Ryouga Hibiki Quest - (Ranma 1/2, Familiar of Zero, Digimon)

[Hyp3rB14d3]

You look out at the night sky and quickly pick out what Saito was probably trying to point out: two moons float silently across the night sky. "Oh! Two moons! Am I in Denmark again?"

Whatever reaction Saito had been expecting, that apparently wasn't it. He looks at you, completely flabbergasted. "Denmark?! No, this is Romalia. Of Halkeginia."

"Oh, good," you reply. "It took me forever to get back home from that place."

"Denmark," he starts, then cuts off, staring at you incredulously. A second later, he tries again. "Denmark doesn't have two moons!"

"It doesn't?" you ask in surprise.

"No, it doesn't! Earth only has one moon!"

You look back out the window. "Looks like two to me."

"We're not on Earth!" he practically yells.

"Darn," you reply. "I'm more lost than I thought."

"Yes you are!"

"It might even take me a whole month to get back to Japan at this rate."

"A-a month! You're on another planet!"

"So was Denmark," you reply.

Saito just stares at you. Louise says something, and Saito gives her a pleading look. However, the girl doesn't pay it the slightest attention.

"...I hate playing the straight man," he finally says as the girl walks out of the room.

Now what?

[] Just hang out here for a bit.
-[] Talk with Saito.
-[] Train.
-[] Sleep.
-[] Heat up some water. You just know you're going to need it soon.
[] You're feeling kind of hungry. See what food is available.

[] You're feeling kind of cooped up. Go for a walk.
-[] Alone.
-[] Bring Saito with you.

[] You're smelling kind of bad. See if there's any bathing facilities available.

[] You're in a town. Might as well stock up on supplies.
-[] Better get a working compass. It's going to be a long trek back to Japan, and yours keeps going in circles for some reason.
-[] Better stock up on food. You're out of canned and dried foods, and you're getting sick of eating roots, berries, and the occasional rabbit.
-[] Better get a map. Yours dissolved after you fell in that river.
-[] Better get some new clothes. You've been wearing the same three outfits for the better part of two years!
-[] Better get some more bandannas. You wouldn't want to run out.
-[] Better get something else. {Write-in}

[] Nope, you've got enough supplies. Looks like it's time to set out.

[] It's the middle of the night! At least wait until morning!
[] Wait a minute! You think you recognize where you are! The Tendo Dojo is just around the corner!
[] Something else? {Write-in}

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

For a moment, you find yourself torn between just leaving and taking advantage of the facilities available here. However, a thought suddenly bubbles up. 'Oh crap! I landed on someone when I arrived here, didn't I? I hope I didn't hurt her.' You look at Saito. He looks frustrated, but not angry at you for killing or maiming one of his friends. 'That means she's okay, right?' You're not sure. And you have to know.

Attempting to play it cool, you clear your throat. "So, uh..." Your mind is suddenly assaulted by the memory of your landing, and you flush in embarrassment. "Right, uh. Right." 'So soft.'

Saito gives you an odd look.

"So, uh, I landed on someone," you manage to spit out. "When I came here," you clarify. "And, uh. Is she okay?" 'Baseball, hockey, martial arts, think of anything but the pillows!'

Saito's expression darkens somewhat, but he nods. "She's fine. Louise is actually going to get her now."

"Right," you reply stiffly. "I should probably, uh, apologize. Right." You can't help it. You keep thinking about the pillows.

"That's probably a good idea, yes."

Well, this is awkward.

[] Time for a topic change!
-[] Talk about martial arts.
-[] Talk about getting lost.
-[] Talk about Ranma Saotome.

[] Train.

[] Just stand there and be awkward.
[] Look for the Tendo Dojo.
[] Something else. {Write-in}

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

You watch as the pink-haired French girl leaves the room. Actually, you suppose that's the pink-haired Romalian girl, since you're apparently not in France. Part of you wants to just head out, but you decide to hold off on that for the time being. Instead, you decide to talk shop with Saito. And by shop you mean martial arts.

