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An Artist Among Monsters	By : ClanCrusher Category: +M to R > Ranma ½ Views: 21243 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based work of fanfiction. Ranma 1/2 and Monster Girl Quest are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Torotoro Resistance respectively.

Chapter List
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“Sounded like you two had fun last night.”
Ranma nearly choked on his food. “You heard that?”
“Not a peep! But I have a pretty good instinct about these sorts of things.” said the innkeeper with a wink.
Alice didn't even seem fazed by the owner's teasing, merely taking another pastry and devouring it. “It was a hundred-thousand gold bed. It would have been a shame not to use it.”
“Can we talk about something else? Like...anything else?”
“So are you two a couple?” asked the owner, speaking to Alice and completely ignoring Ranma's plea.
“More like casual partners at the moment,” said Alice calmly.
The owner smiled. “Might want to snatch him up quick. You never know when a monster might try to steal him away from you.”
Alice's mouth quirked upward. “I pity the poor monster that would try to catch him.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” snapped Ranma.
“It means you'd be more trouble for a monster than you're worth to catch, provided you don't throw a tornado at them,” said Alice sweetly.
“I told you my technique doesn't work...you know what? Forget it. We've got to get going to that Happiness place,” grumbled Ranma as he took to his feet.
“Sit down and finish your meal, dear,” said Alice, her voice dripping with false affection. “It's the least you can do after she went to all the trouble of making it and giving you a new set of clothes.”
Ranma paused, halfway up from his seat, looking at his half-finished meal before slumping back down with a sigh. “Should have just let Granberia take this town...”
“Hmm? What was that?” asked the owner.
“Nothing!” said Ranma quickly, stuffing his mouth full to make sure his foot couldn't fit into it again. He had to admit, the new clothes were a step up from the ones Granberia had torched. While he wasn't enthusiastic about the mixture of green and blue colors, the shirt had a weight to it that reminded him of his old karate gi, and the heavier, more durable pants were far more suited for traveling.
“I'll tell you, it's a real blessing from Ilias that you two showed up. That dragon woman has just been the latest in a series of ongoing problems. Magical storms cutting off Iliasport, kidnappings in Happiness Village, and just a couple weeks ago, a fearsome group of bandits led by a vampire and a dragon moved in and have been terrorizing the local merchants.”
“Two dragons within a week?” asked Alice with a raised brow.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” said the owner with a sigh. “I don't know why any monster would bother with this town to begin with. At one time we might have had heroes worth challenging, but...well, you saw how well they stood up to that dragon woman. By the way, I noticed there was a claw mark on the door to your room this morning. You didn't have any visitors last night, did you?”
Ranma nearly choked on his food. “Ah...no, no visitors whatsoever,” he assured her. “Don't know where it could have possibly come from.”
“Strange. Oh well, just another bill I can send to the temple,” said the owner cheerfully before picking up the dishes and wheeling the cart out of the room.
“So is shame just not a thing with monsters, or something?” asked Ranma the moment the door had closed.
“Not with me. Besides, you were the one who fell for her verbal trap,” countered Alice.
Ranma winced. She was right about that, and frankly she'd handled the conversation better than he could have.
“So what is sex like in your world?” asked Alice suddenly.
“Will you stop-”
“I'm serious,” said Alice pointedly. “How am I supposed to respect your cultural differences if I don't know anything about your culture?”
That brought him up short. Her question and reasoning actually sounded, well, reasonable. Unfortunately, he didn't really have a good answer for that. “Well...it's usually just one other person, and most times you're expected to wait until you're married, I guess.”
“Considering your claim about a lack of monsters, I can't help but wonder if Ilias managed to wipe us out in your world and enforce her edicts unopposed. It sounds exactly like her teachings here,” scoffed Alice. “Let me guess, those 'standards' have a basis in some form of religion, right?”
“That's not...untrue,” said Ranma slowly. Granted, he'd never really committed to any single religion, but those rules did seem to be fairly constant across most of the major ones. “I never really thought about it before.”
“You just blindly followed those standards without ever questioning why?” pressed Alice.
“No. I was engaged to two different girls, was hunted by another, and the less I say about the fourth, the better,” said Ranma shortly.
“Four admirers and you never once had sex?” asked Alice with mild surprise.
“If I had, the other three would have gone berserk,” mumbled Ranma. “And then there were all their rivals to consider. It was just a mess and having...that kind of relationship with any of them was a bad idea.”
