"How is she?" Gourry yelled as their small group ran further into the Miasma Forest toward the Flagoon. He was bringing up the rear, always looking back and keeping alert for any attack.
Sylphiel struggled to keep the bleeding girl in her arms and not to jostle her as they ran. The sorceress's face was already paler than paper as her life blood continued to run despite Eris's attempts to stop the bleeding.
"She needs to be healed with Resurrection, there is no other choice!" Sylphiel gasped. She hadn't had this much exertion for years. "It'll take time and I can't be disturbed but a Recovery won't work for her in this condition."
"There's a small clearing up ahead!" Amelia announced as she was scouting ahead.
"Good."
Sylphiel hurried ahead and awkwardly set Lina on the ground. She noticed that her own clothes were dyed a deep red.
"Sylphiel, there's no telling when they'll come after us," Gourry warned.
Sylphiel's green eyes snapped at him. "If the bleeding isn't stopped soon, there won't be enough time to cast a Resurrection on her! There is no spell that can bring back the dead!"
Gourry bit back his retort. This young lady didn't deserve being used as target for his frustration. He was angry at himself for getting Lina into this mess. And now she was dying and there wasn't anything he could do about it.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one feeling guilt's sharp stings. Amelia sat huddled at the foot of a tree apart from Sylphiel and Eris as they tried to stop the flow of blood. The overflowing exuberance was gone, replaced with a haunted despair.
"Hey."
Amelia didn't look up. Gourry rapped her lightly on the head.
"Are you alright?"
Amelia looked up startled. "I..." Her eyes fell on the other three and something akin to fear passed through them.
Gourry followed her glance and frowned. "Don't worry," he said with false cheer. "Sylphiel can take care of her."
The young girl pulled her legs closer to her chest. "But...there was so much..." Amelia gulped. "...blood..."
"Uh yeah." Gourry scratched his head.
"Too much blood...and it's my fault..."
Oh boy, here came the guilt trip. "No it isn't."
"It is! If I hadn't forced you two to come here, she would never have met that lying Rezo! She wouldn't have been hit by his spell! She wouldn't be bleeding and dying right now!!" Amelia cried, tears flowing.
Gourry hesitated before wrapping one arm around the crying girl. So there was more than just a justice obsession inside.
"Don't worry. Lina has survived worse things than this."
"But it's my fault! So much blood...like when..." Amelia's words were lost in her sobs.
She couldn't be that old. Gourry wondered what had happened that she had to be exposed to the kind of trauma that was causing this response. However, a good cry ought to help her if nothing else to let out all of the pent-up emotions. He let her cry on him.
"Well?" Eris asked anxiously.
Sylphiel let out a deep breath. "This binding spell should halt the blood flow. I just hope it holds long enough for the Resurrection to take effect. Please make sure I am not disturbed."
Eris nodded as she backed away.
Sylphiel held her hands above her head and concentrated on the latent energy residing in the roots of the Flagoon. She would need it for this spell. The Resurrection was the highest healing spell known to humans. Unlike the more widely known Recovery, Resurrection drew on the energy of surrounding life forms rather than on the energy of the one that the spell was cast on. If Recovery was used on Lina now, the fatigue from the healing could kill her just as easily as the injury itself. With Resurrection, there was no such problem but Lina had to be alive for it to work.
Lina's pale, almost gray skin tone meant that there wasn't much time left.
"What a waste of time."
Zelgadiss dodged another blast from Tiiba as he dashed through the winding corridors of Rezo's vast underground laboratory. He had long lost track of where he was exactly, courtesy of his two relentless pursuers. Tiiba the Mazoku Chicken had given up the notion of trying to teleport in front him after a near encounter with an Elmekia Lance. Instead, he joined that other chimera Ducris in trying to herd Zel into a dead end.
Amazingly though, Zelgadiss had not yet run into a dead end that he couldn't get out of. But by now, he was quite sure he was no longer under Rezo's above ground residence. Just how far did Rezo make these halls?
"You're a lot of help," Ducris snorted.
"At least I can attack him," Tiiba retorted. "You haven't been doing anything."
"I don't have to be afraid of him."
"Don't think that just because you went farther in the process that you're invincible. If it wasn't for Rezo-sama's orders, I would just WARK!!"
Ducris skidding to a stop in several feet, looking back at the chicken who had suddenly burst into flames. There was a delicious smell of roast chicken in the air that the chimera tried hard to ignore. He poked the Mazoku and managed not to think about how well-done Tiiba might be.
"Hey. I thought spontaneous combustion burned up everything."
"Shut up," growled the Mazoku as he stood up again. "I don't know what that other chimera did but it isn't going to stop WARK!!"
Ducris watched Tiiba burst into flames again. He stood up and waved an arm around the area where the Mazoku kept catching on fire.
"There's nothing here."
Tiiba scowled. "Damn. I didn't think he'd get this far," he muttered under his breath. Then in a louder voice, he said sullenly to Ducris, "I can't follow any further. You go after him."
Ducris smirked.
"You Mazoku are all talk," he sneered before he ran down the corridor after Zelgadiss.
Tiiba fiercely resisted the urge to snap that chimera in half as he teleported above ground. It was quite easy for him to find Rezo and Alpha standing outside of the Miasma Forest that partially surrounded that damn holy tree.
"Whose been cooking chicken?" Rezo asked crossly before seeing the well-done Tiiba. "Ran into the barrier I take it."
Tiiba's glowering silence was all the answer he needed.
"And Zelgadiss?"
"He got past the barrier," Tiiba answered reluctantly. "Ducris is chasing him still."
"It would not be good if they all got together," Rezo frowned. "But that can't be helped now since none of us can get in."
"You still haven't found the source of the barrier preventing us from approaching the Flagoon?" Alpha asked flatly.
"Oh I know what it is," Rezo snapped. "The problem is getting to it. The Bless Blade is resonating with the Flagoon's natural energies to create this barrier."
Alpha raised an eyebrow. "The Bless Blade? How did that get in there?"
"Damned if I know how someone could foresee far enough to put up such a precaution," Rezo growled. "But I won't let that get in the way."
He tapped his staff on the ground and immediately many lumps began to rise up, forming into earth golems.
"I see. As neutral creatures, they won't be excluded by the barrier," Alpha noted as Rezo ordered the golems to enter the woods, destroying whatever they came across. "I have already told you that the girl was not to be killed."
Rezo looked at Alpha innocently. "But I didn't tell them to kill anyone. I can hardly be responsible if someone was to be crushed under a fallen tree now could I?"
Alpha narrowed his eyes.
Zelgadiss's eyes quickly adjusted with some tears of pain to the above ground light. He was no longer in the Miasma Forest though still in the vicinity of it but exactly where was anyone's guess. It looked like there were many giant tree roots here. Perhaps it will be easier to lose his pursuers here.
