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. Please don't sue. I have no money whatsoever to protect myself with or to pay out. Anyway, on with the story...... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No need for New Realms : Ch.5 Time of mourning, time of sorrow. Tenchi slumped to the deck. Ayeka was gone. They had failed to save her when the Phyrexian monster had attacked her, and he felt terrible. The others seemed to reflect his anguish. Mihoshi was on her knees, bawling. Washu looked at the ground, anger evident in her eyes. Ryoko was at his side, consoling him, but he could tell she was saddened as well. "I can't believe it.," he said quietly, as if in a trance. "She was there, just in front of us. We could have helped her... If only we had been faster!" "Tenchi, we did what we could." Ryoko said, holding his shoulders and looking him in the eyes. "Whatever that thing was, it had a suicidal determination to get Ayeka. I don't think there was much more we could have done to stop it." "I know that, but...... I feel as though we could have done just a little more. Maybe enough to save her." "Maybe we could have, but that is in the past." she sighed. "Our focus now should be to get Tsunami working again, and then maybe we can save her." "Or at least recover her body......" he trailed off. "Don't you go thinking like that!" Washu said, hitting him on the head from behind. "Then you have already failed in the attempt and given up on her." "But you saw that thing it impaled her with!" he said in despair. "She went limp seconds after she was pierced by that spike!" "It may not have been a killing strike." Washu replied. "It might have been a sedative injector. Or in the worst case, a venom injector...." "So that means she could be alive...?" he ventured. "Yes, but I would hurry in our attempt to save her. Who knows how long they will keep her before they dispose of her?" "Thats right." said Ryoko, standing up. "But first we should try to get Tsunami awakened. She could probably help us. Besides, I'm sure she wants to get out of here." They left Mihoshi, who was still bawling her eyes out, where she was and walked over to the glowing forms of Sasami and Tsunami. "Now, how to get them out......." mused Washu, studying the half submerged bodies. Ryoko and Tenchi watched, unsure as to what they would do. The creaking of wood and metal made them nervous. Something was happening outside, and they didn't like the thoughts of what it might be. Just then, Tenchi remembered. The sword! It might be able to help them. He made his way over to the pool where it had fallen in. Peering into the dim water, he could see the glint of the metal, in the deeper part of the pool. Ryoko teleported next to him. "Need some help?" "I think so. I can see the sword down there, but I don't know how to get it." Ryoko and Tenchi looked into the water for a second before Ryoko came up with an idea on how to get the sword. "Tenchi, take my hand." she instructed. "And hold your breath." Tenchi put his armored hand in hers, unsure of what was about to happen, and breathed deeply. Ryoko teleported them into the pool near the sword. The cold shock of the water struck Tenchi like a wall, but the light burning in his lungs made him concentrate on his goal. Holding onto Ryoko, he bent down and grasped the lightly glimmering sword. He sensed something was wrong when Ryoko's grip tightened. Looking up, he saw something else moving in the dim water, something large. And it was moving towards them. Ryoko kicked off the bottom, carrying her and Tenchi upwards, and the object followed. A deep gurgling roar filled the water. A large serpentine beast lunged at them. The rusty metal teeth and wisps of black flesh held no secret as to it's origin. Ryoko fired a blast of energy and teleported away. Tenchi dropped to the slanted deck as they phased onto it. His lungs burned from the torture they had gone through. He sucked in the cool, refreshing air of the bridge and sighed. But the thing in the water wasn't done. It's shark-like head broke the surface and roared, water streaming off it's jagged hide. Ryoko fired several blasts of power from her palm. The monster shattered into broken metal and blazing flesh. It collapsed to the deck, narrowly missing Tenchi with it's bulk. The whole floor shook with the impact. Oil flowed from it's sides and jaws. "Well, I think that takes care of that." observed Ryoko, admiring her handiwork. "Tenchi, you'd better get that sword to Tsunami and Sasami. The ship is starting to move