Chapter 3: Patrakas.

“Anything?” Konatsu whispered. He was lying amongst the wheat in a field, dressed in a scavenged set of clothing. Beside him Ranma was hunkered down. Both of them had just finished a reconnaissance near the entrance to the small town that the group had spotted from the camp. It had turned out to be a little larger than they had guessed, with part of the town hidden behind the walls and in a small hill fold. That part had turned out to be an external river wharf.

“Nothing” Ranma agreed. “The place is locked up tight, and if there is an easy way in I can’t see it, even the river gate is sealed.”

“There’s still Ukyo” Konatsu offered hopefully.

“Failing that we’ll just have to go over and hope nobody’s watching,” Ranma mused.

“Can’t you do that whole star-cloth thing?” Konatsu queried.

“I don’t do that anymore” Ranma replied strongly. To Konatsu’s querying look he added “Long story but let’s just say my pops was right this once.” Konatsu nodded.

“Guys?” came Ukyo’s harsh whisper, “You out there?” The two young men looked at each other and crept off to meet the errant chef. “There you are!” she exclaimed. “You could have chosen a more memorable spot! I’ve been looking for you two for hours!” Neither man bothered to contradict her. “Anyway” she said, a little too loudly, “I found a way in!” she finished proudly.

“Lead on” Konatsu waved, and soon the three of them were sneaking off through the fields.

Ten long minutes later they were looking at a break in the high wall that surrounded the town.

“It’s a drain!” Konatsu noted, less than happy.

“A water drain!” Ranma noted, even less happy.

“Uh-huh” Ukyo enthused, “cool eh. It’ll take us right into town without being seen. There is a gate but nobody’s bothered to close it!”

“We do have to get in!” Konatsu observed. Ranma only nodded resentfully.

O

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“So we’re in” Ukyo observed. “It may not have been that pleasant but we are in.”

“Not that pleasant?” Konatsu asked, “That wasn’t a drain it was a flaming sewer! I was crawling through semi-liquid turd! No offence Ukyo but that idea sucked!”

“Did you have a better one?” Ukyo demanded.

“Guys!” Ranma interrupted, wringing out her clothes and trying not to think about what she had just crawled through.

“What!” the other two demanded in stereo.

“Hush!” he suggested emphatically. “I ain’t never known anyone with a fence that likes havin’ it crossed…” the other two ducked their heads sheepishly. “Now lets get on with it.”

“Back here in an hour?” Ukyo checked, the other two nodded agreement and they rapidly split up, heading for the shadows and out into the sleeping night.

O

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Ranma went to work, leaping from rooftop to rooftop until he reached a suitable vantage point. In this case the overhang of the murder holes under the garrison tower. The place was hardly large but it did represent the only permanent presence of the forces of law and order, and Ranma had learnt a long time ago that policemen were often the best source of information on a new area, especially when they didn’t know they were being overheard. Moments later to his immense relief he not only found he could hear a conversation from above but also that he could understand them.

“What’s the new girl like?” asked the first voice in what seemed an odd mix of a Korean and a Chinese accent.

“She’s clean,” the second replied, “ugly as sin but clean”

“It’s the whole elven thing man” the first observed “even when they’re bowing an’ scrapin’ they still look down on yer.”

“An when yer humpin em yers just end up yer know regrettin’ it.”

“I know what yer mean”

“Them dark ones is a little better but not much”

“yeah but you see the way they live”

By now Ranma was already disgusted and really did not need to hear any more gutter talk, so instead he came up with a way to change the subject.

“Whassat?” the first asked.

“Sounded like it came from the wall!” the second observed.

“Ah well tough on them if it did!” the first laughed, “The firefield in on tonight, they gonna get deep fried!” the man’s laugh was not friendly.

Ranma cued them several more times with more stones, and tricks ranging from bird calls to ghost noises, before he had got all the information they were going to give. Then he left, as silently as he came. He had a couple more stops to do and very little time to do them.

O

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For ten minutes Ukyo stayed on mission then something went wrong, she found a pub. It was a warm looking place, echoing with laughter. Outside it, above the door, hung a brightly painted blue boar. It wasn’t just that she was getting cold and that there was a fire inside, it wasn’t just that she was badly in need of a beer, no the decision to go in was also in everyone’s best interest, honest.