A branch snapped somewhere behind him and to the side. Zelgadiss whipped out his sword, knowing it couldn't harm either Ducris or the Mazoku but hoped it would be enough to give him some space.
"Wah!"
Zelgadiss blinked.
"Please don't kill me, Zelgadiss-san! I haven't reverted to the side of evil!"
Zel looked at the young man blocking Zel's blade with his own. It was one of several people he had hoped he would never meet again. With a heavy sigh, Zel resheathed his sword.
"Migel, what are you doing here?"
Migel took a deep breath. "Well you see, Quar decided I should travel the world to get a feel for how it is now and then I happened to solve a zombie infestation. Then I was on a boat that was going to the Island Nations but when I found out about the bounties I swam back to the mainland, making my way to Sairaag to find the evil person that would put up wanted posters of you. Shortly after getting to the city, we met this lady and then got attacked by a mage and then went with the mayor's daughter to the mayor's house before we got attacked by the same mage again when the house collapsed after everyone but me and the mage got out."
"You've been hanging around Lina too much."
"Of course, I've been around Lina-san a lot. How else could I - "
"Lina is here?"
"She's here, I did tell you I ran into her didn't I? Anyway, wouldn't you know it but the floor broke before the roof did and I ended up underground. Because there was no way back up I just followed the tunnel until I ended up in this really big room where a sword floated in the center and practically lit up the room with holy energy."
"Sword?" Zelgadiss's interest perked. "Why didn't you take it?"
"I already have two holy swords. It isn't correct for a holy knight to be greedy."
"Take me to that chamber," Zel said roughly, grabbing Migel by the arm. A holy sword would be quite useful against Rezo's Mazoku pals.
"But um what about Lina-san?"
Zelgadiss didn't even pause. "She's Lina. She'll be fine."
"I've found you Zelgadiss!" Ducris burst into the opening ready to destroy his predecessor only to come upon four surprised faces. "Who are you?"
"That's our line," Gourry frowned as the creature that suddenly came upon them. Another of Rezo's henchmen?
Ducris was sure he had been on Zelgadiss's tail. But that man who dared to talk back to him looked familiar.
"You're one of the people on the wanted posters I drew!"
"What?"
Ducris nodded. "I knew it. And those drawings are an amazing likeness given that I never saw you before in my life. Is that half-dead girl Lina Inverse?"
Sylphiel didn't pay the stranger any attention as she focused her energies to channeling the life energy into Lina. This was no time to get distracted!
"So you're one of Rezo's."
"That's right." Ducris's grin grew wider as he watched Gourry pull out his sword. "What? Are you going to kill me?"
"Either that or you kill us."
"Take your best shot."
It was a taunt and Gourry knew it. However, if this whatever it was kept staying here talking, Lina might not get healed. Besides which, Rezo certainly didn't want Lina alive and his henchmen were probably of similar opinion.
Ducris merely examined his claws as Gourry's blade connected with his skin and then broke. "See how worthless that was? You can't destroy me with a normal weapon."
Gourry looked at the broken blade. "Oh." He inserted the pin and unlocked the broken piece, letting it fall to the ground. Still holding the sword blade down, he let his own smug smile cross his face. "What about this then?"
The blade of light grew from his hand down to the ground. Ducris's pupil less eyes bulged. The legendary Sword of Light that slew the Silver Magic Beast Zanaffar. And he was only a pre-metamorphosized Zanaffar. Available options? Run like you've never run before.
"Come back you coward!" Gourry yelled, chasing after Ducris. Sylphiel was still healing Lina. He couldn't let Ducris get back to Rezo with their location.
"Sylphiel, are you alright?" Eris asked worriedly. Gourry had been gone some time chasing that chimera that stumbled upon them. The mayor's daughter wiped the perspiration from her brow.
"It just takes a lot out of me to cast that," Sylphiel smiled weakly. "I'll be better soon. Where is Gourry-sama?"
"He - "
Eris was cut off by a large rumbling sound. Amelia leaped up, putting herself between the others and the approaching source of the sound. It sounded as if many trees were being broken. Amelia readied a spell in her hand as Eris and Sylphiel supported Lina in between of them.
The instant something broke the bushes Amelia let loose her Fireball. It roasted a earth golem and what it had been chasing, Gourry.
"Ack! Gourry-san, I'm sorry!" Amelia apologized.
"Forget it!" Gourry yelled, slicing another golem in half with his Sword of Light. "Get Lina out of here! There are more of them! Amelia and I will cover for you."
"Right! We'll cover for you-what?!"
Sylphiel simply nodded in acknowledgment before she and Eris carried Lina further into the roots of Flagoon. Gourry downed several more golems and some roots as well as Amelia called forth another spell to eliminate the other golems just appearing on the scene.
"Dam Brass!"
Each blast of air vibrated through its target, imitating the effect of a small, concentrated earthquake. The affected golems crumbled into the earth from which they had been created.
"Is that all?"
"Not even close," sneered Ducris.
"You ran away last time," Gourry returned.
"You only caught me off guard. Even if you have the Sword of Light, I can still kill the two of you."
"You work for Rezo-san don't you?" Amelia demanded. "How can you serve such an evil man?"
Ducris shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me what he does. He granted me this power, so naturally I need to perform some services to repay him."
"But to kill for no reason other than because someone told you to is...is..."
"Is done everyday, in every war there's ever been," Ducris snorted.
"Such a disregard for human life must be punished by a servant of justice! Even if you were ordered to do something, it is within you to determine whether such an order is a just thing."
"What an annoying brat."
"Annoying brat?! Fireball!"
The hot sphere of fire slammed into Ducris, wrapping its flaming tendrils around him, and then rippling away into nothing. Ducris only smiled.
"Diem Wind!"
The buffet of air had no effect.
"Blast Ash!"
Again, there was no effect.
"You're different from Zel," Gourry noted.
"Of course. I'm a much more advanced version," snickered Ducris. "Magic can't affect me with this kind of skin."
"Seeing how you reacted earlier, this Sword of Light can."
"We'll see."
"Are they going to be alright?"
Sylphiel kept focused on the destination ahead. "I trust Gourry-sama."
Eris looked sadly at the younger woman. She had been like that once. Before the person she cared for betrayed her.
"Where are we going?"
"A safe place," Sylphiel replied shortly. It had been a long time since she's been here, most of the old markers were overgrown or faded. "In here."
Eris followed Sylphiel's lead as they ducked under some low branches. Unfortunately, they forgot about Lina's head. The two exchanged guilty glances.
"Do you think she'll remember that?"
"She is unconscious."
"True."
"It's just a bit further," Sylphiel nodded toward the light dappled wall of leaves and vines ahead.
The room beyond, if it could really be called that, was vast. Eris hadn't expected anything like this in the vicinity of the Flagoon. The floor was tiled with swirling smoky marble and smooth peach stone walls rose along the sides high above with the tree roots as columns. And in the very center of the room, floating about four feet above the ground, was a scimitar with an ornate curling hilt. All around was a faint humming sound.
