"Hey Lina?" Gourry walked next to his constant companion.

Lina glanced up at Gourry. "What is it now, Gourry?"

Gourry scratched his chin casually. "How come we're headed to that village already? Didn't you want to wait?"

Lina smirked. "I was getting bored doing the same ol' same ol'. We could use that challenge about now, especially since no one else has succeeded yet."

Gourry just shrugged and continued to keep pace with Lina. Eventually they found themselves in a small village. Not ones to break tradition, the first place they stopped at was the local eatery.

While placing their orders, Lina pulled the waitress close. "We heard you're having a pest control problem."

The waitress nodded silently. "Yes, for months now we've been terrorized by beasts! Have you come to get rid of them?"

Lina crossed her arms and smiled confidently. "That was the plan. I heard that other would-be heroes were unable to defeat them. Is there something special about these beasts?"

The waitress shook her head. "I don't know, I haven't seen them myself. You'll want to talk to the village leader. He knows all about them."

"Leader?" Lina asked. "Where can we find him?"

"He lives in the big house in the north part of town. Ask for Esgrey." The waitress scribbled down something on her notepad, then tore it off and handed it to Lina. "Good luck." She then walked off to relay the order.

Lina read the address scribbled on the paper, then tucked it into her pocket for safekeeping.

"Say Lina?" Gourry looked questioningly at Lina.

Lina suppressed a sigh. "Yes, Gourry?"

"Since when are we going after pests?"

"Gourry!"

(You know we all love Gourry...)

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Lina settled back from the door, waiting for it to be answered. A moment later the door was opened by a man who stared back.

"Excuse me, Mister...Esgrey, was it? We're here to help you with your pest problem." Lina tried to smile pleasantly.

The man returned the smile, and opened the door wider. "Do come in!" He ushered his two guests inside, seating them around his table. "No one has been able to rid us of those monstrosities. I'll help you any way I can."

"Good." Lina nodded her head. "First off, do you have any idea why they have been undefeated for so long?"

The man, Esgrey, shook his head. "Most that go after them have not come back. Those that do say little about their encounter."

"Hmm..." Lina thought over this for a moment. "That doesn't help much."

"What have they done?" Gourry piped in. "From what I saw, the village looks perfectly normal."

"What haven't they done!" Esgrey pounded his fist on the table. "They terrorize villagers who go out to gather food, they've practically killed off all the fish in our local river, and they've even attacked people!" Esgrey roared, obviously upset.

Lina ducked down slightly in her seat. "Eh he he...I see." She glanced over to Gourry, who also seemed a bit put off by the sudden outburst. "So we don't really know what we're going up against... Do you have a description of the beasts? I'd hate to go and kill off the wrong ones." Lina smiled guiltily.

Esgrey nodded in reply, then turned away from his guests. "Rose! Come out here!"

A small girl poked her head into the room. She looked frightened to death. She got a nod from her father, Esgrey, and quietly hobbled into the room.

Esgrey turned back to Lina and Gourry. "This is my daughter. She was attacked by the monsters, but managed to escape."

Lina gazed down at the girl, a look of sadness and compassion on her face. She got up out of her seat and knelt next to the girl. "We're going to get those monsters for what they've done, but we need to know what they look like. Do you remember?"

The girl nodded. "There were two...one was really big and scary looking, like a dragon. It had lots of big, sharp teeth!" The girl, Rose, shuddered. "It scared me... The other was big and white, like a cat. It was really soft..." Rose could feel her father's gaze on her, and stopped talking.

Lina puzzled over this. "Soft? Who'd use that to describe something that had attacked them?" Lina smiled down at the girl, but was drawn to a small furry pink pouch at her waist. "Rose, is it? Where did you get your purse?" Lina tried to sound friendly as she pointed at the object of interest.

Rose didn't meet her gaze, but quietly whispered, "A friend."

"Thank you for your help, Rose." Lina stood up and faced Esgrey. "We'll get rid of those monsters for you, I promise."

Esgrey smiled, looking relieved. "Oh, thank you! We don't have much to offer in reward, I'm afraid..."

Lina shook her finger at him. "That doesn't matter. We'll settle that later." She gestured for Gourry to follow, then the two headed for the door. She nodded once more at Esgrey, then she and Gourry walked out the door.

Gourry jogged up alongside her. "I'm surprised Lina, you passed up a reward."

Lina scowled. "This has just gone from a job to possible revenge. Did you see that girl's purse?"

Gourry nodded. "Yeah, it looked just like the one Amelia always wore."

"Exactly." Lina marched determinedly out of the village. "I hope it's just a coincidence, but Amelia might have fallen victim to those beasts. If so, there's no way we'll leave them alive."

Gourry nodded in silence as he followed.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: I told you they'd be back, and now they're learning some vital information about their foes. And yes people, now you know the name of the little girl. (I'm not exactly sure why I named her Rose. I'll say it's because of my friend and fellow author, nimrosette, who helped me a great deal in writing this by pointing out errors along the way. This story wouldn't be nearly what it is without her input!)

So now Lina and Gourry are out for revenge, and Amelia and Zelgadis are none the wiser. This does not bode well...

Next time: Suddenly they heard a battle cry. Zelgadis turned just in time to see a large man charging straight at him. "Gourry!" He cried in confused surprise. "Amelia, get out of here!"