Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Tenchi Muyo characters or anything of that nature. Tenchi Muyo, all characters and names are the sole property of AIC and Pioneer. AD&D and Phyrexia are properties of TSR and Wizards of the Coast, respectively. I only claim ownership of the characters Kalog Planesmaster, the Beastmaster and the Nameless one. This fan fic is Copyright 2001, Loren Ward Anyway, on with the story...... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No Need for new Realms: CH. 1 Tasks to perform The sound built, permeating everything, even the door to Washu's lab. Tenchi, who was coming home from the fields, saw a brilliant, red colored object descending at an incredible rate towards the house. "Oh no" he said, "not again! Don't hit the house, please don't hit the house!" By now, everyone else was outside on the deck, watching the object fall. With a great splash and a booming noise, it landed in the lake, sending water gushing over everything like when Mihoshi's shuttle landed during Tenchi's duel with Sepherio. As the water began to settle, Tenchi ran up the walkway, gasping for breath, but relieved the object had missed the house. "Well now, let us see what our rude visitor is, shall we?" said Washu, pulling up her holographic keyboard. She typed in some data, humming a bit. Then the humming stopped as the computer started to spark and then blinked out. "Hmmm, that was odd. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to want to be found out," She said "or it is something we can't understand that hasn't been discovered. We must get a sample to study!" she clapped gleefully. *Well, hopefully it will take a while. Then she won't tie me down in my underwear for experiments.* thought Tenchi. "Oh, I hope Yukinojo is all right" worried Mihoshi, staring into the lake. The others were all looking into the water, trying to get a glimpse of what had fallen. Suddenly, Ayeka fell in with a great splash, and a cut-off yell. "Well, it seems Ayeka wants to get that sample for you, Washu" chuckled Ryoko. Ayeka came up sputtering and angry. She stormed up out of the water and began yelling at Ryoko. "What was that for, HUH!? That thing that fell could have poisoned the water or be dangerous, you know!" 'Yeah, but your not poisoned , unfortunately and whatever it was didn't get you so it doesn't seem to be dangerou..........." She stopped, for an eerily familiar dark cloaked figure was floating in the air, above the expanding ripples of the crash site. It flickered out of existence and flickered back into existence on the edge of the deck. "Well now, you all seem to be a lively bunch" came a feminine voice. The dark figure laughed, striding over to Washu. "So Planeshaper Washu, this is where you have come. I knew when I located Tsunami and Tokimi here that you must be here as well." Washu, a bit nervous, asked "Wha...Planeshaper? What are you talking about? I'm a scientist, the best one in the universe, you know. If you're talking about whatever I was over 20,000 years ago, I have no idea what your saying. "Ahhh, so it is true. You have given up your powers, and your memory it seems. No matter. You are still quite strong. And the same can be said for your 'family' here." The dark figure laughed and raised it's hand. Above the lake, a black vortex appeared. The sky darkened and winds howled. From the dark one's robes, black tendrils shot out, restricting the movement of everyone and pulling them through the vortex after the dark one. Ryo-ohki, who had been left behind, meowed in sad questioning. The came out on the island they all saw in their dreams. They were standing before the chairs, as the table was gone. With them, were two more people. "Tsunami!" cried Sasami. "What are you doing here? Who are these people" Tsunami looked at Sasami and gave a worried look. The other figure, a woman with two colored eyes, brown hair and green tattoos, simply hung her head, staring at the ground in what seemed to be anger. "Who are you and what are we doing here?" demanded Ryoko. "You are in the Void" came the feminine voice. "This is where you temporarily go when you teleport." The cloaked figure on the right stood up. It reached up and drew back it's hood. There was a collective gasp from everyone, except Tsunami and Tokimi. The stranger had cyan hair in a hedgehog style, with two locks of hair coming over her ears. She wore a black metal mask with teeth, in similar style to the one Ryoko wore in the cave. With a motion, the cloak vanished. She wore a black cat suit with red sleeves and triangles on the front. A belt with an inverted gold triangle held up two black pieces of cloth that draped down to her feet on the front and back, with gap between them . Black metal shoulder plates, shin guards and wrist guards gave a menacing appearance to the person. A black, catlike tail flicked back and