(C) "Yer crazy gal!!" The Skipper shouted while holding onto a platform secured to Bertha for dear life as the vessel went hurtling violently toward the shore of the former inner barrier, being propelled by the aftermath of what was most likely one of the largest tidal waves ever.

Several deckhands yelled as they slid back and forth precariously on the deck of the ship, struggling to find a suitable hand or foothold while being battered with barrage after barrage of waves that the out of control vessel kicked up as it careened through the water rapidly closing in on land.

(C) "Till be… till be teh end o us all…!" The Captain sputtered after being pummeled with yet another surge of water. "Ye've put us in more danger now than the sea monster you slayed ever would have!" He continued to rant angrily.

(L) "Eh heh, yeah well... at least that's one less monster in the sea to harass your fellow sea goers right…?" Lina shouted back before squealing as the vessel's front end dipped sporadically, causing the aft end to jerk up out of the water, rudely dislodging and jettisoning her from the post that she'd been clinging to in the midst of the chaos.

"Arrrrghhhhhhhh - - hawh…!" The redhead shouted as she was thrown through the air before being caught by a certain half elf swinging around from a loose mooring line and preventing her from being completely dumped from the ship and into the churning sea at the last moment.

(K) "You know a Dragon Slave makes a big enough disturbance in the ocean regularly without you testing the new incantation you came up with for your talismans and amplifying one Red…" The ex-assassin said flusteredly as she kicked her legs out with the momentum of the swing, allowing it to launch them both up and over the guardrails of the vessel and back onto its' deck with the redhead under the crook of her arm.

"Well none of my other spells were working, and besides… the damn thing was mocking me…!" The sorceress complained through gritted teeth while hurriedly grabbing the end of the line the half elf was still holding and wrapping it around them before tying it to the first stationary thing she could find.

"What spells…?" "The only spell you even tried was a Fireball, and the moment the sea creature countered it with it's water breath, you got pissed off and blasted it with a juiced up Dragon Slave directly afterwards!" Katibree shot back with her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch as she extended a leg to an unfortunate sailor currently skidding by on his back across the deck of the ship, who grabbed it gratefully just before all three of them were drenched with yet another freezing torrent of water.

"Oh…I did do that didn't I…?" Lina laughed while standing upright now that she had some added stability before nonchalantly Shadow Snapping a couple of toppling crewmen to the deck before they went careening over the railing of Bertha.

(L) "Well you know I don't think straight when I'm that mad, why didn't you just stop me, it's not like you weren't standing right next to me when I casted - -" The sorcery genius cut off what she'd been saying suddenly. Wait a second…Kat finally told me why she was always so against me using magic on and around her when we first met…And she also told me about the affect it had on her when she was next to me while I casted a normal Dragon Slave that day with all those orcs…

And now… I just amplified one not even two feet from her…Heh… Whoops…?

Guess that explains why it took her so long to get in gear after the tsunami hit…She added to herself in embarrassment before looking over at the older girl. "Uhm, sorry about that Kat, I totally forgot…"

"…Just shut up and brace for shock…" The half drow replied with a quiet laugh as she struggled to reinforce the sorceress's hurried attempt at battening down the hatches with a knot of her own.

"We're already to the shore??" The redhead balked while spinning around to look and immediately turning back around to grip the handles on the mast they were now tied to after catching a glimpse of land bearing down on them much more quickly than it was the last time she'd looked. "I thought I'd at least have time to try and - -!" Was all she managed before the now airborne fortress / missile first impacted with, and then gouged the shore as it skid along the ground, leaving a huge trench in its wake as most of the crew that had managed to stay aboard it up to this point screamed in unison.

(L) "…Try and… slow it down..." The sorcery genius finished unsteadily as the vessel finally ground to a halt.

(K) "Urgh… well I guess the saying does go: "Whatever landing you can walk away from, is a good one." Katibree said while freeing up the mooring line around the two of them with a slight grimace.

(C) "That is supposin'…" The Captain's muffled voice began quietly from underneath a decidedly out of place life boat. "That me Bertha were meant tabloodyflytabeginwith!" He exploded as he jumped up, throwing the boat off of him while gesturing angrily.

(L) "Looks like ol' Greybeard's pretty steamed…" Lina said while rubbing the back of her neck and stifling a giggle.

