[FFML] [xover][Ranma][MKR] Fire in the Water, Act 3 (draft complete)

[Jorge A Pratt]

> Three men sat in a circle on the floor of a barn in the eastern plains of
> Cephiro.

Hm. Though I get the imagery, I'm not sure I'd use "in a circle," but rather 
"facing each other." Minor nit, though.

> "I've got it," the eldest and most weathered of the trio said, snapping a
> book shut. He scratched out a list of ingredients on a fresh scrap of
> parchment, and handed it to the others. The three quickly began working,
> assembling small piles of metal, charcoal, and other assorted objects on 
> the
> crisp, moon-white parchments they had each received--the parchments which
> had opened their eyes and changed their lives.

As I understand it, the parchments contain the "method," so to speak, and 
they're made in advance so that the insurgents could just gather the 
ingredients and use them without any additional knowledge. What did they get 
from the book?

> A passerby on the trade road was startled by a bright yellow flash of 
> light
> which flared between the planks of the barn, and a loud cry of "For the
> Marquis!"
>
> A moment later, there was no passerby.

He gone and got blow'd up.

> Not fifteen minutes after the group from Tokyo had been left alone, Ferio
> returned to the room. "There's not much I can do to help Master Clef and
> Zagato, so they've asked me to look after you all." He sighed. "I don't
> mind, don't get me wrong. I just..."
>
> "You want to feel useful," Fuu finished. "It's alright, Ferio-san. We
> understand."

Heh. From the way he spoke, I thought his true feelings were that he was 
being saddled with babysitting the group, and he resented it.

> Ferio smiled. "I knew you would." With a grunt, he smacked his palms
> together, rubbing his hands vigorously.

..........

(Oh you KNOW what that action brings to mind :P)

> "Yes?"
>
> The pigtailed girl ducked her head, biting her lip in an uncharacteristic
> display of uncertainty.

(Both for her and the persona she's wearing...)

> The girls bowed to Ferio, who returned the bow rather stiffly, and the 
> four
> of them left the room. The group that remained behind watched them go with
> varying degrees of sympathy.

Minor idle thought: It's easy to see the girls bowing because it's a 
Japanese custom, whereas Ferio bows because he's nobility.

> "Yeah, I gotta agree with that one," Ukyou said. "We sure landed in a
> depressing situation."
>
> "Too bad thre's not anything we can do about it," Akane sighed.

That "e" in "there" lost its sense of direction and wandered off with 
Ryouga.

> The Magic Knights stood at Emeraude's bedside, staring quietly at her
> too-pale, lesion-riddled, swaddled and bandaged form. Hikaru's head was
> bowed, and fresh, hot, silent tears spilled down her cheeks.

I'm thinking she's in her true form, rather than the Child Empress mode.

> After several minutes, Umi sighed aloud. "Dammit...I can't hate her 
> anymore,
> not seeing her like this. I want to hate her so much for what she did to
> us..."
>
> "Umi-chan..."
>
> "Hikaru, you should hate her the most!"
>
> "Umi-chan. No. You know I could never..."
>
> The blue-haired girl sighed. "No. I don't suppose you could, even 
> after..."

"...although Zagato bears most of the blame on that one."

> "So, all of you are warriors where you come from?" Ferio asked, sipping 
> from
> a goblet of crystal-clear water.
>
> "We're martial artists, yeah," Ranma replied from where he floated,
> motionless, alongside the table.

"Marti-what?"

"Martial artists. And Ranma, stop drooling ectoplasm all over the food. Ew."

> Ryouga coughed. "What kind of martial arts do you practice here in 
> Cephiro,
> Ferio-dono?" he asked.

O_o "-dono"? Heh.

> "Well, Caldina, a little," Umi pointed out.
>
> The pink-haired woman shrugged. "Hey, I'm a dancer, hon. It's just that
> sometimes dancin' can be like fightin'."