forth from her belt. "You seem surprised" came the feminine voice. "Do you find something wrong with my appearance?" "You....you...you...You look like.....me." stammered Ryoko. "Really. Well, I must say that Planeshaper Washu did pick an excellent subject from her memory to base you on." She laughed. With a wave of her hand, the mask phased into a black headband with a smooth, lens-like diamond in the middle. Two golden eyes regarded the group with amusement. "Now, you probably wonder why you have been brought here. You see, the Master has no one as his guards in this universe. You are the strongest people in this universe. That man, Kagato, I believe you called him, was going to be the one if he could prove himself. But, it seems he was not up to the task. These two" she motioned to Tsunami and Tokimi, "are too busy with their own agendas to do this job." *That must be why Kagato wanted Tsunami. He really would have been the most powerful being in the universe, but not for controlling Tsunami* thought Washu. "But why do you need guards in this universe? I mean, you have great power, so why would guards be necessary?" asked Washu. " A couple reasons. One, it is easier on the guards if they are native to the location they monitor. Two, it gives the Master a ready response force in the locale. Finally, we are bored and need some entertainment." came the reply. "What if we refuse?" With a wave of her hand, the cyan haired being opened a vast flaming whirlpool beneath the island. "Then you die" "Ummmmm, I think that is reasonable.....What do you think guys?" Washu said quickly. "Oh yes, very reasonable" came the reply. "Excellent. Your task will commence now" Everyone suddenly blacked out. They woke up in a shady clearing of a large forest. There were insects buzzing and the cool smell of trees. They all felt like they had just awoken from a very restful sleep. "Wow, what nice clothes." said Mihoshi, admiring herself. She wore leather armor with metal studs on it. A grey cloak was flung back like a cape, revealing a quiver full of arrows and a bow slung over her shoulder. "Well, they're not bad" said Ryoko, looking at her outfit. She was wearing black plate mail with spikes and a skull shaped helmet with horns. A spiked shield was strapped to her right arm. "Speak for yourself" whined Ayeka. She was wearing grey and white robes, with a blood red sash. In her hands was a staff with spikes on the end. Tenchi, wearing similar armor to Ryoko's, slowly got to his feet, adjusting to the weight of the metal covering his body. Unlike Ryoko, a broadsword hung from his belt. The only thing about the sword was that is had the Tenchi-ken for a hilt, complete with Ryoko's gems. As he slowly got used to the weight, he looked around and then gasped. "Where's Sasami?!" He cried Everyone quickly looked around. Sure enough, Sasami was nowhere to be found. "Hmmmm. Well, hopefully she isn't far. I'll just look for her with my sensors." Washu raised her hands in the familiar position, but nothing happened. Only air was under her fingers. "Your fancy toys won't work here, Planeshaper Washu." Came the voice of the cyan haired being. You no longer exist in a world of science. You are in a world of magic. Instead of a computer, you have a spellbook. You'll find it in your backpack, with your other gear. Ryoko.....Tenchi......Ayeka....since your powers are already magical in nature, you can still use them. You can use your sword too, Washu. Ryoko, you also have a spellbook, only smaller, but with very potent spells. Ayeka, you posses a book of healing magic. I have provided you with the equipment necessary to survive, so I trust you can get along in your journeys. " "Where is Sasami?" demanded Ayeka. "She is safe, with us. This journey would be too perilous for her, and she is assimilated with Tsunami. That would give her an unfair advantage." "What do we do?" "Simple. Prove yourselves by slaying a beast known as the Tarrasque. Then, you'll get your instructions from there." "The what?" asked Mihoshi. But the voice had vanished, leaving them to ponder their options. "Well, I say we find this thing, kill it and go home." said Ryoko "It might not be that simple. We have no idea what or who this Tarrasque is. We should get some information first and then see what we should do." said Tenchi. "Right" agreed Washu." We should find a town or something. It's getting dark." They walked through the woods, searching for a path of some kind. They found a worn, well- traveled road some distance away and began walking along it. Presently, they heard voices in the trees around them. "Now! Get them!" The bushes exploded with armed men. They carried all manners of weapons: swords, axes, knives, etc.. The group found themselves surrounded. "All right, I don't think they'll give us any trouble" came the initial voice. A big, burly man with a shiny (though