Dragons Bond
Chapter 2
Confusion
Ranma shivered as he walked through the forest. He knew now for sure that this was not earth or
at least not the earth that he was used to. The trees in the forest that he was walking through
towered over the landscape. Some were average size but most of them ranged nearly 200 feet.
The forest had started out warm although the darkness of the place did not suggest it. But for
some reason it had turned cold. Unbelievably cold. He had next to no clothes at all. All he wore
was a pair of tattered pants that he had found on a half decayed corpse in warriors armor lying
dead by one of the trees. He'd been surprised and terrified by the sight at first. He'd never seen a
corpse.
He had heard noises in the forest and sometimes voices, as if they were laughing at him. But
whenever he turned to the noise all there was, was the deathly silence. At points he thought that
he was going insane. Ranma could swear now that there was a presence nearby, but, he could not
feel any chi of any kind. Ranma nearly jumped out of his skin as a hand of pure darkness came
crashing down from the foliage. Instincts took over and Ranma jumped out of the way as the hand
slammed into the earth leaving a huge crater.
"What the HELL!" Ranma cried as he stared up at a large 20 foot creature that emerged from the
darkness beyond the thick foliage. It towered nearly as tall as some of the trees, and was
composed of what looked like pure darkness. It blended in perfectly with the shadows. As it stood
up it caught some of the sunlight coming from a nearby clearing which gave it an ethereal purple
hue.
Ranma jumped back as it's fist lashed out towards him again. The monster got frustrated by it's
failed attempts to catch the tiny person before it and it began to thrash wildly knocking down
many of the massive trees to the ground and making the earth tremble.
Ranma jumped out of the way of a smaller, but still rather large tree, that the large monster threw
his way. The boy was hard pressed just dodging everything that it threw at him. Some of the tree
trunks were maybe 9 feet in diameter. Ranma decided to try and get a Moko Takabisha off and
blast the thing so that he could get closer. He was about to charge up his chi when he sensed an
immense power buildup behind him. He jumped out of the way as a voice rang out in the forest
followed by a barrage of bright orange energy lances that rushed towards the 20 foot tall monster.
"BLAM BLAZER!!" The voice seemed to echo through the forest. Ranma watched as the
monsters arm fell from it's body and dissipated into a dark cloud of mist.
An old man wearing dark blue robes with lighter green highlights, burst from the foliage with blue
energy being emitted from his hands. He wore several talismans, wrist guards and other jewelry
that glowed with the same energy that came from his hands. "GET OUT OF HERE BOY!!" He
yelled as he started hurling bolts of strange energy at the creature who began to scream in pain
from the wizards onslaught. Ranma cringed as he heard the monsters cries. They were horrifying,
like something you only hear in sci-fi movies only it was real. It was even more horrifying as the
creatures face had only two burning blue eyes, and no mouth.
"The monster finally fell and the man in the robes walked over to Ranma with a stern look on his
face. Ranma didn't pay much attention to him as he watched the giant creature fade into the same
black mist that it's arm had. Ranma 's attention, however, was pulled back to the man as he began
talking. "You must be either very brave or far stupider than I could have ever imagined if you
planned on fighting a nightwalker melee, with no magic!" Ranma looked at the man confused.
"Nightwalker? Magic?! What's going on here?!" He asked in a frustrated voice. "Where AM I!?!"
He yelled at the man. The wizard sighed this boy was odd not to know what a nightwalker
was. Being that it was only one of the most feared monsters that roamed this earth.
"Boy. From where do you hail?" He asked in a calm voice. Ranma looked at him even more
confusedly and frustrated than he had ever been. He had already witnessed Dragons, 200 foot
trees, and twenty foot tall, pitch black monsters. And this had only been in his first few hours
here.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?!" He yelled. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE I
AM!" The mage waved his hand in the air in front of the boy and a glowing blue energy drifted
between the two people and entered Ranma's body.
"Sleep!" The man commanded.
Ranma began to feel woozy. “What did you...do?” He muttered groggily. He tried to stay awake
and managed to do so for about another minute but all was for nought and he fell asleep.
Galnaav frowned at the youth before him, he was obviously shocked by his confrontation with the
monster. He felt for the boy, he remembered his first battle with a nightwalker. He picked the boy
up and slung him over his broad shoulders. The man had grey hair that was turning white along
the top of his head and his facial hair. He had a goatee that coiled into a long braid . His robes
were a deep blue with green highlights. Smooth blue shoulder pads that were lined with a
metallic-silver color adorned his outfit as well. A large leather belt that had many potions, and
pouches of powder hanging from it on drawstrings hung from his waste. He had arm-bracers with
many jewels of different magical properties. He was like a wizard out of Fantasy novels.
