"Never shirk a neccesary encounter because it may be unpleasant. That only prolongs the unpleasantness."
"Ah..." Lina said as she put her arms behind her head. "This is the life, isn't it? Go any where, any time we want."
"Yep," Gourry said in agreement. He shifted his pack on his shoulder and stifled a yawn. "Hey, Lina, how about lunch? We've been walking all morning."
Lina turned around and walked backward as she peered at the sun. Gourry was right: They had been walking for several hours now without much of a break. It looked like it was nearly midday, and while Seyruun was only a couple hour's journey away, she was getting hungry. "Lunch sounds like a good idea."
Gourry stopped and looked up and down the road for a good stopping place. A small stream ran alongside the road, deep enough to have fish in it, he thought. "Should we try and catch some fish or just have leftovers?" He found a grassy place to sit down under a tree and dropped his pack.
"I'm too tired to fish; let's just eat leftovers." She dropped her pack next to Gourry's and settled down under the tree.
Gourry sat next to her and pulled open his pack, fishing inside for the bit of sliced beef they'd bought at the tavern in the last village. "Here," he said. "Don't eat it until I get the bread."
"Now, would I do a thing like that?" Lina said with a grin. She unwrapped it and pinched off a piece of the meat to pop in her mouth.
"You just did. C'mon, Lina, leave me some." He pulled out the loaf of bread and his knife and sawed off two hunks, handing one to Lina. She took it and slapped the meat onto it. "Lina..." he pleaded as she opened her mouth to take a bite out of it.
She rolled her eyes and picked off about half the slices and held them out. "Oh, all right, here." Gourry held out his bread and she plunked the meat down on top of it.
"Thanks, Lina," he said, folding the bread and taking a bite out of it. He leaned back against the tree trunk, put an arm behind his head and chewed his makeshift lunch. The sun was warm and it felt good to just sit and soak it up.
Lina grinned and leaned half against the tree, half against her companion and munched on her bread and meat. Yes, this was definitely the life. Good food, a nice clear road, a money purse full of gold, Gourry by her side...She snuggled closer to him.
"What?" he asked as he looked down at her. "Cold?"
"No, just getting comfortable." She finished up her meat and bread and licked her fingers.
"There are apples in my pack, too," Gourry said.
"When did you get apples?" she asked, pulling it closer and digging through it to find the fruit.
"I got them while you went to settle for our room. Thought they'd be nice to munch on while we walked."
"You thought right, except I'm going to eat one now," she said, then suited actions to words as she bit into the plump, mottled red and yellow apple. "Yum," she mumbled.
"Hand me one?" he asked then shoved the rest of his bread and meat into his mouth. Lina handed him an apple then twisted around so that her head was pillowed on his thigh.
"I think I'm going to take a nap," she said pulling her cloak over her like a blanket.
"Go ahead," he said, stroking her hair. He finished up his apple and chucked the core across the little stream. He watched as a large black squirrel came racing down a tree and grabbed it.
The lazy autumn afternoon, the warm sun shining down, the sound of the stream and the feel of Lina's head cradled in his lap had a soporific effect on the tall swordsman and he found himself dozing. He tried valiantly to stay awake, but he lost the battle. Soon he was snoring quietly in countertime to Lina's soft snores.
He woke with a start, instantly aware that something was wrong. Glancing up at the sun, he guessed that nearly an hour had passed since they'd stopped for lunch. He cast about but could see nothing amiss, but all his senses told him something was definitely wrong. Gently, he laid a hand on Lina's shoulder and shook her. "Lina, wake up."
She opened her eyes. "Wha - ?" she said, still half asleep.
"Quiet," he said in a low, commanding voice. Instantly she was awake; they'd worked together too long for her to not know that tone of voice.
"What is it?" she said, sitting up and gathering up her pack.
Gourry gathered up his own and helped her stand before climbing to his own feet. "I don't know, but something's not right. Come on," he said, stepping back onto the road and resuming their interrupted journey. "Stay close."
Lina didn't need to be told that; she fell into step just behind him, trusting to his instincts. She nervously scanned the countryside and when Gourry loosened the peace straps on his sword's hilt, she readied her magic.
They walked for perhaps five minutes before the group came into sight: Seven men in armor and carrying swords. They were talking among themselves, making jokes and a couple even taking quick pot shots at one another. Gourry's face hardened and he held his hand out in front of Lina. "Don't say anything, Lina. Let me do the talking. Stay close and maybe we can get by without a fight."
"Gourry - " she started.
