Slayers is the property of Kadokawa Shoten.
SYLPHIEL: I can't believe it! Gourry!? Kidnapped?!
AMELIA: Again? If I didn't know better, I'd say the author of this series was running out of
ideas…
ZELGADIS: Well, he HAS kicked the orihalcon thing to death…
LINA: EXCUSE ME!!! GOURRY! KIDNAPPED! REMEMBER?!
AMELIA: That's right! (POSES) OUR FRIEND AND COMPATRIOT, GOURRY GABRIEV…
REST OF CAST: WE GET IT!!!
Faces: After!
Part 8
P.O.W.!
Give Back Gourry!
Gourry was wet.
Opening his eyes he soon found out why. He looked up above him and found his hands
secured by ropes above his head. He appeared to be in some kind of cavern. From above them, a
tiny waterfall was cascading down the cave's wall, just enough to keep him wet and
uncomfortable. Looking down, he saw that he was shirtless and his sword was missing.
"Rise and shine, Mister Gabriev! It's another beautiful day!" he heard the oily voice of
the red priest wannabe, Zero, call out. He looked to his left and found the man striding towards
him. Greysword and another creature, something vaguely insectoid walked after him. "I believe
you know Miss Greysword," Zero mentioned.
"Yeah, we've met," Gourry muttered.
Greysword didn't look happy to see him either. Zero just smiled and gestured to the
bipedal insect. "This is Mister Kik," he said. "He's an expert."
"Expert on what?" the swordsman asked.
"The application of pain and terror, Mister Gabriev."
Gourry smiled. "It won't do any good to torture me," he said. "Nothing you could do
could stand up to what Lina would do to me if I betrayed her."
"We'll see," Zero told him smugly. "Unless of course you'd like to tell me where Mister
Greywords is now and save us some time."
Gourry didn't say anything.
"Pity," Zero remarked. He turned to Kik. "Draw it out." Kik nodded in agreement and
started toward Gourry. The creature raised a chitinous claw. Blue sparks of electricity arced
between his sharp fingers. "Have you ever been hit with a Dig Volt?" Zero asked him.
"Remarkable effects on the human body. Lightning causes a chemical reaction in your muscles,"
the red wannabe continued. "Every muscle in your body contracts at the same time. Since this
reaction occurs to each counter muscle along with each muscle at the exact same time, the subject
is frozen immobile in pain, unable to do anything to stop it." He nodded.
Kik touched him with the claw. Gourry's body tensed up as arcs of blue electricity ran up
and down his body. After a minute, what seemed like a lifetime to him, Kik pulled away.
"Impressive, ne?" Zero asked. "Tell me where Zelgadis Greywords is."
Gourry looked at him and spat, the spittle striking the man's immaculate robes. Zero rolled
his eyes and waved at him. Kik touched Gourry again. This time, an almost inaudible scream flew
from the swordsman's lips.
Zero turned to Greysword. "This is going to take awhile." She nodded and decided to
leave the room. She didn't have as much stomach for this part of the job as Zero did. She picked
up her pack and started for the cave's entrance. She'd might as well take this opportunity to get
her knife back. Once Gabriev broke they'd have to move fast.
She bumped into a stalagmite, causing her bag to jostle. From inside, a soft tune began to
play. She stopped and reached inside, pulling out a small music box. The bump with the stalagmite
had caused it to open. She listened to the tune for a few moments before closing it again.
Without a word, she walked out of the cave.
Lina knelt down and looked down the hole in the road. It was filled with water. She
nodded and put it together. The red priest duplicate must have used an ice spell on Gourry, then
trapped him with a Bephis Bring. The ice had melted, filling the hole with water.
She stood up and sighed.
(Why did you split up?) her mind asked her accusingly. (Why did you leave him here?)
"Oi, Lina!" She looked up and saw Zelgadis waving her over. He was standing in the
forest not far away. Sylphiel and Amelia were with him. She jogged over to him, and he pointed
down at the floor. Two sets of footprints ran alongside two parallel lines in the dirt.