He carried the young martial artist on his shoulders through the forest that towered over the land
for over an hour before coming to a clearing in the forest where the trees were much smaller. A
small shack lay in the center with smoke coming out of a chimney on the top. The old man
entered the house and came to a room with a bed, it was a small room and the only other items in
the room was a small oak dresser, and a couple incense candles.
The man set Ranma on the bed and pulled the covers over his form. He then left the room and left
Ranma to his dreams. "Sleep well young one." He said as he exited the room. “I imagine you will
have quite an interesting morning.”
************
Ranma found himself in an odd place. The last thing he remembered was that old guy shooting the
giant monster. He looked around at his surroundings to see nothing. There was nothing anywhere.
He was surrounded by a great black mist that stretched on seemingly forever. "Where am I?"
Ranma asked in a detached ethereal voice to no one in particular. "What's going on?"
The pigtailed martial artist looked around frantically hoping to catch a glimpse of life somewhere.
There was nothing. "Ranma." A voice spoke out from the darkness behind him. Ranma spun
around to see who or what had spoken but there was nothing where the voice came from.
"WHO'S THERE!" Ranma called. All of a sudden a large reptilian creature appeared in front of
him, a mere inch from his face. "AAAHHH!!" Ranma yelled as he jumped back, startled by the
creature, in the vast plane of nothingness. Ranma stared at the thing before him in amazement.
The thing looked like a hybrid between a red dragon and a human being. It stood on two feet and
had hands that were more human-like in shape. He stood about 8-9 feet tall and his eyes were as
blue as the afternoon sky. Ranma could swear he recognized those eyes but he wrote it off as a
coincidence.
The Dragon man's clothing consisted of a crimson cloak with golden outlines and patterns. His
armour like scales were a lighter red than the clothing he wore, golden arm bracers encrusted with
jewels were attached to his large muscular arms. The jewels glowed with a magical energy of
some sort.
"You are here for a reason Ranma Saotome." The dragon man said. Ranma looked at the Dragon
man in confusion.
"What do you mean? Why am I here?" The Dragon looked deep into Ranma's eyes and Ranma
could see the years of experience that he had. He could tell that this Dragon Man would be able to
defeat him without any trouble at all. "What do you want?" Ranma asked suspiciously.
The Dragon Man stepped back and stated simply. "You are needed." He began to turn away but
Ranma intercepted him.
"WAIT!" He called as he grabbed onto the man's scaly shoulder. "What am I needed for?" Tell
me!" The Dragon looked into Ranma's eyes just as calm as he had been before.
"There is a great evil coming to this land. You are needed to protect it." Ranma looked at the
dragon Man confused.
"Evil? What evil? Why am I needed? I need to know more!" The Dragon walked away
disappearing into the mist Ranma tried to go after him but found he couldn't move.
"That is all you need to know!" The Dragon's disembodied voice called out from the mist to the
boy. Ranma wanted to know more. His curiosity was peaked and he was confused. The mist
started to get brighter turning from deep black to a grey shifting color and finally to a blinding
white.
**************
Ranma awoke with a start. *Woah!* he thought as he wiped the sweat from his brow. *What a
strange dream.* Although he was already starting to forget the images of the dream as they faded
from his mind. He looked around at his surroundings. He was in a house of some sort, but it
wasn't the Tendo's. He was lying in a bed in a room with nothing but a dresser with a lit incense
candle on it.
The pigtailed martial artist threw off the sheets that were covering him and walked over to the
candle. "What's going on here?" He pondered as he began looking around for any other occupants
that may be around. He walked over to the door and opened it as quietly as he possibly could.
Silently, he began to walk down the hall towards were he heard a voice.
He turned his head around the final corner to see the old guy that he remembered from the forest.
The man was currently sitting at a desk writing with a feather pen. He was muttering to himself as
he wrote, often the man would crumple up a piece of paper and throw it behind him across the
room. The man's ears perked up and he turned his finely clothed form to where Ranma hid.
"You can come out now, young elf. I mean you no harm." Ranma came out from hiding and faced
the old man. Who was looking him over as if sizing him up. Ranma looked around the room at the
walls and all of the expensive looking items that decorated the room.
"What do you want from me?" Ranma asked the man as he slowly and cautiously made his way
towards the man. "What do you mean, elf?"
