Lina rubbed her chin as she held her light spell up, examining the wall where it looked like blood had splashed. Lots of blood. There was a body not too far away, but it was completely bones with scraps of clothing on it. Lina frowned. "Wonder what killed that person..." she came closer to the bones, crouching beside them to take a closer look. The bones were crushed, mostly in the chest area, seeming to have impacted the wall with incredible force then slid down to its current position.
"So there're traps here- and I'm all alone. At least my spells work!" That was little comfort to Lina for some reason and she glanced around nervously. "Gourry?" she called tentatively, somewhat reminded of the time they'd had to wear costumes to get into a tower where they'd been turned into dolls one at a time until only Lina was left. She hoped that wasn't going to be the case again.
"Hey! MAZOKU! I'm here all by myself so you can come out and attack me now!" She yelled with bravado. Her words only echoed through the still musty darkness of the hallway.
She scratched her head. "Oh what I'd give for the powers Xelloss has. Then I could just zap myself out of this place... I sure hope this book has a spell like that." She smiled to herself and started off down the hall.
* * *
Zelgadis stopped in his tracks, looking at a wall, realizing the deep crevice in the stones he'd noticed earlier had once again reappeared. "I'm going in circles!" he fumed. "That's it!" turning toward the wall, he put his hands against it, intending to cast a spell, and fell through, landing in a deep pit on top of the bones of some poor sap who'd fallen for the same trick.
The Chimera picked himself up and dusted himself off, glaring around the area. There were other corpses, all of them down to bare bones, all of them apparently having been hurt from the fall and unable to get out. Zelgadis made his way over to one wall, finding scratches on it. "Four... four days perhaps? How would he know?" He crouched down, looking at the strange metal instrument clutched- or had been clutched- in the hand of the corpse (kinda hard to clutch something when you have no muscle or skin left to hold your bones together). Zelgadis picked up the small disk-like object.
"I'd only heard of these...." Zelgadis stood up, holding the disk, turning slowly and watching as the needle moved as well, always pointing in the same direction. "An actual compass," Zelgadis murmured, stuffing it into his pocket then looking down at the bones. "Sorry, but it really doesn't help you much now..."
Zelgadis took a stroll around the pit, looking at the other bodies, finding nothing of use on them. He frowned, looking up. "Rei Wing," he murmured, his body lifting into the air. He didn't realize he was completely out of the pit until the area suddenly changed. He found himself hovering over solid floor in another hall. Zelgadis lowered his feet to the floor and found himself falling, "Rei wing!" he lifted up again and glowered, "Illusion. Even Rezo was unable to cast such a high level spell."
Zelgadis flicked his hair out of his face for a moment, drifting forward to set his feet on truly solid ground. "Something you forgot to mention, Xelloss, there are traps all over the damn place."
The Chimera turned his eyes to studying the illusionary floor, running his hands along the edge of it, finding razors. He pulled one out, he looked at it carefully, sniffed it, "Poisoned." He tossed it down into the pit and shoved himself to his feet. Turning, he almost jumped back into the pit, his startled yelp echoed though the hall.
He'd not heard a sound, he could swear the place was empty except for himself, yet, now, he was standing face to face with a woman. She had deep green eyes with sparkles of gold etched into their depths, framed by long silver lashes. Her eyebrows were delicately arched over her almond shaped eyes that were tilted toward her slender nose. Her skin was creamy white, a pale shade against her metallic silver hair. Her hair cascaded in straight locks down to her thighs, the ends uneven. Her oval face was framed by her bangs, which fell forward from the rest of her hair, her chin was the only somewhat abrupt point on her, and even it was rounded. Dangling from her somewhat pointed ears were chains twinned by the ones around her waist.
Her body was slender, clad in a black long skirted and sleeved dress with an ivory overdress draped over it. The overdress was loose the hem started just past her hip and trailed down to where her black dress ended. It was belted at her waist with double silver chains and left in angel wings on her arms. The neckline hung down past her breasts, but the black dress underneath had a high collar that ended in a turtleneck under her chin. Her feet were clad in simple ivory colored sandals.
Zelgadis couldn't help but gape at her. "E-excuse me... ma'am..." he started to say but she turned away from him, her eyes empty. She walked down the hall silently, leaving no footprints in the dust. She disappeared into the darkness. Zelgadis continued to gape after her. "She-....was beautiful."
* * *
"GUYS?" Gourry shouted down the dark hall, he was completely in the dark, having no way to light his surroundings other then his sword of light, yet he hadn't thought of that.
Finally it occurred to him to take out his sword of light, illuminating his surroundings with the pure energy. His scream echoed for at least five minutes afterward.
Bones littered the floor, scattered, chewed on, broken, and twisted. Gourry had the vague notion that he might be in trouble. He was standing in a cull-de-sack, a dark hallway on one side, an even darker cavern on the other.
* * *
Amelia stumbled along the hallway, having lost all three of her companions and now the door all within the space of ten minutes. She found herself walking down endless hallways. She occasionally put marks on the walls to keep from doubling back on her track, but could swear that they had been removed somehow for she recalled passing the same pile of bones twenty three times.
"I don't wanna DIE here!" Amelia screamed.
"Then why did you come?" a dulcet voice asked from the darkness.
"Huh?" Amelia looked around.
"You came for my book didn't you?" the voice asked, with an edge.
Amelia quaked in her boots. "I came because Zelgadis came- and he came because Lina came and because that book might have a cure for him!" she cried. "Please don't hurt me Ms. Ghost!"
The voice laughed, a low rich sound just on the verge of hysterical, "I'm not the ghost.. you are. Walking my halls... falling into pits... funny how ghosts follow the rule of gravity. But they're ghosts all the same... I touch them- I can't feel it, I walk though them."
