In the trees a few feet away from the waterfalls Daisy and Bubbles unpacked and set camp while Filia and Amelia took care of Gourry and Zelgadis. Lina, in the meantime went through Gourry's pack to find the book on Kaifuku.
The camp was in between where Gourry landed and the falls. Bubbles thought it was best so that they wouldn't be moved too far in case of injuries. Gourry and Zelgadis were placed in a tent together. The swordsman was laid on a bedroll where Filia took extra time looking him and Zelgadis, covered in the shimmering impenetrable fog was placed beside him. They had lifted the chimera and carried him in, not sure what a spell would do with Kaifuku's fog, and noticed strangely light he seemed.
"I wonder if he's in there?" Amelia thought. She moved her fingers through the outer edge of the fog surrounding the chimera. She was worried, but not panicked, only desperate for more information about what was happening. "Or maybe I'm in shock and it hasn't set in yet," she reasoned.
"I'm positive now, nothing's broken."
Amelia looked up at the Gold dragon as she sat back from the swordsman.
"What else have you been able to figure out?"
"Nothing beyond that honestly," Filia said, "No bleeding or broken bones. He was simply knocked unconscious by the throw. The silver glow on the there hand we know is Kaifuku, but exactly what it's doing to Gourry I couldn't begin to guess."
"The same thing it's doing to Zelgadis maybe," the princess said.
"Possibility, I was thinking about the mist surrounding him. Maybe its part of the change."
"Like a cocoon of some kind?" Amelia asked. Filia nodded.
"There wasn't a lot of information about the specifics of the change in Gourry's book. Sometimes the little things don't get written down by scribes."
"Well this isn't a little thing. That book made it sound like it was the equivalent of taking a shower not being in a chrysalis state."
"I know, hopefully we can figure this out before the falls disappear," Filia said as the tent flap opened. Daisy entered and sat down between them.
"How is everything?"
"Okay, considering the circumstances," Amelia said.
"We're been thinking of ideas about what could have happened," Filia explained. "What about Lina and Bubbles?"
Lina's by the falls and Bubbles thought a little supper would help some," Daisy said.
"Honestly I'm not in the mood to eat," Amelia murmured.
"Neither am I but we need to if we're going to stay alert and figure this out."
Lina sat at the falls and stared at them intensely. She took in every shimmer in the mist and every twinkle in the water as the rising moon reflected off it.
"I shouldn't have left this in his hands completely," she thought. "Gourry likes reading all this stuff but he's still new to it and doesn't even practice magic," she sighed. "There's no use beating myself up over it now, I just gotta this out," she whispered, standing up.
She took a step towards the falls and tilted her head as she continued her study. The book from Gourry's pack still lay in the grass. She flipped through it, studying the map and the small slips of paper that marked various sections. She found they contained notes by Gourry. He'd been detailed but she still felt responsible especially since she was an experienced sorceress and he couldn't even be considered a novice.
"Anything yet?"
"No Bubbles," she sighed, "But I don't think they're in any serious danger."
"How do you know?" The mazuko dragon asked as he walked over to her.
"I'm not sure, the energy I feel from this place ... it's not dark. Don't you feel it?" Lina asked. Bubbles nodded
"It's more mysterious then anything, probably because of how old this place is supposed to be." Lina took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp air of early evening.
"Is that food cooking?"
"I did up a soup on the campfire. It should be done soon. I figured a meal might be good for everyone."
"You figured right. How are the others?"
"Amelia and Filia are with the guys and Daisy's went to check on them. I was going to the tent but I figured I'd stop here first."
"Thanks, but I'm going to stay here and see if I can find anything. But call me when the soups done."
"I will," Bubbles smiled and headed back to camp.
As he walked back to the tent that held their friends the flap opened and Filia emerged a few steps away from the mazuko dragon. There was an awkward silence until Filia spoke.
"Where's Lina?"
"By the falls examining them with Gourry's book," he stammered slightly. "How are they?"
"Fine for now, we were thinking it would be part of the transformation."
"Scribes forgetting to write to in the fine print, you think?"
"Yes I was," she said surprised.
"So where were you heading?"
"Tea," she said holding up a bag of herbs. "I thought a good herbal infusion would help calm everyone's nerves and since Gourry can't eat food ..."
