After hiding for several moments within the small thicket, Ranma was certain that the black knights had lost his track.
Still, he had to make sure to reach the capital before them.
And to think what they would do to the villages they would walk through while heading to Tokoi...
No! He didn't want to think about something like that right now.
"Come, Boy!" Ranma said to his new friend. "Let's go... we have to find the way to Tokoi together."
He sighed. "Not only to warn them of the black army... but also to find Kasu. She... she has to help me. I need to find a way to save Akane. Without my ki... I'm just not strong enough..."
Ranma and Boy continued to travel through the beautiful land of Ja'an. After only seeing the gloomy landscape of Na'aj, Ranma was really glad to feel the warm sun on his skin, and to hear the voices of singing birds. During that day, they were walking over hills, through streams and across the plains.
But Ranma could never stop thinking about Akane...
At midday, they made a short break at a riverbank. Ranma re-filled his waterskin and let Boy drink from the river. He was still wearing the black armor, in case they would meet with some black knights. Perhaps he could fool them again...
Just then, he remembered the spooky general he had seen in the camp, while he was spending the night there, in his disguise. She hadn't been very big, nor had she looked like someone special... but when he thought about the feeling he got when seeing her, it gave him the creeps.
"Somehow... this woman was different from the other knights," he mumbled. "I wonder... will I have to fight her some day? And... will she be a formidable opponent?" He smirked. "Heh... most likely..."
Suddenly, Boy raised his head abruptly and whinnied in fear.
"Hey, what's up?" Ranma asked and patted his neck. "Did you smell something?" Careful, he looked around the riverbank.
He heard a loud crack behind him and turned around.
And then he gasped... Standing in front of him was a muscular figure that was more than twice his own height. The creature had deep green skin and carried a massive, wooden club that had an unusual broad end. Seeing this colossus standing in front of him, it seemed to Ranma as if it was blocking the sun itself.
And then, he looked right into the cute face of the creature.
He blinked. "Ucchan?" he whispered.
The creature - which actually looked like a titanic Ukyo with green skin - smirked when seeing Ranma standing before her.
"Ooooooh," she said in a gleeful voice. "A black one! What a nice find!" She grinned and reached out with her left hand.
Ranma jumped back in time. "H-hey!" he shouted. "I'm not a black knight, you know?"
"Well, you're wearing their armor, are you not?" the colossal Ukyo grumbled. "What would you be, if not a black one? Don't try to take me for a fool... us trolls can get pretty violent if fooled, you know?"
She came a step closer.
Ranma raised his sword. "Don't come any closer!"
The female troll snickered. "Ooooh... he's getting cheeky... how bold!" She grabbed her enormous club (which also kinda looked like a wooden spatula) and raised it high above her head.
Not wanting to be flattened into a pancake (he doubted that the armor would protect him from THAT), Ranma ran around the Ukyo-troll and jumped up to grab the end of her club. He reached it and pulled with all his might.
"Hey, whoa... What are you doing?" The troll almost lost her balance. "Stop that!" she snarled and pulled back.
And Ranma just let go of his end.
Yelping in surprise, the troll that looked so much like his childhood buddy tripped and fell over with a heavy crash. The club fell down next to her.
Ranma jumped next to her and put his sword to her neck. "Now will you be a good troll and listen to me?"
"C-calm down there," she said nervously. "That thing is sharp, you know? I'm sure we can talk about everything..."
"First, tell me your name," Ranma demanded.
The (kinda cute) troll knew she was defeated and gulped. "Uko..."
"Okay... Uko. First, I am NOT as black knight, even if I look like one... I only wear this armor as a disguise. Second, I DON'T plan on harming you in any way. So, pick up your club and let's quit this stupid prattle, okay?" He pulled back his blade. Over the past few days, he really got used to it.
Uko blinked as she saw he was serious. "You... you mean it?" she asked as she took her club. "You're not one of them?"
"Of course not," Ranma assured her and sheathed his sword. "I had to hide among them when they came along the underground path, under the mountains."
Uko sighed as she sat down next to his standing form, but still towering over him. "So, she did it after all those years..."
"Who did what?"
"Ekana! She had always threatened to attack Ja'an, but we never believed she would find a way to cross the mountains. But if what you said is true..." She sighed again. "Hard times will come..."
"Look, Uko... I have to find the fastest way to Tokoi. Can you show me where to go?"
Uko stood up and looked around for a while. Then, after hesitating a bit, she gestured in one direction. "That way... I think... But I should come with you. With the black knights around, it won't be safe. Also, there are many wild animals living in these parts of the land."
Ranma smiled up at the troll. "That would be great, I'm new here and don't know the first thing about this country... and travelling with a companion is always fun."
She smiled back at him... and reminded him even more of Ukyo, even if she was green and more than twice his height. "Yeah, that's right..."
Ranma looked around and whistled for Boy, who had run away during his small struggle with Uko. Shortly after, the black stallion came prancing over to them.
Uko glanced at the horse. "Black's your favorite color, huh?" she asked.
Ranma decided not to answer that question.
----
It seemed that Uko really knew her way around these parts of the land. She warned him of every unsafe place, found nice spots to rest and easily caught forest animals to fill up Ranma's food bag.
"Have you always lived around here?" he asked when they were walking along a rocky path.
Uko nodded. "Yeah, my family has lived here for a very long time... I am a hunter, my father was a hunter and his father as well... But it is a really good place to live." Her face then grew sad. "I just hope that it will stay this way, now that the black ones have crossed the mountains..."
"Hey, cheer up!" Ranma told her. "I don't wanna see a frown on that cute face.
Uko blushed... as well as that was possible for someone with green skin. "C-cute? You think I'm cute?"
'Oh boy!' Ranma thought. 'Here we go again... Me and my big mouth...'
"Y-yeah, of course," he said. "For a troll, that is..." He wisely didn't tell her that she was the first troll he had ever seen in his life.
Uko giggled... kinda weird for such a big, strong girl like her. "Thanks, Ranma... but, you know: Normally, a male troll wouldn't want a girl like me."
That Ranma couldn't understand. "Huh? Why?"
She sighed. "You know, most trolls have a pretty weird understanding of good looks... at least that's what I think. They say trolls have to have crooked teeth, pointy ears and a warty skin to look good... and the only troll-like attributes I have are the green skin and my strength..."
"Hey, cheer up!" Ranma said. "Who cares what they say? In my eyes, you're the cutest troll I've ever seen."
'Well, that wasn't even a lie...' he thought.
She beamed at him. "Thank you, Ranma... that means so much to me!"
Suddenly, her gaze turned serious. She grabbed her weapon and turned around. She looked like she was on edge...
"What?" Ranma asked. "What's wrong?"
"Something..." she growled. "Something is coming..."
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Thu, 02 Nov 2006 23:12)
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