navy = dreams
Kalila returned to the grass hut some time later, her lips set in a firm line and her expression serious. She addressed the captured chimera and Mazoku in a businesslike fashion. "Our new sisters have expressed concern for you well-being. They not want you treated as prizes."
"So you'll let us go?" Zelgadis asked hopefully.
She shook her head. "Cannot. Laws are laws. But we give you fair chance, rock-man. Laws of Miwagi state that sister must capture man before she claim him slave. So we let you go to forest at high sun tomorrow. Sisters hunt for you. If they not catch you by sundown, you come back to village free. Every day be like this until you captured."
The chimera slumped. "Great."
Kalila smiled at him. "I not worry if I you. You faster than my people, rock-man, and you cast spells. And he," she added, pointing to Kaltier, "is shadow-man, so he escape sisters well."
Zelgadis turned to look at the black-haired swordsman. "Shadow-man?" he inquired. Kaltier shrugged.
"You sleep here tonight," Kalila informed them. "Guards keep safe. Not worry."
Meanwhile, Rawnie was triumphantly, although tiredly, heading in the direction of where she'd been told she could sleep that night. The ritual to become part of the tribe had been long and strenuous, though incredibly easy for two such talented sorceresses. And it helped that both were previously trained in specific types of weaponry. She briefly wondered how Amelia had fared in her ritual, but quickly forgot about it as she reached the small grass hut where she was to be staying. Rawnie pushed open the crudely-made door, thankful that she'd be able to get a good night's sleep, and stopped short as she looked into the hut. The Trickster Priest himself was sitting cross-legged on one of the two grass-woven beds in the dark, casually sipping from a coffee mug. He waved cheerfully to her. "Konbanwa, Ra-chan!"
She stared at him. "Uh. What are you doing here?"
"Close the door, it's cold," he complained, motioning to the thin beige work clothes he'd been given to wear. "Looks like we'll be roommates during this adventure, ne?" The Mazoku smirked.
Rawnie raised an eyebrow. "Peachy." She shut the door behind her and tossed her cloak on the other bed. Xelloss regarded her with a dark, almost predatory expression, then returned to his coffee when she looked suspiciously over at him. She flopped onto the odd-feeling bed and folded her hands behind her head. "We have to keep up a good front until we earn the trust of these people," she informed him. "We are supposed to follow all the customs of their tribe and act like normal people. So please behave."
He gave her an innocent look. "You think I wouldn't?"
"Yes," she replied without hesitation, giving him a brief smile before pulling her cloak over her head. "I'm going to sleep. G'night."
The Mazoku grinned wickedly in the dark before teleporting away to update his master on their little adventure. "Good night."
'Young Xelloss looked around the corner of the cave entrance, peering
out at the emptiness that was the astral plane. "Ra-chan!" he whispered
loudly, not wanting to call attention to himself. The other Mazoku who roamed
the astral plane were older and stronger than he, and it was important to
keep the little green-haired girl away from them. If they found her, they'd
take her away and make her like them...perhaps even torture her and keep her
captive. "Ra-chan!"
The little girl poked her head out from behind a pile of boulders. Her
face was streaked with dirt and her clothes were muddy. A big toothy smile
was plastered across her cherubic face. "Ne, Xel-chan! Come on!"
He climbed over the rocks and looked down at the dirty little girl.
"What are you doing?"
"Playing," she answered, balling up a handful of wet dirt and throwing
it at him. The mud splattered on a tree behind him, causing her to giggle.
"Come play with me!" she urged to older boy. He paused for a moment and
nodded emphatically, joining little Rawnie in the mud. She laughed and
proceeded to smash a fistful of dirt in his face, instantly beginning an
all-out mud war.
Unseen to the two children, the older Rawnie watched her memories from a
nearby rock, a faint smile on her face. She'd forgotten all about her short
time spent with Xel-chan. Forgotten how he'd taken care of her and how they'd
been friends. "It was so dangerous there..." she murmured.
Shabranigdo was standing behind her. "He was your only friend there,
wasn't he."
Rawnie nodded. "I had no one else in the world." She smiled as the two
children pushed each other around into the muddy ground. "Why are you showing
me these memories?"
The Dark Lord shrugged. "Does there have to be a reason?"
