"Ne, little girl," Gourry tugged on Lina's black cape as they walked down the dirt road to the next town.
"What?" Lina snapped, her train of thought derailed.
"Who was that guy?"
Lina gritted her teeth. "Which guy would that be?"
"The one with the fake eye."
Lina tripped over a nonexistent rock in the road.
"And exactly who had a fake eye?!" she foamed, glaring at him.
"The one wearing all of those clothes. Doesn't he get hot wearing all that during summer?"
"It's what great mages wear you idiot!!" Lina slammed Gourry into a tree on the side of the road.
"Oh," Gourry mumbled as he slid down the rough bark of the tree.
"That was Rezo, the Red Priest Rezo, one of the five great mages of the world! He wanders the land, healing all who he comes across."
"So what's so wonderful about that? You can just go to any temple and - "
Lina pulled Gourry's cheeks.
"Stupid. That's the point! All other white mages are affiliated with some temple or other. That's how they can learn and cast the higher level white spells. But Rezo is not affiliated with any temple but he can still cast white magic!"
Lina let go of Gourry's face and it snapped back like a rubber band.
"Still, it seems white isn't the only thing he knows if he can cast Burst Flare," she muttered to herself. Lina went back to thinking as she walked along the path.
"So he can cast magic. I still don't see what - "
Lina grabbed Gourry's ear and yelled into it.
"He learned magic, became a master, and he's BLIND!!!! A lot of stuff you learn about magic is written down, no one can remember everything about magic. Not to mention the kind of magical diagrams you need to draw and use for really big spells like summoning. And Rezo has been blind since birth so it isn't like he has memories of things he has seen to fall back on when learning magic!"
"Okay okay. You don't need to yell in my ear," Gourry moaned. "I think I'm deaf on one side."
"Terrific. Dense and deaf."
"But if he's blind, then why does he have a fake eye?"
"Why do you say he has a fake eye?"
"Well, even with his eyes closed, you can still see the eye movement behind his left eyelid but there isn't any movement under the right. And the eyelid isn't caved in so there must be something underneath it."
Lina stopped and stared at the swordsman. She remembered back to Rezo's face. "By Ceiphied you're right... Just how did you figure that out?!?"
"Hmm?" Gourry was studying a yellow butterfly on a strand of grass by the dirt road. "Did you say something?"
Lina kicked him in the rear. "Forget it!"
After Gourry pulled his head out of the ground, the two continued down the road. Unfortunately, the quiet didn't last.
"So what are we doing now?"
"We are going to find the second key that is needed to resurrect the Ruby Eye Lord!! And before you ask who that it is, when the world was first created, there were two gods, Ruby Eye Shabrinigdo and Flare Dragon Ceiphied, who fought over it. About 5000 years ago, Ceiphied broke Ruby Eye into seven parts and sealed them away in the world. Afterwards, the Flare Dragon created four Dragon Gods to watch over the world as he retreated into the Sea of Chaos."
"But if this Shabdogido guy is dead than how - "
"It's Shabrinigdo! And he isn't dead."
"But you said he was cut up - "
"He's a god! Cutting him up doesn't kill him! Anyway, 1000 years ago, one piece was awakened in a powerful mage but the Water Dragon God sacrificed itself to trap that piece in the Kataart Mountains."
"So the Seifer dragon thing is dead now."
"No! That's Ceiphied, oh just forget it. All you need to remember is that Ruby Eye's resurrection equals world goes boom!"
"Oh."
That little bit of information seemed to get through his head if nothing else. And Lina returned to her pondering. She didn't trust Rezo, if he really was Rezo. Stories of Rezo had been floating around for years, and if you only went by those, then the Red Priest had to be at least over a century old. But, as Lina knew quite well, mages didn't always look as old as they really were. Plus, the Red Priest had disappeared ten years ago. The man she had met could very well be an impostor, using the Red Priest's reputation to get whatever it was he wanted.