"Lina, just do as I say. These aren't bandits, they're mercs. Hardened men skilled in fighting with a sword. I don't want to get into a fight if we can avoid it." He glanced down at her. "Lina, please."
"All right," she agreed reluctantly, but she kept her magic ready just in case.
As they approached, the mercenaries broke into loud, raucous laughter. They could hear them telling some rude joke and Lina blushed. She pressed close to Gourry as the distance between the them and the group of mercs decreased. The leader of the group, a tall man with black hair, watched them with wary eyes even as he joked with his comrades. Lina looked him up and down: He was tall, nearly as tall as Gourry, with black hair pulled back in a band at the nape of his neck. His tanned face was partly concealed by a short beard. Both beard and hair were beginning to turn silver in places. His eyes were gray, hard like stones. His armor was serviceable but had seen better days. From the way he carried himself, Lina guessed this man was one who had trained and fought as a warrior for most of his life; judging from his apparent age, he'd been slinging a sword longer than Gourry had been alive.
The only other one of note in the group was the man who followed at the black-haired man's right hand. His hair was a dirty blonde, kept out of his face by a bandana. As for the rest of the group, they were a mismatched lot, but all had the look of warriors about them.
As they approached, the leader grew quiet. He had an enigmatic smile on his face as he touched two fingers to his brow in a salute. "Nice day," he said to Gourry as they came within speaking distance. Casually, too casually, he rested his hand on his sword hilt. The others behind him continued their joking, but in a more subdued manner.
Gourry nodded slightly keeping his face grim. "It is." He kept right on walking, thinking that the group would veer to one side or the other to let Lina and himself by, but instead they split: Four on one side, three on the other. Gourry rested his hand on his sword hilt and frowned, alert for any signs of attack.
As he passed the leader, Gourry felt a chill and whirled to catch the black-haired man in the act of grabbing for Lina's wrist, but he wasn't quick enough. The man grabbed Lina, who yelled and kicked him. He jerked her off her feet and dragged her out of the way.
Before the others even had time to draw their swords, Gourry whipped his out, cut down one man, and wounded a second. The other four closed in on him, pressing close and not giving him room to maneuver.
Lina turned and slugged the tall black-haired leader. "You are so dead!" she yelled and readied a flare arrow. She released it at him, but he ducked and drew his sword, pressing it in past her guard. She yelped and did a backflip out of the way. He followed relentlessly; it seemed that no matter where she landed, he was there, hounding her, keeping her off balance and unable to cast any spells.
She cast a quick glance at Gourry to see how he was doing; that quick glance nearly cost her her life. She slipped and landed heavily on her rump - hard enough to send a shock up her spine and skull. Lights danced in front of her eyes and when they cleared, there were still lights, only these were reflected off a swordblade.
"Don't even think about trying to cast a spell," the black-haired merc growled. "I can slice you open before you can blink an eye." He reached down and jerked her short sword from her belt. Lina twisted her lip in a snarl and tried to sit up. "No, I think I want you down there." Giving him a hateful glare, she laid back on her elbows and looked around for Gourry.
The fight was going badly for the mercs. Gourry had cut down another two and was busy harrying the ones still standing. They managed to stave off his blows, but only barely. As Lina watched, another merc fell, leaving only the blonde haired one.
"Petran!" the leader called. "Get over here and watch the girl. I'll deal with him."
Petran jumped back and rushed to his comrade's side. Gourry followed but stopped as the other stepped over Lina and prepared to face him. "Watch her," the merc said. "If she moves, slit her throat."
"Right, Raydon." Lina gulped as the cold steel pressed against her throat.
Gourry roared and leapt at Raydon. Raydon brought his sword up and deflected the blow, but the force behind it drove him to one knee. He recovered as Gourry overextended himself, pushing an elbow into the taller man's side. Twisting, Gourry jumped to the side, out of slashing range.
Lina watched with a horrified fascination as the two men dueled. Raydon was a close match for Gourry's skills, but only because he was toughened by a lifetime of fighting, but he wasn't going to last forever. Stealing a quick glance at Petran, Lina found him watching her intently. Biting her lip, she looked away; she'd hoped that he would get distracted by the fight and give her a chance to jump him. No such luck. She went back to watching Raydon and Gourry fight.
Raydon was at the end of his strength and he obviously knew it. He was fighting uphill with Gourry pressing him mercilessly and was rapidly losing ground. Lina saw him snatch a quick look to where his cohort held Lina, which nearly got him run through by Gourry's sword. He jumped out of the way, executed a handstand and landed on the other side of Petran and Lina. Gourry was right behind, bearing down on Petran. Panicking, Petran rose upwards to try and intercept Gourry's sword, but the blade sank deep into his shoulder, slashing through bone and muscle as if they were nothing more than paper. Lina found her opening and grabbed up her short sword and plunged it into Petran's abdomen. Blood spurted over her hands and he slumped to the ground.