dented) breastplate and a large ax pushed his way through the men. "Well, well, well. Looks like we got us some women. There's gonna be a great night tonight" he laughed, eyeing Ayeka and Washu. (Remember, Ryoko and Tenchi look almost exactly alike, and you can't tell gender when wearing heavy armor like theirs). "All right, get some rope. We'll bring 'em back to camp." But they got more than they bargained for. Washu had been studying her thick spell book while they were walking. With a gesture, she created a blinding burst of light, while shielding the others from it. The brigands yelled and dropped their weapons, clutching and clawing at their pain struck eyes. Seizing the opportunity, Ayeka brought the spiked end of her staff down on the head of the big armored man. It broke under the impact, spilling his brains down his front. Ryoko and Tenchi stood, dumbfounded at Ayeka's action. Ryoko gained her wits first, punching the nearest man in the stomach with a gauntleted fist and forming her energy sword. Tenchi drew his sword, bringing it before him in a guarding manner. The metal blade glowed with a blue light. The brigands, seeing the death of their leader and witnessing the blazing swords of the dark nights, fled in terror in all directions, save the one Ryoko punched. He was doubled over in pain, nursing a cut and a cracked pelvis. He was bleeding at the mouth, gasping raggedly. Ryoko picked him up by his collar. "All right, buddy, whats this all about?" He coughed, blood running down his front. "What is this?" he said in a simple, uneducated tone. "We's needed money, and women. Gerack there said this was a well traveled route, and the we would would find that on this road. Heh, guess he got more than he bet....onnn......" With a gurgle and a spurt of blood, he expired. Ryoko threw him to the ground, and a pool of blood began to form, boiling out his mouth and the cuts on his stomach (Ryoko's gauntlets are spiked, mind you). "Well, I guess we won't be getting to any towns before dark, so I suggest we make camp." said Washu. Mihoshi and Washu pulled off their backpacks and began to set up the tents in a clearing by the side of the road. Washu was done in no time. Mihoshi on the other hand.... "This doesn't look right. I thought this went here....no..there....ummmm.....can I get some help?" (Anime sweatdrops on the others) While Mihoshi struggled with the tent , and finally getting it up Ayeka's help, Ryoko got a fire going with some sticks and a bolt of her lightning. Now that they had a camp, they settled in, Ryoko and Tenchi removing their heavier armor. Then they all got some of the food from their packs. "Oh yay. Jerkified meat and dried vegetables." complained Ryoko. "I wish Sasami was here. Then we could get some great food." "Yeah, but from what?" interjected Ayeka. "This food doesn't really taste different heated and we can't really get anything to eat from the forest. With Washu's computer down, how can we know what is poisonous and what isn't?" "Well, we could let you eat it first and see if you turn green or die. Then we'd know not to eat it." laughed Ryoko "What? Why you...." started Ayeka "Ummmm, question..." came the subdued voice of Tenchi "What?" came the reply from the two arguers. "Well, I was thinking, what are the sleeping arangments going to be? There are five of us and only two tents." "Yeah, so? Those tents are big enough for three people easily." said Ayeka "I know, but I am the only guy here and......" "I'll let you share my tent Tenchi" said Ryoko, phasing right next to him. "No you won't, you monster. I know what your thinking and you can't do it." objected Ayeka. "Hey, I am just trying to be hospitable." "Well, we can all see right through it." *Oh boy, this could go on for a while* thought Tenchi, staring into the fire. While all this went on, Washu was studying her spellbook and Mihoshi had zonked out, and was lying on her side on the ground. Ryoko and Ayeka argued for several minutes, before Washu got sick of it and made the arrangements. Ayeka and Mihoshi would sleep in one tent with the supplies while Washu, Ryoko and Tenchi would be in the other one. Washu would be there to keep Ryoko in line and to make sure she got RESTFUL sleep (and because if Ayeka and Ryoko were in the same tent, they would be at each other's throats all night). Once the arrangements were made, the camp feel to silence. Only Mihoshi's snoring, the crackle of fire and the turning of pages broke the silence. Ryoko was studying her spellbook, after what she had seen Washu do. She put the skills she had honed while reading all those girl's comics to good use before she and the others turned in for the night. Morning greeted them with a drizzle of rain. Not a heavy deluge, but enough to make things miserable. They opted to wait for better weather before setting out, but as the day wore one, things just went from