"Can you blame him…?" The ex-assassin asked while ringing out one portion of her cloak after another as she surveyed their surroundings. "Now that I'm really taking a look at things, that tidal wave was even more massive than I thought."

"And what do you mean by that exactly…?" The redhead asked while picking a bit of seaweed out of her hair and tossing it aside with a frown.

(C) "…Ruined!" Ruined I tell ye…!!" The Skipper ranted while jumping up and down in the background as the two girls conversed.

(K) "Just take a good look at the area." The half drow replied while making her way over to the railing for a better look herself.

"It - - It can't be…!" "We're almost halfway to…to…!" Lina gaped in disbelief while taking in their surroundings.

"That's right, which means that what we thought was the shore that we were just beginning to close in on before…" The larger girl said before trailing off with a resigned sigh.

"Was… actually just the tsunami having already washed us far enough inland… for the water to finally lose enough momentum to make it look like we were just then starting to close in on the shore…!" The sorceress finished for her with a strained groan.

(C) "…Father always told me woman'r bad luck on ships, but did I listen…?!" "Neh!" The Captain continued as he kicked a bucket in the direction of a waterlogged sailor, causing him to flinch.

(K) "Bingo, Red." Katibree affirmed.

(L) Almost a third of the continent is probably flooded out, and that tidal wave had to have gone right over my hometown for us to be where we are right now… The sorcery genius thought to herself franticly. Oh Gods… Luna's going to - - "… She's gonna KILL me…!" She finally exclaimed out loud while covering her face with her hands and sinking to the deck of the ship in pure despair.

The mostly platinum haired warrior took this time to head to the 'maybe not so honorary anymore cabin' with a shrug and retrieved their travel packs. After she'd made her way back out to the outer decks she merely stopped and sweat-dropped at the scene before her. Apparently Lina and Greybeard had fallen even deeper into their depressions while she'd been gone...

Now both the Skipper as well as her 'gallant and dashing' lover were sitting back to back on the deck of Bertha, tear rivers streaming down their faces as they moped together in stereo sound.

"Ruined… absolutely ruined!" The Captain continued to groan.

"So dead…huphmmmphhhrrmphhh…" Lina chimed in haggardly.

"…Cursed by the Gods of the sea…"

"Just only begun to live…!"

(K) "Oh… jeez." Katibree sighed with a roll of her lavender colored eyes. "Heads up Gramps." She said before tossing an additional bag of bounty money into his lap.

"What good is this without me ship gal…?" Greybeard asked forlornly.

"Look, your 'Bertha' may be stranded on land right now… but she's not really damaged at all." The ex-assassin began to explain. "She's still as sturdy as ever, and I'm sure there's something else you can think to do with her."

"It's a kind gesture an all lass, but what am I supposed ta do with a warship in the middle o dry land countless miles away from teh ocean?"

"Well there may be no water to speak of, but Bertha does still have all of the accommodations that any business establishment would need to prosper on land…" The mostly platinum haired warrior offered while attempting to get the disintegrating, still groaning form that was Lina Inverse to her feet.

"A business establishment eh..? Greybeard mused to himself while stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"Oh and Captain…?" The half elf postponed her sorcery genius gathering to ask.

"What's that gal?" The Skipper inquired.

(L) "She'll find out for sure…!" The sorceress continued to herself brokenly.

"Considering that you and the crew where the only witnesses to what actually happened here, if anyone asks, would you mind just… passing this whole thing off as a natural disaster?" Katibree rose her voice slightly to ask over the still groaning redhead.

"A natural disaster?" The Captain balked.

"Well, the person responsible for causing this could technically count as a walking force of nature right…?" The half drow asked.

"…Aye I suppose she could." Greybeard couldn't help but agree.

"And on top of that, I honestly think that some flooding as collateral damage is a pretty small price to pay when you've got someone that's powerful enough to save the world from The Dark Lord and his forces of evil whenever she's needed just walking around on a daily basis." The mostly platinum haired warrior continued.

"Sometimes she just doesn't know her own strength, but as you can see, the poor girl is practically in tears of grief over what has happened…" If I lay it on any thicker, we'll fall through this reinforced deck… he can't actually be buying this…The larger girl thought to herself with a sweat-drop as she looked down at the still desolate sorceress as if in concern for her.

