Quickly Sasherial got out a crystal ball from the box behind her desk, put it on Mist file and stated to calibrate the crystal ball.
Soon the dragon and the boy, who seemed to be jumping for his life, became visible in the glass.
Sasherial took the image and send the message. She knew, she would get a lot of trouble, but it was better to ask for forgiveness, than for permission. The last never being given before, it was way to late.
Lord George, protector of the kingdom Elendor, duke of Upper Cross, Kings champion, first paladin of the Order of Valour, bearer of the holy sword Dragons Bane, looked from his chamber in the high tower down on the squires training in the courtyard.
Had it really been 20 years ago he had sworn his oath to uphold duty, to serve and to protect. It seemed like yesterday, it seemed like eons ago.
And now they conspired against him, oh yes. All those young men wanted his position, but no one was good enough to carrying the burden of his duty. Look how they moved: Clumsy, slow and wrong.
While he already at the age of six had learned those basic move, those young now walked through. And he had learned much more, so much more, becoming one with his sword.
He, who had been the youngest ever to pass the test of a squire, the youngest to be knighted, and he had gained his spores defeating a demon, where the others make do with play at war on the jousting ground.
He had walked among gods and demons in quest after quest to save princess and noble ladies from ritual sacrifice and those ordeals, which were worse.
He had won his sword Dragons Bane in a quest, which had made him accept the burden of being the representative of the god of valour in Elendor and make his name something evil entities frighten their children with.
He had kept the lines in order, when the old king had fallen at the battle at Nievendorff, turning a doomed day into the greatest victory the kingdom has seen.
And now, now even the queen, at the last official ball, had inquired about his health, and asked him, if he never had thought about marriage, discreetly pointing to her ladies of waiting.
Pretty, oh yes, they were, in their silk and precious stone. But each with a soul more base and dark, than that of a common whore.
Oh, yes, they wanted him out of their way. So they could gain through deceit, what they couldn’t gain through battle.
Lord George suddenly felt a disturbance, draw his sword, and made ready.
It wasn’t an attack. It was a messenger from the Elven pantheon. He could recognise that kind of auras from far away. The message was quick and precise. He liked that, no waste of time in a life and dead situation. He liked to work with professionals.
Lord George smiled and said: “Of course, I accept. Give me the image of the place”.
Sasherial transferred the image from Mist into Lord George. Lord George raised his sword in salute, left the room, out the door, and started to jump down the stairs, passing several surprised servant and guards. They weren’t exactly used to the sight of the first paladin jumping down the stairs as a boy.
Lord George stopped in the courtyard and grabbed his squire, told the squire to get into armour and get the standard, double quick, and meet him in the temple of Valour.
Lord George then continued into the temple, where he quickly convinced the duty priest to call the acolytes to conjure a gate and a priest trained in healing. When the squire arrived with his standard Lord George transferred the image to the mind of the priest. The priest and his acolytes would be out of business the next 14 sunrises, but that was their duty, as it was his to venture through the portal, they manifested before him.
Lord George entered in style, holding his holy sword before him, his standard blazing behind him.
He stepped forward unto the field, just as Alectic was coming to a decision.
A decision witch was interrupted from being carried out, when Lord George gave his challenge: “Foul creature, submit to my judgement or face your death”. Of cause the dragon wouldn’t submit. That was expected, but there were rules for this kind of meetings, and his squire would learn much by this.
Alectic mowed his head round to the voice and saw something dreadful, something from mom’s worst stories. Alectic turned from a strong green colour into a more off white green. Alectic tail, the part of it he still had, started to move rapidly. He should have left while time was. This was serious bad news.
That guy was responsible for a lot of premature deaths in the dragon-clans, or to be more correct, his sword was. If he didn’t know better, he would swear he hear the words “Hallo snake, goodbye snake” and then mad laughter from the sword known as Dragons Bane.
That sword was good evidence why you should remember to remove all evidence, including a hidden child, when you burned down a village. Such a child did have a lot of motivation to become a magic user and scarifies himself to create an abomination like that sword.
That sword had even killed uncle Syvetic, who had 7 head.
George the merciless had destroyed him in one stroke, taking all 7 heads in one. Of course Mother had ended that particularly tale with her personal viewpoint, that uncle Syvetic never had had enough brain for one head, and absolutely not for seven.
Goodbye life, goodbye lair, goodbye gold and precious stones, goodbye elf maidens in apricot brandy, goodbye wife newer to be, goodbye mother. I wasn’t as wise as I thought. Alectic was close to tear. Unless, of course. Alectic could hit himself.
He was really really too slow today. He should remember never to start the day with eating orcs; their lack of brain must have had a negative influence on him. He had made mistake on mistake in dealing with that boy and his elf girls; mistakes he never would have make ordinary.