“Interesting,” murmured Alice, looking thoughtful as she continued gazing at Ranma from across the table. “Well, if you want some advice from a monster lord, get over your shame quick. Monsters use sex as a weapon all the time, and if you're too embarrassed to fight back properly, you'll end up as prey sooner or later.”
Ranma poked at his food, staying silent. Despite how absurd it sounded, Alice seemed quite serious. “I can't just turn that off, you know.”
“Are you saying you need more training?”
There was no good answer to that, so instead Ranma focused on his food, making a tactical verbal retreat. Mercifully, Alice seemed to be satisfied with her victory and let him finish the meal in peace. Yet her question was going to linger for some time in the back of his mind.
----------
“Greetings, hero! It is truly an honor to have your presence in my shop!”
Slowly, Ranma looked up from the camping gear he'd been looking over and up into the eyes of a portly, broad bellied shop owner. “It is?”
“Well of course! You were the one who drove off Granberia yesterday! And I've heard a rumor around town that you'll be helping us with our bandit problem, too.”
“First I'm hearing of that,” said Ranma, but the shop owner was already talking ahead of him.
“They're a savage and bloodthirsty lot I tell you. Led by a dragon and a vampire of all things. Why, just a couple of days ago I had ten whole knives go missing from my stock.”
“That's...terrible?”
“And just last week, they raided farmer Stanley's apple tree and devoured over half of the fruits on it!”
“That doesn't actually sound all that bad-”
“And before that, they ambushed a wealthy merchant caravan and stole everything from it!”
“Everything?”
“Mostly some food and a few valuables, but if they hadn't turned tail and run, who knows what that group would have done to them!”
“They survived? I thought you said they were bloodthirsty.”
“Well of course they are! The merchants were lucky to escape with their lives!”
Ranma's eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How many people have these bandits killed exactly?”
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, seeming to give the question some serious thought. “Well...no one that I know personally, but their reputation-”
“How many bandits are there?”
“Erm, well we know the dragon and the vampire exist for sure. Those are plenty threatening on their own!”
“Are they?” asked Ranma, clearly suspicious now. “What do they look like?”
“Oh, well the dragon is a fearsome monster with scales as tough as diamonds and a terrifying roar that paralyzes all but the bravest who hear it. And the vampire is a seductive beauty of the night who wears an intimidating black cloak and can drain you of your blood just like that!” For emphasis, the shopkeeper snapped his fingers.
“And they're stealing knives and apples?” reminded Ranma.
“And food!”
Ranma sighed. “I feel like you're making this out to be a bigger problem than it really is.”
“You mean...you're not going to help?” The store owner looked crestfallen. “But you're a hero, aren't you?”
“Actually...” he began.
“Because a hero would get the special store discount on camping supplies. And they'd receive generous donations from the stores they come to, especially in service of the towns they're trying to protect.”
The martial artist cast another glance at the pack, sleeping roll, and tent, along with a plethora of other supplies that were going to be absolutely essential for a long journey into the wilderness. “How much of a discount are you talking about?”
A few minutes later, Ranma had rejoined Alice outside of the shop, a brand new pack on his back laden with several essentials. “We're taking a detour to the Irina Mountains.”
Alice gave him a flat look. “That sounds like a pointless diversion.”
“It is,” agreed Ranma. “But we still don't have any money and I don't like sleeping in trees.”
“Your loss. It's quite comfortable,” said Alice with a shrug as she fell into step beside him. “So what's in the Irina Mountains?”
“Those bandits, apparently. A dragon and a vampire.”
“Like hell there are,” said Alice with a snort. “If there were monsters that powerful on this continent, I would have known about them ages ago.”
“What, is there no such thing as a weak dragon or vampire?”
“Sheer force of genetics make that almost an impossibility. They don't always get to the level of Granberia, but one would have to seriously try to end up a weakling.”
“I dunno, something isn't adding up here,” said Ranma, pausing in front of a very distinctly marked weapon store before adjusting course and going inside.
“Ah, the hero of Iliasburg! Welcome to my humble weapon shop! How can I-”
“The bandits,” interrupted Ranma. “What can you tell me about them?”
“Haha! Already seeking out your next heroic feat I see! Well, they're a vicious lot for sure. Just a couple of weeks ago, they stole two whole barrels full of fresh vegetables and dried meat! They even have a dragon and a vampire among their ranks.”
“That's it? Two barrels of food?” asked Alice with a slight tilt of her head.
