Hello, everyone! As per usual, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!
35- Up to the Challenge
"Your mother doesn't really work here. You don't even belong here. And I didn't hurt you when I tripped over you- you ran into me on purpose!"
"…and you're getting less stupid by the minute." Azarel smiled brightly. "But, hey, everyone has room for improvement."
"You're here for the Key- and I almost gave it to you, dammit!"
"But you have given it to me." Azarel smiled sweetly and reached out one hand. "Hand it over."
"Are you kidding me?" Lyos spat, backing away toward the door. His back hit a wall and he sent a hurried glance to his surroundings. With that big, heavy door locked, he was effectively trapped. Azarel had him cornered and there wasn't much he could use to fight back. Maybe a frozen fish would work as a sword or something...? Nah, that was a bad idea. Effective way to fight a demon: hitting him in the face with a fish? Not likely.
So now what?
"The way I see it, you have two options." Azarel was being much more cordial than Lyos would've thought. "First, you could fight back. Of course, if you use the Banisher, you might release the Demon King- isn't that what you said? But if you don't, you'll more than likely die, and I'll get the Key anyhow. So if you value your life, you may want to choose the second option- handing over the Key politely and with no hassle. If you do, I'll even unlock the door for you and save you from an icy death here in this freezer."
Lyos tried to stand still, but his body was shivering violently from contact with the icy wall. He clenched his teeth tightly to keep them from chattering and bowed his head to avoid looking at Azarel directly. He refused to make a decision right away.
"Take your time. I'm not in any rush. You're the one who's going to freeze here anyway."
"I will not freeze. And I don't need the Banisher to defeat you!"
"Is that your final answer?" Azarel asked.
Lyos managed a small nod.
"Good. Then your fate is sealed. It was nice knowing you, Knight of the Aqualord."
Everyone was getting a little annoyed at this point. There was a limit to how many times one could use the word "justice" in a conversation and still keep it coherent, and Amelia had long since exceeded that limit.
But, to her credit, she was the only one of the group brave enough to come up with a strategy to combat Azarel. It wasn't a complicated strategy, relying on positive emotions and optimism rather than magic, but she backed it up with enough facts that it was almost convincing, even to the most cynical in the group. Almost.
"…but that's just considering the fact that this weather is completely dependent on the state of the Demon Ki-"
"Amelia," Zelgadis reached out and tapped her shoulder to interrupt. "I appreciate your effort, I really do, but I'm not sure this is the best way to go about this fight."
"Then please present your plan." Amelia responded with a smile, seeming to enjoy the momentary look of panic that flashed over his face.
"I didn't necessarily say that I had a plan, but I'm not sure I have the capability to back you up one-hundred percent if this is really your honest intentions. You know that positive emotions aren't exactly my strong suit, and…"
"Amelia, Azarel it a bit too high-level to fight relying solely on positive emotions. They're a good component of a battle plan to help weaken the foe, but can't exactly substitute magical attacks." Pestis stood up and waved one hand. "Here's what I propose."
"…here we go again…" Lina muttered, sounding like she was half asleep.
"Azarel is confident in two things. One is that this plan to release the Demon King and fulfil Phibrizzo's mission surely cannot fail. Two is that you are all humans, which makes you inherently stupid and unable to pose a decent threat."
"So, what you're saying is, Azarel's greatest weakness is her confidence." Shizuri mused. "That might be difficult to take advantage of.
"Not necessarily. As long as we can get a foothold, we'd already be halfway there. The more we do to defeat Azarel, the more that Azarel's confidence- along with power- crumbles."
"I've seen it." Lina added. "She hates to lose. She'll do anything to get the last laugh- even tell blatant lies. The best thing we can do to fight her is gloat about everything that happens. We can win- that is, as long as we're sore winners."
"Positive emotions! I told you!" Amelia jumped onto the couch next to Zelgadis, throwing him off-balance.
"We can talk big, but if we can't gather enough power to actually do anything, there'll be nothing to gloat about. Surely there is some sort of magic powerful enough to take a wanna-be Mazoku lord."
"I, for one, would rather not rely on magic." Gourry sighed, though then seemed to realize that he likely wouldn't be participating. "But, then again, I won't be part of this battle, so it doesn't matter much, does it?"
"Gourry, you-"
"E-excuse me."
Zelgadis had begun, but he was interrupted by a servant who wrung his hands nervously as he spoke. Ren looked at the servant with a questioning glare.
"What is so important that you'd interrupt our meeting?"
"S-something strange is going on in the kitchen. There are loud noises coming from the icebox, but the door is locked and no one can get in. No one had been in the kitchen before it started, so we have no idea what it might be."
The entire group went silent suddenly, looking at one another with furtive glances.
"What happened to Lyos?" Lina finally asked.
"No! This is what I was afraid of!" Pestis jumped to his feet. "Azarel is trying to pick us off one-by-one! I thought it would be Lina when we lost her earlier, but Lyos is the one that Azarel really wants. After all, he still has the…"
"He took the Banisher with him?!" Zelgadis yelled.
