A young shrine maiden that Gwynn did not recognize answered the stately double doors leading to the shrine maiden's dormitory. "Can I help you?" she asked.
Gwynn looked down, "Is Lucia here?"
"Yes, I'll go get her."
Gwynn nodded and the fidgeted anxiously as the shrine maiden closed the door to fetch her sister. She did not have to wait long. "Gwynn?" Lucia asked as she stepped outside the dormitory. One quick glance told her that Gwynn was not there for a friendly chat, "What's wrong?"
"Can we talk? Privately?" Gwynn whispered.
Lucia put a hand on her arm and started to navigate them towards the courtyard. "Sure."
Lucia studied Gwynn contemplatively as she bit her lip and fiddled with a stray lock of hair anxiously. Whatever was the matter had obviously upset her. Her eyes were still red rimmed. At last they reached the courtyard. "What happened?"
Gwynn took a deep breath and stared at a potted plant as she asked, "Am I the reason that Glynn limps?"
Lucia's eyes widened in surprise, "What gave you that stupid idea?"
"It makes sense." Gwynn said, "I was born so healthy and he nearly didn't make it. Was it because I sapped his strength and hurt him when we were in the womb?"
Lucia stared at her piercingly, "You just got lucky."
Gwynn brushed away a tear from her eyes as she repeated doubtfully, "Lucky?"
Lucia sighed, and realized that her explanation was not a very good one. And while she was specializing in white magic, she focused more on purification and exorcisms than healing. She put an arm around her, "Let's talk to Aunt Sylphiel. She delivered you and knows the gory details."
Gwynn thought for a moment and then nodded. Quietly they walked back into the palace. "Where did this come from anyway?" Lucia asked, "You've never worried about it before."
"May be it was always there in the back of my mind and I've never talked about it." Gwynn replied.
"Then why are you talking about it now?"
Gwynn took a deep breath, "Glynn is mad at me. He said I was a vampire in the womb."
"Glynn what?" Lucia yelled, and then remembered to lower her voice when she saw the look of horror flash across her sister's face. A few people stared at them as they passed but quickly went about their business.
"He's mad at me." Gwynn finally repeated.
It didn't take long for Lucia to put two and two together. She thought briefly about telling Gwynn about their father's decision to give her the Blast Sword but quickly decided against it. Gwynn would give him the sword in a heartbeat if it meant being on good terms with Glynn again. "He and Mom probably got in another argument and he's taking it out on you." Lucia said, "He'll cool off, it will blow over. Don't worry about it so much."
"He's never said such things before!" Gwynn protested as they approached the door to Sylphiel's chambers.
Lucia knocked, "Just don't let him get to you."
Sylphiel looked surprised to see them when she opened the door. "Lucia? Gwynn? All of my children are out if that's who you're looking for."
"Actually we want to talk to you." Lucia explained.
"Oh." She said, her eyebrows rising slightly in surprise as she stepped back, "Come in."
Lucia and Gwynn took a seat on the sofa. "What can I do for you?" Sylphiel asked as she sat down on a chair.
"I need to know." Gwynn said quietly, "I need to know if I'm the reason that Glynn is small and limps."
"What makes you think that you were the cause?" Sylphiel asked.
"Well, I'm tall and strong and he isn't. Is it because I took all of his strength before we were born? Did I cause the seizure?"
"Hmm." Sylphiel said contemplatively. "By that reasoning, then do you think that the reason he can use magic and you can't is because he took it from you?"
Gwynn's eyes widened, "I never thought of that."
"Because having a twin has nothing to do with magical ability or whether or not some has a seizure. You and Glynn would have been the way that you are if you had not been twins. Babies who are born without twins are small and some have seizures. There's no reason to think that it was something that you did." Sylphiel said reassuringly.
Gwynn smiled. "Thanks."
The corridors were a dull grey stone that was so porous that the blood seeped deep into it, a permanent stain that could never be washed away. The hallway smelled of death and decay and was lined with the heads of those who had been killed in the squabble over who would inherit the sword. His legs shook as he walked, careful not to slip on the blood that covered the hallway. He knew what was coming. But even with that foresight he could not prevent himself from continuing down the hallway.
The metallic clink of two swords clashing reverberated down the hallway. He knew that he was moments away from seeing himself fiercely battling his brother. What did it say about their family that a man would kill his own brother in a quest for possession and power?
Nothing that he could do would change the dream's ending. Even in dreams you can't reverse death.