The white and grey haired man chuckled, a deep gruff sound that was pleasant and full of humor.
"Ooh young man. You are a funny one. Hmm. Well, by the looks of your appearance and the
speed at which you moved How could I not think you are an elf? Are you saying that you are not
what you appear?" Ranma looked at the man confused.
"I don't look like an elf!" Ranma said in defense. The old man chuckled again.
"Well than take a look at yourself!" With that said he waved his hand in the air, "SHIMMER
FROST!" He called out as a blue aura came off of his waving arm. An instant later a mirror
appeared right in front of Ranma. The Mirror was made of a blue energy of some sort and it
floated in mid air in front of the pigtailed boy.
"What the?" Ranma said as he looked at himself in the mirror. He touched his ears to make sure
that the picture he was seeing was not just an illusion. He gawked in surprise as he felt just what
he saw. "AAAAAH! I HAVE POINTY EARS!!!" He yelled. The Man across the room waved his
hand and the mirror disappeared.
"Well if you are not an elf than what race are you young one?" The man asked. Ranma looked at
him with a little annoyance.
"What do you mean race!?" The boy asked. "I'm from the human race! Where else!?" The man
stood up and walked towards the boy. Ranma followed his every movement.
"Where did you learn to move like that?" The man asked. Ranma looked at him, confusion still
written on his features. The man sighed and continued. "In the forest of nightmares! When that
Nightwalker attacked you, you moved like a demon of some sort. How, if you truly are human,
are you able to move like that?" Ranma shrugged.
"It's nothing. I've been training in the martial arts ever since I could walk." It was now the old
mans turn to stare at Ranma confused.
"What is this 'Martial Arts' that you talk about?" He asked as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Ranma looked at the man as if he was a total idiot. "You don't know what martial arts is!?!" He
asked in bewilderment. The ancient wizard shook his head. Ranma burst out laughing. "Oh that's a
good one! How could anyone not know what martial arts is? HA, HA!" The wizard looked to
Ranma with intrigued curiosity in his eyes.
"Perhaps, young warrior, you could teach me of this martial arts that you talk of?" He said.
Ranma stopped in his humorous thoughts and looked at the man amazed.
"Oh my God! You actually don't know what martial arts is. Do you?!" The mage shook his head
again. Ranma looked at the man and was about to explain to him what Martial arts was when
there was a sound at the door. The wizard looked towards the door that was at the end of the
hall.
"Boy, what is your name?" The wizard asked in a very serious voice.
Ranma stuttered at the sudden change of subject. "Uhm, uh R-Ranma."
The wizard continued. "Ranma I sense there is something beyond the door it could possibly be
another monster I will check what it is. You stay here out of harms way. Ranma looked at the guy
stubbornly.
"WHAT!?! NO WAY! Your an _old guy_ you could get hurt badly if you went up against one of
those monsters!" The man glared at Ranma. With wise eyes that told of many years of experience.
"With age comes knowledge young one! And with knowledge comes power! Do not forget who
saved you yesterday from the Nightwalker. SNAKING HOLD!" With that the man shot a bolt of
energy at Ranma the blue energy snaked around the boys body and held him where he stood in a
tangle of magical energy.
"What The..?" Ranma said as the energy lifted him into the air, suspended and unable to do
anything. He tried to break his bonds but he failed miserably as the more he struggled the tighter
the thing became. "What is this stuff!?!" He cried. The wizard ignored him as he walked towards
the door energy crackling from his hands.
Ranma stopped struggling as he felt the presence beyond the door, it was familiar to him. The old
man opened up the door with one hand and looked out. A few meters from the door was a red
dragon. It was a not a very large dragon probably about 8 meters long. Ranma recognized the
dragon. Though he could not see it past the wizard he could sense it’s aura. The wizard was
about to hit it with the energy built up in his hands but Ranma yelled out. "STOP!" The wizard
looked over to the boy in confusion.
"BOY! What are you talking about this is a dragon! If I do not, it may harm others nearby!" He
was about to blast it but Ranma stopped him once again.
"IT'S MINE!! It’s harmless!" He called out. The mage looked to the dragon who was just sitting
outside looking at the man. Then he looked over to the boy who was suspended in the air with the
magic bonds. He sniffed audibly with disdain then waved his hand in the air. The magic bonds
disappeared and Ranma fell to the floor with an audible thump. He rubbed his head being that it
was what took the brunt of the fall.
