[Episode 140300] [Episode 140300]Sakura landed gracefully in the clearing and handed Ken back to Nabiki as her clothes reverted to normal. After a brief report on her findings the group decided to make camp for the night with Blake and Grant taking first watch.
The robed figures struck with the changing of the guard. "Move swiftly and silently. Lead the one we seek here so that we may capture him for the resurrection of our glorious lord." Their leader, Zatharas commanded.
"And what of the guards?" One of the zealots asked, pointing to where Ami and Sakura had taken up their posts.
"They shall be our way in. Quickly, assume their forms. Once I subdue them, you can enter their camp and none shall be the wiser."
Talia and Reiko, the only two females in the raiding party, quickly shed their dark red robes, leaving them standing in plain white pants and blouses. While Reiko morphed fluidly into Ami, Talia found herself blocked by Sakura's power. "I cannot take her form. Some protective magic prevents it."
"Then you have failed our master." Zatharas said, drawing a knife from his belt. "He does not tolerate failure."
"I have not yet failed him." Talia said matching Zatharas' cold stare with her own. "Subdue the girl and I can take her mind and use her as my puppet.
"For your sake, Talia, I hope that you can." Zatharas hissed dangerously as he turned towards the two guards and began chanting.
"These jumps must be taking more out of me than I thought." Ami yawned leaning against the tree.
"I know what you mean." Sakura replied, sliding to the ground and leaning her head against her own post. "But then again, it's been fifteen years since we began. We're not-" The young sorceress was interrupted by a large yawn splitting her face. "We're not as young... young as we were." She mumbled as both women tumbled to ground, fast asleep.
Reiko- Ami stepped over her sleeping counterpart as Sakura's body lurched clumsily to her feet. "Let us get this male so that we may be one step closer to reviving our great Lord." Reiko said striding into the camp.
"Yes." Talia said with Sakura's mouth. "Quickly. This one senses something wrong." The younger girls face twisted in concentration as she followed her fellow zealot.
Reiko knelt beside Tenchi and shook him awake. "What is it Ami?"
"I think there's something lurking near the camp." Talia said, clutching at her head.
"What do you scanners say, Sakura?" Tenchi asked neutrally.
"M-my scanners? Um... they're not working right. I need to scry them and see what's wrong." Reiko stammered.
"You mean run a diagnostic, of course." Tenchi's eyes had narrowed into suspicious slits. "Well, you did send out Windy to scout, Ami?"
"Windy-" Talia grimaced as another burst of pain shot through her skull. "Windy isn't obeying me and I don't know why. Maybe you better come look."
"Tenchi would be a better choice." The pigtailed man said, nodding towards where Ranma and Grant shifted in their sleep.
"NO!" Talia said screwing up her face as a bolt of pain ripped through her head. "I mean, we don't want to wake anyone else up if its just a false alarm, right Sakura?"
"Of course." Reiko said, nervously running her hand through her hair.
"All right." Tenchi said getting to his feet. "Lead the way."
Reiko sighed in relief as she turned to the edge of the camp, only to feel the buzz of the Tenchi ken against the base of her neck. "Who are you and what have you done with my friends, 'Ami'?"
This time Talia sighed as she leaned heavily against a tree. "Fuck. He inverted their personalities and made me think I was Ami. Damn it all."
"Answer me." Tenchi demanded, pushing a little harder with the blade.
"G-get... out!" Sakura growled clutching her head. "Get out of my mind, you little bitch!" The young sorceress screamed as she dropped to her knees.
"Shit." Reiko hissed. "This is not going according to plan." In a blur of motion, she ducked under Tenchi's energy sword before kneeing him in the groin, sucker punching him in the stomach, and bringing both fists down over the back of his head, rendering him unconscious as Sakura's screams fell silent. As she hoisted Tenchi's inert body over her shoulders , she spared a moment to roll the other girl onto her back. Guess she was stronger then you thought, Talia. Reiko mused silently, staring at the trickle of blood falling from Sakura's mouth before jogging back to where the others waited.
"I have him, Zatharas." Reiko said, glancing over at where Talia's corpse stared with unseeing dead eyes as blood pooled from her mouth. "But as you see, the girls mind was too strong for Talia to control."
"Is the girl dead?" Zatharas asked coldly.
"Unknown. The same feedback that killed Talia probably did her in too. I didn't exactly have time to check."
"I see." Zatharas mused before whipping a long wicked dagger out of his robes and slashing Reiko across her throat in a spray of blood.
"W-why..." She gasped grasping at her throat.
"The master does not tolerate failure." He said coldly. "Nor do I."
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(Posted Tue, 05 Jul 2005 16:30)
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