*pictures Caldina doing Capoeira*

@_@

> "I am against it," Clef said firmly, leaning tiredly against his staff. 
> "The
> case of the Magic Knights was one thing, but to knowingly and needlessly
> place innocent children in danger..."
>
> "From what I've heard, these 'innocent children' are probably tougher than
> anything Cephiro can throw at them," Ferio said, smirking. "These aren't
> normal kids. The whole lot of them are warriors."

Emphasis on the "not normal."

> "So they say. Have they truly been tested in combat?"
>
> "Then what would you suggest? A demonstration?"

It's a Ranma crossover. Of course there should be a demonstration! :D


> "It couldn't hurt, though," Ryouga added. "I mean, armor, I don't really
> need, and my bandanas and umbrella are all the weapons I need, but..."

"...hey, you have any boulders? I can use boulders. I like boulders, they're 
comfy and easy to hurl."

> "Well, I don't mind seein' what they can hook me up with," Ukyou replied. 
> "I
> kinda don't have any of my spatulas with me." She rubbed the back of her
> head sheepishly.

Shock! She didn't bring any spatula? Not even the small one she uses to flip 
people over?

> In less than three minutes, the four teenagers had effortlessly reduced
> Clef's golems to rubble.

The Nerima Wrecking Crew lives up to its name!

> The small mage coughed. "Yes, very well, you have...proven yourselves to 
> be
> capable," he said in a slightly hoarse tone.
>
> The Magic Knights, standing off to the side, were also gaping in awe at 
> the
> skillful display of martial arts. "Wow," Umi said softly.
>
> "Their earlier tales of their exploits no longer seem quite as 
> far-fetched,"
> Fuu commented.

I was kinda expecting her to state the obvious, somehow. ^_^

> "That's right," Ranma said in a sage tone. "An' 'til you're done with it,

o_O

> you're gonna *keep* my body in that kind o' shape so I don't get it back 
> all
> worn out an' soft. So you'll need t' train every day, got it?" There was a
> slight tone of menace in his voice that sent chills up the three girls'
> spines.
>
> "Um...okay..."

And then Hikaru went SD and grew cat ears and tail. Ranma didn't bother them 
again for another week.

> The girls drew out their swords, marvelling at the familiar feel of them.
> "So our armors should be--?" Hikaru questioned, tilting her head.
>
> "Your armor will respond to your will. However, it still has not 
> completely
> evolved. You must continue your original quest to awaken the Mashin, in
> order to complete your growth as the Magic Knights."

IOW, go out and kill local wildlife for another six hours, level up, and 
check back with him.

> The girls nodded. Mokona bounced forward, then. "Puu, pupupuu!" Three 
> beams
> of light shot forth from the fluffy animal's jeweled forehead, and 
> resolved
> into the school uniforms of the three girls, folded neatly on the ground 
> in
> front of them.
>
> "Mokona-san remembered our clothing from the last time," Fuu commented.

Umi: I don't know if that's considerate or really, really creepy.

Fuu: Mokona-san did watch us change into and out of our uniforms when going 
to bed...

> Hikaru nodded. "Alright, I understand." She paused. "Besides, it'd be kind
> of...weird, if that curse thing went off and I was wearing...*that*." She
> flushed.
>
> "Now there's a mental image," Ukyou remarked.
>
> "Ugh. No thanks, I've seen Ranma in a skirt. You don't wanna go there."

Oh, but the armor will go there anyway :P

> "When pig-boy see Airen in dress?"
>
> "You want a list?"
>
> Akane pinched the bridge of her nose.

People do that a lot around here :D

> A pillar of warm, golden light engulfed Ryouga, chunks of dirt and stone
> rising in the updraft that stirred his clothes and hair.

"Thing Rings, do your thing!"

> A shaft of blinding white light enveloped Ukyou, lifting her from the 
> ground
> and spinning her in a slow circle.

Umi: ...did we look like that when we got magic too?

Clef: Do you mean being engulfed by your elemental magic?

Umi: I meant the floating naked thing!

>
> When the light shows dissipated, the other three wore similar, understated
> armor; each of them looked down at their own hands in wonder.

Save for the pillar of rock and stone that stood in the middle of the room, 
shaking violently and shouting "Get me outta here!"

