Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Nightmare Saga: Warrior of Shadows ❯ Destructive Battle on Togenkyo! Another Old Rival Falls!? ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three: Destructive Battle on Togenkyo! Another Old Rival Falls!?

{The sea, endless in its blue as it touches the horizon, brushing against the clouds and the sun…}

Prince Toma yawned in boredom as he gazed out at the seemingly endless ocean through one of the many windows in his giant tree home. The small island of Togenkyo, his magical empire, rocked gently against the waves, as if the mother sea were cradling the island, its own small child.

{Man, I'm so bored… Bored, bored, bored!}

In the waves around the island, a family of bottle nosed dolphins called out as the younger ones followed each other in a lively game of tag. In the crisp blue sky above, a flock of seagulls landed on the Great Tree's many branches, resting after such a long journey across the infinite reaches of the blue. The island drew these animals and more as a testament of it's gentle magical powers. The island was a haven from the wilds of the Pacific, peacefully keeping it's existence secret from the majority of man-kind.

Today promised to be a boring one, just as the hundred previous days before that, and the hundred before that. Toma had spent most of his life on this magical island, often bored out of his mind as any normal child would be. Tapping his fingers incessantly on his wooden throne, he wished, no, pleaded for something exciting to happen.

{I would trade my entire kingdom and everything in it if I could live a life like Ranma does. But then again, I had best not tease myself with such wishful thinking. I have certain obligations I must attend to. There is no room for a prince to be selfish. My duty is to my people first and foremost.}

At some point after meeting Ranma, the older boy had become Toma's role model. He believed that if he could be more like Ranma, then his life would gain some excitement. This ideal was not without merit. Ranma's life was never dull, to be sure. Toma's advisors were less than thrilled that he had chosen to emulate such an insufferable ruffian and had no trouble saying so. Their arguments were all sustained when the fact that the great tree and most of the island had suffered damage on Ranma and his friend's behalf during their brief stay.

{Yes, of course these thoughts are impossible. I shouldn't be thinking about crazy adventures. I'm being too selfish.} Toma rose from his throne and stretched his lithe body, cracking his neck and knuckles, ridding himself of stiffness. {Guess I'll perform my weekly inspection of the training grounds, it's not like I have anything better to do today.} Attaching his ancient ancestral sword to his side, he threw open the chamber doors and stepped out into the warm, tropical sunlight. It's gentle glow raised his mood as soothing warmth soaked into his body and a light smile touched his lips. Snapping his fingers, he was instantly flanked by his three beast-men bodyguards who came out of the woodwork at inhuman speed. They walked in silence through the island's dense forest of palm trees, admiring the beautiful day, guarding their prince with skilled awareness even though everyone knew there were no threats to speak of on his island. What few natural predators had once lived there had long since been destroyed.

{I wonder what Ranma and Akane have been up to lately. I suppose I should pay them a visit sometime.} After losing Akane to Ranma, the two teenagers had parted as friends after he had given them all a free ride back to mainland Japan. Toma wasn't the type to hold a grudge and besides, during Ranma's stay on Togenkyo, he hadn't been bored a single moment. It also made his realize that he still had a lot of maturing to do before he even thought about marriage, which had been his only goal until that point.

Most of the men on his island had married the many maidens whom he had stolen from other islands to be used as bridal candidates. The women had resented them at first but constant effort and attention won their hearts one after another. His men were good-hearted and kind, and the women were treated with reverence and love. Marriages were held almost every day, for over a month straight, a record for the island and its people. Romance and bliss returned to Togenkyo and now, a year later, the island was filled with cooing, crying babies, swelling the population to a greater number than it had ever known. In a few years, the father's would train their children to fight and serve Toma as well as they had. Thus the security and continued existence of Togenkyo was secured for many generations to come.

Arriving at the round circular training area on the southeast tip of the island, Toma watched as the men sparred with a small measure of interest. This zone was as militaristic as Toma would allow. Training was conducted only in this area, so that the overall peace and quiet of the island would not be disturbed.

"They certainly have improved since last year, wouldn't you agree Salatoru?"

Yes, lord," The man/monkey nodded, taking a puff from his long tobacco pipe. His voice sounded amazing like a cheesy game show host on TV, but most knew better than to cross him. His mastery of mind-altering images and illusions were impressive indee, second only to Toma himself. "I wonder what has inspired them to train so hard."

"That is quite obvious," the bird/man Torusan rasped. "They wish to be in top shape so that they can inspire their sons to be even stronger then themselves. It's a natural balance of sorts. Wonton the dog/man just stared dumbly at his comrades, not understanding the topic at hand. He pulled a bone from his pocket and stuck it in his oversized mouth, 'woofing' happily.

