight of his packages or the humidity, but because of the other visitors. The second was a wizened old woman with long, white hair balancing on the top of a staff. She''s even older than the old creep, Ranma thought to himself. When''s she going to kick the bucket and stop bothering me?

    Cologne. At almost (or was it over?) three centures of age, the elder of the Joketsuzoku warrior women had been a recurring part of Ranma''s life. Whether she was antagonizing him or teaching him a powerful new martial art technique, it was always to further her own agenda of marrying him to her great-granddaughter.

    Shampoo, said great-granddaughter, stood beside her. Ranma ¡ª as a girl ¡ª had defeated Shampoo the first time they met and she''d pursued him from China to Japan. Despite his martial victory she was a skilled combatant. Just because she wasn''t wearing a breastplate and brandishing weapons didn''t mean she wasn''t a threat.

    Finally there was Ryoga Hibiki, Ranma''s second-oldest friend and rival. Right now he didn''t want to see the boy or his black-and-yellow checkered bandana or his overstuffed traveling pack or his combat umbrellas. Like Cologne and Shampoo though, he wasn''t projecting violent intent. He certainly didn''t seem happy to see Ranma either but he kept his mouth shut.

    "What do you want?" Ranma barked belligerently.

    The three martial artists looked at the courier expectantly. Sweating, Tsuyoshi held out a clipboard. "Uh¡­I''m supposed to be delivering these to Saotome Genma and Tendo Soun, per the posthumous instructions of their, uh¡­''former master'', Happosai," he was a nervous wreck. "Are either of them available to sign this?" he pleaded.

    "Daaaaaad!" Ranma bellowed. "Package for you!" he called over his shoulder before turning his gaze to the other visitors. "And you?"

    Cologne spoke first. "I understand there has been a death in the family. How sad, my condolences," she said with the barest hint of sarcasm.

    "Yeah we''re all broken up in there," Ranma deadpanned as a drunk cheer rang out from the dojo. "We''re clearly in mourning, so unless you have any business¡ª"

    "Your school''s founder stole many priceless, culturally significant artifacts from the Joketsuzoku!" she snapped. "I am here to recover any ill-gotten gains that he may have left to his disciples." She gestured at Tsuyoshi, who started shaking.

    "I-I-I c-c-c-an''t deliver these t-t-t-to anyone else," he stammered. In a flash, Cologne dropped off her staff, reversed it in her hands, and swatted the courier with the club-like handle. She must have been holding back: Tsuyoshi yelped but didn''t drop anything.

    "I''m not asking you for anything! I want all proper procedures to be followed so that no one will question the integrity of the Joketsuzoku or the legitimacy of our claims. Son-in-law!" she swung her staff around and pointed it at Ranma. "Get your father out here so we can hasten this ordeal. I''m certain you want us gone."

    Ranma rolled his eyes but certainly didn''t disagree. "Daaaaad! Or Mr. Tendo! Delivery!" he squawked. "Whatever. I''m not inviting any of you inside right now after what you pulled at the¡­last time you were here." He didn''t want to broach the topic of the wedding with them, and he knew that Akane certainly didn''t want anything to do with Shampoo or her great-grandmother right now.

    "Nonsense, son!" Soun Tendo''s booming voice practically knocked Ranma off his feet. He wiggled a pinky in his ear to get the ringing to stop. "This is a happy occasion! The more the merrier! I''m Soun Tendo, welcome to my home!"

    The courier slapped a pad into Mr. Tendos'' hands, eager to hand over his delivery and get the heck out of there. "Ranma, would you and your friend here mind moving these inside?" he asked as Tsuyoshi sprinted away with his now empty dolly.

    "I''d like a chance to look through those boxes as soon as possible, Mr. Tendo." Cologne''s demanded in a much more polite voice than she''d been speaking to Ranma.

    "As I was explaining to my son-in¡­to the young Mr. Saotome, your late master is known to have stolen a number of our culture''s treasures and artifacts. I humbly request that you permit me inspect what remains of his estate and reclaim what is rightfully ours."

    That was a surprise. The ghoul never passed up the chance to remind the Tendos of her claim on Ranma, viewing Shampoo''s vow to marry him as the only legitimate one. He was caught between relief that she preferred Soun''s cooperation and wouldn''t be pushing it right now and the sting that he mattered less than some dusty relics.

    With a scoff he turned to let the adults finish their discussion. By the time he reached the garden he realized someone had followed him. He spun and saw Shampoo and Ryoga. "Some reason you''re following me?" He asked with venom.

    Shampoo at least didn''t try to force herself on him like she usually did. If anything she seemed preoccupied. "Grandmother wanted me to keep an eye on you, airen, in case you tried to cheat us out of what we came for."

    He didn''t even bother to dignify that with a response, but bristled at the implication. Where did she get off? Why would he care?

    Actually, that was almost a good question. Why should he care? Now Ranma was more intrigued than he was frustrated. He had to see what those artifacts were.

    Ryoga in the meantime muttered something under his breath. That''s when Ranma realized that he didn''t look upset or angry like usual: he looked embarrassed.

    "What was that?" Ranma asked, legitimately curious.

    "I said I need help figuring something out. Something that''s been bothering me for a while. I wanted to talk to Akane about it," he trailed off. The boy looked tired, but Ranma wasn''t excited that his rival wanted anything to do with his fianc¨¦e.

    "First off, neither one of us wants to see either of ya''ll after what you pulled. Second, I don''t know why you think she''ll be able to help."

    "Who won''t be able to help?" came a familiar voice behind him, and he winced knowing who it was.

    "H-h-h-hi Akane!" Ryoga sputtered, whatever was eating him clearly not powerful enough to strengthen his nerves against the appearance of his crush.

    Shampoo bowed, surprising Ranma and Akane. "We are sorry for your loss, Miss Akane," she offered politely.

    Despite her irritation, Akane laughed. "Shampoo it was Happosai, I know the pest bothered you too. Our mourning period has been one long private party." The emphasis on private conveyed more than the rest of the sentence.

    The purple-haired warrior woman loosened up immediately and gave them a smug grin. "Yes, and hopefully soon we will set right the crimes he committed against the Joketsuzoku. But he was your dojo''s master, I had to be polite."

    Sparks flew between the two practicioners of Anything Goes Martial Arts as Shampoo implied that their association with that pathetic excuse of a man tainted them, sullied their honor somehow.

    "Watch your mouth!" "Our school is nothing like him!" They shouted, leading into an argument between the three. Ryoga shook his head, frustrated. He heard a voice from inside the house call his name before he could get involved.

    "Hmm?" Quizzically he looked at the empty living room. A moment passed and he was about to walk away when he heard it again.

    "Hello?" he asked, stepping into the house and turning down the corridor.

    From the kitchen he heard Mr. Tendo and the old ghoul talking. Ranma had told him that everyone else was in the dojo, so maybe one of them was talking about him? Without even making the decision his feet began taking him there.

    Pushing through the noren, he saw that both boxes had been opened and their contents spread across the kitchen counters and floors. It was like being in the back room of a museum, where they keep all the exhibits that aren''t on display. So many things the monster had collected, found, and likely stolen over his many years.

    One item in particular arrested Ryoga''s attention. He didn''t even hear Soun question him as he approached it.

    It was a polished, white, stone disk a half meter in diameter and about ten centimeters thick. Filigree made of a purer gold than he''d ever seen bordered the edge, swooping patterns that resembled words or characters in some sort of foreign script. The center of the disk was an engraving: a circle with a cross coming off the bottom and a half-circle on the top surrounded by patterns similar to the filigree.

    He''d seen the symbol every night in his dreams for the past two weeks. Somehow he knew this relic was exactly what he''d come to the Tendo household to find. Something had guided him here, and it was connected to this. He''d stepped out of his home this morning, trusting his feet to guide him. Fate wanted him to be here, at this moment.

    Cologne rapped the back of his ankle with her staff, snapping him out of his reverie. "Pay attention! What are you looking at?" the wizened martial artist demanded.

    "What? Oh, that, do you know what that is?" Cologne followed the line of his point and inspected the disk. He was shaking in anticipation. Something had been clawing at him for days, desperate to find¡­something. This was related somehow, it would give him the answers he sought.

    The crone shook her head. "I don''t know. It''s not Joketsuzoku, I don''t even think it''s Chinese. Now leave, we are having a discussion."

    Ryoga couldn''t leave, not without investigating further. If Cologne didn''t need it, he''d just ask to hold on to it while he was visiting. He didn''t have to take it with him. Reaching out for it, he asked "Would it be all right if I¡ª" As soon as his fingers touched the filigree border he yelped in surprise as the relic stole a burst of his ki in a yellow arc.

    Stolen light swooped through the designs and engravings as the onlookers stepped back. Ryoga felt drained but now his guard was up. Whatever compulsion had been driving him was suppressed by the sense of pain and betrayal building up. Had he been tricked somehow? Misled by otherworldly forces?

    Gold twisted and flowed from the border of the disk and began shaping itself. Eight long, spindly limbs spun into existence, growing like roots towards the center. A ball of light appeared only to be swallowed by a globe of metal at the intersection of each leg as a spider-like shape emerged from the cacophony of metal and light.

    Once the head and abdomen formed, the light subsided and eight eyes, glittering like bismuth, opened on the head. The creature looked about, twisting its body and pivoting its head, before focusing on Ryoga.

    In a deep, sibilant voice it spoke. "Inheritor. Shall we depart? I sense that we have already been here far longer than originally estimated."

    Nobody spoke. After a moment of shocked silence, the spider sighed and shook its head. "We do not need to return now, but please state the purpose of activating me if that is not the case."

    Hadrak Rapella did not appreciate being summoned in this world. It had been here for nearly 20 years, lying dormant. Something was wrong with the air, with the threads of fate. They spun and twisted in the metaphysical breeze wildly and it was difficult to read them.

    Worse, the realm felt barren to a lesser god like Rapella. Pattern Spiders depended on a steady stream of essence to stay alive, and there wasn''t even enough here to draw from the environment and keep it functioning. It needed to conserve its strength if it could make the jump ¡ª

    There wasn''t enough. There wasn''t enough essence! This world''s ambient essence production was so slight that the pattern spider had even less after dormancy than before. The essence it had stolen from Ryoga was only enough to awaken and materialize it. In a panic, it scanned the environment. The building itself was, despite its impressive structual design for a mortal dwelling, almost useless. But the Maidens had seen fit to ensure that it would be surrounded by essence-rich artifacts.

    Well, not essence-rich, not compared to the products of true smith-gods, but good enough. "My apologies, Inheritor. We''ve been here too long. I need to commence the rite of return immediately. We shall commandeer these trinkets, absorb their essence, and use that to call home."

    Within an instant it fired off gossamer strands from its spinnerette, snagging the closest half of the artifacts. Before it could begin to harvest the occult energies within them, however, Cologne leapt at it with her staff, striking one of its legs and shattering it in a single blow.

    Hadrak coiled its remaining seven legs against its body in a defensive gesture and regarded the old master. It did not have the time, energy, or patience to deal with hostile locals. It kept six of its eyes locked on her while two scanned the environment for points of egress.

    "You will commandeer nothing, creature." Cologne slowly paced around it. "If you wait, you can discuss borrowing whatever I do not take. But not before I¡ª"

    "Apologies, but I am on a deadline." Hadrak interrupted before launching itself backward through the window above the sink. Behind it dragged the line of artifacts it had ensnared like a sky banner.

    "Wait!" Ryoga shouted before leaping after it. He had come all this way for answers and he would not be deterred, not now. A crash of thunder didn''t even warrant hesitation as he readied his umbrella to defend against the inclement deluge. If he lost sight of the gold spider he knew he''d never find it again, so he just had to keep his eyes on the trail of artifacts it pulled.

    Cologne shrieked as the black and yellow lost boy darted away. "Granddaughter! Son-in-law!"

    Her purple-haired great-granddaughter dashed in. Before she could ask what had happened her elder ordered "Get those artifacts back, now!" and she leapt through the hole that had once been a window after Ryoga.

    Ranma casually sauntered in, still riled up by the argument he''d been having with Shampoo. "What do you want you buzzard? I''m not gonna chase anybody down for you¡ª"

    "Retrieve the artifacts and I will declare granddaughter''s kiss null and void!" It was a bargain. A steep bargain. Ranma knew she would do everything she could not to honor it. But he needed to simplify things, needed to simplify his life.

    Wordlessly he dove through the window as well. Ryoga was slow but a good tracker, somehow, and Ranma knew he''d be able to hunt down the crone''s missing artifacts or whatever, leading Ranma right to them.

    Akane was right behind him. He bit back the urge to tell her to go back, or not get involved in "his" fight, or some other prideful, macho bullshit. There''s no one he''d rather be with in this moment. Plus if Shampoo was also chasing after these things he''d need someone to keep the warrior woman busy.

    She wanted this as badly as Ranma. In her perspective, Shampoo was the first. The first of Ranma''s "rival" fianc¨¦es. She''d shown up and started immediately throwing herself at Ranma, oftentimes literally, in the hopes of enticing him to marry her. Ranma had refused each time. At this point, two years later, Akane didn''t doubt that he wasn''t interested in Shampoo like that. But it''d be nice when their relationship was no longer mandated by cultural custom.

    Hadrak was busy trying to determine a safe place to actually perform the ritual that would take it home. It was a custom-designed spell that was supposed to be performed by the pattern spider and their Sidereal partner, over the course of two and two-thirds hours, in view of the stars, and required a significant investment of power from both participants.

    Just my luck that I''ll be performing it alone, surrounded by hostiles, with no source of environmental essence ¡ª don''t have time to find a location with meaningful geomantic symmetry to make up for that, and I''m injured on top of everything else. Normally it would have let the broken limb regenerate but without a way to recover essence it was actively suppressing the normally autonomic process.

    It skittered across the rooftops, making stories-high leaps to orient itself and find somewhere it could fortify a position and begin the ritual. With an approving click it noticed the yellow-clad youth in hot pursuit and allowed him to get close. "Inheritor! I hope you will be joining me, your participation will make the ritual much more likely to succeed!"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Ryoga could tell that it was referring to him, but he was otherwise confused. Matching Hadrak''s strides, he launched into his questions. "Look, I just need answers! What are you? Who are you? I had a dream about a lady with that symbol on her forehead, what was that all about?"

    Were the situation less dire, Hadrak would have been glad to answer Ryoga''s questions ¡ª one of its purposes was to assist the Maidens of Fate''s chosen after all ¡ª but a purple streak flashed between the two of them as Shampoo came down with an ululating cry in an attempt to kick the golden spider out of the sky.

    "Inheritor, if you neutralize our pursuer¡­s," it noted the two other youths in white and black bounding after them as well. "All of your questions will be answered!"

    Ryoga swore as he saw Ranma and Akane approaching, briefly hoping they''d help him contain Shampoo.

    Unfortunately for him, once Ranma got into shouting range he made his intentions known. "Hand over the crap, Ryoga!" He came in with a diving kick. The lost boy hefted his umbrella and deflected his rival''s foot at the last second, growling a response as lightning filled the sky.

    "I didn''t steal it, jackass!" he shouted back. He felt two stray drops of rain before instinctively raising the umbrella. Not only would transforming into a defenseless piglet render him incapable of stopping Ranma''s assault, Akane would see that he''d been her pet P-chan for almost two years. He''d moved on from pursuing the youngest Tendo daughter after meeting Akari Unryu but he didn''t want to face the shame of what he''d done yet.

    Ranma felt her body shift as the rain picked up. Vermillion spread through her hair as her body shrank, but she grinned. Ryoga had to keep that umbrella up to keep fighting, and Shampoo wouldn''t be able to¡­to¡­why isn''t she changing?

    The Chinese girl normally changed into a house cat when she got wet, but she was bounding through the rain with abandon. Ryoga noticed Ranma staring and realized what had happened as well. The two stopped fighting each other and immediately set after her.

    Akane noticed how swiftly Ranma tore off after Shampoo and it softened her heart. He''d verbally protested the Chinese girl''s advances but never took action to actually prevent them. This felt like the first time he''d actually done anything to break off one of his engagements. She wasn''t going to take that for granted.

    "Shampoo!" she cried while hefting a bench and flinging it at the girl.

    "What do you¡ªACK!" Shampoo twisted to dodge the bench, which brought her down to the ground right in front of the Tendo heir. Akane turned her sprint into a knee strike which Shampoo managed to catch before it slammed into her stomach. Using the momentum she sprang up into the air to deliver a spinning axe kick to Akane''s head.

    The black-haired girl had clearly been training her speed since the last time the two fought, or was used to sparring with the equally-acrobatic Ranma, and blocked the kick between her forearms. She gripped Shampoo''s ankle and pulled, pivoting into a judo throw to transfer her downward momentum straight into the ground.

    Shampoo yelped as her body slammed into the pavement but managed to twist out of Akane''s grasp and roll forward. "I see the brute girl has been learning," she hissed. "But this is not your business! Stay out of Joketsuzoku affairs!"

    "Actually, it is my business," Akane smirked. "Your grandmother said that if Ranma got the artifacts back she''d undo your engagement to him!" That got her. Shampoo''s eyes went wide with shock.

    "Airen!" she pleaded to Ranma as the two landed next to her. "Say it isn''t true!"

    The red-head shook her head. She wasn''t playing around right now. "Nope, it''s true. I don''t want to marry you, Shampoo, so I''m gonna get those relics or whatever."

    "Why aren''t you changing!?" Ryoga demanded, desperation in his eyes.

    In her shocked state, Shampoo almost explained about the water-proof soap she''d applied this morning. She knew it''d rain and grandmother was serious about the artifacts, so she wanted to guarantee she would be combat-capable all day. But Ryoga''s desperation gave her leverage. "Help Shampoo retrieve the artifacts and she will tell you the secret!"

    With a feint she kicked at Ranma, who started to block. Interrupting the strike Shampoo instead leapt onto Ryoga''s umbrella and resumed her pursuit of Hadrak, still dragging the trail of relics behind it. Ryoga hesistated for a second before sweeping his leg behind Ranma, knocking her on her ass as he followed the purple-haired girl. "Sorry Saotome, but you know this is bigger than us!"

    "Get back here you pig-headed asshole!" Ranma swore as she rolled back to her feet. In less than a second she was springing through the air again but the others had a significant lead.

    Akane slammed her palm into her face out of frustration. She''d been improving but keeping up with those three at length tested her endurance. Fortunately help came in the form of an unlikely ally. "Akane? What''s happening?"

    Spinning, Akane saw a girl with long, brunette hair tied into a ponytail: Uyko Kuonji. She was on a delivery bike from her okonomiyaki shop and equipped with her signature giant spatula. For a moment, Akane was going to treat her as a new threat: she was another of Ranma''s would-be suitors. But Akane could work with that.

    "Ukyo! Cologne said that if Ranma can get these stolen artifacts back she''ll cancel his and Shampoo''s engagement!" That got her. The okonomiyaki chef gritted her teeth and nodded. "Get on," she gestured to the bike.

    Akane liked Ukyo. If she had teamed up with Shampoo, the other girl would probably try to kill her if the opportunity presented itself, but she knew that Ukyo would help her take care of the immediate problem and worry about eliminating her second rival later. She hopped up behind the brunette and the two took off.

    <hr>

    Hadrak remembered running from all sorts of powerful entities over the past few centuries. Its home was deep within the Bureau of Fate, and its day job, along with many other Pattern Spiders, was to tend to the Loom of Fate, assist the other employees, and oversee any specific assignments. Rapella dealt with finding lost things, which meant that on occasion it got to do what many of its kin did not and leave the Bureau. It took its job of finding lost things very seriously, considered itself a consummate professional. There was a certain nostalgia to leaping across buildings in a tightly-packed city, the likes of which it had only ever seen in heaven.

    And it remembered how much it hated running, jumping, dodging, being in a desperate struggle just to survive. Even worse, it was, in this sad world, a lost thing. It refused to let itself die in some backwater realm of existence at the hands of what were certainly children. Strangely powerful children, given they were capable of feats it had only seen achieved by gods, demons, and the Exalted, but children nonetheless!

    Finally it spotted an estate large, fortified, and empty enough that it could find a quiet corner and perform the ritual in peace. It spent a sliver of its remaining energy and rocketed forward. It needed to be fast enough to get into one of the buildings without any of its pursuers seeing which one, but slow enough that its ward knew where to start looking.

    It was willing to leave Ryoga in this world to save itself, but it knew that would render the entire ordeal pointless. Worse than pointless: there would be a Sidereal Exaltation lost in another world, ironically the one that had originally found its way here in the first place. If Hadrak couldn''t bring it back, the secret of how to get here would be forgotten until some other mad fool managed to follow the exact same steps she had. Worst of all¡­

    Hadrak would probably have to do all of this again. It shuddered at the thought as it leapt over the gates that proudly displayed KUNO ANCESTRAL ESTATE in bold.

    <hr>

    "Aiiii-yaaaaaa!" Shampoo shouted in frustration as she landed on the immaculately kept garden. She knew the thing had landed here, she even saw divots in the ground where some of the artifacts had bounced, but there were no signs of where it went after that. She wished her great-grandmother had given her more direction: she had no idea what this thing was or why it had stolen the relics.

    Diving in the closest building, she reminded herself that it didn''t matter. Ranma, her lawful fianc¨¦ according to the ancient laws of the Joketsuzoku, was once again attempting to weasel out of his obligations. She took a moment to persuade herself that even if he did find the artifacts and return them before her, Cologne would find a means or technicality to let the engagement stand.

    That wouldn''t be necessary though if Shampoo retrieved them instead. Steeling herself, she began creeping through the enormous Japanese home. It was time to hunt.

    <hr>

    Ryoga landed and immediately ran for the nearest cover. In his haste he''d chosen a building labeled "shed" but was in reality a dojo even larger than the one at the Tendo house. Other than the mud he tracked in it was immaculately clean. All of the equipment ¡ª mostly gardening tools, gymnastics equipment, spare bokken, mats, tennis balls, racquets, and a riding lawn mower ¡ª was neatly organized and arranged around the walls. He blinked as he took it all in.

    Shaking off his umbrella he investigated all the corners and blind spots in the room, trying to find some evidence that the spider had come this way. As he searched his mind wandered and he thought about what had brought him here today.

    The dreams had begun the same night he''d tried to get the Nanniichuan water at Ranma and Akane''s wedding. Remembering the event made him blush from shame but his thoughts continued. A woman, tall, oak-like skin wrapped in yellow and silver robes, with long, silver hair. Her eyes, yellow like a wolf''s, peered down at him as she smiled. That symbol appeared on her forehead ¡ª unbeknownst to Ryoga the symbol of Mercury ¡ª and she beckoned him follow her into an impossible maze. Light and shadow coiled around each other, forming alien shapes. "Find me¡­" she whispered.

    And then he would wake up. Once would have been forgettable, twice the result of the manga and tokusatsu he''d been reading and watching with Akari, but once it had happened five nights in a row he started to get suspicious. Then it happened twelve more days and by today he''d had enough. Akari had tried to help but ultimately the only help she could offer was to suggest to go see the Tendos: weird stuff happened around them, maybe somebody would have answers?

    Ryoga didn''t expect to actually make it to the Tendo house the same day he''d set out. He expected it to take a few days, maybe even a week since he was so distracted. Instead he made it there in a number of hours.

    He''d hoped that his newfound sense of direction wouldn''t abandon him now, but he was looking for such a small creature in such a big, confusing space that he''d probably never find it. A part of him worried that he wouldn''t find his way out of the "shed".

    Sensing a sudden surge of violent intention, he reflexively raised his umbrella to block a hail of black roses lancing toward him like daggers. His attacker was Kodachi Kuno, and he recognized the tall woman with long, black hair, athletic body, intense stare. She was, of course, wearing a navy leotard with a gold wireframe lotus design that wrapped around her hips, wielding a ribbon in one hand and a hoop in the other. From what Ryoga remembered, both would probably have hidden blades.

    "It seems the help was right, we do have an intruder," she murmured ominously. "I''ll not let a common thief abscond with even the least token in our family''s panoply." With particular venom as she emphasized the word "common", she raised the hoop and adopted a battle stance.

    Ryoga growled in frustration. He didn''t have time for this, but he didn''t know if he could talk her down. "I chased a thief onto your property. It stole a bunch of artifacts from my grandmother and I''ve been pursuing it."

    "Hah! A likely story, thief!" Springing forward, leg outstretched, whirling the ribbon around her as a means to keep Ryoga at a distance.

    He had no intention of closing the distance anyway, but even in a space as large as the dojo-shed there weren''t a lot of places he could go with the razor-sharp ribbon flying around as it was. Internally apologizing to Ranma, he realized that redirection was the best choice in this situation.