It never paid to sleep in late. Mom was right in that too. Alectic swore to himself that in the future those two habits was of the list, as he turned to Ranma, and tried to present a nice smile. “So you not after my treasure then?”
Ranma looked upon the dragon, then on the man in amour with the big long sword, it was way bigger than Kunos bokken. “No, I said so, didn’t I”. Maybe the man was another Kuno. Swords and idiots was a know combination for Ranma.
Alectic: “So we have no need to fight, then, right.”
Ranma: “If you don’t want to”. Ranma was disappointed. He had looked forward to try some of his more advanced moves on the dragon. It looked like it could stand for a round or maybe two. He had to hold back a lot in Nerima these days. If it weren’t for Ryogas Bakusai Tenketsu, even Ryoga would go down quickly. It was not always easy being the best, but some had to be it.
Alectic: “And you are a god-slayer?”
Ranma snorted: “I kill of one god, and then you start to call me god-slayer, god grief”.
Alectic ignored that remark. It was god enough, the basic for the law was in order: “So what about us being companions, what do you say to that? It will take you some time to learn our language, and I can also help you get round quickly and so, what do you say? I think it would be really swell, really I do. Think of the adventure we can have, lots of battles and other fun stuff we can do together. Don’t you think so?”
No doubt about. He was mothers golden or rather green dragon. This was splendid. He was on a roll. No wonder that the Big Bad Wolf have giving him an A in bullshit and bootlicking.
Ranma coincided it for a moment, he really didn’t had that many friends, so why not. And of course friends could spar: “Alright with me”.
Maybe he should invite his new friend home to dinner and he should probably take the girls with him to. It was his duty to help and mom would be cross with him, if he left girls who need help alone. It was not the manly thing to do.
Hearing Ranma agreeing Alectic mind screamed. YES, it was home.
Alectic turned upon the paladin with full power on his smile, and proudly said: “In the name of the law above laws, I command you to leave our presence, slayer of the righteous. You are not wanted here. Leave now or behold your judgement”.
It was so beautiful. As a companion to a god-slayer Alectic was outside the jurisdiction of the paladin and his sword, since a god-slayer was outside any kind of jurisdiction. The god-slayer judged gods, and not the other way around. And as a bonus the boy / god-slayer had said, he didn’t want any treasures, but only was interest in battles.
Gods tended to collect really big treasures, and as the god-slayers companion he would ensure, that everything was dealt with as the god-slayer wished. The god-slayer would get all the battles, and the dragon would get all the treasures.
It was a pity, but he probably had to discard the idea of having the elf girls for dinner. Most human didn’t like the idea of eating human-looking beings. But maybe he could teach the boy some other decent manners along the way. And maybe even meet a nice girl. God-slayers tended to get around a lot of places according the old stories and mom would be proud to have a son in the legends, alive.
Lord George was a bit surprised by that bold reply. He had met a lot of angry green dragons before, a lot of sneaky green dragons, and a lot of sneaky and angry green dragons, but never one that had commanded him so royally to stay away. One should think the dragon had taken a course in etiquette or been raised by court.
Lord George looked upon the dragon and smiled: “And with what authority do you give that order, slayer of innocents”.
Alectic turned up his smile a bit, even if he already was stretching every muscle in his head: ”With the authority as this worlds first companion to the god-slayer present, destroyer of beauty”.
Lord George eyes went a bit POP by receiving that answer on his challenge. He had heard some bullshit before. But never one like that. That dragon played a high game: “Do you then claim, foul one, that this boy is a god-slayer?”
Alectic snarled: “Yes, by my belief and my honour, killer of babies”.
That made Lord George stop. You could question much about how a lawful evil dragon interpreted the meaning of belief and honour, but green dragons didn’t lie, if they swore on it. You just had to keep out for the loopholes and the small print.
Ranma looked a bit confused. It seems that his new friend and the man in armour was having a bit of argument. Lord George looked upon the boy, holding his sword straight at the dragon. “You boy, who are you?”
Ranma looked upon the large man. He didn’t understand the language of that man at all, but he didn’t like the tone. Maybe he should have paid a bit more attention in Miss Hinakos class. It was probably some kind of English.
Alectic answered: “The god-slayer hasn’t learned you language yet, human filth. I am the only one who can understand him for the time being. That is one of many reasons why I have offered my companionship to the noble god-slayer. And he has accepted me as his first companion”.
Mist came slowly forward. She had also recognised the blazing standard of the most famous paladin in all of Elendor: “Lord George, the dragon does speak the truth above the hero not being able to understand any of our languages. Me and my companion had tried several time to speak with him.”