The sounds of the sword fight grew loud as the hallway opened into a drawing room. Gourry froze as he finally caught sight of the fighters. For once it was not himself and his brother. It was the twins, their eyes brimming with hatred and faces contorted with rage as they fought viciously.
"No!" he cried as their swords swung high in the air.
They did not seem to hear him as both of them brought their sword to the other, running each other through at the same precise moment.
"No!" he screamed as he shot up in bed.
"Gourry!" Lina cried as she sat up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
He took a deep breath as he wiped his eyes. "It was just a dream."
She gently stroked his hair as she said, "You are going to tell me about it."
"It was just a dream." He repeated.
"A bad one." Lina said, "Let me guess. What Glynn said about wanting the Blast Sword is really bothering you."
"I didn't think he would care!" Gourry said, "I mean, we took Lucia out to a nice restaurant to break the news to her, and we just tossed it out there for him. I never thought he would have wanted it."
"He's just being difficult." Lina said, "By next week he won't even care."
When he said nothing she sighed irritably, "Look, stop worrying about it! He'll come around soon, and if not then I won't teach him the Giga Slave until he drops it."
His eyes narrowed, "Don't. That would make things worse."
"He doesn't deserve to learn it if he can't do this wisely."
He turned to face her, "Just leave it be. I will talk to him, I'm better at getting through to him. Just stay out of it."
"How can you ask me to stay out of this when it's having this effect on you?" Lina asked.
He cupped her face with his hand, tracing a finger gently across her cheek, "It will be the best thing. Please Lina."
"I'm his mother!"
He responded by pulling her to him and bringing his lips to her jawbone, planting a series a kisses along it. She trembled with pleasure as she whispered, "Not fair. You know what that does to me."
"Promise me you'll stay out of it." He said before he nuzzled at her ear.
She inhaled, and decided it wouldn't hurt to try things his way for once. "Fine, I promise."
"What's this?" Lina asked as she came into the living room to find Glynn holding a wooden sword.
"I want Dad to train me." He said matter-of-factly.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Lina asked, "You've never wanted him to…"
"I thought about what you said last night, and you're right." He said.
Lina nearly fell over as Gourry followed her out into the living room. "Huh?"
"If I'm going to get the Blast Sword, then I should know how to use it."
"You should have thought of that years ago!" Lina shouted. "Do you honestly think you can get to Gwynn's level…"
Gourry put a hand on her shoulder as he said to his son, "Let's take a walk."
"To the sparring field." Glynn said as he headed out the door.
"Sure." Gourry said as he followed him.
Once they were in the hallway Gourry said, "This isn't like you."
"To work hard?" Glynn asked.
"No, to take an interest in sword play. You've always worked hard. You've had to to survive. But you've always played to your strengths."
"Well, you and Mom are always saying I need to diversify my interests. And I've got a year to it."
"There's nothing wrong with that." Gourry said, "But it's not going to change anything. You should know that if you do get to her level, she will still get the sword."
"That's not fair!" Glynn retorted.
"Life isn't fair." Gourry said calmly, "What does the sword mean to you?"
The guards opened the palace doors as they approached and stepped into the courtyard. "Power." Glynn said.
"You have all of the power you need within your hands." Gourry pointed out. "You don't need the sword."
"You talk about power as though it is finite." Glynn said, "You can always accrue more!"
"But at what price?" Gourry asked as they walked down the steps towards the sparring field. "Your grandfather and great uncle and uncle all thought that power was worth its cost in the blood of their kin. Do you?"
Glynn's eyes widened, "What are you talking about?"
"Do you want power so much that you are willing to kill to possess the Blast Sword?"
"No!" Glynn protested.
"Good." He said. "So you want to train? Then run ten laps around the palace. And think about why you want the sword. Once you're done we'll go through some basic drills."
"Ten laps!" Glynn exclaimed.
"Being a good swordsman is more than footwork. You have to have strength, endurance, and agility. And you get that by running laps." Gourry said. He did not mention that Glynn should be aware of that fact. On days when they weren't traveling he was usually up with Gwynn at the crack of dawn for their morning run.
Glynn's dark blue eyes set in a determined manner as he took a deep breath and started on his run.
There were a lot of things that Gourry loved about teaching swordsmanship. He enjoyed watching his students gain mastery over their weapon. The pride he felt with each accomplishment they earned. The knowledge that he was passing on priceless wisdom to a new generation that he hoped would do good with it.