"What is this place?" Eris asked in awe.
"This is the inner sanctum of the Flagoon," Sylphiel answered quietly. "When the Zanaffar was destroyed by the Swordsman of Light, its blood and breath poisoned the land. This chamber was all that remained of the church that once stood here. To cure the land, the Flagoon was planted on the dome of this place and it has since grown to what it is now. However, this chamber was never crushed by the growing tree and held to be a sacred place as it is located beneath the heart of the tree. But hardly anyone knows of it anymore."
Eris shifted her shoulders under her share of Lina's weight. "Let's put her down. Even if she is light, carrying her around like this does get tiring."
Sylphiel agreed and they slowly eased the unconscious sorceress to the floor. The wound was covered by tender pink skin that showed through the hole in Lina's tunic but her breathing was normal, her skin no longer a gray tone.
"Why hasn't she woken up yet?"
"Even though Resurrection healed her wound, she still needs to rest from the shock," Sylphiel explained.
"No one may find us if only you knows it still exists. What is that floating sword though?"
"That?" Sylphiel turned to look at the item in question. "That is the Bless Blade, a holy sword that is practically a part of the Flagoon itself. No one really knows from where it came but it reacts strongly with the power of the holy tree."
"If that's so, then since the Flagoon can counter and purify evil and corrupted things, so can the blade?"
"That is what we've been taught, though I don't think anyone has ever tried it."
"We? You mean..."
Sylphiel nodded. "I am a shrine maiden of Sairaag."
"Then all servants of the church know of this chamber then?"
Sylphiel laughed nervously. "Actually...this was my private playground when I was a child. You know how some children have treehouses?"
"Playground? Then just how did the Bless Blade end up here? Shouldn't it be in the church?"
"It should have been...except that I took it out once to play with it and sort of forgot about it..."
Eris sweatdropped.
"That certainly explains much."
Eris and Sylphiel snapped their heads around to see Alpha standing in the chamber with them. His vacant eyes didn't appear to see them, fixed as they were on the sleeping Lina.
"I will be taking her."
"How did you find us?" Sylphiel asked.
"That does not concern you. Give her to me."
"You'll have to get through us," Eris gritted her teeth. To think that her best creation should be turned into this.
"There is nothing you can do to stop me."
Eris began to chant a spell.
"Freeze Arrow!"
It struck at Alpha's feet, the ice creeping up to cover the mage up to his waist.
"Sylphiel, cast something!"
"Cast something? You mean like a Flare Arrow?"
"Anything!"
"Let me review my notes first."
If this scene was farther down the comedy scale, Eris and Alpha would have facefaulted.
"Flare Arrow!"
The red arrow flew from Sylphiel's hands, leisurely making its way to the floating enemy. There was a quiet pop as it broke like a bubble against Alpha's head. Alpha stood for a moment before tipping to the ground onto his side.
"Is he...?"
"No offense but how could he be defeated by that?" Eris muttered. There was no way one of her creations could fall so easily for that Flare Carrot. "What was the matter with that spell?"
"I'm not very good at combative magic," Sylphiel smiled weakly, poking her fingers together.
"That much was quite obvious," remarked Alpha, standing whole and hearty before them again.
"I never created you to play tricks like possum!"
"I am not the same being as the one you created," Alpha answered, blowing away Sylphiel with a gust of wind. She slid halfway across the chamber, coming to a halt near the Bless Blade.
"And now you."
Eris was slammed against a wall by another gust of wind. Alpha smirked slightly as he walked up to the unknowing sorceress asleep on the floor.
"Stay away from Lina-san!" Sylphiel yelled, grabbing the floating Bless Blade. The faint humming immediately ceased.
"Thank you."
Alpha reached down to pick up Lina when his arm became encased on ice. Annoyed, he looked up at the staggering Eris.
"Why do you want Lina? Why is she so important?" she demanded.
"You ask too many questions." Alpha raised the ice-covered hand. With a glow of power, he shattered the cold prison. "Now you will-what?"
Eris could only gape and stare as roots began to coil and wrap around Alpha, entrapping his arms and legs, encircling his body and neck. The roots were coming from the Flagoon? Alpha began to scream, batting at the approaching roots and trying to free himself.
"What's going on?"
"The Flagoon is reacting to him," Sylphiel said softly, coming forward with the Bless Blade in hand. "It is trying to cleanse him."
"Cleanse him? But the clones are neutral! You said it would only cleanse evil...unless Rezo-sama added in something else..." Rezo-sama had been working with Mazoku.
"My father died by your hand," Sylphiel glared at the writhing Alpha caught in the roots of the holy tree that was trying to purify the evil in its grasp. "This however, isn't for revenge."
She unsheathed the Bless Blade and plunged it deep into Alpha. The mage began to shriek even more as something akin to fire began to spread from the sword's entry. It consumed him so quickly that Sylphiel had to back away, leaving the holy blade in his chest. Soon, only a bony black twisted figure remained entwined in Flagoon's roots.
"Rezo-sama must have changed it with the help of the Mazoku," Eris said sadly.
Sylphiel moved to remove the Bless Blade when one blood-shot eye opened suddenly and fixed itself on her.
"He's still alive?!"
In a release of power, Alpha destroyed its organic bonds. The twisted dark creature disdainfully pulled out the Bless Blade and threw it at their feet.
"For the pain you have caused me, suffer!!" hissed Alpha.
"Elmekia Flame!"
"What the-Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!" Alpha became engulfed in a wide beam of blue-white light from the Astral Plane. Within that light, the final remains of his body broke apart and vaporized.
"Who?"
"You two are pathetic, you know that?"
"Lina-san!"
"Lina, you're alright?"
Sylphiel and Eris turned to see the still weak, but utterly defiant, sorceress trying to sit up. Eris quickly helped her as Sylphiel returned the Bless Blade to its sheath.
"Lina-san, how are you feeling?"
"Come here," Lina beckoned.
When Sylphiel and Eris were both kneeling before her, Lina reached out and whacked both of them over the head.
"What was that for?"
"For bumping my head on a tree root!"
"Looks like she remembered."
"Of course I remember!" Lina huffed, her indignation ruined only by the slight wilting from sitting up. "Oh, and Sylphiel? What are you doing with that sword?"
"This? Why this is the Bless Blade that - "
"I heard your lecture earlier even if I couldn't summon enough strength to open my eyes," Lina snorted. "I wanted to know why you are still holding the sword. When you removed it, the humming noise stopped and I'll bet everything I own that you just disrupted some type of magical barrier."
"Barrier?"
"Don't worry about it dear. You won't be around long enough to do so."
"Who is there!" Lina demanded.
"Tiiba of the Mazoku," declared the floating Mazoku.