She nodded. "Two men dragging a third."
"Then they really have Mister Gourry?" Amelia asked.
"Looks that way," Lina mumbled. Her head still hurt, but thanks to Amelia's spell, she'd
be fine. Didn't stop her headache, though. "Think you can follow these tracks?" she asked
Zelgadis. He nodded. "Okay. I'm going back to Namor," she announced. They looked at her
quizzically. "I think I might have a lead. Amelia, why don't you come with me and we'll check it
out. Zel, you and Sylphiel follow this trail and see what you can come up with."
They all accepted this plan with nods.
"One more thing," Lina went on. "If you see these guys, don't try anything until we get
there. They're good."
Zelgadis nodded. "Come on, Sylphiel." The chimera and the priestess started deeper into
the woods.
Lina turned dully and started walking down the road. Amelia followed alongside the
redhead, picking up on her sour mood. They traveled silently for a good mile, neither speaking.
The sorceress' thoughts went back to Gourry. It was like Phibrizzo all over again. He had
been taken because of her; because of HER stupidity, because of HER arrogance. (Splitting
up…What the Hell was I thinking?) she asked herself. (I know better than that.)
"Miss Lina."
She turned her head and saw Amelia doing her absolute best to smile for her benefit.
"Mister Gourry will be okay."
Lina tried to smile back. "Yeah, I know," she told the princess quietly. Amelia nodded as
if to say, "And that's that," and continued walking. "How are you doing?" Lina asked her.
Amelia looked at her; surprised that Lina would ask such a thing. "I'm…I'm fine," she
told the sorceress. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Lina saw the look on her face, the half second flash of pain, and knew that Amelia had
found out about Zelgadis and Sylphiel. "I'm sorry, Amelia," she whispered.
The princess turned back to the road and set her jaw. "It's better this way," she told Lina
quietly. "I'm…I'm fine with it. I really am."
Amelia turned and found that Lina had stopped walking. She was looking at the princess
sympathetically.
"I…really am," Amelia told her, an unwanted tear forming in her eye. "I am…I really…"
Lina held her arms out. Amelia found herself rushing into them, crying into her role
model's tunic. The sorceress hugged her and patted her back.
"I'm fine with it! I really am!" Amelia cried. "I really am…"
Lina didn't say anything. She merely held the crying princess as she wept. She knew it
was all a part of growing up. Amelia would be fine.
Eventually.
"Poor Miss Lina," Sylphiel commented as she pushed aside a tree branch to follow
Zelgadis. "She must feel horrible."
"It could have happened to any of us," Zelgadis told her.
"But her feelings for Gourry…" Sylphiel shook her head. "She must feel so guilty."
Zelgadis paused, kneeling over a part of the trail. "They were after me," he whispered.
"Why would they be after me?"
Sylphiel blinked at him. In their rush to rescue Gourry, that part of Lina's story had gone
right by without registering.
(They're after Zelgadis dear…)
She felt a ball of ice descend into her stomach. Should he be out here, then? What if they
had taken Gourry to be used as bait?
The chimera stood up and took a breath. He was going over the descriptions of Lina's
attackers in his head again. The "Rezo wannabe" didn't ring a bell, and the woman didn't seem to
raise any red flags either.
"Greysword," Lina had called her.
He must have said this out loud because Sylphiel spoke up a second later. "It's a fitting
name if what Miss Lina said about her skills is true." She blinked a second later. "You
know…It's also an anagram of YOUR name."
Zelgadis turned back to her. "What?"
"Well…Yes," she said. "Just move the 'S' to the end, and you have 'Greywords.'"
He blinked in surprise. She was right. He shook his head. "We must be cousins," he
quipped.
"Ninth letter, fourth removed?" Sylphiel asked with a slight smile.
Zelgadis chuckled and started after the trail again. "Come on. It leads this way."
"Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel called out. He stopped and turned to her. Her earlier smile was
gone. "Promise me you'll be careful," she begged.
"I'm always careful," he told her.
"Just don't get hurt," she told him. "Or captured!" she added in a second later.
