SailorStar9: After uploading Chapter 2, I present Chapter 3 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny. Heck, even the pairings aren't mine.
Chapter 3: On the Move! He's Out for Revenge?
"Impossible..." Valgarv was taken aback when the solidified water shield withstood his attack. He put more power into the fire beam, punching through it and knocking the group back into the sand. Charging forward, he kicked the downed Lina, before rapidly tossing Amelia off. Another two energy blasts shot Zelgadis and Gourry off. "Don't disappoint me." he chided. "You have more tricks up your sleeve, don't you?"
"I see." Lina smirked. "You've inherited Gaav's love of battle, haven't you?" "I think it may be boasting to see you're Gaav's equal, but it definitely looks like you're pretty powerful."
"If you understand that, start fighting seriously." Valgarv snorted. "It's the least you can do for someone who's traveled all this way just to kill you, right?"
"How about you?" Lina fired back. "It's only polite not to treat an enemy you're facing the first time like they're just useless cannon fodder."
"Unfortunately, my nature won't let me be that generous." Valgarv shrugged. "Not as long as you speak so insultingly to me. You understand, don't you?" he powered up another fireball. "I will show you no mercy. You have not time to think this over."
"Ex-quip: Sedna Llyr Kamui." aside, Aria called forth her Kamui Robe. "Spear of Longinus! Ice Dragon Bullet!" she released the ice construct at Valgarv, who used his fireball to melt the ice dragon.
Gourry took the opening to attack Valgarv on the back.
"Gorun Nova?" Valgarv snorted, blocking off the sword with an arm. "Don't be so eager." he muttered, receiving Armace's mental instructions to nab the Sword of Light. "Come on." he taunted Gourry. "Give me that." he willed the Sword of Light to him.
"You damn thief!" Gourry barked.
"I beg your pardon." Valgarv chided. "I just want it back."
"Bom di Wind!" both Zelgadis and Amelia's combined spell broke the two fighters apart.
"White Ripple!" Aria fired off her wave of white ice at Valgarv, who leapt to the air to dodge the attack.
"I've finally found you, Valgarv." Xellos stood on a stone slab.
"Xellos." Valgarv returned.
The two adversaries powered up and took their fight to the air.
"Winter's Edge!" Aria fired her two crescent-shaped ice energy blades at Valgarv.
"Don't count me out yet!" Gourry jumped into the fight. "If you're thinking I'm at an disadvantage, then you're dead wrong."
"You seem to be angry." Valgarv blocked Gourry's sword with his arm. "Working together?" he mocked, finding himself surrounded. "That isn't very fair of you."
"Don't tell me you want to fight one on one now." Lina taunted. "Gaav took us on in this same set-up. Or are you bluffing when you say you're as powerful as Gaav was?"
"You want me to prove that I am by taking you all on at once?" Valgarv realized what Lina was implying. "What a transparent proposal. Sounds fun. Let's try it. What the..." he blinked when the ground shook.
"And... they're gone." Aria started, when Valgarv and Xellos restarted their fight once again, vanishing into thin air.
"How sad." Xellos reappeared after the shaking stopped. "How very sad. Looks like he managed to stay one step ahead of me. It seems he'll be a difficult opponent to deal with. Hello, everyone. Fancy meeting you all here. What an unexpected pleasure."
"Xellos, no kidding." Lina agreed. "Must be fate. What do you think you're talking about?" she snarled, grabbing Xellos into a head-lock. "You crazy priest. How many times will you use us until you're satisfied? Just like you were after Gaav, a traitor to the Mazoku race, you're after Valgarv, his remaining minion." she noted, after Xellos explained.
"And on the other hand, so he can avenge his master, Valgarv is after you, the one who he believed killed Gaav." Xellos added.
"So you used Lina-san as bait to make it easier to lure him out to attack." Amelia concluded.
"That's a sick little love triangle." Zelgadis snorted.
"But I wasn't able to catch him in the end." Xellos supplied. "Valgarv suddenly gained a lot of power recently, and it's impossible for the Mazoku race to keep up with him."