"Hey, little girl."
Lina decided to restrain her fist from connecting with Gourry's face. Remember what's coming up soon.
"What?" she managed to ask somewhat civilly.
"What's resurrection?"
She grabbed him by the collar, jerked him down to her level, and screamed in his face. "It means bringing back to life!!"
"But you said he wasn't dead - "
"In this case, it means releasing him from his seal!!"
"Oh okay. What are we doing again?"
"The fates hate me," Lina moaned after she punted Gourry further down the road. If it wasn't for the fact that she needed some extra help during the upcoming days...
That Rezo isn't someone to be trusted. There's something wrong about his attitude toward that Zelgadiss person. And he wasn't attacked by any of the trolls in the town either. Besides which, Rezo sounds like a villain's name anyway.
"Achoo!" Rezo sneezed. Odd, he didn't feel like he had a cold. Perhaps there was a draft in his tower.
"Bless you," smirked the purple hair man sitting leisurely in an armchair, sipping a glass of wine.
"From something like you, that's not worth anything."
The guest shrugged. "Seems like someone is talking behind your back, oh great Red Priest. Perhaps that little sorceress."
"That is of no concern to me. Xelloss."
Xelloss leaped lightly to his feet, tossing the glass onto the wall. It shattered with a delightful sound. "I think it should. After all, first that traitor learns of what you're doing. And now this sorceress knows. Too many people for my tastes."
"How I handle it is none of your business."
"Ah, but it is my business," Xelloss said softly. "After all, we are partners in this little endeavor."
The red gem in his staff glowed in the darkness that draped itself over much of the room.
"We had a deal no? Your sight for the master's master. It would be most unfortunate if anything was to go wrong."
"You suspect that I might betray you?"
Xelloss's grin spread even wider. "That's what I like about you humans. Even after all these years, I still cannot predict what you may do. It makes life so very interesting."
"I'm so glad to be the light of your existence," Rezo remarked dryly. "Perhaps then you'd like to accompany me as I pay a... visit to a recently deceased relative of mine."
"Delighted." Xelloss bounced to his feet. "Anyone I know? Or would that be knew?"
"Just my traitorous great-grandson."
Xelloss raised an eyebrow. "Last I saw, he was still alive."
"Oh it was a terrible thing really," Rezo smiled cruelly facing his 'partner'. They stood before each other, each carrying a staff, each looking at the other with closed eyes. "It seems his home was destroyed by a Mazoku and everyone, himself included, was killed."
"You don't say. A Mazoku? Did the poor thing at least get to see his killer before departing from this happy world?"
"Well, yes, I think he will."
Zolf closed the door to his master's room with one hand, the other hand holding the basin filled with blood-stained water.
"How is the master?" Rodimus asked gruffly, his halberd held at ready.
Zolf shook his head. "The cut was deep and through his shoulder. It doesn't seem to have cut anything important, he can still move his fingers."
"But that was his sword arm."
"It would be best if he just rested until it heals."
"And I'll take up needlepoint. How long will it take?"
Zolf shook his head. "If it was a normal flesh wound, maybe up to a month without a healing spell. But in his condition...well he's never been injured before. There's no telling how the healing will progress, with or without magical aid."
"Perhaps we should take him to a temple."
"Two problems. One, the master would refuse. Two, the priests and priestesses would most likely panic. Anyway, try to keep him in his room for at least tonight, Rodimus. I doubt he'd try anything rash this soon."
Rodimus nodded and took up position next to his master's door. Zolf left, to put away the basin of stained water and to search for the location of the item. His master would want to know where it was as soon as possible.
The master in question was sitting, brooding in his room like a sulking child. Just when he was about to finally get his hands on the item, Rezo had to show up. And the Sword of Light was carried by the girl's companion. Rezo had completely set him up.
"Damn, how much of what I've done has been anticipated by him?" Zelgadiss growled as the burning pain in his right shoulder erupted again.