"So, what style do you practice?" you ask, slipping your pack onto your shoulders. It wouldn't do to leave it behind if you accidentally get lost doing one of your forms again.

Saito gives you a confused look. You gesture toward his sword. "Your style of swordsmanship. That's not just for decoration, right?"

"Oh," he replies. "Uh, I've done some training with the Musketeers, but I don't really have any swordory style I use."

"Fair enough," you reply, drawing your umbrella. "My family's martial arts style is actually a bastardization of severa-did you say swordory?"

"Swordsmanship," Saito corrects himself. An awkard silence fills the room.

"...Right." You get the distinct impression that Saito isn't actually much of a martial artist.

Deciding to ignore that for the time being, you begin running through some fencing exercises with your umbrella. They're really, really not very compatible with a weapon as heavy as your umbrella is, but it's decent training for wrist strength, and you've pulled out fencing techniques with your umbrella more than once before. Saito watches you practice in silence.

After a few minutes, Louise returns. And she brought the pillow girl with her.

Suddenly, everything is awkward and you don't know what to do. Which is a very odd reaction for you to have to someone you've never actually talked with and whose name you suddenly can't remember.

[] Attempt to strap your umbrella to the top of your pack, miss, drop your umbrella through the floor, twiddle your fingers, and stutter like an idiot.

[] Stab your umbrella into your pack, tearing a large hole into it, and introduce yourself as pillow girl. No wait, Hyouga Ribiki! Wait! You mean, Ryouga Hibiki.

[] Stare at her face. Face! Face, dammit! You're staring at the pillows, aren't you? Bad Ryouga.

[] You're going to screw this up if you talk. Just keep your mouth shut and smile.
[] Ask if she knows the way to the Tendo Dojo.
[] Wait! You know just what to do to avoid making an ass of yourself! (No you don't.) {Write-in}

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

You decide to be polite and introduce yourself to the girl. You slip your umbrella into its slot on your pack and bow to the girl. At which point everything goes horribly wrong.

Apparently, when you tried to slip your umbrella into its slot on the top of your pack, you missed. Instead, it rolls off your pack and falls to the floor.

THOOM!

Make that through the floor.

"Holy crap!" Saito yells. Louise and the pillow girl each say something as well, but you can't understand them.

Despite this, you attempt to salvage the situation. "I-uh... I-I'm R-ryou-"

"You need to hold back on the explosions, Louise," says Saito. "You're starting to seriously damage the structure of the building."

Louise yells something at him in French... er, Romalian. It doesn't really make much difference to you, as you can't understand either language.

"Uh... uh..." Your face is probably bright red, and you realize you're twiddling your fingers. Fortunately, everyone seems to have forgotten about you in their panic over the floor suddenly developing a hole.

Wait, scratch that. The pillow girl is looking at you.

"Uh... Hi. I-I-I'm My name is I'm Ryouga Hibiki," you finally manage to spit out.

The girl gives you an apologetic glance, then says something you don't understand.

Oh yeah. You don't speak the same language, do you?

Now what?

[] Talk to her anyway. Somehow, knowing that she won't understand anything you're saying is actually very reassuring.

[] Break up Saito's argument and use him to translate.

[] Apologize for landing on her. She'll get the gist of it. Probably.
[] Go get your umbrella.
[] Just go. You need to get back to Japan.
[] Go look for the Tendo Dojo.
[] Something else. {Write-in}

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

It seems that the girl doesn't quite get what you're trying to say. Probably since she's Romalian and you're speaking Japanese. For some reason, this comes off almost as a relief. If there's one thing you're used to doing, it's speaking to people who don't understand your language.

You gesture toward yourself. "Ryouga Hibiki." She stares at you, clearly confused. That's fine, you're used to this. You repeat the gesture and state your name again.

This time she gets it, and gestures toward her chest. "Tiffania Westwood."