> Akane...just stood in place, as a plain white armored vest and 
> shoulderguard
> formed over her clothes.

Aww.

> "I...I don't get it," Akane said, looking somewhat let-down. "I didn't get
> any magic?"

I think you scared it off.

> "I dunno 'bout that," Ascot said, floating closer to the short-haired 
> girl.
> "I definitely felt it just then." He gazed up at her through his bangs,
> expression curious. "She might be a Summoner."

...this is where you quote the Hymn of the Fayth, Retranslated Version, 
isn't it?

> "I must caution you: the four of you are not Magic Knights, so your armors
> will evolve differently than theirs," Clef warned. "They may not evolve at
> all, or may evolve seemingly at random.

"...and we still haven't figured out how this 'Happiness evolution' method 
really works..."

> Presea's armory was quite as full of every conceivable form of melee 
> weapon
> as usual, as well as being full of the slim blonde woman's exuberant
> presence

And a giant siege cannon aimed at the door, let's not forget that.

> The master smith nodded, turning to face the group, face serious. "You
> three, Magic Knights--and you, ghost-boy...please stand back." The 
> indicated
> four shuffled/floated to the rear of the room,

I'd change the slash for an "or."

> "This ore is called Exterra,"

:D I likes.

> The group stepped back, joining the others at the rear wall. Presea 
> reached
> up and unfastened her apron, shedding it and her dress to stand before 
> them
> in the gossamer white veils of her crafting robes.
>
> Ryouga nearly fainted.

She was wearing her robes under her regular clothes? O_o How did they FIT?

> Presea moved gracefully in a fast, fluid dance, the tails of her veils
> swirling around the Exterra, caressing and embracing the magical ore.

And giving Ryouga all the wrong ideas.

> For Ryouga, a heavy round shield, mostly dark silver except for a wide 
> ring
> of striped yellow and black circling the rim of the disc. The edges 
> sported
> a scalloped pattern of outwardly curving, wickedly sharp blades. Examining
> it curiously, he discovered an improbable length of heavy black chain
> spooled into the back of the shield.

Ryougar: The Legendary Adventure

> Shampoo tested the weight of a sleek halberd, almost half again as tall as
> she, with ornate tooling along the length of the silver haft; the blade,
> easily half a meter long and slightly curved, was pitch black.
>
> Ukyou ponderously folded and unfolded a massive, gleaming white metal fan.
> The blades made a satisfyingly loud ratcheting sound as she collapsed and
> expanded them, and there was no denying the sharpness of the weapon. She
> took a few test swings with it, and nodded, satisfied.

I'd have expected these two to trade ^_^

> And as for Akane...
>
> "What the heck is that?" Ranma asked.
>
> The short-haired girl looked down forlornly at her new weapon.
>
> "I got a bell."

XD Said in the tones of Charlie Brown's "I got a rock."

> "A bell?!"
>
> "Yes, it does appear to be a bell."

Thank you, Fuu.

> Akane couldn't quite hide the disappointment she felt as she examined the
> goblet-sized, delicate-looking crystal bell she cradled in her hands.
> "It's...it's a bell," she repeated hollowly.
>
> Presea cocked her head curiously. "Funny, I've never seen that happen
> before."

That bodes. Those words are usually followed by screaming. And explosions.

> "Maybe it's like, a magic bell?" Ranma suggested. "Like it shoots stuff or
> somethin'?"
>
> Akane gave the bell a halfhearted ring. It sang out a clear, pure tone, 
> but
> did little else.
>
> "Well, sound pretty at least," Shampoo observed.

Heh! From Shampoo, that's downright friendly. :P I'd have expected her to 
deliver a scathing or sarcastic remark.

> Akane sank to her knees, throwing her head back and letting out a roar of
> frustration. "What the hell am I supposed to do with a BELL?" she cried.

She always did have a bellicose disposition...

> "But...I don't understand what I'm supposed to do with this," Akane
> protested, near tears. "It's...useless!"

Presea: Hey! >_<

> Akane sighed. "I...alright." She sniffled. "Thanks." She stood and walked
> away from the master smith, muttering under her breath, "don't really need 
> a
> weapon anyway..."

