Seance was using a levitation spell to hover above Jusenkyo. Such a breath-takling sight... If only the place weren't so dangerous. A painter would have a magnificent specimen with trying to capture this valley on canvas. "I wonder if I'll be bale to find a place as beautiful as this, to take Genn for a date..." The apprentice Aura Mage thought.
Meanwhile, on the ground, a nervous trio of wererats were talking with Ranma. The boy was absolutely horrifying as a werecheetah, but, at least when he was in human form they could... Tolerate his presence. It was almost like how Ranma was with cats until the Diggers helped him.
However, they weren't really afraid of Ranma at the moment. Talking to him about his life, they learned quite a bit of his life... And they don't like it one bit!
"I can't @#$%in' believe that your @#$%'n fatass father sold you off a bunch of @#$%in' times!" Lydia screeched. "IS HE @#$%IN' STUPID, OF JUST A STUPID @#$%!?"
Her left eye twitching erraically, Moisha mumbled, "Chwa... I.. Can't... He... He... He, like, really, honestly engaged you to at least 8 women, if not more!? Like, omigawd!"
Romeo nodded his head, in honor or Ranma's courage. "Oh, the sacrifice..."
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Yeah... But a sacrifice I had no choice in. I have so many fiancees now, it's unbelievable... Although, some of them are QUITE nice. I just found out I'm engaged to Asrial of the Salusian Empire, and Tyr of Atlantis."
All three wererats just stared blankly at him. They gave Ranma a collective, "Huh?"
Ranma shrugged his shoulders to that. "I guess you don't know them. Well, Asrial is an alien skunk-woman, and Tyr is a fish-woman."
Now Lydia's eye twitched. "He @#$%in' sold you to a @#$%in' fish?"
Ranma shrugged. "Still makes more sense than when he engages me to someone's daughter for a fish."
"Chwa..." Moisha muttered in shock.
Before more could be said, Ranma noticed that Theodore Diggers was walking towards them. "Hey! Dr. Diggers!" He called out. He noticed a rather somber look on the Aura Mage's face. "Dr. Diggers?"
Theo continued walking until he stopped when he was right next to Ranma. Ranma wasn't sure what to make of this, so he asked, "Hey, Dr. Diggers, where did you go? Find anything?"
"As a matter of fact, I did." Theo answered. "Well, Ranma, if you would be so kind as to stand still for me for a moment."
"Stand still?" Ranma asked, as Theo placed his hands at either side of Ranma's head. Ranma felt something akin to an almost pleasent tingling sensation, and then it stopped. "What did you do?"
Taking his hands away from the sides of Ranma head, Theo said, "I removed an 'enhancement' that was programmed into all werecheetahs since their creation, Ranma. The Doom Gaze."
"The Doom Gaze?" Ranma repeated.
"HOLY @#$%! You mean you can remove that!?" Lydia asked.
"You know what it is?" Ranma asked.
"Yes." Romeo answered. "It's a technique that allows a werecheetah to scare the crap out of us wererats! Paralyze us with fear!"
"That is incorrect." Theo said. Seeing how he had Ranma and the wererats' attention, Theo explained. "The Doom Gazeis not a paralyzation spell... It is a spell that allows werecheetahs to seem more monsterous to wererats than they really are. By removing it from Ranma, I'm sure you rats will find his presence MUCH more tolerable."
"What do you mean?" Romeo asked.
"Like this, Romeo." Theo answered. Turning to Ranma he said, "Take your hybrid form."
The three wererats froze at hearing that. When Ranma shrugged his shoulders and shifted, they were prepared to bolt...
However, they did not see the monster which had greeted them before. Ranma was... Ranma... Only a bit more catty. Definite cheetah characteristics, but nothing scary.
In fact, Lydia and Moisha noticed how downright handsome rather was. Rather refined... Nice muscle contours... Big and beefy... Nice and furry. Moisha even thought of having the Cheetah eat her... In a whole different context, of course...
Romeo was now beginning to feel somewhat insignificant. He was self-conscious, knowing that there was a much better looking male among them.
Ranma blinked, noticing that the wererats weren't reacting to his form hasrhly at all. "So.... Does this mean I'm all right?"