"I can fix it for you," Bubbles said reaching for the bag in her hands.
"No its all right I ..." She stopped and blushed as Bubbles hands enveloped hers. An instant later she stiffened preparing for another of his flirtatious overtures. Bubbles noticed and looked down saddened.
"I really am sorry about before," he whispered.
"What?"
"About making you feel uncomfortable. I didn't mean to," he added hastily looking up at her.
"Bubbles I - "
"It's just ... my sister's right, I like to compliment beautiful women and your really-I just got overzealous. Amelia and Lina are use to me and shrug it off so I didn't think I'd make you feel bad and ..."
"Bubbles its all right. I accept your apology okay."
"You do?"
"I do otherwise you'd have had a mace upside the head."
"A mace?"
"Sure," she said and pulled out her mace from under dress and tapped it in her hands. "I probably would have in the air but I couldn't and I knew your were sorry after you said you didn't mean to the first time."
Bubbles watched as she returned the mace to its place under her dress and smiled.
"How many weapons do have under there?" Before he could say anything she grabbed her mace and shoved him in the gut. "I was kidding Filia," he coughed, gasping for air.
"Look I don't mind the comments just don't go crazy with them. I guess if your friends with everyone else you probably aren't an annoying little jerk like ..."
"Me?"
Bubbles and Filia looked to find an amethyst-haired smiling face studying them from a low branch in a tree a few feet away.
"Xellos what are you doing here?"
"Just came t say hello," he said and teleported beside her. He looked at Bubbles eyes open and Bubbles regarded him in turn.
"Is he a friend of yours?" Bubbles asked.
"Hardly," she snorted.
"Filia-chan, you shouldn't be rude. Introduce me to your friend?" Xellos smiled.
"Bubbles that's Xellos," the gold grumbled.
"Nice to meet you?"
"Likewise, so you have a thing for the mace wielding maniac here, do you?"
"Xellos!" Filia growled, glaring at him.
"I don't think that's any of your business. Eavesdropping isn't nice, at least in polite circles," Bubbles said.
"Are we a polite circle?" Most would think two mazoku and a dragon would be anything but?"
Filia looked at Bubbles, eyes widening. "Mazuko? But I thought you were ..."
"A dragon, actually I'm a mazuko dragon," he laughed sheepishly. I thought you knew otherwise I would have said something," he ended looking at Xellos who stared about innocently.
Filia looked at Xellos with his perpetual smile and expression of mock innocence and felt her telltale anger rise. She knew Bubbles would have said something if he thought she didn't know. She hadn't known him for long but she was certain of that one fact. But this wasn't the way for it to come out.
"That Namagomi just wants to cause trouble," she thought and decided to cause a little of her own.
"It's all right Bubbles." she smiled. Xellos smirked. "And you," she said looking at Xellos."
"What about me?" The trickster asked.
"I told you before you have to find a better way to express these feelings you have for me?"
"Feelings!" The mazuko said in unison.
"Xellos is a bit shy and he has a bit of a crush on me but he can't bring himself to say so," she smiled. "I think he has a fear of rejection," she whispered to Bubbles as the tricksters eye twitched. "There's no need to be jealous," she ended and patted the tricksters head like a child. "I think I'll go fix my tea now."
The two watched her walk toward the campfire only stopping to grab a canteen of water for her tea.
"You know you had that coming right?" Bubbles said.
"What would you know about it?" Xellos asked.
"You mean aside from the fact that it's painfully obvious that she hates you with a passion and you love to irritate her? Nothing," Bubbles shrugged and started walking. Xellos watched the other mazuko back when Bubbles stopped and turn.
"So are you coming for dinner or not?"
Xellos shrugged and followed him further into camp.
"Brother I checked on your stew and I think it's ready," Daisy said, looking at Xellos.
"You have a sister?"
"Daisy this is Xellos, Xellos, Daisy," Bubbles said.
"Nice to meet you," she smiled, extending a hand. Xellos took it and smiled even brighter then normal.
"What a nice sister you have."
"You can let go of her hand now," Bubbles said.
"Certainly, we'll have other opportunities to get better acquainted."
"Actually," Daisy said, looking at the trickster closer, "I think we met before. Mojo Island at on of their festivals. You were a joker ..."