“Well...they were really heavy barrels,” said the owner sheepishly. “If you're going after them, perhaps I can give you some weapons or armor. How about this spiked codpiece? Any monster would think twice about-”
Ranma didn't let him finish before he closed the door and continued to the town gate. “The shop owners seem pretty certain of the dragon and vampire.”
“It could just be a monster pretending,” said Alice. “A little bit of illusion magic or a fancy disguise. Humans tend to be pretty clueless when it comes to monsters.”
“I for one wouldn't mind investigating the rumors,” said a new voice, nearly causing Ranma to jump. Making an effort not to whip his head around toward the voice, he spied Granberia from the corner of his eye, walking along behind him as though she'd been doing so all along. “News of another dragon this far south intrigues me.”
“How long were you listening in?” asked Ranma once he was calm.
“I keep an eye on my lord at all times,” reminded Granberia. “It's not difficult to hide one's presence among untrained humans. After last night it became clear to me-”
“So what about the vampire? Any interest in fighting her?” cut in Ranma.
“Mildly. Vampires tend to rely on charm, trickery, and magic above fighting prowess. Less a challenge of skill than it is avoiding their tricks and finding an opening to exploit,” she explained. “Most don't even like to dirty their hands. Still, it's a bit strange. Dragons and vampires don't really have a history of working together.”
“Why not? Their styles seem complimentary,” observed Ranma. “One fighting directly, one using tricks.”
“Does she look like the type who would use tricks?” asked Alice. “Or be satisfied by a fight that ended with trickery?”
“No, probably not,” agreed Ranma.
“Speaking of tricks, Ranma can change into a girl.”
Granberia paused mid step. “He...what?”
“Alice, why-”
“Did you want to wait for it to happen on accident and cause a misunderstanding? As amusing as that would be, we're already wasting enough time with this pointless side quest.” Snapping her fingers, Alice formed an ice crystal in one of her hands and in the other, a spout of flame appeared. Briefly, the two combined, and with a flick of her wrist, the water splashed over him.
Granberia watched it happen, her eyes widening slightly as she saw the transformation happen within the blink of an eye. Ranma was already ready with the answers to her questions. “Yes, it's a full transformation. No, nothing about me changes mentally. Cold water changes me to this, warm water changes me back.”
“Fascinating. That's not usually an ability a human can achieve, and yet I can sense no magic from you whatsoever, even while the change is happening,” said Granberia thoughtfully.
“Doesn't even feel all that unique anymore, considering what else I've seen here,” said Ranma, shaking the water from her hair before gesturing towards Alice.
“If you had even an ounce of dark magic within your body, it would be easy to teach you a basic level transformation spell like my own,” said Alice as she conjured another ice crystal above her fingers. This time, she brought the sphere of water to a boil with her flame before tossing it in the redhead's direction. “But you're entirely human in both forms.”
“Yeah, it's real tough, but I'll survive somehow,” said Ranma with a roll of his eyes, reaching down to take off his shirt and squeeze out the water, only to find that it wasn't nearly as soaked as he thought it would be. “Huh...well that's neat.”
“Enrikan clothing,” said Granberia. “Light, durable, perfect for those that need to stay nimble during combat. A good choice for a monk like yourself. I'm curious, which form do you prefer to fight in?”
That briefly caught Ranma off guard. Usually the follow up question he got asked after the curse was demonstrated was about his sexual orientation. “Male. Don't move quite as fast and my energy manipulation is a little worse, but it's hard to beat the better reach and strength. I've only had the other body for about four years.”
“So how did you get that body in the first place?” asked Alice.
“It's a long story, and not all that interesting.”
“We've got a ways to walk,” she replied. “The least you could do is entertain us.”
“Fine, whatever. It was all thanks to this stupid mystical training ground in a remote, backwater region of China called Jusenkyo.”
----------
“Oh, so that's how it is,” said Alice suddenly, bringing the small group to a halt. “This really was a waste of time.”
“You've been saying that for the past two hours,” reminded Ranma. “What exactly is different about this time?”
“You'll see soon enough,” said Alice cryptically, settling on her coils and letting out a sigh. “I'll watch your things. Try not to go too hard on them. Stupid paranoid humans.”
Shrugging off his pack, Ranma turned a curious glance towards Granberia who had taken a similarly relaxed pose against one of the trees. “Didn't you want to see the dragon?”
“If Lord Alipheese prefers not to involve herself in this, I will abide by her decision,” she responded.
“You can go if you want. Nothing on this continent is even remotely threatening to me, least of all those bandits. You might scare them off if they see you though.”
