Chapter 4: The Wharf

“What the hell happened?” Nabiki demanded. Ranma had just leapt into camp at a rate of knots carrying the dangerously pale Ukyo and demanded the healing draughts. It had taken Nabiki a matter of moments to calm down from the shock, by which time she had also noticed the vast quantity of blood soaking her friend.

“Healing stuff now!” Ranma repeated, breathing hard. Nabiki obeyed, finding a bottle and bringing it to Ranma. He looked at it once and then back at her with mute appeal.

“No stud,” she answered, “I’ve got even less idea how to use it than you do!”

“Pour some on the wounds” rasped a voice from the darkness, “and the rest in her mouth.”

“She’ll drown” Ranma argued.

“You can’t drown in this stuff,” Gos replied in the same raspy tone, pulling back the blanket that was serving as a door to his shelter, “Trust me it doesn’t work like that.”

“Fine” Nabiki agreed and did as she was told, “I’ll try not to remember the last time you talked about trust.”

The reddish liquid had an instant effect of the comatose chef, the wounds visibly sealed and colour immediately began to return to her.

“Whoa” Ranma remarked.

“You can say that again” Nabiki agreed.

“It worked?” Gos asked.

“You mean you weren’t sure?” Ranma demanded.

“Did we have an option?” he replied. Nabiki stilled Ranma with a light touch on his arm.

“Not now” she said quietly, “Ukyo need you.” Ranma looked down to see the young chef now apparently sleeping soundly. He looked over to the shelters and back to Nabiki who pointed one out, he nodded and went to lay his friend out to sleep.

“What happened here?” he asked quietly of middle Tendo as he came back. He had discovered a large burnt patch on the floor next to the basher, and nowhere near the campfire.

“Gos had an accident and fried some of our gear” Nabiki explained.

“Fried?”

“Whoosh” Nabiki mimed rising flames.

“Whoa” Ranma exclaimed, still quietly “what got done?”

“Clothes, most of our food, a couple of books, the letter and the magic horn” Nabiki replied. “Gos feels really bad about it. Not that he shouldn’t but…”

“Ah?” Ranma said, unsure what was expected of him.

“My darling sister was this close to belting him for it,” Nabiki explained holding up thumb and forefinger. Ranma shook his head sadly.

“I got worse news” he began, while adjusting the fire, “we may have to move on.”

“What?” Nabiki asked, “and where’s Konatsu.”

“Things in town went really badly,” he explained, “Konatsu….didn’t make it,” he finished lifting his head to look her in the face. Nabiki saw the look, and saw the pain.

“How long have we got?” she asked, reaching out a comforting hand.

“If they come in force,” Ranma replied, squeezing her hand, “mid-morning at the earliest, otherwise…” he finished with a shrug.

“Can you…tell me, about it?” Nabiki said hesitatingly.

“We got there safe enough” Ranma began and then went on to tell what he knew of the mess that had cost Konatsu his life. By the time he was finished the pre-dawn light was already appearing over the horizon.

“What do you suggest?” Nabiki asked as he finished with his arrival. For a moment Ranma was silent.

“I don’t know” he replied at last, “I ain’t the responsible one. How the hell should I know?”

“Ranma” Nabiki said, calming him with a gentle hand. “You’re the only one of us with experience of being on the run- No hear me out! – I know you aren’t fond of decisions but we need you”

“Nabs” Ranma replied, “Everything I touch turns to shit. You really don’t want me-“ he was interrupted by an open hand slap.

“No!” Nabiki ordered, trying not to show how much her hand hurt, “You are not going down that path now! Like it or not we need you and now! Take some time to plan if you must but don’t you dare flake on me now!” Ranma just looked at her stunned for a few moments, then slowly nodded. He stood up and began to pace, slowly snapping a twig again and again.

“Will you guys can it!” demanded a voice from one of the bashers, “some of us are trying to die quietly!”

“Ucchan” Ranma exclaimed, moving to look only to be stopped by Nabiki.