He smiled. "Even if I was, wouldn't you just use violence, money, and sex appeal to
rescue me?"
She blushed, remembering the words she had spoken to Lina when Phibrizzo had taken
Gourry. "Yes…of course, I would," she said, staring at the ground, drawing little circles in the
dirt with her toe.
"Then I have nothing to worry about," Zelgadis said casually, turning back to the trail.
"C'mon. If Lina beats us to Gourry, we'll never hear the end of it."
Sylphiel nodded with a smile and ran after him.
"The one with the breasts," Lina elaborated.
The weapons merchant's face lit up with recognition. "Oh, yeah…Her. Nope, she hasn't
been back for her dagger yet. Why you ask?"
"She owes me money," Lina told him casually.
"SHE'S A FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE!" Amelia explained, posing. "A HORRIBLE
WOMAN WHO'S STOLEN A GOOD FRIEND AND VALUED ALLY FROM THE BOSOM OF
HIS FRIENDS! IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE I DEMAND YOU TELL US EVERYTHING YOU
KNOW ABOUT THIS SWORD-SWINGING SLUT!!!"
Lina and the shopkeep sweatdropped.
"She's on medication," Lina explained. The merchant ah'd in response and nodded. "So
what can you tell us?"
"Well, all I know is that her dagger's repaired and it's still here. All she has to do is pick
it up."
The redhead smiled evilly. "It won't be the only thing she picks up here." She tossed a
small, red gem up and down in the air.
Gourry cried out again in pain. Sitting in a simple, wooden chair off to the side, Zero bit
into a sandwich and chewed.
"You know," Zero told him between bites. "Lord Rezo once told me that there is no such
thing as an unbreakable man." He gave a nod to Kik, who placed his electrified claw to Gourry's
chest again. The swordsman felt the shock running up and down his body and did his best to
scream, but the muscles in his jaw were all contracting at once, freezing him in place.
The Red Priest lookalike took another bite of his sandwich. "But," he went on, "He also
told me that for all things there is a first." Kik prodded Gourry again, and the swordsman
convulsed. Zero merely continued to eat. "You are indeed a brave man, Gourry Gabriev." He
smiled. "I salute you."
Gourry hung there limply, panting for breath.
Zero took one last bite of his sandwich and clapped his hands off. "We can't break him.
We're wasting our time," he told Kik. "Cut him down."
Kick looked to the priest in shock. Gourry felt hope rush into him.
"Cut him loose," Zero repeated. "We're letting him go. Out of respect for his strength and
loyalty to his friend." Kik produced a knife.
Gourry felt like laughing. Maybe the gods were finally giving him a break.
Zero nodded. "We'll get what we need from the woman." Gourry tensed. "Give me the
knife. I'll cut him down. You need to get started on her."
"What…What do you mean?" Gourry asked tiredly.
The priest waved his question aside. "Don't worry yourself, Mister Gabriev. Miss Inverse
looks rather frail. I'm sure she'll break quickly, and then we'll let her go too."
Gourry growled. "If you've hurt one hair on her head, I'll…"
Zero shrugged. "Haven't had a reason to hurt her yet. Mister Kik dislikes plying his trade
on women. And since we figured you'd break eventually, there's been no need to start on her. She
put up a very tough fight. She's not quite conscious yet." He smiled.
The swordsman swallowed nervously.
"Something wrong?" Zero asked in concern. He held the knife casually.
Gourry looked right into his eyes. He could see his reflection there, but he could also see
Lina, suspended like he was, screaming as Kik electrocuted her over and over again…
He took an unsteady breath and shut his eyes.
Zero walked quickly into the main cavern and called out to the leader of the berserkers he
had summoned. "Gather your berserkers and prepare to move out. You're going to Borden.
Locate the target and wait. Greysword and I will join you shortly."
The berserker captain nodded and turned to assemble his men.
The priest walked to another waterfall and waved his hand before it. A few moments of
waiting and a man's face appeared in the water. A man with yellow eyes.
"Something new to report?" he asked.
Zero smiled. "Borden."