a bit." Tenchi nodded and made his way to the glowing energy field. Washu had continued to study it despite the knowledge of Tenchi's plan from Ryoko. But now that he was back, she gave him room. Tenchi looked at the two sleepers. Slowly, he placed the sword between them. The silvery blade glowed a light blue. The symbols on Sasami and Tsunami's foreheads reflected the color change. Then, there was a pop, like glass breaking under stress. A glowing blue crack had appeared in the shield, centered at the tip of the sword. As they watched, the crack grew and spread, like a spider web. With the spreading of the breaks, the glow intensified. Soon it covered all of the barrier and hurt the eyes to look at. A high-pitched tone sounded, and in a pulse of energy, the light vanished. In place of the two sleeping forms, there stood Tsunami and Sasami. Sasami was blinking and rubbing her eyes, like she had woken from a deep sleep. When she had cleared them, she looked at the ones who had freed her. And gasped in terror. "Sasami, what's wrong?" asked Tenchi, a bit confused. "Better take your helmet off, Tenchi." Ryoko said. "She doesn't know it's us." "Oh, right." Tenchi pulled the skull helm off and held it at his side. Ryoko did the same. Sasami, who had been watching from behind Tsunami, sighed in relief, and then noticed Washu and Mihoshi standing behind her armored friends. She came out from behind Tsunami. "Oh, I'm so glad your all safe!" She said. "I was so worried, because I had a dream about you, a bad one, and......" Then she seemed to notice Ayeka's absence. "Tenchi, where did Ayeka go?" Tenchi looked away, finding it hard to find the words. How does one go about telling a little girl (well, not exactly, but you know what I mean) that her sister was taken by a killer machine? "She isn't.....dead, is she?" Sasami asked, tears forming. "We don't know if she is or not, Sasami." answered Washu. "But we need your help if we want to help her." Tsunami walked up to Tenchi. "I believe this is yours." She held out the shimmering sword to Tenchi. He carefully accepted it, as if the weapon had taken on a new, overwhelming power. "Tenchi, you and the others did what you could. I witnessed the fight through my dreams. You fought well, and did much damage to the beast." Tsunami said. "But there was nothing more you could do. What you were facing was an incredibly powerful beast, and not even you or the others could stop it once it had a goal." "I see." replied Tenchi. "But I think that we should try to get her back, even if we should face that thing or a hundred things like it again.." "I admire your courage, Tenchi. Don't worry, we will save Ayeka." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elsewhere, on another world, Ayeka woke from her nightmarish dreams. She wanted to scream, to cry out. The dreams had been horrible. Jurai under siege by black warships, her family and people being slaughtered by the jagged blades of the beasts. She opened her eyes. And saw the last thing she wanted to see. Leaning over her was the most horrible fiend she had ever seen. It was humanoid, but had insect-like proportions. Several slender, metal arms reached over and around it's shoulders, and metal coils hung from it's frame. It had a human-like face, but it had no jaw, only several inward curving fangs coming from the upper lip. It's empty eye sockets stared at her. She screamed, or at least tried to. No sound came from her throat. The skin on the thing's brow ridge moved in a demonic parody of glee, and it's many arms reached forward. Ayeka tried to squirm away, but found her muscles not responding. She looked down and saw why. She had been cut open and dissected, alive. The skin on her front had been cut open and peeled back. Her organs had been unstrung and were intricately strung out over several tables. The thing's face contorted into a twisted leer. From several of it's arms, she saw fleshy things hanging. Her larynx was one of them. The thing screeched, and set the things down. It picked other things up from another table. They looked like worms, or some strange devices Washu might make. In her mind she heard "Join us, princess. You will be given more power than you could ever imagine........" She tried to move, but a hot burst on her head made her lose consciousness. As her vision faded, she felt a sharp pain as scalpel-sharp blades began cutting her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ship creaked and swayed heavily. The group had to fight to regain their balance on the rapidly