You manage to resist the urge to stare at her pillows well enough to actually listen to what she's saying, and nod in understanding. Out of long habit, you then start to reach for your map, only to belatedly remember that it's been destroyed fairly recently. You mentally add getting a new map to your to do list. Fortunately, asking for directions wasn't why you wanted to talk to her.

You stiffly bow to her and begin apologizing profusely for landing on her, sticking your face in her pillows, and getting blood all over her clothes. The girl seems a little unsure at first, but begins speaking in a reassuring manner. You're fairly certain both that you've gotten the point across, and that Tiffania Westwood has forgiven you for your transgressions.

It then occurs to you that you probably could have just asked Saito to translate for you. Turning, you find him cowering in a corner as Louise beats him with a riding crop.

[] 'This isn't right!' Stop Louise.
-[] With violence!
-[] Talk to her.
-[] Grab the riding crop.
-[] Grab Louise.
[] 'This isn't right!' Hand Louise a mallet. You're pretty sure you've got one in your pack.
[] Just stand and watch. You've seen much worse done for much less back in Nerima.

[] Just ignore it and go back to talking to Tiffania Westwood.
-[] Offer to let her deck you in the face to make things even.

[] You don't feel like waiting. Just wade into the lashing, grab Saito, and wade back out.
-[] "Hold on a moment, I need to borrow Saito for translation purposes. You can go back to beating him when I'm done."
[] You've said your part, time to go look for the Tendo Dojo.
[] Something else. {Write-in}

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

Saito huddles in the corner, arms raised defensively as Louise lashes him with a riding crop. With each lash, Saito lets out a small yelp of pain.

Your eyes widen in shock, before glancing over at Tiffania. She seems just as disturbed by the situation as you. 'This isn't right! I have to do something!' You promptly drop your pack to the ground and begin digging through it. After a few seconds, you find the object of your search. You pull it from your pack and close it back up, then walk over to Louise.

As Louise pulls back in preparation for another lash, you jerk the riding crop from her hands, and she swings forward empty handed. Saito, his arms raised defensively, opens his eyes to see you clutching the short whip. Immediately, he shoots you a look of gratitude. Meanwhile, Louise glares at you and start yelling at you in Romalian.

And then you hand Louise a rather large mallet. In the hands of the small girl, the mallet looks almost comically over-sized. Saito's jaw drops open, and he looks incredibly betrayed. Louise looks at you in confusion, and you mime the motion of swinging the mallet. The pink haired girl then gets a sadistic grin.

"You can't just beat on a martial artist with a whip," you explain, completely forgetting your earlier assessment that Saito probably isn't actually a martial artist and that Louise can't understand Japanese. "We learn to ignore pain early on. If you want us to learn something, you need to do some lasting damage. That way we can think about what we've done while we heal." You nod to yourself as you pass on your words of wisdom.

Louise raises the mallet above her head. And almost drops it on herself. It's pretty clear she's not used to wielding this kind of weapon. You take a few minutes to walk her through how to swing it properly for maximum force. Once you're convinced that she can actually swing it without missing her target or hurting herself, you step back and let her get to work.

Only to realize your translator is long gone by now. Oops.

[] Go look for Saito.
-[] Alone.
-[] With Louise.
-[] With Tiffania.
-[] With Louise and Tiffania.
[] Go get your umbrella.
[] Set out for Japan. You're pretty sure you've gotten your point across to Tiffania, so there's no reason to stay here.

[] You're in a town. Might as well stock up on supplies.
-[] Better get a working compass. It's going to be a long trek back to Japan, and yours keeps going in circles for some reason.
-[] Better stock up on food. You're out of canned and dried foods, and you're getting sick of eating roots, berries, and the occasional rabbit.
-[] Better get a map. Yours dissolved after you fell in that river.
-[] Better get some new clothes. You've been wearing the same three outfits for the better part of two years!
-[] Better get some more bandannas. You wouldn't want to run out.
-[] Better get something else. {Write-in}

[] You're smelling kind of bad. See if there's any bathing facilities available.