And then there were the parts that he hated. Especially when it came to teaching them to his own children. Simply put, it was painful to learn sword fighting. While Gourry was well aware that some swordmasters liked delivering blows to novices, Gourry saw it as a necessary evil. Yes, it was better that they get some bruises from a blunt wooden instrument than cut open from a real sword. But it didn't make delivering the blows any easier.
He had had a hard time delivering them to Lina, who he had sworn to protect, when she had asked for some pointers to improve her game. And he had been completely unable to teach the basics to his daughters because of it. Lina was the one who had gotten them started. Lucia fortunately lost interest before she advanced too much. Gwynn was another story. She swiftly plateaued with her mother, and after a lot of pressure from Lina he finally relented and trained her himself.
It was not easy. And he felt sick to his stomach every time he whacked her. But the determined set to her eyes never wavered and she trained hard. And he was quick to spot that she did indeed have the talent. And soon she was making him proud.
And now here he was, back to teaching the basics with his son. Practicing the parries was the worst. Gourry attacked him with a stroke from the side. Glynn brought his sword up to defend himself, but his stance was wrong, and Gourry smacked him in the ribs.
"Ow!" Glynn cried.
"Ready to try again?" Gourry asked.
Glynn wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded. They practiced a few more parries before Gourry let Glynn attack him with some moves that Gourry had taught him after he had finished his laps and with the instructions that Glynn pay attention to how he parried Glynn's attacks. After giving Glynn a turn to see how an experienced swordsman dodged a blow, it was once again Glynn's turn to parry.
Gourry was satisfied to see that Glynn had learned something. He wasn't his best student and he didn't seem to have Gwynn's raw talent, but he also wasn't the worst. With some training Gourry was convinced that he would be able to hold his own, especially with his training in Black Magic.
The sun grew high in the sky. "Looks to be about lunch time." He said, "You ready to get some food?"
"Either that or a hot bath." Glynn said as he put the wooden sword down.
"It will get better." Gourry said as he ruffled his hair. "You did well today."
An indecipherable look passed through Glynn's face, "And I'll do better tomorrow."
"Why were you practicing swordplay with Daddy?" Gwynn asked as Glynn walked into the dining area.
"What's it to you?" Glynn retorted in their language as he went and sat far away from her.
Gwynn finished drinking her milk and stormed off. Fortunately Lina was busy talking to Amelia and Sylphiel and didn't notice. Lucia was another matter. Quietly she sat beside him and asked, "Would you kindly remove that stick from your ass?"
"Shrine maidens shouldn't talk like that."
"What's your problem anyway? Do you really think taking a few swords lessons is going to change anything?"
"Don't tell me you're not jealous that you're not getting the sword." Glynn replied.
Lucia's face reddened, "What am I supposed to do about it? Join forces with you and make Daddy give it to us, and then engage with you in a knock down fight to the death?"
"Doesn't it bug you that we will get nothing?" Glynn asked.
"It bothers me more that you'd tell Gwynn that she was the one who damaged you!"
"What did she tell you?" Glynn said as he reddened, "I was mad!"
"That's no excuse!"
"It's no excuse for her to go blabbing to you like a whiney little tattle tale!"
A crisp smacking sound rang through the dining room, instantly causing the conversation going around the table to cease as Lucia stood up, red faced and blue eyes flaming with her arm raised and ready to slap Glynn again.
"Fine." He said as he threw his napkin down, "Everyone defends her. Later."
Lucia took a few deep breaths as Glynn walked out and then she looked at Amelia and Sylphiel, "I guess I still have to work on my temper before I move up the ladder."
"So, what are you and Mom going to do once you have all of us out of your hair next year?" Lucia asked as she walked arm and arm with her father through the courtyard.
Gourry shrugged. "Haven't given it much thought."
The truth was he had not wanted to give it much thought. If he had had his way, none of them would have aged past ten. He missed the noise and activity that came with having small children terribly. He did not want to think about the empty house he would face in the upcoming year.
"How about you?" he asked, working hard to keep his tone neutral, "Are you planning to stay here?"
"Yes. I'm having the time of my life!" she said.
He smiled. He was happy she'd found work she liked, but she wished she could have found it closer to Zefiria.
"Hey Gwynn!" Lucia called suddenly as she waved her hand wildly, "Practice going good?"
They changed direction to approach Gwynn, who was going through her drills. Instantly Gourry wondered why she wasn't returning Lucia's greeting. "Everything okay?" Lucia asked as they got closer.