She eyed him suspiciously. "There's always a reason with your Mazoku, so
I'm assuming you're the same. Let me guess, there's some business with
Xelloss Metallium or the Beastmaster that you want me to take care of. Am I
right?"
"Not exactly..." He answered mysteriously. "Let's just say I'm
protecting future interests in this world."
Zelgadis perched precariously on a tree branch, keeping his ears and eyes sharp for his overly-ambitious hunters. He didn't know where Kalen had run off to; the swordsman had disappeared into the woods as soon as the hunt had begun. The chimera made sure to be absolutely silent as two young Miwagi females skulked beneath him, daring only to breathe when he was certain they were out of earshot. To put it bluntly, the situation stunk. Zelgadis hated having to hide from these primitive people, hated the fact that they considered him property and kept trying to capture him. He was especially angry at the fact that his companions actually wanted to stay and keep up their silly front. It was ridiculous. No treasure was worth this kind of trouble.
Every day Zelgadis hid like this in the forest, and every day he was allowed back into the village to sleep. No one could catch him, and many began to lose interest and started searching for other mates. The chimera rarely saw the others, even Kalen, who almost never returned to the village to sleep. Zelgadis often wondered where he disappeared to and how he kept himself so well-hidden. He was also suspicious of the name they kept calling the swordsman..."shadow-man." What did that mean? He had heard the villagers referring to Xelloss with the same name...
Zelgadis decided he had too much time to think about such things. Those long hours of hiding left him agitated and lonely. And very, very depressed. He had no distractions, nothing to keep him occupied. He usually liked being alone, but this was ridiculous... A rustle in the bushes below. He froze, not daring to even breathe. A short Miwagi warrior walked into view, looking preoccupied. It was the girl with the red stripes on her face, the one who had initially captured the entire group. Somei, her name was. She paused beneath the tree he was in, cocking her head to the side and listening intently. The girl glanced up into the tree, at him, her eyes lighting up with recognition. Che, she sees me!
Somei stared up at him with her strange orange-flecked eyes. "Greetings," she called to him softly, not wanting to alert her sister warriors. He did not answer. "Worry not, rock-man. I not seek to hunt you. I am pass through."
The chimera regarded her suspiciously. "So then pass."
She frowned a little at him. "I just see your friend. Amelia-sister. She express worry for you, rock-man."
"Don't call me that. I have a name, you know."
"I do. I am sorry. Zelgadis, is it?" He nodded in affirmation, still eyeing her with suspicion. "Good luck in your hiding, Zelgadis," she told him over her shoulder as she strode jauntily away. He stared after her for a moment, then turned back to the matter at hand.
Meanwhile, Rawnie and Lina were engaged in a spellcasting lesson with the old woman named Mialera. She was impressed with their abilities, but criticized their control over their powers and the recklessness with which they cast spells. Both girls had switched their attire to the common clothing worn by the village warriors. Lina was garbed in a pair of green-colored shorts and a conservative tunic, her feet covered in a pair of buckskin slippers. Rawnie was clad in a more revealing outfit; a pair of tight-fitting brown shorts and a barely-existant top.
Mialera was explaining to them the basics of controlling magic power. The two did their best to understand her, what with her weak grasp of their tongue. Most of the women in the village had only a rudimentary knowledge of the language, since they spoke a native dialect not unlike the South American dialects of Rawnie's world. However, neither of the two could decipher that dialect. So they did their best to pay attention and follow the old woman's commands, though Lina was a little sick of her bossing them around.
There was a scuffling sound from the nearby bushes. Rawnie and Lina turned, alert and ready to blast whatever was lurking there. The old woman did not even turn around. "Greetings, Somei-spellcaster." The younger females looked at her in astonishment; how could she know who was there?
"Greetings, Mialera-teacher," came the melodious reply. The girl with the red stripes on her face strode into the clearing, her long ponytail bouncing in an unruly manner. "And greetings also to you, sisters."
The old woman nodded her head at the young warrior. "You came as I asked. Good. You fight now." She gestured towards Rawnie and Lina. "Choose opponent."
"Huh?" Lina wrinkled her brow. "What do you mean?"
Mialera pointed to Somei. "She skilled warrior. You need learn. Fight. Learn from mistake."
The red-haired sorceress sighed. "Oh, this is such a pain..." she grumbled under her breath. "Is this even worth it?"
