Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Fate: one half ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: kilich

Fate: One half.

Disclaimer: I do not own neither Ranma: One half, nor Fate\stay night. They belong solely to their creators. I'm just doing this for a bit of fun and no profit is being made.

Prologue.

The summoner, an old man dressed in red robes with intricate symbols made from golden threads, sat in his brightly lit and book filled cabinet and read an ancient manuscript that he recently bought for a hefty sum from a gang of tomb raiders. Maybe a few years ago he would've never accepted their offer or even called guards to arrest them, but it was in the past.

Now, when he clearly felt his age and knew that he would be forgotten as soon as died, he was desperate to accomplish a deed that would make him a legend, thus making his name and knowledge widely famous and sought after.

The door to his cabinet opened and somebody light stepped in. Expertly finding his way through the maze of book-made columns on the floor, a short boy wearing same red robes as the mage himself, bowed and said.

"Master Xao, the map you requested was delivered. It seems to be real this time."

Glancing at the magical construct before him, one of the many artificial servants in his mansion, the old man commanded.

"Bring it to my spell chamber. And bring the reagents that arrived a week earlier."

The golem bowed once again and asked "It'll be done. But may I ask you when the dinner should be served?"

"I don't have time for food! I almost completed the basis of my spell! Now do as I said!"

"Yes, master" was the answer before the summoner became alone once more.

"Oh, how I wish for an apprentice or a worthy heir." sighed the old man, rubbing his tired blood-shot eyes.

'Those fools! A mage needs only a basic knowledge of summoning or he might become an almost useless money drain as well! How dare they laugh at what I spent my whole life on and what I am about to create!'

'Soon I'll make them all eat their words. And if they try to kill me so they could hide their shame, well... I could use several more statues here.' thought the mage, returning to the scroll that described a legendary Greek monster, Medusa, who could turn anyone into a stone with as much as a glance.

Soon he rose from his chair and went to his spell chamber, accompanied by servants that were waiting for him outside of his room with reagents, books or food.

Entering a large round room that had multiple niches in the walls, some occupied by bookcases but most empty, he ordered everyone to place the reagents in the right places and went to the nearest bookcase.

Inside was a scroll that held a map to all places in China that were charged with magical power and if he wanted to complete his spell without dying or sacrificing several of his fellow mages, he needed an external power source.

Unfortunately, his prior attempts at buying that map failed because The Mage Association refused his requests and merchants that had it, were less then respectable.

He chuckled as he remembered one of them taking his female construct hostage, believing that she was his daughter.

Unrolling the map, his gaze almost immediately caught two marks being quite close.

He drew an imaginary symbol on the map and smiled. They were close enough to use them for bipolar focus, instead of a single as he originally intended. That would immensely ease the strain of casting such spell.

"Bayankala mountain range? Hmm, wasn't it the place where Michael Roa Valdamjong perfected his spirit transfer ability?" Xao thought about it for a second then pushed it aside as unnecessary and returned to the map.

"Anyway. Two settlements are mage friendly so there should be no interference from them. And it's far enough to finish the spell and recover."

Turning away from the map, the summoner inspected the magic symbol on the floor and how the reagents where placed before he ordered everyone to step into the niches behind them.

"Everything flawless." He smiled. "Now to test that part of the spell before I leave to Jusenkyo and Jusendo."

About a week later, Xao came to the village of the Amazons, accompanied by a dozen of constructs that carried all of the needed spell ingredients, books and his notes.

"I greet you, Elder. I a mage and came here to study." he said when he saw a tall middle-aged woman in rich clothes.

Scanning him and his servants she asked.

"Study what, stranger?"

"I want to buy information about the land between Jusenkyo Valley and Jusendo Mountain. I plan on studying how to cast a powerful spell there."

The Amazon thought about his offer for several minutes before deciding that the male before her most likely wasn't allied with their enemies, but she wanted her village to gain more then money from that stranger if he was as powerful as having so many inhuman servants showed.

"I might sell you that information, but only if you take one of our warriors and explain the spell to her" She waved off mage's objection that it would take too much time and continued.

"There is no need to teach her everything you know. Only enough to estimate how dangerous your spell would be is needed."

The Elder signaled to one of the younger guards to come to her and said to the young warrior.

"Lotion, go and learn from him. I'll visit you tomorrow and bring the needed information."

Far away, in the town the summoner left behind, several mages gathered to discuss the news.

"You heard what Xao is up to now?" asked one of them, middle aged man with tanned skin, short black hair and dressed in the robes with images of five elements sewn on them.

"Yes, he went on the journey. Most probably to try whatever he was preparing all these years." answered another, older mage with pale skin and short white hair, whose robes carried arcane symbols.