“No” she ordered, ”you plan, I help Ukyo!” Ranma hesitated for a moment then went back to pacing. Nabiki pulled the ‘curtain aside and looked in on their friend. Aside from the liberal covering of now congealed blood Ukyo was looking fine, her colour was good and she was awake.

“How are you?” Nabiki asked, dipping a cloth in some water to clean the chef up a little.

“I feel like shit” Ukyo said honestly. “Every part of me hurts like sandpaper toilet roll.” Nabiki smirked, figuring that if the woman could joke she couldn’t be that bad.

“Can you stand?”

“I tried opening my eyes and that was bad enough,” the chef confessed in a serious tone. “Nabs” she continued, “I’m really sorry I didn’t mean to...”

“To what?” Nabiki asked sternly, “get drunk? Get into a fight? Drag the rest of us in? Get Konatsu killed?” Ukyo’s face drained of colour. And her mouth worked without making a sound.

“Ucchan” Nabiki threatened, “if you Ever let us down like that again…” Then she left, not staying to watch the chef’s tears.

“That was a little harsh, wasn’t it” Gos asked. He was sitting by the fire, having obviously dragged himself out from his shelter. Nabiki just fixed him with a glare. “Whoa, sorry I breathed!” he muttered, dropping his face back towards the fire.

“We’re leaving” came Ranma’s voice, “Now.”

“You’ve got a plan?” Nabiki aksed. The pig tailed man nodded a reply.

“But we need to get moving now!” Nabiki nodded once and set to work waking the others.

O

o

Half an hour later all trace of their camp was gone, even the ashes of the fires buried. Gos was on Ranma’s back, Ukyo slung on a makeshift stretcher between Akane and the very disorientated lost boy. Even Nabiki had a pack stuffed full of gear.

“Why’re we going now?” Ryoga asked for the umpteenth time. He had only awoken for the first time since arrival during the middle of the night and was yet to properly catch up on their circumstances.

“Shut it and move pig boy” Ranma demanded.

“RANMA!” Nabiki shouted, “you are not helping!

“Ryoga” she continued, “ for the time being you’re just going to have to trust us.” The reddening lost boy calmed and nodded. They were off.

Ranma led them at a blistering pace along a dog-leg route across the pastureland towards the far side of the town.

“Are we going where I think we’re going?” Nabiki gasped out, having caught up with Ranma. He nodded.

“We’ll never outrun them on foot” he insisted, “Our best hope is the river. It’s fast flowing, salty and there was more than sea ship tied up lat night. If we can catch the tide we can be away before anyone is any the wiser.”

“And if they have been told to watch for us?” Nabiki asked, more than a little concerned.

“I’m counting on the sailors here being like the ones at home,” Ranma offered, “useless in the morning before sailing. Even if they were told I’m hoping it won’t be making sense yet.”

“I can help” Gos said from Ranma’s back. The two of them tried to look at him, an act which caused Ranma to spin a full three sixty.

“Go on,” Nabiki requested.

“I’ll cast a glamour to stop people associating us with things,” he explained.

“You can do that?” she asked.

“Not sure how good it’ll be” he explained, “but in theory at least its pretty simple providing there aren’t too many of them.”

“How?” Nabiki asked.

“My mentor” Gos answered, “taught me all sorts of things that I never thought would work. It seems they do here, as last night’s accident proves,” he finished ruefully.

“We need to pick up the pace” Ranma observed. Then louder he shouted to the others, “We have to go faster!” Nabiki and Ukyo offered twin groans.

O

O

Less than an hour after Dawn the small group were arriving at the docks. In direct contrast to the night before the wharf was a hive of activity. All three of the ships moored were obviously preparing for departure, mostly loading large bails of wool. Gos’s eyes were tightly closed as he weaved his glamour, but the strain was already making him sweat.

“I’ll handle the negotiations” Nabiki said, catching her breath “get the others out of sight, and Ranma“ she said more quietly, “try to keep them out of trouble!”