Lina blinked. Sylphiel blinked. Eris blinked.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Lina asked.
"It would be in bad taste to have a joke like this."
"Rezo-sama, unfortunately, has a very bad sense of humor," Eris groaned. "Once he published a book that was supposed to detail all of the great known spells in the world."
"I never heard of a book like that. And I'm pretty sure I know, if not have read, of every such book," Lina replied miffed.
Eris shrugged. "Would you ever hear of a book that splat a pie in your face when you opened it?"
"A pie?"
"Coconut cream if I remember correctly."
"That reminds me," Lina thought. "I could really go for some chicken wings right now."
"I am not a chicken!!"
"You look like one," Lina pointed out.
"Appearances are deceiving. Can you not just sense my evilness?"
"I can smell your delicious aroma."
"I think I know some herbs that would make roasted chicken taste even better," Sylphiel suggested.
Lina grabbed Sylphiel's hands. "Really? That's it. When we get out of here, you're going to cook me a really big dinner!"
"I am a Mazoku! I am no one's dinner!" Tiiba roared, releasing a barrage of razor-sharp feathers.
"Windy Shield!" A swirly mass of air deflected most of the feathers.
"Now what about this!" Tiiba's beak opened wide to reveal the glow of gathered energy.
"You shouldn't pick on defenseless girls!"
From behind, a dark figure suddenly leaped down, sword cleaving through Tiiba's left wing and causing the hovering Mazoku to lose its balance and tumble to the floor. Tiiba's attacker landed between the fallen Mazoku and the three girls.
Lina could recognize that old ornate black plate mail anywhere. "Migel?!"
"Hello, everyone. I'm so glad I could find you again," Migel replied cheerfully, his holy sword flickering with a white aurora.
"Why you..." growled Tiiba, grasping the wound that spilled astral energy and some odd liquid substance. "How dare you...Abran?!"
Migel sweatdropped.
"Abran, the Hand of Ruby Eye?!" Tiiba squawked. "Why did you attack me?!"
"Hand of..."
"Ruby Eye...?"
Sylphiel and Eris looked at each other.
"It's you again," Migel sighed. "Must you always take the form of livestock?"
"You two know each other?" Lina exclaimed.
"Well, sort of. It was way back then. Of course, at that time he was running around as some sort of pig. But all of that is a thing of the past. I no longer serve Ruby Eye having undergone a true awakening. My name now is Migel."
Tiiba snarled, a odd expression for something with a beak. "But without Shabrinigdo-sama's power, you're nothing but a common human and no one human can stand up against a Mazoku."
"Ra Tilt!"
Tiiba's scream of pain as the astral spell ripped through his own astral self. Where had it come from? Abran, no, Migel had no such spell power.
"No less than you deserve," said a cold voice.
As the last bits of his self disappeared, Tiiba's mind eye glared at his killer. If he still had a voice left, he would have cursed that son of a mazoku. Zelgadiss calmly walked through the dying remnants of the spell up to Migel and the others.
"Zel!" Lina cried out in relief.
Zel raised an eyebrow. "Are you always this helpless?"
"Shut up!" she growled. The blood loss was still making her weak, not to mention the paralysis was making her muscles sluggish. She didn't need this smug bastard to rub it in.
"Excuse me, but is this person the third person on the wanted posters?" Sylphiel asked politely.
"Oh that's right. You haven't met him. Sylphiel, Eris, this is Zelgadiss. Zel, these are Sylphiel and Eris."
"Eris?" Zelgadiss vaguely remembered some of Rezo's notes mentioning that name. "You had some connection to Rezo?"
"You called?"
"Speak of the devil..." Lina muttered.
Rezo floated smugly in the chamber where the Bless Blade used to be. The red robes of his namesake rippled as if they were alive. Mismatched eyes silently gloated over the wary defenders.
"I must admit, of everyone I've used, the most helpful has been the one I never counted on." Rezo smiled slyly at Sylphiel who was clutching the Bless Blade. "You have been of the utmost assistance my dear."
"What are you planning?" Zelgadiss demanded.
Rezo blinked. "Zel...gadiss? Ducris did a very good freehand drawing of you. Though now that I think about it, I'm not sure why you're so bitter. You appear much more 'human' than Ducris."
"You're in no position to give an opinion! Goz Vu Rou!" Zel's hand slammed against the ground and from it shadows leaped forth as a wave straight toward Rezo.
"Child's play," snorted the Red Priest as the spell struck a shield. "If you want to really fight me then...what is this?"
Rezo looked at the tree root wrapping itself around one of his arms. More roots grew from the walls, trying to envelop the evil.
"Just like with Alpha," Eris murmured. "But why didn't it do it earlier with Tiiba?"
"Because he was a chicken?"
"Lina-san, this is no time for jokes," Sylphiel reprimanded, helping the still weak Lina to her feet.
"Whatever is happening, it won't hold him long," Migel warned.
"Haaaa!" Rezo released a pulse of power, disintegrating the roots that were within several feet of him. Then more energy blasts spun away from him, striking the new roots growing from the tree root columns in the walls. The chamber began to shake.
"Not again," Lina groaned, leaning heavily on Sylphiel.
"Run!" Zelgadiss snapped. "We can't fight him as he is now!"
"Yes, why not run," Lina muttered bitterly. "It isn't as if we've been doing anything else as of late."
"Whatever happened to your sense of adventure?" Migel asked innocently as the five ran from the chamber housing a blasting happy Rezo.
"It's still recovering from - " Lina stubbed her toe on a root and jarred the still sensitive wound. "From a near death experience," she said, gritting her teeth to contain the pain.
"Can't you ever run when you need to?" Zel snorted, picking up the lagging sorceress.
"Hey!" Lina yelped. "Put me down!"
"Lina-san, you shouldn't overexert yourself. You still need to rest," Sylphiel advised.
"If anyone who knows me sees me like this, I'll - "
"But we all know you," Eris pointed out.
"That's the point!" Lina screamed. "I'm not some helpless damsel in distress! Damn it, this is embarrassing!!"
"If you scream any louder, Rezo will follow us in no time," Zel remarked calmly. "And stop screaming in my ear."
"Why don't we fight him?" Migel asked.
"Because he's the real thing!" Zel and Lina snapped. Then they looked at each other. "You knew?!"
"Die!!"
The group halted.
"Who was that?" Lina asked, looking around.
"The star of justice will strike you down!"
"Amelia?"
"And Gourry-sama!"
"That way!" Migel pointed and they ran toward the source of the disturbance. The trees and roots around them showed distinct signs of burns and slash marks. Very quickly, they came upon a very battered pair of Gourry and Amelia whose backs were toward them, looking down at something.
"Is it dead?" Amelia asked breathlessly.
Gourry, equally out of breath, shrugged. Wordlessly, he severed the head from the rest of the hacked up body.