shifting deck. "What's happening?" cried Mihoshi. "We're being lifted from the ground." replied Tsunami. "Are you sure you are strong enough for travel?" asked Washu. "I mean, you did look pretty banged up from outside." "I am well enough, but I am not the one maintaining lift." Tsunami looked into the dim space before her and a veiwscreen materialized. It was a view from somewhere along the spine of the ship. It showed the massive array of hooks, chains and cables embedded in the hull, and something holding the array. They were huge. Massive ships, two of them, their vast bulks blocking out the light of the sun. "How are they holding us up?" asked Tenchi, staring at the screen. Washu pointed. "Those cables running from their sides. They have claws and hooks on them. Thats why they have this big network of chain and cable, so they can hold onto us." "But where are they taking us?" "I think we're about to find out." said Ryoko. "Look." In front of them, the air had started to shimmer. Lightning swirled and thundered. In an instant, the distorted landscape behind the disturbance was blotted out. Darkness and chaos replaced it, hanging in the sky like an evil moon. "Tsunami, can't you do something?" asked Tenchi. Tsunami smiled. "Of course I can." She closed her eyes and the symbol on her forehead glowed with a pure white light. All around them, the water in the pools and channels took on the same hue. The walls glowed a grey color. On the veiwscreen, the hull was shimmering in various hues of blue and purple. A loud bang sounded throughout the hull. On the screen, a spike that had been driven into Tsunami's side had broken free. More noise, like a chain of firecrackers exploding. The whole array of spikes and cable broke free. The two ships that had been carrying Tsunami suddenly bucked and twisted, their engines suddenly not carrying the weight of the Jurian ship. The glowing ceased, and Tsunami hung in the sky, looking as she had before the trouble began, hull repaired and pristine. By now, the two Phyrexian warships had jettisoned the cable array and righted themselves. They turned about and all along the sides and deck of the ships, the nightmarish crews were clearing their guns for action. The first ship spat red light from it's port side, the bolt flying straight and true for Tsunami. It never got there. The bolts slammed into a wall of glowing blue and grey, diffusing as their energy was absorbed. More bolts and black webs of a tarry substance flew from the sides of the Phyrexian ships. This time, Tsunami replied. The walls of energy opened up in row after row of yellow cannon fire. Black webs disintegrated in the storm of fire and the red energy bolts were overwhelmed. The yellow bolts traveled on in their relentless flight, tearing into the dark hulls of Phyrexian warships. Great chunks of the ships tore away in a semi-molten state and crew members fell to their deaths from the gaping holes. The ships continued to fight, but the sheer volume of fire and the fact that their weapons were strengthening Tsunami made the fight a short one. One vessel exploded in a brilliant blue fireball, with the second one going up a minute later. Flaming wreckage rained down upon the mass of troops milling below, igniting the oil-blood of many. "We are no longer in any danger from them." stated Tsunami. "That's a relief." sighed Tenchi. "Now, Tsunami, we have to find Ayeka. Do you know where she might be?" "I cannot sense Ryu-oh's key anywhere on this world. However, I can faintly sense something akin to it's power on the other side of that portal." "Then that is where we should go." Ryoko said. "We can't let Ayeka remain in the clutches of those beasts." Not a word was said, but there seemed to be a general consent among all present. With a howling rush of air, Tsunami surged forward into the portal. Her knifeblade bow slipped through, and the rest followed, covering the distances of infinity in seconds. They emerged in a strange, barren world. Bare rock, rock that looked like it had flowed at one point in time, was everywhere. There were hills and valleys, but they were infrequent. All was like a dim evening, as boiling black clouds were all that were in the sky. Lightning danced about them. "I can sense Ryu-oh's key, forty three light seconds from us, bearing zero three two." "Let's go, Tsunami! Lets save Ayeka!" cheered Mihoshi. Tsunami applied maximum thrust and they flew at top speed in the direction of the energy source. The ground flashed beneath them, a grey/brown blur of motion. Until