The icy breeze of the north wind blew over the shivering bodies of the four dragon riders, while the legendary beast carried them further north.
After a night that had been too short for either of them, they had decided to leave early so they could put a long distance of travelling behind them during this day. Even if Shamu herself was flying slower than normally (she wasn't used to the sheer coldness of the north), Naki was certain that they should be able to reach the Gorge of Souls soon.
But things turned out quite differently from what they had planned...
About noon, they were crossing a wide, flat landscape that was made of plain grassland and several fields, the northernmost signs of human civilization...
Suddenly, Shamu made a sharp turn and flew into a different direction than previously. Uko, who was sitting directly behind the dragon's forelegs, shouted something over the loud wind torrents. Shamu answered, but Ranma couldn't understand either of them.
"What's up?" Naki yelled.
Uko turned around her head. "Black Ones!" she yelled back and gestured towards the east, where a black mass of black-armored riders was covering the land.
"What are they doing here, so far in the north?" Ryger shouted.
"Looks like they're assaulting that farm over there... perhaps Ekana wants to take over every other part of Ja'an, before attacking Tokoi."
"I take it Shamu is planning to help them out," Ranma guessed. "Well, I'm for it... those farmers don't stand a chance!"
They had no real choice, as Shamu seemed determined to fight the assaulters, no matter what her riders' opinion would be.
After diving down at the small troop of Black Knights, Shamu landed with a massive impact that seemed to shake the earth. After her four friends jumped off her back, she immediately took off again and attacked the surprised Black Knights from above.
"Okay, Ranma," Naki shouted as she raised her fists. "Let's see if our training has paid off!"
"I'm with you, sensei!" Ranma nodded. Although their journey had only lasted for a few days by now, Naki had been able to show him how to use Ja'an's mana to use in battle... And Ranma was a quick learner. Upon realizing that mana, once you manage to draw it from the earth, was similar to Ki, he easily was able to use it for his classic battle moves.
"Magical Moko Takabisha!" he yelled, while attacking some Knights with a massive burst of pure mana. Naki fought alongside him, while Uko and Ryger were busy pummeling their enemies with paw and club.
Soon enough, they managed to drive off the attackers from the small farmhouse.
"Well, that was that..." Ranma said and wiped his brow.
"Uko! Quick, fetch some water from the river we've seen from the air," Naki instructed. "Those devils have set the barn on fire!"
"Right away!" Uko shouted and took care of it.
Seeing that no resident of the farm had appeared, Naki nodded towards the main building. "Come, let's see if the farmers are still hiding... perhaps they need some more help."
Ranma and Naki ran over to the farm building. Luckily, the barn was a separate building, so the fire couldn't reach the main house easily.
Ranma opened the door and stepped into the dark room behind the door. "Hello? Anybody there?"
Suddenly, his senses warned him from an attack... Nimbly, he flipped sidewards and managed to dodge the swipe of the blade that was swooshing through the air.
"Whoa, whoa," Naki quickly shouted. "We're not your enemies... we're here to help you!"
Ranma blinked. That sword looked suspiciously like a katana... And that woman holding it...
"Mom?" he blurted out in surprise.
The red-haired woman was still on edge, but now got a look of confusion on her face. "Have we met? I don't remember seeing your face before, sir..."
Ranma shook his head. Of course... that wasn't his mother, only her counterpart from this world.
"Um... sorry, lady... You just happen to look like someone I know."
A big, bulky man appeared next to her... If he were bald, he would look exactly like Genma.
"Who are you?" he wanted to know. "Are you with the Black Devils?"
"Hey, we're the ones that managed to drive them off your land... although most of them got away. I'm Princess Naki of the Steppe Riders, and this is my friend Ranma."
"Princess... Naki?" Hope appeared on the farmer couple's faces. "Than we are saved?"
Then they yelped in surprise as the massive head of Uko appeared in a window. "Hey, I managed to put out the fire... we should all be safe now."
"Hey, Uko... don't frighten those poor people like that!" Naki scolded.
"Is she... is she harmless?" Nodoka's double asked in confusion.
Uko grinned. "Hey, as harmless as a kittycat... But if you're just surprised by looking at me, then you should take a look outside."
So the man did. "A... a dragon!" He stuttered. "A golden dragon!"
"We couldn't have done it without Shamu," Ranma explained.
"But... but there is only one golden dragon left..." the woman said.
"Yup, that's her!" Uko nodded. "Shamu."
"Hey, don't we have something better to do than to chitchat?" Ranma asked. "They aren't safe here."
"Yeah, you're right," Naki nodded. "Sir, madam... are you the only ones living on this farm or do you have any workers living here?"
"Just two maids..." the man replied. "But where are we supposed to go? This farm is all we have... we cannot leave all this behind."
"The Black Knights will come again, trust me," Naki said. "You should head for Tokoi... my sister Kasu will surely help you."
"Um, Naki..." Uko interfered. "I hate to say it, but... All those miles, on foot, with Black Knights all over the country? I don't think they stand much of a chance. Also, they would probably take a week until they reach Tokoi..."
"Then Shamu has to take them back," Naki decided. "She can join with us again after bringing... Excuse me, what's your name, sir?"
"Genner! My name is Genner, and this is my wife Norika!"
"Okay, Shamu can rejoin us after bringing Genner and his family to Tokoi. It will take us some extra time until we've reached the gorge, but I refuse to leave those people behind like this."
"Right," Ranma nodded. "Especially not right after saving their lives..."
"I'll go and ask Shamu," Uko sighed and pulled her head back outside.
In the end, Shamu agreed to bring the farmer's family to Tokoi, promising to return as soon as possible.
"I guess that means we have to continue on foot..." Ryger groaned.
"Stop whining," Naki said. "If we keep on walking, we should reach the gorge tomorrow."
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(Posted Mon, 20 Nov 2006 16:51)
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