"And you were the mermaid," Xellos added upon recognition. "I didn't recognize you without the shimmering scales."
"We danced and had a drink," she explained to her brother.
"As I remember it you tang very well," the trickster piped in.
"You can tell us all about it over dinner," Bubbles said and they finished their walk over to the fire. Once there they found Filia boiling a pot of water, mixing in her tealeaves. Beside her Amelia stirred the pot of stew.
"Amelia look we have a guest," Bubbles said. The princess looked up and saw Xellos and smiled.
Xellos how did you get here?"
"Sore wa himtisu desu."
"Of course, the only way to travel right?" she said as he sat down beside her.
"And how's Lina-chan?"
"By the falls. I was going to get her for dinner but ...I guess you'll take care of that," she ended slowly as she turned in mid sentence and he was already gone.
"I don't like the idea of him being here," Filia said, "It's suspicious."
"Unfortunately, I have to agree. Especially so soon after what happened," Amelia said.
"Yare, yare Lina-chan if you stare at that book to hard you'll burn a whole in it."
The redhead looked up at Xellos sitting on a boulder a few feet away.
"Xellos, what are you- oh never mind it's not like you'd give me a serious answer," she huffed and closed the book. She had cast a light spell to read by, picked it up and went over to the tricksters perch.
"On assignment for Beastmaster again?"
"Sore wa-," he stopped as Lina raised her fist.
"Look we have a situation we aren't sure is in the good or bad category. If you're not here to help us then leave."
"Lina you're being so harsh to me. You've been spending too much time with Filia haven't you?" He pouted.
"Xellos! I really don't - "
"Want to eat? Well what am I going to do with this extra bowl of stew?" He asked innocently, holding the two bowls in his hands.
At the stew's aroma Lina's stomach growled. She'd actually forgotten how hungry she was, which never happened to her. She took the bowl and wolfed down the stew in a matter of seconds.
"If you came to bring me something to eat why didn't you just say that in the first place, instead of going around in circles?"
"Oh that would be too easy," the trickster smiled. Lina rolled her eyes and hit him on the head.
Xellos groaned a bit and rubbed his now sore head and stared at the shimmering mists of Kaifuku.
"So that's it? Gourry's little discovery?"
"Yeah, so what do you know about it?"
"I told you before, Ceiphied worshipers aren't high on my priority list," Xellos said.
"And you think I believe you because?" Xellos laughed and took a sip of his own stew. "And even if you don't know then Beastmaster would. She had been around long enough to have heard of this thing."
"A lady never reveals her true age, Lina."
Lina sighed and turned away from him. Their conversations were always in questions and riddles. She figured she'd be use to it by now but that never seemed to happen.
"I have more important things to think about it," she thought, just when a freeze arrow came out of the sky.
They heard the blasts and ran back to the falls and saw Lina shooting off fireballs and freeze arrows into the night sky as a barrage of spells fell down upon her.
Filia ran to the redhead's side and raised a shield over the group.
"Did you see how many there are?" Amelia asked.
"No. Freeze arrows just started raining down," Lina answered. "But I have a way to lighten things up a bit. Filia, when I give the word lower your shield." Filia nodded as Lina turned to Bubbles and his sister.
"Bubbles, Daisy can you give me two high density light spells?"
"Sure thing," they answered.
"And Amelia and I will cover everyone."
"I see, so you plan to blind them and find out how many there are at the same time," Xellos cheered.
"Filia now!" Lina shouted.
Filia lowered her shield and a second later Bubbles and Daisy shot two large balls of light that burst high in the air, creating a bright flash then a warm glow that illuminated everything.
Above them was a dark whirlwind of energy that continued its onslaught on them. From the whirlwind smaller forms emerged that also attacked them. The grouped returned fire but found they were quickly surrounded by the smaller forms above them.
"This is obviously the reason you're here!" Filia shouted to Xellos as he deflected more fire aimed at them as the Gold resurrected her shield.
The attack beat down on them harder and Filia groaned under the pressure they place on her spell. Bubbles quickly jumped in and cast a shield spell to reinforce the Gold's.
"I can't make out what they look like," Daisy said.
"And there seems to be more of them coming out," Lina said.
