Ranma considered briefly before shrugging again. “This,” He said as he lightly pat his weapon.
Tallman eyed the part of his outfit the young monster hunter was patting. It was definitely a weapon all right, even if all bundled up. “May I see it?”
Shaking his head, Ranma simply told the man, “Trade secret.”
“Come on,” Tallman said. “This is perfect opportunity to see if you are who you say you are.”
Ranma narrowed his eyes dangerously.
“I’ve heard the rumors,” The Bartender said. “That Saotome, while not the greatest of Mercenaries... Is definitely one of the more effective ones thanks to a ‘Trump Card’ of his. I wanna see it.”
Leaning forward and looking at the man whom had sent word out for anyone to help, the Japanese youth stared into the man’s eyes with a cold, dark gaze, a blue so warped, it felt to the bartender as if he were about to be frozen and cracked within a shell of ice that matched the color of those pale, sparkling pupils.
Then Ranma spoke, his voice strong and serious, as if daring the man to challenge him.
“I. Am. No. Normal. Dark. Hunter.”
(------)
“Even I can’t remember when they first arrived... Humans who had always ruled the world unchallenged for countless millennia began to live with the constant fear of being attacked by them. They were born from the darkness, lived in the darkness, and when they attacked it was from the darkness.”
“The death count caused by the dark ones amongst the soil of what had once been known as America has increased every year... The sands turning red from the precious blood that the beasts would spill in their gorging on the few humans that struggle to live.”
“Sure, the humans who live here and have come from overseas to see what secrets they can steal from the dark have erected walls and fortresses to protect themselves... But not even these are strong enough to keep out all the monsters which have been born from the great tragedy of humanity’s betrayal by Genma Saotome.”
“Every night the dark ones come to these cities, either by conscious thought or by shambling here in their masses of collective hunger. In these cursed lands, no one is safe, no matter how they’d like to think they are. Happiness is but a distant memory.”
“But there is hope. Not too long after the monsters arose from the darkness, there came a group of soldiers willing to risk their lives to fight against the dark ones, those cruel and mysterious creatures which only serve to threaten the existence of all human life within the boundaries of these thrice-damned lands.”
“They are Mercenaries.”
“Each member is part of a guild, each remaining area that was considered a state of the old government had one. Through these Guilds, each soldier was trained and ranked by their experience and skills. Ranks started at E, the least experienced, and then went up through D, C, B, A, and S. The highest rank one can achieve is X, such as that snarky Dark Schneider fellow.”
“Hiring a single or group of mercenaries has become essential for citizens who dare leave their towns and travel to others do business; crucial for their survival.”
“But, thanks to the Mercenaries, people in this horrid situation have been able to return a small measure of ‘normalcy’ to their cities, to their lives. It gives me hope that one day they can expand in numbers and eventually take care of the beasts unleashed here forever.”
“But... Amongst these mercenaries, there is one who has caught my interest, one whom I have chosen to help. He is a survivor of this, and not just in the sense of surviving these conditions. He was at the ‘eye’ of the storm when the terror was unleashed, which effectively has altered him down to the very core of his soul.”
“Ranma Saotome.”
“Although his Mercenary Guild of Fort Himeji had seen fit to Rank Saotome merely as ‘D’ Level Soldier, the power I lend him easily gets him up to par one would expect to see from a ‘B’, or possibly even an ‘A’ Rank Mercenary.”
“Everyone knows this, even those whom listed him as ‘D’ Rank. His fame has even earned Ranma two names. At first he was just the ‘Wild Stallion of Himeji’, a rather untamable wild spirit whom was brash and would go into most situations head-on; leaping first and asking questions later. It’s why he has that large scar over his chest.”
“And then there is the name I helped him ear. Because of his hair, once a rich black, but now a pure white from the opening of darkness, his pale blue eyes which practically border on being blank, his white clothing and leather jacket and boots he wears all the time, and the power, pride and FIERCENESS I have imbued him with, he is... ‘The White Tiger’!”
“Oh! How rude of me. I’ve yet to introduce myself. You see, I am the very tool used by Ranma Saotome against the darkness. I am...”
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(Posted Thu, 15 Dec 2005 21:02)
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