    "Ranma Saotome was right behind me!" he shouted as he dove to avoid the ribbon''s arc. The mention of her obsession''s name had the intended effect though and her eyes went wide.

    "My love is here? Did you steal from him as well?" A blood-red glint in her eyes made Ryoga question whether it was a wise choice, but there was one lesson he had learned from Ranma: commit to the bit.

    "It stole from both of us! My grandmother, Ranma''s family, probably some other people, too." He prayed that she would listen. She''d stopped swinging the ribbon but kept her eyes on him, ribbon coiled in her hands like a ready whip.

    Her lips quivered as she weighed her options and processed what he was saying. The tension was thick enough to cut with the razors that lined her hoop. Ryoga''s relief was equally tangible as she broke off her challenge and ran for the door. "Ranma dear! I will help you recover your purloined treasures!"

    <hr>

    I hope the Kunos aren''t home, Ranma prayed to every kami she knew as she leapt over their gate. It''s a Sunday, it didn''t start raining until just a minute ago, it''s midday, they''re rich¡­surely they wouldn''t want to stay in their enormous mansion all by themselves, right? Right?

    Instead of her feet touching down in the grass, however, a pair of strong arms suddenly grasped her out of the air and scooped her into a bridal carry. The arms belonged to none other than the first rival she''d made at Furinkan High School almost two years ago: Tatewaki Kuno. She hadn''t seen him in several months since he graduated and was really hoping that would continue to be the case, but now¡­

    "Uggghhh godsdammit!" she roared in frustration. "Kuno put me the hell down right now, I''m busy and chasing somebody!" she thrashed but the older boy ¡ª or man now, at this point ¡ª mistook her movements as panicked squirming because of the fall.

    "My pigtailed girl! You''ve come for me after all this time! I feared I''d only have the time to see you during alumni visits to the school or at one of my father''s ill-planned schemes, only for you to have fallen into my arms? Providence surely smiles upon m¡ª" his exclamation was cut short as Ranma managed to slide out from his arms, swing around one like a gymnastics bar, and slam both feet into the side of his head.

    He crashed to the mud while she landed spritely on her toes, but she did offer a hand. "Look dude, it''s a coincidence: I''m chasing a thief. It''s carrying a bunch of dusty old relics and if I can get them back for the person it stole them from then, uh¡­one of my unwanted suitors will withdraw their claim on me."

    Her gambit had the intended effect and Kuno''s eyes practically sparkled as he politely accepted her help. "Then you have Tatewaki Kuno''s sword, pigtailed girl!" he declared, thrusting his bokken skyward for emphasis. "We will find this thief and restore justice to your house!" Fantasies of her fawning over him in thanks for rescuing her from a foul, boorish, too-old man''s clutches, visions of their inevitable Shinto-style wedding once all of the so-called competition had been dealt with, her looking up at him in her shiromuku as they closed in for a kiss¡­

    "Perfidy, brother! She is in league with the thief and seeks to trick you into helping her!" cried Kodachi, emerging from the gardening shed.

    "Oh come on!" Ranma pleaded to no one.

    "I caught her confederate red-handed before he told me that my beloved Ranma was right behind him, only to find her here instead! See reason and do not fall for the vixen''s deception!" Ranma yelped as she dodged a razor-sharp hoop Kodachi had thrown. It spun at an angle and its trajectory started bringing it back around, forcing Ranma to monitor it while the older gymnast came after her with a ribbon.

    Tatewaki would not hear anyone besmirch Ranma''s honor ¡ª or at least her girl form''s honor ¡ª not even his sister. He struck the hoop before it could get much farther, knocking it over the estate''s walls with his bokken like a baseball bat. With perfect clarity, he saw that he could best help his beloved by keeping Kodachi at bay while she sought out the blackguard who held the keys to one of the chains that bound her heart.

    "Go, beloved! My sister''s jealousy won''t let her see reason! Find your thief while I hold her here!" With a kiai he dashed at his sister, bokken held high, and the siblings began to duel.

    Unbeknownst to him, Ranma had dashed into the largest building before he even said a word.

    <hr>

    Hadrak hummed softly to itself as it worked. Each of the artifacts it had stolen were aligned in a geometric and geomantic perfect circle and it was creating a fate-web of connections between them with its spinnerette. At the end of the day it was a spider: there was no task that sparked greater joy than simply spinning a web.

    Not that this web was simple, of course. Each strand needed to be charged with a particular amount of essence which Hadrak would have to provide: drawing power from the artifacts couldn''t happen until the ritual was underway. Once the infrastructure for the sorcerous working was complete it would have precious little to keep itself active. It could only hope that nobody would find its hiding place until that was complete.

    Its particular expertise was in finding lost things, not hidden things, but it managed to discover a hidden passageway in the main building which led to a sizeable subterranean training arena. Small enough to avoid the traps the owners had set up the spider began its work in the dark, unlit room. It didn''t need to see, so intuitive it was to the pattern spider.

    A different door than the one it had used to enter the room opened. It couldn''t afford to stop so it kept working in the hopes that it was¡­

    "Ah, Inheritor! You have impeccable timing," it jovially called to Ryoga while it worked. "And it looks like you lost your entourage. Most fortuitous." Even when Ryoga slammed his foot next to one of the artifacts and glared down at the busy creature it refused to change its behavior. "I believe you had questions? I will do my best to answer them while I work, but please monitor the environment in the event of an intruder."

    Ugh, it''s so polite, Ryoga thought. "I need those artifacts back. I suffer from a curse and I can only cure it if I get those back." He channeled determination through his words even though he felt doubt creeping into his mind.

    "Oh I''m afraid I can''t do that now, Inheritor. I hope you understand: there isn''t enough power in this world to maintain me, and now that I''ve begun spinning this web I won''t have enough to attempt the ritual again if it is interrupted. Then we''ll both be stuck here, me until I starve, you without ever getting a proper debriefing on what''s happening to you." It said matter-of-factly, despite the fact that it was talking about starving to death.

    Ryoga needed a cure, but he also wanted answers. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck with this strange dream every night and not be able to understand it. "Okay. Answer my questions and I''ll decide what to do about you. But don''t stall, I''ll be able to tell." His hands shook with ancitipation.

    "Naturally. What is your first question?" Its even, composed voice obscured the fear and anxiety it was feeling. It prayed to every single Incarna that its answers would be satisfactory. It also hoped that the clear ancitipation the child was experiencing would make him drag out his questions and do all the stalling for it.

    And indeed, Ryoga began excitedly overexplaining. "Okay! Yes, yes okay. W-well it started a few weeks ago¡­"

    Suddenly Hadrak wished Ryoga would go back to threatening to smash it. But it just kept working and waiting for the boy to actually come to a point.

    <hr>

    "¡­and even though I normally take days to figure out how to get from one place to the other, I managed to find my way to the Tendos in just a couple of hours." Ryoga explained practically every action he''d made over the past two and a half weeks without ever letting Hadrak actually answer a question, and the pattern spider was ready to abort the ritual and die.

    It realized Ryoga had finally stopped talking and wasn''t willing to hide its irritation anymore. "Oh are you done? Mars''s breath, I''m sorry things haven''t been easy for you. I''ve been trapped in this damnable realm for twenty years!"

    Perhaps that was a bit much, since now Ryoga was growling. "But yes! Answers!" Hadrak offered contritely. "The woman in your dreams was Liri su''Nalli, the previous host of your Exaltation. Before she died, given the strange rules of this realm, she made sure to make a prophecy that would guide you to me so that I could return us home." It intentionally didn''t explain what it was talking about or provide any context to its words. It hoped Ryoga would take the bait and ask what an Exaltation was, or where "home" was, or what it meant by "strange rules of this realm."

    While he was still processing, however, the ceiling suddenly buckled and dropped a torrent of water. Ryoga shouted and leapt away from the surprise wave as it rushed over Hadrak. It kept working as it surveyed the damage and noted with professional pride that its webbing had held and kept any of the artifacts from being moved from their positions. It didn''t understand why the Inheritor was repelled by water but it provided a convenient obstacle.

    Shampoo, Ranma, Tatewaki, and Kodachi were tangled in a web of punches, kicks, ribbons, and swords as their brawl continued despite the floor giving out beneath them. Ranma was the first to notice Ryoga and Hadrak, and she knew how to get him back on her side.

    "Ryoga! Shampoo''s just using water-proof soap! She didn''t cure any¡ªHRRK!" she was cutoff by Kodachi''s forearm and bicep wrapping around her neck and squeezing as the girl Kuno used her against her brother like a human shield. Shampoo took the opportunity to dive at Hadrak but Ryoga intercepted her with rage in his eyes and an umbrella in his hands.

    "No! I still need answers!" he roared as he swung in wide arcs to keep the purple haired girl away from the circle.

    Kodachi cackled as her brother refused to approach while she held ranma in her grasp, but a spatula thrown like a shuriken grazed her cheek and she dropped the red-head in pained surprise. Ukyo flung a storm of spatulas in advance of her dive into the hole, followed closely by Akane.

    Hadrak almost gave up in that moment, recognizing that it couldn''t possibly gather enough power to initiate the ritual with all the combatants in the room. Until it felt a warm tickle in the air. With revelatory shock, it realized that the combined battle auras of the seven martial artists locked in combat were producing essence, and in far greater amounts than the paltry energy locked in the meager relics it had taken.

    Time to improvise. It expanded the barrier of the circle by leaping to the walls of the underground room and began sprinting, leaving an essence-charged strand of fate-web in its wake. Hope surged through it as it drank deeply of the power exuded by the fighters about to be ensnared. Apologies children, you weren''t meant to follow us but I am going home today. Despite its supernatural speed, it maintained its precision as it placed strands according to exacting geomantic protocols.

    The circuit was completed in a manner of seconds and it connected the ends with a smug flourish. Skittering back to the original circle that Ryoga was protecting against Shampoo and Ranma alike, it allowed its missing leg to finally regenerate so that it could work the necessary motions into the casting.

    While powerful, using seven active combatants as the source of the initial flash of essence was inherently volatile and it needed to perform the correct movements perfectly. It flipped onto its back and began spinning a length of fate-web to act as the collection point.

    It sighed in anticipation as it put the final strand in place. All it needed now was a spark of its own essence to guide the reality-breaking wave of power¡­home.

    Everyone heard the snap of reality buckling as Hadrak pierced the thin walls of existence. It was like they were inside of a water balloon being popped from the inside, and the surge of essence they''d generated took the path of least resistance and flowed into the abyss. Transient weightlessness was replaced by an existential flood of sensation as they plummeted through infinity.

    They had no idea how much time passed, so dwarfed they were by the yawning maw of nonexistence. In reality the process took less than a fraction of a second: any more and their minds would have been crushed by the weight of the universe.

    <hr>

    Peace. Stillness. The comforting boundaries of existence settled around everyone''s prone forms. Akane was the first to call out into the darkness. "H-hello? Is anyone else here?"

    Panic set in as she realized she couldn''t even hear herself, but a hand on her shoulder squeezed enough that she could feel it. Each blink let a little more light in and she realized that she wasn''t trapped in a claustrophobic void but instead looking at a night sky with an alien starfield. A breeze blew through her hair as she sat up and looked around.

    Ranma was crouched next to her, her big, blue eyes scanning Akane for injury and relieved to see none. She opened her mouth but Akane still couldn''t hear anything but the rush of her heartbeat.

    The others were slowly getting to their feet as well, stretching and blinking out the lingering senselessness that came with beholding all of reality.

    They were in some sort of arena or altar, a raised platform of flat stone surrounded by eight pillars, each carved in a language she couldn''t read. Unlit torches were placed between the pillars. In the distance she saw a volcano and realized they were on an island. Moonlight glinted off the waves of some alien ocean.

    The first sound she heard was Hadrak''s desperate laughter. It was¡­well dancing was the only appropriate word for it. It held four of its legs skyward and waved them as it skittered about on the four still touching the ground.

    "Hahahahahahaha! Finally! Can you feel it? Can you taste it? I''m finally hoooooome!"

 Ba Ri Peng

    A gray tabby basked in the morning sunlight atop a crate, tail undulating languidly as it watched the wharf come to life through its enormous emerald eyes. Waves lapped and crashed against the riprap, gulls cawed as they scavenged for scraps, and a pleasant breeze blew through banners and flags. It was too early for the shops and stalls to open but sailors, stevedores, fishers, and more were already buzzing around and preparing for the day.

    Port Mesere was large enough to dock three ships but the owners of the single ship occupying a space warranted privacy: everyone else had to wait until it unloaded its cargo. The Duchess of Pale was a modern troopship on its maiden voyage. She had fed and housed 120 Imperial soldiers, their uniforms, and their equipment in her belly as they traveled to Pinto.

    The Duchess was the property of House Peleps, one of the Great Houses of the Realm. But it was no mere barge transporting footsoldiers, it was a mobile headquarters for the Wyld Hunt. Whenever abominations threatened the Realm''s interests, aspiring heroes and warriors banded together under the guidance of the Immaculate Order to vanquish them.

    And Pinto was facing quite the threat indeed. Months ago a small fleet of ships appeared near Pinto and began attacking trading vessels and raiding coastal fishing villages throughout the Wavecrest Archipelago. They were impossible ships made of shimmering gossamer and filled with aquatic raiders. The ships could sail heedless of the wind and even dive beneath the waves to evade detection or flee. Survivors of the raids only spoke of the savage cruelty of the attackers. They never made demands, offered any trades, flew any flags, or negotiated at all.

    For the Pinto locals, the arrival of the Wyld Hunt was a blessing. Proof that the Realm still cared for their well-being, proof that their loyalty to the throne wasn''t misplaced.

    For Ba Ri Peng it was a problem. For one, Peng was considered a threat just as much as the transient raiders. The Immaculate Order considered them Anathema to the Right and True Order of the universe. These hunters would not hesitate to cut them down if they were discovered.

    Through enormous emerald eyes they watched soldiers disembark from the Duchess. They all carried their own gear while hired workers unloaded shared equipment and goods from the ship''s hold. Barrels of firedust, speartips, javelins, arrows, and other resources were taken to carts and wagons, ready to be transported to the village of tents being erected outside of Port Mesere. Anxiously Peng saw the hulking form of a warstrider being lifted out of one of the hatches. Massive war machines controlled by a single pilot, the presence of even one meant the Realm was taking this threat seriously.

    Smaller vessels would be used to take squads to any of the nearby islands and keep patrolling ships staffed by the Realm''s finest. It was a significant gesture, and the soldiers themselves, while maintaining professional decorum and knowing what to expect, considered it an opportunity to enjoy themselves in the luxurious West.

    The soldiers were the least of Ba Ri Peng''s worries however. A Wyld Hunt was never just the soldiers. No, what worried them was the Dragon-Blooded. Exalted champions of Gaia and chosen of the elemental dragons, Dragon-Blooded were the Princes of the Earth, wielders of phenomenal power and leaders of not just the Realm but of all the major civilizations in Creation. Peng could handle themself against one, maybe two, but there were at least twenty on the Duchess. How the Immaculate Order managed to attract so many during this tumultuous time baffled Peng.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    They approached the Duchess, plodding along on their padded feet looking all the world to be an ordinary, if inured to human contact, stray. The mass of soldiers, eager to get out of the bowels of the troopship, were chatty and excited. A lone figure stood on the Duchess''s deck, scanning the wharf for signs of trouble. They wore a concealing green cloak which Peng thought must have been too warm in the tropical weather of mid-summer Pinto. A mask covered the lower half of their face: only their viridian eyes were visible. In their hand they wielded a long bow that sparkled with green jade filigree.

    Peng thought the figure in green spotted them at first, but they just continued their vigil as the cat made their way down the wharf. They needed to get a look at the cargo. Taking precautions not to behave strangely in front of the lookout, Peng made sure to inspect the soldiers that stopped to pet them, attack a lazy gull eating a fish, and roll over on the hot wood at one point.

    After half an hour they had arrived at the staging area where one of the officers was discussing logistics with the laborers. The officer was tall and thin, pale-skinned with a mane of bright red hair. Unlike the green lookout he was wearing a sleeveless vest made of a red, leather-like material, skin-tight lace-up red trousers, and martial arts slippers. They were adorned in jewelry: multiple piercings with gem inlays (including a sapphire belly button stud that was visible thanks to their cropped vest and low-rise pants), rings, and bangles. Despite all the jingling metal they never made a sound as they moved. A paired dagger scabbard housed a set of red jade daggers on his lower back.

    This close Peng could hear how bored he was as he talked to the laborers, though he was taking his job seriously. Peng took a moment to enjoy the sight of his body and savor the melodic sound of his voice. He was an enemy of course, but they allowed themself a moment to fantasize a taboo midnight rendezvous.

    Sadly, it wasn''t to last. Peng detected a surge of violent intent and sprang to the side, narrowly avoiding three arrows fired by the lookout. "Kill the cat!" the lookout shouted. Peng didn''t even look behind them before they dashed towards the closest unused dock, but they heard the sprinting footsteps of the man in red.

    Unable to outrun a warrior as a housecat, Peng focused and shifted mid-stride into the shape of a green-eyed deer. Revealing themself like this was a risk but they were already being fired at, there weren''t any better options. Cries of "Anathema!" went up among the soldiers and they saw more weapons being readied.

    With a huge splash, a figure leapt out of the water before Peng could reach the dock. A woman wearing blue silk robes, skin like sauna stones, and dark eyes wielding a blue jade trident tipped with orichalcum points landed in a pose ready to intercept them.

    Perhaps the lookout had marked them as soon as they saw the cat. Peng was running out of options. They were effectively surrounded and with the reach of that trident they wouldn''t be able to jump around the Water-Aspect woman.

    Ah well, they braced themself. The only way through is through! Just before impact with the woman''s trident they shifted again into the shape of a bipedal lizard. Five meters long and weighing over 400 kilograms, what the iron-skull devil lacked in speed it made up for in armor-like skin, a bony dome over its skull, and overwhelming mass.

    The trident carved a bloody trail across their brow, over their enormous green eye, and down their neck but they slammed into the woman and kept going, leaping into the water. She may have had the wind knocked out of her but Peng knew Water Aspects could breathe underwater and their movements weren''t hindered by the depths.

    Fortunately, no self-respecting Lunar Exalted would dare be caught in the ocean without a useful aquatic form. Before the trident-wielding huntress could compose herself Peng had shifted again, this time into the shape of a marlin, and swam down and away from the Pinto shore.

    They spared only a glance to see if they were being pursued and were relieved to see the Water-Aspect disappear into the distance.

 Washed Ashore

    Hangovers, morning nausea, and back pain would never bother Orryn Vanadar, even if he made it to 4,000 years of age. Just a few of the many perks that came with being a chosen of the maidens of fate. However, the indignities of public travel would remain constant. Even if he was promoted to a lofty position within the Bureau of Fate, Sidereals were the only agents who could handle certain field assignments and he¡¯d be expected to suffer down in the trenches with the rest of humanity.

    And, of course, he¡¯d still like to vacation from time to time. The inn he¡¯d chosen was supposed to have spacious, luxurious rooms for wealthy visiting merchants, vacationing Dynasts, and traveling dignitaries. Then a Lunar Anathema was spotted in the port, martial law was declared, and dozens of residents were kicked out of their private residences while the Wyld Hunt performed a thorough search of everyones¡¯ homes.

    So now Orryn was in the middle of an enormous bed that he had to share with at least six couples ¡ª not even in the fun way ¡ª and he wasn¡¯t allowed to leave without the risk of getting arrested. Of course he could spend a little essence and bypass all of that, but ¡ª and he needed to stress this ¡ª he was on vacation. He shouldn¡¯t have to put up with these petty inconveniences.

    He sighed and carefully extricated himself from the tangled pile of sheets in a half-hearted attempt not to disturb the other guests and gathered his things. One good thing did happen last night: he had a dream.

    Sidereal Exalted were the chosen of the maidens of fate, and as such it would be the height of hubristic ignorance to ignore the precognitive messages in dreams. Taking out a heavily encrypted dream journal at the room¡¯s desk, he recorded symbols from last night¡¯s dream.

    An arrival of grand import, the number seven, the dead of night, the rising sun, a lost child, yellow and black, a boar, a cat. The smell of the open sea, the sound of sails, a volcano in the distance. Somehow he knew these details were important, and the unfortunate reality is that he might not realize how they all came into play until after the events they heralded occurred.

    Glancing outside, he saw the early morning light of pre-dawn and decided he didn¡¯t need any more sleep. He slipped into his robes, tied his belt, and left through the window. With a thought he dismissed the ¡°naive tourist¡± destiny and tumbled from the memories of everyone he¡¯d spoken to yesterday. Today was a new day and soon he¡¯d meet his best friend¡¯s successor. Despite only being on vacation for a day he was ready for the hunt to be over.

    You¡¯d better not disappoint me, Ryoga Hibiki.

    <hr>

    Dawn¡¯s light glittered across the waves by the time everyone was fully recovered from their brief journey through nonexistence, and with it all of the frustration and aggression they¡¯d been experiencing in the chaotic melee in the Kunos¡¯ underground training center. This time they were united against Hadrak, the reason they were, on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean.

    Hadrak hummed quietly to itself as the seven human children yelled at it. It could handle a few tantrums now that it was home. Almost home, anyway, home enough that they couldn¡¯t stop it from coming back even if they killed it. Hadrak was (technically) a god: they couldn¡¯t kill it in any way that mattered.

    It longed to return to the Loom of Fate this very instant. If it only had enough essence! Sadly, the martial artists only produced a radiant font of power as they fought: it would have to wait a few hours on the tiny island, barely more than a grassy, crescent-shaped hill jutting out of the water dotted with a handful of scrawny bushes and pale rocks.

    Ukyo pinched the bridge of her nose, cursing that she¡¯d been so reckless. She knew Akane hadn¡¯t intentionally tricked her or anything like that ¡ª if she had Ukyo was certain she would have made sure not to get caught in her own trap with Ranma ¡ª but it was hard to forgive herself for trusting her rival so quickly. The only comfort was that Shampoo was acting cold to Ranma, something she never did, so whatever Akane said was going on between them was probably the truth.

    Because she wasn¡¯t yelling she also noticed that the spider thing was relaxed and unbothered, even with the majority of the strongest fighters in Japan all collectively ready to tear it a new spinnerette. When they were still in Tokyo the thing had run and hidden from them, being on its home turf clearly gave it some sort of advantage.

    With a frustrated shout, she drew her oversized okonomiyaki spatula and crashed it against one of the pillars, and the explosive sound that rang out arrested her companions¡¯ attention. ¡°Oy! Calm the hell down! Yer all talkin¡¯ over one another an¡¯ this stupid bug is laughin¡¯ at us!¡±

    As if helping her make her point, Hadrak chuckled. It was a condescending sound, full of braggadocio. When it finished it brushed one of its forelimbs under some of its eyes in mimicry of wiping away tears. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m not laughing at you. I am legitimately sorry for your misfortune, though I don¡¯t regret my actions. You were all caught up in events written into the destiny of your world before you were born.¡±

    Ranma shook her head. ¡°Bullshit, ain¡¯t no fate dictating our lives. Some of us (specifically me) have killed gods.¡±

    Shampoo rolled her eyes and muttered, ¡°Hardly a single god.¡±

    Ranma continued as if she hadn¡¯t heard the Chinese warrior woman. ¡°You brought us here and you¡¯re gonna send us back!¡± A chorus of murmured assent followed her pronouncement.

    The spider made a motion that looked like a shrug. ¡°Well I certainly brought you here, I won¡¯t deny that. Unfortunately, I do not know how to send you home. The ritual was specifically a one-way emergency...ejection?¡±

    It was Ryoga¡¯s turn to interrupt with an outburst of anger. ¡°No! You told me you had answers, it¡¯s time to deliver! How do we get home!?¡±

    Hadrak finally seemed a little contrite, and skittered up the pillar closest to the lost boy so that it could address him at eye level. ¡°Inheritor, I both grieve and celebrate your lot. Like the rest of them you have been pulled from your home, from those you love, from the life you knew. Unlike them you have been chosen for glorious purpose! Rejoice! Nothing in your world can compare to what awaits you here.¡±

    Nobody responded. Nobody was sure how to respond.

    Tatewaki Kuno didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Granted, none of the Japanese (and one Chinese) teens really understood what was going on, Tatewaki even less so. He did understand a few things:

    One, his beloved Akane Tendo and the pigtailed girl (he really needed to figure out her name) were upset. Two, this crystal clockwork spider thing was responsible somehow. Three, nobody knew how to get home (he¡¯d see about commissioning a local yacht captain to take them home once they figured out where they were). Four, the spider thing knew where they were and was refusing to cooperate.