"Hum, tis a good point as well lass…" "I guess it really can't be helped that someone as strong as she is overdoes it every once in a while, must be pretty hard to deal with catchin' hell for every honest mistake…" The man finally said in a sympathetic tone. "Jus let me talk to the men a moment."

Katibree blinked in disbelief as the Skipper turned away to call his deckhands to him for an impromptu meeting. Hook, line, and sinker… She thought to herself in bemusement before turning back to Lina and suddenly making a fist, wracking her over the top of the head with it.

"OW… hoown - - what'd ya go and do that for??" She hissed at while looking up at the grinning older girl and holding the growing welt on her head.

"I had to snap you out of your funk somehow." The ex-assassin chuckled. "The least you could do is look all impressive and heroine like while I try and keep you out of hot water…" She added while nodding her head in the direction of the crew meeting with a smirk.

"What's going on over there?" The redhead asked as she stood while rubbing her head absently.

"I'm assuming that Greybeard is going over your 'alibi' with the crew." The half elf said with a nonchalant shrug.

"My alibi?" Lina asked while turning her head to the side and wringing out her crimson colored locks.

"Yeah, I basically convinced him to spread the word around that this whole tsunami deal was just a natural disaster instead of your doing." The mostly platinum haired warrior explained.

"And… just how did you pull that one off when he was absolutely furious with me just a minute ago?" The sorcery genius inquired in disbelief before casting a modified version of the Levitation spell to begin drying her clothing as a posed to using the current of air to hover with.

"By making you out to be the tragic and misunderstood heroine of course." Katibree replied with a coy little wink.

Just then the Captain and some of the crew turned from the others and made their way back over to the girls.

(C) "The men understand, and yer little 'mishap' is safe with us." Greybeard began. "Just like your companion said, with someone as powerful as you are, sometimes ye just don't know your own strength… but even with that being the case, ye definitely do more good than bad in the world!"

The sailors clamored in agreement at this statement as Lina smiled and sweat-dropped while Katibree looked on and nodded in feigned solemness behind her.

(C) "All we ask in return is that once yer current business is finished, ye both come back an help us find a way to get ol' Bertha back to the sea where she belongs an toast yer latest victory wit us!" Greybeard added as the deckhands behind him began to cheer boisterously.

(L) "W-wouldn't miss it for the world, eh, heh, heh…" The sorcery genius said while waving to them all with an even larger sweat-drop as she made her way to the lowering off ramp of the vessel with the ex-assassin following behind her and doing much of the same.

(L) "I don't know my own strength." The redhead finally deadpanned with lowered eyelids after the two of them had leapt from the off ramp and the rest of the way to the ground below.

"What, it's not like they know you can be precise enough with your magic to light a candle from across the room if you want to!" The half drow laughed.

"Jeez, you could talk your way out of an iron safe Kat…" The sorceress said with a giggle.

"Humph, this coming from the con-artist that used to 'conveniently' save people's lives for the sole purpose of guilt tripping them into providing you with free room and board for the night…" Katibree teased.

"Hah, and just who are you to preach about morals Miss I-used-to-whack-people-for-a-living?" Lina teased back.

"Hey, I'm reformed now aren't I?" The mostly platinum haired warrior replied wryly while placing her hands behind her head as she walked.

"Pffft, yeah… thanks to me!" The redhead said while pointing to herself proudly.

The half drow stopped walking at this and merely stared up at the sky in thought a moment before replying. "…Yeah, I'm going to have to give you that one." She finally agreed with a laugh.

"Lina: one, Katibree: zilch, zero, nada… oh yeah!" The smaller girl announced triumphantly to no one in particular.

"And what happened to yesterdays score?" The ex-assassin asked while giving the sorcery genius a playful shove.

Lina broke off her festivities momentarily at this. "That was yesterday." She answered simply before beginning to make crowd cheering noises through her cupped hands once again much to the older girl's exasperation.

"Anyway, do you know if there's a suitable place around here to set up camp Lina..?" Katibree asked with a resigned sigh. "I'd like to keep moving but if we don't treat our gear soon it'll be ruined by the saltwater."