The yellow-eyed man nodded. "Find him and hold him. I can be there in three days."
"It shall be done," Zero told him with a bow. The man's image faded from the water.
The priest smiled.
Greysword walked out of the weapons shop with her repaired dagger sitting firmly in its
sheathe on her hip. She turned and started down the road, unaware of two sets of eyes watching
her from the air.
Lina looked down at the woman, her levitation spell keeping her several meters above her
target. She grimaced. "That's right, bitch," she muttered. "Lead me right to him."
"Careful, Miss Lina," Amelia cautioned. "We can't lose sight of her."
The redhead smiled. "Don't worry about that, Amelia. Remember that gem I had the
shopkeeper fit in her dagger's handle?" At Amelia's nod, she produced a second crystal. "Here's
its mate." The crystal was red and had four points. "The points light up in the direction of the
other crystal. She can go to the other side of the world, and I'd still be able to hunt her down."
Amelia lit up. "That's so cool, Miss Lina!"
Lina grinned and nodded. "She's going to lead us right to Gourry, and then I'm going to
Dragon Slave her ass. Come on."
The two began to float ahead after the swordswoman.
"Zelgadis dear? Do you hear that?"
Zelgadis listened for a moment before his eyes went wide. He grabbed Sylphiel's arm and
quickly dragged her behind some palmetto bushes, pushing her to the ground and lying next to her.
"Wha…"
"Shh!" he hissed.
They both watched through a small opening in the bushes as several berserkers marched
by. He felt Sylphiel tense next to him.
"I don't see Gourry," she whispered.
Zelgadis shook his head. There were too many of the creatures for it to be some kind of
patrol. It looked like they were ready for a war, though. Most were carrying heavy spears or axes
along with their swords. There were no humans with them.
They waited as the monsters marched past them and remained still for a few minutes after
they had gone. Zelgadis stood up and started down the trail again in the direction from which the
berserkers had come. Sylphiel followed after him.
"Come on," he urged, quickening his pace. "It looks like they might have sent the bulk of
their people out for some reason. Gourry might be left with only one or two guards."
Sylphiel nodded and ran to catch up.
The terrain turned rocky before long, and Zelgadis decided to leave the main trail in favor
of a more oblique approach. Picking their way through the shrubs and rocks, the two soon found
themselves on a small ridge overlooking the entrance to a cave a hundred meters away.
They laid down on their stomachs near the edge of the ridge and looked down at the trail
leading to the cave. Zelgadis produced a small telescope and surveyed the area. He handed it to
Sylphiel a moment later and bid her to look through it, pointing up at the opposite side of the trail.
"There's a guard there," he whispered, pointing. "Another one near the entrance, but that's
it."
Sylphiel let her gaze fall where Zelgadis instructed her. She could see the berserker guard
near the path, and the one at the cave's entrance. Her sight fell on something else. A woman was
walking towards the entrance, a katana riding her hip.
"Greysword," she noted.
Before either of them could react, something hit the ground behind them. Zelgadis turned,
his hand going for his sword, but Lina's outstretched palm bade him to be quiet. She and Amelia
hit the ground next to them.
"Glad you made it," Zelgadis remarked as Sylphiel handed her the scope. "One across the
way, one near the entrance. The woman just went inside."
Lina nodded. "What do you think?"
Zelgadis' gaze was above, looking out past the cave. "I think there's a back door." He
pointed. Lina looked and found smoke rising from not far away. "That might be the smoke of a
cook fire coming out of a crevice."
The redhead smiled. "Time for a game of High-Low."
"I'll go high," Zelgadis told her.
"I'll go low," Lina replied. "Amelia, stay here until I wave you down. You're back up."
"Right!" Amelia replied.
"I'll go with Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel piped up. "Gourry might be injured, and if Amelia
is going in with you…"
Lina nodded. "Okay, let's go." She started around and down towards the path, keeping
behind the shrubbery and stones of the ridge.