Was the girl working with Rezo? Quite possible. Even if she wasn't, Rezo just may have the first key by now. And that would only leave the second, the magic compass that would lead to the sealed piece of the Ruby Eye Lord.
Zel stood up and walked over to the bookcase lining one wall of the room. He quickly found the title he was looking for and took it down. Using his left hand, he awkwardly flipped through the pages until he reached the passage he wanted.
"Ruby Eye Shabrinigdo was cut into seven pieces by the Flare Dragon Ceiphied and these seven pieces were sealed away. Until the Kouma War, many sages believed that the pieces were locked away like some mystical treasure. However, the appearance of one piece within the body of the great mage Lei Magnus shook the sages in their beliefs. The danger of the Ruby Eye Lord appearing in yet another mortal avatar is tempered by the fact that it took the instigation of a war between the Mazoku and Ryuzoku to awaken the dormant piece of the Ruby Eye."
Zelgadiss let the opened book lay in his lap as he thought about what Rezo was searching for.
"But these two keys, one to unlock, the other to find, can release another piece onto the world. Rezo wants them but there's no way I'll let him have his way again!"
Zelgadiss slammed his fist into the wooden chair's arm rest, causing more blood to seep through his bandaged shoulder. Rezo had known that the blond swordsman carried the Sword of Light and it was only because of fickle fate that he wasn't dead right now. There was no way Rezo would let that ace out of his hand. Which meant Zelgadiss would need to find a way to fight against the legendary blade.
"I'll need an enchantment spell, something to enhance a blade to withstand the Sword of Light, or another magical weapon. And I don't have time to go search for either. Rezo has no doubt already starting searching for the compass."
Zelgadiss stood up to pace around the room and fell to the floor.
"Maybe I lost more blood than I thought."
But then the floor rolled underneath him again.
"Damn it," Zel swore as he jarred his shoulder. He grabbed his belt and sword, putting them on in one smooth motion as he made his way to the door.
Rodimus didn't look at his master when he yanked open the door as the former knight surveyed both ends of the hallway, feet splayed, halberd ready.
"What is it?"
Rodimus refrained from ordering his master back into the room, and also held his tongue about the blood seeping into the master's shirt. "Seems like an earthquake but - "
An explosion echoed from farther down one end of the hallway.
"Zolf was down there!"
But the old man's words were lost on the chimera who was already halfway there. Zel arrived in the domed room that had been set aside for divining. The stand that held the crystal ball was empty except for some broken glass. Cowering near the stand was Zolf.
"Zolf! What happened?"
Zolf wordlessly showed his bleeding hands covered with broken glass. There were several more scratches and pieces in his face.
"The crystal shattered?" Zel asked as Rodimus finally caught up.
"Is everything alright?" the old man asked breathlessly coming up to the two.
"Seems so. Though why did the - " Zelgadiss's sixth sense kicked in. "Shield!"
A barrage of small orange spheres collided and exploded against the hastily erected magical shield. A dark smoke briefly covered the room.
"Who's there?" Zelgadiss demanded.
Clapping and then the smoke dissipated to reveal Rezo standing on the other side of the room. He smirked.
"Feeling unwell I hope. Zelgadiss."
The chimera curled his lips back in a snarl. Even on his best days he wouldn't be a match for Rezo. He didn't even bother to wonder how Rezo had found him. After all, Rezo had created this body.
"So this is the little thorn in your side," laughed a dark voice. Seated on nothing but slowly floating down next to Rezo was a man Zelgadiss had never seen before. The man opened his eyes. "My, my, you do do good work. And the possibilities, the numerous possibilities for this little toy of yours, why they're positively endless. Such a pity he turned away from you."
Zelgadiss felt his throat go dry. Rezo had entered a partnership with a Mazoku? He hoped that Rezo didn't know Zelgadiss's little dark secret and if he did, that he hadn't told his Mazoku partner.