The boy walked over to the Dragon and looked up at it. "Yeah I recognize you." He said. "Bigger
than last time I saw you, but still you." He then fixed a glare at the wizard who was about to
obliterate the young Dragon for no reason at all. "You can't just go and kill it because it's
there!" Ranma said. “It wasn’t even doing anything.”
The wizard looked at Ranma in shock and mild annoyance. "How could you possibly tame a red
dragon boy?! They are the most blood thirsty of all Dragons! They eat humans and elves as late
night snacks!"
Ranma looked up at the Dragon. It looked harmless to him. After all he had watched as it's
mother died as well as the birth of this one. "HEY! For the last time I am not an Elf!" Ranma
began, "I was there when the thing was born and it seems pretty harmless." The wizard nodded.
"I see." He said. "So you must have raised it for quite some time then." Ranma snorted.
"Naw! It hatched this morning. I told it to stay up on the mountain but apparently it seems to have
followed me anyway." He said as he frowned at the dragon. The wizard marveled at the sight of
the dragon now.
"Remarkable!" He exclaimed. "A dragon that's age has accelerated. This is unbelievable!" The
wizard then ran back to where Ranma had found him before inside the house and began to write
down the happenings of the day. Ranma followed and looked over his shoulder quizzically.
"What'cha writing?" He asked. The wizard spun around in his seat.
"Young man. I ask that you please stay with me at my home."
Ranma looked more confused than he had ever been since he had came to this crazy world.
"HUH!?!" Ranma answered intelligently. The man then began to explain himself.
"That dragon that you have's body is at the age of about thirteen or fourteen years old. If what
you say is true than this Dragon is one of a kind. The aging of most dragons goes so that they
would age at a normal pace much like that of a humans. When they hit adolescence they're aging
slows down and then eventually slow to a pace where it would take nearly a hundred years for a
dragon to age a single day. They almost can't die by age." Ranma marveled at the information
given to him.
"Sooo what's this got to do with me staying here?" Ranma asked the man. The man smiled and
continued.
"Young man. I would like to overlook the Dragons aging and find out what it is maybe that has
made it age so quickly in it's wyrmling years. It’s all really quite fascinating."
Ranma put his hands in front of him to stop the man. "Woah, woah, woah! I don't even know
where I am! I don't even think I'm on the same world that I was born on." The wizard's expression
brightened like a kid receiving a present on Christmas.
"You are to suggest that you are not even from this plane of existence?!" He yelled in excitement.
Ranma nodded and sweat poured down his face. He felt that this would only lead to trouble.
"Yeah basically that's it. I don't have time to stay long I gotta find a way home." The mage
nodded.
"I shall help you get home then young one." He said. Ranma looked hopeful.
"You could do that?!" He asked. "How long will it take?" The wizard shook his head.
"That I do not know young one..." Ranma cut him off.
"Please just call me Ranma." The wizard nodded.
"Very well than Ranma. I am Galnaav. I am a sorcerer and Master wizard. I have practiced the
magic arts ever since I was very young. I used to take part in adventures with a few of my friends
that I had met along my journeys to improve my power. However once I had learned everything
magic related I had taken to living in these forests. I have outlived many of my friends and many
of them I have witnessed die in battle with the many creatures that we fought along our journeys.
I have been looking for a protégée. One so that I may pass on my knowledge and so that I may be
remembered. I can think of no one better." Ranma listened intently.
"You want to teach me." He said matter of factly. "Well count me out. I've had enough bad
luck with magic to last me a lifetime." The wizard tried to talk him out of it.
"Ranma you have great potential both in the physical and the magical skills. Magic is the only way
you may be able to get back to your own world." Ranma tried not to listen but the old man made
a good point. He was always on the lookout for new techniques that he could incorporate into the
anything goes. And how else would he get home? He was pretty sure it was magic that had sent
him here. Ranma's mind was having a battle of whether or not to accept the mans offer. It was a
short battle...very short.
"Alright." Ranma said. "I'll give it a shot. If that's the only way to find my way home. I'll stay."
Galnaav smiled and started planning for the lessons.
**************
A whole other world away the Tendo family the Chinese amazon's Ukyo, Happosai and Ryoga
stood out in an open field. Kasumi was currently overloading Akane with supplies such as: a
weeks worth of clothing, food and feminine products. Akane was feeling more than a little
embarrassed. She felt like she was going on a months vacation in the woods rather than a rescue
mission. Ukyo and Shampoo where smirking at the youngest Tendo, enjoying her torment.
Akane was carrying a large backpack that was overflowing with stuff and she had a picnic basket
full of food. Cologne was busy drawing a circle around the center of the park where the three girls
would be using the spell.