The redhead sobered a bit at this and gave the area one last once over. "Yeah, there should be a decent clearing to camp in along side a lake in that direction." She replied. "And on top of that, I'd really love a bath too… I think some of that seaweed actually made its way into my underwear somehow…" She added with a giggle.

"Well if that's the case, make sure you tell it to behave itself." The half elf laughed.

"And my, aren't we sounding possessive today… If you're so worried about the seaweed misbehaving, why don't you come and help me get it out?" The sorceress replied with a naughty little wink.

The older girl looked up at the sky at this last comment. "L-sama, I think… I've created a monster." She said wistfully.

Later on that night…

(L) Sylphiel's house, how the heck did I get here…? Lina thought to herself in confusion as she made her way down a warmly colored hallway.

"Helloooo… anybody home…?" She called while studying the various pictures of Sylphiel, her belated father, and even some of the rest of the crew on the walls as she went.

(G) "Lina is that you?" Gourry called back from somewhere further inside the house. "Hey Sylphiel, Lina's back!" "Come on over, we're in the dining room area!" He added cheerfully.

"That figures…" The redhead said to herself while stopping to look at a group photo of the main gang minus Fillia, goofing off for the camera with a soft expression on her face as memories of the past began to flood back to her. "I'll be right there Gourry!" She added more loudly.

Soon enough the sorcery genius made her way to the dining room. "Heya guys, long time no see!" She exclaimed happily.

(G) "Hey Lina, I was starting to think you'd never come back!" Gourry laughed while standing from the dinner table to greet her.

"Oh come on Gourry, you know me better than that!" Lina joked while giving him a bear hug, causing the swordsman savant to wheeze slightly.

(S) "I'm glad to see that you didn't manage to get yourself into more trouble than you could handle, Miss Lina!" Sylphiel called from the kitchen as she washed dishes.

"Well what'd you expect; it is me after all, Sylphiel." The sorceress boasted as she headed over to the table and made herself at home.

"Miss Lina, you never change." The shrine maiden said with a giggle. "You've just missed dinner, but I can make you a little something if you'd like." She added.

"Yeah I'd like that, you're as great a hostess as ever Sylphiel, thanks!" Lina replied.

(G) "So what did you have to do in Zerphermia Lina…?" The swordsman savant asked eagerly while taking a seat of his own next to her.

The redhead could only sweat-drop at the master swordsman's inevitable butcher of her homeland's name with a small smile before simply sighing in resignation.

"Well, it was an investigation that the Queen originally appointed my sister to take care of; but since Luna was already busy, she dumped the whole deal off on me." Lina began to explain.

(S) "Is this about the assassination attempt that was rumored to have taken place in the capital Miss Lina?" Sylphiel asked while peering at her through the door leading to the dining area.

Assassination attempt…? The redhead thought to herself in bemusement. "Well ah… something like that yeah…" She finally replied while rubbing the back of her neck.

(G) "A 'would be' assassin huh…?" The blond warrior mused. "So did you ever catch him?" He asked.

Lina began to turn an interesting shade of red at this. "Eh, heh, uhm… y-yeah I guess you could say I did…" She began to stammer. And speaking of that whole mess, where the heck is Kat…? Why should I have to be the only person answering all the questions - -

In the middle of her thoughts the ceiling above them suddenly ripped open and a massive black ball of energy tore through the new opening, exploding with blistering heat upon impact in with the dinning room table and sending both her and Gourry flying.

(G) "Aaaaarrrggh…!" The swordsman savant exclaimed as he was catapulted into an adjacent wall.

Lina hit the same wall with a grunt a few feet from Gourry before looking up at the hole in the ceiling with a grimace. "What in the hell…?" The redhead began as Sylphiel came running from the kitchen in alarm.

(?) "It seems I've missed you Gourry Gabriev…" A disembodied voice laughed. "How unfortunate."

"A monster!" Both Lina and Sylphiel exclaimed.

(G) "Just who the hell are you and why are you attacking us?" The blonde swordsman shouted up angrily.

"My name is unimportant, but do know that Serpent-Master Soshurn sends his regards." The red scaled demon replied as he materialized in the middle of the ruined dining area while lobbing another black ball of energy in the direction of Gourry and Lina.

The two scrambled to their feet and ran, jumping in opposite directions as the blast hit, sending them both flying even more forcefully this time.

