Thank L-sama we were able to get Gourry away from that unspeakable horror in the tower..., thought Lina. Even now he was running alongside her, looking none the worse for wear after his ordeal - well, at least no worse than he'd been looking all day.
A small light spell illuminated the corridor a short way ahead. Lina got the idea that it was solely for the benefit of herself and the other travelers' footing; their guide, Melody, seemed to know the way by instinct. As they ran, the red-haired sorceress tried not to think about the fact that the last of the day's sunlight was slowly bleeding away. They were slowly being surrounded by darkness, both inside and outside the castle. No mere light spell could change that.
Finally, they reached a familiar-looking hallway, and a familiar-looking set of massive doors. Before, those doors had been shut tightly; now, they were slightly ajar. "Zelgadis must've passed this way," said Lina, somewhat relieved, and began to approach the doors. "Okay, let's go."
"Forget it!" snapped Melody, barring the way. "You are NOT going in there!"
"What the...?" Lina was more than a little shocked. "Why not?"
"Just let me handle this, okay?" said Melody, her smile looking forced. "It'll just take a second, and - "
"What's wrong with you? Of course we're going in after Zel!" insisted Lina, starting to get angry.
Incredibly, Melody began to look angry as well. "No way! I've spent all this time leading you guys the long way 'round every wight nest and gnarlie haunt and werespider web and pit and vortex... I will NOT let you just go and get yourselves killed!"
"I don't see a single gnarlie or whatever around here, so - "
"That's because even the beasties have the sense to stay away!"
"Well, Zel didn't! So that's why we have to - "
"Let me go," declared Melody. "Let me get her! You three just stay here."
Lina 's eyes narrowed. She wasn't about to give up, despite the fact that both Gourry and Amelia looked all too happy to leave things to their guide. "And what if something comes along while you're in there, and tries to eat us?"
"You can handle it, can't you?" said Melody, frowning.
"So you're saying that we can't handle whatever might be in there? And you can?"
Melody nodded fiercely, then paused. "Well... maybe...."
Propelled by both anger and fear, Lina just rushed forward, heedless of Melody's protests. After some initial hesitation, Amelia and Gourry followed close behind. All three of the travellers barrelled past the partly-opened doors and into... into....
A noxious miasma filled the Great Hall, so thick it was visible; it was coalescing, growing more solid and menacing by the second. Amelia began gagging at the foulness of the air. It was worse for her than for anyone else; anyone whose specialty is white magic can only be expected to gag at the stench of evil personified. Within moments, she was on her knees, retching. Gourry's eyes glazed over, and he dropped his sword with a clatter that rang shockingly loud, before he stumbled and had to catch hold of a wall for support. Lina herself felt queasy, and found it hard to stay upright; she trembled, unable to move forward, and unable to retreat.
There, at the far end of the cavernous room, stood Zelgadis. Next to the massive presence, next to the dark mass still billowing into the Hall, she seemed tiny, weak, and pathetically small, like a mouse trying to stand up to a dragon. "You're the one," Zelgadis was saying to the darkness, her voice quavering. "You're the monster that Rezo told me about." She hadn't noticed the arrival of her friends; all her attention was more than caught up by the foul presence.
Rezo? thought Lina, startled. What is she talking about? But there'd be time for questions later. Now, there was only time for thoughts of battle.
As if replying to Zelgadis's words, a massive voice, all-encompassing, rumbled through the room. "Now, my vengeance is complete," it said, and the joy in its tone was palpable. "One more death, and it is all over." Suddenly, foul tendrils snaked their way towards the violet-haired girl. Lina tried to cry out a warning, but found herself unable to make a sound.
Zelgadis dodged and rolled, but couldn't avoid the tendrils in the end. They swarmed onto her, miring her in dark. The only sounds ringing through the Hall were her muffled cries.
Lina felt helpless. Why can't I do anything? she yelled mentally. All she could do was stand and watch. And listen....