"Togenkyo's guards are the finest in the Orient, my lord," Salatoru remarked, gestured to the training men with his pipe. "If their sons learn to fight as good as their fathers then we will be in fine shape."

When the men saw their master was watching them, they increased the ferocity of their strikes in hopes of catching his attention to each of their own fighting skills. Half hearted blows turned serious and swords clashed together sharply, drowning out the sounds of the ocean around them. Some of them turned to unarmed combat and wrestling. As they threw their opponents to the ground with audible thuds, sand was kicked up high into the hot afternoon sky.

The fourteen-year-old stared at the sun as it climbed higher across the sky. Like most children his age, he soon grew bored and needed constant amusement to stay focused on a certain thing for any period of time. "Salatoru, stay and watch over the men. Wonton, Toristan, you two may return to your chambers. I am done here for the day."

The three men bowed respectfully as Toma departed back into the cool shade of his tree home. He fell onto his bed and stared longingly at the group photo of Ranma and his friends that was mounted on his wall. Feeling the gentle rock of the island upon the waters, he lay there for a few moments as his mind dwelled on the past. His thoughts returned to those of his mother and he jumped up to look at a huge panting of her on the massive wall opposite of his bed. {She was so beautiful.} he thought, smiling gently. {So kind, and gentle. I wish you were still here with me mother, I know you would be pleased to see the man I've become.}

A strong cold breeze sailed through Toma's home, causing the young prince to shiver and clutch at his arms, rubbing against the goose bumps that formed across his skin. He stood up, looking around for the source of this strange occurrence. {Strange, I don't remember it getting this cold in July…}

The breeze died down and the room once again warmed up. Toma was about to forget the strange matter entirely when suddenly, a powerful, intangible force rose up from out of nowhere and nearly knocked him off his feet. His eye's widened in barely concealed concern and he suddenly felt a tingle of fear for some strange reason. His heightened senses screamed at him from the confines of the back of his mind, urging extreme caution.

{A battle aura?! Yes, that's what it is, I can sense it! I've never felt anything so strong before!} He turned away from the painting and scanned the room. {It couldn't be Ranma... could it? No, this feels sinister… almost unnaturally so.}

"THIS CAN'T BE PRINCE TOMA OF TOGENKYO, HE'S JUST A BOY!" A deep voice rumbled throughout the room, startling the prince to his core.

Toma searched thru the chamber with his eyes, trying to find the source of the voice as his hand felt to the hilt of sword, drawing comfort from it's firm metal frame. "Who's there!?"

His well trained eyes fell on the doorway where a shimmering form of what he guessed was a man emerged into existence from out of no where. It couldn't be a shadow, he quickly deducted that much. The sunlight couldn't penetrate deep enough in the tree to cast enough light to form deep shadows of that nature and even if it could, nothing in his home even resembled such a shape. He guessed it was some kind of magical trick, perhaps an illusion.

With a wave of his hand, the shadow stepped forward. Behind him, the large stone door closed and locked behind him. Toma felt the hair's on the back of his neck prickle and stand on end. A cold hand had settled on his heart with a chilled ice grip, and he took a hesitant half step backwards. "You there, who are you and why do you enter my chambers without permission?!" Toma had the suspicion that his day was about to take a wide u-turn away from boredom.

{What's that saying? 'Be careful what you wish for?'}

"I AM A MASTER OF SHADOWS, NOTHING MORE. I HAVE COME TO SEE THE FAMOUS LORD OF TOGENKYO. I AM DISSAPOINTED TO SEE THAT YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A MERE CHILD. IF I HAD KNOWN THIS BEFOREHAND, I WOULDN'T HAVE WASTED MY TIME COMING HERE."

Toma simmered with anger and his shoulders trembled. "A mere child?! I am Toma, Lord of Illusions! I find your disrespect annoying and completely uncalled for! Be gone, shadow, or you will be punished accordingly."

The shadow laughed with amusement. "YOU PUNISH ME?! LISTEN TO ME BOY, I HAVE FOUGHT MANY POWERFUL OPPONENTS AND WITHSTOOD MANY STRANGE AND UNUSUAL ATTACKS DURING MY TIME OF TRAINING. I HIGHLY DOUBT THAT YOU, A PUNKISH YOUNG FOOL, WILL SUCCEED IN BEATING ME WHERE SO MANY OTHERS HAVE FAILED."

"You not only underestimate my abilities but you insult me as well!" Toma growled and drew his sword. "It seems you need a lesson in manners and respect. Prepare for battle!"