Something yanked Lina off-balance and pain lanced through her head. She screeched and collapsed with a thud at Raydon's feet.
Gourry turned and glared at Raydon, sword held at the ready. He flexed his fingers, shifted his weight forward and watched the mercenary closely for his next move. "Let her go," he growled, voice low and dangerous. His brows drew together and he looked very, very dangerous.
"Uh uh," Raydon said. "You come any closer and your lady friend here takes a nice long nap." He put a foot on Lina's neck. "Now, step back or I snap her pretty little neck. Do it!" he shouted when Gourry hesitated.
Glancing down at Lina, he saw that she had more or less recovered from the blow. She was watching him, eyes sparkling dangerously and he knew that as soon as she could do it, this guy was gonna be toast. He took another step back, hoping to draw the merc away from her. "All right," he said, lowering his sword, but not his guard. "Just don't hurt her."
Two things happened at once: Raydon's face twisted into a sinister grin and Lina's eyes went wide. Warned, Gourry whirled around just as Petran staggered upwards, raising his sword high above his head. With a quick horizontal slash, the taller man dispatched the outclassed Petran. He let his momentum carry him around to face Raydon, but found the merc had stepped in during the distraction and wasn't where he'd expected him to be. Unfortunately, that same momentum carried him right into the path of Raydon's upturned blade as he came in under Gourry's guard.
Everyone froze: Lina with her mouth covered with her hands and her eyes wide with horror. Gourry stared down at Raydon, his face uncomprehending, then looked at the sword hilt sticking out of his stomach. Raydon's face was twisted and unreadable. When time began again, Raydon jerked the sword out and stepped backward. Gourry's sword dropped from nerveless fingers and he sank to his knees. His face was contorted in pain and he clutched his stomach, curling around his hands.
"GOURRY!" Lina screamed, scrambling to her feet. Raydon whirled, brandishing his bloodied sword at her. She fixed him with her Death Look and raised her hands. "FIREBALL!" she screamed and hit him point blank with the spell. The flames engulfed him, sending his charred corpse across the road and smacking into a tree.
Lina didn't see this, however, as she was instantly beside Gourry. He knelt there, hands pressed against his midsection and blood pouring from between his fingers.
"G-Gourry...?" she whispered fearfully, touching his hair and face.
He looked up at her, eyes dull with pain. "Lina," he said weakly. He raised a hand and tried to cover her hand where it lay on his cheek; instead all he could do was stare at the blood on it. Raising his eyes to hers, he whispered, "S-sorry," then collapsed into her arms.
"No!" she screamed as he slid out of her arms and to the ground. She pushed him onto his back and pressed her hands to his wound, ignoring the blood that stained his tunic and that seeped out around her gloves. She closed her eyes as the world threatened to go white around her and told herself she could faint later. Right now, Gourry needed her. She concentrated on the strongest healing spell she knew - and knew it wasn't going to be enough! She didn't let that stop her; over and over she cast the spell to get his wound sealed to stop the bleeding. He would need more: The sword went through several organs. He was dying.
"NO!" she screamed again and clenched her fists on his chest. Screwing her eyes closed, she willed herself to think clearly and not go into hysterics. Hysterics would not help Gourry now. What he needed was a healer, someone like Sylphiel or Amelia -
Lina sat up as if someone had shocked her. Amelia! Seyruun was only a couple hours away! And there was also the Shrine Priest at the Temple there! They would be able to heal Gourry! But how to get there? She couldn't carry him like he'd done for her that time...
Kicking herself mentally, she realized that she couldn't carry him physically, but she could carry him like she had so many times before: Using a Ray Wing. She crouched by his side, lifted an arm around her shoulders and got him half-sitting, half-leaning against her, then took a deep breath. "Ray Wing!" The spell bubble formed around her and lifted the two of them off the ground. Turning it north, she headed for Seyruun.
In the woods behind her, a shadow watched Lina wing away carrying the wounded man. This was not going as planned. He should have hired more mercenaries to take out the swordsman. Next time, he'd take care of it personally.
Scowling, the shadow lifted its hand and power flared around it. Fire spread outward and engulfed the battle area, incinerating the bodies of the mercs and reducing them to ash. When the flames died down, the shadow was gone.