Zelgadis tossed the telescope to Amelia. "See you inside." With that, he and Sylphiel
started higher up the ridge. Amelia looked down at the path through the scope. She watched the
guard on the other side of the path. The berserker was sitting near a tree, looking bored.
Suddenly, a hand clapped over his mouth from behind. Amelia saw a quick flash of a dagger's
blade, and the berserker was pulled out of sight into the bushes.
It didn't take long for Zelgadis and Sylphiel to move up the ridge and find the source of the
smoke. The crevice was just wide enough for a man to squeeze through. Zelgadis pulled out his
mask and a canteen. He quickly soaked it and tied it around his face, covering his mouth and nose.
Sylphiel dug in her pouch and managed to find a purple scarf. She took the canteen bottle
and doused her own cloth with it.
"You can stay up here if you want," Zelgadis told her, his words muffled by his mask.
She shook her head and tied her own mask on. Zelgadis only nodded, took a deep breath of
fresh air, and started down the hole. He braced his right foot against the far wall and pressed his
back against the other, his left foot braced below him. Slowly, he began to rock-chimney down the
chute.
He heard Sylphiel cry out above him and suddenly felt her weight strike him! Zelgadis grit
his teeth and strained to keep from falling down the chute. He heard her cough. His eyes were
burning from the acrid smoke. He pushed her up and out of the chute, climbing out a moment later.
"Brace yourself against the wall," he coughed out. "You have to rock-chimney down. Try
not to breathe too deeply."
She continued to cough, but managed to get out an "Okay!" They rested for a moment and
then tried again. Zelgadis went first in case Sylphiel fell again. She went slower than he did, but
seemed to be getting the hang of it.
He continued down and tried his best not to breathe.
Lina put her back against the rocky wall. Just around the corner, three feet from her left,
the berserker was standing guard. She drew her dagger and began to whistle quietly, like a bird.
She heard movement and tensed. A second later, the berserker turned the corner and saw
her. He gasped out in surprise as Lina sunk her dagger into him and covered his mouth. She held
the knife in him and muffled his cries until he stopped moving.
The sorceress edged around the corner and waved in Amelia's direction. She turned and
started into the cave, not bothering to wait.
(Hang on Gourry.)
"What's all the fuss?" Greysword asked Zero as she walked up to him.
"Mister Gabriev volunteered to assist us," Zero told her with a smile as he started down
one of the caverns toward the man in question. "It appears that Greywords is in Borden of all
places."
Greysword tensed.
"You know it," the priest remarked.
"Yes," she said quietly. "I know it."
"Good. You'll lead the attack. I sent the berserkers on ahead. We'll join them just as
soon as we attend to our loose ends."
The swordswoman followed him, unaware of the redhead that had just entered the cavern
and ducked behind a stalagmite.
Lina watched as the two started down another cave, and her eyes narrowed. A few
seconds later, Amelia came huffing up to her, ducking next to her. "Where's Mister Gourry?" she
asked. The sorceress nodded in the direction of the cave Zero and Greysword just disappeared
into. Amelia looked around the cavern and blinked. "Where's the fire?"
"What?"
"The cook fire Mister Zelgadis found. I don't see it. Where are they?"
"Probably in another cavern. Come on." Lina got up and started after the two kidnappers.
Kik raised the brand from the fire and admired its glow. He turned and started toward
Gourry, his claws clicking together in anticipation. The swordsman eyed the glowing metal iron
and grit his teeth. Before the insect could apply it to his flesh, however, Zero and Greysword
entered the room.
"Ah! Mister Gabriev! I'm glad to see you're still here! I just wanted to thank you for your
help." The sorcerer priest smiled smugly.
"Where's Lina?" Gourry growled.
Zero shrugged. "Hell if I know," he admitted.
"You son of a bitch," Gourry breathed.
"Not quite," Zero told him. "Kik, kill him. No loose ends."
The bug bowed in acknowledgement and pulled a knife. He started toward the blonde.
Gourry growled.
"Sorry, blondie," Greysword told him. "That's the way it is sometimes."
Gourry smiled and thought of what Lina might say in his place. She always had something
appropriate. He found a phrase he could hear her saying and turned to Greysword.