"So, you're implying he's got someone powerful backing him now." Lina realized.
"What we know for sure is that we have a nasty new enemy." Zelgadis noted.
"I guess this has to do with the threat to the world that Filia-san mentioned, doesn't it?" Amelia mused.
"Speaking about Filia, where is she?" Aria wondered.
"I forgot all about her." Lina gaped.
"Found her!" Aria spotted Filia's dragon tail sticking out of the sand a while later.
"How could you, Lina-san?" Filia complained, after she was dug free. "Not only do you abandon me, but now you bring this filthy Mazoku into my presence."
"I said I was sorry." Lina chuckled. "Maybe this was all just a pretext to lure Valgarv out, but I guess this means you ended up saving us, again." she cast a look at Xellos.
"You can't have to sound so sad about it." Xellos scolded.
"Xellos." Filia spat. "The Dragon race's enemy during the Kōma War, the one who nearly destroyed my people. He's a demon among demons. I found Lina-san first. I don't know what you're planning, but stop interfering. Stay out of our way."
"I'm not getting in your way." Xellos protested. "I get it. It's okay for you to get Lina out here on a pretext but it's horrible if I did first?"
"Even if I did use a pretext, I'm trying to save the world from a threat." Filia declared. "It's not like the selfish pretext a Mazoku will use."
"A pretext is a pretext, isn't it?" Xellos fired back.
"You get the feeling those two don't really like each other?" Gourry whispered to the other three on the sidelines.
"One's a Mazoku and the other serves Kami as a priestess of the Fire Dragon King." Amelia started.
"A grudge that's gone on since the Kōma War." Zelgadis added.
"Anyway, can we all calm down here?" Lina pushed the feuding pair apart. "Let's sort out what we've learnt so far. Xellos, for once, I want you to tell us everything you know."
"As far as I know, the enemy has three objectives." Xellos had no problem sharing what he had found out. "First, as you already know, your life. The next one is the Gorun Nova, which Gourry possesses. In short, the Sword of Light."
"Can I ask you something?" Lina cut in. "What do you mean 'Gorun Nova'? Is that your people's dialect?"
"Gorun Nova is the proper name for it, from ancient times." Xellos supplied. "And it seems he's looking for a weapon similar to the Sword of Light, but more powerful."
"Now that you mention it, remember those greedy people we saw when we arrived?" Amelia recalled. "They seems really busy looking for something."
"You think they were involved in this, too?" Lina exclaimed. "That's silly. Besides, if it was true and they had a weapon as strong as the Sword of Light, they wouldn't have run away."
"True," Xellos agreed. "But it's a fact that they're in frenzy to find something. Currently, their eyes are on the Holy Sword held by the Sand People."
"How do you know so much?" Lina thought to ask.
"Before I ran into you all, I saw them attack a Sand People Village." Xellos replied. "I came to see this for myself, after all."
"So, what's happening to the village now?" Lina stared.
Near the demolished Sand People Village...
"See?" Xellos beamed.
"Xellos-san, you mean you just let that village be attacked?" Amelia fumed. "I don't believe it."
"Well, I can." Aria piped in. "Seeing how Valgarv wasn't there, it really wasn't any of his business."
"Anyway, I'll take the Sand People's treasure for myself." Lina declared, flying off to the village with Zelgadis and Amelia in tow.
"Filia-san was it?" Xellos grinned. "So, how's the Fire Dragon King these days?"
"Don't set one foot inside this line." Filia roared, starting to draw boundaries between her and her race's dreaded enemy. "You cockroach! You garbage!"
"Garbage..." Xellos twitched.
"Lina-san!" after erecting a wired barricade, Filia hurried off after the group.
"What?" Lina gaped, forcing to land when a rock structure collapsed on their path.
"Everyone, scatter!" Aria barked as a sand wave zigzagged towards them.
In the midst of the resulting sandstorm, Valgarv appeared wielding the Ragudo Mezegis and attacked Lina.
Gourry cut into the fight, kicking Valgarv away.