Granberia briefly seemed to share in Ranma's confusion, but comprehension dawned a moment later. “I see. Wouldn't it be best to act in your capacity as Monster Lord to ensure their safety?”
“Maybe. But I have a feeling they'll listen to a cute male more readily.”
“Is there some reason you're hiding information from me?” asked Ranma irritably.
“Yes,” replied Alice simply.
A few seconds passed before Ranma realized she wasn't going to say anything more. “Whatever. I'll be back.”
The trees broke and the mountain range that had only been slightly visible before came into full view, stretching quite a distance in either direction like a wall bordering the ocean. For a moment, Ranma wondered just how easy this bandit cave was going to be to find. Clearly Alice had caught their scent or auras within the vicinity so it couldn't have been that far away, but there was still quite a bit of mountain to cover.
“Unless they're holing up in this incredibly obvious cave,” he murmured. Worth a look, but they'd probably be a bit smarter than to pick a hideout that was barely off of the beaten path. Taking a single step forward, Ranma paused, his eyes moving toward a rather large rock that looked like it had tumbled down from the crags above. “You can come out now, I know you're there.”
“What? How? I was perfectly hidden!”
“Your foot was sticking out and I heard you move when I got close,” lied Ranma, deciding that was easier than explaining about energy signatures and auras.
“Grr...you could have at least pretended to be surprised and let me ambush you!” came the reply as the monstrous bandit walked out from behind the rock.
The 'bandit' was not a vampire or a dragon. In fact, despite the horn on her head and the strange markings on her face, the 'monster' didn't look like anything more than a young girl. Only coming as high as his chest, the bandit looked the part, wearing heavy gloves, a horned helmet, and leather armor just a shade lighter than her dark skin. Still, she was undeniably a cute girl.
Suddenly, Alice's annoyance made a lot more sense. “Wait, don't tell me you're-”
“I am Gob, the Bandit of Earth!” she introduced, her bright blue eyes gleaming with pride. “All trespassers will be made into our slaves!”
“You can't be...I thought you were led by a dragon and a vampire.”
“Oh we have a dragon and a vampire, too,” said the self-proclaimed Bandit of Earth. “But I was on lookout duty today, so you get to fight me first!”
Stepping back behind the rock, the monster girl withdrew her weapon and Ranma's look fell a little bit. The hammer matched her height and then some, with a heavy stone base that looked roughly carved and bound together to the pole. The fact that she was handling it with relative ease was a stark reminder than he couldn't judge a girl like her based on the standards of his own world.
“Take this! Super Earth Bandit Attack: Sandstorm!”
Ranma tensed, only for all the tension to leave his body as the girl reached down and flung a handful of dirt at him. Not even bothering to dodge, Ranma let the clod hit him square in the chest were it promptly crumbled.
Seemingly undeterred by her failed attack, the goblin girl took a two handed grip on her hammer and hefted it up above her head. “Super Earth Bandit Attack: Whirwind!” Widening her stance, the hammer swept out in a wide circle, spinning around rapidly until it looked like the hammer was pulling her instead of the other way around.
Slowly...slowly...incredibly slowly, the girl inched closer to him. It would have been easy to simply take a step to the side, or even several. Instead, Ranma waited for the right moment before bringing his hand up and catching the handle just below the head, rather abruptly stopping the goblin's fierce attack.
Dizzy and wobbling slightly, the monster shook her head, reorienting herself before finally seeing what had stopped her technique. “You stopped it! That was my best technique, too!”
“Were you just expecting me to stand there and take it?” asked Ranma. “A blind person could have avoided that.”
“Sniff...you don't have to be so mean about it...” Uh oh. Tears were starting to well up in her eyes now, her grip on the hammer going slack as she let Ranma take almost all of the weight.
“H-hey, I didn't mean it like that,” said Ranma quickly, setting the hammer down carefully and holding his hands up defensively. “Your plenty strong, but your technique just needs work, that's all!”
Eyes watering, Gob looked up at him. “You...you mean it?”
What the hell am I doing? She just tried to attack me!
Ignoring his internal thoughts, Ranma kicked the handle of the hammer into his hand and hefted it up. Taking a look at the goblin girl's size, the martial artist gave the handle a swift chop and neatly severed the wood at just the right height. Turning the weapon around, he briefly examined the head before undoing the bindings and tying them up properly.
Curious, Gob watched him work, her tears fading as he shortened and tightened the crude weapon into something more fitting for her size. “The trick with a weapon like this is to not let the hammer carry you. It's a balance between using the momentum you gain from the weight and using your own strength.”