"Yeah, screw you too."
"Tick tock tick tock," Zero prompted Kik.
Suddenly the insectoid's eyes went wide. The knife fell from his hand as purple blood
dripped from his mandibles. He dropped to the floor, revealing his killer behind him.
"Zelgadis!" Gourry cried.
The chimera stood over the insect's body, his sword coated with purple blood. Sylphiel
stood just behind him.
"Gourry!"
Zero growled and raised his hand. "FREEZE…"
"ARROW!" he heard behind him. He turned just in time to duck under a Freeze Arrow
hurled at him from the other end of the cavern.
"Miss Inverse," Zero remarked. "Right on time. Astral Phase!" He disappeared a
moment later.
"Sylphiel, take care of Gou…" Zelgadis began, but Greysword cut him off. She screamed
and dashed toward him with her katana. He jumped back as she swung!
"STONE CLEAVE!!" she howled. The wall Zelgadis had been standing in front of
shattered.
(An enchanted sword,) Zelgadis thought. (Two can play that game…) He held his sword
up. "ASTRAL VINE!" A crack of lightning touched his sword, and the blade began to glow red.
Just in time too. Greysword leapt at him and swung! Zelgadis turned her blow and lashed
out with two of his own. The woman dodged them easily.
"Zelgadis dear!" Sylphiel cried.
"Get Gourry out of here!" Zelgadis shouted to her. "Do it!" His attention was pulled back
to Greysword as she began another attack. (She's so damned fast!) he thought. He didn't even
have enough time for a spell.
Sylphiel picked up the knife Kik had dropped and set about cutting Gourry down.
Zero reappeared behind her and lashed out with a fireball! Lina dived to one side and
pointed up at him. "FLARE ARROW!" The priest phased out before the flame shaft could hit him,
striking the ceiling behind him instead.
"Amelia! Help Sylphiel and get Gourry out of here!"
"Right!" Amelia rushed further into the cave towards the still suspended swordsman.
Zero appeared thirty feet from her and smiled.
"You did all right last time," she told him, "Ready for a rematch?"
"By all means" the priest smiled.
"FLAAAARE…"
"FREEEZE…"
"ARROW!!" they both cried, launching their attacks at one another.
Amelia, meanwhile, arrived just as Gourry fell to the floor. Sylphiel dropped the knife and
knelt next to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Miss Amelia! Help me!"
The princess took his other arm, and together, the three started for the cave's exit. Amelia
reached out and grabbed Gourry's sword, standing against a nearby wall, and brought it along,
struggling with its weight.
Sylphiel threw concerned looks back at the fight and tried to walk faster.
Zelgadis' back hit the wall, and he ducked quickly, avoiding a slash from the woman's
katana. He braced his feet against the wall and launched himself into the woman, knocking her
down. She was on her feet in a flash, pressing her attack again.
He didn't know what to make of her. He'd never fought anyone as fast or as eager to kill
him as this woman. The chimera brought his sword up to block another slash, and the two blades
locked.
"I…won't….let…you….keep him!" Greysword growled at him. She brought her knee up
into Zelgadis' gut, but did nothing more than bruise her leg. Zelgadis lashed out with the pommel
of his sword and struck the woman in the face. Greysword hit the ground unconscious.
The chimera didn't waste time. He ran back into the larger cavern where Zero and Lina
were still fighting it out. Zero saw him approach and turned, readying a spell. Lina didn't give
him time.
"FLARE LANCE!"
The priest ducked under the attack, which came close enough to him to burn his arm
slightly. He growled. Zelgadis and Lina had him surrounded.
"Why are you after me?" Zelgadis demanded, getting right to the point.
Zero smiled. "It is not my place to question why. VEEGASGAIA!!!"
The cavern began shaking.
"Dammit! You'll collapse the entire cavern!" Lina shouted.
"Yes, how about that?" Zero asked casually, disappearing.
"Son of a…" the redhead growled. Zelgadis grabbed her arm and started running for the
exit.