The old woman stepped back from the circle and dusted off her hands. "There! All done!" She
called out to the others. Akane ran to get to the circle first. She was desperate to get away from
her sister's overly worried attention. Ukyo and Shampoo walked into the center right after Akane
and they all took positions beside each other.
Shampoo carried the magic book containing the spell. She flipped it to the right page and after
sprinkling a magical dust over the page the three girls began to chant all at the same time.
Cologne led the rest of the viewers far away from the circle, just in case.
"Beyond the barriers of time and space,
Beyond our mortal plane,
Open doors to many more,
No two be quite the same."
The purple and red energy began to swirl around the circle getting thicker and thicker concealing
the three girls from view. The energy then began to contract and close in around the center.
"I call upon the power of Darkstorm,
To lend your power unto me."
The swirling energy traveled up the forms of the three girls and continued to contract. The energy
was now a bright Crimson.
"Let the gates be torn asunder by the power that you and I possess,
DIMENSIONAL PORTAL!."
The energy then shot straight up into the air. They watched it as it traveled through the sky and
then turned around and headed right back at them. The energy impacted with the three girls and a
massive explosion of blinding Crimson energy ensued. The others did not notice a shrivelled old
man jumping to the center before it impacted.
The people watching the spectacle from the sidelines watched but had to shield their faces when
the Explosion began. The energy died down and faded away and there was nothing left. All
occupants rushed to see what had happened what they saw shocked them. The girls were gone!
But their clothing and supplies were still there. Charred and torn. Kasumi gasped. "Oh my! Even
the clothes they were wearing are here." She said as she pointed at the piles of clothes.
Cologne nodded her head. "Yes it appears that the only thing that accompanied them was the
book. At least this time the explosion was contained within the circle."
Kasumi gasped. "What if they land in a public place on the other dimension?" Everyone sweated
as they thought of the effects that would have on the people there. Three pretty, naked, girls
appearing out of nowhere in a public place with nothing but a book filled with magical spells.
Cologne sweated. "I have a really, really bad feeling about this!" She muttered to herself.
Nabiki looked around at the other occupants and looked confused. It seemed that they were a
person short. "Uhm where's Happosai?" She asked out loud, everyone's blank stares answered the
chestnut haired girl's question, their fears were confirmed when Kasumi picked up a small dark
purple Ghi from the center of the blast radius.
***************
Ranma and the Sorcerer/wizard, Galnaav were currently having supper in the man's home. Ranma
was not eating though, rather he was looking oddly at the 'meal' that sat on the plate in front of
him. What sat there was a massive heap of black goo with purple highlights to it. It had a salad
too but the leaves were steaming and were Red and blue in colour. Ranma looked up at Galnaav
who was eating the 'food' vigorously.
"So you can cure my curse?" Ranma asked trying to keep his mind off the food. The wizard
nodded.
"Yes I can cure all curses. It is a simple matter of finding the root of the curse and magically
pulling it out of you. Your curse may take a while to remove and it could be quite painful since
you've had it for so long but I assure you I can do it..." Ranma nodded weakly he thought
about what the curse had done for him. It had gotten him through some really tight situations,
sometimes it had been the sole thing that had kept him alive on his adventures.
The wizard continued to ramble on about destiny and Magic and the history of his world but
Ranma paid no attention to it. It was just like being in school again. "So Ranma, I can remove it
right after we finish eating here."
"Actually," Ranma began as he threw the contents of his plate outside through a nearby window.
"I think I might like to keep my curse." The Sorcerer looked at the boy confused.
"You want to keep a curse?" He asked flabbergasted. "Why in the world would you want to keep\
your curse? You've said yourself that it was nothing but problems." Ranma shrugged.
"Well, It's also gotten me out of some life threatening situations as well. If I didn't have my curse
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even be here talking with you right now if it wasn’t for this curse." The
wizard, Galnaav, nodded in understanding.
"I see." Galnaav said. "So it is a curse yet also a blessing. Tell me, what does this curse of yours
do? You still haven't told me." Ranma scratched the back of his head.
"Well it's a little embarrassing." He said. Galnaav stared at the boy intensely. Ranma knew that he
would eventually find out so he sighed and told his story. When he was finished telling the old
man about Jusenkyo and the effects of the cursed springs the man was amazed.
"Extraordinary!" Galnaav exclaimed. Ranma shrugged. He looked out the window that he sat
beside. The red Dragon was currently lying in the sun Ranma could see that the Dragon had
grown some more.