"I don't suppose now you're going to tell me your whole scheme before you end my life." Zel was rather surprised at how steady his voice came out.
"That would be soooo cliche, don't you think Rezo?" Xelloss smiled at the Red Priest.
"We wouldn't need to resort to that. Besides, I am only seeking what I have sought my entire life. And I will not let anyone get in my way." Rezo smiled, knowing how Zelgadiss would feel having the same words thrown back at him. He turned to leave, nodding once to Xelloss.
"Where are you going?" Rodimus barked but the Red Priest continued to walk calmly away into the shadows.
"Master," Zolf whispered. "The other one..."
"Ohhh what's that? Talking about me? My ears are burning." The Mazoku's smile was wide enough to crack his face in half. "But I think my dear partner is out of harm's way now so..."
Black cones materialized around the Mazoku, all of them pointed at their prey.
"I can't have you escaping."
The cones flew toward their targets who scattered. Rodimus tried to cut them but the cut pieces simply reformed into new ones. He and Zolf were soon immobilized by the cones sticking in their bodies.
Xelloss watched with mild interest as the chimera dodged all of the cones trying to pin him. Not bad, not bad at all. It was so unfortunate that this was business and not pleasure. This game could have been drawn out for weeks. However, the master would be most displeased if this little scheme failed.
Xelloss teleported behind the chimera. "Boo."
Zelgadiss lashed out with a dagger that suddenly appeared in his hand but the Mazoku was already gone, its distraction finished. The icy cold black cones pierced through his unnatural body, freezing him in place.
The Mazoku floated in the air with a satisfied smile. "There now, all ready for the housewarming."
Xelloss began to chant the Chaos Word for the spell, using the amulets he wore to allow him to do so. Zelgadiss frantically tried to get his body to move. He knew Mazoku didn't need to cast spells, so if this one was resorting to that then it must be one hell of a spell. The amulets the Mazoku wore at his neck, belt, and wrists were glowing red with power. This was not good.
Xelloss held his staff high above him as he reached the closing words. Ah, this was such a lovely spell. He swung the red gem point of the staff down toward the floor. Was it his imagination or had the chimera moved? Oh well, too late for him to escape anyway.
"Blast Bomb."
The old manor was engulfed in a roaring inferno of flames that licked the night sky. Whatever wasn't incinerated in the spell's initial release was condemned to being crushed by the collapse of the building whose supports were blown apart by the spell's force. Rezo seemed to watch the results from a safe distance away. Which was where Xelloss found him.
"Fireworks are lovely."
"I trust that they're all dead?"
Xelloss bowed with extra flourish. "They were at the center of the spell. I bet even your little descendent was burned and melted away."
"That settles one loose end. Now all we need to do is wait for the little carrot to find the second key for us."
"And just what are you planning for this new ignorant tool? You could have easily taken the first key from her."
"She has her uses," Rezo said shortly, walking away from the smoldering ruin.
"So you say," Xelloss said softly, eyeing the funeral pyre one last time. "And so do you."
"She will have cast a Protect on the first key by now," Rezo continued, never hearing Xelloss's little comment. "Send a lesser Mazoku to keep track of her."
Xelloss bristled at the arrogant tone but kept it hidden behind a bland smiling face. "Of course. And I have just the person. Zorom."
The Mazoku that appeared behind Xelloss wore only a deep green cloak that covered all but its long white beard and glowing red eyes.
"I want you to follow a human. Her name is Lina Inverse."
"Thank you very much," Lina smiled to the bookstore owner who was crying over several rare books that Lina had recovered from some thieves. She also was able to get a peek at their contents.
"Mey, ribbre garu," Gourry called with a mouthful of cotton candy.
Lina groaned and dragged the swordsman by the hair behind her. They had been lucky. The thieves that had stolen the book she wanted to look at were a bunch of wimps, nothing she needed to throw a spell at. And there hadn't been any sign of Zelgadiss or Rezo, which was a good thing.