Look at it this way: It's still a blunt object. :)

> Presea watched her for a long moment, then shook her head and sighed. 
> "Well,
> at any rate, my work is done. Take care of your weapons, and they'll take
> care of you. Best of luck to you all." With that, she ushered the crowd 
> out
> of her sanctum, and they followed Mokona back to the main hall to receive
> instruction from Clef.

Wow, I'm thinking she took offense at Akane's outburst, if she's herding 
them out like that. :P

> "Yep," Ryouga replied in an uncharacteristically chipper tone. "A really
> long chain, looks like, and it's connected tight." He grinned, fangs
> protruding. "I've already got a hell of a lot of ideas."

"Like... hurling it."

"And?"

"Tossing it!"

"Besides that?"

"Sling it."

"I'm sensing a theme here. Anything else you can do?"

"...um, stand behind it and take cover?"

> "Magic Knights," he
> intoned flatly, surveying them with dull grey eyes, "I am Innova, adjutant
> to Lord Zagato. He has charged me with the preparations for your mission. 
> If
> you will please follow me." With a slight bow, he swept off down a side
> corridor.
>
> Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu looked at one another, shrugged, and turned to follow
> him.

"You guys know him?"

"First time in my life I ever see him."

"I have a feeling we may have met Innova-san in another life..."

> "Good luck, guys!" Hikaru called to the four martial artists over her
> shoulder.
>
> "You too, Hikaru!" Ranma replied.

Should Ranma always be excluded whenever the Knights are summoned away? I 
mean, he should know what Hikaru's up to in his body, at least... (and I'm 
surprised he can project himself away from Hikaru for so long, and so far 
away.)

> As the three girls navigated their way back to where the others were, Umi
> cast odd glances back in the direction of Innova's office, scowling. "What
> the heck is with that guy? What an attitude!"

You mean his lack thereof? :P

>
> "You mean he's like the director of their intelligence agency or 
> something?"
> Umi asked skeptically.
>
> "More to the point, it is possible Innova-san IS Cephiro's intelligence
> agency."

That explains the CIA badge on his chest.

> "That'd explain why we've never seen him before," Hikaru said. "...umm, we
> haven't, right?"
>
> Umi shook her head. "First time I've ever seen him."
>
> "We have not encountered Innova-san previously, no."

Jinx! XD

(Creepy that I almost anticipated the exact same line for Umi, though o_O)

> "It would seem we have little choice," Fuu replied. "I would, however,
> prefer to ask Clef-san that very question, to be absolutely certain we are
> not being led astray."

Clef: He's not a stray. He's a dog.

Umi: A wha?

Clef: A dog made of lightning that Emeraude-- you know what? Nevermind.

> "The words will come from your heart," the master mage said, pacing before
> his newest students. "A place inside you that did not exist before--find 
> it,
> and with all your will, let it flow into your heart and mind. That is your
> magic. When you are ready, it will come forth freely."

"Shishi. Hokodan."

"Wait! No! Not that! AAAAAAaaaargh...!"

> The four students meditated silently for a time. Ranma was impressed to
> notice faint but visible magical auras around Ryouga, Ukyou, and Shampoo 
> as
> they seemingly found a measure of success in tapping their new magic.
>
> Akane, by contrast, was accomplishing little except breaking out in a 
> sweat
> and threatening to permanently tint her face purple.

Any more concentration and she's going to release some wind magic of her 
own.

> Ascot mounted his floating rock again and hovered over to Akane.

XD I have this mental image that he WAS standing on his rock, but Akane's 
tirade blew him off it.

> "What is it, Ascot?" Clef asked, striding over to study the object which
> seemed to cause the young summoner distress. He frowned. "It's a bell."

"It goes 'tinkle'."

*tinkle tinkle*

"Thank you, Akane."

> Ascot turned to stare at the master mage. "Master Clef, don't you know 
> what
> this IS?" he asked, voice shaking with disbelief.
>
> "Aside from a musical instrument? I'm afraid I do not."
>
> "I...I never thought the smartest and most powerful mage in Cephiro
> wouldn't..." Ascot said, his voice a harsh whisper.