"What was he supposed to do? Leave it with people who can't use it?" Shizuri argued.
"It's not like he can use it after what we learned today!"
"Everyone quit arguing!" Amelia jumped up and stood between the two of them. "Mister Lyos is in danger! This isn't the time to be bickering amongst ourselves!"
"Lyos is stronger than he seems. He won't be defeated so easily." Miss Hayze stood up with much more collected composure than the rest of the group had. "Even if he can't use his legendary sword, he knows other ways to fight. He's creative and quick on his feet- if anything ever happened to me, he would be the person I'd want to take over my estate."
"That's great, but what if something happens to him first?" Gourry spoke up. "Shouldn't we be going to help him anyway? Lina already left."
"She- what?" It seemed like no one had noticed Lina's absence yet. "Where'd she-?"
"She said that she could probably make it the kitchen and take down Azarel by the time you finished arguing."
"And you let her go alone?" Amelia dashed out of the library door and into the hallway, though she quickly made a sharp turn and returned. "…where is the kitchen?"
"Follow me. I'll lead the way." Miss Hayze motioned toward the group before directing a last comment to the servant. "You are dismissed for the time being. Tell the servants to evacuate the kitchen area. My friends and I will handle this situation."
Don't fight the demon with a fish, he'd said. It's a bad idea, he'd said. Then why, just minutes later, was Lyos fending off evil magic with a frozen sturgeon that probably weighed twice his own weight? It was a mystery.
Lyos would've really preferred a swordfish, but with the location of the estate, only freshwater fish were readily available, so that was out of the question. Beggars couldn't be choosers, especially when they were begging for frozen fish to use in place of a weapon. Crazy, right? Right.
And yet, it seemed to be effective somehow. Azarel couldn't penetrate the fish's scales, even where Lyos' warm grip had melted the ice. Had the power of the Aqualord somehow imbued itself in this aquatic creature? On top of that, the fish-sword effectively blocked the Mazoku's attacks, keeping Lyos safe from any harm- well, save for the burning sensation setting in on his fingers from handling the frozen creature bare-handed. But that could be dealt with later. One hit from one of Azarel's spells, and- Lyos didn't dare think about it.
No. He wasn't going to die like this. Azarel wasn't going to take the Banisher away from him.
The icebox was an interior room, and the lamp that Azarel had brought in had long since gone out, leaving the two in darkness to battle. Lyos had undergone specialized training, and was no stranger to fighting without the aid of his eyes. He could hear Azarel's movements and sense the magic, and that was warning enough. The only strange thing about the battle was the fact that Azarel didn't seem to have any set physical form. It was as if the Mazoku was constantly changing in order to throw Lyos' senses off. It was a surreal feeling, almost like fighting many enemies at once, only one at a time.
But, all of a sudden, it all stopped. All opposition from his opponent stopped, and Lyos couldn't hear any sign of movement throughout the room. He looked around curiously, trying to figure out where the Mazoku had disappeared to?
"Have you given up yet? Decided to go home?"
His voice echoed through the chamber, but there was no reply. No response. Nothing.
A long moment passed. Then another. And slowly, Lyos began to realize that he was alone.
He was alone and growing colder by the minute.
"Is that your game? Leave me here to freeze? Hah! That's funny!" Lyos yelled loudly, partially out of hysteria and partially out of hope that someone would hear his yelling and come to his aid. What else was there to do? He could try to break down the door with the fish- that was a valid option, though it would depend on him actually finding the door. After all the fighting he'd done in the dark, he was so turned-around, he barely knew his right from his left.
As it turned out, Lyos didn't have very much time to weigh his options. Almost as suddenly as he'd begun thinking of a way to find the door, there was a loud banging noise coming from his left. He turned quickly toward the sound, and after a moment of steady noise, a beam of light and a rush of mercifully warm air burst in as the door came crashing down.
"…um, sorry about your door, Miss Lin. I'll fix it later."
Lyos had never been so happy to hear Gourry's voice.
"How did you break down that door? It must weigh half a ton!" The knight was quick to rush out into the warm kitchen and most of his friends crowded around him. Gourry, meanwhile, was examining the door to figure out how to fix it back.
"It's really nothing." he responded casually, not even looking back towards Lyos. "I've had a lot of experience with breaking down doors. If you ever need a door broken, just call me.
"Right, but where's Azarel?" Pestis shoved through the group into the icebox and looked around. Now that light had finally penetrated into the room, the group could see just how bad a state it was in. Azarel's attacks may not have hurt Lyos' Aqualord-powered-fish-weapon, but they had decimated everything else in the room. Miss Hayze was aghast at the state of the icebox.
"How did this happen?" She wandered into the room, staring in horror at the whole scene.
"I'm glad you asked."
The sudden voice caught everyone by surprise, but no one moreso than Miss Hayze, who simultaneously found an arm around her neck and a knife blade held to her throat.
"Azarel, what are you-?" Pestis yelled, though Miss Hayze cut him off.
"You're Azarel, I take it? I must say, you're quite infamous among certain individuals."