[] It's the middle of the night! At least wait until morning!
[] Wait a minute! You think you recognize where you are! The Tendo Dojo is just around the corner!
[] Something else? {Write-in}

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

As soon as attention is drawn to Saito's sudden case of not-here-anymore, Louise rushes out of the room, mallet clutched tightly in her hands. You initially start to follow her, but then it occurs to you that your own blunt instrument of destruction still lies at the bottom of a hole. You decide to go ahead and retrieve it now, before you forget about it or get lost.

You spend the next few minutes searching the room for the hole. Tiffania actually starts helping you look, although your inability to communicate in Romalian means that she doesn't actually know what you're looking for and you can't tell her. Eventually, you successfully rediscover the hole where your umbrella fell through the floor. Tiffania lets out a yelp of surprise as you jump down it, but you land easily the next floor down.

You find your umbrella in a small crater. You pick it up, then crouch in preparation to jump back up. Only to suddenly break off the attempt and look away.

It seems that after you jumped down the hole, Tiffania walked up the the edge of the hole so she could see down it. And from here you can see up her !!! You can see her !!! You feel your face flush at the thought of it.

"Tiffania! I can see your- Can you- ...Um." You fumble over your words for a moment, before figuring out what to say. "I need you to get away from the hole so I don't accidentally hit you on my way up."

Tiffania says something back, but you don't understand what since it's in Romalian. You look back up. She's still there. You quickly look away. She clearly isn't getting what you're trying to say. You make a hole with your thumb and pointer finger on one hand to indicate the hole. "This is the hole," you state. You then drive your other hand into it to indicate your intent to jump back up. "I'm going to jump back up through it." It's at this point you realize what else that gesture could be mistaken for. "Wait, no, that's not what I meant!" You start waving furiously, your face flushing more than before. "Look, just step back from the hole," you state with a pushing motion.

You look up. Tiffania has stepped away from the hole.

With a quick jump, you land back in the remains of Tiffania's room. Tiffania stares at you. She doesn't seem angry or embarrassed, so she probably doesn't know what just happened.

You turn away to hide your blush, only to spot your pack sitting on the floor. You pick it back up and put it back on. Wouldn't want to get lost without that.

Now what?

[] Go look for Saito.
-[] Bring Tiffania with you.

[] Just set out for Japan.
-[] Is Tiffania following you?
[] You're in town, restock on supplies.
-[] What supplies do you need?

[] You're in town, might as well bathe.

[] You're in town, might as well eat some food that isn't canned, dried, or scavenged from the area around you.
[] Wait, you think you recognize where you are. The Tendo Dojo is just around the corner!
[] Something else? {Write-in}

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

Okay, you've got your umbrella. And your traveling pack. And seen Tiffania's panties.

You should probably go find Saito. You turn back toward Tiffania. "I'm going to go look for Saito."

Tiffania says something back to you, but you still don't speak Romalian. You raise your left hand to your brow, as if to shield your eyes from the sun, and make a searching motion with your head. "Saito," you say.

She seems to get it and nods enthusiastically in understanding. A little too enthusiastically, and you fight to pull your eyes away from the jiggling motion.

And so you set out. And very nearly step into the hole you just jumped out of. It occurs to you that if you don't want to get lost before you locate Saito, you should probably let Tiffania take the lead on this one. So you do.

As you walk, Tiffania starts talking to you. Again, not speaking Romalian, you have no idea what she's saying. However, you decide to humor her and talk back.

For the next hour or so, you converse with Tiffania. Although whether or not a conversation between two people who have no idea what the other is saying actually counts as a conversation could be debated, it's refreshing to talk to someone who has no chance of being Ranma in a wig or secretly out to get you. As the search wears on, you briefly consider talking about your Jusenkyo curse and your adoption as Akane's pet P-Chan, but ultimately decide not to. A decision you relish when you find Saito hiding in a closet about ten seconds later.

