The Symbiont searched through the Mercury computer's files and Ranma's memories, looking for a suitable appearance. The host's personal tastes latched on one particular anime character Ranma had recently discovered and found 'majorly cool'.
In the Tendo yard, Ranma's body was suddenly wracked with convulsions. Bolts of red lightning ran along his trembling form and arced around him. The ones who were beating on him just a few seconds ago jumped back in alarm to avoid being fried or caught in the ensuing explosions. Ranma stood up clumsily, his eyes empty of intelligence and screaming like a damned.
A black material looking like a cross between leather, latex and metal covered his whole body in a flash. The result was looking like a nasty horned demon. Ranma's face was still visible behind a tinted faceflate but his eyes were now completely blood red, without any pupils. Once the transformation was complete, Ranma/Symbiont howled in defiance to the heavens. The spheres on his chest and hands surged with lightning and bat-like wings sprang from his back. The ground exploded beneath him, sending debris everywhere.
Kuno's words broke through the noise generated by Ranma's changes "So the wretched Saotome wasn't a black sorcerer after all... Nay, he is worse! A foul daemon spawned by the lowest pits of Hell! At last you show your true colors now!" Kodachi and Kasumi, the only ones here with any knowledge of the catholic religion, signed themselves, afraid of the demonic figure in front of them. The others dared not move, completely overwhelmed by the situation.
When the monster that had been Ranma Saotome regained his bearings and turned its attention back to the people present, all of them nervously (and fearfully but no one here would admit it) backed further away.
Nabiki was on the verge of panic. She was accustomed to weird things happening since Ranma was in Nerima but seeing him transform into a fictional character... Yes, she knew that one for seeing an advertisement and critic in one of her magazines "Soultaker..." She wasn't particularly anxious to be incinerated in a Lightning Breaker attack, thank you very much! "Um... Everyone... I would suggest a tactical withdrawal"
"I'm with you on this one, sugar..." nodded Ukyo. The okonomiyaki chef knew that particular series too. Going to boys' schools had made her develop a taste for shonen manga and anime.
The Soultaker tensed. Everyone scrambled back in panic, sure he was going to attack them *WHOOOSH !!!* After a few seconds and still no attack, they opened their eyes to see a winged silhouette disappear in the horizon. Ranma's personality was still dominant and he refused to hurt his fiancees and rivals more than necessary. He took flight and planned on putting the greatest distance possible between him and Nerima.
*****
After a short flight (shorter than what he would have preferred), Ranma had been forced to land and revert to his normal appearance. The Soultaker symbiont took its energy in his personal ki reserves and had nearly depleted them with its impromptu activation. It wasn't long before he fell unconscious and collapsed in the streets. Physical exhaustion, low bio-energy levels and hunger had taken their toll on him.
When he woke up from his unwanted sleep, he was in a soft and comfortable bed in a room he had never seen before. He briefly wondered what happened after he lost it in the Tendo yard and where he was now.
"Ah! You're awake!" His ponderings were cut short by the feminine voice who said those words. He turned to look at the person who had most likely picked him up in the streets to take care of him.
She would introduce herself to him later. For now, he didn't know that she was...
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Jamil Nate
(Posted Sun, 22 Jun 2003 15:56)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.