"Gourry-sama!"
Gourry and Amelia turned toward Sylphiel's voice.
"Hey, you all are alright," Gourry said in relief.
Amelia had a different reaction. "Ahh! Another chimera! Scatter Bleed!"
"Wait a minute, Amelia!" Lina yelled as the dozen of small energy spheres zipped towards her and Zel. "Oh hell, shield!"
The minor electrical spheres blipped on the shield.
"Just what the hell were you doing?" Lina demanded furiously.
"That's a chimera!"
"There you go again, blasting first and thinking later," Migel sighed. "You shouldn't judge solely on appearances."
"Hey, Migel, you still alive?"
"Same as you, Gourry-san." They exchanged forearm clasps.
"And Lina?" Gourry noticed Lina was being carried. "Are you still dying?"
"If I was dying would I be here?" Lina snapped. "And put me down!"
Zelgadiss was sorely tempted to just drop her but he set her down gently against a tree. Lina wrapped her cloak around herself to hide the torn and bloody tunic underneath but not before Zelgadiss noted it.
"You were dying?"
"A flesh wound."
"No it wasn't," Amelia cried. "Rezo-san reflected a spell at Lina-san when she was right in front of him and it went right through her and then he used Mono Volt on her several times and the blood wouldn't stop and - "
"Amelia!" Lina grabbed the young girl fiercely by the shoulder and shook her hard. "I am not dead. Understand?"
Her stern eyes held Amelia's wavering ones and the young girl hiccuped as she nodded. Lina smiled slightly.
"Thank you for being concerned though."
"You must have lost a lot of blood. You're not acting like yourself at all."
"And what does that mean?" Lina growled at Zelgadiss.
"Yes yes," Gourry agreed with a smile. "That's the Lina I know."
Lina stuck out her tongue.
Sylphiel watched the friendly bantering even at a time like this. Why couldn't she join in? Was there something holding her back? She looked at the Bless Blade in her hands. A dead leaf fell on the sheath, a sharp contrast of black on white and gold. She gasped.
Rezo floated in the abandoned chamber, now suitably recolored for his purpose. The once smooth peach walls had become pocketed and rough in its murky green hue. The marble tiles now swirled with crimson and black to match the tendrils of his robes that dug into the walls and ground, twisting and corrupting all it touched.
If anyone had been there to see, they would have seen a writhing dull red hue of rusted blood emanating from the floating priest. Opening his eyes, Rezo grinned with pleasure as the center of forehead painfully pulled apart to reveal a third red and slitted eye.
The new found sight revealed to him the extent of the corruption of the Flagoon. Everything of the holy tree that touched this chamber was now infused with the dark energy condensed from negative emotions. The once rich brown vibrant wood had turned black and brittle. Leaves has blackened as well and now fell to cover the dead ground. Idly, Rezo cut one of the roots and watched the sap run a murky thick red down the dead wood.
It would take more time before the corruption touched the center and heart of the tree. Time of which Rezo had plenty.
"So he's finally done something right," laughed a figure standing on a hill overlooking what was left of the city of Sairaag. "City of Ghosts indeed."
The wind whipped his black hair though he minded not one bit. Above, storm clouds gathered to concentrate above the holy tree of Flagoon as the two powers that were older than even this world fought within one tree.
From a horizontal black disk, another figure arose. The ragged ends of his black all encompassing cloak danced in the growing wind. He clutched himself as if in great pain though no physical wound could be seen. All that was visible of his face as a beige mask and one glowing red eye.
"I'm disappointed in you," smirked the first figure. "To think you were defeated by only three weak girls."
"If they're so weak then why are you very interested in one of them?" hissed the second.
One yellow-green eye turned toward the upstart and he backed away hurriedly. One does not question the master's orders.
"Your part here is done," dismissed the master.
The cloaked one bowed, muttering under his breath that he will get his revenge before vanishing. His master only smiled as he continued to watch the battle of the Flagoon below.
"What is happening to the Flagoon?" Lina asked as they all looked up at the darkened falling leaves.
"Something evil," Sylphiel shivered. "Something that even the Bless Blade felt. That was why when I was holding it as we ran, I became more and more nervous and fearful. The Flagoon is scared."
"A tree can be scared?" Gourry wondered.
"For a holy tree like this, yes." Migel looked up solemnly from a black root on which his bare hand was placed. "Evil is pervading the tree."
"That can't be possible," Amelia protested. "The Flagoon is a holy tree! How can evil spread through it?"
"Nothing is impossible," Migel replied, putting his glove and gauntlet back on. "A great sage tried to resurrect the Demon Lord, a former champion of evil turned to good, there is no such thing as an impossible thing."
"So this is Rezo's work then?" Gourry asked.
"It was probably his plan from the very beginning," Lina frowned. "But he couldn't get in because of the Bless Blade's barrier."
Sylphiel cringed.
"Ah, I wasn't blaming you! Really." Lina quickly tried to reassure Sylphiel.
"But it all comes down to the same thing," Gourry shrugged. "Are we going to fight or run?"
Silence settled over the group. An unnatural silence as none of the normal sounds associated with a forest could be heard. It was like even the air was waiting for something.
"Amelia."
The young girl looked up at Lina.
"Sylphiel. Eris. Migel," Lina continued. "I want all of you to leave now."
"What?"
"Lina-san!"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You can't expect me to turn my back on evil!"
Lina shook her head. "This doesn't involve you. Rezo isn't after any of you."
"What are you saying, Lina-san?" Amelia demanded. "It is the duty of any hero of justice to stand strong and fight to the death if needs be against evil!"
"I hate to agree with her but I do," Migel added wryly.
"Lina-san, Rezo destroyed my home. I can not leave," Sylphiel said firmly.
Eris swallowed. "Likewise, you need all the help you can get against Rezo-sama. He isn't an enemy to be taken lightly."
"The first words of sense I've heard yet." Zelgadiss sat partly in shadow, arms crossed. "Rezo was difficult enough to defeat before and somehow he has gained even more power now."
"I don't suppose anything I say is going to dissuade anyone?" Lina was answered with stubborn looks. "Alright, I surrender. We'll all go against Rezo. The question is how. Even when we attacked him before, his shields were powerful enough to withstand low to mid level spells."
"But wasn't that with his staff?"
"He blocked my spell without a staff," Zelgadiss reminded.
"And for someone who used to be blind, he was also holding off Gourry's attacks pretty well," Lina sighed. "But you probably weren't going all out on him were you, Gourry?"
Gourry laughed nervously.
"But he might not be able to hold off against two or even three swordsmen. So there's that. Spellwise I can handle black, if needed Zel can trade off with Shaman. Amelia? Sylphiel? Eris?"
"The fires of justice will see me through!" Amelia proclaimed. "At the most desperate moment I will use my super secret final attack spell to deliver the world from evil!"