"Ack!" he yelps as you open the door. However, when a violent beating doesn't follow, he looks around the room. "Louise isn't with you, is she?" You verify this, and Saito lets out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for stalling for time so I could escape, but could you seriously not think of a better way to do it? Now she's got a hammer instead of a riding crop..." Saito moans in frustration. You automatically open your mouth to correct his misunderstanding, but manage to change your mind before you actually say anything.

Suddenly, Tiffania starts talking with Saito. What results is a conversation that you can understand exactly one side of.

"Sure," says Saito. Tiffania says something in Romalian. "Eh? You didn't complete it already?" Tiffania responds. "Why not?" Tiffania... explains, you guess. You honestly can't tell anything other than that it involves a lot of words. "Okay, I can tell him for you." Tiffania says something else.

Saito turns to face you. "What was that about?" you ask.

"Tiffania wanted me to explain how you ended up here to you."

"I already know how I got here," you reply.

"You do?!" Saito asks, clearly surprised.

"Yeah," you reply. "I stepped in a portal."

Saito gives you a flat look. "I meant where the portal came from."

"You know where they keep coming from?!" you ask.

"Ye-keep coming from? You've gone through one before?"

"Yeah," you reply. "Last time I ended up in the Digital World. It... kind of sucked."

Saito clearly doesn't believe you. "Digimon is fictional."

"Tell that to Devimon," you mutter.

"Anyways," says Saito, either missing or ignoring your comment, "the reason that portal opened up is that you were summoned to Halkeginia to be a familiar spirit for Tiffania."

"A familiar spirit?" you ask.

"A familiar spirit," Saito replies.

"What's so familiar about me? I've never been here before. ...I think."

"Not that kind of familiar," Saito replies. "Like a mage's servant animal."

"Oh," you reply. Internally you curse your Jusenkyo curse, Ranma, and your terrible sense of direction. And Ranma again, just for good measure. "So it's kind of like being a slave?" Despite your question, you perfectly maintain an outward calm. No you don't. Your fists are clenched so tightly that your knuckles are making an audible cracking noise.

"More like being a cross between a pet and a bodyguard," Saito replies. "I'm actually Louise's familiar."

'Well,' you think. 'That settles it. No way in he-'

Tiffania is looking at you with the kindest, most innocent expression you've seen since the last time you were at the Tendo Dojo, and your vehement rejection dies before it makes its way out of your mouth. She says something.

"She's asking if you'll be her familiar," Saito translates.

You look back at those wide, innocent eyes. '...Goddammit.'

[] Do it.

[] No.
-[] Justify it.
--[] Jusenkyo curse?
--[] Constantly lost?
--[] Something else?

[] Stall.
-[] How?
--[] "HEY LOUISE! I FOUND SAITO!"
[] Nope. Gotta get back to the Tendo Dojo!

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

Dammit. You really, really don't want to do this. But Tiffania seems to think it's important. And she's been so nice, when you've been... well, conducting yourself rather poorly around her. The least you can do is hear out what exactly they're asking you to do.

You turn back toward Saito. "What exactly does becoming a familiar entail?"

"Well," says Saito, "like I said before, it's kind of a cross between being a pet and being a body guard. You would have to keep Tiffania safe. In exchange, she would take care of your food and lodging. You would also be expected to stay nearby in case she needs your help." You raise a hand, one finger extended, but Saito ignores it and keeps going. "There would also be this... mental link kind of thing. If she's in trouble, you would know it, and you'll find yourself drawn to her."

You lower your hand. 'So much for using "I can't do it, I'll just get lost" as an excuse.'

"On the plus side of things, you'll get a neat superpower," Saito says, and your ears perk up. "For example, I've got the ability to wield any weapon. I also move faster and get stronger when I tap into that power. There's also another familiar who can use any magical items to their fullest potential. And there's another familiar who can control animals."

You ponder the possibilities of that. You don't usually fight while armed with an actual weapon, but there are plenty of armed principles that you use in wielding your umbrella. And being able to use magical items could be useful in getting rid of your Jusenkyou curse. And if you could control animals, at least you wouldn't have to worried about getting mauled while lost as P-chan.