"No time for that!" he yelled. "Run!"
Stalactites and boulders fell from the ceiling, threatening to block their escape. Lina
tripped and fell, but Zelgadis pulled her to her feet, nearly tearing her arm from its socket in his
rush to escape. They managed to make it out just as the ceiling collapsed, filling the cave with
debris.
Lina and Zelgadis, covered with dust, looked back in amazement.
"Zelgadis dear! Miss Lina!"
They turned and found Sylphiel and Amelia not far away. Gourry was sitting on the
ground. Amelia was chanting a healing spell for him.
"Zelgadis," Lina began quietly. "Who are these guys?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. But I do know one thing. They're very good at what
they do."
She nodded. "Zel, you have got to be VERY careful…"
He didn't bother to answer that. "Let's get out of here before they have a chance to
regroup."
Greysword's head appeared suddenly out of the pile of dirt and debris, her hands clawing
to get out as she gasped for breath. She slowly pulled herself out of the earthy tomb and rolled
over onto her back, panting for breath.
"Well it's about time you showed up again," Zero remarked, appearing next to her. He
knelt down next to the swordswoman and smiled.
"What happened?" she croaked out.
"We almost had him, and then the damn Mazoku brought the entire cavern down on top of
us."
"I see," Greysword growled. "How did they find us so fast is what I want to know. One
of the berserkers must have…"
"My dear Miss Greysword," he interrupted, "What IS that lovely gem on the hilt of your
dagger?" he asked, pointing to the knife on her belt.
She looked down at the red gem and grimaced. "Son of a bitch," she swore.
"Yes, quite," Zero remarked, taking the dagger from its sheathe. He examined the gem for
a moment, smiled, and smashed it on a rock. The jewel cracked open.
"So now what?" she asked. "Go after them?"
"And what?" he asked her derisively. "It was hard enough when we just had to deal with
Inverse and Mister Gabriev. We will find it quite a bit more difficult, I think, to fight them, the
target, and two other sorceresses at the same time, no?"
She turned away in disgust. "Do you have a better idea?"
"My dear, do I not ALWAYS have a better idea?" He smiled.
Greysword gingerly touched her jaw where Zelgadis had punched her and winced.
"Your brother packs quite the punch doesn't he?" Zero asked with a smile. His smile
dropped as the tip of Greysword's katana suddenly found itself grazing his throat.
The swordswoman was glaring up at him hatefully. "That…MONSTER…is NOT…my
brother," she hissed.
Zero bowed his head slightly. "My apologies. I meant no offense, my dear."
She hesitated a second and pulled the blade away. "Enough bullshit," she muttered. "Tell
me about this plan of yours."
"First we'll have to report to Lord Scarrin."
"He's going to be royally pissed, you know," she warned him.
"Yes," Zero muttered. "But given the nature of the mission, drawbacks were to be
expected. Next time…it'll be different."
Greysword stood up. "Let's get moving."
Lina stared down at the water, unsure of a lot of things, but at the moment, mostly just of
herself. Gourry was safe, but injured and exhausted, and she was still feeling the guilt of it all.
But there was more than that.
Fear.
She was afraid. For the second time someone had taken Gourry; had nearly killed him, and
she was feeling so…edgy, so shaky. What really made her wonder was the fact that if it had been
any of the others, she wouldn't have felt this way. If Zelgadis or Amelia or Sylphiel had been
taken, she would've been angry, yes. Frightened for them, certainly…
But not terrified of it happening again.
She sighed and rested her back against a boulder, letting the river's current wash over her.
Someone entered the river nearby, out of her sight.
"Miss Lina?"
"Over here, Sylphiel," Lina called back, not bothering to turn towards the priestess. She
heard the gentle splashing as Sylphiel made her way towards the sorceress.
"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked politely. "After climbing down that chimney, I
smell like smoke. I thought a bath would be nice."
"Sure," Lina said quietly. The shrine maiden sat back against the same boulder on Lina's
left and began washing her arms with a washrag.
Sylphiel noticed how quiet the sorceress was and paused. "Miss Lina? Is something the
matter?"