"It had better not be the Dragu Slave or something," Lina quietly muttered. "At the least, you can help out with diversionary magic."
"I can't help along the lines of attack but magical defense..."
"Alright Sylphiel. Eris?"
Eris fidgeted. "I mainly concentrated on research but I can probably help Amelia."
Lina nodded. "Normal spells probably won't hurt him but any distraction can help."
"You're not planning on casting a Dragu Slave or worse in there are you?" Zelgadiss asked cautiously. "You'd kill us along with Rezo."
She laughed weakly. "You don't think I'd really do that would you?"
Gourry and Zelgadiss just looked at her.
"Or worse? Lina-san, you know a spell more powerful than the Dragu Slave?" Amelia asked in awe.
Damn. Just how many people were going to learn about this spell anyway?
"Well, it calls on the power of a higher Demon Lord than Ruby Eye so I guess you can consider it more powerful," Lina said weakly.
"A higher...Lina-san, are you saying that this spell calls upon a power outside of our world?" Sylphiel asked, frowning. "Could I talk to you privately?"
Lina nodded, curious as to why Sylphiel wanted to talk to her about that. Everyone else moved away out of hearing distance.
"What is it?"
"Please don't use that spell. Do you know the consequences of it?"
Well, it was an original spell of hers that she had only cast for a grand total of twice during her whole entire life. And if no one else knew of it much less was able to cast it, how would she know the consequences?
"Just suck all of my life energy out of me?"
"Lina-san, if that spell is the same one as in the oracle's warning...you must not use that spell ever again."
"What? What oracle's warning?"
Sylphiel's hands tightly gripped her cloak. "That spell brings into this world the source of 'nothing'. Should it ever get out of control, not just the caster but the entire world will be consumed and returned to nothing. That's why, I wish for you to never use that spell for as long as you live."
Lina paled. She hadn't thought it would be that devastating of a spell. And that it was even warned about by an oracle. Just what kind of forbidden box did she open?
"Alright," Lina swallowed. "I won't use it again."
Sylphiel sighed in relief. "Thank you."
"You can all come back now!" Lina called. "Now, we've got three swordsmen and three swords right? No one but you can use your holy blades right Migel?"
Migel nodded.
"Alright then, I guess Zel can use the Bless Blade. And you have no idea what its exact properties are Sylphiel?"
"Where is that blade?"
"Eh? I just laid it down here..."
"Where's Eris?"
"Hmm? Come to kill me? Eris."
Eris swallowed, looking at Rezo's back. She stood in the chamber again though she barely recognized it. Her grip on the Bless Blade tightened.
"Rezo-sama..." Eris steadied her voice. "Rezo-sama. Please stop this. This isn't like you."
"Eris, Eris," Rezo sighed, shaking his head. "When will you ever get it through your dense little head that the great wandering healer was only an act. Perhaps I gave you too much credit."
She blinked back the tears forming her eyes. This was no time for that. "Rezo-sama. I'll ask one more time. Will you stop this?"
"Of course not."
Eris's head bowed. "Then...there isn't any other choice."
"No, there isn't." Rezo blasted her into a wall before she could pull the sword more than several inches from its sheath.
"That's how you treat your old lovers?" Lina snorted as they arrived in time to see his attack. "How did you ever get a bloodline?"
"Such is not a topic for polite company," Rezo smirked, finally turning around to face them.
"A Demon Eye?" Lina gasped.
The Demon Eye, red and slitted, lay in Rezo's forehead. There were many powers attributed to it, some of them being hypnosis, telekinetic blasts, or true sight.
"Have you come to stop me or the destruction of the Flagoon?"
"Why not both?"
"Let's see if you can accomplish either!"
"Amelia, help Sylphiel with defense! Gourry, Migel, Zel, take offensive!" Lina ordered. "Flare Bit!"
The bursts of fire raised a thick smoke around Rezo, obscuring the three swordsmen that leaped in to strike. Hoping that would occupy Rezo even for a little bit, Lina ran over to check on Eris. The research mage was unconscious with a large bump on her head. It was probably a mercy. The Bless Blade lay in Eris's limp hand. Zelgadiss would be needing this.
Lina picked up the Bless Blade. And was immediately drawn into a spiraling darkness over which she had no control. Then she found herself somewhere outside. Where was this? It looked like Sairaag but...
There some people before her talking but they didn't see her. One of them was planting a sprout into the ground and the others prayed over it. Lina tried to step forward but everything blurred. Again she was standing in the same spot but the sprout had grown into a tree. Again and again the scene changed as Lina realized what she was seeing. This was the growth of the Flagoon.
The Bless Blade still lay in her hand. Was this vision because of it? Why was it showing her the life of the holy tree? Now she was floating above ground again, facing the tree. But there was something wrong with her vision. There were lines of energy running through the tree, white ones near the top and dark ones near the bottom. And there were points were the two would clash.
Was this the view of the conflict of power in the Flagoon now?
One part of the Flagoon shone brightly with white power, almost in defiance of the blackness that was creeping from the corrupted roots. Somehow, Lina knew that if that part was consumed, the Flagoon as a holy tree would die. There had to be a way to not only stop the darkness but re-purify the tree as well. She felt something like approval as she fell back into her body.
"Lina, watch out!"
Lina's head snapped up, broken from the trance as several blasts of energy flew toward her. And Gourry took the brunt of them.
"Gourry!"
"Gourry-sama!" Sylphiel hurried to the side of the very injured swordsman.
"Damn!" Zelgadiss growled as Rezo knocked his sword from his hand and grabbed hold of his neck. He felt something biting onto his neck.
Lina quickly tied the Bless Blade to her sword belt before grabbing the Sword of Light from Gourry. "Sorry Gourry but you're going to be out of the fight for now. Here Zel!"
Zelgadiss caught the hilt in his free hand, using it to chop off Rezo's arm. As he retreated, Zel ripped the dismembered hand from this neck. In the palm of the still moving hand was a sharp-toothed mouth. With a hiss of disgust, he threw it to the ground and slashed through it with the Sword of Light.
"Everyone fall back!" Lina ordered, chanting a spell. "Sylphiel, Amelia, Zel, raise a shield!"
"Lina-san, what are you planning?"
"Are you crazy using that here?!" Zel spat. "A Dragu Slave would kill everyone!"
"Dragu Slave?!" Amelia screamed, almost disrupting her casting. "I don't want to die!"
"I thought you wanted to die in pursuit of justice," Lina gritted her teeth.
"Dying at the hands of evil while fighting for justice is one thing, dying because you were killed by one of your allies trying to kill evil is another!"
"Detail, details," Lina muttered. "Dragu Slave!"
Everyone winced preparing for an instantaneous death.
Nothing.
"What the..." Lina gasped. Could she have miscast it? Impossible.