Ouch. XD

> The mage's tone was like a slap across the face; the young summoner 
> quickly
> recovered his wits, and stood upright on his hovering rock. "Right," he
> replied. "Okay, that thing? It's a Caller's Bell. I didn't think they were
> really real 'cause there's never BEEN a real Caller. It was just a
> legend...I thought..."
>
> Clef frowned. "A Caller? I'm unfamiliar with this term."

Yes, that's the plight of the Caller.

*runs, runs so far away*

> Ascot frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Huh. I guess it really is
> somethin' only Summoners know 'bout after all."
>
> "Possibly. Every discipline of magic has its own obscure lore, which often
> is known only to those who study that discipline exclusively." Clef 
> inclined
> his head. "Such as yourself, of course. Please continue."

Fuu: Oh! That must mean Ascot-san has mastered the Summoner job!

Oh, wait, Fuu's not here for this scene. Damn.

> out this guy." He turned and smiled up at the huge creature. "Sorry, I was
> just showin' 'em how my magic works! I'll play with you later, okay?"
>
> The massive creature ruffled its feathers and disappeared in a column of
> golden light.

And it went back to doing its laundry, wherever Summoned Monsters exist when 
un-Summoned.

> The summoner shook his head. "It's not random, it..." He paused. "Okay, if
> this neechan really is what I think she is, it'd be easier just to show
> you."
>
> "Show us? How?" Akane asked.

Uh-oh...

> The third chiming of the bell sounded out more loudly than the previous 
> two;
> the others gasped as a beam of clean white light shot out of the 
> instrument,
> ending at a point some four meters away in a spinning, sparkly ball of
> dancing lights.

Chocobo!

> The ball of light spun faster, drawing in on itself...and popped, leaving
> behind a squat, orange-skinned creature with a bulbous, bald head, a 
> sloping
> brow, deep-set, beady eyes, and a surly, resentful expression on its 
> small,
> blunt face. It glowered at all of them, then shuffled off to a corner of 
> the
> atrium, muttering to itself.

*dies*

> "Oh, shut up, you jerk!" Akane growled. The little creature in the corner
> glowered at Ranma and made a rude gesture with its stubby fingers.
>
> "Hey, your critter flipped me off!"

*dies harder*

> "Akane," Clef asked, "what emotions were you experiencing when you 
> performed
> the calling?"

Either surly and despondent, or like an Oompa Loompa.

I'd rather think it was the former.

> "I get it!" Ukyou cried, laughing. "It summons something that's the same 
> as
> whatever she's feeling when she rings the bell!"

And, suddenly, Ranma felt a very cold shiver run down his noncorporeal back.

> Akane glowered darkly at the chef. Suddenly, the orange creature darted
> across the atrium, shuffled to a stop in front of Ukyou, and viciously
> kicked her in the shin.

XD

She's gonna have FUN with this.

> "Yeah," Ascot said, stifling childish giggles. "You've still got control
> over that thing. It's your magic, after all." He frowned, then rubbed the
> back of his head sheepishly. "Um, I don't know how a Caller gets rid of a
> summoned monster, by the way. I mean, Callers don't even really exist,
> so..."
>
> "So I'm stuck with that creepy thing?" Akane asked.
>
> "For now anyway, yeah."
>
> Akane sighed. "Perfect."

"Um... you, uh, go away! Un-call! Back to wherever you came from!"

> The Magic Knights entered the atrium several minutes later, after Clef had
> finally restored order.

It took several bolts of lightning and summoning Fyula, but at last they had 
settled down.

> Shampoo, Ryouga, and Ukyou had returned to
> meditating; Akane was trying to coax her creature out from behind a box
> hedge.

XD

>
> Clef chuckled. "You saved Zagato, and helped him to be happy. For that,
> Innova would walk into Hell itself for you."
>
> The girls blinked. Umi tilted her head. "What, is he--"
>
> "Extremely devoted to his master," Clef cut across her, smirking slightly.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.