He charge forward, swinging his sword with deadly grace, trying to deliver a blow that would cleave his opponent in half. Unfortunately, it didn't connect. The Shadow Warrior teleported at the last second and Toma's sword caught nothing but air. His opponent was fast, and this would negate the chance to end the fight prematurely.

The prince spun around frantically, searching for his elusive target and came face to face with the dark cloud. Before he could react, the man raised his large arm and slammed his fist into Toma's face, throwing the boy back into an antique table. It shattered into pieces as his weight fell on it. He lay on the ground for a moment amidst the broken husk of the furniture and felt warm blood trickle down his face, forming a little puddle of red on the floor. He snarled in rage and disbelief. "How dare you!"

"YOU STARTED THIS FIGHT, FOOL! AND BECAUSE OF YOUR CARELESSNESS, I WILL FINISH IT!"

"We'll see, wont we?" Toma disappeared in a brilliant flash. The Shadow Warrior blinked in amazement behind his helmet, and took a cautionary step backwards. The prince reappeared right in front of him and threw a punch that connected with what he guessed was the man's chin, it was difficult to tell with the cloud distorting his view. The prince's attack had come far faster than he had anticipated and he snarled in frustration. Unlike the other opponents he had faced, he hadn't taken the time to properly research this brat beforehand. That meant there was a danger that he could fail here. He grinned behind his helm. That just made things sweeter and he relished the fast paced uncertainty the battle was creating. Life wasn't worth living, after all, if one wasn't prepared to take risks.

The shadow stumbled backwards clumsily, his initiative broken as he shifted into a defensive stance. Unlike his previous opponent, this lad knew how to fight, and battled like a cornered wolf. The Warrior chuckled, suddenly feeling very pleased. His journey here hadn't been a waste after all!

Toma used this vital time of inactivity wisely by slamming his foot straight into the man's chest. His opponent grunted in pain but managed to regain his balance and throw a punch aimed for the young prince's side. Toma avoided the move with ease and back-flipped away at the last second, giving him some room to work with.

The Shadow warrior had learned a hard lesson. Though young, Toma could fight with the skill and power far above that of normal human beings. It would not do well for him to underestimate the boy a second time.

"YOU ARE GOOD YOUNG PRINCE, FAR BETTER THAN I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE. I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE YOU USE A TELEPORTATION MOVE. NORMALLY IT TAKES A PERSON YEARS OLDER THAN YOURSELF TO MASTER IT. I AM TRULY IMPRESSED. HOWEVER, IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN A TELEPORT AND BASIC LEVEL ATTACKS TO PHASE ME FOR LONG." The Shadow Warrior dropped into a stronger offensive combat stance, shifting lower to the ground.

Toma couldn't remember the last time he had fought this hard. His body was covered in a fine layer of sweat and his muscles strained with exertion. He certainly hadn't seen such a high level of skill displayed in an enemy during combat since Ranma's little adventure.

The two began a game of run an catch around the room, each teleporting to spots where they would be able to launch a quick attack against the other. Toma, being as small as he was, still landed several punches that hit hard enough to amaze the Warrior. Still, his armor absorbed the blows and the unfortunate prince soon found himself on the receiving end of a powerful offensive, and his body paid the price.

As a pause in the battle occurred, he took a second to catch his breath, rubbing thoughtfully at the large gash on his cheek. {This guy is strong, much stronger than I am! I can't hope to beat him with regular attacks. My only chance is to collect all my remaining energy and hit him full force!} Focusing his mind, Toma collected his energy reserves and prepared for an all or nothing blast.

"A KI ATTACK THIS EARLY IN A MATCH? YOU DISSAPOINT ME, PRINCE. I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMARTER THAN THAT. AT LEAST SHOW ME THE TRUE EXTENT OF YOUR POWER IF YOU INTEND TO END THIS LITTLE GAME PREMATURELY."

He made no attempt to move or shield himself. Nothing could have infuriated the young prince more. As strong willed as this man was, he would certainly fall victim to his illusion attack, the prince was certain. No one had ever been able to see through it, with the exception of Ranma.

"I'll show you power!" Toma raised his sword and summoned it's inner light for his attack. Holding the sword with one hand on the hilt and his other hand just below the tip, he closed his eyes in concentration. Abruptly, fire sprouted from the blade's tip, licking at the metal and, with a strong swing of the blade, flew from his sword, engulfing his opponent in demonic fire that would appear to burn with intensity for several long minutes. The flames greedily clung to the armor the Warrior wore but he did not move, and, in seconds he was utterly consumed by the fire and heat of Toma's illusionary attack.