Rezo smirked. "You're wondering what happened aren't you? It's quite simple. If you were casting an attack spell using the power of Ruby Eye, and it was countered by a defense spell also using the power of Ruby Eye, then nothing would happen as they cancel."
A defense spell using Ruby Eye's power? Just what the hell had Rezo become?
"Is that all of your power?"
"Not by far," growled Zelgadiss as he and Migel dashed forward.
"Perhaps you need a display of mine..." Rezo began to chant something in an archaic language. Lina's mouth went dry.
"Get away now!!" she screamed. How could Rezo know this spell? Or the better question, how could he cast this spell? Blast Bomb, something only Lei Magnus has only been able to cast unassisted!
Above Rezo's outstretched arms, over ten spheres of fire the size of a fist appeared. And each was supposed to have the same destructive potential as a Burst Flare which alone can vaporize even human bones!
"Zel!! Migel!"
The spell struck explosively, rocking the chamber and filling it with smoke. Everyone stood, eyes transfixed on the last location of Zel and Migel. Rezo hissed.
"Eh?" Migel looked at himself, glowing with a soft blue light and completely untouched by the spell. "What happened? That wasn't my sword."
"I may not have the power to defeat you," Sylphiel said, breathing heavily from the exertion of the spell. "But I can at least do this. Zelgadiss-san, Migel-san, please defeat him."
"Hey, hey. What about me?" Lina reminded. She withdrew the Bless Blade. "I want to try out this toy."
"Go right ahead," Rezo laughed. "With the Flagoon dying, that sword is nothing more than a toy."
"We'll see about that!" Lina charged Rezo with the scimitar.
"Do you think you can even approach me?" Rezo's Demon Eye widened and a black force spewed forth, pushing back everything in its view. Everything that is, except for Lina who held the Bless Blade before her, parting the dark energy around the sword.
"Impossible."
The Bless Blade cut through Rezo's robe of tentacles, cutting him off from the corrupted Flagoon.
"Let's see how powerful you are without drawing on the Flagoon's stored power!"
"More than enough to defeat all of you!" Rezo's Demon Eye opened again, this time focusing all of its power against Lina. She stumbled backwards from the onslaught, slamming the sword point first into the dark floor to stand against it.
"Amelia's super secret final attack spell to deliver the world from evil! Ra Tilt!"
A column of blue-white light slammed into Rezo, breaking the effect of the Demon Eye. Amelia grinned and did a victory pose.
"Victory!"
"Pathetic." Rezo threw off the spell.
"No effect?"
Rezo's Demon Eye opened on Amelia and threw her back into Gourry.
"Truly...pathetic," chuckled Rezo as the spheres of fire appeared above him again.
"Bomb Blast again?!" Lina gasped.
"If I cast Defense again, then I won't be able to cast another spell for an hour." Sylphiel tried to think of another way. "Lina-san, Amelia-san, any type of anti-fire spell!"
The other two girls nodded and quickly began to chant, hoping to beat Rezo. But the spheres of fiery death were already flying towards them.
"Mos Varim!" A spell that could extinguish fire by absorbing the fire into itself. But at best it could only take half of the damage. Sylphiel prayed that Lina-san's and Amelia-san's spells could take the rest.
"Balus Wall!"
"Mos Varim!"
"What? Lina-san, you - " Sylphiel's words were lost in the explosion as the orbs struck. The force sent everyone sprawling on the ground as the heat and fire that wasn't absorbed or deflected roared over them.
"Everyone okay?" Gourry asked when the smoke began to clear.
"More or less," Migel coughed.
"I'm still alive."
"That's abnormally dark but it's Zel," Lina joked, pulling herself up with the Bless Blade.
"That was close," Amelia murmured.
"Lina-san, how did you learn Mos Varim?" Sylphiel asked.
Lina waved the question aside. "Could we get to that later?"
"What a group of lucky people," snickered Rezo as he walked up to them. "Still alive even after trying to deflect the Bomb Blast with such feeble spells. I'm surprised you ever managed to defeat Ruby Eye."
"Of course we're still alive," retorted Lina. "We're fighting to win so we can live, and we're fighting for all of those townspeople you senselessly killed. No matter what, we will defeat you!"
From the still lingering smoke, Migel and Zelgadiss broke out on both sides of Rezo. A black staff materialized in Rezo's remaining hand with which he parried their blows.
"Fireball!" Amelia's fireball struck before Rezo and raised another cloud of smoke.
"What are you aiming at?" sneered the red priest.
"Again, Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!"
Amelia's fireballs continued to strike around the Red Priest, never hitting him or his two relentless attackers. He never noticed he was slowly being forced back toward the center of the room.
Migel got a lucky hit at Rezo's side and Zelgadiss struck Rezo under the chin with the Sword of Light's pommel, knocking the priest onto this back. Suddenly he saw Lina standing above him, bringing the end of the Bless Blade toward him. What a clumsy attack. Rezo's Demon Eye opened, the dark force pouring out of it and aimed only at her.
"Lina! His Demon Eye!" Zelgadiss warned.
Lina could only grit her teeth as the shapeless power slammed into her, almost freezing her in position as the Bless Blade halted in its descent. She focused her power into the Bless Blade, trying to break through the Demon Eye's power.
Rezo grinned at the struggling sorceress. Just a bit more power and that blade would turn and run her through instead.
Didn't I tell you she wasn't to be killed?
What?
The Demon Eye suddenly closed and Lina found herself free to move again. The point of the blade gleamed brightly like the heart of the Flagoon located directly above where Rezo lay in shock. The voice that had spoken to him in his mind had left him unable to move. The Bless Blade speared through Rezo into the floor below.
Lina blinked, not quite sure what had happened but thankful anyway.
"Sylphiel!"
The priestess raised her hands above head again, calling the holy power of the Flagoon to her.
"Recovery!"
Unseen by everyone but Sylphiel and Lina, the heart of the Flagoon exploded into brilliance as a beam of white light burst from the Bless Blade up into it. The holy energy spread, burning away the darkness that twisted and perverted the tree. Black was replaced by brown and the bright green leaves grew and unfurled to over the bare branches. The effect spread even into the heavens as it parted the dark clouds.
"What happened?" Amelia asked. "The Flagoon was purified by a Recovery?"
Sylphiel shook her head. "No, not purified as much as healed."
"The corruption was like a virus," Lina explained tiredly. "And it was killing the Flagoon. However, Flagoon is nourished by evil and corruption, converting it into holy energy."
"So the priestess cast Recovery in order for the Flagoon to draw the evil energy out of Rezo who was stabbed through with the Bless Blade which is part of the holy tree," Zelgadiss finished.
Migel blinked. "All three of you had this planned out?"
"I'm not going to even pretend I understood all of that," Gourry sighed.
"To be killed...by you fools..."
"Eh?" Lina quickly backpedaled from Rezo's impaled body.