> "You succeeded in awakening Selece-san once," Fuu pointed out. "I have no
> doubt that your heart is strong enough to awaken him once more."
>
> "Mm."

I have to wonder, though: without any external foes to defeat (Ascot, 
Innova, Zags) how do Mashin go about testing their charges?

> The woman then picked up an object which had not been there before, and
> levelled it at the unmoving princess.
>
> The Magic Knights' eyes widened in horror.
>
> It was a gun.

o_O

Fortunately, she had forgotten to make bullets.

> The woman fought the urge to swallow, and feebly tossed the gun to the
> floor. Fuu quickly stood and carefully retrieved it, holding it by the 
> butt.

No! You'll leave your fingerprints all over it!

> "How the hell did she get a GUN?!" Umi demanded. "They don't even HAVE 
> guns
> here!"

"Well, there's Presea-san's cannon..."

"That's different! She's nuts!"

> "A gun?" Clef asked, examining the device curiously from Zagato's side as
> the priest turned it over in his gauntleted hands, scowling darkly.
>
> "A projectile weapon that uses a chemical reaction to fire a metal 
> bullet,"

"And please don't pull that hooked bit of metal, Zagato-san. Not when the 
barrel is aimed this way."

> Fuu explained. "There is at least one similar device to this on Cephiro;
> Presea-san's rather large cannon."

XD

> "It's also a pretty old design," Hikaru said. She was now standing near
> Zagato, watching the guards and their prisoner, but her eyes were moving
> around the room, taking in everything warily. "Satoru-niisama took me to a
> museum exhibit one time when I was ten. I remember that kind of gun 
> because
> he said cowboys used to use them a long time ago."
>
> "Yes, it does look like an antique revolver," Fuu agreed.
>
> "Tell me everything you know about this weapon," Zagato demanded.

"And everything you know about these... 'cow-boys.'"

> Zagato nodded thoughtfully, now tracing the smudged, inert circle with a
> finger while turning the gun over in his other hand. "There is a logic to
> what you suggest, girl from another world," he said. He picked up the 
> sheaf
> of parchment from the work surface, reading it over critically, and smiled
> darkly. "Yes, I believe you are exactly right. This list has quantities
> listed of iron sand, charcoal, sulfur...everything you named."

Uh-oh. He's not thinking of making more himself...?

> Now, she was exactly five strokes from completing the instrument by which
> Cephiro would fall to the will of the Marquis.

That's when she sneezed.

> Her greatest triumph would
> soon be at hand. Her revenge was nigh; the cruel master she had once
> served--once loved--would regret spurning her, and would pay by watching 
> his
> beloved, wretched Pillar die an excruciatingly painful death as the very
> land itself rotted away to nothing.
>
> And she would be there, on the arm of the Marquis, his highest soldier,
> laughing.

Had to reread that twice. You mean that she is the Marquis' highest soldier? 
I'd suggest an "as" between the comma and "his," but that changes the 
meaning slightly :/

> The circle flared with a brilliant blue light, forcing the soldiers 
> working
> around her to shield their eyes. Over a minute passed before the last 
> motes
> of azure twinkled away into nothingness.

Hm. Does the fact that it's blue, whereas the two others were gold, have any 
ulterior significance (as those colors had in the source material)?

> The leader chuckled throatily, stalking forward and placing a gloved hand 
> on
> the Machine's armored hide, stroking it fondly, a lover's caress. Then, 
> with
> a graceful leap, she stood atop the device,

She really does like standing on top of enormous tools of destruction.

> opened its top hatch, and
> descended into its control pit. "Gather your weapons and mounts. It is
> time."

I'm surprised she's doing the driving herself, though.

> The roaring of the war machine's engines could not completely drown out 
> the
> loud peals of psychotic laughter of the sorceress Alcyone, division
> commander of the Cephiro Social Reform Army.

Eeek. Makes one wonder what'll happen when they decide to do away with 
efficiency and create an Autozam mecha instead.

Well, didn't find any major corrections to make other than the few nitpicks, 
so now let's bring on part 4. :D


-- 
Jorge A. Pratt
jorgepratt at prodigy.net.mx