"He bought a scroll about a monster from Greek legends." a young man, dressed in everyday clothes, cut in their talk and threw the said scroll on the table between mages.

Arcane arts follower turned to him and angrily said.

"How many times must I tell you, if you want to spy, use the knowledge you've been taught! Breaking in, like a common thief, is not fit for a mage!"

The young man shrugged and answered. "He's a master mage. None of my items can penetrate his house defenses. Also, I learned from an acquaintance of mine, that he went to the area where setting a bipolar spell focus is possible."

Oldest mage frowned again when the young one reminded him what people the young man usually met with, due to his magic being tied with items of power rather than power from within.

"Do you incline that he went there to cast his spell?"

"But the spell of such magnitude will cause a disaster if it misfires! We must stop him!" shouted his companion, slamming his palms on the table.

Arcane mage winced from the loud sound and lifted his hand to bring silence.

"Master elementalist, have you forgotten that summoning spells carry no destructive power unlike yours? And as much as I don't like that crazed, self-centered old man, I must admit that his spells never fail. We should depart and learn more about this, before taking any rash actions."

"Is he out of his mind!?" yelled the master elementalist, when they arrived to the Amazon village and learnt more than enough about the summoning that will be done in a few hours.

"We must hurry to him." Said the arcane master and the trio almost ran outside.

The summoner stood at the eye shaped magic symbol he spent days to create and correct. Looking over everything from one end to the other, he called the young Amazon which now had a magic circuit within her body so she could be taught some of the basics.

When he said it was time for her leave, she hugged the old man and ran towards the village.

Watching her leave, he smiled knowing that at least in that village he'll be forever remembered and checking everything again, he started the incantation.

When he said the last words, lines of white glowing power shot from both poles of the focus and his solar plexus. The symbol near him glowed with power as intricate and powerful magic searched in beyond the world, each second of failure costing him dearly.

When the arcane hook found its target, the summoner felt the very life being ripped out of him by the recoil and fell down screaming in agony.

Even though he was spent, the spell continued to work, the white streams of power coalescing in the middle of pentagram, forming a vague humanoid shape.

Soon, the light dimmed and the figure slowly turned into a young purple haired girl, dressed into very revealing clothing and wearing a blindfold.

With thoughts that gained the weight of boulders, the mage tried to understand if the spell got the right spirit. The girl was as far from the legendary monster as he could think of. Shaking away the traitorous thoughts that he might've failed, he lifted himself on an elbow and asked.

"Are you Medusa, the legendary monster of Greece?"

She stopped looking around with interest and, tilting her head, answered "Yes I am."

She slowly walked to the mage and materialized a chain, with long spikes on both ends, in her hands.

"And I think that you should explain yourself. Where am I? And why am I here?"

Panting from amount of effort his last action took, Xao answered.

"I'm a mage skilled in summoning from The Mage Association. I brought you here, to China, so you would protect me until the spell I cast today makes me a legend amongst other mages."

Medusa looked at him curiously and started to play with her chain, smirking.

"A living legend? Tell me mage, what is keeping me in this world? That magic symbol or your life?"

The summoner gasped in shock and tried to crawl away, but he was too tired to move.

"I've never asked to be brought here, you know. Now dissolve the spell so I can return to blankness I came from." said the girl, when she entered the magic symbol and turned to face the mage. "Or I'll see what happens when you die."

The summoner driven to tears by the effort required to even lift a hand and draw a simple figure in the midair, whispered. "By the power of the command spell, I order you to obey me."

Medusa's face tensed and for a minute she fought the spell, her chain dancing in her hands as if it tried to fly towards him. Finally she succumbed to the A rank spell and spat.

"Fine. What do you want from me?"

"I want you to protect me from any harm at all costs." said the mage before his vision dimmed and he fell into darkness.

"We're too late." said the young mage, when he saw the magic symbol, the purple haired girl with blindfold and what is more important, a limp body of their wayward colleague. "He already summoned Medusa and I don't think he's breathing."

"Are you sure?" asked others, their old eyes unable to see that far in that much detail.

"Yes."

Arcane mage sighed and turned to elementalist. "Can you take her out from here?"

"Easily."

Medusa cursed as she saw a torrent of fireballs flying towards them. She would've happily left that accursed mage to die and forced those three to break whatever spell summoned her here, but the command spell prohibited such action.

Seeing that she will not be able to carry him out of the danger zone on her back without at least some damage to him, she cursed again and summoned her Pegasus, whose wings stopped the orbs of fire.

She quickly draped him over the horse's back and flew off before the second wave of fireballs arrived.

Unfortunately for her, even her steed couldn't outrun a lightning bolt that threw weakened Medusa and her master off Pegasus's back and into the springs below.

A\N:I would like to thank people at fukufics forum for their advices, it's because of them this fic is as good as it is now.