it moved at the same rate as they were. "Tsunami! Watch out!" yelled Mihoshi. The great ship lurched right, narrowly avoiding a sharp spire of rock that had grown right beneath them. In midstrike, it changed direction, attempting to strike them again. It broke against the glowing barrier of the Light Hawk Wings. But the Wings flashed as power was consumed in stopping the strike. "We have to get away from the ground, or we'll never survive! Tsunami, get us some height!" ordered Washu. Tsunami nodded and they ascended at high speed, escaping more rock spires. They fell back into the barren plane of rock, vanishing like they had slipped into water. "Amazing...." breathed Washu. "The power required to make rock behave like that must be tremendous." "Well, we're not here to study rocks, so remember that." Ryoko said as she shook her head. As they rose into the sky, they could see a great shaft of light in the distance, it's source just over the horizon. It was apparently their destination, as they flew towards it unerring. "The signal from Ryu-oh's key grows stronger. We are almost there." "And there is the welcoming committee...." said Ryoko, pointing to a black mass on the screen. It looked like a swarm of insects, and it was centered around the shaft of light. They drew nearer, they could see the black objects more clearly. They weren't insects, they were ships. A whole fleet. Most of the ships were as big as the two they had fought earlier, but there were many more that were larger still. "Do we have to fight all those?" whined Mihoshi in fright. "No. Our target is far below them, in that volcanic crater." Tsunami's nose dipped and the descended with greater speed than they had climbed. Soon they were under the oppressive bulk of the Phyrexian fleet. They all had a grim feeling as they crossed the line where darkness became darker. The lightning had ceased, but lightning would have been a better alternative to their new flightmates. "Ryu-oh's key is very near, only twenty miles by........" Tsunami was interrupted by a great crash. The whole vessel shook as they were struck by some unseen aggressor. "Where did that come from?!" snarled Ryoko. The veiwscreen changed it's field of view, and a Phyrexian ship, roughly the same size as Tsunami, hove into view. It's design was roughly the same as any other Phyrexian ship they had seen, but it had a great jagged spike in it's bow. For ramming, no doubt. Red energy blazed from several points on it's hull. The bolts were blocked by the Wings and answered in kind, but the Phyrexian ship was more maneuverable than the heavier cruisers. It dodged the bolts with a nimbleness that rivaled that of Tsunami. The black webs flew from the middle of the deck, crashing into the Wings and sticking. Blue lightning arced in the air around where the webs had stuck, and white smoke poured thickly away. The wings began to blink and waver. "Those bolts.... they're draining my...power...." Tsunami gasped. "We are losing lift." The deck became slanted again as Tsunami's bow dipped at a heavy angle. Air howled past them, and they plummeted into the crater. The Phyrexian ship followed, nearly matching their speed. "We have to lose them! Tsunami, do you have any power left to attack?" asked Ryoko. "A little, but we would lose what little control we have." "Use it, or we won't have a life left to live!" The wings reformed behind Tsunami, flickering weakly. "I don't think there is enough......" "I can help." Tenchi stated. "I did something like this before." Tenchi held the sword in front of him. The guard glowed the same brilliant blue as it had when he used it to attack Kagato's ship. But this time, the three triangles on his forehead glowed with him, their green and red light as bright as the guard. Tsunami's Light Hawk Wings suddenly glowed fiercely as the new energy flowed in. The Wings pulsed from blue to black as they formed a funnel shape, the wide end facing the Phyrexian ship. Red energy bolts splashed against the barrier, but as before, they strengthened it. The new energy aided the attack, as Tenchi and Tsunami had begun to form a sphere of red and yellow energy within the cone. "Fire!" The ball blasted out in a swirling red mist. It flew straight and true towards the Phyrexian ship. Try as it might, the vessel could not avoid the sphere of energy that sought it with a bloodthirsty determination. Impact came only a few seconds after firing. The ball impacted on the side of the Phyrexian ramship. It broke up in a storm of lightning and fried metal, which