    There was really only one solution that would satisfy everyone¡¯s needs.

    ¡°You! Golden pest!¡± The finish on his bokken gleamed in the morning sunlight.

    ¡°My name is Hadrak Ra¡ª¡± the pattern spider tried to interject.

    ¡°Relinquish the knowledge that mine compatriots demand and I will stay my blade! Refuse again and thy shall spend the last seconds of thine life wishing thou had not spurned the Zeal of Nerima!¡± He raised his bokken skyward just as the volcano in the distance rumbled.

    Ryoga shouted before Hadrak could respond. ¡°Nobody¡¯s killing anything, you wannabe samurai!¡±

    Hadrak would have rolled its eyes were they capable of such a function. It ignored Ryoga¡¯s pronouncement and responded directly to Kuno. ¡°Ohhh, you¡¯ll ¡®stay thy blade if I bow and scrape to your glory¡¯, will you? You are nothing here, mortal! Your threat means nothing to me, and you will respect¡ª¡±

    Whatever Hadrak wanted Kuno to respect would forever be a mystery, as Tatewaki made good on his threat and slashed the wooden practice sword through the spider and the pillar to which it clung. The stone pillar shattered and Hadrak fell into two separate pieces that quickly sublimated into nothingness.

    Ryoga immediately fell upon Tatewaki in a rage. ¡°You idiot! I needed that thing to give me answers!¡±

    ¡°Scurrilous cur! It had no intention of answering our questions! We¡¯ll be better off searching for answers ourselves!¡± Tatewaki blocked what he could with his wooden sword (Ranma was impressed it held up against Ryoga¡¯s strikes) and struck back to keep the feral lost boy away.

    The two collapsed into a brawl and started rolling down the hill while the rest of the Earthlings watched. Ranma sighed and sauntered after them. The island was small and the altar was only about 15 meters away from the beach. Ranma knew Ryoga needed to come clean to Akane about his curse but this was not the time to reveal that secret.

    Before the two ended up in the surf, she gave Kuno a hearty kick and sent the pair flying back up the hill. They landed in a tangled heap in front of Akane and Ukyo, who pulled the two apart before they could resume their brawl.

    ¡°Calm the hell down, you two!¡± Ranma began stomping back to the group. ¡°Look, we¡¯re in a crappy situation and we can¡¯t lose our heads! We don¡¯t even know if we¡¯re in Japan anymore. Or in the 20th century. Or on Earth!¡±

    Ryoga¡¯s pained expression was obvious to Ranma, who¡¯d known him the longest. She felt a pang of guilt interfering like this but they were officially in a survival situation until they found shelter. Ryoga¡¯s tent could fit all seven of them but it¡¯d be a tight squeeze and¡ª

    Oh. Oh gods. Everybody Ranma was stuck here with was one of her rivals, fianc¨¦es, suitors, or some weird combination of the three, and all of them had reason to distrust or at least dislike one another. Should she trying swimming over to that volcano in the distance by herself to give the other six members of their party a chance to interact without her around or would that just make things worse?

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna do a lap around the island, see what we¡¯re workin¡¯ with.¡± She needed a minute to think, maybe she¡¯d find something useful.

    <hr>

    Akane could tell Ranma was stressed. Well, they were all stressed. Probably. The Kunos might not understand what was going on well enough yet to be stressed. But specifically she could tell that Ranma was starting to be affected by the stress. Her gender-bending fianc¨¦(e) had been introspective and moody since their failed attempt at a wedding and suddenly getting transported to an unknown island (she could not consider Ranma¡¯s suggestions that they had traveled through time or space, that would be too much right now) with five of the people who¡¯d made both of their lives hell for the past two years couldn¡¯t have helped.

    To distract herself, Akane gathered her strength. ¡°Okay, I know all of us have a reason to distrust one another but Ranma¡¯s right: we¡¯re in a bad place and need to work together, at least until we¡¯re safely on the way home. Can we all agree on that?¡± As expected, she mostly got a lot of glares, especially from Kodachi and Shampoo.

    ¡°Tendo¡¯s right, we gotta come up with a plan, least while we¡¯re on this island.¡± Ukyo made a show of looking around. ¡°I dunno ¡®bout y¡¯all but I can¡¯t see hide nor hair of an inn or hotel or nothin¡¯. Means we gotta pitch a tent and find a way to make a signal.¡±

    ¡°Ryoga, do you have campfire supplies?¡± Akane tried to get the boy engaged and focused on something other than his unanswered questions or kicking Tatewaki in the face and body.

    While still brooding, he nodded. ¡°I was prepared for a week-long journey before my supplies ran out. I never realized your house was so close to mine.¡±

    Not that she needed an excuse to be mad at Tatewaki, but Akane wished the spider was able to answer how it pulled that off.

    <hr>

    On her third lap around the island ¡ª and well past the point where everybody realized she was just doing it to keep her mind occupied ¡ª Ranma finally noticed something. Part of the hill near one of the ends of the island was just a little too perfect. She halted her jog, winced at the pain in her chest, and stared. Was there something there?

    The area seemed normal. Dirt and sand piled up from the shoreline, above that was beach grass, then above that was thicker wild grass. Something about the grass was bothering her though, and she couldn¡¯t place it.

    Crawling up the hill on her hands she poked at the grass. At first nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so she shrugged and began to walk away when she felt the ground give ever so slightly beneath her weight. She froze mid stride and started to bounce. Then she winced, held her arm over her chest and resumed.

    There it was! The grass was covering something that sprang back, and as she inspected the area she noticed an almost imperceptible, perfectly straight line in the turf. She traced it with her fingertips and when she got to the bottom she dug her fingers into the dirt and pulled up.

    With a groan the secret door she¡¯d discovered swung open and the salty, musty smell of the hidden compartment washed over her. It wasn¡¯t a large compartment, only two and a half to three meters deep and barely one across, but it was dug into the hill. Barrels, crates, and loose gold and silver sculptures, bottles, decorative swords, spears, bows, and other pre-Industrial weapons, statues, and other treasures filled the space.

    Ranma knew what this was: it was a pirate cache. When she and her father made the swim from Japan to China almost four years ago they¡¯d seen a few of these, though never so loaded.

    ¡°Guys!¡± She cried, grabbing a pole resting just inside the trap door to prop it open. ¡°I found something!¡± She began taking inventory of the space before Ukyo, Shampoo, and Tatewaki came into view. Ukyo¡¯s eyes went wide when she saw the loot, Shampoo grit her teeth, and Tatewaki didn¡¯t seem affected at all.

    ¡°Well! I s¡¯pose no matter where we are, we''ll be able to afford a few things.¡± Ukyo lacked Nabiki Tendo¡¯s fine eye for appraisal but this had to be millions of yen worth of treasure. ¡°Musta been mighty well-hid if¡¯n it took ya¡¯ three go-rounds to notice it, Ranchan.¡±

    Her childhood friend was quiet as she kept digging through stacks of fine chinese ceramics, elaborate candlesticks, and detailed busts of important-looking figures. ¡°No, this stuff is worthless.¡± Ranma replied, frowning. ¡°Or more specifically, it¡¯s hot.¡±

    Kuno looked puzzled. ¡°Surely it¡¯s quite cool in there, the sun¡¯s barely been up for two hours.¡±

    ¡°Hot like it¡¯s stolen merchandise, dummy.¡± She shook her head. ¡°There aren¡¯t any coins or gems, everything looks one-of-a-kind, nothing¡¯s generic.¡±

    Kuno grabbed a tanto from a beautiful-looking daisho and unsheathed it, noting the terrible balance and dull edge.

    ¡°The weapons are either purely for show or fragile.¡± Ranma confirmed.

    ¡°And it hasn¡¯t been here very long,¡± Shampoo continued. ¡°Not much dust, few cobwebs. Maybe within the last month?¡±

    Ranma considered Shampoo¡¯s words, then the two said, almost simultaneously, ¡°They¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    Ukyo felt her face get hot as the two laughed together. Seeing Ranma get along with Akane was increasingly normal, and it was something the okonomiyaki chef learned to accept. But Ranma getting along with the Chinese warrior woman bothered her.

    In any other relationship that would be a sign that she and Shampoo were both ¡°second place¡± in the game to win Ranma¡¯s heart, but she also knew that Ranma still acted like a schoolboy with a crush regarding Akane, which meant that he was incapable of actually acting on it.

    And besides, Ukyo couldn¡¯t stand the idea of being third. ¡°How soon you thinkin¡¯, Ranchan?¡± She asked after Ranma and Shampoo¡¯s laughter began to fade, keeping her voice even, composed, and friendly. Her smile wasn¡¯t the scheming smirk of a manipulator but the easy-going grin of an old friend.

    Unfortunately, Ranma didn¡¯t have an answer. ¡°Can¡¯t say. We never actually ran inta¡¯ pirates and the caches pops and I made were more like go-bags than¡­loot.¡±

    Tatewaki was beginning to understand the situation they found themselves in. As a student of history he recognized the shape of this hidden vault. The likely stolen panoply of plunder, the pigtailed and purple-haired girls¡¯ speculation, and the fact that there wasn¡¯t a hint of plastic, rubber, or synthetic material anywhere to be seen painted a picture that was too clear not to see.

    ¡°We are in greater peril than I realized. We must return to the others and apprise them of the situation!¡± He pontificated and began rushing along the beach.

    <hr>

    Captain Ikka breathed deep of the sea air and soaked up the midday sun as she watched two of her crew wrestle on the deck of The Mustang. Raucous cheers and jeers from the rest of the crew who had circled around the pair motivated them to drag out the good-natured ¡ª but very serious ¡ª brawl for the sake of entertainment. And Captain Ikka was grateful to them: sailing could be tedious sometimes.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    The Mustang was her pride and joy. She¡¯d been its captain for 22 years and it was her home, moreso than that godsforsaken rice farm she grew up on, her crew more her family than her parents and siblings. She liked to think her mother would be proud of what she¡¯d accomplished, even if it had been built on theft and no small amount of violence.

    Despite bad memories of the place, she still wore a sedge hat to protect her eyes and face from the sun. Dark, though increasingly silver, navy hair, coiled into a braid that went down to her shoulder blades, spilled out over her plain, off-white shirt. Her sleeves were currently rolled up, to ensure she could get hands on if necessary. A scimitar rested within arms¡¯ reach as she leaned against a barrel.

    The crowd cheered as one of the fighters, a compact, hirsute, broad-shouldered, sandy-skinned brick of a man named Whooping Ram, gripped his opponent and drove her into the mizzen-mast with a thud and a wet gasp. Rosseiu was taller than Whoop and her long, wiry limbs were fantastic for navigating the ship¡¯s rigging, but less useful for breaking the vice-like grapple she was caught in.

    She was tenacious though, Ikka had to give her that. Demonstrating hidden reserves of strength, stamina, and body control she grabbed some of the woolding above her, hoisted the pair up off the deck, and pushed them away from the mast. Whoop twisted in mid-air as they fell and slammed the taller woman into the wood, pinning her.

    ¡°Are we done now?¡± He growled through a toothy grin. ¡°No more takin¡¯ the last of tha bread at meals?¡±

    Rosseiu winced in pain and rolled her eyes. ¡°Aye you damned badger, I swear it.¡±

    Whoop helped her to her feet as the crowd began to return to their duties, congratulating Whoop on his victory. Ikka grabbed Rosseiu before she could limp back to her station. ¡°Pack it in girl, yer no good to anyone with a bruised rib.¡±

    Despite the Captain standing a full head and a half shorter than the blue-haired woman Rosseiu froze from the command. ¡°Nah, cap¡¯n! It was jus¡¯ a little tussle, nothin¡¯ ta¡¯ worry abou¡ªAUGH!¡±

    Ikka reached out and softly jabbed her in the ribs, which was enough to make the headstrong sailor double over as tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°No. It¡¯s bed rest for you, Rosy. Get yer ass into one a¡¯ the cots, don¡¯ let me catch you in a hammock. I¡¯ll get Doc Jara for ya.¡±

    The captain ¡°coddled¡± everyone like this, but that didn¡¯t stop Rosseiu from mumbling as she obeyed and slunk below deck. Indeed, as soon as she was out of Ikka¡¯s line of sight the captain made her way to Whoop before he could start climbing the mainmast.

    ¡°Whoop!¡± She barked, making him swivel as he was getting ready to hop. ¡°Pickin¡¯ fights with a sailor 15 years yer junior doesn¡¯t seem smart.¡± He was probably fine, but she saw him take a few good hits before he turned it around.

    ¡°Maybe, but I won! She needs to respect her elders and remember that with those gangly arms of hers she¡¯s got an advantage when it comes to food theft.¡± His eyes twinkled with youthful vivre despite the lines and creases surrounding them.

    ¡°An¡¯ well fought. Before you start skitterin¡¯ up the cross-masts I want you ta get Doc Jara ta give ya¡¯ a look-over, then send her ta Rosy.¡± Whoop knew the captain didn¡¯t mind some occasional roughhousing on her ship, he¡¯d sailed with her for almost ten years, and that she was just looking out for him.

    ¡°Bah, dunno who babies me worse: you or the doc. But if¡¯n yer tellin¡¯ me to rest I won¡¯t question tha cap¡¯n¡¯s orders.¡± With a grin he practically skipped to the lower decks, stopping only to receive congratulations from his still-excited crewmates.

    For the next few minutes, Ikka patrolled the Mustang before her first mate called to get her attention. ¡°Captain!¡± Blossoming Isu yelled. ¡°Come on up and take a look!¡±

    Isu, one of the few members of the crew shorter than Captain Ikka, was reclining on the uppermost cross-mast on the ship. Getting to him would take her at least five minutes of climbing, since she wasn¡¯t as spry as she used to be. Unfortunately, if Isu was asking her it was important.

    Grumbling, she made her way up the rigging, graciously accepting help from other crew members as she ascended. Panting, she pulled herself up next to the spotted man. Isu was the only Djala that the captain knew. He was nimble, flexible, and hairless, with paper-white skin dotted with large black circles. For maximum range of motion he typically only wore a blue cloth jacket and a loincloth.

    ¡°Flower-boy ya¡¯ better have a good reason for me ta¡¯ be sweatin¡¯ like this, or I¡¯ll have yer hide.¡± Wheezing in front of the crew, no matter how devoted they were, would shake their confidence in her.

    He twirled his spyglass before handing it to her. ¡°Altar Island ahoy, but we¡¯ve got visitors.¡±

    ¡°Empress¡¯s tits, give me that!¡± Urgently snatching the glass and bracing herself, she scanned the horizon. ¡°That¡¯s an emergency you sack of¡ªwhat?¡± Images of Realm warships or fair folk raiders flashed through her head, or maybe some sort of sea monster sunning itself on the little island.

    What she didn¡¯t expect to see was seven humans, staring at her ship. A few must have seen the glint of the spyglass because it felt like they were staring directly at her. There were also no other ships in view, though they were near a half-assembled tent. Maybe a fishing boat was hidden on the other side of the hill, but they didn¡¯t look like fishers.

    While she tried to process what she was seeing, she glanced at the open treasure cache. If they¡¯d taken anything out of it, she couldn¡¯t tell from here.

    ¡°Saw the tall one with the ponytail on the side call the rest over while you were climbin¡¯,¡± Isu seemed unbothered, though she knew his thoughts were racing as much as hers. ¡°Otherwise they¡¯ve just been sittin¡¯ there, watchin¡¯ us.¡±

    They didn¡¯t look like sailors. Nor did they look like pirates, or soldiers. Only two had weapons, and one¡¯s was made of wood. Each was wearing something slightly different and the girls with the bright red and purple hair stuck out but only because the rest had shades of black and dark brown. None of their hair colors were odd, in Ikka¡¯s experience.

    Ikka tried to put together a scenario in her head that explained why a small group of young¡­yes, young adults were on her island. The only reasonable explanation that made sense is that they were left on the island as a sacrifice, but even that seemed like a stretch since they had weapons and a tent.

    There was the altar to consider¡­It was the only notable feature of the little atoll. Ikka inspected it once with the help of the ship¡¯s doctor, Rajara Clementine, who knew a few things about the religious practices across the archipelago. Doc Jara concluded that the engravings were in Old Realm, a language spoken by gods and ancient documents. But the island seemed inactive and unused, so they decided to keep some of their ill-gotten gains hidden there.

    It was the only explanation that couldn¡¯t be immediately disproven by something else. She sighed. ¡°We figure out why they¡¯re here, I s¡¯pose.¡± As she started to climb back down, Isu took back his spyglass and resumed watching them.

    <hr>

    When the ship came into view and Kodachi called them over, nobody knew what they would do. They could tell from here that it was some sort of old-timey sailing ship with two masts and a lot of sails. It was headed straight for them and all they could do was wait.

    ¡°Do we have a plan if it¡¯s pirates?¡± Ryoga asked the question everybody was thinking. ¡°If so, I think we should take their ship by force.¡±

    Tatewaki nodded in agreement. ¡°If truly they are rogues and knaves it would be sensible to commandeer their vessel and procure their maps so that we might navigate our way home.¡±

    Akane found herself wishing, not for the first time today, that Kuno wasn¡¯t here. Ideally she wouldn¡¯t be here either, but having either Kuno around meant she didn¡¯t feel safe at all. At least Tatewaki kind of listened to her, but sometimes even if he was trying to help he just made things worse.

    ¡°If they attack us,¡± Akane began slowly, pausing to emphasize her point. ¡°We should retaliate. But only until they surrender. Unless one of you knows how to sail a ship like that with only seven people.¡±

    Shampoo scoffed. ¡°We won¡¯t need to attack them. I will talk, they will listen.¡± She tried to leave it at that simple declaration, but everybody stared. Her only response was to affect her most regal, dignified stance by crossing her wrists behind her back, standing up straight, and leveling her chin.

    She did project an imperious aura, everyone had to admit, but Ukyo pointed out the obvious. ¡°Pirates don¡¯t exactly respect authority, sugar.¡± The okonomiyaki chef gestured at the hidden treasure vault, only the top of which was visible from their angle. ¡°Same goes for you two.¡± She pointed at the Kunos before they could say anything.

    Impudent brat, Kodachi thought.

    ¡­Is that Kuonji¡¯s sister? Tatewaki pondered.

    Being unable to read minds, Ukyo continued and suggested: ¡°I think Ranchan is the best one to talk to them.¡±

    Ranma gawped, surprised to be volunteered for talking of all things. ¡°Me? Why me? And what would I even say?¡±

    ¡°Darlin¡¯, your daddy¡¯s a scoundrel and a thief. You¡¯re the one who picked up this was hidden pirate treasure.¡± Ukyo stated it as if it were obvious. ¡°An¡¯ while I know you were just a young¡¯un when all that happened, you grew up with ¡®im. I bet you know how to talk to these people.¡±

    Akane interjected, not to disagree with Ukyo but to suggest a second good reason. ¡°Plus you¡¯re good at talking to people, when you remember not to start insulting them.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯re you to talk to me about name-callin¡¯, tom-Akane?¡± Ranma pivoted at the last moment, making sure not to say the word she''d called Akane almost every day since they first met. She was working on it, she wanted to do better for her fianc¨¦e.

    Her fianc¨¦e did notice what she almost said, and it did cause a flutter of anger to rise up in her belly, but she also appreciated that unlearning two years of habit was a process. Much like her own process of unlearning to respond to Ranma¡¯s needling in anger.

    Taking a cue out of her fianc¨¦e¡¯s book, Akane smirked. ¡°You¡¯re usually so good at scamming people, you don¡¯t think you can manage against a bunch of professionals?¡± When she didn¡¯t respond, Akane was worried she¡¯d crossed a line somehow.

    ¡°Akane, that¡¯s stupid. I don¡¯t have my wardrobe or any accessories. I don¡¯t even have any hot water.¡± Ranma groused. ¡°Although¡­no, where would we even get the cucumbers?¡± She asked no one, lost in thought.

    Oh, nevermind. Akane rolled her eyes. Of course she was worried about props.

    ¡°You and Shampoo tricked me, like, three times in a row with that ¡®Cupid¡¯ thing and, in hindsight, you didn¡¯t do¡­much. Why don¡¯t both of you talk for us?¡± It was a sound compromise, but both Ukyo and Akane scowled at Ryoga for putting the idea out there.

    ¡°Oh yes, airen, I like Ryoga¡¯s idea.¡± The purple-haired warrior woman purred, smirking at her romantic rivals.

    Before Akane or Ukyo could respond, Ranma got uncharacteristically assertive. ¡°We''re not starting that shit here!¡± She was angry and frustrated, not just proudly blustering or trying to hide her insecurities beneath a veil of macho posturing.

    ¡°Shampoo, we¡¯re all stuck in a weird situation and don''t know what''s going on, or where we are, or how to get home.¡± Akane wondered where Ranma was going with this. She¡¯d been¡­well, grumpy since Jusendo and Saffron. That itself wasn¡¯t weird, both she and Ranma almost died several times, but this was the first time Ranma had pushed through her melancholic introspection in a big way. Akane hoped that was a good thing.

    ¡°Honestly, this goes for everybody here¡­except you Ryoga, we¡¯re cool.¡± The lost boy looked around confused, not sure how to feel about being explicitly excluded from the rant Ranma was building to.

    ¡°First, you two,¡± Ranma pointed at the Kunos, eyes narrowed. ¡°We need to get something straight: I am Ranma Saotome. Two years ago I fell in a magic spring in China, and now cold water turns me into a woman and hot water turns me into a man.¡±

    Akane gasped when she realized Ranma didn¡¯t refer to Jusenkyo as a cursed spring, just a magic one. And she didn¡¯t say that hot water changed her back into a man. What she¡¯d said at Jusendo, quietly in the rain, wasn¡¯t a fluke. Ukyo gave Akane a strange look, not understanding why her rival gasped.

    Ranma¡¯s words pierced Tatewaki¡¯s heart. He had literally held Ranma in his arms when ¡°she¡± changed into ¡°him¡± but it never seemed to get through his thick skull that Ranma was the same person in both forms. Part of that was the endless shit-stirring from Nabiki Tendo, Akane¡¯s older sister and his former classmate, but mostly it was how dense he was.

    Kodachi, on the other hand, grit her teeth. She¡¯d never seen the transformation herself, but she was suspicious that the red-haired girl (she refused to think of a lesser creature like Ranma as a ¡°woman¡±) was so similar to her beloved Lord Ranma.

    ¡°If we had the time I¡¯d boil some water and make you watch me change back and forth until you got it, but we ain¡¯t got time. If you still don¡¯t believe me, at least understand that right now, the ¡®pigtailed girl¡¯ and Ranma Saotome both just want to get home.

    ¡°But the bigger problem is that I¡¯ve been¡­¡± She paused, collected her words, holding up a single finger to keep anyone from interrupting her. ¡°Ukyo, Shampoo, Akane¡­I like all of you. Ukyo, you were my first best friend¡ªprobably my first friend. I¡¯m sorry my dad screwed your dad over, but he had no right to promise me to someone else. And he¡¯s not here right now anyway.¡±

    A reminder of another deal her father made for her, when she was too young to even sign her name, flashed in her mind but she shook it away. The contract was too far away to threaten her now, she couldn¡¯t think about it.

    Turning to Shampoo, she took a moment to ponder the beautiful warrior woman. Their first meeting was a fight, a challenge made in anger. Shampoo was always challenging her somehow. ¡°Shampoo, fighting you always forces me to improvise and think outside the box, especially when your gremlin of a granny is involved,¡± she ignored Shampoo¡¯s angry look. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot about the ¡®anything goes¡¯ part of Anything Goes Martial Arts thanks to you. I¡¯m glad you respect my skill, but you don¡¯t respect me. I¡¯m in this mess because I wanted to end our ¡®marriage¡¯ and that¡¯s still true.¡±

    She knew she was rambling. But these were feelings she¡¯d been holding on to for years and only the fear and pain she experienced in Jusendo gave her the kick she needed to speak them aloud.

    ¡°Akane¡­¡± Ranma¡¯s fianc¨¦e braced herself. She knew she wasn¡¯t innocent when it came to Ranma. She¡¯d hurt the gender-bending martial artist time and again, often in a fit of rage or jealousy, or jealous rage. Ranma often provoked her into lashing out, but they never discussed it or talked through things afterward.

    ¡°Our dads threw us together even though we both said no. We¡¯ve been, uh, forced into a thing before we were ready, before we ever got to know each other.¡± Thoughts twisted and cracked in Ranma¡¯s head. She loved Akane, she knew it, but the chaos of their experiences and the weight of so many different expectations destroyed any hope of building something healthy.