"Galnaav? If I ever go out and travel through a village with Crimson would there be some way to
conceal her?" The old sorcerer looked at the boy confused.
"Crimson?" He asked. "You have already given the Dragon a name?" Ranma nodded.
"Yeah. If Crimson’s gonna be hanging around with me she might as well have a name." Ranma
said as he shrugged his shoulders.
"You plan on taking your dragon into a village?" Ranma shrugged again.
"Yeah. I mean I gotta keep an eye out for her. Is there some sort of spell that would hide her from
other peoples view?" Ranma asked the man.
Galnaav chuckled. "To hide a Dragon would be absolutely impossible. They have a natural
resistance to magic and an invisibility spell would do nothing to hide the beast from view,
especially from those who are attuned to magic and I can assure you that there are many people in
this world who are.."
"So What can I do?" Ranma asked.
Galnaav answered his question by walking over to his study and pulling out a scroll. He gave it to
Ranma who opened it up and perused through it. He threw it on the table and sighed in
frustration. "I can't read that. What does it say?" Galnaav took the scroll from the boy and looked
at it.
"This, is the writing of our people." He said. "During your stay here you will need to learn to read
this. This is a scroll detailing the history of the ancient Draconic temple of the Holy Dragon King.
All dragons can take on a human form once they reach a certain age. Usually they gain this ability
at about the age of 150. This process can however be speeded up if the dragons visit the Temple
and perform an ancient ritual. Once I have finished with your magic training you should travel to
the temple and have 'Crimson' perform the ritual." Ranma nodded.
"No Problem! Crimson's already taken a liking to me anyway. She follows me everywhere."
Ranma then smiled at Galnaav. "So when do we start this 'magic training'?" Ranma asked.
"I would suggest teaching your young dragon to speak our language as soon as possible Ranma.
A common form of communication would more than likely help to raise the dragon to be more
civilized. " Ranma nodded.
“Okay. No problem. Then we can start the magic training?” Ranma asked impatiently, not being
able to resist the temptation of learning new abilities.
Galnaaz nodded. “Indeed we shall.”
Ranma turns to a nearby window where Crimson’s head can be seen watching them. “Guess we
better get this language barrier out of the way quickly then huh?”
Crimson then nods. “Yes.”
Galnaav and Ranma’s eyes fly open in shock and awe. The dragon had said it’s first word...
already. Ranma smiled. “Quick learner huh? That’s definitely going to make this easier on me.”
***************
Three months Later. Ranma stood in the middle of a rocky clearing. He wore a red shirt with
black and blue patterns that formed pictures of dragons. He wore two golden arm bracers on
each arm, they were a gift to him given by Galnaav. They were encrusted with green blue and red
gems and had patterns that swirled back and forth forming a picture of what looked like mist. He
wore dark navy pants with simple black leg bracers and his pigtail was a little longer now. He
looked towards the forest that lay not too far off.
He turned away from the forest and looked towards the woods on the other side of the clearing as
he heard something move. His attention was torn from that direction as a large red dragon burst
out of the forest that he had been looking at before. He jumped out of the way of a lethal claw
swipe the dragon sent towards him.
Ranma powered up some green magical energy in his hands and slammed it on the ground as soon
as he touched down. "DUG HAUT!!" He yelled. The energy lanced out towards the dragon
through the ground and caused the earth beneath it to lance out at it.
The dragon jumped over them using it's wings to give it more jumping power. It then did a back
flip in air and landed beyond the rocky spikes. It then jumped forward to lash out at the pigtailed
martial artist. Ranma, however, had known that his initial attack would not catch his opponent as
it was only a distraction to get it with a...
"FREEZE ARROW!!" The ice arrows flew through the air at the Dragon who was caught
unaware as the dust created by the Dug Haut had effectively hidden the second attack from view.
It managed to dodge all accept one arrow which caught it in the front paw. The spell proceeded
to cover the front leg in ice. It disabled the dragons balance and it fell to the ground tumbling into
the trees beyond.
Ranma sighed and walked after the fallen Dragon. The ice spell had already for the most part
worn off and was already melting, speeded up of course by the dragon's immense body
temperature. Ranma walked up to the dragon and looked it in the eyes. "How could you get hit by
the second shot!?!" He asked annoyed. Another figure appeared out of nowhere in a shimmer of
blue energy and walked up behind Ranma putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Ranma." He said in a calm and collected voice. "Give her a break you have been training her
since five in the morning. She’s tired and she’s still young."