Lord George: “If it is as the monster claim, he is protected by power I must not fight upon the salvation of my soul and on the soul of every citizen in Elendor. But he is still a monster and as such his word is not to be trusted”.
Alectic: “As the killer thou are needed any excuse for killing. I have done nothing wrong in my dealing with any one present, only ensured that they wasn’t here to steal what is lawfully mine, and you question the honour of my word. Question thou self so called knight”.
Lord George: “I do not care much for you tone, nor do I believe you intentions, evil one”. One thing was always sure with dragon. They knew some good lines. It was something with told you witch class of evil you were dealing with. The better the lines, the greater the villain. It was unfair how the crooks always had the best lines; one should suspect they went to school to learn it.
Alectic: “The law worries not about intention, only on the act itself. You should know that more of anyone, you who claims to be the truth of law.” Alectic knew that the course he had taken in human law one day would pay of. You should never say no to learn a new thing, if it improved you chances for survival.
Mist started to feel terrible: “I’m really sorry, Lord George, for all the trouble we had made for you and are honoured that you had have come in person to save us. But the dragon does speak truth again. It has not attacked us, only spoken with the hero. I actually believed the hero to be a dragon lord of old, in seeing how the dragon did speak with our most noble rescuer. That the hero has power there is no doubt about, but as for what he is, I don't know. Maybe he is a represent from a foreign god as I first believed, a dragon lord of old, or indeed a god-slayer as the dragon claim, I can’t say”.
Ranma stated to be irritated, he was hungry and didn’t want to spend more time here, if there was no prospect of a fight. “Hey scaly, what’s the man in the amour saying”?
Alectic moved his head, calling him scaly, he should, ups. No he should not. They were now companions, and such a promise, how foolish it must had been made and for what reason, bound even a dragon. “God-slayer, he doubts that you are a god-slayer”.
Ranma got pissed by that information, and walked in before the big man in the amour. “Do you call me a liar, tin man?”
Alectic noted Ranmas insult. He had to remember that insult, it wasn’t a bad one to use on a knight.
Alectic: “The god-slayer is furious with you disbelieve. You walk a thin line here, so called defender of a faith, who may be soon be called for the test”.
Lord George: “As if any human can trust your kind not to hide lies in truth. Tell the boy, that if he will allow me to lay my hand upon him, I can gauge for my self the truth of him, or is he afraid of my test”.
Alectic: “God-slayer, he doesn’t believe you. He wishes to put his hand upon you so he can test if you are telling the truth. He says that you are afraid of doing that.”
Ranma laughed: “I, afraid of his hand, ha, that is funny. What can he do with a hand? Let him do it, I never refuse a challenge.”
Much a Paladin can do with a hand, maybe too much though Alectic, but anyway, no matter what way it goes, I’m now in the clear. I have acted in faith, the tin-man can’t do anything about that: “The god-slayer had accepted. You are allowed to lay your hand upon him, but keep your other hand from your sword or you will fell my wrath, despoiler of virgin sheep”.
Lord George ignored the last insult, that one he had heard so many times in his 20 year of service, actually it was a bit below standard for a dragon, shifted his sword to the left hand, and put his right hand upon Ranmas head as he invoked his power.
Alectic, Mist and the two men looked upon Ranma and Lord George, as Lord George hand began to light up. Thorn could not move her head to look, since she still was caught in dragon fear. It was irritating to hear words and statement, but not being able to see, what was happing. Sasherial had an advantage since she could follow everything as Mist experienced it.
Ranma watched the light. Wov, it had to be some kind of ki-power. Swell trick. It the tin-man could do it, he could do it.
But it seemed he had to be a bit carefully. The man seemed to have some problem controlling it. Maybe the trick wasn’t that god again. He shouldn’t have expected too much from a sword wielder. The only thing he felt was some kind of lightness.
Lord George felt the drops of perspiration on his head increase rapidly as he looked for the truth inside the boy. The boy was a mess of chaos, chaos, and more chaos. Chaos as he never had felt before. Evil he had felt and fought before, but this, this was something else.
Memories of cats, lots of cats, of battle after battle, of betrayal, of pain, of horror and of the glory of the art, of the ecstasy of doing the impossible, and in truth, of killing a god to save the one he loved.
The boy was in many ways like he himself had been 20 years ago when he first stood upon the courtyard of the temple and gave his oath.
But also in many ways completely different, where he was forged in order, the boy was forged in chaos. And in one way he envied the boy. The boy did love. That blessing chaos has granted the boy. A gift order had withheld from him.
There was no doubt in his mind. The boy was in truth a god-slayer, although very young. No other reason could there be for the Powers to allow such a being as this boy to exist, both male and female in one, with power like that.