    ¡°I¡­care a lot about you. I¡¯m not fair to you, and I¡¯m working on that. Our dads aren¡¯t here. The engagement isn¡¯t here.¡± Praying her meaning came across, not that she wanted their relationship to end but that she wanted to remove the obstacles in its way. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll¡­I want us to be friends first, okay?¡±

    Bright, blue eyes shimmered, Akane swore she saw the beginning of tears before her own blurred everything. She remembered the first day they met, when she thought Ranma was a girl, that their dads made a mistake and she was gonna get a friend as dedicated to martial arts as her. She nodded slowly, hope and despair warring in her soul. The engagement was oftentimes the only thing she felt like she could rely on, the one constant connecting her to Ranma. But it was unfair, and it did make things harder for them.

    Ryoga opened his mouth to say something, but Ranma shot him a venomous look that said she wasn¡¯t done talking and he clenched his jaw shut, embarrassed.

    ¡°The point I¡¯m trying to get to is that I want us to check all our baggage while we¡¯re here. No ancient laws, no bullshit arrangements by our parents, and no oaths of vengeance!¡± Shaking, either from excitement or nerves, or both, she looked at everyone else from Nerima, the closest thing she had to friends, who she was stuck here with.

    ¡°All we have right now is each other. I know that¡¯s weird, that we¡¯ve all fought and we¡¯ve all got reasons to mistrust each other. But we¡¯re not gonna make it out of here if we make the same mistakes we made back home, back in Nerima.¡± She trailed off, unsure of how to end her speech, or if what she said was good enough.

    The approaching ship was much closer, they could see movement on the deck. While this wasn¡¯t the ideal time to process Ranma¡¯s words, everybody at least agreed with the sentiment that they needed to work together.

    Finally, Ryoga got a chance to respond. ¡°So that was a really good example of why you should probably do the talking.¡± Everyone except for Kodachi nodded.

    ¡°Uggghhh, fine,¡± she groaned. She was glad five out of the six agreed at least. ¡°You know I''m just gonna screw it up somehow, right?¡±

 SOS

    A few minutes later the ship was close enough they could see the crew had readied weapons, mostly spears, harpoons, and javelins. Only a couple had bows. Tatewaki, demonstrating rare insight, suddenly gasped. ¡°The ship has no cannons!¡± Everyone turned to stare. ¡°It has dinghies and the crew are armed with short range missile weapons, but there aren¡¯t any gunports, no cannons on the deck!¡±

    Akane blinked. Kuno was a delusional fool at the best of times, but he sounded genuinely confident in his assertion. She didn¡¯t know what that  meant , but no cannons sounded like a good thing?

    Not that Ranma knew the importance either, but she scanned the ship and agreed that she didn¡¯t see anything that looked like a cannon. The crew were well armed and keeping an eye on the group from Nerima, though some were looking closer at the water below the ship.  Wasn¡¯t that interesting?

    A woman with a long braid and a conical straw hat stood on the bow. Sailors kept running up to her asking questions but her gaze never wavered. Ranma shivered as a chill ran down her spine: the woman¡¯s aura was palpable from here.

    Two dinghies, each crewed by six armed crew, splashed into the water and began rowing towards the shore. Flashing a confident grin at her friends, Ranma sauntered down the hill, hands palm out at her sides, to meet them. Something gnawed at Ranma as she scanned the approaching sailors. They were dressed in simple sleeveless linens, boots or sandals, armed with spears, scimitars, short swords, or¡­

    One of them had a pistol. It was a shiny, curved tube of metal, nothing like the few handguns Ranma had seen before, but the trigger was obvious. That one took priority if a fight started. The martial artist¡¯s laid-back attitude hardened as she set her jaw. Hand-to-hand weapons indicated a willingness to cause lasting harm, but  guns  were universally understood to be tools of  death . She supposed they were dealing with pirates. Before they got closer, she scanned the crew on the ship again¡­and saw none of them holding guns. Were they too inaccurate to trust at range?

    ¡°Ho, stranger,¡± one of the pirates stood up in the dinghy. He was a squat, muscular, bare-chested man except for the thick blanket of curly black hair that covered his form. The bandana on his head reminded Ranma of her dad.

    Keeping the gunner in the corner of her eye, Ranma replied with a simple ¡°Hi.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Whooping Ram,¡± he said as he stepped into the surf while the rest of his compatriots started dragging the boat onto the shore. Whoop advanced until he was about ten paces away from Ranma, who hadn¡¯t moved. ¡°We saw your party an¡¯ had ta¡¯ investigate, miss¡­¡±

    ¡°Ranma Saotome.¡± Was her brief reply. She thanked the kami these people spoke Japanese, especially since the man looked foreign.

    The second dinghy, the one with the gunner, was pulled onto shore as well. The gunner was watching Ranma, not the others. Ranma hoped that meant her guess about gun range was right.

    ¡°If I may be so bold, Miss Saotome, ya seem awful fancy ta¡¯ be stuck out in the middle o¡¯ nowhere.¡± Ranma blinked, nobody had  ever  accused her of seeming ¡°fancy¡± in her life, especially compared to wealthy folks like the Kunos or even middle-class people like Akane and her family. Sure, right now she was still wearing the clothes she¡¯d worn to the funeral of the master of Anything Goes Martial Arts, but for her that just meant a black, sleeved tangzhuang sized for a man 15 centimeters taller than she was right now.

    ¡°Uhh¡­thanks? Not here by choice.¡± No elaboration, no further context. She¡¯d answer any questions the guy had without offering additional information that he could use against them.

    ¡°Is yer ship on tha other side of the hill, ma¡¯am? Would have to be awful small to hide.¡±

    ¡°No, we don¡¯t have a ship.¡±

    Whoop scratched his beard thoughtfully. The captain had shared her thoughts about that with him, so it wasn¡¯t surprising, though it did mean that the only likely explanation had to do with the altar. Now that he was close enough to see it, he noticed that one of the pillars was broken. ¡°I see. Didja arrive via tha¡¯ altar then?¡±

    ¡°Probably. Again, not by choice. We woke up there this morning.¡±

    Whoop grimaced. They sounded like test subjects, perhaps at the hands of some sort of vile sorcerer or power-drunk dynast. It made sense that they were a bunch of¡­well maybe not kids, but certainly not quite adults just yet. Different dress but similar features suggested they all came from the same place. Though, they found the treasure cache. And if they were forced to participate in some sort of ritual why would they have weapons?

    Based on the short answers Miss Saotome was giving him, though, they weren¡¯t planning on cooperating. ¡°All right, then, Miss Saotome, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m gonna have ta¡¯ ask ya¡¯ ta¡¯ hand over anythin¡¯ yer carryin¡¯, accept bein¡¯ bound, and come back with us to our ship.¡± His ultimatum delivered, he partially drew the short dao from its scabbard, hoping she understood his meaning.

    Ranma was  relieved  : not only was fighting a bunch of pirates something she¡¯d wanted to do since she read  Space Pirate Captain Harlock , it was much less stressful than trying to talk to them. ¡°Oh thank the kami, that makes this so much easier!¡± With a fluid motion she rushed into Whoop¡¯s range before he could draw his sword and she slammed it back into its sheath, then twisted around him so that he was between her and the pirate with the gun.

    The gun pirate had her weapon leveled at Ranma but didn¡¯t fire for fear of hitting Whoop, and Ranma took advantage of that hesitation by throwing one of her shoes at the weapon itself. As soon as the improvised projectile left her hand she leapt up onto Whoop¡¯s shoulders and jumped over the other pirates rushing her with melee weapons. Before the gunner could raise the weapon back up, Ranma delivered a series of finger jabs to her hand and forearm. The woman yelped as her fingers spasmed and dropped the pistol, which Ranma grabbed and flung into the ocean.

    Now that the gun was out of play, the rest of Ranma¡¯s party rushed down the hill. Shampoo crashed into a pair of pirates with a spinning kick, then dropped under their spears as they attempted to counter-attack. Displaying flexibility and speed comparable to Ranma¡¯s, she dodged  between them  and slammed her fingers against the temples of one from behind. His eyes went wide as he dropped to the ground, stunned, and she quickly snatched the spear from his hand.

    Ukyo didn¡¯t want to waste her throwing spatulas so she met a dao-wielding pirate with her signature two-handed spatula instead. Whoop blinked and rubbed his eyes: he thought the oversized cooking utensil was an axe. Ukyo turned aside a slash and hefted her weapon. When the pirate raised her sword to block she caught a powerful kick in the solar plexus and went down with a wheeze.

    She would have brought the spatula down on a spear-wielding sailor trying to attack her from the side if not for the ribbon that wrapped around the shaft of the weapon and dragged him to the ground as Kodachi expertly wielded her rhythmic gymnastics tools. Ukyo knocked him out cleanly with a strike to the back of the head. Neither woman acknowledged the other beyond an instant of eye contact.

    Whoops thought that the boy with the wooden sword would be at some sort of disadvantage, or at least that his weapon would splinter as soon as he tried to block one made of proper steel or bronze. But as he closed on a crewmate with a jian he swung at a distance and the air pressure created by the speed of the swing pushed the pirate back and off his feet. Another dao-wielder came in swinging but Tatewaki deflected rather than blocked the blows, utilizing the flat of his blade. A decisive strike to the noggin put his attacker down.

    Akane and Ryoga each slammed into the remaining sailors like bowling balls. Ryoga growled and flashed his fangs as he ducked under a pair of hook swords and delivered a powerful uppercut to a pirate¡¯s jaw, then before his target could fly away he grabbed their leg and swung them bodily into two more, sending all three into a moaning heap.

    In her black pinafore (she¡¯d ditched the black jacket at the top of the hill, revealing the white sleeves of her undershirt) Akane leapt to dodge a hastily-swung trident and kneed a pirate in the face. Riding the dazed sailor to the ground she rolled into a low punch and hit another in the stomach, who dropped her jian and collapsed. Akane didn¡¯t grab the sword, but she did grab its scabbard to slam against the back of the head of the second spear wielder facing Shampoo.

    And then the fight was over, everyone either disarmed, thrown down, or knocked out, but nobody seemed dead. ¡°C¡¯mon, you couldn¡¯t get through  one  conversation without resorting to blows?¡± Akane yelled, accompanied by a grumble of agreement from Ukyo.

    ¡°What? That guy was drawing his sword, and  that one  had a gun!¡± Ranma tried to defend herself.

    Whoop hadn¡¯t even unsheathed his sword again before the fight was over, rooted in place after Ranma used him as a springboard. Stunned by the display of  effortless  martial acumen, the thoughts racing through his head told him there could be only one explanation, which also so perfectly addressed their strange and varied appearances.

    He dropped his sword, knelt, and bowed. ¡°A thousand apologies, oh princes of the earth, if we knew ya¡¯ were Exalted we¡¯d¡¯ve rolled out a proper welcome fer ya!¡± If he got out of this alive, he promised the gods who watched over his family¡¯s ancestral resting place that he¡¯d work on improving his diction.

    An arrogant, condescending laugh from the one in the strangest clothes, some sort of clinging cloth that left basically nothing to the imagination, rang out for a moment before Miss Saotome quieted her. ¡°Hey! He¡¯s surrendered, we don¡¯t need to rub it in, especially when  they¡¯re  still waiting.¡±

    Ranma gestured to the ship where the crew were now thoroughly riled up. Even from here she heard shouting. The stern woman on the bow eventually shouted at them to quiet down before she disappeared from view.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure  The Mustang  will be happy to provide whatever services your lordships require.¡± Whoop was breathing hard. He felt one of them pick up his dropped sword but dared not lift his head or protest.

    ¡°Wait, what¡¯d you call us before?¡± Ryoga seemed shaken, excited. ¡°That spider thing used that word back in the big house with the basement. Exalted? Exaltation?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­yes?¡± He peeked his head up and realized that none of his crewmates were dead, most were awake and relatively uninjured, their weapons collected in a pile behind the strangers. ¡°Dragon-Blooded¡­¡± His eyes went wide and he started praying to any god who could hear his thoughts that they weren¡¯t what he was afraid of. ¡°A-a-a-assuming you¡¯re not An-a-nathema, are you?¡±

    All seven of them stared at him like  he  wasn¡¯t the one making sense. Other members of his crew met his gaze, expressing similar degrees of confusion. Who didn¡¯t know what Exalted or Anathema were? Where did these, these¡­  children  come from?

    He heard a splash and risked looking behind him. Then he burst up to his feet and shouted. ¡°Cap¡¯n no! Don¡¯ come over here!¡± Captain Ikka and Isu were alone in a third dinghy paddling over. He didn¡¯t see any weapons on them ¡ª though Isu probably had a few knives hidden away ¡ª which meant the captain was putting herself in grave danger.

    As she neared the shore she took a dignified step into the surf as Isu beached the dinghy. Ranma and the others could tell her presence lifted the morale of the sailors they¡¯d defeated and didn¡¯t like the idea of fighting her.

    Fortunately, once she was within five paces of Ranma she stopped and bowed at the waist. ¡°Captain Ikka of  The Mustang . I¡¯ve come to negotiate for the release of my crew, miss¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ranma Saotome. We don¡¯t want your crew, we want to know where we are and how to get home, and maybe a ride if that¡¯s possible.¡± Ranma didn¡¯t think it was possible, but maybe they¡¯d be lucky and they were just in a weird part of the world where everything made perfectly logical sense somehow. She didn¡¯t need an explanation, she¡¯d accept it.

    Ikka looked around at her crew and whistled, impressed. ¡°Here I thought 12 sailors was overkill, but I wanted to make sure we could haul some of our loot back to tha¡¯ ship. Miss Ranma you and yours are quite the fighters. An¡¯ I truly appreciate that you didn¡¯t kill any of ¡®em. If those are yer terms I agree, though y¡¯all should know we¡¯re pirates.¡±

    Several of them rolled their eyes. That much was obvious. ¡°Don¡¯t roll your eyes at me, kids! Ya¡¯ need ta¡¯ understand what I¡¯m trying to tell ya¡¯. We get attacked by Realm patrols? They¡¯re gonna consider you pirates too.¡± She didn¡¯t care that they¡¯d just turned 12 of her best fighters into pile of bruises, she would brook no disrespect from a bunch of kids.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what that means.¡± Ranma replied, frustratedly. ¡°We¡¯re¡­not from around here. If you¡¯ve got a map we can probably figure it out.¡± By now none of the visitors from Nerima were hopeful a map would solve their problem. Realm? Pirates with swords? Panda person? Things weren¡¯t adding up and Ranma¡¯s outlandish ideas seemed more and more likely by the second.

    Ikka nodded. ¡°Sure thing, kiddos. Got maps back on the ship.¡± She realized that the strangers were¡­very strange. And they kept staring at Isu. Djala weren¡¯t as common in the North or East, and she had no idea if they were on the Blessed Isle at the center of the world, but the way the kids were reacting to him? That spoke to a greater unfamiliarity than could be explained by mere geological distance.

    <hr>

    They decided to leave Ryoga, Shampoo, and Kodachi on the island so they could pack up and keep an eye on their gear, while the rest joined Captain Ikka, Isu, and Whoop on a dinghy back to the ship. The least injured pirates began moving some of the treasure from the cache to the remaining dinghies.

    Whoop described the sequence of events from his perspective, as well as the group¡¯s lack of familiarity with the term Exalted, and said they claimed to hear it from a talking spider. The whole thing made her head hurt and she resolved to talk to Doc Jara. She thanked whatever gods were watching over her that they  weren¡¯t  Exalted: champions of the gods were nothing but trouble.

    The crew wasn¡¯t sure how to treat the newcomers. Most gave them vicious looks, some were awestruck, but all of them gave the group as much space as they could manage on the cramped ship. Ikka dismissed Whoop and led the rest below deck to her cabin. The six of them, Isu included, crowded the small room but managed to fit around a large circular table.

    Ikka pulled out her biggest map, a print of the known borders of the world published by House Peleps around seven years ago, and plundered from an Immaculate temple. The political borders had shifted somewhat since its publication, but the geography would be good enough. She rolled it out on the table but didn¡¯t even have to weigh down the corners before she saw the crestfallen looks on the kids¡¯ faces.

    ¡°What, uh¡­what¡¯s the scale on this?¡± Akane dared to ask.

    Ikka pointed to the scale near the bottom of the map and realized that none of them could read it. ¡°Ya can¡¯t read High Realm? Odd, ya seem so posh.¡± She put an index finger on either side of the scale and said ¡°Two thousand kilometers, thereabouts.¡±

    There it was. Everybody from Nerima shared worried glances. Creation was a large world and not all of it could fit on a map, but she had no way to know that what she showed them was impossible. All of them had seen a map of Earth and nowhere looked like this.

    ¡°Do you have a globe?¡± Kuno asked, which got a puzzled look from the pirate captain.

    ¡°A globe? What kind of globe?¡±

    ¡°...One that shows the entirety of the Earth?¡± Even Kuno began to understand their predicament.

    Now Ikka was looking at them like they were stupid. How could you fit Creation on a globe? That¡¯d be confusing. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re asking. This map covers almost all the way to the elemental poles in each direction, there¡¯s not a lot of room left to hide anything.¡±

    Nobody responded to her for several minutes as they processed. It was so much worse than they thought. They weren¡¯t just in another time, or in a different part of the world. They weren¡¯t even somewhere that was  configured  like their world.

    Some of them tried walking around the table, looking at the map from different angles, hoping that if they reoriented the map something would look familiar. Of course, it didn¡¯t help, it was just as alien and confusing from any angle, from any perspective.

    Ikka wasn¡¯t sure how to interpret their reactions. There were only a few reasons why they¡¯d be so surprised about the shape of the world. Not just ignorant,  surprised . They thought they knew what the world should look like, which meant they were somewhat educated. But they didn¡¯t read High Realm, so it couldn¡¯t be a Realm education, they should at least be able to read the numbers and basics like units of measurement.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Lemme test somethin¡¯. Red, can you read this?¡± She grabbed a notebook from her desk, a simple log of places they¡¯d been in the past few months, written in Low Realm, the language they were currently speaking. Ranma thumbed through the book and shook her head.

    ¡°Nope. Some of it  looks  like kanji but most of it doesn¡¯t, and it doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± She passed it around but nobody else could read it. ¡°Can I write in it? Maybe you¡¯ll recognize our writing.¡±

    Ikka gestured at the quill and inkwell on her desk. Kuno brightened up, traditional artifacts like that were one of his hobbies, but the rest eyed it with something akin to disdain and frustration. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this, my beloved.¡± Ranma rolled her eyes as Kuno took the book and began writing a few sentences in hiragana, katakana, kanji, simplified Chinese, and romaji.

    The captain watched as he worked and was intrigued that he was educated enough to know multiple alphabets, but she didn¡¯t recognize any of them. Ranma was right that they  resembled  the characters she was familiar with, but other than that slight resemblance there was nothing to give her context as to the meaning of the words.

    There were very few explanations left. Caution told her to treat them as some sort of fair folk infiltration party. Human enough to fool natives of Creation at first glance, but that didn¡¯t feel right. They were missing basic information about the world but they  behaved  like humans. That seemed backwards.

    Which meant that she was dealing with a very unique opportunity. Seven highly-skilled fighters with absolutely no context of the world were dropped at her feet. They understood she was a pirate, but had something they couldn¡¯t get from a lot of people: free passage aboard a ship. All she needed to do was take advantage of their lack of information.

    Right now, though, the four in her private quarters were staring at each other, or into space, or curled up into a non-responsive ball. ¡°If ya need a dinghy back to tha¡¯ island so ye can tell yer friends feel free ta take one. Seems like ya need a chance ta talk.¡± She made for the door, gesturing for Isu to follow. ¡°Fer what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    The door closed. Akane was hugging her knees to her chest as she stared through the map. She  couldn¡¯t  deal with this right now. It had been weeks since Jusendo and she was just starting to get her feet back under her. It was supposed to be her last year of high school, she¡¯d put out several applications to nearby colleges and a few pie-in-the-sky universities. All of her family was back home and she had no idea where she even was.

    At Jusendo she¡¯d almost died  twice , but at least she knew she was in China. Even when she was scared, she knew as long as she survived she¡¯d be able to make her way home, especially with Ranma there. Here though? Nothing about this place made sense.

    A hand rested against her back. Blinking wetness out of her eyes, she realized Ranma was sitting next to her, gently rubbing her back. She stared at the red-haired martial artist who was also staring blankly at the map. It wasn¡¯t like Ranma to express this kind of softness, but Akane wasn¡¯t going to take it for granted.

    Ukyo was too distraught to notice. Her business couldn¡¯t do without her for more than a couple of days. Konatsu could mostly handle running the place with her various shadow clones, but she wasn¡¯t a great cook, and she¡¯d probably leave the restaurant closed while she tried to find her wayward boss. Unless they figured out a solution soon, she¡¯d be going back home to an empty bank account and a new restaurant where hers used to be.

    Kuno spoke first, offering to go retrieve the others from the island. ¡°We can¡¯t trust these brigands to not leave us on the island, dinghy or no, once they have an opportunity. I¡¯ll go alone so you can overtake the ship if need be.¡± He dared not tell his beloved Akane or the pigtailed girl (who he steadfastly refused to believe was actually the devious Ranma Saotome) that leaving them here felt like the safer option: at least if they were abducted they¡¯d be on a ship rather than forced to survive on a deserted island.

    Without waiting for a response, he practically bolted through the door but was stopped by the strange, spotted person who had been with the captain. He bowed. ¡°I am Blossoming Isu. Lord¡­¡±

    ¡°Tatewaki Kuno. I wish to return to the island and retrieve our compatriots.¡± The strange fellow was shorter even than the pigtailed girl, though not by much, and Kuno found his calm demeanor unsettling.

    ¡°By the captain¡¯s orders, of course. Will you require a rower?¡± Isu guided Kuno back through the lower deck to the stairs. Some of the injured crew had been brought aboard and were laying on padded cots. The captain was speaking to a woman with short brown hair, tanned skin, and robes that once perhaps were white but had been bled on and cleaned so often they turned a dingy grey.

    ¡°No thank you, I can handle it.¡± Kuno was used to being on the ocean, thanks to his father. He hated it but at least he would maintain his dignity in the eyes of these honorless sea dogs.

    Isu gestured at the dinghy with a shrug. ¡°Suit yourself, my lord. We would like to be off before long so as not to give away the position of our cache, so please return as soon as your business on the island is concluded.¡±

    <hr>

    From inside the ship, Ikka watched Kuno row back to the island. All of her injured crew would be fine. A couple of broken noses, sprains, and one dislocated shoulder. Enough to keep them off their feet for a few days but nothing more serious than that. Hell, the flamepiece Miss Saotome threw into the water was a bigger setback than the bruises her crew had suffered. Doc Jara confirmed they had no lasting injuries.

    And they pulled it off without breaking a sweat.

    Despite their obvious martial supremacy, they chose not to kill anyone. Killing would have been easier, without a doubt, and it was something Ikka had ordered her crew to do in the past. She wanted to say it was because of some sort of unsullied innocence, but at least two of them, Miss Saotome and the short-haired girl she was close to, had seen and faced death, recently if their thousand-yard stares were any indication.

    Every reasonable, rational bone in her body said they were some kind of monsters. Treating them as anything else was an enormous risk. But she was a pirate: she was used to taking risks.

    Turning to Isu, who had appeared behind her at some point, she nodded. ¡°Inform tha¡¯ crew we¡¯ll be taking on passengers. Remind them that our guests are more¡¯n capable of fightin¡¯ back and are probably in a bad mood.¡±

    Knocking on the door to her own quarters, she waited until she heard a quiet ¡°Come in¡± before entering. The three girls were standing again, tears red and puffy either from holding back tears or freshly wiping them away. They looked at her expectantly.

    ¡°Ladies, here¡¯s how I see it: ye¡¯ve no idea where ya are. I dunno where ya come from. My doctor knows a thing or two of occult matters so ya should talk ta her.¡± She spoke quickly and firmly, like she would to new recruits, but without the authoritative edge she would normally adopt. ¡°My plan is ta take ya to Abalone. Biggest island in the Archipelago, ta Gateway.¡± Pulling out a better-used, more recent map that only showed the area they were in, she started pointing. ¡°We¡¯re here, Abalone¡¯s here. Two and a half days¡¯ travel, gotta make a stop at a fishin¡¯ village fer goods¡¯n supplies tonight. Any questions?¡±

    Before Miss Saotome could say anything, the short-haired girl stepped forward. ¡°Akane Tendo.¡± She gestured to herself. ¡°Why are you taking us to Gateway? What¡¯s there?¡± Akane didn¡¯t want Ranma to overreact again: she was upset, stressed out, and fighting came to her naturally. Though as soon as Akane opened her mouth she remembered all the times she¡¯d flown off the handle at minor insults and perceived slights. Maybe she should have volunteered Ukyo.