"We left Zelgadis and Gourry back at camp," Amelia said.
"I don't think they're interested in the camp," Xellos said.
"They're after the falls or us, maybe both the question is why?" The redhead said.
"We'll have to figure out why later. We can't hold this shield for very long," Bubbles said.
"We haven't been aiming at the right target," Amelia said suddenly. "I'm going to try a Ra-Tilt at the whirlwind."
"If that doesn't work then I'll hit it with a Dragon Slave."
"Okay, on 3," Amelia said, "1-2-3!"
Filia and Bubbles lowered the shield and the two with Daisy began returning fire as Amelia took aim at the whirlwind.
"Ra-Tilt!"
The bright blue of the spell hurled up quickly and connected with the whirlwind disintegrating many of the smaller creatures attacking them in the process. The whirlwind weakened but did not falter, and the princess became concerned.
"Something's not right about this thing. I don't think it has an astral body," she said.
"Astral body or no a Dragon Slave usually kills anything," Lina said and began the spells incantation.
Darkness beyond twilight
crimson beyond blood that
Buried in the flow of time.
In thy great name,
I pledge myself to darkness.
All the fools who stand in our
way shall be destroyed...
...by the power you and I possess.
DRAGON SLAVE!
The Dragon slave sailed through the air and exploded against the whirlwind. Large crackles of lightening shot through the sky on impact and the whirlwind disappeared along with the creatures.
The group looked around slowly then at each other.
"Are they gone?" Filia asked
She was answered by another crackle in the sky as the whirlwind reappeared. It was smaller then before and more creatures came through and instead of staying in the sky they landed and began a new attack.
"I guess that answers your question," Xellos said and the group continued their fight.
"There's no stopping these ... things! What are we going to do know?" Bubbles asked.
Through his mind flashed an array of memories. Sights, sounds and other sensations that were both familiar and somewhat alien. He catalogued them in his mind, quickly acquainting himself with each as he slowly opened his eyes.
"Was it time?" He asked himself, fully grasping his now fully aware state. He sat up but a felt soreness that spoke of bruising. He went through a quick range of motion in a systematic order to reacquaint himself with his limbs and at the same time taking in his surroundings. He was in a tent next to ... something and covered in a thin sheet with his sword beside him.
A sound in the distance caught his attention and he released it was a battle and quickly grabbed his sword and ran from the tent. He ran in the direction of the waterfall. He saw a group of people surrounded by dark creatures whose features he couldn't discern. They were slowly being overwhelmed as the creatures attacked.
"Gourry!"
He turned and looked at the one who called his name and everything connected completely inside him. She looked at him surprised, red-gold hair flying around a face that held a fierce expression as she battled on with her spells alongside the others.
"Lina, hold on!" He cried charging in. He ran, leaped in the air and drew his sword. He made a broad swing and with the sword wave of his blade created a blast that sliced through a quarter of the creatures before he landed beside the group.
"We have to find some cover and quick," he said and they started running for the trees away from camp. The dense trees began to hold up most of the attack as they moved deep into the forest, forcing some of the creatures to return skyward and continue their pursuit. They stopped running and took up a position by some fallen trees.
"It's good to see you up and about," Bubbles said to the swordsman. Gourry nodded curtly and watched as the whirlwind moved to a position high above the patch of forest they'd taken cover in.
"It looks like we were followed," he said.
"We don't know what it is or how it's defending against our attacks," Amelia said.
"At least we're doing something, well most of us," Filia said, looking at the trickster.
"This really isn't the time for that," Bubbles said quietly.
"By the time we figure out how they're blocking your spells we could be dead," Gourry grumbled. "But they didn't block my sword."
He jumped over the logs into the open suddenly and became the focus of the creature's attacks. Lina watched as Gourry waved his sword expertly and sliced through more creatures with precise, even ruthless movements.
"He's insane," Daisy said.
"No, he's the diversion," Lina said quickly, "Amelia, fire another Ra-tilt; this time into the whirlwind not from the side.
"Right, Ra-tilt!" Amelia shouted, aiming into the whirlwind as Gourry continued to deal with the creatures.
The Ra-tilt entered and made a large explosion that blinded and deafened everyone.
"Well I guess we can go now," Xellos said and suddenly they all disappeared