bad to worse. By nightfall, it was a raging thunderstorm. Ayeka was going crazy, listening to Mihoshi scream and whine about the weather. Ryoko just enjoyed the opportunity to be with Tenchi without Ayeka. Washu just studied spells and kept Ryoko from going too far. The rain stopped that night, and they were able to break camp and continue on. The weather was cool and damp though, so all wore their cloaks. They traveled for many miles before breaking, guessing it to be about midday. "That's it!" yelled Ayeka 'As soon as we get into a town, we are getting some transportation! My feet are killing me!" Ryoko, who had been hovering by Tenchi, just chuckled. Then an arrow whizzed by her head. They turned to the source. Something was moving between the tree trunks. No, many things. They burst from the forest, a horde of waist high beasts. They were a rag-tag bunch, with weapons and armor in various states of disrepair and they jabbered excitedly. "Oh nooo.....St..stay b.b.bback..." stammered Mihoshi. She reached for her blaster, but it wasn't there. "What am I going to do?" she shrieked. "Well, you could use that bow on your back" huffed Ayeka, who smashed her staff on one of the buggers that had gotten close. Washu was holding her own, for tendrils of flame whipped about her, snapping like whips at any of the beasts that came close. Tenchi and Ryoko, of course, slashed at whatever came near.Mihoshi just scampered up a tree and threw branches and small nuts at the ones that tried to climb. Within minutes of the attack, the creatures ran away, leaving the dead and injured ones behind. "Well, I think that takes care of that." said Washu. "Shall we continue?" For another day the party traveled, coming to a small town by evening. It wasn't much of a town, more like a collection of buildings lining a muddy road, but it was some civilization. Most of the buildings were dark, save for one. "I think this is an inn, or a tavern of some sort." said Ryoko. "Yeah. Who else would be open now?" added Washu "Well, lets go in and see if we can get a room or some information." finished Ryoko. They entered through the front door, under a badly weathered, unreadable sign. All eyes turned to them as they entered. It was a full house, with the local farmers and toughs filling most of the tables and getting drunk. They made their way to a table in the middle of the room and sat down. Silence. Ryoko stood up, her eyes glowing yellow behind the eyeholes of her helmet. "What are you all looking at?" Everyone else hastily turned back to their previous conversations and drinks, not daring to stare. The barmaid, a middle-aged woman with clothes semi-cleaner that those of the other patrons, came to their table to offer them drinks and food. Ryoko was steamed that there was no sake, so she just ordered a couple pitchers of water and then used her matter maniplation skill to change it into sake. While she got drunk, Washu began wandering around the room, listening in on conversations. Nothing really interesting. Problems with goblins, fields burning, lousy weather. The useless stuff. She did find one piece of information and brought it back to the others, who by now had gotten their meal and were finishing it. "There is a merchant's caravan due through here tomorrow. Maybe we could learn something from there and get a ride to a major city." "Well, at least if we can, that will mean less walking." said Ayeka "Yeah. And maybe we won't be attacked" added Mihoshi. They rented rooms for the night, using some of the gold they found in their packs. Tenchi had his own room, the girls were in two others. They all got a restful night's sleep, though in the morning, Tenchi about had a heart attack when Ryoko woke him up. She had just phased her head (in her skull-design helmet) though the wall above his head, and whispered 'Good morning sweetie'. The sight of the black metal skull freaked him beyond anything else. And he woke up everyone else in the inn. After Ryoko left, he got dressed and came down to the tavern to get something to eat. Everyone their glared at him except for the girls. They ate breakfast, paid their bill and went outside. They saw the caravan coming down the road they had traveled the previous day. "Well, shall we see what we can get?" asked Washu. "May as well" sighed Ryoko. They made their way through the wagons, where goods were being sold. Fabrics, food, armor, weapons, you name it. It was sold here. Mihoshi bought a silver necklace with a ruby in it. And then Ayeka yelled at her for spending her money so foolishly. After a couple hours, Washu met the rest of the gang by the tavern. To the joy of the others, she had arranged for some transportation. The caravan would carry them to a larger town where they could get some horses. It was a couple days away, but it would take longer on foot. So, the next day, they set out with the caravan.