After a quick wringing out and an attempt at making herself presentable Ukyo steeled herself and headed for the door. Even before it opened she could feel the change in temperature inside. She pushed the door open and immediately she was immersed in a sea of noise, the room was full of western looking townsfolk wearing ancient garb similar to her own enjoying themselves. They were seated around small round tables on western style stools and chairs. Several were smoking all of them were drinking what looked like a form of beer from a variety of tankards. For a moment all eyes turned to the door but as Ukyo entered they turned away again, she was apparently normal enough.

She made her way forward, threading through the tables of locals, and, mindful of her recent swim, found herself a deserted corner. When a girl in a very rough looking dress approached she just held up a finger and hoped that would be normal enough. Again her luck held and the girl went away apparently to get her a drink.

This gave Ukyo time to check how the others were paying, as she suspected the coins she had from the bag earlier were much higher denomination than what were being used here, it seemed they were more than a little rich.

She settled in to have a few drinks, paying with the smallest coin she had, and trying to subtly eavesdrop on the conversations around her. She allowed a brief smile for the other two who were no doubt doing things the hard way.

O

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Konatsu went about his recce somewhat differently. Using the skills he had learnt growing up he broke into one of the larger houses and proceeded to search it from head to toe, Gaining his information by pure stealth.

Once he was done there he chose another house and repeated the process for comparison.

By the time he was finished there he had just enough time to get back to the rendezvous as subtly as he had left it.

As he arrived in the area he found a now male Ranma crouched on a tiled roof overlooking the rendezvous. “Hiya” he whispered, not expecting to take the man by surprise.

“Ukyo’s not here yet” the man whispered in reply.

“She’s got time,” Konatsu answered, not wanting to worry yet. So they waited. And waited.

“Where is she?” Ranma demanded of the empty street.

“She never used to be this bad, not unless she’d been drinking,” Konatsu tried. Then the penny dropped. “She wouldn’t have…would she?”

“Damn” Ranma whispered, remembering just how bad Ukyo had got before she left. “We’ll have to split up again, find her and bring her back.” Konatsu nodded and jumped away, Ranma took the time to shake his head once and then took off in another direction.

O

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Ukyo was happy. The ale was bitter, young, full flavoured, and surprisingly strong. Unfortunately it was a lot stronger than Ukyo was either used to or expecting. The result was the room was starting to blur by even Ukyo’s second flagon. By her third Ukyo had not only lost track of time but was also starting to lose her connection to the real world.

Suddenly someone was sitting at her table. Ukyo struggled to focus. It was a man. Definitely a man. He was richly dressed. Jewellery. Definitely jewellery. Behind him were two other men, yep definitely two.

“Ohiyo” Ukyo slurred, bowing slightly.

“Ah Young man” the new visitor started, “I see you’re not too drunk to realise what sort of trouble you’re in”

“Trouble?” Ukyo slurred. The man placed something shiny on the table, Ukyo tried to focus on it.

“Where Did You get the coin Thief?” the man demanded.

“Coin? Thief?” Ukyo slurred looking up at him and the down at the shiny thing again. The man sighed dramatically, then grabbed Ukyo by the back of her hair and slammed her head into the table.

“You stink thief!” the man shouted, “You stink and you’re foreign! There is no way a man such as you could have earned this coin fairly, so where did you steal it from?” the man punctuated his demands by banging Ukyo’s head off the table repeatedly.

Suddenly his hand was stopped, the smelly boy in front of him had somehow managed to catch his arm in mid-movement. From nowhere a shiny steel blade appeared in the person’s hand, a shiny blade whose point was pressed into the noble’s gut.

“I am not a thief!” the filthy wet person said, “I did not steal the coin!” she added standing up and forcing the man to his feet, “and I am not a boy!” With that she flung him back into his bristling bodyguards. It was only then that she noticed that their coats were shiny dully in the firelight and that both were armed to the teeth.

“Oh shit!” she swore, and then the fight started for real.

As Ukyo flicked her chair into the face of the guard on the left, the guard on the right drew his blade in a swift arc aimed for Ukyo’s belly. The chef dodged, and fell, in her drunken state she had completely forgotten about the table she had been sitting at.

Fire blossomed along her back, a burning line of flame running from her shoulder blade to the small o her back. Even in her drunken state the chef could have sworn she felt the blade scrape along the back of her ribs.