Finished with his task, Ranma flipped the hammer around and examined the repaired weapon. “And if you're going to be using 'earth' attacks, you can't be wasting time letting go of your weapon, either.”
“But...I don't know any real earth attacks,” admitted Gob sheepishly. “I just took the title because I was the strongest of us four.”
“How about this one then?” said Ranma, giving her a smirk before rising to his feet and taking a stance, letting the head of the hammer linger behind him. “Super Earth Bandit Attack: Sandstorm!” With a strong underhanded swing, Ranma struck the ground with the head of the hammer, scooping up and then throwing a cloud of dirt up into the air.
“And then the follow up...Shockwave!” Turning his body and using the momentum of his earlier swing, Ranma brought the hammer up and over his shoulder as he twisted before bringing it down hard on the ground, cracks appearing in the earth as a small rumble shook the surrounding area.
The goblin girl's face looked positively delighted, her tears all but forgotten. “Woooow! How did you do that? Come on, show me again!”
“I'll do you one better. I'll teach you how to do it,” offered Ranma. “But only if you tell me about your fellow bandits.”
----------
Resisting the urge to look as he felt a new presence approaching, Ranma kept his attention on the goblin girl in front of him. In just the space of an hour, her stance and balance had improved significantly, and the smaller hammer was doing wonders for her. “Remember, you just want to skim the earth a bit and angle it just right so it goes into your opponent's face,” he reminded her. “And keep the attack name short, too.”
Nodding resolutely, Gob tightened her grip and swung. “Goblin Sandstorm!” she cried out, skimming the earth just right to kick up a dust cloud. “Goblin Shockwave!” Her follow-up wasn't quite as potent, but the tremor through the ground was noticeable. Maybe even enough to knock over an unbalanced opponent.
The pride on Gob's face was adorable. “That was it! I did it! I felt the ground tremble!”
“Yep. You keep at it and you'll be knocking down people twice your size,” encouraged Ranma, impulsively reaching forward and giving Gob's helmet a pat. “Just keep on doing those exercises I showed you and remember what I said about your weapon size and weight.”
“Teach me something else!” she said suddenly. “You're one of those martial arts masters that knows all kinds of techniques, right?”
“Well, I suppose I could...” he began.
“Hey, no fair! I want to learn a cool technique too!” came a sudden shout from behind the same rock Gob had been hiding behind. Just like before, a fearsome 'bandit' appeared, though this one's monster origins were far more obvious from the green and silver tail coiled up beneath her. A young lamia girl, though unlike the goblin, her only 'protection' was two thin strips of cloth covering her chest and a loincloth around the area where her snake and human halves met.
Then again, it's not as though Alice needed much protection either...
“You must be Teeny, the Bandit of Water,” said Ranma, winking at Gob before turning his attention to her. “So what's your special talent?”
For a moment, the tiny lamia looked shocked before turning an angry glare to Gob. “You talked, didn't you?”
“He defeated me, I had no choice,” said Gob defensively. “And he taught me a new technique!”
“Grr...you traitor! I'll deal with you right after I finish dealing with him! Supreme Water Bandit Ultimate Coiling Technique!”
Nonplussed, Ranma stood there as the tiny lamia charged him, making a trail in the dirt as she slithered at him and then lunged, wrapping her tail around his legs and her arms around his waist. “Ha! Now you're helpless!”
With deliberate care and slowness, Ranma reached his hands down and gently grabbed her hips before pulling her up into the air, her small tail dangling just on the ground as he held her. “I don't think you're old enough to pull that off yet.”
“Gooob! Help! He defeated my ultimate technique!”
“Just because you give it a long name doesn't make it 'ultimate' you know,” grumbled Ranma as he set her down. Just like the goblin girl, it seemed like her eyes were starting to water. Kami damn his weakness to crying girls. “Okay look, how about I show you how to actually use that tail?”
The waterworks immediately stopped. “Huh? But you're a human. What would you know about fighting with a tail?”
“More than you'd think,” murmured Ranma, briefly thinking back to the way Alice had moved last night at the Sutherland Inn. “Alright, first let's focus on your movement...”
----------
Monsters were fast learners. That was really the only thing Ranma could think as he watched Gob and Teeny square off with one another, the former having set her hammer aside for a more light-contact sparring session with her bandit friend.
A far cry from the straightforward charging Teeny had done before, she was now utilizing her coils to be far more elusive, weaving and dodging around Gob's strikes. Gob herself had improved a lot too, her stance more firm, her punches carrying more strength, and her speed having been optimized for her smaller form and figure.