Gwynn's eyes narrowed. "I don't have a lot to say to you right now."
Lucia looked stricken, "Huh?"
"Glynn told me you told him about our conversation the other night! He's even madder at me because of it. Why couldn't you have kept your mouth shut?"
Gourry felt himself tense as he wondered what he was missing as Lucia's lips pursed in annoyance, "Well, it wasn't as if you told me to stay quiet about it."
"I shouldn't have to!" Gwynn shouted.
"That's enough." Gourry said, "It's bad enough that both of you are arguing with Glynn, must you two fight as well?"
"Stay out of it, Daddy!" Lucia said as Gwynn resumed a fighting stance and went back to her drills. With a sigh, Lucia turned and headed back to the palace.
Gourry felt like tearing his hair out as he wished desperately for the time when they were smaller.
"So now Gwynn isn't talking to either of them, and Glynn and Lucia are fighting every time they bump into each other." Lina surmised as Zel dealt the cards.
"All siblings fight from time to time." Amelia said, "It will blow over."
"That's what we thought at first." Lina said as she counted her chips, "But that was over a week ago!"
"And it's only gotten worse." Gourry said dejectedly as Lina put a hand on his arm.
"Why don't you just tell Gwynn why Glynn is mad?" Zel asked.
"I'm scared she'd give the sword to him to mend the gap between them." Gourry said quietly.
"Gwynn's quiet, she's not a pushover." Lina said.
"I still don't see how it will change anything." Gourry said.
"May be this is more of an area for Sylphiel." Amelia suggested. "She's got six children after all."
Lina and Gourry exchanged a look. "We did." Lina said, "She said to stay out of it as much as possible and let them work it out. She said it as though it was easy!"
"Well, Lucia is an adult, and Gwynn and Glynn are nearly grown. You're not going to be able to control them too much." Zel said.
Gourry's eyes seemed to brim as Lina contemplated her cards. "Fold."
"Lucia?" Lina exclaimed as they passed her in the hallway on their way back from Zel and Amelia's. "What happened?"
Lucia's blue eyes widened like one caught doing something she knew was wrong. Her clothes were torn and already a bruise was forming along her cheek. "Umm…" she began.
"Did someone attack you?" Gourry asked.
"No." Lucia said as she looked down, "I got into it with Glynn. He probably looks worse than I do right now."
Gourry grabbed the wall for support as the color drained from his face, "Is he okay?"
"Oh, he's fine, his pride is probably bruised more than anything else."
Lina's eyebrow was twitching ominously, "How old are you again? And you're fighting like…?"
Gourry put a hand on her arm as he looked at Lucia, "Are you okay?"
"Nothing a recovery spell won't fix."
"Then go take care of yourself. And stay away from Glynn until you can show more control." He said, his voice unusually cold.
It was amazing how a lecture screamed at her by her mother did little to move her, but one look of disappointment flashing across the face of her father could wound her terribly. She bit her lip, "I'm sorry Daddy." She said as she went back to the temple.
"Gourry, wake up!" she commanded as she shook him.
His cried out in grief as he twisted away from her. Pain lashed her to the core as she grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard, "I said wake up! It's just a dream!"
His breathing changed, and she gently rubbed his back, "It was just a dream." She repeated quietly as it took all of her willpower to keep her from rounding up her children to show them what their arguing was doing to their father.
He turned and grabbed her, burying his face in her chest as he sobbed. She stroked his hair as she comforted him, "It's just growing pains." She said quietly, "They'll grow out of it soon."
"My brother didn't." Gourry said quietly.
Lina's ears perked. She could count on one hand the number of times he'd mentioned his brother. "Neither of them are your brother."
"No." Gourry said as he took a deep, rasping breath.
Silence filled the room as they held each other and Lina wrestled with feelings of helplessness. She had one card she could lay down to make it better. But Gourry had enticed her to promise not to use it. Yet as she held him as though he were a small child she realized that this was one of those times she was going to have to break a promise she made to him.
She had to act! She had to do something, anything to see him happy again.
He was so sore that getting out of bed seemed to be a gargantuan task. While he seemed to be gaining more upper body strength in his left arm, his left leg continued to throb and ache painfully. Slowly he got up as he wondered how he was going to make it through his training, grimacing at the pain that shot through his leg as he did so.
Someone knocked on the door. "What?" Glynn said as he ran a hand through his hair.
His mother opened the door, looking unusually somber. "I need to talk to you." She said.
"Then talk."