    ¡°Biggest port in tha Wavecrest Archipelago.¡± Ikka brought back the larger map to continue gesturing. ¡°From there, with your skills, it should be easy ta find someone who can help ya better¡¯n a buncha pirates, maybe in Seahaven, tha capital, not too far away, or charter a ship headin¡¯ ta Wu-Jian.¡± As expected, none of them understood the barrage of proper nouns she just threw at them.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Akane looked to Ukyo and Ranma for advice on what to ask next. She was out of her element, and it dawned on her that other than fighting,  none  of them really had what it took to navigate a completely alien world. The people here looked like they did back home, for the most part, and physics behaved like it should, but they didn¡¯t even know the world was round!

    The captain let her off easy. ¡°Ta put yer minds at ease, ya¡¯ve got it on my word as captain of  The Mustang  no harm¡¯ll come to ya. Yer passengers so long as ya need somewhere ta stay.¡± She bowed slightly. ¡°Take a rest on any free hammocks, leave tha cots for the injured an¡¯ sick. If¡¯n ya¡¯ve got yer own supplies ta make food there¡¯s a galley under the fore. We make crew meals twice a day while at sea, first come first serve an¡¯ everybody gets a dish afore seconds.¡±

    She¡¯d settled into her usual ¡°orientation¡± speech by the end of her promise, and looked them over. ¡°Any questions?¡± The three shook their heads. ¡°Good, tha first mate¡¯s Blossomin¡¯ Isu, introduce yerself to the crew at yer leisure. Ladies.¡± She tipped her hat and left.

    <hr>

    Kuno returned with the others. He¡¯d shared the news with them on the shore, but it wasn¡¯t until they received confirmation from Ranma, Ukyo, and Akane that they believed him. Ryoga and Shampoo were distraught, while Kodachi remained steely and cold. They sat in silence in Captain Ikka¡¯s quarters for at least an hour before they heard a bell clanging and a loud voice yell, ¡°Anchors aweigh!¡±

    With a slight lurch the ship began to move and before long they saw the little island shrink into the distance. It got smaller and smaller before Kuno made another surprising observation. ¡°It should be disappearing over the horizon¡­¡± he muttered.

    Unfortunately, his train of thought was derailed as Ryoga picked up his page of writing from earlier. ¡°What the¡­? Which one of you wrote a trilingual love poem?¡±

    Desperate for a distraction, the other six Nerimans diverted their attention to the offending page as Ryoga started reading. Kuno¡¯s poem started with flowery descriptions of ¡°the ensorcelled pigtailed beauty¡± and ¡°his lofty raven-haired lioness¡± ¡ª he defended his choice to focus on hair for symmetry reasons ¡ª before moving on to a florid explanation of his vow to rescue everyone from this ¡°strange realm¡± and concluded with the romaji ¡° On ne badine pas avec l''amour ¡±.

    Ryoga didn¡¯t know the translation, so everyone stared at Kuno who responded with his typical shameless arrogance. ¡°It¡¯s the name of a play, ¡®No Trifling with Love.¡¯ For my love is¡ª¡±

    His attempt to explain himself was drowned out by the uproarious laughter from the six teens as all the tension from their unexpected journey finally snapped. Even his younger sister couldn¡¯t help it, though she would take any opportunity to embarrass him.

    Wiping tears from her eyes, Ranma coughed out the last few shocks of laughter from her system. ¡°Hahah¡­.oh man, Kuno, I needed that. But okay, we¡¯re taking care of this right now. Ryoga, I¡¯m borrowin¡¯ a kettle.¡± And she started digging through the lost boy¡¯s pack.

    <hr>

    A few minutes later, she and Akane were in the galley, the kettle settled in an open-topped sandbox over a brick oven. It would take a while to boil but they didn¡¯t need it to be that hot. Ranma was surprisingly excited about it. ¡°We saw these a couple of times while we were traveling!¡± she explained to Akane. She didn¡¯t often reminisce about her time before arriving at the Tendo home with nostalgia, but it happened occasionally, and her fianc¨¦e loved seeing the way it lifted her mood.

    ¡°Hey, Ranma,¡± Akane began, wanting to quell the conflagration of thoughts burning in her mind. ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­you didn¡¯t call it a curse when you were talking to the Kunos. When did that happen?¡±

    She expected an intense reaction, maybe an insult or two, definitely shouting. But instead Ranma just looked thoughtful. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. Before Jusendo I think, but that¡¯s when I started realizing it. I didn¡¯t even hesitate to put you first and I knew I¡¯d make the same choice again in a heartbeat.¡±

    Wiggling her mouth to figure out her next words, she took a second to test the heat in the kettle. Still lukewarm, maybe warm enough to trigger the change but she wanted to be sure. ¡°Then after the, uh, the wedding¡­I reacted out of instinct, and mom was there. I know the contract¡¯s been fulfilled but it¡¯s tense being around her, yanno? An¡¯ I realized it was  her  fault, I didn¡¯t feel bad about changing. Hell, I realized sometimes I  like  it, and not just ¡®cause I can flirt to get free food.¡±

    The little smile is what really got Akane as Ranma thought about all the little scams she¡¯d pulled in girl form. ¡°I was  relieved  Happosai got the water, but I wouldn¡¯t have minded if Mousse, pops, orrr¡­I guess not Shampoo, I feel bad that she¡¯s gotta deal with that ¡®cause I¡¯m not plannin¡¯ on marryin¡¯ her. Anyway, relief. The last few weeks have been quiet enough I got ta think about it, yanno? Even let myself feel flattered that I got so many suitors from across the spectrum.¡± And then she  giggled , a sound Akane never heard her make sincerely.

    ¡°I know we haven¡¯t talked about it, but that¡¯s how I feel these days¡­¡± Ranma finally looked at Akane, and instead of seeing anger or disgust like she was scared of, she saw empathy, understanding, and a surprising amount of desire. ¡°Uhhh¡­how about you?¡±

    Instead of answering Akane threw her arms around Ranma, who returned the hug almost immediately. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, dummy.¡± Akane beamed.

    They held the hug for a few more minutes before they slowly broke apart, and smiled at each other. Ranma briefly considered if she should go in for a kiss, but they were interrupted as a pink-haired sailor poked her head into the galley. ¡°Oh! Sorry, smelled the fire goin¡¯ and thought someone was cookin¡¯,¡± she quickly explained and then vanished.

    They giggled and Ranma confirmed that the water was hot enough, then returned to Captain Ikka¡¯s quarters.

    <hr>

    Armed with the lightly steaming kettle and a canteen full of cold water, Ranma began the laborious process of breaking through the Kuno siblings¡¯ thick heads. Shampoo and Ryoga stood as far away from Ranma as they could. ¡°All right you two, demonstration time first.¡± She lifted the kettle and splashed herself with just enough water to trigger the change and the fit, buxom, red-haired girl was replaced by a lean but muscular black-haired boy.

    Tatewaki, of course, had seen and felt Ranma change before so this wasn¡¯t new to him, but Kodachi¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°It¡¯s¡­but how!? What are you?¡± Ranma realized this might have put Kodachi off pursuing him ages ago, but it¡¯s possible she was going to come to the same conclusion as her brother.

    ¡°Uncontrollable magic. Like I said, fell into a spring, now hot water equals boy and cold water equals girl. Tatewaki!¡± They leveled a finger at the tall boy, whose eyes were narrow and arms were crossed. ¡°What is it you think I am? Some sort of sorcerer or wizard or something who¡¯s captured the pigtailed girl, right?¡±

    Kuno nodded. ¡°Akane¡¯s mercenary sister explained how you own the sweet girl¡¯s body and soul.¡±

    Ranma and Akane both groaned as one of the sources of Kuno¡¯s longstanding delusion was revealed. ¡°Okay, that explains a lot. What do you think happens when I change then?¡±

    Scratching his chin, Tatewaki pondered as to the specifics of the vile Saotome¡¯s dark magic. ¡°Much like the substitution arts of the shinobi, you are swapping places with her wherever you are holding her.¡±

    ¡°Perfect! Okay, so if we¡¯re different people and ¡®she¡¯ is being kept somewhere else, do you think that ¡®she¡¯ can see what¡¯s goin¡¯ on in this room right now?¡±

    The question short-circuited something in Kuno¡¯s brain because he didn¡¯t move or blink for at least a minute. ¡°...Yyyyyyes. It¡¯s important for your deception, so she knows how she¡¯s supposed to behave.¡±

    With a frustrated groan, Ranma put down the water and started pacing, fingers pushed up to his lips as he fixated on the Kuno puzzle. Akane, Shampoo, Ukyo, and Ryoga smiled, not out of some petty satisfaction of seeing him frustrated, but because this version of Ranma was familiar to them: the master of Anything Goes. This was just another fight, and he needed to figure out how to get through Kuno¡¯s defenses.

    One idea came to mind and he stopped. Whatever it was, he started blushing, then walked over to Akane and gently led her to the corner. Softly he leaned down and whispered into her ear. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve got an idea that¡¯s kind of extreme and I wanna make sure you¡¯re okay with it.¡± That was troubling, but Akane would hear him out.

    ¡°I think part of the problem might be that he thinks I¡¯m in love with him, right? But he hates me when I¡¯m like this. Hurting him as a girl doesn¡¯t do anything, if anything I think he likes it, but what if I tried the other way around?¡±

    Now it was Akane¡¯s turn to blush as she pieced together what he was saying. ¡°Wh-what¡­what are you gonna do?¡±

    ¡°He was literally holding me once as I changed, something more extreme is called for. If I¡­ugh, if I kiss him will you splash me?¡± It was clear Ranma didn¡¯t enjoy the idea, but it was extreme enough to work, maybe. Akane felt¡­something. Jealousy? Ranma hadn¡¯t ever kissed her, not really, not without tape or magic involved, and here he was considering kissing  Kuno  of all people.

    ¡°Is it really that important to make him realize who you are?¡±

    Clearly it must have been, because he nodded. ¡°We need to be able to trust each other, and we can¡¯t do that if we don¡¯t even understand one another. He thinks I¡¯m literally a different person, what if he tries to kill me thinking that¡¯ll ¡®free the girl¡¯ or whatever?¡±

    Akane couldn¡¯t argue with that logic.

    ¡°But be honest with me, because if you¡¯re not okay with it I won¡¯t do it.¡± The admission that Ranma wasn¡¯t just asking for Akane¡¯s advice but her permission to go through with it was akin to divine revelation. Her fianc¨¦ really had matured lately, hadn¡¯t he?

    ¡°I¡­you¡¯re right. Plus he¡¯s going to keep pursuing you in girl form, even after the talk this morning. I-I-I¡­¡± This wasn¡¯t the time to bring up her jealousy. Honesty was important, but they could talk about that somewhere else, in private. ¡°I¡¯ll splash you as soon as you start, okay?¡±

    Ranma nodded and they turned around. ¡°Okay Tatewaki, let¡¯s try something. You think the pigtailed girl is in love with you, yeah?¡± He grabbed the canteen as Kuno nodded. ¡°And you think I hate you, right?¡± She doused herself as Kuno continued nodding, washing the black out of her hair and shrinking. The way his eyes softened and his lips turned up as she changed disgusted her. ¡°Let¡¯s make one thing clear: I don¡¯t love you. I think you¡¯re pushy, handsy, delusional, and a threat to all women.¡±

    Her words clearly stung but he¡¯d been called worse, and he knew the vile Saotome was forcing her to say such things. ¡°But you¡¯re gonna get what you¡¯ve been wanting for two years: I¡¯m gonna kiss ya.¡±

    Akane grabbed the kettle as everybody gasped. Kuno¡¯s eyes went wide and his mouth quivered. ¡°Tr-truly? You¡¯re confessing your love to¡ª¡±

    ¡°No! I meant what I said. What you need to understand is that I¡¯m Ranma Saotome whether or not I¡¯m a boy or girl at the moment. You want to kiss me, but you don¡¯t believe he¡¯d ever kiss you, right?¡±

    Kuno nodded like a dog at a dangling treat. ¡°Great, wanted to make sure you¡¯re aware before we do this then. Don¡¯t close your eyes.¡±

    Ranma and Akane nodded at each other, then Ranma roughly grabbed Kuno¡¯s collar and dragged his face down to meet hers. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant kiss: their lips slammed together and Ranma kept hers tightly locked. Kuno didn¡¯t even put his hands on her sides, so enraptured he was by the red locks framing her piercing blue eyes. Though it wasn¡¯t her beauty that captivated him, but the incandescent rage glowing so clearly in her sapphire irises.

    Then he heard a splash and his neck was violently tilted up. Ranma was still shorter than him but the sudden 15 centimeter addition was a surprise. Red was replaced by black as his hair changed color, but the eyes never changed. They never softened, never warmed, didn¡¯t even narrow.

    ¡­Oh gods they were the same person.  Oh gods he was kissing Saotome!

    As soon as he saw the gears turning in Kuno¡¯s head Ranma pushed the taller boy away from him with such force that his head slammed against the wall behind him and sent him into a daze. Ranma took a swig out of the canteen and started gargling the salty water.

    The only person who wasn¡¯t stunned was Akane, who moved over and put a sympathetic hand on Ranma¡¯s back. Mouth still full, he just gave her a nod before spitting out the window. He didn¡¯t even want to look at Tatewaki, so he glared at his sister instead. ¡°We don¡¯t have to go through that whole rigamarole with you, do we?¡±

    Kodachi¡¯s face was frozen in a mix of venomous rage and shock, but she shook her head.

    ¡°Great, I¡¯m gonna get some fresh air,¡± Ranma didn¡¯t even bother using the door, he just leapt out the window and climbed up the side of the hull.

    <hr>

    Isu saw Ranma quickly ascend the ship¡¯s rigging and lay out on Isu¡¯s favorite spot to bask on the top crossmast. Something seemed off, so he climbed up to investigate. As he pulled himself up, he realized what it was: this wasn¡¯t Miss Saotome, this was a black-haired man wearing the same clothes and hairstyle. Alarm bells sounded in his head and he drew a pair of knives.

    The strange man was up on his feet almost as quickly as the knives were out, though he seemed unconcerned. ¡°Wait, you know me. Sorry about this, I¡¯m Ranma Saotome.¡±

    His steely blue gaze bored into Isu, who grimaced. Even if this wasn¡¯t Ranma, if he was with the group he likely fought as well as them. If he  was  Ranma, it meant he was a shapeshifter. Best case he was some sort of god, though far more likely he was some sort of Lunar Anathema, fair folk, or demon.

    Even if he was a good fighter, Isu was at home in the rigging of the ship, surely he¡¯d have the advantage. Without speaking, he came in swinging with his knives, holding one back in case ¡°Ranma¡± tried to counter or disarm him. His attacks weren¡¯t particularly decisive, but his hope that the stranger would be hindered by the uneven footing, wind, or rocking of the ship was dashed.

    Hell, at some point he was certain the stranger was toying with him. He dodged back until they reached the end of the crossmast then jumped over Isu, landing perfectly on the other side, essentially swapping their positions. But he never raised his hands to attack.

    The rest of the crew noticed them by now, and an alarm went up, but nobody wanted to interfere. Normally Isu appreciated it when they let him have his space, but if he kept fighting he¡¯d need the help.

    Regardless, the stranger was clearly a better fighter, and too maneuverable for Isu to corner. Scowling, he sheathed his knives and crossed his arms. ¡°Hmph. Talk, stowaway.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m Ranma Saotome, we¡¯ve already met. You¡¯re¡­Isu, captain¡¯s Ikka, the short, hairy guy was Whooping Goat, doctor¡¯s name is Zara or something. Am I right so far?¡± His face didn¡¯t betray any emotions, and his voice was matter-of-fact. Even though a couple of his names were a little off, they were off in an ordinary way. Still, that wasn¡¯t an explanation.

    ¡°Why are you a man,  Miss  Saotome?¡± Isu needed to know the answer to that. If Ranma was some sort of sorcerer or supernatural creature, they had a much bigger problem on their hands.

    ¡°Fell into a magic spring two years ago, now hot water turns me into a man, cold water turns me into a woman. I can prove it if you want.¡±

    Isu tilted his head. Sounded like a curse or a Wyld mutation. Maybe Doc Jara knew more about it? If Ranma needed to change for some reason it explained why they¡¯d been seen heating a kettle in the galley. ¡°And you just decided to start climbing around on the ship after changing?¡± If he interrogated Ranma¡¯s foolish behavior, maybe that would reveal something to pick at.

    ¡°Ehhh¡­Had to clear my head and didn¡¯t think about it. I was¡­distracted.¡± He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, emphasizing his youth. The alarm had died down and the crew was just watching them now, including Captain Ikka.

    Isu pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Okay, you show the captain and me this little trick of yours before we do anything else. And in future tell someone before you start crawling around the rigging.¡±

    <hr>

    Ryoga was conflicted. He was stuck in a strange world thanks to the unknowable whims of a robotic spider-god, but there was something satisfyingly petty about seeing Ranma so flustered. Even though his days of shouting ¡°Ranma, prepare to die!¡± were long over he harbored a grudge against his erstwhile nemesis. Seeing him taken down a peg was always nice.

    The lost boy didn¡¯t know Kuno that well, he¡¯d heard Akane complain about him from time to time but he always assumed that the former Furinkan kendo captain was caught in one of Ranma¡¯s gender-bending scams. Realizing Kuno truly didn¡¯t understand how Ranma¡¯s curse worked was funny enough, but seeing Ranma go to the lengths he did to finally convince Kuno of the truth was¡­

    Actually surprisingly painful to watch. Maybe because Ryoga had been on the receiving end of Ranma¡¯s affections for one reason or another so many times, but something in him felt a pang of¡­well certainly not  jealousy , but something when he saw his red-headed rival initiate a kiss with another man. The feeling didn¡¯t go away when Ranma changed so it definitely couldn¡¯t have been jealousy.

    Regardless, the captain¡¯s quarters started to feel cramped so to stretch his legs he decided to explore the ship. It wasn¡¯t particularly large, only two decks, so even if he got lost he assumed it wouldn¡¯t be for long. Plus he was curious if the curse on his sense of direction was even still there: getting to Akane¡¯s house was the easiest thing he¡¯d ever done. Was it because he was fated to be there the day Hadrak arrived?

    Half an hour later and he couldn¡¯t find his way out of the lower decks, which left him despondent. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask any of the pirates who he ran into, he had to maintain the impression of strength that came with single-handedly beating a bunch of them up earlier.

    Ranma found him though, which meant he could smirk. ¡°Oh hey, Romeo, didja have to go write up a new entry in your diar¡ª¡± His rival clearly wasn¡¯t in the mood as he slammed Ryoga against the wall. Ryoga let him but didn¡¯t continue needling. ¡°What do you want, Saotome?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna tell Akane about P-Chan.¡± Ranma demanded gently, his steely gaze boring into Ryoga. ¡°We¡¯re going to some fishing village. If you don¡¯t tell her the night we get there I¡¯m telling her the next morning.¡±

    That changed the mood quickly. ¡°Wh-why the hurry? I haven¡¯t¡­I mean I¡¯m with Akari now and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean, going to an island, then sailing some more to get to another island.¡± Ryoga wasn¡¯t familiar with this side of Ranma, the coldness emanating from him was surreal and unsettling. ¡°We are  surrounded  by water. You¡¯ve been lucky so far, and  I  helped you out a bunch, but that¡¯s not gonna last, and you know how this thing works: it¡¯s gonna wait until the absolute worst time to sneak up on you. Tell her now so when it happens later she won¡¯t be surprised.¡±

    When did Ranma get so rational? ¡°Tch, fine. Is that why you got a new boyfriend?¡± The taunt reset the status quo, and Ranma glowered at Ryoga before pushing away.

    ¡°Just for that, I¡¯m not showing you how to get back upstairs.¡± He mocked before sprinting away into the depths of the ship.

    ¡°Wait, no, I¡¯ll just follow you and¡­Dammit Ranma.¡±

 Nightfall

    Despite Isu¡¯s violent reaction, The Mustang¡¯s crew treated Ranma¡¯s transformation with respectful curiosity, which they didn¡¯t expect from pirates. It was either a sign that Captain Ikka kept them disciplined and mindful of bodily autonomy or that Furinkan High was a cesspool, if not a combination of both. In fact, more than a couple members of the crew asked if Ranma could teach them how to do it. As awkward as those conversations were, Ranma wasn¡¯t prepared for how many pirates casually propositioned them for¡­more intimate ¡°discussions¡±.

    After the simultaneous fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh such rejected proposal, Ranma found Akane and stuck with her, hoping her presence would act as a deterrent. Akane looked like she wanted to say something, but smiled and ended up holding Ranma¡¯s hand. He looked at it, then her smiling, lightly blushing face, and let it happen, albeit with far more blushing.

    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t work: as they walked through the infirmary to meet and apologize to the pirates they¡¯d beaten up earlier, they met a tall, muscular woman named Rosseiu. Her injuries were minor, apparently acquired during a friendly brawl with that Whoop guy. It didn¡¯t take long for her to lean forward and ask ¡°Do you think you¡¯d be willing to show me your transformation in detail somewhere private?¡± with gleaming eyes.

    Panicking, Ranma practically hid behind Akane, despite their height difference in his male body. ¡°Ah-ha, no thank you, Akane here is actually my fianc¨¦e.¡±

    Said fianc¨¦e rolled her eyes and looked back at him with a smirk. ¡°What happened to ¡®the engagement doesn¡¯t exist here¡¯?¡± She chided playfully.

    Glowering at her, he quietly hissed, ¡°Please back me up, I¡¯ve been putting up with this since we came on board.¡±

    Rosseiu¡¯s smile actually broadened as she looked the Tendo heir up and down. ¡°Oh! Well you¡¯re absolutely invited too!¡±

    Were they on a steamship, the heat generated by Ranma and Akane¡¯s faces could have powered it for the next decade. Both of them stammered their objections or rejections, to which Rosseiu waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Of course. Just thought I¡¯d ask.¡±

    If there was a bright side it was that everyone respected Ranma¡¯s rejections. He never had to refuse the same person twice, though eventually he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and left to find somewhere he could hide from the constant propositions.

    Ranma slipped into Captain Ikka¡¯s quarters. He expected to see her in there, it was her cabin after all. She was writing in her books and shot him an irritated glare at the interruption. He wasn¡¯t expecting to see Shampoo, who quietly sat against the wall scowling at the ceiling.

    ¡°Uh, hey Shampoo, mind if I sit?¡± The Chinese girl shot him a venomous glare, but shrugged.

    They sat together in silence, save for the scratching of quill on paper, enjoying the stillness. Until Ryoga stumbled through the door, grinning with relief. Ikka sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as the lost boy shut the door behind him and collapsed next to Ranma without asking. Ranma planned to say something until he noticed the red smear under his rival¡¯s nose.

    ¡°Ryoga, what¡¯s giving you nosebleeds?¡± Ranma asked, not having intuited the obvious.

    Between exasperated breaths, Ryoga held up his hands defensively. ¡°Captain, no offense, but your crew are incredibly¡­forward. They keep asking if I¡¯ll¡­¡± he blushed, a fresh trickle of red dripped out of one of his nostrils, and he whisper-shouted ¡°Sleep with them.¡±

    Her face went blank right before Shampoo interjected. ¡°Yes! They did the same to me, at least ten times!¡± The purple-haired amazon yelled, looking expectantly at the captain. Ranma wondered exactly why she had a problem with it, considering the times he¡¯d woken up with her naked in his bed, but he hoped she learned a shred of empathy from the experience.

    But he nodded. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s why I¡¯m hiding in here too.¡±

    Ikka stared at them with an intense, hateful, frustrated glare, an icy gaze that penetrated their souls and sent shivers down their spines. At least until she smirked and broke, her over-the-top reaction mutating into a full-throated guffaw that lasted minutes. ¡°Oh Empress¡¯s tits ya¡¯ are kids, aye?¡± She wiped tears from her eyes, reminding Ranma of that stupid spider.

    Drinking from a canteen, she recomposed herself and leaned forward with an amused look. ¡°Truth now, have any a¡¯ the crew done anythin¡¯ beyond askin¡¯ ya¡¯?¡± Despite her laughter she had a serious edge in her voice. ¡°I take discipline seriously on tha Mustang, so if any a¡¯ my crew¡¯ve been pushy or touched ya¡¯ I wanna know.¡±

    The three from Nerima shook their heads. Ryoga seemed to be taking it the hardest, clearly uncomfortable just from the attention, but it¡¯d just been polite requests for him too. ¡°Could you at least get a message to the crew that none of us are, uh¡­interested?¡± Ranma asked. Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t dismiss him out of hand.