The girl with the red stripes walked up to the other females and looked them both over critically. She spoke to Lina. "I regret I cannot fight you. You are equal skill in nature magic and shadow magic. I would lose. But you," she began, her orange-flecked eyes falling upon the green-haired girl, "you interest me. Control you have not. Skill you have not. Yet power I sense from you is great...too great, almost. Shadow magic."
"Should I be taking that as a compliment or an insult?"
Lina whispered to her green-haired companion. "She's an empath, too...like the tribe elder."
Rawnie considered this. "Somei-sister, what do you mean by 'shadow magic'? I do not understand these words."
Somei regarded her for a moment. "Our languages are very different, sister. Shadow magic is...dark. For destroy." She gestured helplessly. "I not know how explain."
The red-haired sorceress paused and racked her brain before finally understanding. "Oh! You're talking about black magic. You think Rawnie has potential in black magic, am I right?"
Somei nodded. "Yes. The magic of the shadow ones. Evil ones."
"You mean Mazoku?"
"Is that your word for it? Interesting. Ma-zo-ku. Ma-zoku. Mazoku. Very odd!" She stored the word away in her memory banks, then spoke again to Rawnie. "We fight now? I promise not hurt."
Rawnie shrugged. "Whatever." She regarded her opponent indifferently, not really caring to fight her. It was about time they found that temple and got themselves out of this village. It was a nice place and all, but there wer other parts of the world to explore. Other things she wanted to see. Plus, she hadn't slept in a real bed for weeks and thoroughly missed civilization. Things were so much more accessible in her world, more comfortable. Rawnie admitted that she was much happier in a world where magic existed, though. Everything seemed more real, more clear, and definitely more memorable. Monotonous days were few and she felt stronger and healthier than she'd ever been in her world.
"Let us begin." Somei closed her eyes and silently threw a Flare Arrow, which Rawnie quickly dodged.
Lina whistled appreciatively. Wow, she didn't even chant the spell! That's pretty high-skill magic!"
"So then this world's magic is like the Force?" Rawnie wondered aloud. "Does that mean I can move objects with my mind like Luke Skywalker?"
Lina sweatdropped. "Who? What are you talking about?"
"Uh...never mind. Back to the fight...Fireball!!" Somei replied with a silent Elmekia Lance, one that exploded into the tree behind Rawnie. Not to be outdone, she responded with a spell of her own. "Blam Blaster!!"
The other girl was frowning. "Why you use all nature spells? You are strong in shadow...um, black magic, no? I not understand..."
"You want to see me cast a black magic spell?" Rawnie racked her brain, trying to picture what she'd read in her Slayers Spellbook back home and trying to recall which ones were black magic spells. "Got one! DOLPH STRASH!!!"
Xelloss watched quietly from a nearby tree, not wanting to call attention to himself. He almost fell off the branch when Rawnie called upon the Mazoku lord Deep Sea Dolphin to cast a spell. And, oddly enough, it worked. Dolphin must have noticed the presence of Shabranigdo in her, also. He hoped she wouldn't be after the Knight's power or influence, since that was precisely what his ordered mission was. The blast from Dolphin's spell pretty much obliterated most of the vegetation around the four females, who all sweatdropped profusely. But still, the Miwagi girl with the red stripes on her face wanted to see more. He watched intently to see what kind of spell Rawnie would retaliate with this time, and nearly fell off the branch again as she called upon his master to cast the Zelas Brid, the Beastmaster's trademark spell. Was she out of her mind??? She could kill the other girl with a spell of that caliber, even if by accident!
However, the expected spell was not cast. Instead, a thick beam of light shot up from the earth under the green-haired Knight, surrounding her with power and freezing her in place. It was a transport. Zelas must have decided to bring the Knight before her, rather than let her cast that spell. In any case, she probably wanted Xelloss there, if only to assure the girl they meant her no harm. The others were trying to "save" Rawnie, none of them comprehending what was going on. Of course, they could do nothing, and she disappeared. Xelloss chuckled softly and teleported after her.
Cold. The floor...cold. Where am I? Rawnie opened her eyes slowly and glanced into the darkness around her. This is... Rawnie pushed herself to a sitting position, wondering what happened to her. Everything around her was dark. Everything had a cold and almost evil feel to it, scary, yet with intriguing mystery. She could somehow sense that she was not alone, that there were others in the room, but they were unfamiliar and a little frightening. She could hear voices talking in whispers, and only saw their shadows...
