"Lina-san, that was uncalled for," Amelia muttered.
"He had it coming to him," Lina retorted, ignoring Amelia's protests. "Besides I only Mono Volt'd him."
"You assaulted one of the nobles!" Amelia protested placing her hands on the table. "Anything you do under our service directly reflects upon us, the ruling family," Amelia stated as Lina humphed.
"Afraid that your pride is going to be hurt?" Lina inquired as Amelia started to look angry.
"This is extremely important to me as a test of my skill in handling these sorts of situations and I don't want you to ruin it!" Amelia snapped.
"Me, ruin? And how could I do that?" Lina yelled.
"By publicly embarrassing me in front of all those people!" Amelia answered.
Lightning flashed across the table as Gourry watched from his seat. Battle auroras started to become visible as the two locked their eyes on each other.
"Ah..." Gourry interrupted as he received the hate-filled glare from the two.
"What!" they both yelled, knocking Gourry out of his chair.
"I was just wondering when we're going to eat?" Gourry asked as the girls almost fell over.
"There are more important things to discuss than that, Gourry," Zel stated as he entered the room carrying a map. "While you three were having your charming conversation, I managed to procure a map."
Looking at the map that Zel laid out before them on the table, Lina muttered, "So it's a map of the province?"
"How does this help us?" Amelia asked noticing all the figures written over it.
"I've been taking in reports from scouts and refugees fleeing from the areas to calculate the exact epicenter of this quake," Zel explained as Gourry blinked at a wide region that was encircled there.
"What's with that?" he asked pointing at the circle.
"That is the exact location of where the quake supposedly emanated from my calculation, but that isn't all," Zel stated as the others stared at it closely.
"What is it then?" Lina asked.
"Apparently a good section of this region," Zel commented pointing at the circle on the map, "has been collapsed into a rather large fissure region. It also is the source of the raiding shadow creatures."
"So do you think that the Sleeping Army might be true?" Amelia asked scanning the map.
"We have no real evidence to support or discredit it yet," Zel stated crossing his arms.
"What is that blue line there?" Gourry asked pointing on the map.
"Oh that's a river running through a canyon region nearby the area. I'm not sure how damaged that area is as a result of the quake," Zel stated.
"Well I guess the only way to know is to go there," Lina sighed sitting back in her chair.
"Right, I'll get my men to prepare to march at sunrise tomorrow," Amelia said as she started to walk off.
"That wouldn't be wise," Gourry muttered looking at the map. "If we're going to investigate a fissure then it wouldn't be wise to take an army."
Everyone blinked in surprise at Gourry's comment.
Shaking off her surprise, Lina demanded, "And how would you know that?"
"Well, back when I was a mercenary, it was one of the things we learn about. Areas around fissure are highly unstable and could collapse if too many people walk around it at once," Gourry explained.
"He's right," Zel said as he rolled up the map.
"So what do we now then?" Amelia asked sullenly.
"Simple," Zel remarked. "We should scout out the region first. If this is some sort of trouble, we can all return here and plan how to take care of this."
"Sounds like a plan," Lina muttered as she leaned back in her seat.
"Greetings all!" Baron cried as he came crashing through the door causing Lina to slip out of her chair. "Oh my little buttercup are you alright?" he inquired as he moved to help Lina.
Stopping him with her foot, Lina growled, "I'm fine, thank you."
"Lina..." Amelia whined at Lina's second assault on the Baron.
Totally unfazed by the attack, Baron straightened himself up as he addressed Amelia, "Your highness, forgive my rudeness. But I have realized that you haven't introduce me to these people."
Sweatdropping as she realized he was right, Amelia stated, "Well this is Zelgadiss, Gourry, and that's Lina."
"Lina," Baron muttered letting the word dance off the tip of his tongue. "Such is a beautiful name of a diva," he exclaimed as he seized Lina by the arm and started to kiss it.
Everyone was completely shocked except for Amelia at this event. Amelia was shaking her head sadly at all of this.
"You pervert!" Lina screamed as she gave him an uppercut which sent him sailing upward. Giving him a roundhouse kick as he came down, she fireball'ed him for a good measure as he went splat against the wall.
"That's another one," Gourry muttered pulling out a paper tallying how many times Lina assaulted the Baron. "I think he has had enough Lina," he added as he put the paper away to restrain her.