    ¡°Consider it done.¡± She acquiesced immediately. ¡°Yer not just guests, yer guests who can kick our arses. If tha crew¡¯s causin¡¯ ya problems I¡¯ll see to ¡®em.¡± With that she sauntered over to her door and called in the first crew member she saw. ¡°Tell Isu I need ta talk to ¡®im, quick as ya can.¡± Then she returned to her desk and resumed writing.

    ¡°Your crew sure seemed to, uh, get over us beating up a lot of their friends.¡± Ryoga curiously pointed out. Ranma thought it was uncharacteristically intuitive of the eternally lost boy, especially considering how frequently he jumped to the entirely wrong conclusions about things.

    Without putting her quill down, Ikka shrugged. ¡°Ya didn¡¯t kill anybody. Outnumbered almost two-ta-one, not a single casualty. Hell, no one was even maimed.¡± She stopped and looked over the expert martial artist teenagers sitting against her cabin¡¯s wall, overwhelmed from being asked to engage in casual hookups. ¡°All ya¡¯ ask fer in return is a trip home. Then Isu comes at one a ya¡¯ and ya¡¯ dance ¡®round ¡®him like a fish. An¡¯ ya¡¯ all been cooperative, if not polite.¡±

    Leaning back, she turned her palms up to the ceiling. ¡°Combine all that with the fact yer all good-lookin¡¯, young, an¡¯ sailing ain¡¯t exactly the most excitin¡¯ trade most a¡¯ the time. If I was 20 years younger¡­¡± she trailed off and gestured at the three of them, which put a rosy sheen on their cheeks.

    Isu picked that moment to come in, providing brief respite from the captain¡¯s heated words. ¡°Isu, inform tha crew that the guests aren¡¯t interested in any intimate encounters.¡± The first mate cocked an eyebrow at the exhausted teens, but Ikka wiggled a hand to keep his attention. ¡°No one¡¯s caused any problems an¡¯ I¡¯d like ta keep it that way, aye?¡±

    He gave a heartfelt if sloppy salute and pivoted back out the door. ¡°Problem solved, kiddos. Ya¡¯ talked ta Doc Jara yet?¡± They were relieved she decided to change the topic, but shook their heads. ¡°Well, I¡¯m busy so I suggest ya¡¯ round up yer friends an¡¯ have a chat with ¡®er.¡± When they didn¡¯t immediately get up she sighed and started writing. ¡°Ta put it another way: get outta my cabin.¡±

    <hr>

    Kodachi hadn¡¯t been plagued by the same issue as most of her Earthborn companions. Despite her beautiful form and skintight leotard, she exuded a toxic aura that put off even the most confident or oblivious would-be suitor, which left her gloriously unburdened as she patrolled the vessel.

    She overheard sailors talking about how her Lord Ranma fought some uppity seabound brigand in the rigging of the ship, so she took a moment to demonstrate her gymnastic expertise and leapt up into the ropes and sails. Using her ribbon like a whip, she swung around the masts and launched herself high into the air, then landed effortlessly at her destination before vaulting to the next point.

    It was a warmup, nothing more, but it suitably impressed the witless dogs that surrounded her. At the sound of applause she whirled about and looked down on them with contempt, silencing their claps without a word.

    Her brother stood on the ship¡¯s fore, leaning against the taffrail, seemingly deep in thought. Normally she¡¯d leave him to his pointless musing, but in this strange world she dared not alienate her closest ally. She¡¯d still needle him though, what kind of little sister would she be otherwise?

    Landing next to him, she haughtily remarked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re pining for Lord Ranma now as well.¡± It was intended to be a joke, a cruel jab at the embarrassment he suffered from being made to kiss his nemesis. Stoic as he was, it should have gotten a response, some minor outburst of anger that only made him seem even more foolish.

    Instead, his response nearly made her collapse. ¡°I believe so.¡± He said in a serious deadpan, matter-of-fact. It was a Truth, not a guess.

    ¡°Wh-what? Despite the years you just discovered he¡¯s been making a fool of you?¡± As she exclaimed and her eyes went wide, he turned and regarded her with an amused smirk.

    ¡°Sister, he¡¯s only made a greater fool of himself, as well as revealed to me a most hopeful element of his imprisonment of my beloved.¡± Kodachi tilted her head. Imprisonment? He sounded like he still thought¡­

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re still holding on to the belief Lord Ranma and the harlot are different people?¡± Incredulously she peered at his face, wondering if he was desperately trying to find some sort of justification for his continued delusion.

    ¡°Well¡­not for much longer.¡± He grinned and looked back to the sea. ¡°He¡¯s kept such a powerful hold over her, peering through her senses, invaded her mind, and most crucially allowed her some degree of control over him to better sell his deception.¡±

    Kodachi had to admit, there was logic in his words. ¡°And consider the phrasing he used. For the past two years, when he¡¯s told his lies it was always ¡®a curse¡¯. Now? No longer a curse, just a part of him. His deception is so thorough she has begun to bleed into him.¡±

    His sister frowned. If that was the case, then her Lord Ranma was being slowly poisoned by the influence of the red-haired sorceress. Though if it was a two-way connection¡­ ¡°Surely you¡¯re concerned he¡¯s affecting her as well, however?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Who could last for years under the wicked spell of a cruel tormentor like Saotome?¡± Normally she¡¯d punish him for speaking ill of her love, but if she was going to save Lord Ranma from the clutches of Kodachi¡¯s nemesis she needed to know what her brother knew. ¡°But thanks to the mistake he made today, I know that I have nothing to fear. Her love for me is so great that it will override whatever evil corrupts her, a beacon that will shine through the darkness.¡±

    He held his open hand up and splayed his fingers at the sky. ¡°All she needs is a helping hand from her true love to ensure that after they battle for control more of her remains than him, and then we can finally be together.¡±

    That was his plan then. She had to ensure the opposite occurred, and remind Lord Ranma that he couldn¡¯t give in to the red-headed parasite eating away at his identity. ¡°Well then brother, I wish you luck on your endeavor.¡± With her polite blessing done, she hurriedly made her way back to the lower decks. No matter which body she found, she needed to remember that her Lord Ranma would see her, would remember her actions.

    In order to keep her love from falling victim to the wiles of the red-haired harlot, she would need to offer up her unconditional support to them. As he witnessed her affection, it would give him the strength needed to throw off the false Ranma¡¯s influence. She¡¯d never let her brother beat her when it came to love.

    Sailors flinched and watched her disappear into the ship as she let out her signature laugh.

    <hr>

    In the waning hours of the day, Ranma and the others finally met with Doc Jara, the woman in dingy grey robes Kuno saw talking to the captain earlier. She was the only member of the crew with her own quarters other than the captain, though it was little more than a privacy curtain surrounding a section of the ship next to the cots reserved for the wounded. Most of the cots were occupied by the sailors they¡¯d fought earlier, so it was an awkward meeting, but that¡¯s also where Jara kept her occult texts and instruments.

    Akane kind of expected her to be a combination of Dr. Tofu and Cologne, but she realized quickly she was more like a mad scientist. With a warbly voice that dipped and broke randomly, and an impossible to place accent, she invited them to sit if they could. ¡°Welcome mysterious strangers, welcome. I¡¯m Rajara Clementine, you may call me Jara. Doc Jara if you really want to fit in with the crew, but I don¡¯t mind either way.¡± Her smile was creepily white and clean, especially compared to the diversity of tooth health they¡¯d seen since coming on board the Mustang. Were they fake teeth or¡­? ¡°Captain tells me you¡¯re all not from ¡®round here, aye?

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a few tricks for figuring things like this out. Investigating mysterious phenomena is one of my hobbies,¡± she grinned, flashing those oddly perfect teeth again. ¡°Start by telling me how you ended up on the island.¡±

    The group looked around, collectively wondering how much they wanted to share about Earth, where to begin, or even who should speak first. Ryoga decided to take the lead, from his perspective it all began weeks ago when he started having those dreams.

    And much like when he recounted things to Hadrak in the Kuno Estate¡¯s basement, he spared no detail. Doc Jara seemed like a patient woman but when it had taken him almost ten minutes to get to the part where Akari suggested he go to the Tendos she had to interrupt. ¡°Sorry dear, maybe skip to the most important parts.¡±

    Blushing, he began instead with finding the strange stone disk that drained his ki and summoned Hadrak. A flash of recognition streaked across her face when he described the symbol on it, and she paused him to look through her documents. She pulled out a scroll and unrolled it, showing him a spread of five symbols, one of which was exactly the one he saw.

    ¡°Ahhh, symbol of the goddess Mercury, Maiden of Journeys, one of the five Ladies of Fate.¡±  She replaced the scroll and drummed her fingers on her chin and invited Ryoga to continue, but everyone was nervous. Even Ranma, who slayed a god-like phoenix, wasn¡¯t keen on dealing with true gods. Especially not with names like the Ladies of Fate.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the Incarna ¡ª greatest of gods ¡ª don¡¯t turn their attention to the affairs of mortals too often. They¡¯re too busy maintaining the order of nature and the heavens. Please, continue.¡± While her assurance didn¡¯t make anyone feel better, Ryoga nevertheless went on to describe the spider appearing and fleeing with the artifacts.

    He skimmed over the chase through Nerima and quickly summed up the encounter at the Kuno estate, trying to remember everything Hadrak had told him. Jara didn¡¯t know the name Liri su¡¯Nalli, but her eyes went wide when he explained the spider told him he was meant to be the inheritor of her Exaltation.

    ¡°The¡­wait, wait, wait¡­¡± Definitively shushed, Ryoga leaned back, suddenly worried. Jara mumbled to herself and paced in a small circle, mumbling to herself. ¡°This Hadrak must have been one of the gods that tend to the Loom of Fate, are Exaltations fated in advance? Ohhhhhhhhohohohohoho that flies in the face of dogma¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­miss Jara?¡± Ranma, ever impatient, tried to get her to focus on the conversation. ¡°We haven¡¯t even gotten to the important part.¡±

    Ryoga rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m trying to hurry, Ranma, but she needs the important details.¡±

    ¡°Saotome is right, you can ask your personal questions later.¡± Everyone stopped and looked at Kuno, who blushed when all eyes were on him. ¡°Wh-what?¡±

    ¡°Brother, did you just¡­agree with Lord Ranma?¡± Kodachi snickered. Her sisterly needling had the unintended effect of angering the object of her desires, however.

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s with the ¡®Lord Ranma¡¯ crap?¡± Said object protested, scowling at the younger Kuno. ¡°You said you get that we¡¯re the same person.¡±

    Kodachi waved her arms defensively. ¡°N-now of course I do Lor¡­.ahem, Ranma, but my love for you remains despite your strange affliction. If ever you seek to be rid of it, however, I¡¯ll be glad to wield the Kuno family fortune on your behalf.¡±

    Now everyone was staring at Kodachi for her completely unexpected show of magnanimity, though Tatewaki glared out of anger, as much at Kodachi as his own foolishness. It was a mistake to tell her his thoughts: clearly she was trying to suborn his attempt to weaken Saotome¡¯s control so that the pigtailed girl could emerge alone, grateful to Kuno for the assistance.

    Ranma shook his head and chuckled. ¡°Wow, if only you made that offer two years ago. Hell, a year ago I probably still would have taken it.¡±

    Before the conversation could continue, Jara leaned over and poked Ranma in the shoulder with some kind of pointed piece of metal and he yelped in surprise. ¡°Sit back down, child, and let¡¯s get back to your story. You said the important part is yet to come?¡±

    Pouting now that he¡¯d been poked for something that wasn¡¯t his fault ¡ª which honestly he was used to at this point ¡ª Ranma picked up where Ryoga left off and quickly covered the rest of the story, ending with finding the pirate cache and waiting for the Mustang to arrive.

    When it was over, the ship¡¯s doctor stroked her chin in thought, furrowing her brow. ¡°Impressive destroying a god¡¯s body in a single strike,¡± she eventually nodded to Kuno. ¡°Sorry to say it''ll probably return in a little while, gods tend to do that if you don''t kill ¡®em right. And they''ve got long memories.¡± Kuno blanched knowing he''d made an enemy of a god, even a seemingly petty one like Hadrak.

    Ukyo, who''d been quiet since the revelation they weren''t even on Earth anymore, finally asked the question everyone kept forgetting. ¡°What''s an Exaltation?¡±

    All eyes on Jara, the doctor sighed and examined her fingernails. ¡°The Immaculate Order teaches that the only true Exalted are the Dragon-Blooded, divinely ordained rulers of Creation and chosen of the Elemental Dragons. They are generals, warriors, kings, powerful sorcerers. They are the peak of humanity and uniquely suited to dominion over mortals.¡± Something stopped her from continuing, a troubling thought.

    ¡°What about Anathema?¡± Shampoo hazarded a guess, remembering how Whoop fearfully uttered the term on the beach.

    With a hiss-like sigh, Jara continued. ¡°Anything that is a threat to the Order is Anathema. Rogue gods demanding obscene tribute, invaders from outside creation, demons¡­¡± she looked at Ryoga with a combination of fear and pity. ¡°False Exalted, monsters that steal men¡¯s souls and make them their slaves. They wield the stolen powers of the sun or moon, or are empowered by gods rebelling against Immaculate doctrine. While the Dragon-Blooded are imbued with the righteous power of the stewards of Creation, the stolen divinity of Solar and Lunar Anathema is more wicked and fearsome if left unchecked.¡±

    Now everyone looked at Ryoga with concern. Some like he was a ticking time bomb, others like a dead man walking, others like he was already compromised. ¡°If it makes you feel any better,¡± Jara offered, sensing the shift in mood, ¡°Anathema is a¡­political term. But it¡¯s ordained by the largest religion in the world and backed by the most powerful empire of the current age.¡±

    Despite her words intending to comfort, panic filled Ryoga¡¯s eyes as he wondered what he could possibly have done to deserve this. ¡°How do I get home? I didn¡¯t ask for this!¡± He rose to his feet, scared and furious.

    ¡°Hey, Ryoga, don¡¯t freak out, man.¡± Ranma put a hand on Ryoga¡¯s shoulder, and gave him a pleading, sympathetic look. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out, it¡¯s just another crazy Sunday for all of us, right?¡±

    There was truth to his words, but they had the opposite effect on Ryoga. His life was far from normal, but he felt like he could attribute all of the insanity, instability, and chaos in it directly to Ranma¡¯s influence. From his hungry days in junior high, to getting lost in China, his curse, his inability to woo Akane, the weird conflicting feelings he got whenever he thought of his erstwhile rival, and everything else that happened over the past two years he¡¯d been in Nerima.

    Batting Ranma¡¯s hand away, he glared into the stormy blue eyes of his rival¡ªno, his nemesis¡ªand growled his response. ¡°When we get out of here I don¡¯t want anything to do with you again, do you hear me?¡±

    He expected Ranma to get defensive, maybe yell back at him, but instead he just narrowed his eyes in frustration and sat back down next to the woman they both loved. ¡°Sure thing Ryoga. Once we get home.¡± If Ranma was hurt he didn¡¯t show it, but he must have sat so close to Akane just to make Ryoga jealous.

    ¡°All this worry about Anathema might not be warranted,¡± Jara interjected. ¡°Exactly how or why the Exalted are chosen is a mystery. Do you have any natural attachment to one of the five elements, perhaps? Fire, earth, water, hmm?¡±

    Ryoga could tell she was grasping for hope, but he appreciated it nonetheless. ¡°Uh¡­my relationship with water is¡­¡± he glanced nervously at Akane and chose his words carefully. ¡°Complicated. But I¡¯ve spent a lot of time in the wilderness and in tunnels.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic!¡± The doctor exclaimed, ecstatic she could hold onto something. ¡°No reason to be concerned then. Dragon-Blooded are heralded as Princes of the Earth in every corner of Creation, it makes sense that a god of fate would know your appointed time.¡±

    Despite her optimism, Ryoga felt uneasy. Swirling images of demons and evil gods taking over his mind and making him some sort of servant haunted him, as did the memory of fighting Shampoo and Mr. Saotome when they were mind-controlled by Saffron¡¯s eggs. He couldn¡¯t let that happen to him.

    Unfortunately, Jara didn¡¯t have an answer for them about how to get home. She didn¡¯t even fully understand how they¡¯d ended up here. Gesturing at her small collection, she invited them to peruse it at their leisure, though frowned when they reminded her they couldn¡¯t read them.

    <hr>

    As the sun drifted below the horizon, the smell of cooking food wafted out of the galley and the teens were reminded that it¡¯d been almost a full day since any of them had eaten. Without any responsibilities on the ship, they were first in line after the injured crew for food. The meal was simple: boiled rice, orange slices, and pan-fried breadfruit.

    It wasn¡¯t bad food, but it was utterly lacking in seasoning. ¡°Not even any salt? My dad made tastier meals when we were poor on the road.¡± Ranma complained, provoking a few glares from the crew and, surprisingly, Kuno.

    ¡°Salt is a luxury, Saotome,¡± he chided between eager mouthfuls. ¡°If there¡¯s any on board, doubtless it¡¯s packed up to be sold.¡±

    What stung Ranma wasn¡¯t that Kuno just scolded him, but that he was met with approving nods from the crew. Ranma always assumed people only put up with him and his sister because of their father¡¯s status and wealth, but he dreaded a place where, bereft of his normal privileges, Kuno still managed to attract a following.

    Ryoga¡¯s ears perked up after Kuno¡¯s response, and he tilted his head. ¡°I¡¯ve got some salt in my bag¡ª¡± he managed to get out before everybody in the cramped mess hall whirled to look at him with wide, hopeful eyes. A strangled grunt escaped his lips as Whooping Ram clapped a heavy, hairy hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°Beggin¡¯ yer pardon, good sir, but would ya¡¯ be so kind as ta share yer bounty with us?¡± Shimmering yellow eyes pleaded with Ryoga. With a beleaguered sigh he stood and made his way to the captain¡¯s quarters.

    ¡°Thanks sugar!¡± Ukyo called after him.

    If the crew had been friendly before, Ryoga¡¯s gift amplified their goodwill tenfold. Nobody offered to satisfy him carnally, but several sailors gave him portions of their beer rations, and even a few small cups of rum ended up in front of him. With his inhuman fortitude he was able to accept it all without any issues, but his face was red by the end of the evening.

    Awkwardness gave way to song and the din of hearty chatting, mostly directed at the guests of honor. The pirates were fascinated by stories of Earth, even if some seemed skeptical. Some just assumed they were referring to some heavenly realm, despite their protests that life was anything but heavenly.

    Being sailors, one of the things that interested them the most was that Earth was round. While Ranma and the others were busy trying to conceive of a world that was flat, Kuno got into a strangely intense conversation with the ship¡¯s navigator, a stocky woman whose curly red hair was woven into rows of tight braids and decorated with colorful wood and stone ornaments. After Kuno began describing the instruments used to navigate on Earth, she brought in her equipment and he marveled at their construction.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s beyond the edge of the world?¡± Akane asked Doc Jara, who gave her a dark look.

    ¡°Nothing good, girl,¡± she chewed on a piece of breadfruit to collect her thoughts. ¡°The world is held in place by five elemental poles. The Pole of Air to the North, the Pole of Wood to the East, the Pole of Fire to the South, the Pole of Water to the West. On the Blessed Isle, at the center of the world, is the Pole of Earth. The closer you get to one of the poles the more its element overwhelms everything else, but the farther you get from the Pole of Earth the greater the influence of the endless Wyld warps reality.¡±

    As Jara invoked the word, the volume of the room quieted and the sailors turned their attention to her. This was no mere superstitious anxiety, however, but a practical, learned fear. ¡°There are¡­malevolent intelligences in the Wyld, who hate us for our structured existence. The Fair Folk.¡± Some pirates mumbled protective mantras or made hand symbols at the mention, but nobody stopped the doctor.

    ¡°They shrink the boundaries of Creation like a foreign army. It¡¯s the duty of the Wyld Hunt, priest-led task forces from the Immaculate Order, to contain them, to beat them back and defend the world.¡± She gestures at Akane and the others. ¡°We were worried, when you first arrived, that you were Wyld infiltrators, some sort of new tactic.¡±

    Crossing her fingers on the table in front of her, she narrowed her eyes. ¡°Know that if we were right, we will fight to our last to end you.¡± A chill settled over the room, and even though the strangers from Nerima handily defeated the crew earlier, they were worried about what the pirates were capable of.

    Fortunately, Captain Ikka broke the tension. ¡°Awright ya¡¯ cheery lot, no threatenin¡¯ the guests!¡± She bellowed, and the mood became jovial again, all dark thoughts seemingly forgotten. ¡°Oy, the lot of ya¡¯, come with me,¡± she impatiently waved the teens to her and marched them out of the mess hall.

    Up on deck, with the soft breeze cooling them after being stuck in a crowded, rowdy room for hours, the exhaustion of their day started to catch up with them. It was mid-afternoon when Hadrak plucked them out of their reality, depositing them on a deserted island just before dawn. They¡¯d finally eaten after more than an entire day and now sleep greedily called to them.

    ¡°Apologies fer Doc Jara, she¡¯s jus¡¯ tryin¡¯ ta make a point.¡± Stretching, she gazes up at the waxing gibbous moon. ¡°Gonna be honest, there¡¯s Fair Folk patrollin¡¯ tha waters these days.¡±

    ¡°The monsters that hate us for existing?¡± Kodachi drawled, somehow managing to sound unimpressed. ¡°Is that surprising, given what your dramatic doctor told us?¡±

    Ikka¡¯s matronly glare did little to soften Kodachi¡¯s attitude, but she didn¡¯t bother addressing it. ¡°Wanted ta warn ya¡¯ is all. They¡¯re monsters but they can wear humanoid shapes when they¡¯re in Creation. Constraints of a shaped existence, I suppose. If yer unlucky enough ta be stuck on tha Mustang when they attack, iron weapons work against ¡®em tha best. Hard ta keep iron from rustin¡¯, so we got a few pieces locked up in my cabin. Yer the best fighters on tha ship, I¡¯d consider it a favor if ya¡¯ help us repel ¡®em if it comes ta that.¡±

    Before anyone could ask a follow up, she chuckled. ¡°¡®Course, if ya¡¯ don¡¯t help yer all gonna end up dead anyhow. They don¡¯t offer quarter, an¡¯ they only take prisoners to torture and consume. They don¡¯t need our supplies or our resources, they jus¡¯ wanna destroy.¡±

    If she expected to scare them, nobody showed it. Ranma and Shampoo even grinned. ¡°We¡¯ve taken on weird monsters before,¡± the currently-male pigtailed martial artist grinned. ¡°Leave it to us.¡±

    The Chinese amazon didn¡¯t bother to respond, but she was looking forward to an excuse to fight something. She¡¯d woken up anxious and prepared for a potential fight in Akane¡¯s home, pursuing Hadrak was mostly a chase. Even the pirates they fought earlier went down so fast the fight may as well not have happened, and she felt obligated to hold back so as not to upset anyone.

    Monsters, however? Monsters that were hell-bent on killing her and her airen? If they would give no quarter, neither would she. Hopefully the captain had iron chui in her private armory, or at least a jian.

    Ikka nodded, her gratitude obvious in the moonlight. ¡°Thank ya¡¯. Hopefully it won¡¯t come ta that, but I¡¯m glad ta have yer word.¡±

    After a few more pleasantries, Captain Ikka bid them good night and headed for her cabin. Tired as they were, Ryoga and the others made for the hammocks, hoping to secure some close to each other, and did their best to get ready to sleep.

    Nobody expected sleep would come easy, but between their extended day, the reality-shattering revelations they¡¯d been subject to, the fights, the food, and the comforting presence of each other ¡ª even given their histories ¡ª one by one they drifted off into deep sleep and anxious dreams.

    <hr>

    Isu wasn¡¯t one to believe in bad luck, just bad coincidence. So logically, he knew when he spotted the eerie light glowing beneath the water moving toward them that it wasn¡¯t because they¡¯d somehow willed the fair folk into existence by invoking their names. But he couldn¡¯t help but swear at Doc Jara for bringing them up in the first place.

    ¡°All hands on deck!¡± he yelled as loudly as he could, rappelling down from his perch to ring the alarm bell. ¡°Fair folk spotted off the starboard beam! All hands on deck!¡± The night crew rushed to their stations and soon the ship would be at full sail. The helmsman altered course as best he could away from the raiders, but their magical ships were faster and more maneuverable than the Mustang could handle. They would be boarded.