Gourry finished the rest of the candy and tossed the stick somewhere. "So where are we going now?"
"To get the second key," Lina answered. She despaired of his ever remembering.
"Key to what?"
Lina stopped and looked around for something to hit her head against. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything so she instead punched Gourry hard in the gut.
"Omph. Whoever said 'hits like a girl' never ran into you," Gourry winced.
"And what's that supposed to mean?!"
"Ah. Nothing."
Lina glared at him but kept right on marching out of town. As stupid as he was, she was never able to shake him off of her trail. Right now, that was a good thing with it being that certain time of the month. Last night when Lina had cast Protect on the knife and statue, she had felt the wavering control over the spell. It was enough to hide the items from any divination but if she had waited until today to cast it, the spell would have failed.
Glancing back at the loyal and dumb swordsman who still insisted on following her, she supposed she'd have to tell Gourry sooner or later. However, she waited until for the right time. They had left the town and broken off to a small overgrown trail off of the trade route before she spoke.
"Hey, Gourry."
"What?" he asked, arms behind his head as he enjoyed the nice walk through the forest.
Lina wondered if he would understand if she just told him. Nah, a demonstration would be better.
"Over the next several days, I'm going to..." Damn it, Lina hated admitting weakness. "...I'm going to have to depend on you for protection."
"So? I'm your bodyguard right?"
Demonstration time. Lina pulled back an arm.
"Fire - "
"Heyheyheyheyhey!" Gourry screeched.
" - ball!"
Gourry ducked and covered his head, knowing that that won't help when the fireball hit. But nothing did. He cracked open an eye, expecting to see Lina holding a big bright fireball in her hands. Nope, her hands were empty.
"Ano...where's the fireball?" he asked, cautiously looking around.
"That's the point," Lina grumbled. "For the next several days, I won't be able to cast any offensive spells, or any other spell except maybe Lighting."
Gourry sat up and crossed his legs. "Oh."
Lina gave him a withering look. The only thing he could say when she just revealed to him that she'll be almost powerless for a period of time was 'oh'? Why did she even bother?
"Hmmm, yes it must be that." Gourry nodded to himself, quite pleased that he figured something out. He stood up and patted Lina on the head. "It's nothing big."
Nothing big?!?
Lina hit him on the back of the head. "What do you mean 'it's nothing big'?!?"
"It happens once every month right?" Gourry asked, with a bandage on his forehead from where he hit the ground. "That time of month."
"EHHHHHHH!!" Lina screamed, turning crimson. "How,how,how,how,how did you know about that, yogurt-for-brains?!?"
"You mean I have yogurt in my head? I wonder what flavor?"
Lina grabbed him by the collar and shook him hard. "How do you know about 'that time of month' you moron?!"
"Oh it's nothing much. I once asked a fortune-teller who lived near my home why she closed once every month and she said it was because it was 'that time of month'."
Lina dropped her head in defeat.
"Hey, what is 'that time of month' anyway?"
Lina drove her knee into his gut. "Forget about it. Just remember I don't have my magic so you're going to be doing most of the work."
"Yes sir," Gourry mumbled, gripping his aching stomach as they continued down the path.
"Hey."
"What."
"Isn't this a little too easy?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, this whatever it is we're looking for is just a little farther than the last town."
Lina stared at him. "There really might be a brain in there."
"Oi. Even I know that some important treasure or other stuff shouldn't be this easy to find."
"You're right," Lina replied, concentrating on the path again. It was barely noticeable amidst the weeds and other plant growth.
"Ummm. Doesn't that mean we're walking into a really big trap or something?"
"Most likely."
Gourry sweatdropped. "So why are we going if it is a trap?"
"Because that's the only way to learn anything," Lina shrugged. "Ah, this looks like the cave entrance."
Gourry looked at the cave entrance. "It looks like any other cave."
Lina bopped him. "What did you expect? Neon signs? Maybe a welcoming party?"