At the moment, the two seemed evenly matched, though without her weapon, Teeny did seem to have the edge over Gob with the extra reach her tail afforded her, the goblin having to be careful not to be tripped. Even if her tail wasn't good for coiling like Alice, there was plenty of potential for it to be a nuisance in a fight.
“Hey, no fair! You went playing without us!”
“Yeah, how long were you going to keep us waiting in there?”
Turning his gaze back towards the hiding rock, Ranma watched as the final two members of the Four Bandits made their appearance. Vanilla the Wind Bandit and Papi the Fire Bandit.
“They really are all just little girls,” murmured Ranma to himself, finally confirming the source of Alice's annoyance. It was obvious which one was which. Vanilla was sporting a small black cape and cute bat wings from beneath her long golden hair...and absolutely nothing else save for a white pair of panties. Papi the young dragon seemed a bit more decently dressed, but only because she had tough looking scales on her arms and legs, much like Granberia, though unlike her, she seemed to have a pair of developing wings, too.
“Well I was saving the real training for when all four of you finally showed up,” said Ranma, a bit more loudly. “So what can you two do?”
“I can make any man a slave if they look into my eyes!” boasted Vanilla, stepping forward and staring Ranma directly in the eye. “Just...give me a second. And don't look away!”
A day ago, the light headed feeling and the flash of euphoria would have taken him off guard, but Vanilla was nowhere near Alice's level, and it didn't take much to break her control before it could fully take hold. “Well, you're learning. Keep at it,” said Ranma encouragingly, ignoring her surprised look as he turned to the last of the group. “And you?”
Papi grinned and took in a breath before exhaling, a small stream of fire. “I live up to my title of 'Fire Bandit'!” she said proudly.
“Hey, I only took water bandit because there weren't any titles left!” said Teeny, only to yelp as Gob took the opening to tackle her to the ground. Her advantage was short lived, however, as Gob was tiny enough for the lamia to actually get a couple of coils around and start squeezing.
Something Granberia said surfaced in Ranma's mind. “Wait...Bandit of Fire like...the Swordsman of Fire?”
As one, the four girls suddenly looked rather sheepish. Vanilla was the first to speak up. “We...might have formed our group after the four Heavenly Knights.”
“Well...what if I told you that I've fought with Granberia and I've seen her techniques?” said Ranma. “She almost ran me through with her Thunder Thrust and incinerated my half my clothing with her Vaporizing Rebellion Sword.”
“No way! You should be dead in that case!” accused Papi with a huff. “No one has taken that technique and lived!”
“Well I might have died, but I turned the technique against her,” said Ranma cheekily. “But I can't teach you that. I can teach you something else pretty cool though.”
Hook, line, and sinker. All four of them were brimming with curiosity now, wearing that same eager expression Ranma had when a tantalizing technique was being dangled in front of him. Turning to the rock all of the bandits had hidden behind before, Ranma made a show of bringing his hands together as he formed ki on his palms, smiling a bit as he heard the four simultaneous gasps of awe.
“Moko Takabisha!”
The bright blue ball of energy streaked through the air and struck the rock, shattering the stone and sending fragments flying everywhere. Taking a moment to dust off his hands, Ranma turned back to the four bandits, only just managing to hold back his smile as he saw their eager looks.
“That's a technique I used against Granberia. Anyone can learn it if they want to put the effort in. Although if you just want to keep being bandits...”
“No way! Teach us!”
“I wanna shoot energy balls too!”
“Me! I wanna learn!”
----------
Any thoughts about how Gob or Teeny might have been a fluke slowly died away as Ranma watched the rapid improvement of the young monster girls. While it wasn't a phenomenal gain, the fact that they were using their abilities more intelligently within the space of a couple hours was impressive. Even going for two hours through various workouts, routines, and small sparring sessions was a feat, though he did have to occasionally keep their attention from wandering by showing off more of his martial arts.
“Alright, that's enough for now. Take a break,” said Ranma, looking towards the sky as the four girls let out sighs of relief and collapsed on the ground. A single thought was on his mind. What now? The fierce bandit threat had been nothing more than children, yet the Iliasburg town was terrified of them. And there was the small problem of Granberia having recently tried to take over the town and putting everyone on edge. And yet, just leaving them to their devices didn't seem like the right thing to do either, even if it did seem like they were doing just fine on their own.
“Oi, I'm going into the woods for a bit. I'll be right back,” said Ranma. “Take another five and get something to eat if you have it.”