    Well before any of the daytime crew made it to the decks, six of the visitors from another world appeared. Most of them slept in the clothes they''d been wearing, though Ranma was barefoot in his boxer shorts and tank top. ¡°Where¡¯s the purple-haired one?¡± Isu asked, looking for Shampoo.

    As if summoned, she came onto the deck already armed with a warhammer in one hand and an arareb¨­ in the other. Isu realized none of the other martial artists bothered with iron weapons and gave them a judgemental look, which they summarily ignored.

    ¡°Where are they?¡± Akane scanned the horizon, unsure of where the attack was coming from.

    The djala first mate pointed to the water. ¡°See the glow coming at us? Their ships can travel under the surface, but they reflect moon- and starlight. On a clear night like tonight you get a few minutes¡¯ warning thanks to the glow.¡±

    Kodachi watched the pursuing light and shivered. Such a casual display of otherworldly forces was unsettling, and while the crew were frightened it was the same fear one would show in the face of a mundane pursuer. This evil was commonplace, it was present in a way that myths and legends weren¡¯t.

    ¡°Is this all of them?¡± Ranma, seemingly the least bothered by it all, was stretching. The sight brought a blush to Kodachi¡¯s cheeks and she averted her eyes.

    ¡°No, reports say that at most three ships have been sighted at the same time,¡± Isu appreciated their questions, it showed that they were focused and engaged. ¡°Look alive, their usual tactics are to breach close to the target, launch grappling hooks, and board.¡±

    Ryoga nodded and leapt up the crossmasts. Isu saw him remove multiple headbands (how was he doing that?), and started twirling them around his fingers. Ukyo followed suit and joined him, giant spatula at the ready. The rest of them took up positions near the ship¡¯s railing, ready to be the first to repel boarders.

    When the Mustang¡¯s sails were full, the glow kept closing on them but more slowly, and it was several grueling minutes before the surface of the water swelled and surged as the alien craft breached the surface. Ripples appeared like a surfacing hippo before a finlike sail sliced through the Mustang¡¯s wake. Two more followed suit and in a spray of water the entire craft rose out of the ocean.

    Its hull flowed organically into the gossamer sails like some sort of aquatic insect. Striations along the sides gave it the appearance of wood construction, but the unnaturally smooth, glittering, glowing skin of the thing looked like a carapace. Light pulsed from inside, mimicking the color-shifting abilities of octopi.

    Once it was above water, they could tell that the ¡°sails¡± were for show: it didn¡¯t seem to interact with the wind like an ordinary vessel, moving under the power of some other force or will. The sails prevented anyone from seeing onto the ¡°deck¡±, obscuring the number of opponents they¡¯d be facing.

    By this point it was fully behind the Mustang, and it launched the first two grappling hooks once it was in range. Right before they struck the aft deck, a pair of bandanas sliced through the kelp-like rope, and Ukyo dashed across the taffrail to swat the independent hooks back into the water. The crew cheered and Isu felt a surge of hope: the only ships that survived these encounters did so at the expense of whatever vessels were with them: traveling alone was a huge risk.

    More hooks sailed through the air and met the same fate, though after the fifteenth Isu was worried that it could just generate new ones at will. He was wrong, though the alternative was much worse. Once it was clear that traditional grappling hooks wouldn¡¯t work, it picked up speed and came closer.

    This time Ranma stepped up on the rail and gathered his hands above his head. Golden ki swirled in his palms and he screamed ¡°M¨­ko Takabisha!¡± as a lancing beam of energy erupted from his hands at the bow of the pursuing vessel.

    Frustratingly, despite the obvious power of the blast, the sloped shape and alien construction of the Wyld-borne ship deflected the energy and it continued with unabated momentum. One of the crew leaned next to Isu and whispered, ¡°Are we sure they¡¯re not Exalted?¡±

    Before Isu could respond, the fey ship¡¯s hull buckled and warped as four tentacles tore themselves from the sides and crashed into the Mustang, suckers adhering to the outside and wrapping around the railing. The ship groaned and shuddered as the attacking vessel partially submerged and pulled it back, and the crew pitched forward.

    Snarling and roaring, the front of the attacking ship opened up and disgorged a host of monstrosities. Each one had the basic one head, two arms, two legs configuration, but their features were a mismatched amalgamation of aquatic animals: jaws, beaks, gills, fins, and needle-like fangs. Fleshy appendages gripped wicked weapons and they were adorned in chitin-like armor, some of which looked like it had grown or attached itself to their bodies. ¡°Hobgoblins!¡± Isu bellowed. ¡°Prepare to repel boarders!¡± Running across the wide tentacles connecting the ships, the monsters leapt onto the Mustang¡¯s deck¡­

    And the first wave was met by the four strongest fighters from Earth.

    Ranma discovered their armor was durable and just pliable enough that it wouldn¡¯t shatter, so he concentrated on striking the unprotected skin in the gaps between pieces. Dancing around their swings and stabs he disarmed, tripped, and confused them. The occasional shout of ¡°Kach¨± Tenshin Amaguriken!¡± when he had an opening sent a handful of the creatures overboard at once.

    While Ranma¡¯s fast, precision strikes had to go around their alien gear, Akane¡¯s powerful blows never failed to disorient or stun a target. At one point she grabbed one with thick, blubbery skin and swung it around like the mallet it held in its hands before flinging it back at the ship it came from. With a sickening wet thwack it bounced against the glittering hull and splashed into the inky black water.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Ryoga was used to his natural stamina to protect him in duels, but he was used to fighting unarmed opponents like Ranma. Against opponents wielding proper weapons, he needed to employ his umbrella and swat their blows away before crashing into them. At first it seemed like he¡¯d be overwhelmed as a half dozen of the monsters swarmed him, but he placed two fingers on an armored shell and channeled his ki into shattering it. ¡°Bakusai Tenketsu!¡± he cried as the flexible material shuddered before exploding, propelling the creature that had been wearing it through its allies like a bowling ball. His fangs glinted in starlight as he flashed a predatory grin.

    Shampoo was the true offensive champion of the battle, however. Each time her iron weapons found a target they left searing black or red wounds as the chaotic energies animated the creatures were disrupted. She sundered weapons and armor, and many of them died in a single strike, burning away into salt and ash. After two years of martial arts duels she felt like she was back in her element, a warrior in more than name once again. An ululating cry of triumph streamed out of her throat as more tried in vain to overpower her.

    Ukyo, Kuno, and Kodachi stood ready behind the first line of defense and intercepted the occasional runner trying to rush the ship. The kendoka¡¯s strikes didn¡¯t break skin but the waves of pressurized air knocked invaders into the water, his sister¡¯s ribbons snatched weapons from the hands of their owners, and the okonomiyaki chef¡¯s impressive, impractical weapon kept her safe while punishing the inhuman beasts.

    Some of the crew were so emboldened by the display that they moved forward, their own weapons at the ready, and Isu had to order them to stay back. ¡°No! They¡¯re handling this, keep your attention on the sides!¡± Especially as their primary attack met surprising resistance, he expected an assault from the sides of the ship¡¯s hull, enemies clambering up from the depths to get around the impenetrable defense.

    His instinct probably saved their lives. A cry went up from the crew near the bow, alerting Isu of the danger, and he almost smiled knowing he¡¯d been right. ¡°Firewands! Blast ¡®em off like the barnacles they are!¡± He roared at three crew members holding gleaming metal rods with triggers at the end, who rushed to railings and pointed their weapons down at the invaders scaling their ship¡¯s hull.

    Flashes of crimson light accompanied deep whooshes of breath-like concussion as gouts of flame exploded from the barrels of their weapons. It didn¡¯t matter how wet the fey invaders were, the intense heat of ignited firedust evaporated whatever protection the water may have offered, and the beasts shrieked in agony as they fell back into the drink.

    ¡°Spears! Hold ¡®em off while firewands reload!¡± With pride he watched the pirates he¡¯d drilled and trained for years operate like a professional force. His ego may have been bruised with the appearance of the expert martial artists but knowing his crew would do their duty brought a smile to his face.

    Once more the defenders exulted in victory, and for a fleeting moment Isu allowed himself to believe they¡¯d be the first ship to escape the bloody fate so many others had suffered.

    The first problem began as Shampoo advanced to the taffrail, engaged with at least ten of the creatures who had learned to keep her weapons away from their flesh. Only those with polearms struck at her, and if she parried one she had to immediately deal with a strike from another. Still, the ethereal material their weapons were made of didn¡¯t last long against her onslaught, as far as she was concerned all it did was prolong the fight.

    But that was the problem. The fey ship kept submerging, and the Mustang slowed and sank as it did. A wave crashed against the port bow and a surge of water blasted over the side, drenching Akane and Shampoo. Akane wasn¡¯t so much as inconvenienced, beyond being damp, but the clatter of iron weapons against the deck drew her attention and she saw Shampoo¡¯s empty clothes sliding around the feet of her attackers.

    The pink cat that Shampoo transformed into was nowhere to be seen, and Akane could only hope she dashed for cover as soon as she could. ¡°Ranma! Watch out, Shampoo got transformed!¡± The last thing her fianc¨¦ needed was to be surprised by Shampoo¡¯s cursed form: the nekoken was powerful but entirely too unpredictable. After kicking a hatchet-wielding hobgoblin away from her to create an opening, she dove for the warhammer. Shampoo had her beat when it came to killing intent, but she couldn¡¯t deny how effective the iron weapons were.

    As the ship lurched and dipped, Isu realized what was happening. The attackers were a distraction: the real goal was to drag the Mustang under the waves. ¡°Get that ship offa us!¡± He barked at the martial artists, hoping they would listen.

    Akane, at least, complied immediately. After seeing some of the attackers poof into a shower of sparks and dust, she hoped the ship itself shared the same weakness as the creatures within. Flinging monsters away with the hammer, she advanced to the nearest tentacle and swung the weapon at it with unmatched ferocity.

    A black, foetid hole appeared where the hammer sunk into it. Akane expected some amount of resistance but it was like smashing an overripe melon. In her zeal the hammer went flying out into the abyss, but at least it had the intended effect.

    Light spilled out of crystalline cracks that ran down the length of the tentacle before it dissolved and fell limp, dumping the creatures sprinting along its length into the water. The other three tentacles pulled tight in response to the sudden increase in load, but they held strong: the Mustang would break first if the cracking and groaning of wood was any indication.

    Unfortunately, now the creatures were focused on Akane. They disengaged from Ranma and Ryoga and converged on her location, bloodlust in their eyes. Without a weapon she had to go on the defensive, but eventually the press of blades and claws was too much. A trident lanced into her shoulder and she let out a sickening cry as she felt it squirm under her skin before being pulled out.

    ¡°Akane!¡± Ranma shouted, slamming down onto the skull of the beast about to swing its oversized cleaver-like sword at her. Akane slammed her fist into its stomach and looked for Shampoo¡¯s other weapon. One of the hobgoblins grabbed it first, however, and flung it overboard with a menacing chuckle. They weren¡¯t mindless monsters, but cruelly cunning raiders. Gritting their teeth, Akane and Ranma fought back-to-back, attracting the attention of the bulk of the attackers.

    This left Ryoga alone with only a handful of hobgoblins. He¡¯d already established his Breaking Point technique worked on their armor, would it work on their vessel? After clotheslining the creature that was about to trap him in a net, he dashed to the nearest tentacle, placed a finger upon it, and concentrated his ki. ¡°Bakusai Tenketsu!¡±

    For a dreadful moment, he thought nothing happened, that it was ineffective. But he noticed subtle vibrations along the rubbery appendage that began shaking faster and faster. His eyes went wide in panic and he threw himself on the ground as it exploded, taking a chunk of the Mustang along with it. His tough skin resisted most of the splinters, but a few punctures left him with a grid of tiny, bleeding wounds.

    With two tentacles gone, the remaining two were strained to their limit, stretched so tight the ¡°skin¡± began to tear. But they held strong and the Mustang continued sinking. Worse, more and more hobgoblins were climbing up the ship¡¯s sides, faster than the gunners and spearmen could manage.

    Akane fought on, heedless of her shoulder injury, dishing out earth-shattering punches and kicks while Ranma danced around her, a dervish at her back. As she delivered a roundhouse kick to an axe-wielding hobgoblin that sent it careening into the sea, however, a warm drop splattered on her cheek. Taking an instant to investigate, she saw red on her fingers and looked around her in a panic. The source was Ranma.

    Silently he¡¯d been parrying their weapons with his bare skin. They hadn¡¯t hit him with a clean strike yet, but the bruises and cuts were adding up. ¡°Idiot! I¡¯m better at group fighting than you, you don¡¯t have to protect me!¡±

    She knew he wouldn¡¯t listen to her; whether it was out of ego, concern, or lack of confidence in her, he wouldn¡¯t let something like a few injuries stop him. ¡°I¡¯m not taking any chances after Jusendo!¡± was his only defense.

    Getting upset wouldn¡¯t help, nor would losing her cool. He needed to focus on defending himself, not her. She¡¯d been ignoring the burning in her shoulder, and realized it was her own ego that was getting in the way now. ¡°Ranma! I¡¯m hurt, get me out of here!¡± she cried, adding just a little bit of despair for effect.

    It worked like a charm: before she could prepare he¡¯d scooped her up into a bridal carry and leapt up to the rigging. Even in the midst of the chaos, her heart fluttered. He looked her over once to make sure she wasn¡¯t too badly hurt before grinning, but she cut him off before he could say anything. ¡°Take me back down on the deck, I¡¯ll go get weapons.¡± She could jump down herself, but it¡¯d be faster this way. Plus she enjoyed it.

    He frowned but a cry from the crew forced him to grit his teeth and he dropped back down, depositing her safely as close to the stairs as possible. If he expected a hug or a kiss or something she wasn¡¯t going to deliver, but she at least tossed a ¡°Thanks!¡± over her shoulder as she dashed into the lower decks.

    Monsters were surging up over the rails on all sides of the ship now, so Ranma left the aft under the care of his Nerima peers and targeted the biggest clumps of fey attacking the crew. A dropkick launched two of the attackers off the side as he began his work, leaping in to prevent casualties, intercept any creature stupid enough to try and rush the helm, and retrieve the injured.

    It wasn¡¯t efficient work, he bounced from place to place, abandoning thought and following the flow of combat. A pained cry directed him to the fallen, but alive, body of a gunner and the hatchet-wielding hobgoblin about to split her skull. Ignoring his own safety, he flung her toward Isu as the weapon carved through his side, tearing a hole in his tank top and splattering blood on the deck.

    Only a single grunt of pain escaped his lips as he spun with the momentum of the strike and channeled it into a haymaker. More monsters replaced their comrade, however, and once again he was surrounded. His breathing was ragged, pain seared from his toes to his teeth, and he was slowing down.

    I¡¯m not losin¡¯ to a bunch of evil minions in our first real fight, he thought as a determined grin spread across his face. Behind! Powering through the pain, he ducks and spins into a donkey kick, sending the trident-wielding hobgoblin flying.

    The rest of the monsters began circling, looking for an opening. They were cautious but unafraid: Ranma would teach them their mistake. Hips dropped low and his legs spread wide as he calmly shifted into a leopard style stance. Steely blue eyes narrowed and scanned his opponents.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know who you¡¯re dealin¡¯ with?¡± he taunted, daring someone to attack. Pain was temporary, he pushed it aside and lost himself to the rhythm of combat.

    Arm wraps around spear. On instinct he grabs the attack meant for his gut that would have been dangerous if it was aimed at anyone else.

    Create space. Displaying surprising strength, he whirls the stolen weapon, and its wielder, in a wide arc. It batters the first row of attackers and the opponent formerly attached to it goes flying.

    ¡°My name is Ranma Saotome!¡± he shouted as he hurled the spear clean through a hobgoblin unfurling a whip.

    Attacking my injured side. Predictable. Slow. Three attempted to rush him, only to be caught in a whirlwind spinning roundhouse kick that flows into a vicious uppercut.

    Pale light illuminated the deck around Ranma, and he saw their malicious grins and cruel smirks change to hateful grimaces and frightened winces.

    Their fear sparked new confidence in him. His pain was replaced by an elated sense of calm, and he moved into a triumphant cat stance. ¡°I am the Fierce Tiger of the Anythin¡¯ Goes School of Martial Arts!¡±

    Akane came up onto the deck just in time to see something miraculous. Ranma stood, huge gash in his side, blood running down his leg, standing unbroken, unbowed¡­and shining? Pale gold light limned his body, illuminating the deck around him in dim light. But she only saw that glow for a moment before a perfect empty circle of light appeared on his forehead.

    A shimmer like a heat haze shadow washed over him as sparks bundled around his body, obscuring him from view, then exploded into a winged shape above him. The mass of lights, twisting like fireflies, came together to form a massive bird of flame that screeched soundlessly into the sky. It blazed with the light of the afternoon sun and she saw characters flow down its feathers, another unreadable script at first¡­

    Until a new layer of feathers draped across its form, inscribed with names in kana. Names she recognized, some she didn¡¯t. Kuno, Shiratori, Konjo, Taro, Herb, Mousse, Hibiki, Orochi, Tendo. Sanzenin.

    Saffron.

    Where Ranma had been standing was a silhouette made of dark shades of blue, red, and black light. White eyes and that golden circle were the only features Akane could perceive. The phoenix above him collapsed, igniting a pillar of fire and sunlight under him that reached into the sky, illuminating the sea for hundreds of meters in all directions.

    For a moment, everything was still. The fair folk growled, the crew was speechless, even the rest of the fighters from Nerima could only stare. The white eye shapes blinked and for a moment, Ranma seemed confused, but a recognizably cocky voice came from the blazing shadow-shape he used to be. ¡°Get offa this ship!¡±

    Shadow flowed like water where Ranma strode, and he passed around their weapons like a flickering flame. The silhouette weaved a path through the invaders, occasionally yanking a spear or net out of their hands or leaping off their heads to slam down on another, then before they could respond it flowed through them and began again somewhere else.

    Whereas before they were coordinated, implacable, and ruthless, Ranma¡¯s assault confused and infuriated them. As more and more concentrated on Ranma, they became less and less cohesive as a group.

    Which meant it was the perfect time to deal with the tentacles. Akane sprinted to the aft deck, a woodcutter¡¯s axe in one hand and a mason¡¯s hammer in the other. Captain Ikka may have exaggerated a bit when she said they had iron ¡°weapons¡±, but as long as they worked Akane didn¡¯t care.

    She saw Ukyo first, who¡¯d just finished swatting an errant shark-faced fey back into the sea. ¡°Catch!¡± Akane hurled the hammer at the other girl. ¡°Let¡¯s take out those tentacles while they¡¯re distracted!¡±

    ¡°You got it, sugar!¡± Ukyo chirped back with a nod, and each raced to a different side of the ship. Boarders were still coming, and a couple stopped to intercept them. A few well-placed strikes and their armor shattered and smoking black wounds were enough to deal with them, however, and Akane dove at her tentacle. She knew what to expect this time and swung, and barely managed to leap back to the Mustang¡¯s hull before it crumbled and snapped.

    Ukyo didn¡¯t even have to attack the one on her side: A single tentacle wasn¡¯t enough to bear the weight of the attacking ship and it tore itself apart. Everyone on the Mustang was thrown off their feet as the ship sprang back up out of the water and slammed back down into the waves.

    The pursuing ship fully submerged, the beleaguered defenders focused on repelling new boarders from scaling the ship¡¯s hull while Ranma dealt with the ones still aboard.

    Except¡­Ranma had stopped attacking. Ryoga watched Ranma dance and twirl and bend but never did he strike back. Ryoga knew his rival well enough to know he was deliberately ignoring opportunities to do so. The hobgoblins were still distracted, which was helpful, but it was like¡ª

    ¡°Saotome¡¯s not taking the fight seriously anymore.¡± Kuno mused from next to Ryoga, who almost jumped out of his skin. ¡°Whatever came over him has redoubled his already boorish impertinence.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± Ryoga wasn¡¯t going to let the pompous kendoka get away with that without some kind of acknowledgement, but he wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°And yeah, Ranma¡¯s arrogant but this is¡­something else.¡±

    For Akane, the sight took her back to the first time she and Ranma met and the bad old days when he never treated her like an equal or took her seriously. Watching him so flippantly disregard the danger everyone was in was infuriating, even if he was doing it to the bad guys.

    ¡°Ranma, what¡¯s wrong with you? Fight them!¡± She bellowed, but all he did was hang upside-down from a crossmast and wave at her while evading attacks.

    ¡°Hey Akane! Dunno why we were so worried about these guys, Saffron¡¯s minions put up more of a challenge!¡± He laughed and jumped down to land on one of the hobgoblins¡¯ heads, then stuck his thumbs in his ears and waved his tongue and fingers at them.

    Some of the creatures realized they couldn¡¯t get to him, either because of his antics or the throng of their compatriots, and focused their attention on everyone else. Ryoga heard Isu scream in pain as he took a hit to the thigh. The ship bucked as he crashed into the helmsman and the wheel spun out of control.

    ¡°Dammit Ranma!¡± he rushed the helm with a roar and slammed into Isu¡¯s attacker shoulder-first. His fists slammed into its sides below the armored plates, causing it to wheeze in pain, and he carried it to the side of the ship and flung it away. From his new vantage point he saw an eerie glow under the water: the attacking ship was going to breach from underneath them!

    The only warning he could sputter out in time was ¡°Brace¡ª¡± before the Mustang violently shook as displaced water shoved it sideways. Handfuls of pirates and hogoblins were flung into the water, and the vessel nearly capsized. Ryoga only barely avoided a crash of seawater thanks to his umbrella. As the ship righted itself, he grasped the damp railing in panic.

    ¡°Hey P-chan, nice job keepin¡¯ dry there.¡± Ranma was standing on the railing next to Ryoga, utterly unbothered.

    His anger no longer able to be contained, Ryoga swung his umbrella at his glowing rival with a scream, but Ranma avoided the attack effortlessly. ¡°People are gonna get hurt, Ranma!¡± Ryoga pleaded. ¡°Do something!¡±

    ¡°Ryoga, relax,¡± Ranma¡¯s shadowy silhouette patted Ryoga¡¯s shoulder condescendingly, like a parent comforting a child. ¡°These monster things are a joke. They¡¯re not even comin¡¯ close to hittin¡¯ me now, and they just knocked like half of their guys back into the water anyway, like a buncha idi¡ª¡±

    Ranma bent back to evade Ryoga¡¯s fury-driven hook, but their altercation was cut short when an inhumanly loud voice boomed from the fey ship. The wing-like sails were open, revealing the kaleidoscopic interior of the alien vessel. Standing at the edge of the ¡°deck¡± was a grotesquely beautiful man. His eyes were large and watery, like a whale¡¯s, and his head was bulbous and round, excess flesh hanging off the back of its skull like a poor imitation of hair. He had no nose and his mouth was too wide and filled with hundreds of needle-like teeth. Mottled blue-grey skin was visible under a sheer orange and pink robe that glittered in the pale sunlight from Ranma¡¯s blazing aura and drifted around his body like a jellyfish.

    Under the robe he was adorned with layers of armor; a polished metal cuirass, vambraces, and jambeaux shaped with dizzying symbols on the surface. In each hand he wielded a long, gleaming falx, too many spindly, long fingers wrapping around their handles. ¡°Lawgiver!¡± It snarled, pointing at Ranma. ¡°I Unravel the Flesh!¡±

    Summoning strength, he launched himself into the air and came careening down on the Mustang¡¯s deck with such force that the vessel swayed. Up close, he was nearly three meters tall, though if Ranma was intimidated he didn''t show it.

    ¡°For too long the shaped have imposed the tyranny of their perverse order on the purity of the untamed Wyld, and I challenge you to¡ª¡± Ranma started walking away from the fair folk champion or captain or whatever he was.

    ¡°Yeah yeah, you''re the new Kuno, congrats.¡± Then he tilted his head and started giggling. ¡°Hey Akane! That makes the rest of these guys the new Hentai Horde!¡± Akane slammed her face into her palm, not believing how unbelievably

    ¡°How dare you compare me to that disgusting mockery of humanity!¡± Kuno stormed up, dripping wet from the wave that crashed over the deck. ¡°No one shall replace me, I am the Zeal of¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do not ignore me, Lawgiver!¡± Unravel (Ranma decided that''s what his name would be) charged and spun his blades with unnatural force and speed, though not a single strike found its target.