rained down upon the inner slopes of the crater. "You did it!" cheered Mihoshi. "Yeah, but we don't have any power left......." Tsunami replied. The realization hit them almost as fast as the ground. Tsunami hit hard, skidding down the steep slopes in a haphazard manner. She came to rest at the lowest part of the crater, but not at the center. There was nearly a mile between them and the source of the light. The gang picked themselves up from where they had landed in the crash. Everyone was shook up, but no injuries. "Tsunami, can you take off soon?" asked Washu anxiously. "I am afraid not. All of my power was expended in that attack. I can defend myself, but I cannot move from here for a while." "Damn." muttered Ryoko. "How close are we to Ayeka?" "Ryu-oh's key is within two miles of us, bearing two five three." "So, then it is in there....." Ryoko was looking on the screen at a structure made of bad dreams. It was a great fortress, hovering above a glowing red shaft of light. It's design was truly maddening, no insanely frightening, as there was no symmetry at all and it looked more like it had grown than been built. "Unfortunately, yes. I am getting a fairly strong signal from the key, but I also can detect much of the dark energies that are of similar nature to what I assume are the power cores of those ships." "Great." "Well, we had better try to get there before they figure out we're here and decide to send an attack force." "They undoubtedly know where we are. But they probably don't know of our status, so they are bidding their time." explained Washu. "But it won't remain like that forever." "I know, but time is needed to repair. I am a living being, not a machine that can quickly be fixed up." "But you said you could defend yourself. Could you withstand a large assault?" asked Ryoko. "Probably, so I think it is in your best intrests that Sasami remain here." "True. I don't think she needs to see these horrors up close." So under the glowering stare of the fortress, they set out from Tsunami towards their target. Flight would be difficult, as the wind whipped with hurricane force only a few feet above them. Not that travel on foot was any easier. The ground was rougher than it looked from the air and after the demonstration of the spikes, the thought of the rock itself attacking made everyone nervous. They ran into a Phyrexian patrol halfway between the fortress and the downed Tsunami. Apparently, the patrol had been ascending the other side of the hill that they were, and confusion was rife on both sides. Response was swift, and then the Phyrexians responded. Ryoko fired a high powered bolt into the group of machine men and large black wolves. They incinerated into ash and molten metal at the nearness of the beam. The large wolves leaped, a hateful fire blazing in their eyes. Saliva dripped from their gleaming white teeth and terrible snarls emanated from their lips as they attacked. Ryoko phased away from the ones bearing down on her. Washu sent fireballs and bolts of energy at the one coming after her. Tenchi met his opponent with the gleaming blade, and it bit deep and hard. Black, oily blood gushed from the wound, but it didn't stop. The creature's weight forced him down. It howled and clawed at his chest. The black claws scraped against the metal, and a shower of sparks rained onto the ground. "Tenchi!" Red lightning came out of nowhere and the demonic hound was thrown off of him in the electrical burst. Tenchi barely managed to get up when Phyrexian soldiers attacked him. Their claws rang on his sword. A burst of light exploded from the hilt, and the creatures nearest to him were riddled with blue bolts of energy. Most collapsed in smoking ruin, while others burst into flames. "We're winning! We're winning!" cried a jubilant voice. Fire and arrows rained on Phyrexian troops that ascended the hill, and they fell quickly. Tenchi looked back to see Washu and Mihoshi, in the middle of a field of carnage and death. Ryoko phased into being next to him. "Well, we seem to have dealt with this little problem." Tenchi nodded. The other two walked carefully over the still twitching blades of the fallen beasts. "Did you see that!? Did you see that?! I got 'em!" squealed Mihoshi in delight. "Uhh, yeah.....that you did..." answered Washu, rolling her eyes. "We better get moving again. They might wonder what happened to that patrol and send another one to investigate............" Washu trailed off as a shadow blocked off the light from the gleaming column that rose from the fortess.