"This has gone on long enough." Lina said as she placed her hands on her hips in an intimidating manner. "Drop it. Make nice with your sisters. Or I won't teach you the Giga Slave."
Glynn looked up at her and their eyes locked, tension sparkling between them. "Fine." He said, "I'll read about it on my own."
Lina's eyes widened, "You wouldn't know where to start looking!"
"Yes I do. The basement, where you keep all of your research." He said.
Lina reddened as her sole trump card seemed to smolder to ashes, "Dammit, Glynn, how long are you going to keep this up?"
"Mind if I come in?" Gourry said.
"Why not?" Glynn said with a shrug.
Lina stared at her husband, "I did what I promised you I wouldn't do."
"I know." He said quietly. "And I can be mad at you and the whole family will be fighting or I can move on. Besides, there's something I should have told you a long time ago."
"Huh?" she asked.
"Do you want to move to the living room, so we can all sit down?" he asked.
Glynn shrugged and got up, doing his best to mask his limp as he said, "I'm not changing my mind."
Lina rolled her eyes and followed him out into the living room. Once they were all seated, Gourry began, "I probably should have said something a long time ago. When you children were small, so you three would know why this is so important to me. But I don't like to think about it, so I never talked about it. I've never even told your mother why I ran away with the Sword of Light."
Lina looked at him, surprised as he grabbed her hand while Glynn watched him steadily. "I've told you my family spilt blood to possess the sword."
Glynn nodded.
"What I didn't say was that my own brother tried to kill me. He was older, and he had a right to it, but after watching my father and uncle fight bitterly for it all his life he didn't want to risk that I would challenge him for it one day. It was a fight to the death." He said, "His death."
Gourry was quiet for a moment as Lina put a hand over her mouth while Glynn's eyes widened perceptibly. Slowly Gourry continued, "I'd never wanted to spill the blood of my family, but I ended up doing it. Because growing up, owning a sword meant more than family. I tried to raise you three to value family more, but I see now that I've failed."
He smiled tiredly as he continued, "Like I said, may be if I had told you growing up you would have understood. But I hoped I could raise you that way without having to tell you."
Glynn moved his gaze to the floor as Gourry stood up. "I'm going to go for a walk." He announced as he squeezed Lina's hand briefly before leaving the apartments.
Lina was quiet for a moment before she looked at Glynn, "He's been having nightmares."
"So, you two think I'd try to kill Gwynn?" he asked.
Lina felt her face meet her palm, "I don't think that's what he was saying at all!"
"I would never hurt her!"
Lina's face flushed, "Well you are hurting her, carrying on the way you are!"
"And everyone seems to forget that she hurt me! Crippling me!"
Lina's eyes flashed, "It wasn't her fault!"
"Sure, defend her." Glynn said as he stood up.
Lina opened her mouth to say something, but by the time he had left it had died in her mouth.
It did not take Glynn long to find his father. Gourry made no outward indication that he knew he was there, but Glynn knew better. It was impossible to sneak up on him. "I don't value the sword more than I do our family." He said.
Gourry looked at him and started walking deeper into the woods. "Then prove it."
Glynn was quiet for a moment before he followed him. "I've been thinking about what you asked me, why I want the sword."
"Oh." Gourry said.
"And there are a lot of reasons!" Glynn said, "Some of which you probably understand. It means something to our family for one thing."
"It does." Gourry conceded.
"And I could be the one to pass that heirloom through the generations." Glynn said.
"There's only one sword." Gourry pointed out, "And you could have many children and find yourself in the problem I am in."
Glynn looked down, "Well, I always figured I'd give it to whichever one I like best."
Gourry nearly stopped in his tracks. "You are just like you mother." He mumbled.
"Huh?"
"Listen," Gourry said as he turned to face him, "You think I want to give the Blast Sword to Gwynn because I like her the best?"
"Well, yeah! I mean, she's the one who has followed in your footsteps, making you proud and…"
"It's not like that!" Gourry said. "When you have children may be you'll understand, but you don't have favorites!"
"Every parent says that!" Glynn persisted.
"It's not something that can be measured!" Gourry said, "I can't even say I love each of you equally because I love each of you in different ways and for different reasons. It doesn't compare!"
Glynn flushed as the conversation rapidly became uncomfortable while his father continued, "Do you know how much I love your mother?"
Glynn's eyes widened, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Answer the question."
"It's embarrassing, the way you two…you know." Glynn said as he avoided his eyes.