"Well, someone is already here before us. Make that two someones."
"Hm?"
Gourry turned Lina's head toward a bunch of bushes to their left. "Over there."
"Not bad." A man wearing a wide-brimmed brown hat and a brown cape stood up from the bushes. "Sensing our presence."
"Thanks but I can't say it was entirely by sensing you two."
"Oh?" smiled the man. "Then what else?"
"That weird shoulder guard your friend is wearing." Gourry pointed to the ivory horn sticking out of the bushes.
"HOHOHOHO!"
Lina paled. It couldn't be her.
"HOHOHOHO! So you have found us. It does not matter as we will be the ones to get our hands on that treasure!!"
A very skimpily dressed aqua-green hair girl popped out of the bushes. She pointed a finger at Lina and Gourry.
"I, Princess Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova of Zoana, claim this treasure in the name of my kingdom."
Lina wasn't sure whether to be relieved that it wasn't that person or to curse her luck for running into weirdos as of late.
"And my bodyguard Zangulus will now execute those who dare to oppose me!"
Lina and Gourry both sweatdropped. Even Zangulus looked uncomfortable. Martina impatiently pushed him toward Gourry and Lina.
"Well hurry up and get rid of them! My father is certainly paying you enough so do something!"
"Even if you're a princess, you should do your own dirty work!" Lina yelled.
"Then why are you using me as a human shield?" Gourry asked, looking at Lina standing behind him.
Lina laughed nervously. "Heh, well this is different."
"I don't see how so."
"Hey, trust me. I will remember your sacrifice for the greater good."
Question marks popped up around Gourry's head. "Huh?"
"Keep them busy!!" Lina kicked Gourry onto Zangulus and Martina, then ran ahead into the cave. "Good luck!"
"Good luck she says," Gourry mumbled before having his head stepped on by Martina.
"What can you expect from dirty commoners. Zangulus take care of this brute. I'm going after that ill-mannered runt."
"Ano..."
But Martina had disappeared into the cave after Lina.
"Who's the brute?" Gourry wondered, scratching his head as he stood up.
Zangulus sighed. "She was talking about you."
"Really?"
Zangulus pulled down the brim of his hat. "Well, let's just get this little fight finished quickly. I won't get the rest of my pay if something happens to that little princess."
"Little? Oh, I don't think she's that young."
"Heh, she's certainly older than that kid you're with."
Gourry laughed. "Looks like we both have bodyguard duties."
"This isn't time for small talk," Zangulus smiled, pulling out his sword which crackled. "Watch this."
Zangulus swung his sword through the air and a boomerang shaped force shot from it, shearing through several trees. Gourry whistled in surprise.
"This is the Howling Sword. You won't stand a chance so run off already."
Gourry crossed his arms and thought.
"So your sword likes to scream?"
A rock fell on Zangulus's head.
"NO! This is a magical sword that can emit a wave of force that at the same times sounds like a howl! That's why it's called the Howling Sword!!"
"Then if it screamed, it would be called the Screaming Sword right?"
"That's right-THAT'S NOT THE POINT!!" Zangulus screamed. "You don't stand a chance against me! Do you understand that?"
Gourry was busy fiddling with his sheathed sword.
"Are you even listening to me?!?"
"Ah, here we go."
Gourry pulled out his (once again) bladeless sword. Zangulus blinked. And blinked again. Still blinking.
"Let's go then," Gourry smiled.
"You don't have a blade you numbskull!!"
"I don't?" Gourry looked into the slit in his hilt. "But my big brother always told me that when I needed to use it, I shouldn't have the blade in it."
Question marks floated around Zangulus's head. "Say what?"
"Oh yeah, I'm supposed to say Sun!"
Nothing happened.
"Um, fire?"
Still nothing.
"I wonder if I broke it. It is pretty old." Gourry began to hit the hilt.
Zangulus mentally groaned and marched over to the intelligence-impaired swordsman. "Here let me look at that."