"He's still alive?!" Zel raised the Sword of Light to end the Red Priest's life but Lina stopped him. "What are you doing?!"
"Calm down, Zel!" Lina snapped. "All of his energy was taken by the Flagoon. He's dying anyway."
"I don't need mercy. Go ahead, Zelgadiss. Kill a fallen man."
"Zel, don't listen to him!"
Zelgadiss glared at his great-grandfather and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he let the blade of light disappear.
"Humph. What a...weakling."
"If you won't kill him, I will!"
"Sylphiel?!"
Gourry grabbed hold of the priestess. "Calm down!"
"It's because of you that father is dead! That everyone is dead!!" she screamed. "Don't you feel any guilt?!"
"No."
Sylphiel reached for the Bless Blade but Gourry pulled her back.
"Sylphiel! Don't do this! It won't accomplish anything!"
"But...but..." sobbed the priestess. "It hurts so much..." She cried on Gourry's shoulder.
"We beat the bad guy," Amelia protested. "Why is everyone so gloomy?"
Migel sighed. "Most victories are hollow. After all, who really won here? Everyone in Sairaag is dead."
"Anyone here want some cheese?"
"What?!?"
The cheese seller who owned the Cheese Emporium popped his head into the chamber. "Ah, so there you are. I found some cheese."
Lina stammered and pointed at the man. "Were...weren't you killed when the cheese shop was burned to the ground?!"
"Ghost!" Amelia screamed and jumped behind Migel.
"Oh it was a terrible thing, the cheese store burning down," the cheese seller nodded. "But I was down in the cellar and for some reason the trapdoor got stuck so I was down there for sometime."
"The world is full of fools..." Rezo murmured as his life strand finally broke.
The cheese seller blinked and looked around at the tired, sooty people. "What just happened here?"
"The city got blown up," Migel replied.
"Oh, that's very sad. Wait, this is my city." He fainted.
Lina sighed. "It's finally over."
Zel stiffened as Lina leaned against him.
"Not over yet," hissed a grainy voice.
"Mazoku!" Migel warned, pulling out his flaming blade.
The Sword of Light flickered to life in Zelgadiss hands and Gourry pulled the Bless Blade out of Rezo's corpse. Standing at the edge of the room was a black cloaked figure, his face hidden in the folds of his deep hood. Only one red eye glowed from that darkness.
"This place truly deserves the name City of Ghosts, granted to it so long ago," snickered a larger less visible skeletal figure in a ragged cloak behind the black one.
"Do not think you can escape after injuring me so."
Lina blinked. Something about the way this Mazoku slumped seemed familiar. "I don't think we've met."
"Not face to face, but through another one. My name is Zeigram the Faceless, but you knew me as Alpha."
"You were the one controlling all of the Vrumuguns!"
"We will meet again."
The two Mazoku vanished.
"So what are you going to do now, Sylphiel?" Lina asked, sipping some tea at the roadside restaurant at a trail road junction.
"Well, the only family I had was in Sairaag..." Sylphiel said sadly.
Oops, bad question to ask. Lina tried to signal Gourry to ask but the swordsman was too intent on studying a butterfly. Finally she stepped hard on his foot.
"Itai! Lina, what did you step on my foot for?"
"Eh? What are you talking about? Weren't you just telling me you wanted to ask Sylphiel to go with us?"
"I did?"
"Really?" Sylphiel perked up.
"Of course," Lina laughed, stuffing Gourry's mouth with a chicken to keep him from protesting. "After all, some white magic would be very handy."
"Playing match-maker?" Eris murmured quietly over her own tea cup.
"Wha-what are you talking about! I just think it'll be useful having someone with a large array of white magic," Lina protested.
"Whatever you say."
"So what about you?" Lina asked, changing the subject. "Do you have somewhere to go to?"
"I've had offers in the past from several guild chapters to join their research departments," Eris shrugged. "I guess I'll look them up again."
"Naturally, I will still be traveling the world, righting wrongs where I find them!" Migel announced.
"I'll be doing the same!" Amelia also announced. She and Migel exchanged angry, energy crackling glares before turning their backs on each other.
Lina sweatdropped.
"Can that be she? Princess!"
Everyone at the table except for Amelia fell off of their chairs as a retinue bearing the flag of Saillune scurried up to their table and bowed before the young girl.
"Princess?! Of Saillune?" Lina nearly shrieked.
Amelia looked suitably humble. "My full name is Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune, daughter of the Saillune royal family."
"Just what were you doing running around as a bounty hunter?"
"I was not a bounty hunter. I was an agent of justice!"
"Princess, your father has been very worried on your behalf. Please accompany us back to the castle."
"Of course. Come to visit me sometime everyone! Well, except for you."
That last barb was directed at Migel who just ignored her. Everyone else remained speechless as Amelia left with her retinue.
"Who would have seen that coming?" Lina wondered. "But I guess we'd better get going as well."
"Then I'll be going on a different path," Eris said, waving good-bye. "Perhaps we'll meet again."
"Is it alright to leave her alone?" Sylphiel worried as they watched the departing figure of Eris.
"She needs to be alone," Lina replied. "Getting over a broken heart takes time."
"So where are we going?" Gourry asked.
"Help! Help! Will someone please help?" cried a man running up from one of the roads. "There is a three-headed giant on a rampage in our small humble village!"
"A giant? Have no fear, we the great champions of light will defend you!" Migel grabbed the man by the arm and ran back down the road.
"And we'll be right behind you!" Lina added. She waved good-bye at the disappearing Migel. "Remain right here behind you that is."
"So that just leaves the three of us huh?" Gourry whistled as Lina hurried them down the fourth road that none of the other three had taken.
Three? Lina lagged behind Gourry and Sylphiel, letting them walk together. That's right. There was only three of them. Zelgadiss had disappeared on his own again.
"Damn him. He didn't even say good-bye," Lina grumbled. She was just angry at him for that. Right? The sky didn't answer.
Zelgadiss watched from a cliffside as the red-haired sorceress just stood looking at the sky before Gourry turned and yelled something. Then she ran to catch up with the fighter and priestess. It wasn't as if anyone noticed he was gone.
"Ah, there you are."
Zelgadiss turned to look at the speaker, the person he hated the most and admired the most in the world. His father.
"What are you doing with that?" Zelgadiss gestured to the Bless Blade in his father's hand.
"This? I suppose you can consider it a memorial or a tombstone to Rezo."
"It belonged to a city."
"A city that no longer exists," Zelgadiss's father reminded him. "Because of him and his obsession."
"Why are you here?" Zel asked flatly.
"The men assigned to watch you told me you had come here. I just wanted to make sure you didn't do anything you would regret later."
"It's a little late for that."
Strained silence stretched out for minute between the two.
"There is a way to change you back," Zelgadiss's father said softly.
Zelgadiss forced himself not to react. "Really?"
"There is a way, or my name isn't Terim Graywords."