Amelia's eyes watered, "That's so sad! But I'm not a ghost!"
The voice did not answer for a long moment. "Then I must be," the voice responded sadly. "If you do not wish to die here, then I will show you out."
"But- my friends! They're missing!" Amelia protested.
Once again there was silence. Amelia was afraid the ghost had left her alone once again. "Then I will show you to them then I will show you out."
Amelia smiled brightly, "Thank you!"
"Do not thank me. Just leave me in peace."
"You sound kinda like Mr. Zelgadis. He always says he wants to be left alone, but really he doesn't. He's so lonely but he won't admit it." Amelia twisted her cape in her fingers. "You know- I'm a Shrine Maiden. I can put your soul to rest, I can free you from this place."
A woman with long silver hair, wearing an ivory and black dress appeared walking down the hall Amelia had just come from. "Follow," the voice echoed from that direction. The princess ran to catch up with the woman.
"Oomph!" someone said as Amelia fell to the floor, rubbing her forehead.
"Ouch!" she cried then looked up, "Zelgadis!" she threw her arms around his waist, hugging him hard then realized what she was doing. With a startled cry, she jumped away from him, blushing. He didn't even seem to notice.
"How did you get here?" Zelgadis asked.
"A ghost spoke to me and said she'd lead me to you guys and then lead us out!" Amelia gushed, proud of herself.
"She spoke to you?" he looked down at her intently.
Amelia blushed, and felt somewhat jealous. "Yes..."
"Follow," the voice echoed again, grabbing Zelgadis's attention immediately.
"Wait!" he called, "Please- who are you?"
She slowly looked at him, her eyes empty, "Why does it matter? You will be leaving soon enough. Forget any stories you heard about the treasures hidden here. None are true."
"What about the book?" Zelgadis asked, grabbing at her arm, watching as his hand went right through her. "You aren't real..."
"After all these years- I've figured it out," she said, looking dazed, "I'm the one who's been dead." She laughed, though Zelgadis didn't personally find it that funny.
"Amelia could put your soul to rest-"
"And who would guard my book?" she interrupted him. "I cannot leave."
Amelia walked behind them, pouting as Zelgadis's attention was completely on the ghostly woman. What's she got that I haven't? So what if her hair's longer and she's an inch taller- she's DEAD! Amelia thought to herself.
"I just want to look at the book- I only want to know if there's a cure in it-"
"A cure for what? Cancer? The common cold? Boy, don't bother me with trivialities," the ghost snapped at the Chimera.
"NO! I want to be human again! Look at me! I'm a complete freak!" Zelgadis roared at the ghost. The woman-spirit stopped, slowly turning to look at him.
"What are you now?" she asked.
Zelgadis hung his head somewhat, embarrassed for yelling at the beautiful woman, "I'm a Chimera, the Red Priest Rezo turned me into this as a sick joke on my wish for strength."
She looked thoughtful, "Chimera...... they were only just starting study into that field when... How long have I been here? L-Sama, help me..." she murmured, disappearing suddenly.
"Where'd she go?!" Amelia gasped.
"Only- only just starting..." Zelgadis looked at Amelia slowly, "She's been here for at least three thousand years, Amelia! The technique for making Chimeras is that old, if she remembers..." he shook his head.
"I have to set her free- it's the ONLY WAY for those who fight for JUSTICE!" Amelia cried, lifting a fist into the air. She was interrupted by a loud roar down the hall. Zelgadis picked her up by the waist, throwing her over his shoulder and running down the hall. "Mr. Zelgadis!!" she shrieked, her cape having flown up over her head, blocking any chance of seeing what was going on.
Zelgadis stopped suddenly, "Gourry!" he cried.
Amelia pushed her cape back and peeked out from under it to find the blonde swordsman leaning against the huge corpse of a wingless dragon. He had his Sword of light out and was panting, but looking pleased with himself.
"My guardian is dead..." The strange ghostly woman said softly as she reappeared. "My only companion in this torment gone..." she murmured then started laughing hysterically. "I want you out. All of you, out!" she suddenly shrieked.
"But- Lina!" Amelia cried, but was cut off.
"I'm right here, Amelia. I heard the noise and came running!- well, flying over places. Now which way to that book?!" Lina smirked.
"No Lina- we can't have the book," Amelia protested as Zelgadis set her feet on the ground, helping her adjust her cape back into place.
"Why NOT?! I HAVE to have the book!" Lina whined, "And Zel needs his cure," she amended. "Who was laughing earlier?"
Zelgadis looked around, "She's gone again," he said softly.
"Who has?!" Lina stomped her foot, "Stop being so vague!"
"The Ghost Woman!" Amelia said, "She's been trapped here for three thousand years- or that's what Zelgadis says."
Lina eyed the Chimera, "And how would you know?"
"She mentioned the study of Chimeras only just starting when something happened to her. That started three thousand years ago- or so Rezo told me." The Chimera pondered a moment. "There might not be a spell in there for me after all."
Lina pouted, "But think of what IS in there!"
Gourry blinked, shrugging, "I go wherever Lina goes."
Amelia blushed, "I'll go wherever you go, Mr. Zelgadis... If that's onward or out."
Lina smacked her fist into her palm, "Well I'm going onward, that's for sure!" Zelgadis sighed, looking down at Amelia's wide watery eyes.
"I suppose we'd have to find her body to set her free, wouldn't we, Amelia?"
The princess beamed, "I knew you'd make the right and JUST choice, Mr. Zelgadis!" she gushed. Zelgadis looked up at the ceiling, sweatdropping.