    Ranma flipped over Unravel¡¯s attacks and gave him a friendly tap on the back of his head mid-leap. ¡°So my name''s actually Ranma, Ranma Saotome,¡± Unravel spun, whipping his twisted limbs at impossible angles in a vain attempt to dice Ranma into indistinguishable red chunks. ¡°I dunno what a ¡®Lawgiver¡¯ is, kinda sounds like a cop.¡±

    Unravel chased Ranma one swing of its wicked blades at a time, tirelessly whirling and slicing. ¡°You were right, Kuno, you''re nothin'' like this thing!¡± Kuno frowned. Saotome uttered the lyrics of a compliment with the melody of an insult. ¡°You at least hit me back then!¡±

    As Ranma flipped away from Unravel¡¯s attacks yet again, the fair folk paused and let his swords hang at his sides. ¡°You mock and belittle me, Sol¡¯s Chosen.¡± He watched Ranma adopt a carefree pose with his hands behind his head. ¡°If you will not take me seriously, perhaps I shall sate my blades¡¯ thirst with the blood of your allies!¡±

    With a bloodcurdling howl, he pivoted and lunged at Ryoga, who barely managed to get out of the way.

    And still Ranma seemed unconcerned. ¡°Sure buddy, ya can''t even touch me and Plan B is to go after my fri¡­uh, acquaintances?¡± Akane, Ukyo, and Ryoga were friends¡­but he didn''t want the others to get any ideas.

    Now Unravel was ignoring him, but that was fine, they''d beaten way tougher challenges than this. The last thing he wanted was to get roped into some dumb war between weaklings in another world anyway, he just wanted to get home.

    That being said, it was kinda boring just sitting and watching Unravel impotently swing at the other folks from Nerima. The other fair folk had abandoned the ship, but he could see their eyes glittering in the water surrounding them, waiting for their next orders.

    ¡°Ranma!¡± The shriek pierced the veil of ennui that was draped over Ranma¡¯s mind, and it was like waking up from a dream. Ice spread through his veins as reality dawned on him. Ukyo is bleeding, Akane is holding her, looking at me¡­what am I doing?

    No time to think, Ranma was already picking both of them up and down the first flight of stairs. A group of pirates were huddled near the entrance, including Captain Ikka, who viewed Ranma with suspicion and awe.

    ¡°Get them to Jara!¡± Ranma yelled, but before the captain could even acknowledge him he was back on deck. ¡°You got my attention now!¡± He yelled as he bound up the ship''s rigging and launched a kick from the sky, aiming to shatter Unravel¡¯s spine.

    Perhaps he shouldn''t have called out his attack. Maybe Unravel was waiting for him to make a move like that. Or maybe the fey captain¡¯s reflexes were as good as Ranma''s. Whatever the explanation, Ranma''s foot crashed against the flats of Unravel''s swords. An enormous knee slammed into Ranma''s tailbone, launching him up into the air. It hurt, but he righted himself in time to evade the follow-up strike. Except it wasn''t one of Unravel¡¯s falces but a glaive.

    Ranma twisted and wrapped a leg around the pole, and saw that Unravel was holding the weapon in a second pair of arms. He lowered Ranma so the two could see eye to eye. ¡°You don¡¯t smell like Creation, Lawgiver,¡± Curiosity beat out fury, at least for the moment, as he examined Ranma. ¡°The Sun¡¯s Blessing adorns you, but your flesh, your soul¡­they are unfamiliar.¡±

    Ranma felt guilty for not helping earlier, and wanted to punish Unravel for how he hurt Ukyo, but Ranma was thinking clearly now. If he could get the fey captain to stand down without further injuries he owed it to his friends and the crew to try.

    ¡°Yeah, some spider god thing pulled us out of our comfy home and dropped us here.¡± Ranma crossed his arms and tilted his head, pleased that Unravel mimicked his movements. Maybe he could find some common ground with the guy. ¡°You sound like you ain¡¯t from this place either. If you know how we can get back maybe we¡¯ll work out some kinda ¡®mutually beneficial arrangement¡¯?¡±

    If the creature spent any time considering Ranma¡¯s offer, he answered by manifesting yet another pair of arms, this time wielding a pair of hook swords, and swinging them at Ranma¡¯s waist.

    For the first time in the fight, Ranma felt himself instinctively draw on his newfound power to avoid the attack, and sprang away from the follow-up that came from its first two swords. Fighting a foe that much taller than him wasn¡¯t a major challenge ¡ª most of Ranma¡¯s opponents were bigger than him to some degree, especially in girl form ¡ª but as it sprouted more and more arms its reach advantage increased.

    Each of its arms held a different weapon or pair, adorned with bangles, bracelets, and other decorations that probably spoke to a long and storied career as a reality marauder. ¡°You are human, you are Exalted, and you are one of the Hidden Suns! Your word means nothing! I will peel you apart layer by layer to learn your secrets, sup on your fear and pain until I grant you the release of death!¡±

    Ranma wanted to roll his eyes at its over-the-top declaration, at its Kunoesque penchant for the dramatic, at the absurdity of the situation, but the newfound power suffusing his body sang to be unleashed. Plus, there was comfort and familiarity with an enemy refusing to listen to him and furiously attacking, it made him think of Ryoga and Shampoo. Though he doubted this guy would end up becoming an ally, begrudging or otherwise.

    ¡°If I got a yen every time I heard something like that¡­¡± Ranma muttered, dropped into a fighting stance, and the duel was on.

    Witnesses could barely follow either combatants¡¯ movements: Unravel had so many arms and weapons that flowed confusingly around its body, and Ranma¡¯s aura obscured him in illusory flame and wavering light.

    Unravel was as difficult to hit as Ranma, protecting himself with a barrier of gossamer weapons. All of the young Exalt¡¯s attempts to find a gap in his defense were met with a counter-barrage of lethal force. Ranma felt his ki warp and twist with his body, and unfamiliar instincts assisted him in evading his opponent¡¯s strikes, but without a way to attack back Ranma would be worn down eventually.

    Only if he relied exclusively on his newfound power, that is. As he danced across the deck of the Mustang he pushed himself and tested the limits of his capabilities. He could react faster, last longer, he could tell he was tougher and stronger, but he was still himself. And Ranma Saotome always figured out how to win.

    Part of the problem is that Unravel had a lot of weapons, but did he have unlimited weapons? As a falchion swooped over his head, Ranma put that question to the test. ¡°You talk a big game but you¡¯re not really any scarier than all the little guys you sicced at us.¡± He taunted, going so far as to casually put his hands behind his back.

    Unravel took the bait and thrust with dozens of straight blades. Ranma stepped between a set of arms and pummeled one of the fey¡¯s wrists and forearms. He recoiled in pain but Ranma flung the tanto it had been holding into the sea. ¡°I¡¯ll catch you sooner or later, you can¡¯t possibly disarm me completely!¡± Unravel screamed, but Ranma heard frustration in his voice.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out, won¡¯t we?¡± Ranma quipped back, and began systematically targeting Unravel¡¯s weapons directly. If he was patient he could whittle the monster down before he got a lucky shot in.

    <hr>

    Akane wasn¡¯t injured, she¡¯d pulled Ukyo out of the way and kept her safe from the worst of Unravel¡¯s attack, but she made sure the okonomiyaki chef was okay before she made her way back to the deck. Captain Ikka stopped her at the stairs, however.

    ¡°Not a soul¡¯s goin¡¯ up there while that Anathema takes on the Cataphract.¡± Ikka put up a hand to block her and Akane glared at the audacity. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky they¡¯ll tear each other apart afore we have ta deal with ¡®em.¡±

    It took a moment for Akane to process what Ikka was saying because it made no sense to leave her best friend ¡ª and former fianc¨¦, or at least temporarily not-fianc¨¦ ¡ª alone to fight that monster. ¡°That¡¯s Ranma! I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s glowing or made of shadow or whatever, he helped you!¡±

    Some of the crew looked at each other guiltily, but not enough for Akane¡¯s liking, and Ikka shook her head. ¡°I understand yer impulse, an¡¯ we mourn his loss¡­¡± Akane¡¯s cheeks turned red as she scowled, ready to pummel the captain for daring to imply Ranma was already gone. Ikka leaned in and narrowed her eyes, causing Akane to hesitate. ¡°But tha official line izzat Anathema are demons what stole the bodies of our loved ones, ya understand?¡±

    Captain Ikka was performing for her crew, Akane realized. She had their loyalty, but even the ones who reacted to Akane¡¯s words were afraid. Unfortunately for her, Akane didn¡¯t care about their stupid beliefs: that was Ranma up there, and she was going to help.

    ¡°Move before I make you, captain.¡± Ikka¡¯s jaw clenched and her pupils widened, but she stepped to the side. Her face was unreadable, but Akane swore she admired her response.

    ¡°Can¡¯t stop ya if I tried, but it¡¯s yer funeral, girl.¡± She nodded and the pirates guarding the stairs moved as well. Akane didn¡¯t spare a second glance at any of them and rushed out to see Ranma was finally engaging the impossible creature. Most of the pirates escaped below deck, leaving the helmsman, an injured Isu, and the pink-haired woman Akane saw in the galley earlier.

    Ryoga kept near Ranma¡¯s fight to make sure they didn¡¯t come too close to any of the ship¡¯s rigging. Kuno and Kodachi were nowhere to be seen. Trusting that Ranma would kept the fey monster contained, Akane decided to focus on her missing companions. ¡°Where are the other two?¡± She asked the pirates at the helm.

    Isu winced and gestured to the sea. ¡°They¡¯ve been hauling my crew up from the water, two at a time. Hobgoblins ain¡¯t touched a soul since their captain took the field, if I were the hopeful sort I¡¯d say we¡¯re gettin¡¯ through this without any casualties¡­¡± He glanced at Akane and hung his head. ¡°Other¡¯n your purple-haired friend.¡±

    The middle of combat was no time to explain Shampoo¡¯s curse so Akane ignored his attempt at compassion. ¡°Is that thing weak to iron too?¡± The woodcutter¡¯s axe was still in her hand and she pointed at Unravel like it was a wand.

    If she could get it to Ranma, maybe he¡¯d be able to actually go on the offensive. He¡¯d been fighting for nearly fifteen minutes against an unending horde before he was injured. Akane didn¡¯t know if his golden apotheosis healed him but he would run out of stamina before long.

    ¡°Yes. The fair folk are creatures of the Wyld, the infinite chaos from beyond. Iron is the purest symbol of the Elemental Pole of Earth at the center of Creation.¡± Isu sounded like he was reciting dogma, but she¡¯d seen it work against hoboglins and their ship. ¡°Earth is the element that structures and solidifies Creation, so it disrupts whatever baleful animus powers the fair folk.¡±

    As he finished his explanation, Kuno and Kodachi hoisted themselves over the ship¡¯s railing, dragging three more crew members onto the deck with them. Isu waved them over and nodded appreciatively. ¡°That¡¯s everyone who was on deck accounted for! Get below deck now sailors!¡± he barked at the drenched crew.

    ¡°Akane, how lovely it is to see you unharmed.¡± Kuno nodded and smiled. Before Akane could respond or hit him in the face with the axe, however, he shifted his attention to Ranma, who had just stolen a lance from his opponent and launched it into the water.

    Unravel wasn¡¯t replacing his weapons or spawning new ones, but the wicked, claw-like fingernails of his hands kept Ranma from getting too close. Akane knew they had to get involved. ¡°Kuno, go get Ryoga and bring him here, we¡¯re gonna talk strategy.¡±

    <hr>

    Ranma was flagging. The fight was taking too long, he couldn¡¯t stop moving, even after he¡¯d stolen half of Unravel¡¯s weapons, and he still wasn¡¯t any closer to striking the monstrous captain. The sun¡¯s power healed his injuries, but his muscles burned from the effort and soon he¡¯d feel a blade or a claw sink into his flesh.

    Still, he¡¯d been in worse situations. He wanted to catch Unravel in a Hiry¨± Sh¨­ten Ha, but the Mustang wouldn¡¯t be able to handle a tornado suddenly erupting on deck, plus the creature wasn¡¯t hot like a human should be so he didn¡¯t know if it¡¯d even be effective.

    A blast from his M¨­ko Takabisha didn¡¯t do much either. When he created enough distance to safely blast Unravel with a dose of his confidence-powered ki ¡ª that he swore was stronger than it should have been ¡ª all it seemed to do was scuff the weapons he used to block it and knock him a few feet back.

    In short, Ranma was out of options and not making any progress.

    ¡°Ranma, catch!¡± Kodachi¡¯s voice, of all people, rang out across the deck, and he risked a glance in her direction. She threw something at him, spinning through the air, and he realized it had to be something iron. He scrambled to catch it but Unravel wasn¡¯t a fool, a wall of blades enveloped the space in front of him and whatever Kodachi was trying to get to him was utterly destroyed.

    ¡°I can smell your fear, Lawgiver, and soon I¡¯ll devour your¡ªGWOARH!¡± An ear-splitting scream of pain sent ripples across the waves as something smashed into Unravel from behind. It spun and thrashed its arms trying to get to it, letting Ranma catch a glance of the smoldering hole in the small of Unravel¡¯s back. The woodcutter¡¯s axe fell free and clattered on the deck, and Ranma grinned as he finally got a chance to stop moving and catch his breath.

    The break wouldn¡¯t last long, however, and Unravel found the axe and hurled it so far and so high that there was no chance they¡¯d be able to find it. He whirled about, scanning the fighters who were now surrounding it, but his wound was severe enough to cause his legs to shake and some of his arms didn¡¯t seem to work any more.

    Ranma took advantage of his scattered attention and launched himself straight at the exposed weakpoint. ¡°Kach¨± Tenshin Amaguriken!¡± Every strike was aimed at the injury. The first dozen or so connected, enough to take Unravel down to a knee, before he blocked the remainder. ¡°No!¡± He quailed, unwilling to concede. ¡°I won¡¯t lose here!¡±

    With the remaining strength in his good leg, he launched itself high into the air and splashed into the water. Ranma ran to the railing and saw him swimming quickly back toward his ship. Perhaps he should have let him go, but he felt that urge to express his power. As fast as Unravel was going, even Ranma couldn¡¯t swim fast enough to intercept him. Except¡­

    Ripples and waves on the water¡¯s surface looked wide and stable enough to Ranma that he somehow knew, as long as he was fast enough to skip over them at their peaks, he wouldn¡¯t have to swim. He could run.

    As he weighed his options, something bounced against his foot. The hammer Ukyo dropped when the ship¡¯s tentacle snapped in two. He¡¯d call it providence if he knew the meaning of the word.

    ¡°We did it! They¡¯ve been routed!¡± Kuno raised an arm in victory and everyone else relaxed. Akane started moving toward Ranma, but he was crouched on the railing with the hammer in hand in a blink.

    ¡°Ranma, wait!¡± She cried, but the fool leapt as far as he could toward his prey. Everyone watched, expecting him to splash into the water and start swimming. They weren¡¯t prepared for him to land and start sprinting full-tilt over the surface as if it was a puddle.

    He only got the element of surprise once, he had to make sure it hurt, so he urged the power swimming through him to quiet his footfalls. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as using the Umi-Sen Ken, but whenever he pulled on the power it made him feel like a predator or stalker. It felt good.

    Unravel literally didn¡¯t know what hit him at first, just that a searing pain ripped through his shoulder as a golden light streaked behind him. The water churned as he spun in place, desperate to cleave whatever was assaulting him, but it was already too far away. ¡°The Lawgiver¡­¡± He muttered, and charged. Nothing in Creation was ¡°his¡± element, but he knew humans weren¡¯t meant for the water, and he believed that gave him the advantage.

    Ranma vaulted over the wall of blades, parried a few with the hammer, and swung through a wrist that Unravel left dangling just a little too high. The fey creature roared in pain again and tried to mount an effective defense, but Ranma kept sprinting away, circling back around, and cleaving bits and pieces away from him at a time.

    After the fourth such strike, Unravel knew it was just a matter of time before he would be slain. His ship was too far to swim with Ranma on his heels and the pain was burning so intense that he couldn¡¯t mount an effective defense. So he waited for Ranma¡¯s next strike, flailing his arms as he ineffectually limped toward his ship.

    ¡°You¡¯re not comin¡¯ back from this!¡± Ranma yelled as he readied the hammer for one final blow to Unravel¡¯s head, and began to swin¡ª

    The spear came up from behind the fair folk captain¡¯s head, passing right by his head, and plunged into Ranma¡¯s abdomen. He felt the tip puncture straight through and come out the other side as he was skewered like some sort of butterfly. Air wheezed out of his lungs and his eyes went wide, he heard ringing in his ears, and Unravel pulled him close with a smug sneer.

    ¡°I look forward to killing your next host as well, Lawgiver. Hopefully for you it¡¯s less of a¡ª¡± It would have been a clever gambit, had Unravel not ruined it by letting Ranma keep the hammer. Maybe he thought the fledgling Solar would drop it. Maybe he thought Ranma was already dead. Regardless, Ranma smashed it into the fey¡¯s forehead, wincing as the spear twisted inside him.

    Sorry Akane, he thought as Unravel¡¯s body began to sink, taking her with it. Shoulda listened, huh?

    <hr>

    ¡°No!¡± Akane screamed and dove, hell-bent on getting to Ranma and dragging the idiot back to the ship. She¡¯d been taking swimming lessons, she knew not to swallow water now! Apparently Ryoga didn¡¯t know that, however, because she heard the lost boy protest and before she hit the water he grabbed her, pinning her to the side of the hull.

    ¡°You can¡¯t swim, someone else will get Ranma!¡± Ryoga pleaded as Akane thrashed in his arms. She didn¡¯t understand why he was stopping her, he should be trying to help!

    ¡°Come with me then, help me!¡± She screamed in his face. He must have known he should be doing something because he blushed in shame and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Look, Akane, I¡­I can¡¯t swim eith¡ª¡± he was cut off as a swell of water slammed up the side of the ship, pushing him into her arms. Or, rather¡­

    ¡°Ryoga?¡± Akane blinked as she started to slip, realizing he was no longer holding them. He¡¯d vanished somehow, leaving his clothes behind, though something was tangled in the bundle in her arms.

    Suddenly Kuno launched himself off the ship into the water, and Akane allowed herself to relax. It was weird that Kuno would volunteer to save Ranma, but it was a strange time. Grunting, she hauled herself back up on deck and investigated Ryoga¡¯s discarded shirt and pants. Was he in the water? What kept rolling around in there?

    Peeling away wet cloth, she revealed¡­a little black piglet. P-chan. Her pet for the past two years, though she hadn¡¯t seen him around the past few months. Right around when¡­Ryoga¡­and Akari¡­

    Her pet couldn¡¯t maintain eye contact with her. The animal she used to let sleep next to her was blushing. And¡­and it was Ryoga. He¡¯d been Ryoga this whole time.

    I can''t do this right now, she shook with barely-contained rage and opened her hands. He struck the deck of the ship with a wet thud and shuffled out of his clothes, looking up at her with wide eyes. She couldn''t let this distract her right now. Not before she made sure Ranma was okay.

    <hr>

    While the average Imperial soldier camped in the temporary tent city outside of Port Mesere, the elite, Dragon-Blooded members of the Wyld Hunt were invited to stay in Sheer Keep overlooking the port. It was a lavishly furnished, sprawling complex intended to function as a well-defended, luxurious, private resort for visiting Realm dignitaries, admirals, and the like.

    Five of the leaders of the Hunt, one fourth of the 20 Dragon-Blooded, occupied a wing of the palatial home at the center of the keep. Two of them currently lounged in one of the many drawing rooms, enjoying the midnight sea breeze blowing through the open veranda doors.

    Sukha Nellens was the leader of the Hunt. Technically it was her first command, but that was just because her consort, the beautiful Misako Kenzho, lost her family status when her home was overrun by anti-Realm forces. No longer the heir apparent of an important Realm tributary, her command was reassigned to Sukha, scion of one of the Great Dynastic Houses.

    Sukha was tall, bald, skin like the ocean depths, and currently enjoying Misako¡¯s warm, powerful hands massaging her stomach. ¡°Mmm, why didn''t you ever ask me to do this for you when I was your second?¡± Sukha mewled and fluttered her big, shimmering blue eyes at her consort.

    Misako was much shorter than Sukha, with wide shoulders and hips, strong features, and sand-colored skin covered in freckles that resembled gravel. Ruby eyes glinted under her prominent, stony brow.

    With characteristic humorlessness, she scoffed. ¡°A Kenzho woman would never allow herself to be so vulnerable before a member of the Great Houses.¡± She recited the (hopefully) made-up tenet as if it was holy writ, which made Sukha grin. ¡°Plus I was never hit by a rampaging Lunar Anathema right in the stomach, so I never needed it.¡±

    Sukha giggled, which made Misako crack a smile and blush.

    ¡°There¡¯s that smile¡­¡± Sukha grabbed Misako¡¯s chin and held her gaze. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her enough lately. Keep your head held high and don¡¯t give up. You¡¯ll have your old command back before you know it.¡± Misako nodded and Sukha leaned back into her arms.

    Too soon their comfortable reverie was interrupted by an impatient knock at the door. Sukha didn¡¯t bother asking who it was: at this time of night there weren¡¯t many people it could be. ¡°Just a moment!¡± She sang as she donned a blue silk robe to protect her modesty and Misako dutifully snapped to attention. ¡°Enter.¡± Three other Dragon-Blooded came through the door, the rest of their Circle.

    Smirking Snipe, lustrous red hair sparking in the candlelight, wore a performatively exhausted scowl that clashed with the gleam in his burnt orange eyes. He still wore the red leather vest and trousers he¡¯d been wearing when the Anathema ambushed them at the wharf that morning.

    Behind him was the green-cloaked lookout who spotted the Anathema, Tinamu. Only their viridian eyes were visible beneath the mossy cloth, but Sukha knew their lily white skin and violet hair were concealed below. Ever taciturn, they stalked through the room and took up a quiet vigil on the veranda.

    The final member of their Circle was also the newest: One Dozen Breezes. Two years ago she graduated from the Heptagram ¡ª the Realm¡¯s premier school for sorcery ¡ª and was assigned to their Circle. Despite the tropical warmth of the Wavecrest Archipelago, the young sorceress continued to wear her thick, sky-blue coat with its cumulous white fur cuffs and collar. Part of that was her unwarranted self-image issues: she still had a healthy layer of weight thanks to the sedentary, cloistered lifestyle of the Heptagram. She kept her wild, curly, dusky hair contained in a sloppy bun, the only part of her ensemble that she didn¡¯t appear to have complete control of.

    ¡°Sukha, my dear, I hope we¡¯re not interrupting anything with our urgent status report.¡± Snipe waggled his eyebrows as he darted his eyes back and forth between Sukha and Misako.

    Blushing at his insinuation, Misako blustered out of embarrassment. ¡°That¡¯s Commander Nellens to you, Snipe.¡± He¡¯d worked with them for almost a decade, so Sukha thought it was cute how Misako thought that would do anything but embolden the fickle Fire Aspect. The Commander knew how to deal with him though.

    ¡°Of course you did!¡± she put a hand over her chest in feigned outrage. ¡°That you would be so bold as to knowingly intrude on two women in flagrante delicto, and your superiors no less?¡±

    When Misako was in charge, Snipe never passed up an opportunity to rattle her. It was never malicious, and Sukha honestly thought he brought much-needed levity to their team of mostly stoic, dutiful dynasts.

    Now Sukha was in charge, and she would handle him differently. Draping an arm around Misako¡¯s shoulders, she cooed at Snipe through a lascivious grin. ¡°If you do it again, you better be ready to join us as punishment.¡±

    The only face redder than Misako¡¯s was Breezes¡¯s, who had to turn away from the Commander¡¯s display. Misako, career soldier and groomed to lead, at least maintained her composure. Snipe smirked, but the light blush on his cheeks told Sukha what she already knew: he was all bark and no bite.

    ¡°Mmm, I love the new policy, Commander,¡± he managed to vamp through tight lips, desperate to change the subject. ¡°But you¡¯ll be happy to know our latest sweep uncovered no evidence of Anathema on the island. Now that you¡¯ve recovered, perhaps we can take to the sea once again?¡±

    Sukha chuckled and dismissed the rest of her Circle with a wave of her hand. ¡°I already informed the Duchess¡¯s crew to make ready by tomorrow, I know it¡¯s slow but it¡¯s a symbol of¡ª¡±

    ¡°Commander!¡± Tinamu shouted from their post, a surprising amount of worry in their voice. ¡°On the horizon!¡±

    All five Dragon-Blooded came to the railing to see what had their attention, and five pairs of eyes went wide. At first, the light could have been mistaken for dawn¡¯s early rays, but that was hours away, and the light was too small, too pale. When a bird of flame appeared above the water, they realized what was happening.

    A Solar Anathema had come.