"Oro? She has awakened!"
"So she has."
"Shall I fetch her for you, Juuou-sama?"
"No, let me do it, Juuou-sama!"
"Silence, you sniveling little annoyances."
"But Juuou-sama..." That particular voice was abruptly cut off by a scream. Everyone in the room quickly quieted down.
"My priest."
"Yes, my Lady?"
"Bring her to me."
Rawnie could hear the whispers starting up again, the unfamiliar creatures in the room anticipating something. The sound of footsteps coming closer and closer to her, she began to shake with fear. But this creature's presence was familiar, and she launched herself at it, hiding herself in the folds of its priestly robes. "Xelloss, where is this?"
He smiled slightly, sensing both her fear of the situation and her relief at his being there. "It's Juuou-sama's realm."
"Juu..." She froze as light penetrated the area, revealing a room full of Mazoku servants, twisted creatures bowing down to a lithe figure on an intricately-carved dais...the Beastmaster. Zelas Metallium. Rawnie shrank further into the folds of Xelloss's robes, thinking, I'm DEAD.
The Trickster Priest pulled her along, somehow her arms and legs moving by themselves, and planted her firmly in front of the dais. She suddenly remembered that the Mazoku could sense her fear, and attempted to keep it in check as she lifted her head to look up at the figure on the throne. The master of all beasts. Rawnie was secretly glad that Zelas hadn't chosen to appear in her beast form, even though her human form was decidedly dangerous-looking. She was a beautiful woman, with long golden hair and an elfin face. But her blue eyes betrayed her Mazoku tendencies...
Zelas glanced down at Rawnie with supposed indifference. "So. This is the Knight of Shabranigdo?"
That's right, Rawnie realized. She'd forgotten all about that. She was Shabranigdo's chosen one, his Knight. She pretty much outranked everyone in the room.
"Yes, my Lady."
She noticed Xelloss did not kneel before his master when he answered her. He merely bowed. She respects him that much?
Zelas's gaze fell upon her once again. "I am pleased to meet you, Knight."
Somehow, Rawnie found her voice. "The pleasure is mine, Juuou-sama," she managed to reply with a slight bow.
The Beastmaster regarded her almost thoughtfully. "I'd like to speak with you, Knight, but first I have one question for you. Why did you use a spell that summons my power for such a weak purpose?"
The green-haired girl began to sweatdrop profusely. "Yeah, well, I...uh...Somei-sister wanted me to use black magic attacks, and...well, it was the only one I could remember..."
Everyone in the room sweatdropped. Oh, this was not a good thing... But their master merely laughed in an amused fashion. "Is that so." She snapped her fingers commandingly. "I want to speak with the Knight...alone. You all are dismissed. That includes you, Xelloss," she added.
Xelloss bowed in compliance, but saw the murderous look Rawnie gave him just before he phazed out. Oh, this is going to complicate things...
Kaltier kneeled by a small stream of water, washing the blood from his hands and face. He'd just returned from a visit to Trichere-sama, and she was very unhappy with his work. So she'd taken out her anger on him...a vicious beating. He pulled off his bloodstained shirt and examined the lacerations across his chest. Painful. So painful that he didn't even hear the light footsteps that unknowingly approached him.
"Kalen-san!!!" He looked up to see Amelia standing a few feet away from him, a shocked expression on her face. She dropped the basket she was carrying and ran to his side, her eyes widening with concern at the gashes that covered his torso. "What happened?"
"Uh...I was attacked in the woods...by some, uh, beasts."
"How terrible!" Her concern-filled eyes tried to assess the severity of his condition. She touched one of the wounds gently, her brow furrowing. His blood is...black?
He winced. "Itai!"
"Oh, sorry!" She immediately began to cast a healing spell on his body. "This will just take a minute...please hang in there!"
Kaltier watched her heal his body with both interest and confusion. Such care...for someone she hardly knows. Such gentleness...
"Oh, nooooo!!" Both whipped their heads around to the source of the sound, spotting two Miwagi warriors standing on the other side of the stream. "It's not fair!! Amelia-sister is so young, and she caught her mate before I did!!!"
"She beat all of us to him!!"
Amelia's eyes went wide. "Huh?"