Azarel didn't waver, but seemed pleased by her greeting nonetheless. "You think so? How nice it is to be recognized by someone I don't know!"
"But don't you know me, though?" Miss Hayze continued, clearly throwing Azarel off-guard.
"What, are you kidding? I've never met you."
"Of course you have. We've met many times before."
"What are you talking about? Are you crazy, or…?"
Lyos lunged toward Azarel. "Don't you dare call her cra-" He was caught by Zelgadis before he was actually able to get to the Mazoku, however.
"I don't think any of you are in a position to tell me what to do." Azarel gently tapped the knife against Miss Hayze's neck, seeming a little frustrated when she didn't even react.
"What do you want, Azarel?" Pestis growled. "You know we aren't just going to give you the Key."
"Yes, your knight there let me know that in no uncertain terms." Azarel shrugged. "So it appears as though we'll have to come up with a compromise."
"Compromise?" the professor raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate."
"I challenge you, Professor Nisery." Azarel stated firmly. "Let's settle this once and for all."
"You mean, like a final battle? One last fight to end it all?"
"If, by that, you mean a fight to the death, then yes."
The room was silent. No one spoke, and the only noise was the sound of Miss Hayze's careful breathing against the knife at her throat.
"I'm not going to kill you, Azarel." Pestis declared firmly.
Azarel didn't seem to care. "Perfect. Makes things easier for me. How does the fishing hole at Yawning Creek sound to you? Friday at sunset?"
"Yawning Creek? That's been dried up for years." Pestis shook his head. "All that's left is the impression of the creekbed, and even that is starting to erode away. Are you sure?"
Azarel smiled. "I figured that we might as well finish this where we started it."
Pestis looked around at his friends and finally sighed. "If I agree to this" he made air quotes to show his disdain, "battle-to-the-death, will you give Miss Lin back to us?"
"Sure, sure." Azarel replied quickly. "Just give me your word, and I'll let her go."
After a deep breath, Pestis forced himself to say it. "I'll fight you in your battle. Alright, I said it."
"You didn't promise."
"I promise I'll fight you in your battle. Now let her go."
Azarel stared at the professor for a moment and then replied with a smile.
"No."
"Wha-" Lyos pulled out of Zelgadis' grip, lunging forward at Azarel, but didn't get very far.
"You have a dangerous habit of not following up on your word, professor. I'll give her back eventually, but for now I think I'll keep her as… collateral." Azarel removed the knife from her throat and took a quick jab at a pressure point, causing the woman to slump over, unconscious. "You'll get her back when we meet for the battle. In the meantime, I'll take good care of her."
"Oh, like you're taking good care of Zara?" Lina spat. "You've threatened to kill him!"
"Who says I haven't already?"
Lina drew in a sharp breath and staggered, off-balance.
"I do." Gourry spoke up, trying his best to sound like he believed it.
"You're right. That was a bluff. He's still alive right now."
An exasperated Lina fell backwards, though Zelgadis was quick to catch her. By the time he did, Azarel had disappeared, just as Lyos had nearly caught up.
"MILADY!" The knight yelled desperately. He grabbed at thin air for a moment, but quickly saw that it wasn't going to do any good. He turned suddenly and grabbed Pestis by the shoulders. "Where is this place? Where did that demon ask you to meet?!"
"Th-th-the former fishing hole in what used to be Yawning Creek… it's a couple kilometers from my house." Pestis stammered. "It's a rough hike, but there's a pretty beaten path- or, there used to be…"
"Your house? The house we were just at?" Lyos demanded. "You have to take us back! I have to rescue her! Take me with you! Let me fight!"
"Lyos, Lyos, calm down!" Gourry put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm coming too. If that demon wants to lay a single hand on my boy, she's going to have to get through me. I won't allow Pestis to fight her on his own."
"Aren't you going home?" Shizuri asked.
"Uh…" Gourry seemed taken by surprise. He'd forgotten about his previous plans. "…if this is the final battle, then it's over, isn't it?"
"He has a point." Amelia nodded. "And Friday is only three days away."
"I don't like the sound of a battle to the death." Shizuri murmured uncertainly. "That Mazoku doesn't fight fair. I don't trust her."
"But what choice do we have?" Amelia asked.
"Azarel wouldn't really kill us. I'm sure of it." Pestis argued.
"While I don't agree with that, I can't say that I doubt our odds either." Zelgadis replied, his arm still around Lina, who seemed to be in a daze. "As long as everything works ou- hey, Lina, are you okay?"
Lina certainly didn't look okay. She was doubled over, and, at the question directed towards her, reached out one hand to steady herself on Zelgadis' arm.
"I think…" she ventured tentatively, looking uncharacteristically frightened. "…we should probably contact a healer… like, right now."
All the colour drained from Zelgadis' face suddenly, and he turned to the others with a silent, panicked plea for help.
"…Lyos?" Shizuri spoke up. "Miss Lin… kind of left you in charge."
Lyos hadn't realized until now that Miss Hayze had delegated him to take care of things without her, and, still dizzy from the cold, he took in his surroundings and did what any sensible person placed in that position would have done.
He fainted.