Lord George removed his hand, and whispered slowly: “You have my apology, lord god-slayer. I was wrong in question you, and your choice of first companion. I will accept you judgement of my lack of belief in you word”.
Ranma looked first upon the tin-man and then upon Alectic. The he asked: “Are we done yet”. Alectic answered, with a voice quite lower then normal: “Quite, my lord god-slayer, he ask for you judgement”. Ranma: “Knock it of with calling me that, scaly, call my Ranma, and what is your name? You never told me”.
Alictic: “Alictic né Thaldo, lord god-slayer, eh, Ranma”.
Ranma: “Well, then. Alic, are we finished?” Alecitc, confirming his decision that Ranma needed to learn a few manners when speaking with dragons, answered: “The tin-man is waiting for your judgement, Ranma”.
Ranma: “Oh, right. Tell them that it’s all right and ask if they want to have dinner. Kasumi won’t mind having guest over. Oh and yea, those 5 girls on the earth. Are there something wrong with them or what?”
Alectic translated once more: “The lord god-slayer ask if you would like to join him for dinner and if anything could be done for the girls on the ground”.
Mist shivered, she absolutely didn’t like that way the dragon used the word dinner and let his eyes gaze upon her at the same time.
Lord George looked a bit stunned. He had expected a challenge to combat, not an invitation to dinner.
But the boy, or rather the lord god-slayer, was right. He had been preoccupied with the presence of the dragon and ignored the elf girls on the ground.
Maybe he was getting a bit to old, as they claimed. In the old days he would have ensure the life of the innocent before destroying the evil. It was after all the basic of his duty. A small voice did remind him, that in the old days, he stilled believed that existed something beyond duty.
Lord George ordered his squire and priest to look after the girls, while he kept an eye on the dragon. Mist followed the squire and priest.
Alectic decided that if he were going to a dinner with his companion and guests like Lord George, it would be most prudent to change form. He informed Lord George that he intended to do so, to escape any situation of misunderstanding.
Ranma became rather impressed with his new friends trick and wondered where Alectic did of the rest of his body mass. It had to be a kind of trick like Mousses hidden space or maybe Alectic also had visited Jousenkyo?
Thorn was rather surprised too; she didn’t know that dragon boys could look like that. Maybe she should have visited a dragon before, a male dragon.
The squire came back and reported that except for some bruises and cuts the 5 girl on the ground was basically all right, although unconscious. The girl, who had been caught in dragon fear, was released with a slap to her face, earning the priest administrating the slap, a bruise in return. Thorn wasn’t much for that kind of healing.
Since the 5 girls still was unconscious, Lord George decided that the girls should go back through the gate to the temple together with the priest and the squire.
Mist opted to stay with Lord George, since she as a priest should stay to watch the god-slayer, and Thorn wasn’t to let go of the cute human boy, before she had found out, if some of the rumours were right, and the good-looking dragon was there too.
Thorn looked upon her self as the kind of person, who bounced right back after a bad experience, although Mist often claimed, that Thorn instead vas the type who was very slow to learn.
Aletric spend the time, after once again having informed Lord George, activating some pre-set traps and spells to camouflage his lair. The tunnel disappeared without any sound. Alectic did take along a travelling pouch with some gold, stones and other necessities.
Mom had long ago taught him, that those who leave home without money run a greater risk of returning home with a debt. The pouch also had the job of being the quick escape bag, if guest like Dragons Bane came on unannounced visit.
In the meantime Ranma got the hole ready. It would probably be all right to have some guest home for dinner. Kasumi loved to have guest. Nabiki would no doubt be talking about putting the expense on his bill, but it had been his really lucky day, and nothing could destroy the fun he had haft. And he even got a new friend
Sasherial, through her link with Mist by crystal ball, watched upon the scene as Mist, Thorn, Lord George, the dragon and the god-slayer make ready to leave the place through a hole, which rather suddenly had appeared in the air by the art of the god-slayer.
Lord George had made a very special judgement, but there was no reason to try to deny it. The man would never make a mistake like that. The conclusion was clear.
A god-slayer was here - on this plane of existence.
A god-slayer only arrived if somebody on the highest level, much higher level then upstairs, gave the authorisation.
This was serious news, very serious news. She would have to prepare memo after memo for upstairs. She probably would have to cancel her upcoming vacation, but.
Instead of crying Sasherial chose to laugh. Screw the vacation; this news would let the cat out of the bag, directly out between the rats.
Yes, she would choose to enjoy this. Enjoying what the news about the god-slayer would do to the pigs upstairs. Fellow workers down the corridors became rather shocked as the sound of Sasherials laughter spread among them.
The hole seemed to know where to go. His four guest waited as Ranma put his head through the hole, right:
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Sat, 27 Dec 2003 23:03)
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.