"Yes." Theo answered.
"Cool!" Ranma piped up. "So, how'd you find out how to remove this 'Doom Gaze'?"
Theo chuckled lightly. "Jusenkyo."
Ranma blinked. "Huh?"
"Jusenkyo told me itself." Theo answered. "It seems that it really is a magical sentience."
Ranma's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding?"
"Of course not." Theo answered. "And it told me a lot more... Like how it's been playing a hand in your life for the past few days, Ranma?"
Ranma was wide-eyed. "It's been doing what!?"
"Yes." Theo answered. "I found out that the infliction of lycanthropy which turned you into a werecheetah was partially Jusenkyo's doing. You see, the magic that surrounds you, Ranma, combined with my daughter Brianna's werecheetah DNA and her latent magic aura." Sighing, Theo added, "Basically, it was a Domino effect."
Ranma blinked his eyes once and twice. This was incomprehensible "Seriously?"
"Seriously." Theo said. "And that's not the only thing Jusenkyo has done. The spirit of Jusenkyo admitted to me that it had a hand in you being able to access the Lunar Rave, Ranma, by using the Cat-fist as a key."
"Ranma can, like, do the Lunar Rave too!?" Moisha asked.
"@#$%..." Lydia sword I thought only High Elder Gothwrain had that @#$%in' technique..."
"Gothwrain knows the Lunar Rave?" Theo asked seriosuly.
"Yeah. It is a @#$%in' lycanthrope technique. Meaning Werewolves, Werecats, and Wererats can use it... If they're born with the @#$%in' ability, that is..." Lydia explained.
"I see..." Theo said. He'd have to tell this to the rest of his family later. Knowing that Gothwrain has the physical capability to use the Lunar Rave makes him a lot more dangerous."
Ranma decided to but in slightly. "So, Dr. Diggers... Did Jusenkyo tell you anything else it did to me?"
"Why, yes." Theo said. "It also admitted that it made you more affectionate to those that you really like. The increase in affection was so that you'd have enough guts to go through with some of your desires, as a way to help bring the werecheetahs back from near-extinction."
Ranma's eyes went wide. Help bring back the werecheetah race? It wanted him to have kids!? Visions of guilt racked Ranma's brain as he hoped to God that he didn't knock up Britanny. She was married already! Gaining his composure, Ranma asked, "O, okay... Anything else?"
"Yes, though it doesn't concern you, as much as what I have to do, and I learned that Jusenkyo has played a role in my family's life." Theo admitted. "Jusenkyo also wants me to get Julia to back off from her over-watchfulness of you..."
Ranma smirked. "Fat chance. There's no way in hell Sensei will do so willingly..." Blinking he asked, "What has Jusenkyo done to your family?"
"It's like this, Ranm,a, "Theo began. "It would seem that before Britanny and Stryyp's wedding, Tanya had stopped by here and picked up a sample of Spring of the Drowned Man ,to make him more life-like and capable of reproducing so we wouldn't know he was a fake."
Ranma blinked his eyes. Raphiel had the Spring of Drowned Man Waters to him? He'd HAVE to look into that himself.
It was then that Theo, Ranma, and the rats heard a yelling followed by a loud splash. They ran to the site of the splash, and found a rather buff, strong, and muscular Seance come up from the waters of the Spring. "Seance, what happened!" Theo asked.
"I, I don't really know." Seance said. "I was hovering above Jusenkyo in an aural bubble, admiring the scenery, when an arrow with a metal head broke through my aura, and I landed in..." His eyes widened eealizing he was cursed. He looked down at himself and found he was in pretty damn good shape... Like when Julia had used that trick on him to make him appear strong. "What the heck?"
Theo was dumb-founded. "It looks like you might have either found the Spring of Drowned Man... Or possibly the Spring of Drowned War Mage..."
Seance nodded and got out of the waters. Genn was going to LOVE this... Literally. He might not get any time to himself once Genn saw the new him, with 100% more beefcake goodness. "Still... Who shot that arrow?"
"I think I know..." Ranma said and pointed. The others turned their heads and saw a large group of warriors.
Lydia summed their position up nicely. "Aw @#$%..."
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(Posted Sat, 07 Jun 2003 23:50)
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