A chorus of 'okays' was his response, and a moment later Ranma was slipping through the trees, waiting until he was out of sight before looking up and speaking aloud. “So what now?”
Without even a rustle of the underbrush or a hint to her presence, Alice was there beside him. “It's an odd situation, I'll give you that. Orphaned vampires and dragons aren't common, considering just how tough they are to kill.”
“There's nothing wrong with leaving them on their own,” came Granberia's voice a moment later. “They're resourceful enough to gather food, and among the monsters on this continent, the dragon and the vampire together would be a match for just about any predator.”
“And if they keep stealing from the town? How long until the 'bandit' problem gets serious enough for a bunch of panicked soldiers from Iliasburg to come clean them out?” asked Ranma.
“Hmph. It's not as though the guards there were anything special.”
Letting out a sigh, Ranma turned back to Alice. “You're a monster lord, aren't you? Isn't this the sort of thing you should be taking care of?”
Alice contemplated the question. “There are places dedicated to taking in orphaned monsters, but none in this region. Trying to get them off of this continent presents its own challenges as well.”
“Can't you just order them not to bother the humans?”
“They're children. Do you think they'd listen to me? Or anyone for that matter?” retorted Alice.
“Maybe...” said Ranma, turning his eyes towards Granberia. “They seem to idolize you.”
For a moment, Granberia actually looked flustered. “Me? What could I possibly say to them?”
“I dunno...encourage them to train and get better so they can avoid the guards?” asked Ranma, a bit of frustration creeping in to his voice.
“So you want me to encourage them to become powerful enough to further bully the town?”
“That's not...what I meant,” said Ranma, trailing off slightly.
Alice let out a small sigh. “There's a queen I know on this continent. I don't know her personally, but she might be willing to take them in to her village. It's not something I can order her to do though...or rather, it would be wiser for me not to order such a thing.”
Ranma let that sink in for a bit. He could tell from the sound of Alice's voice that she wasn't hopeful about the idea, or terribly enthusiastic about it either.
“I'm taking them to Iliasburg,” he said finally.
“What?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Ranma continued despite the protests. “I'll get them to round up all the stuff they stole and return it to Iliasburg. Didn't seem like much in the first place so there probably ain't a whole lot.”
“And what are you going to do when the town lynch mob comes after them?” asked Alice pointedly.
“Then I'll beat them down myself and let Granberia take the damn place,” said Ranma resolutely, storming back into the forest and ignoring their surprised looks. Any town that would be willing to kill or imprison children frankly deserved to be leveled.
The walk back did give him some time to cool off, thankfully, though when he came back into the clearing, he could immediately tell something was off. Gob was the only bandit that remained, a remarkably innocent look on her face as she held her hammer at her side.
“Where are your friends?” asked Ranma casually.
“On a walk,” said Gob innocently. “They needed to get something from the hideout.”
“Uh huh. Well, I have something important to tell them, so I think we should go find them,” said Ranma, stepping past her and heading towards the cave.
Any second now...
“Goblin Shockwave!”
The ripple along the ground was quite powerful, and if he hadn't been expecting it, Ranma would have definitely toppled over. Still, he was more interested in seeing the ambush they had set up and let himself take the fall.
“Bandit ambush go!” Slithering along the ground at a rapid rate, Teeny sprung from her hiding spot and quickly coiled around his outstretched arm, pulling it tight, right as her vampire friend latched onto his other arm and bit down with her fangs, a slight feeling of numbness entering the limb in question. The final portion of the ambush came a moment later as Papi leaped out from behind the rubble, her wings carrying her through the air for a bit before she landed hard against Ranma's stomach.
“Ha, got you!” declared Papi proudly, her tail flicking behind her in excitement while her clawed hands pressed down against his shirt.
“That means you're ours now! And you'll have to stay and keep training us!” added Teeny as she squeezed her tail further around his arm.
“And we'll get to use you as our plaything whenever we want!” concluded Vanilla as she released his slightly numb arm. “Oh wow...that tastes really good,” she murmured a bit more quietly.
Carefully ignoring that last bit, Ranma grinned up at Papi. “Very clever, but there's one thing you forgot. I'm a lot stronger than all of you!” With a small grunt of effort, Ranma lifted Teeny and Vanilla upward.
“Ahh! He's escaping!”
“Gob, help us!”
“Keep his arm bound!”
Despite the ambush having been a 'success', it was clear the bandits hadn't thought much beyond it, the four of them scrambling to hold onto him as he inevitably made his way back to his feet, holding Teeny and Vanilla in the air by his arms while Papi and Gob clung to his neck.