"What's that?" Lina frowned. "What's that weird weapon?"
"Are you saying you'd like to see it?" Valgarv grinned.
"It can't be." Lina gaped. "It's a weapon just like the Sword of Light?"
"There's only one Sword of Light in this world." Gourry drew his weapon. "It belongs to my family."
"In that case, care to test it?" Valgarv accepted the challenge.
With Aria's group...
"Sandworm." Aria instantly recognized the sand monster attacking the rest of the group. "Isn't that just wonderful?"
"We'll just have to finish it off." Zelgadis remarked.
"I warned him, didn't I?" Grabos complained.
"What do you mean?" Zelgadis demanded, pointing his sword at the beastman.
"It was this thing." Grabos replied. "Pulling it out is what summoned that monster."
"I see." Xellos teleported in. "It seems the Sand People's Holy Sword was simply a key for keeping that monster sealed.
"We'd better use this chance to run." Jiras made a getaway with Grabos.
"Ex-quip: Desert Conqueror!" Aria summoned her anti-desert armor and the Tsunami Edge blade. "Dragon River!" she fought off the sandworm with the water dragon.
"You won't be forgetting about me this time." Filia smacked Grabos and Jiras back into the fight, retrieving the Holy Sword in the process.
With Valgarv...
"Are you satisfied now? Valgarv growled. Both weapon wielders fought to a standstill.
"You're pretty tough." Gourry admitted. "Does this mean you've found what you're looking for?"
"One of them, at least." Valgarv replied.
"You mean there are others?" Lina gaped.
"Then let's stop playing around." Gourry readied himself.
"If we didn't, where would the fun be?" Valgarv's eyes narrowed.
With Aria's group...
"Come on." Filia dropped the Holy Sword in Amelia's hands. "We have to get that sword where it belongs."
"So, where's it belong" Amelia wondered.
"Inside that shrine over there, I believe." Xellos pointed.
"Azure's Dragon Tail!" Aria trapped the sandworm in a water vortex. "Whatever you guys do, better do it fast!" she shouted.
"How much do you weigh?" Zelgadis made the decision. "I was asking you seriously." he deathpanned when Amelia slammed the sword on his head. "All right." factoring Amelia's weight, he made his calculations. "Directions 30 degrees, firing angle , 20."
"Zelgadis-san?" Amelia stammered, finding herself loaded onto a metal pipe.
"Relax," Zelgadis assured. "Let's get going. Bom di Wind!" he blasted Amelia straight into the shrine.
"You do know she's going to get you for that move." Aria reminded, slicing the sandworm straight in the middle when the sandworm turned into stone and disintegrated after the Holy Sword was put back in place.
"Not if I had you as a shield." Zelgadis grinned.
"So, where's Lina-san?" Xellos wondered.
With Valgarv...
"Whichever weapon is stronger will win." Valgarv renewed his attack on Gourry.
"Don't let him provoke you." Lina warned.
"I'm already provoked." Gourry snapped, charging in.
Both Dark Star weapons clashed with each other, causing a resonance wave that rippled outwards.
"What's happening?" Gourry winced, feeling himself getting drawn into the energy vortex.
A powerful streak of light descended from the sky, splitting the two combatants apart and Armace manifested in astral form.
"Retreat." Armace ordered.
"Why?" Valgarv demanded. "I'm so close to finishing them off. Why retreat?"
"I said retreat." Armace repeated.
"Like we're gonna let you do what you want." Lina snapped, charging in with Zelgadis. "Elmekia Flame!"
"Ra Tilt!" Zelgadis added in his attack when Lina's
"Their magic wasn't strong enough." Filia realized, seeing Armace was unharmed by the two spells.
"That's not right." Xellos corrected. "It's not that it isn't strong enough; it's meaningless to even try using magic on one of his kind."
"Mark my words, Lina Inverse." Valgarv swore. "I will kill you." he vanished with Armace.
"Is he the one who will fill the world with darkness?" Filia breathed.
"Apparently so." Xellos agreed. "Just as your prophecy says, the threat to the world."
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.