"This isn't going to be good for political relations if this gets out," Zel remarked as Amelia could only cry.
"Why must this be happening?" she asked tearfully.
"Oh the sweet touch of an angel," Baron stated as he pulled himself off the wall and fixed his nose a bit. "I can see through your delicate caresses that you truly desire me," he was saying before Lina chucked Gourry into him.
Watching as the two went splat into the wall, Lina huffed, "How about that for caress, you sick pervert."
"That's one more," Gourry tallied as he peeled off the wall.
"You do know attacking him won't make him stop coming after you?" Zel muttered as Lina glared at him.
"And what make you an expert on matters of this sort?" Lina demanded seething.
"Because in all that you've done, it only served to invigorate him even more," Zel addressed as the Baron dusted himself off. "I think he's even liking it."
"Please don't kill him," Amelia begged as Lina humphed.
"I'll make no promises," Lina snapped turning her head away.
"My lord," a servant stated as he walked into the room only to find the Baron sandwiched into the wall. "Oh sir, the banquet will soon be ready."
"Banquet?" Lina and Amelia muttered.
"Oh yeah, that was the reason why I came here," Baron remarked as he pulled himself free. "I've called a banquet in honor of your arrival, my princess. I've invited many nobles and some influential people to attending."
"Oh..." Amelia stammered, shocked at this news. "Well I'll be honored to attend this banquet."
"Great, I'm sure that your friends," he said scanning the room to look at the other three and pausing to leer at Lina. "Will be expected to attend as well."
"Okay..." Amelia muttered as a dark cloud appear over her. This was going to be very embarrassing...
"See you tonight, my sweet little buttercup," Baron said as he departed.
Lina responded by beaning him in the head with a chair.
"And another," Gourry tallied.
Lina stormed down the hallway of the castle, sending most of the servants and couriers fleeing for their lives. She had about up to her chin with that perverted sicko of a baron. The so-called Louve Dokter. She was reaching Dill Brando stage on him.
Reaching the room that a servant told her would be hers for the night, she opened the door and stepped in. In less then a second, she came screaming out as she slammed the door with a loud crash. Zel, Amelia, and Gourry turning down the hallway noticed what happened.
"What's wrong Lina-san?" Amelia asked at the visibly disturbed Lina.
"Inside..." Lina stammered, sweat coming down her face.
"I don't see what's wrong - " Amelia voice dropped as Lina ripped open the door for her to see. The Crown Princess of Saillune fainted dead away.
Zel and Gourry stared into the room in mute silence...
[The following description of the room has been exerted from this passage by Big Brother. It contained numerous words and stuff that breaks numerous censor laws worldwide. Please, just use your imagination about what they saw. Actually try not to think too hard.]
"That's some boyfriend you got," Zel muttered, turning away from the scene, slightly blushing.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Lina protested before Gourry held out a scanty, not even decent dress.
"But this has a tag that says he is," Gourry as presented the dress to her. "Are you going to be wearing this to the Banquet?"
"No, I'm not!" Lina screamed as she kicked Gourry down the hall.
Dusk slowly came as the gates to the capital of the barony were closes off and torches were lit across the perimeter. Guards slowly patrolled the streets to investigate anything strange and unusual. The mood was tense as many whispered about marauding undead coming up during the night to attack villages.
Standing by his post near the guard house, the young guard looked slowly through the darkness to spot anything. He gripped the spear that was handed out him hoping he wouldn't have to use it.
"Excuse me."
The guard panicked as he spun his spear around to the source of the voice. Standing before him was a simply dressed purple hair priest who was smiling quite pleasantly despite the spear that was inches from his face. In his hand, he held a wooden staff with a ruby orb on the top.
"Oh I'm sorry," the guard apologized as he put his spear down. "I thought you were an undead or shadow creature."
"No harm done," the priest smiled as the guard leaned by his pole.
"So what are you doing out and about?" the guard inquired.
"Just handling some business for my master," the priest commented as he looked toward the castle of the baron near the center of the city.
Following his gaze, the guard remarked, "Well you'd better find some place to stay before the night gets cold."
"Don't worry about me," the priest remarked as he started to walk off.
"Hey, where are you going?" the guard stumbled as the priest vanished into the shadows.
"That is a secret."