Ranma nodded. "Yeah I know. She really takes to martial arts like me. I'm really proud of her.
I've only been training her for a month and a half. And she's got half the moves down really well."
The dragon in question got up from the ground after speeding up the melting of the ice with it's
flame breath. "I'm sorry for not doing better father." The Dragon said to the martial artist.
Ranma smiled at the dragon. "Don't worry Crimson. You did really well today." Crimson smiled,
a feature that looked strange but beautiful on the large reptiles features. "We're done for today."
Ranma said. "We'll begin again tomorrow and I'll teach you some new techniques." Crimson
nodded and walked off towards the clearing. Ranma smiled as he watched the creature walk off.
"Oh and Crimson!" Ranma called out to the Dragon. The Red Dragon looked back at Ranma.
"Yes Father?" She asked.
"Don't call me father!" He yelled out.
Crimson snickered. "Yes Papa-san!" It said and then it proceeded to run away.
Ranma gave chase to her. "GET BACK HERE YOU!! I'M NOT GONNA TAKE ANY LIP
FROM YOUR MOUTH!!"
Galnaav laughed out loud, an action that he found much easier to do nowadays with Ranma
around. The voice of a young teenage girl coming from the mouth of the monstrous looking
dragon always amused him to no end as well.
The old man settled down to a chuckle as he heard explosions in the distance. "Oh That boy!" He
muttered to himself. "He's more of a parent to that creature than he even realizes." Galnaav
thought back to the early stages of Ranma's training. The boy had little, if no trouble at all picking
up magic. He incorporated it into his martial arts and was quite powerful in both areas. He even
gave the all mighty Galnaav a run for his money a few days ago. He chuckled again as he thought
back to that day. It was also the day that he gave him the Arm Bands of Zan-Sovee, which
increased his magical powers a little bit. He had figured out how they worked almost instantly.
Galnaav had begun to wonder if there was anything the boy couldn't do. He had learned many
languages, such as Draconian, Ogre and Giant during his stay here. Even Galnaav couldn't speak
Ogre. The boy was an information sponge when it came to things he was interested in and
Crimson wasn’t much different in that sense.
He had improved on his Martial arts as well, studying the many monsters of this world and
creating systems of attacking and defending that was based on the movements and forms of those
creatures. He also had a Dragon to spar with daily, which improved his skills phenomenally.
The Dragon, Crimson, was a whole different matter. It had learned the telepathy spell early on
and Ranma had used it to teach her all the languages that he knew just as Galnaav had. As well as
teaching it the martial arts that he practiced. It was a perfect fighting form to teach a dragon since
the school was based heavily on aerial attacks. Red dragons are known for being ground fighters
and having very little aerial skill. Ranma's teachings however had made Crimson a dragon that
even a blue, gold, or black dragon would have trouble holding their own against.
Crimson had grown a little more the day Ranma came but shortly after it slowed down to a
normal rate of growth. She and Ranma were about the same age now in both their years. What
amazed Galnaav the most was Crimson's ability to adapt to magic and fighting skills. She was
almost identical to Ranma in that sense. She was very playful and loved to tease her 'father',
Ranma. Ranma always hated being called father, or dad, or Pops. But he especially hated being
called Papa-san.
Crimson, however, loved to use this name to tease Ranma constantly. Ranma didn't like it at all
but he did like having the Dragon around no matter what she called him. The boy had already
learned and mastered Earth, Fire, and Water spells. He had even made a few of his own spells
based on amalgamations of two or more of those forms. Galnaav didn't think it possible to mix
magical elements until the boy had 'experimented'.
Galnaav had warned Ranma that experimenting with magic was very dangerous and that it was
foolish to do so, being that there was no way of knowing the results, but Ranma? Ranma seemed
to be able to pull it off every time. Galnaav marveled at the boys potential. He would be a force
that would go down in history.
**************
Ranma was currently walking beside Crimson towards the house. Both combatants were covered
in dirt, mud, and leaves of all kinds. It was starting to get dark and he and Crimson had been
chasing each other around and fighting for most of the day. Ranma stopped as he smelled
something.
He sniffed the air trying to figure out what the smell was. As he got closer to the hut the smell
grew stronger and it was the foulest thing he had ever smelt before. Ranma covered up his nose
with one hand but it didn't seem to do anything. "Breathing Orb!" Ranma managed to say between
gagging. A blue orb of magic formed itself around his head and enabled him to breath with ease,
blocking out the fowl stench.