"Now I remember," Gourry grinned goofily. "Light!"
A beam of light shot forth from the hilt, almost cutting off Zangulus's nose if it weren't for his quick reflexes. He just got a cut through his hat instead.
"Oh sorry."
"You did that on purpose!!" Zangulus roared, which was almost lost in the howling of the energy boomerangs he sent racing toward Gourry.
"Whoa, watch it."
Gourry frantically parried the blasts into the surrounding trees and rocks. Environmentalists everywhere cry.
"WAAAAAAAAHH!!!"
"Let go of me already," Lina grumbled, looking down at the princess wrapped around her waist. "Aren't you embarrassed to be acting like this?"
Martina stopped crying suddenly and leaped into the air. However, she landed on a wet spot of the floor and fell flat on her face.
Rolling her eyes, Lina cleaned the salamander blood from her short sword. The nitwit had followed her into the cave, setting off a number of traps that Lina herself had avoided and caused this nest of salamanders to attack them. It had been Lina doing all of the fighting while the princess just screamed like the cliche damsel-in-distress.
Must be some thing all princesses learn.
"Owwwww," Martina whined, rubbing her nose. Then she got a good look at the dead bodies. "AAAHHHHHHH!!!"
She ran off before Lina could grab her. The sound of spring-loaded missiles echoed down the hall along with Martina's screams of terror.
"Damn it, is she trying to set off every god-forsaken trap in this place?" Lina growled, running after Martina.
She found the terrified princess pinned to the wall by a number of very sharp spears.
"Ne ne, can you help me out?" Martina pleaded.
Lina looked coolly at her. "This 'ill-mannered runt' wouldn't think of it. Just hang around out here while I go get my treasure."
She continued down the hallway, using the enchanted stone in her sword to light the way. A stream of curses followed her as she avoided yet another tile trap, a hallway of tripwire, a pair of swirling blade that would separate your head or your feet or both if you weren't careful, a corridor of flying arrows, and a lava pit. By the time Lina reached what she hoped was the treasure chamber, she was developing a small headache.
"If I only had my magic," she sighed, studying the door. "But if wishes were horses, bandits would ride."
Odd, the door wasn't entrapped by magic. If it had, Lina would have been in trouble. Her current power level probably wouldn't have been able to break a 'lock' spell on an item of this magnitude. But the lack of any protection made her suspicious. Her sixth sense was telling her this was the place but why would anyone leave it unprotected?
"Wait just a minute there!!"
Lina stifled a groan as Martina leaped shakily across the lava pit to the platform Lina was standing on. The princess's skimpy clothes were even more revealing, not entirely unscathed from the hallway of arrows or tripwire.
"You again?" Lina asked tiredly. "Go right ahead. It should be right through there."
Knowing Martina's luck, she'd set off whatever trap there was in there.
"You will not get this treasure which is only for the future of my country and - "
"Martina. I said you can go ahead in."
"Eh? Oh. So you have finally admitted to my utter superiority and stunning beauty and talented abilities."
Lina was halfway to just booting her through the door but Martina finally did the job herself. She pushed open the doors, revealing a very dark room.
"Bring the light up here," Martina ordered.
Lina just shrugged, she wanted to see what was inside as well. The light from Lina's sword shone on the small shrine built in the middle of the room. Stepping inside, Lina could see a curving sigil carved several times on the walls.
"Treasure!" Martina squealed, dashing up to the shrine.
"Hey, don't just run around like that!" Lina hissed, stepping on the princess's cape and tripping her.
"How dare you speak to me like that!" Martina huffed, jumping to her feet.
"There has to be a trap in here."
"You're just saying that to scare me away. Well, it won't work." Martina ripped her cape from Lina's boot and continued toward the shrine.
Swearing under her breath, Lina hurried after the princess. They arrived at the shrine at the same time with no traps going off. The alarm sirens in Lina's mind were ringing like crazy. This was way too easy. Her eyes kept going back to the sigils on the walls.