(S) "Elmekia… Lance!" Sylphiel cried, a white blast of magic shooting from her hands at the hovering monster that turned to look at her before swatting it aside with a laugh.

"Now wasn't that just precious?" The Mazoku crooned as he astral-warped from across the room to directly in front of her, his palm outstretched and charging a rapidly growing ball of energy mere inches from her face. "Sylphiel Nels Rada was it…?"

(L) "Sylphiel!" Lina exclaimed while pulling herself up from the ruble. "Don't you touch her you creep, it's me you want not her!" "Elmekia Flame!"

The Mazoku didn't even bother to turn around as the searing lance of energy shot toward him and seemed to merely vanish just before it made it to him.

It's like he didn't even hear me… and that spell just - - what happened…? The redhead thought to herself while looking down at her hands in confusion.

(S) "I'm… I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger Miss Lina…" The shrine maiden said quietly while looking past the Mazoku and at the redhead as Gourry regained consciousness from across the room.

(G) "Sylphiel…!" Gourry shouted as he staggered to his feet unsteadily while holding his head, a river of blood streaming down the left side of his face, partially blinding him.

The demon scoffed at the shrine maiden's strange statement. "You speak as if the little witch where actually here, when the whole reason I'm even here to begin with is to bring her out of hiding under orders of Serpent-Master." "Either way it appears Gabriev is up from his little nap now… Good that means he can watch your demise, now die." He spat venomously before firing a blast of unholy energy at Sylphiel pointblank, incinerating her completely.

"SYLPHIEEEEELL…!!!!!" Lina and Gourry shouted in unison.

(L) This - - this can't be happening; it doesn't make any sense…! Lina thought to herself as tears began to well up in her ruby colored eyes. Th-that last spell should have - - Gods, Sylphiel can't be gone, she jus can't…!

Gourry bolted over to a stand, pulling a ceremonial sword from it with tears in his own eyes. "You're - - you're gonna pay… you're gonna pay for that you son of a BITCH!" He roared before charging the laughing monster.

"Gourry don't do it, you can't do a damn thing to him with that sword!!" Lina shouted after him brokenly. "I've got to do something - - !" "Lord of dreams that terrify, sword of cold and darkness…!"

"Lina…?"

The redhead began chanting as she went tearing after the blonde warrior desperately with tears still streaming down her face. "Free yourself from the heavens bonds, become one with my power, one with my body, and let us walk the path of destruction together!"

"Lina…!"

"Power that can smash even the souls of the GODSRAGNA…!"

"Gods Red, wake up!"

"- -Kat…?" The sorceress gasped as she was finally shaken awake, jerking up to a sitting position in panic and breathing raggedly, the beginnings of a Ragna Blade crackling and forming between her clenched fists.

"It's ok, it's ok it's me, you were having a nightmare…" Katibree said quietly. "Watch the spell, babe… the spell…" She added with some alarm as the violently shaking redhead's unconscious concentration on holding the spell began to waver and the unfinished Ragna Blade began to fluctuate dangerously.

The sorcery genius looked at the older girl with a mixture of fear, relief, confusion and a multitude of less easily described feelings before finally comprehending what the half drow was talking about and first stabilizing and then dispelling the Ragna Blade while letting out a slow uneven breath.

"Are you… alright now?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked gently.

The redhead sat wordlessly a moment still in shock, before covering her face with a quiet sob. "Oh Gods Kat, that was awful…" She finally said brokenly. "It was so vivid… everything felt like it was actually happening, and Sylphiel…!"

"It all over now, it was just a dream…" The ex-assassin said quietly while sitting up herself and pulling the still trembling form of the smaller girl into a gentle embrace, wrapping the formerly dislodged blanket that they'd been using around the both of them once more.

"She… she was killed right in front of me, and I couldn't do a thing about it…" "It was like I was there, but I wasn't… but at the same time, it was all so real…" Lina barely managed in between strangled sobs while pressing her face to the older girl's chest.

After giving the redhead a moment to get some of the tears out of her system, Katibree spoke once more. "Well stopping to think about this dream logically… have you ever been known to have premonitions or anything to that affect?" She asked quietly while freeing up an arm and leaning to the side slightly to rummage around in a nearby pack for a handkerchief or a suitable substitute for one.