He looked up to Crimson who was choking on the air Ranma waved his hand up towards her
head and called out another breathing orb which surrounded Crimsons head and allowed her to
breath normally.
"Sorry Crimson." Ranma said. "Hard to think of others when your air supply is choked of by
something that bad." Crimson nodded in understanding.
"Thank you Papa-san." She said. Ranma frowned as he continued to walk towards the small
house where he lived with Galnaav.
"Oh So now your going to actually say it for all to hear aren't you!?" Ranma said. "Use telekinesis
if you plan on calling me that, or father, or Dad, or Pop." Crimson nodded.
"Yes, Papa-san." She said with a reptilian smirk. Ranma sighed in defeat. They were almost to the
clearing where the shack stood when Ranma held out his hand for Crimson to stop.
"Someone's in the house." Ranma said in a hushed voice. Crimson shrugged and was about to
walk forward but Ranma stopped her.
<It's probably Galnaav.> She said before being stopped.
Ranma shook his head. "No not Galnaav there's several, they’re moving really quickly around the
house. Their probably Troglodytes. That's probably what that smell is." Ranma motioned for
Crimson to stay put and began to silently creep towards the house. He peeked inside one of the
windows and he was right there was about seven, maybe eight Troglodytes inside the house. They
were talking in their own tongue so Ranma couldn't understand them. He crept around the house
to the front where three Trogs stood watch.
Ranma smiled and jumped up onto the roof. None of the Trogs had seen him and Ranma ducked
low. He powered up his chi, and then jumped down into the middle of the three lizard like men.
Ranma took them all out in a matter of seconds. Their thick reptilian hides were no match for his
strength.
Ranma looked around at the fallen Troglodytes and smirked. "What a bunch of wimps." Ranma
then began to jump around and yell. "HEY TROGS! YO! OUT HERE! I'M A NICE PLUMP
JUICY HUMAN!!" Ranma was goading them out of the house so that he could fight them in
open space without wrecking the house.
The Troglodytes inside the house heard Ranma's calls and not being too smart figured that one
human was just lunch. They rushed out of the house some of them armed with spears and others
had large leather sacks over their shoulders. The sacks were overflowing with valuables from
inside.
As soon as they were all out of the house they charged Ranma. Ranma smirked and whistled
loudly. Crimson burst out of the forest and landed right behind Ranma with a thundering crash.
Crimson looked angry her eyes glowed bright red and she blew little streams of smoke from her
nostrils. The Troglodytes features twisted into that of fear at the sight of the red dragon. Crimson
wasn't a very old dragon but eight Trogs no matter how tough they were, were no match for it.
Of course the martial arts Training Crimson had gone through under Ranma made her even more
of a force to be reckoned with. Ranma jumped out in front of the fleeing Trogs and kicked one
across the field efficiently knocking it out. He knocked two others out with a series of punches
and kicks. He turned to one and gave it a full barrage of chestnut fists.
"TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!" as his fists blurred, striking seemingly every point on the vile
creatures anatomy. Ranma smiled and left the rest to Crimson.
Crimson was bored. She had hoped something bigger would be there for her smash. She hated
these foul creatures, they tasted terrible even when cooked. She casually grabbed up the last four
of the Trogs. After carefully taking the sacks of treasure from each one and carefully setting them
on the ground, she reared back and pitched them across the forest. Crimson's Dragon strength
along with the martial arts training enabled her to throw them right over the forest and into the
mountains beyond.
She smiled though, it was fun to do that. She curled up in a ball and began to rest. Galnaav chose
that time to show up. He casually strode into the house not even noticing the unconscious
Troglodytes lying on the ground. "Ranma, tomorrow you will finish learning the wind spells and
begin on Healing and Protection spells." Ranma sighed. Nothing seemed to phase that man.
The boy shrugged and followed him into the house, intents on getting a good nights rest. "Good
night Crimson." Ranma called back to the red dragon that was curled up in a ball outside. The
Dragon yawned loudly and replied.
"Good night Papa-san." She muttered before closing her eyes and falling asleep. Ranma smiled at
Crimson and then entered the house.
************
Author’s notes: {Chapter two’s done... onto three. There’s not a lot done to this chapter but I
added a few lines to better express just how fast of a learner Crimson really is. Also, in case you
didn’t notice this from chapter one. I have re-written the entire spell that was used to send both
Ranma and the girls. And so this is day two of the rewrites. Still much more to come in Dragon’s
Bond. Stay tuned and enjoy.}
Morden Night: mordennight@hotmail.com