The Laugh she thought was Gone Forever
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" Sherra paused in eating long enough to wince. "Your appetite seems to rival my one-time side-kick!!"
~Why are we travelling with this....creature?~
"She pays for the food," Sherra snapped.
"What was that, child? Did you say something?" Sherra glowered at the "child" remark.
"Hmm, we're not the only strangers in town," Sherra noted, glancing at a small group of assorted men and women as they entered the inn. The six of them looked like travelers. They were all human, at least they looked that way. Sherra noted a second small group already seated look up and nod in recognition.
"Well, of course not. Simple child," Naga tsked impatiently. "The villages we've already passed must be fleeing the oncoming armies."
"Those," Sherra pointed to a whipped looking bunch of farmer types. "Are refugees, those people are something else." She squinted her eyes and concentrated on the hushed conversation coming from the now decent sized group.
"...protect...safe haven"
"...few....those..."
"....many...coming?"
"Quiet...watc..." They all turned to face Sherra who returned to her eating, watching them out of the corner of her eye.
~Something is coming,~ Duofolger noted suddenly.
"I need to check something, err, Naga..." Sherra snapped, jumping to her feet.
"What's the hurry," Naga asked. "You children, always running everywhere." Naga tsked again as Sherra rushed out of the inn, the strangers watching her.
"RAYWING!!" Sherra was getting much better at this human magic, she lifted into the air without so much as a flutter in her flight.
~Careful not to strain yourself too much.~
"Now who sounds like a mortal," Sherra asked snidely as she directed herself away from the village in the direction she had first come from. If she didn't know better she'd say the sealed mazoku was concerned for her. Well, since his release was dependent on her, he had a right to be. "From this direction right?"
~Yes, lots of anger and hatred,~ the sword confirmed. ~Lovely meal, but probably not healthy for you right now.~ Sherra growled enviously.
"There! Its a whole damn army!" Sherra pointed out the movement at the edge of her vision. "Five hours maybe, let's get back and evacuate that town."
~Why not just leave ourselves?~
"I'd rather be a target among many," Sherra noted as she turned back. Duofolger responded with a mental nod. A short time later she landed in the village again, sauntered into the inn and started shouting. "HEY!! The elves are on their way here, everybody should get going!" As the news started spreading like wild fire, Sherra considered whether or not to get anything else to eat. She didn't feel THAT hungry though, and there were more immediate concerns.
"How do we get to Sailoon with all these elves cutting us off," Naga asked of her "younger" companion. Apparently she was treating the war like some kind of personal affront.
"We'll just go through that forest," Sherra shrugged.
"The forest!! But that's Kitsune Forest!" a villager shouted. "There are monsters in there! We can't go there."
"Please try not to act so foolishly," Sherra turned to face the voice and face faulted. The tall blonde woman turned to face her and walked forward. "Sherra Grausherra."
"Filia," Sherra awknowledged as she stood up. Filia narrowed her eyes suscipiciously and then blinked.
"One of your eyes is human," the dragon noted.
"Only one!!" Sherra declared cheerfully.
"Why does everyone react to this urchin and not to me?" Naga demanded. "I am Naga the White Serpent, sorceress supreme!!"
"Filia-san, you know these people," Sherra turned to see one of the eight strangers.
"I've met Sherra," Filia admitted. "It seems there are more of you than I can remember as well."
"There aren't many places safe for us," the first speaker said, shrugging. "Word spread that she had called for assistance."
"I see, well how many elves are coming?" Filia's voice in talking to Sherra was beyond cold, but Sherra was used to that.
~No magicians, lots of infantry, an exploratory force.~
"An exploratory force," Sherra said. "No magic, about five hours out maybe."
"We should have an easy time routing them!" Naga declared suddenly. Then perhaps there will be time to reach Sailoon before the rest of the army follows. I want to meet my brother-in-law. OHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"Please wait here," Filia said. Sherra had no doubt that it was a command. Then she turned to a villager. "You people should flee into the forest, you will have no problem reaching Sailoon."
"H-h-hai Filia-sama!" the villager declared spreading the news.
"Who are you to give ME orders," Naga demanded as civilians cleared the room.
"She's a dragon priestess," Sherra informed her, irritably.
"And what is that to Naga!" Filia merely rolled her eyes and took flight by Raywing, not wanting to reveal her dragon nature to the locals just yet.
"And who are you, girl?" one of the strangers demanded of Sherra.
"Can I borrow a knife first?" Sherra demanded. "I want to check something." Oddly enough the man shrugged and handed her a slim dagger.
The blue-haired girl surprised everyone by using it to slash a line across her palm. Though what really surprised them was dark color of her blood, and how it almost seemed to be bleeding as a mist.
~This is good,~ Duofolger noted. ~Its still blood, and its still red, but you're healing.~
"A mazoku," Sherra said sweetly. "Why do you ask?"
~Sherra, please stop being an idiot and trying to get yourself killed.~
"Oh, as if you care," Sherra snapped.
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!! You must forgive my delusional friend," Naga demanded. "We are both sorceresses in search of my old travelling companion, Li..."
"Lina Inverse?" the man asked.
"How did you know that?" Sherra asked.
"Because we're here to help her as well," he said.
"Wow, I didn't think that little message would get that much of a....oh bloody hell!! That can't be who I think it is. You!! You...you....almost smell human," Lina said, rage changing to confusion.
"Long story," Sherra muttered. The graying sorceress blinked and looked over the fox woman.
"You seem familiar," Lina turned the voice and paled.
"Oh...no...not YOU!!" Much to everyone's surprise Lina fainted.
"Obviously she is overwhelmed by my awesome and gorgeous presence," Naga declared. Leaving certain cosmic forces to try and trace her bloodline for signs of the family known as "Kuno." "But she still seems very familiar."
"Hey Inverse! Wake up you guy-stealing..." Sherra suddenly remembered she wanted to be on Lina's good side. "Brilliant, beautiful...uh...former sorceress."
"What is that about?" Filia asked...the still nameless travelers shrugged..confused.
"I must not be sleeping enough..." Lina said as she came to. "I could have sworn I just saw!"
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!! Lina Inverse is that you!?" Naga gasped.
"AAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! NAGA!!!" Lina snapped to standing and regarded Naga with outright shock. "First my sister and now NAGA!? Does the universe bear me a grudge!?"
"Should we kill here?"
"No no...she might be useful," Lina said, reluctantly...very reluctantly.
"My, my, you grew breasts eventually after all. Somewhat at least," Naga noted condescendingly
"Gee...thanks, Naga," Lina growled, glancing back at Filia.
"I didn't know who she was," Filia said, glaring at Sherra.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well I was...well..." Sherra stammered.
~YOUR SIX HUNDRED YEARS OLD!!! STOP ACTING LIKE A TEENAGER!!~
"Quiet you!" Sherra thumped her sword. "Well you see I met your son, and..." Lina cut her off before she could get any further.
"Nevermind, its time for some serious business." Lina looked in the direction of Beleriand.
"Like sticking it to the House of Feanor?" Sherra said hopefully.
~How'd I get stuck with an adolescent for six hundred years?"
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