“Looks like it's my victory now,” said Ranma as he began to walk with the four of them attached. “And that means you have to do something for me.”
Four pairs of eyes looked at him cautiously. Papi was the one who spoke for all of them. “What's that?”
----------
The shopkeeper jumped in his chair as a loud thump was heard outside his store. A second later a knock sounded on his door. Cautiously, the provisioner opened it to see the hero of Iliasburg standing behind four small girls.
“Three stolen food barrels...mostly full,” said Ranma, gesturing towards them. “And these four have something to say to you.”
“We're sorry,” said the dragon.
“We're really sorry,” echoed the lamia.
“We were just playing bandits,” insisted the vampire.
“We're really really sorry,” finished the goblin.
The shopkeeper's confusion was plain. “Wait...you mean to tell me that you four were the bandits?”
Mutely, the monster girls nodded.
“Oh for crying out loud, you should have heard that damn merchant going on and on about the fearsome dragon,” said the store owner with an exasperated sigh. “Look, it's alright, but don't do it again, ya hear? The four of you should take up an honest profession.”
“They've already invited me to work at the warehouse,” said Gob excitedly.
“And I'm a maid at the Sutherland Inn!” added Teeny.
“And the blacksmith said that I can do some amazing things with my dragon fire!”
“And what about you, young lady?” asked the store owner after a few moments of silence from the vampire. “Have you ever wanted to learn how to run a store like this?”
Excitedly, Vanilla nodded.
“Well I think I have room for an employee here. But only if you promise to work hard.”
“Yaaay! Thank you!” Rushing up to the store keeper, Vanilla hugged his legs tightly. “I promise I'll work really hard and become the best merchant ever!”
Subconsciously, Ranma let go of the tension he'd been feeling in the back of his mind. With how Granberia and Alice had talked about the idea, he'd been expecting an angry mob at any second, but the results of their apology tour had been anything but. Far from being an angry mob, the townspeople had laughed off the entire thing upon seeing who the 'fearsome bandits' had actually been, even going above and beyond to offer the young girls shelter and employment as they'd brought back the goods they had stolen...or rather, acquired when the overly imaginative merchants ran screaming from Papi's roars.
“Well, that's the last of them,” said Ranma as the four ex-bandits helped the shopkeeper move the barrels inside. “And no angry mob in sight.”
Beside him, Alice looked on with a curious look. “I'll admit, I'm a little surprised. After Granberia came through here, I assumed they would have been even more hostile to monsters.”
“They're little girls, Alice,” retorted Ranma. “You'd have to be a mon...a really terrible person to stay angry at them.”
“Don't think for a second they wouldn't have taken advantage of you if they got the chance,” said Alice bluntly. “They're still monsters.”
“Alice, they're like...twelve or something. How could they possibly-”
Ranma paused as he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Vanilla holding a large red gem with a nervous look on her face. “Um...we didn't find the merchant who dropped this in the city, so maybe you should take it with you in case you find him?” she offered.
“Oh, sure. That sounds like a good idea,” said Ranma, taking the bright red orb and pocketing it. “If I'm ever in the area again, I'll be sure to give you four more lessons, but keep training with what I showed you, alright?”
Smiling, Vanilla nodded. “Well, actually...we could still use your help. You know...getting all of our stuff into our new hideout, moving the big heavy things around...wouldn't take too long.”
“Well if you need help-” he began, only to freeze up as he saw Alice's look from the corner of his eye. Only then did he notice Vanilla's nervousness. “Actually, we're kind of on a tight schedule. But Gob should be more than enough help, right?”
“Aww...okay then. But next time for sure!” insisted Vanilla.
“Next time,” agreed Ranma with a nervous smile, holding it right until Vanilla vanished out of sight with her friends. “Were they really about to-”
“Yes,” said Alice flatly.
“But they're like-”
“Old enough for monsters.”
“But they-”
“You were the one who enticed them with your martial arts and sweet words. What did you think was going to happen?”
“I only-”
“You really only have yourself to blame. Maybe you should learn a bit more about monsters before you go charming every single one you meet.”
“Will you-”
“Stop finishing your thoughts before they have time to form? No. We're in a hurry, remember? Now go collect your reward for defeating the big scary bandits, hero boy. Granberia is waiting for us.”
Flustered, speechless, and unable to bring up a single retort, Ranma decided that a tactical retreat was in order and quickly disappeared inside the shop to do just that.
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An Artist Among Monsters