He knew the man was dead as he sunk to his knee's in exhaustion. Never before had he used so much energy, heightening the attack to it's greatest believable setting. He counted himself lucky that the Shadow Warrior didn't know of the move's weakness. If he had, not only would he have survived, but it would have opened up a world of problems for the young ruler that he no longer had the strength to resist. He watched the flames finish it's ghastly work, his eyes transfixed on the lovely and terrible fires of his final attack.

Suddenly the Shadow Warrior burst from the flames like a reincarnated Phoenix and charge towards him at blinding speed, howling at the top of his lungs. He delivered a roundhouse kick to the stunned prince's face and spun the youth to the ground. The boy lay there, wide-eyed, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

The Shadow Warrior laughed. "I NOTICED YOUR ATTACK WAS NOT REAL WHEN YOUR HAND CAME IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH YOUR BLADE. YOU DIDN'T RECOIL FROM THE HEAT LIKE ANY NORMAL PERSON WOULD. THIS PARTICULAR FINAL ATTACK IS A POWERFUL ONE, BUT WHEN A PERSON KNOWS THAT IT'S ONLY AN ILLUSION, IT'S COMPLETELY HARMLESS. DID I HIT RIGHT ON THE MARK OR WHAT?"

Striding forward, he grabbed Toma roughly by his hair and lifted him off the ground as if he weighed nothing. Toma's mouth filled with dust and small rock shards as he was slammed into a nearby pillar, shattering it. He collapsed in a heap at the man's feet, surrounded by rough chunks of stone.

"YOU RISKED ALL AND LOST! NOW, PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR GAMBLE!"

Toma screamed as his vision went red and pain blossomed across his spinal column and up into his brain. He screamed again as a portion of his knowledge was ripped away from his mind by an invisible force, leaving a gaping hole of nothingness in its place. The agony racked the boy's body, tormenting him with high levels of energy than he simply couldn't handle. Bolts of discharged energy played across his shaking form as the Shadow Warrior howled with delight, standing over his defeated foe like a black demon. Crying out with a final whimper, Toma collapsed and lay unmoving on the floor, charges of static energy still sparking across his body.

I WILL FIND A WAY TO TWIST YOUR FINAL ATTACK TO SUIT MY PERSONAL USE. FAREWELL PRINCE, I THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME SUCH AN AMUSING AFTERNOON FIGHT. YOU WERE A WEAK FOOL."

The doors of Toma's chamber flew open and the Shadow Warrior whipped his head around to see three animal men standing in combat stance. Behind them stood at least fifty armed men. He knew it wasn't a question of weather or not he could take them all but a question of how much time it would take to do it. He was not a patient man and he could not stand to waste time. He quickly decided that it would simply be best to cut his victory a trifle short and leave these fools to pick up the broken pieces of their fallen prince.

"Master!" Salatoru screamed as he saw Toma lying on the floor. His furry face held a look of rage and barely controlled agony. "What have you done to him?!"

"AHHH, THE FAITHFUL GUARDS TO THE RESCUE. TOO BAD FOR HIM YOU DIDN'T ARRIVE IN TIME TO HELP WHEN HE NEEDED YOU THE MOST. DON'T WORRY, HE'LL LIVE IF YOU TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION. FAREWELL GENTLEMEN, I HAVE PRESSING MATTER'S I MUST ATTEND TO ELSEWHERE." He teleported with a blinding flash of red light, leaving only his haunting laughter to mark his passing.

Horrified, the three beast-men ran to their master's side and held his twitching, sweating form in their gentle hands. His breathing came in short, uncontrolled rasps and several of the men looked at one another, uncertain of what to do. Wonton, the strongest of them all, carefully lifted the boy up and carried him in his massive hands, whining sadly.

"Prepare a boat," Salatoru cried, running ahead. "The master needs medical attention!"

***

Luckily, the floating island was passing closer to Japan than usual so they arrived in Osaka in good time. Toma was rushed into the emergency room one hour later at the city's central hospital. The doctors, after getting over the shock of seeing three animal-like men and two half naked soldiers, told them that the young boy would live but that it would require days of rest and other procedures before he would be well enough to have visitors.

Silently and sadly, Toma's faithful men returned to Togenkyo. In all of their hearts burned the desire for revenge, but they had no way to extract it. Sighing and leaning back against the mast of the small boat as it sailed back to the island, Salatoru thought of Ranma and knew, somehow, that this nightmare would not leave him untouched. Glumly, he placed his wooden pipe in his mouth, taking several soothing puffs of the burning tobacco. The smoke filtered down his throat and into his lungs, calming his nerves ever so slightly.

{Rest easy, lord Toma. One way or another, you will be avenged.}