And it's not like you wouldn't be able to return to Japan. You'd just have to bring Tiffania with you. 'Hmm...' You take a moment ponder this over.

"Wait a minute. Is that what the whip is about?" Saito immediately looks uncomfortable, and you realize that you've probably misinterpreted the situation. "Or, are you two just into that?" you ask in an attempt to fix the situation. It doesn't work, and Saito now looks embarrassed and even more uncomfortable than before. You attempt to change the topic before things get out of hand. "I remember one of Ranma's girlfriends really liked the whip." You fail at topic changes forever.

Fortunately, Tiffania says something, which seems to snap Saito out of his humiliating train of thought. Saito turns back to you. "Anyways, Tiffania wants to know if you will help her."

You thank every god you know of for Tiffania's decision to get the conversation back on topic and her inability to understand what you're saying. "I can act as her bodyguard for a bit, but I'd prefer to do it without locking myself into any sort of familiar agreement."

"The problem is that we need to unite all four void wielders and all four of their familiars in order to save Halkeginia," Saito replies.

You nearly ask who Halkeginia is before you remember that it's the name of the planet. '...Wait, they need my help to save their planet?'

[] "Okay, I'll do it."
-[] "But only until we've saved the planet."

[] "I'll do what I can to help, but can you get someone else to be the familiar?"

[] No Who am I kidding, these people need help.

[] Stall more.
-[] How?

[] "Can I go for a walk to think about this?"
-[] Get lost.
--[] Hey, look! The Tendo Dojo!
[] Something else? {Write-in}

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

"I'll do it." The words are out of your mouth almost before you have time to process that you're saying them. Saving an entire planet is... big. Too big to say no to. So you'll do it, even if it means becoming a familiar.

Part of you wants to tack on the condition that you'll only be Tiffania's familiar until you've saved the planet, but you decide not to. It should go without saying, since that's explicitly why she summoned a familiar. A sense of deep unease rests upon you, but before you can change your mind, Saito turns back from informing Tiffania of your agreement.

"Okay, now this is going to hurt. A lot."

"What's going to-" Your question is interrupted as Tiffania suddenly kisses you, and your brain stalls out.

Saito is saying something, but you are currently too stunned to make sense of it. There seems to be light emitting from your shirt. Tiffania also seems to be saying something, and is waving a small stick around. You can smell something burning. How nice.

Suddenly your brain kicks back on and tells you that your chest is on fire. You know this because it feels just like that time you fell asleep next to your campfire and rolled into it during the night.

With a yelp of pain, you quickly begin patting your chest, attempting to put out the flames that seem to be burning beneath your shirt. The light goes out after a few seconds, and the pain recedes. Suddenly, there's a flash of light from Tiffania's wand.

You blink. "What's going to hurt?" you ask Saito. Saito looks surprised. Then, to your annoyance, he turns to Tiffania, completely ignoring your question.

"Did you just erase his memory of the contract?" he asks.

"Um, yes. I was erasing the mental compulsions applied by the familiar runes," replied Tiffania.

"Wait, what?" you ask. "What mental compulsions? What runes?"

"The runes that burned themselves into your chest just now," said Saito.

"And the memory of the pain he just endured," added Tiffania.

You lift the collar of your shirt. Sure enough, there are foreign letters on your chest. "Huh," you say. You make a note to look into methods of tattoo removal once you're done saving Halkeginia.

Releasing your collar, you look back at Saito. "So, what kind of danger is the world in?"

"According to the pope, Halkeginia will soon be plunged into a great famine," Saito replies. "Somehow, uniting the four Void users and their familiars will prevent this."

"Ah," you reply, conveying your understanding. "What's a 'Void user'?"

[] Info dump.

[] Time skip past info dump.

[] Hi, Louise.
[] Ranma? What are you doing in Halkeginia?
[] Something else.