Ranma led the others to the back of the most rundown building, one he had scouted the night before. It turned out to be an unused barn. The simple chain lock didn’t delay them by more than a heartbeat. The interior was dark and cool in the early morning gloom, the group soon made themselves comfortable. Ryoga wordlessly positioned himself by on door and Ranma the other. Akane just lay down next to Ukyo and Gos to rest.

“I can’t believe you are just letting her go out there oh her own” she complained, “what if something bad happens to her.”

“Yeah Ranchan” Ukyo agreed, “the princess is right for once, hadn’t you better watch Nabiki’s back.”

“She knows what she’s doing” Ranma replied, “and I only cramp her style,” he finished somewhat ruefully, the voice of experience.

“So we just wait?” demanded Akane.

“Yeah we wait,” Ranma agreed, “and we trust her to do her thing.”

“Hah,” Akane sneered.

“If you have a better idea then share it,” Ranma said through gritted teeth.

“Otherwise belt up!” Ukyo finished. For once Akane did as she was told, but it probably had more to do with fatigue than sense.

“Geez hon,” Ukyo commented, “You aren’t sounding too good. Too much sukiyaki?” Akane just glared, only too aware of how unfit she was feeling just then. Even Nabiki had managed better than her; sure she hadn’t been carrying anybody else but still.

O

O

“There are six of us,” Nabiki explained, “we need transport downriver.” Behind her back thr mercenary Tendo clenched her crossed fingers tight. This was the last ship, and their last hope. All the others had flat out refused and Nabiki was fairly sure that the second ship captain had sent a runner for the guard. She had run out of time and options.

“You in a hurry Lass” the big captain asked. He was a big man, bald and heavily tanned. The sea had left its mark on every inch of him.

“I’ll tell you the truth” she gambled, “we’ve run into a little trouble with the locals and its getting a lot less friendly around here.” It wasn’t a complete gamble, she had already spotted more than one of the man’s crew were sporting fresh injuries. It was a fair guess that he wouldn’t be well disposed to locals.

“I guessed as much” he smiled, “And I would like to help you but…”

“We can make it worth your while” Nabiki interrupted, “name your price,” the hook was trailed.

“I’m not really looking for passengers” he replied, and Nabiki heard the ‘kaching’ of success in the word ‘really.’ All that remained was the haggling.

“But I guess I could be persuaded” he said with a leer. A chill went through Nabiki, she had suspected this of him from the moment he laid eyes on her.

“Oh come’on lass” he continued, “It won’t be that bad, who knows you might even enjoy it.” Nabiki looked around, searching for another option. Instead she spotted a troop of soldiers coming down from the town.

“Look Captain Ganess” she said, he voice dropping. “Things are about to get a whole lot hotter, and I know you don’t want that. We need a price now. In return my boys will load the rest of this gear faster than any of your damaged crew, and we will all catch the tide!” She didn’t have a clue about the tides around here but knew they ruled the lives of the average sailor and trusted the rest to luck.

“Thirty lions apiece” the man said, Nabiki didn’t need to know the local exchange rate to know the price was robbery but she also knew what he would add to the price if she haggled.

“Done!” she asserted, nodding and sticking out a hand. He followed suit before he even realised what he was doing. “And sealed!” she added before he could demur. She took one step back and put her fingers to lips before whistling twice.

O

O

“Ranma heard the first blast and tensed, then the second and relaxed. “Time to go” he said, moving over to Gos.

“Huh?” Ryoga said, “How do you-“

“Its like a dog whistle” Akane offered spitefully, “she calls and he goes running!” Ranma went still for a moment and then carried on, ignoring the girl.

Together the posse headed out, moving just slow enough not to attract too much attention. Gos was once again muttering words of power, and within a matter of seconds he was sweating like a pig.

“Can you go a bit slower?” Gos rasped in between laboured recitations.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea” Ranma replied, spotting the soldiers talking to a ship captain further along the wharf. “Ukyo?”