"Now this will be mine!" Martina crowed, opening up the box.
"And it's not even locked?" Lina asked in disbelief. Then she saw the sigil on the box, the same one on the walls. "Damn it!!"
She grabbed the circular item in the box, jammed it into her cloak, grabbed Martina by the arm, and RAN. They were crossing the corridor of flying arrows which had mysteriously recharged itself before Martina realized what was going on.
"Peasant! How dare you treat me like this?!"
"Thanks for saving my life. Sure anytime," Lina muttered. "Tell me if anything is chasing us."
"What do you mean chasing us?" Martina looked back down the corridor to see a group of very tall things lumbering after them. "AAAAAAAHHHH!!"
"I'll take that as yes," Lina gritted her teeth as she first jumped then ducked through the twin swirling blades of beheading and de-feeting.
If I had my magic, I'd just blow this place to pebbles.
However, Lina was fast and the golems were rather slow so she was able to stay ahead of them even despite the added weight of dragging along a worthless princess. They were passing the dead salamanders when Martina's wailing reached a new pitch. Lina guessed that the golems were gaining.
"Where's a bodyguard when you need him?" Lina screamed as she burst out of the cave, nearing the human equivalent of flying without magic.
And she promptly ducked before being beheaded as two swords clashed over her head. Martina, seeing they were outside, immediately latched around Zangulus's waist, half crying, half ordering him to destroy those stone things. Gourry halted in the middle of the sword duel.
"What's that sound?"
The rock face shattered as the golems burst through it.
"What the hell is that?" Zangulus yelled.
"The guardians of the treasure that your stupid princess woke up!" Lina yelled back.
"Treasure? But I thought we were after a key - "
"Just finish them off, Gourry! Your Sword of Light should be able to do it."
"Hmph. Sword of Light? That is nothing compared to Zangulus's Howling Sword," Martina boasted. "Go forth and bring glory to Zoana, Zangulus!"
"How embarrassing," he muttered as he joined Gourry in the fray.
"Why don't you do something?" Lina glared at Martina. "You caused this entire mess."
"Me? Don't be ridiculous. A princess doesn't get her hands dirty doing such menial work."
Lina's eyebrow twitched. "Well then you can explain that to the golem heading this way." She walked away.
Martina looked quickly between Lina and the approaching golem. "Hey, wait, you're not really leaving are you? You're not leaving me with this thing are you?!"
Lina snorted. "Take care of yourself. I've got my own problems."
"WAAAAAHHH!!" Martina ran screaming in circles around the golem.
Maybe she'll make the golem so dizzy it'll tip over.
Lina held her own sword out as several golems closed in on her. Just as she figured, they were drawn toward whomever carried the compass. Which meant even though some of them were being taken down by Gourry and Zangulus, and one was being distracted by Martina's frantic screaming, the rest were after her.
One of them lunged for her and Lina cleaved its head with her blade. Her blade was enchanted, not as much as the magical weapons Gourry and Zangulus carried, but enough to effect creatures created by magic like these golems. There was still the problem of superior numbers and-
Lina ducked a swing from a golem which broke in half the tree behind her.
And there was the problem of their being a LOT stronger than her. The easiest solution would be if she could just blow them all away with a Burst Flare or something. Second easiest would be to throw away the little trinket they were after. However, after all that trouble, Lina sure as hell wasn't going to give up that compass so easily.
"Of course, at this rate," Lina joked weakly as she ducked another punch and sliced through the arm. "'Over my dead body' won't be just a saying."
"Val Flare."
Arrows of flame as long as a spear pierced each of the golems surrounding her, causing them to explode into dust and rubble. Lina coughed and covered her eyes from the debris.
"Who...cast..." Lina coughed. She didn't think it was Martina. A hand fell on her shoulder and Lina turned to look through the dust.
"You?!"
"Mono Volt."