Gourry put a hand on his shoulder, "She was what gave my life purpose after I left home. She became my world and I quickly devoted my life to her. I swam through a kiosk to get her back after she overdid it with a spell one time!"
Glynn's face scrunched up inscrutably as he tried to make sense of that statement while Gourry continued. "And for the longest time she could never see all that she meant to me either. Yes, I love Gwynn because she reminds me of me, and because she has my strengths, and because I see myself in her. And I love you because you remind me of your mother, and everything I love about her. Your strengths are hers. Hell, the reason you two grate on each other's nerves so much is because you see your weaknesses mirrored in each other and can't stand to look at them."
Glynn bit his lip as he stared at the ground while Gourry squeezed his shoulders, "So don't you dare think that Gwynn is my favorite, or that I love her or Lucia more. Especially when you remind me of the person who I chose to protect and spend my days with. And I did not make that choice lightly."
Gourry pulled into him an embrace, and after a moment Glynn returned it. Gourry gave him a small smile as they separated, and he headed back towards to castle.
"Mom?" Gwynn asked as she walked into the apartments, having just gotten back from her morning run. "Have you been crying?"
Lina wiped her eyes and wondered why the hell she hadn't gone to her room. With three kids running in and out all of the time it wasn't as if she'd had any reason to expect any sort of privacy in the living room for awhile. "So what if I have been?"
Gwynn studied her carefully for a moment as she sat down beside her. "Is it because we're fighting?"
Lina smiled tiredly and put a hand on her arm. "It's something else."
"Can I do anything to make it better?"
Lina shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Besides, shouldn't you be out having fun and not worrying about me?"
"Everyone I know is friends with Glynn." She said, "And he doesn't want to have anything to do with me. I don't understand. He says it's because I crippled him, but Aunt Sylphiel swears it wasn't me, and it he never blamed me before."
"May be you should make him make you understand." Lina suggested.
"Huh?"
"Well, if he's not going to do anything with you, the least he can do is explain why."
"But how do I get him to do that?"
Lina smiled tiredly, "Ask! You've been avoiding him for weeks and he's been treating you like an ass! You have to stand up for yourself, tell him he's treating you unfairly and demand to know why!"
Lina sighed at the look of horror on her face, "Listen, I worry about you going out into the world and not knowing how to stand up for yourself. If you can't do it to your own brother, how are you going to do it to anyone else?"
"Oh." Gwynn said softly, "I guess you have a point."
"Of course I have a point, I'm your mother!" Lina said.
Gwynn nodded, "I'll go talk to him, right now!"
"Good!" Lina said as she stood up.
Gourry entered the room just as Gwynn was about to open the door to leave. "Hi Daddy. Have you seen Glynn?"
"He's down near the woods." Gourry said.
"Thanks." She said as she left.
Gourry looked at his wife, "What was that about?"
"I gave her a pep talk, told her Glynn owed her an explanation for his behavior."
"Hm. I just had a good heart to heart with him."
"Did you say he was by the woods?" Lina asked.
"Yes."
Lina thought for a moment before heading towards their bedroom, "Our north window has a good view of them."
Glynn was pulling up blades of grass when Gwynn found him. "Hey." She said.
He looked at her, his expression indecipherable. "Hey yourself."
"I have a right to know." She said quickly, "What I did wrong, why you're mad at me."
He smiled bitterly, "You'll find out in a few weeks. You didn't do anything, not really."
"What the…" she breathed as she turned around.
"Gwynn?" he asked, and then he felt it too. A fearsome sense of rage and lust for death.
"Take cover!" she cried as she unsheathed her sword.
Glynn ran towards her as he started to chant a spell. "Windy shield!" he cried as he reached her.
There was a volley of heat, and from somewhere a voice cackled menacingly. And then from the flames the figure of a ring embedded with hideous red eyes appeared. "A monster!" Glynn cried, before he started chanting a spell.
The situation was bad. With her plain metal sword there was little Gwynn could do against a monster. If anything, she was a liability. Glynn moved to protect her as he released a fireball, and felt panic arise within him when the monster absorbed it with no damage.
Gwynn turned around as she felt a second presence behind her, "Get out of the way!" she yelled as she pushed him away from her, just as a bright ball of blue energy exploded at her feet.
AN:
If you liked the scene with Gourry teaching Glynn swordplay, thank pharoah999 for asking to see his teaching skills in action and making me actually have to research how swordplay is taught. The links below were where I got my info from.
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