Zelgadis's heart-rending cries soon gave way to rhythmic chanting as she regained control of herself. With one final shout of "Ra Tilt!" the hall was momentarily bathed in light. The tendrils immediately surrounding her disintegrated, and the others recoiled in pain. She landed hard on the ground where they'd released her, gasping for breath; Lina could tell that she'd channeled everything she could into that spell. And it hadn't even done any lasting damage to the monster... even now, its tendrils were re-forming, becoming ever more solid and threatening. "So. That's the best you can do...?" the creature said smugly. "How easy this will be."
Lina forced herself to move, forced her voice to obey her. "Aren't you forgetting something?" she snarled. The effort was agonizing.
"Ah yes, the mice in the castle...." Lina would have growled, if she wasn't one step away from choking. "Here's an idea: let them die first. Watch, Amethyst; all your hopes and dreams have come to this!"
Before she could even take a step, Lina was enveloped in darkness.
Zelgadis gasped. When did they get here? She'd been so caught up by the arrival of the monstrous being that she hadn't even noticed the arrival of her friends. And now they were in incredible danger.
Lina, Gourry, and Amelia were all caught up in the same dark strands that had held her captive just a few seconds ago. Their screams filled the air. I can't let this happen! Zelgadis thought frantically. Not after all they've gone through, for my sake. Not after all they've done....
Now that the monster was occupied with her friends, Zelgadis had a chance to attack it, to catch it off guard. But it's already shrugged off my most powerful spell! What could I possibly do to harm it? Her normally quick mind was blank; she couldn't think of a single plan. All she could do was watch in horror.
The violet-haired girl caught a hint of motion by the doors. It was Melody, the guide, her face extraordinarily pale with fright. She bent down and yanked a chunk of rock free from a pile of rubble. Dashing forward, she pitched the rock at the monster, getting in a solid hit. The creature recoiled from the blow, but otherwise seemed unhurt. Melody too was caught up by its tendrils, one more voice to add to the chorus of screams.
Zelgadis's anger grew. She didn't understand why any of this was happening. There had been no reason whatsoever for this attack, just as there had been no reason for the attack fifteen years ago. And the sheer injustice, the beastliness of dragging her friends into this...! Power started to gather around her. A metallic tang filled her mouth. That odd buzzing, fluttering sensation, now almost familiar, surrounded her, flowed through her like a gentle breeze. Almost hypnotically, she settled into a stance, hands held out before her as though she were preparing to launch some massive spell.
The dark tendrils began to lash out savagely at their captives, yielding more cries of pain and scattering sprays of blood to and fro. One crimson drop splattered onto Zelgadis's cheek. The dam broke; a flood of renewed anger flowed through her. With it came a flood of brilliant power the likes of which she'd never known.
With a savage yell, she unleashed the power that lay pooled within her. It battered against the monster mercilessly; the creature was suddenly forced to abandon its playthings to attempt to shield itself. Wave after wave of force spilled from her seemingly endless reserves; the monster shrank back again and again, trying desperately to protect some part of itself. She would have laughed in triumph, but the power rushing through her commanded all her attention. She couldn't afford to lose control for one moment, else it would turn against her.
The incredible, bright power spilled forth from her, rushing out as if its flow would never end. But all too soon, it did, and Zelgadis stood there, empty, powerless. The monster reeled back as if expecting another blow. When none came, the creature gathered itself and chortled. "Is that all?"
It had been hurt, hurt badly by this unexpected strike of True Power. But all of Zelgadis's force hadn't been enough to finish it off, and now she was worn out. There was nothing left inside her; she felt hollow, empty, a vessel whose contents had spilled out onto the ground and were now lost forever. She fell forward onto her knees, and collapsed in a heap on the ground. The world around her spun and faded away....
And so, the monster watched its final prey collapse. Now she was completely at its mercy. "It ends here," the vile being said in wonder. "Yes." The very words were delicious. "Here it ends."
The shadowy creature was incredibly hurt, incredibly weakened by the Princess's True Power, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore except its vengeance, now only seconds away from fulfillment. How beautiful it was. Just one snap of power, and her neck would be broken, her body crushed....
A dark chuckle rang throughout the hall. "Aren't you forgetting something?" The monster turned, slowly and painfully, to face this unexpected threat; hastily it gathered the dregs of its powers.
It was too late.
"Darkness beyond twilight...."
It was certainly one of the more satisfying Dragu Slaves that Lina could remember casting.