She rolled left falling onto the firestep. The guard’s crimson stained blade lashed out again, aiming for her face. Again she dodged, rolling left she bumped into a stand, the pokers for the fire. Even as Ukyo lifted the bronze poker to her defence the guard stabbed again, this time the blade bit home, neatly piercing into her thigh. She screamed and lashed out, the poker tore through the guard’s cheek, stripping it to the bone. The man staggered back, bumping into his comrades, suddenly Ukyo had a moment’s breather. She jumped up and ran for the door, ignoring the flaming protest of her leg.

A local stood, trying to do the right thing, Ukyo knocked him flat with a flying elbow. The man’s face went sideways in a crimson spray of blood, spittle and teeth. Through the haze of pain the door appeared, the chef didn’t try to stop, instead barrelling straight through the door, demolishing into splinters.

The cold air hit her like a hammer blow. For a few precious heartbeats Ukyo lay there on the floor, completely disorientated, allowing her precious lifeblood to leak into the road. Then she was up and moving, limping for her life.

“Thief!” shouted a voice from behind her, followed by the sound of running feet. Ukyo turned at the last moment, ducking and spinning. What she saw did not fill her with hope, both guards were up and chasing and the population of the inn had come out to help, in the centre of them the noble was wrestling with some sort of wooden contraption. She lashed out, the lead guard caught the poker across his knee, snapping it. Ukyo lifted into a classical upwards strike. Any other time it would have worked, but tonight the chef’s leg just wouldn’t take it. Her leg buckled, the move failed, the tables turned. Suddenly Ukyo was looking up at the silvery streak of a descending blade. She rolled, just not fast enough, pain and fire blossomed across her face.

Ukyo finished her roll, and tried to find the energy to go on. It wasn’t there, she had lost and she knew it. From the ground she looked up at the pitiless rictus on the guards face. In his eyes she saw no pity, no reprieve and as his arm cocked back she waited for the sword’s final embrace.

It never came. From out of nowhere came a streak of blue. The guard bounced sideways, thrown from her vision. Less than a heartbeat later she heard the thump and crack of the blow that had thrown him clear. Instead of the guard there now stood the figure of a young woman. A woman standing in an all too familiar martial stance.

“’Natsu?” Ukyo murmured, between confusion and relief.

“Run idiot!” the crossdresser commanded, and Ukyo found the strength, she got up and ran. Behind her she heard the sounds of battle being joined, Konatsu against the mob.

“Back off!” commanded a voice, and Ukyo turned to see the crowd back away from the former ninja. The noble had his contraption raised, too late Konatsu spotted it. The sound of a spring released filled her ears. Konatsu stopped still, coughed, and fell to his knees. The last thing Ukyo saw of him was the stupefied look on his face as he dribbled blood and stared at the shaft sticking out of his chest.

In her ears she could hear someone screaming, she was far too far gone to know it was her.

She staggered on into the darkness, all too aware that the mob would soon be baying for her blood, and that she would never get away. However the chef was not going to disobey her friends last command. So she ran, ignoring the fire, ignoring the way the darkness crept in from the edge of her vision, ignoring the burning tears that cascaded down her cheeks.

Suddenly strong arms wrapped her in an embrace and the familiar presence of her one-time fiancée filled her world.

“Ucchan?” he queried as he lifted her from the floor and bounded away from street level.

“’Natsu” she coughed, “they-“

“You need help” Ranma interrupted.

“No, help-“ she muttered before finally losing the last of her strength and slipping into unconsciousness.

“Damn!” Ranma swore and made the decision. He ran. Back at the camp there were ‘healing draughts’ and Ranma had seen enough computer games to know that they might be the chef’s only hope.

With his childhood friend’s lifeblood leaking out across his body Ranma ran. The town gate appeared in front of them and Ranma didn’t slow. Wrapping himself in his chi he ploughed straight through the sally gate. As he did lightning arced, clashing with his aura. He felt the burn, felt his muscles contract, and kept running.

Hooking left he ran along a wet irrigation ditch before leaping away and hurtling up the hill.

As he ran he fed his chi into the cooling form of his friend. Desperately trying to ignore the details of her worsening plight and stretching out his muscles to gain that last ounce of speed from his legs.