“Yeah?”

“You need to walk now” Ranma told her, “get Akane to help if you need to.

“Ryoga” he continued, “You take Gos.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Stop the guards!” he said determinedly. Then Ukyo screamed and fell, her damaged leg buckling. “Damn” he swore. “I think everyone should run” he suggested. For a moment they all dithered then they took off for the boat following Ranma.

As Ranma arrived Nabiki suddenly found her arms full of Gosunki. Ranma was already turning when she stopped him.

“Ranma,” she said urgently, “The captain needs the rest of that stack aboard.”

“Damn” he swore looking over his shoulder and then at the pile. “Help Gos aboard.” She nodded and he leapt over to the bails of wool. The fact that he did it over a fifteen foot gap didn’t even register with anyone who knew him.

By the time the others got there Ranma already had two bails lifted. “Pig-boy, catch” he shouted. Ryoga had just enough time to settle Ukyo onto the deck when the first two wool bails landed in his arms. Each one weighed a fair chunk of a ton and had just cleared a twenty five-foot gap. The decking squeaked with each impact. Ryoga had only heartbeats between each bail as one by one Ranma lofted them and he caught them and threw them into position, the crew immediately got the idea and once their mouths agreed to shut the did the final adjustments.

“Wow?” Ganess murmured. Nabiki just couldn’t resist it.

“Told you so.”

“You got many like that where you come from?” he asked, still not quite believing what he saw.

“You should see them when they get into a pissing contest,” Nabiki laughed. As Ranma sailed the last two over the guards finally managed to reach the end of the pier that Ganess’s ship was moored to.

“You are all under arrest!” cried the leader. He was a tall blond man, well dressed and carrying a drawn rapier, which he was waving fro emphasis. All went still.

“I have felt your presence!” interrupted a voice from the pit itself.

“Who are you?” demanded the noble.

“Who I am doesn’t matter nearly as much as who my friend was!” Ranma growled, starting to walk slowly towards the group.

“Let me guess” sneered the noble, “You are that fag I shot’s butt boy. Well if you are looking for your ‘friend’ you’ll find him hanging from the gatehouse! Ha!”

“Wrong answer!” Ranma rasped as he arrived. The guards were unsure what to do about this man who, despite being unarmed and unarmoured, was approaching them with confidence. Nevertheless they attacked.

A snap kick from the waist lifted the first off his feet, stretching his spine and throwing him a clear ten feet. The same foot wrapped around and caught the second in the nape of his neck, driving him face-first into the floor. The third found himself thrown over his wrist, and as he impacted into the wall of the nearby warehouse he was still wondering how the man parried his blade with his bare forearm. Ranma ducked the next’s overhand swing and launched an uppercut into his diaphragm just below his sternum. He flew back hitting one of his compatriots in the throat with his outflung forearm. The final few lasted no longer, each one ruthlessly beaten down by the unstoppable martial artist walking through their midst.

“Shit” Ganness’s first mate swore, he had come forward tom report the cargo stowed and had suddenly found himself watching a spectacle of applied force.

“You can say that again,” Ganess added.

“This is not going to be pretty” Nabiki muttered, wincing slightly.

Tyrine ip Patrakas was scared, a feeling he hadn’t had since the day his father finally died. Last night he was on top of the world, not only had he managed to kill two upstart peasants but the weird one had been carrying a small fortune. But now everything was wrong. He brought up his blade, more out of reflex than thought, into the classic high guard position.

As if shooing a fly Ranma dismissed the noble’s puny attempt at defence. He followed up with a closed fist strike to the sternum. Tyrine’s world became painful and dark. He awoke seconds later to find himself on his knees dribbling blood.

“You” the demon was saying, “you will ensure my friend is buried with all ceremony!” The man on the floor, a loyal retainer, nodded till it appeared his head would fall off.

“traitor” Tyrine tried to say, instead it came up in pink froth. Then the fog came in and the last scion of an ancient family died.