The sorceress listened to the beat of the older girl's heart, the steady rhythm of it seeming to somehow ground her more firmly in reality and calm her as she collected her thoughts a moment before finally answering. "No… I'm normally not even much of one for having nightmares period, let alone premonitions."

"If that's the case, then I'd say that nightmare just now was most likely the concern that you've have for your friends getting dragged into this before they even know what going on stewing in the back of your mind for months before finally manifesting itself in a very nasty way." The ex-assassin mused while handing the sorcery genius a makeshift hanky.

"I guess that's possible…" Lina began while scooting to a more upright position and beginning the task of drying her still slightly puffy eyes. "But I'm telling you, it's like I was there… I could feel the heat from the explosions, smell the smell of… of charred flesh after it happened…" She tried to explain before trailing off, her voice wavering as a flashback of Sylphiel being incinerated and the memory of the smell assaulted her once more.

Katibree did her best to shake off the feel of the haunted look in the smaller girl's ruby colored eyes taking root in her own soul while forcing her brain to work on a solution independently. She'd never seen the fiery redhead this shaken and it was beginning to take its toll on her emotionally as well.

"…Alright." The half drow finally sighed after a moment more of thought. "Do you think you have enough components left over from that communication spell ritual you did in Gheyahsayl to perform another one?" She asked while running her fingers through her mostly platinum colored mane.

"Y-yeah… I think I just might actually…" The sorceress replied in surprise.

"Well why don't we squash this whole 'what if' deal right now if we can, and I'll get dinner reheated while you work on that." The mostly platinum haired warrior said as she reached for some fresh timber to restart the camp fire.

"That sounds like a plan, Kat." Lina replied, already in search of the spell components even as she spoke.

The ritual was ready in record time 10 minutes later and already in the process of being performed as Katibree looked on with a bowl of reheated stew in hand.

"Come on Sylphiel, get the link and answer already…" The sorcery genius whispered while furrowing her brow in concentration to put more insistence and force behind the spell incase the shrine maiden was sleeping and needed to be woken up.

Eventually the raven haired girl answered much to Lina's relief. M-Miss Lina…? She asked telepathically in groggy bewilderment.

Yeah, it's me Sylphiel… The redhead thought to the shrine maiden while glancing over and giving the ex-assassin a thumbs up sign with a tired but happy grin.

A communication spell… is something the matter Miss Lina? The shrine maiden asked with some alarm.

No Sylphiel… nothing's wrong. The sorceress replied mentally while taking a bowl of stew from Katibree with a nod of thanks and beginning to sip from it as she conversed with the raven haired girl. But there are definitely some new developments that we need to all sit down and talk about.

New developments…? Sylphiel pondered before trailing off. Even with you masking your emotions, I know this tone of voice Lina, what's happened? She finally thought back grimly.

Nothing's happened yet, Sylphiel… you can trust me on that, but it's inevitable that something will. Lina tried to explain with a frustrated sigh. Look, we're already a few days away from Sairaag as it is, why don't you and Gourry just meet us halfway at that inn that we used to always stay at in Stock Town whenever we were on the road together in that area.

Alright I'll let Gourry dear know what you've said, but what do you mean by 'we', do you have someone with you already Miss Lina? The shrine maiden inquired.

Uh, yeah actually…I met her while I was dealing with the whole mess in Zephilia and we kinda got caught up in each other's mess and… well, we've been traveling with each other ever since… The redhead thought back somewhat evasively, struggling with everything she had to not have any 'unwanted' thoughts or images projected to the at times uncannily shrewd shrine maiden. You'll get a chance to meet her soon enough. She added hurriedly with a mental laugh that she hoped didn't feel too nervous to close the subject to any further inquires at this point.

The raven haired girl hesitated a moment, catching an emotion from the sorceress that was too fleeting for her to quite put her finger on although it had felt somehow familiar to her, before answering back once more. …Alright Miss Lina, we'll make preparations and head out to meet you straight away then…

Ok Sylphiel, we'll see you and Gourry sometime tomorrow then.

Yes, if we leave within the hour, we should make it to Stock Town sometime just before the sun begins to set…

Sounds like we've got a date then!

And Lina…?

Yeah, Sylphiel?

Just…just try and be careful until then ok?

Yeah, and you two do the same.