The redhead said nothing for a minute, then, "I'm in trouble, Sylphiel."
She could almost see the shrine maiden blinking in puzzlement. "What kind of trouble?"
For some reason she couldn't explain, Lina always felt comfortable with Sylphiel. They
almost seemed to work in synch sometimes, even without meaning to. Out of all her friends,
Sylphiel had been the only one to figure out that Lina had intended to fight Phibrizzo alone and
went after her. Sylphiel was almost like an older sister…just not as abusive or psychotic
as…oh…say….Luna….
She took a breath and came out with it. "I think it's time Gourry and I went our separate
ways."
"Miss Lina?!"
"I…can't keep putting him in danger like this," she went on quietly. "It was different
when I was just Lina Inverse, Bandit Killer, but now I have high level Mazoku coming after me,
sorcerers, mercenaries, monsters…Last time he was kidnapped and almost died, this time he was
tortured, what about the next time?"
"You love Gourry," Sylphiel told her.
"What?! That yogurt-for-brains?!" Lina cried indignantly. "He's…He's…"
"In love with you too," the shrine maiden finished for her.
Lina went silent. "No he's not," she finally got out.
"After everything that's happened," Sylphiel went on, "How can you deny it?" Lina said
nothing. "Even…Even I couldn't deny it for very long." The sorceress blinked. "Miss Lina, why
do you think Gourry stays? If you're right, and he is in such danger simply from being near you,
why doesn't he just go?"
"Because he's got yogurt in that soft skull of his!" Lina cried defensively. "And…" She
broke off and remained silent. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find Sylphiel
smiling at her.
"Gourry is a very special man, Miss Lina," she told the sorceress. "I knew that since the
day we met." She turned away for a moment. "Did you know, Miss Lina, that I once saw you as a
rival? That I learned the Dragon Slave to impress Gourry?"
"I had a hunch," Lina muttered.
"If you do feel something for him, Miss Lina, then you mustn't let him go."
Lina sighed. "What's so great about him anyway?" she grumbled.
"The fact that he'll always be there no matter what, and that he'll never judge you." The
sorceress said nothing, just looked down at the water. Lina looked over at her and blinked.
Sylphiel seemed hesitant to speak any further. As if there were a great weight on her soul.
Finally, she spoke again. "Miss Lina…the left side of my face is scarred beyond recognition."
Lina looked at her and blinked in puzzlement. "Huh?"
Sylphiel nodded. "When I was thirteen, I was trapped in a burning building. A burning
wood beam fell and hit me. When I woke up…I found that I was disfigured. You can't see it now
because of a glamour, but…" She broke off and paused. "It was Gourry that saved me, pulled me
from the fire. He came to see me a few days afterward. I was still…shattered…and feeling very
sorry for myself. But he only smiled…called me pretty…and made me feel like…like I was
special. That's one of his best traits, Miss Lina. He sees the good in everything."
"Sylphiel…" Lina only breathed.
"Miss Lina, you can send Gourry away now and be comforted by the fact that he won't
share the dangers of your life…Or you can bring him closer and be comforted by the fact that he
WILL share the joys." Lina said nothing. "After everything you've been through, it seems like a
waste to send him away now, ne?" The priestess asked with a smile.
The sorceress sighed and looked up at the sky. "I have a lot to think about, I guess.
Thanks, Sylphiel."
"It was my pleasure, Miss Lina."
"Sylphiel…does…Zelgadis know…?"
The shrine maiden smiled. "A lot happened on Zarak Tor, Miss Lina." And that was all
she would say on the matter.
Lina rose from the water and started for shore. She did have a lot to think about.
Gourry looked up at the stars as he rested. Amelia had warned him that he should rest and
try not to exert himself for awhile, and he was all up for that…At least until he got an opportunity
for a rematch with Greysword and Zero…
But that was later. This was now. And right now, the stars were very pretty. He sighed
and smiled up at them. The stars were always there. When he was younger and wandering the
world alone, he had been comforted by that fact. The stars would always be there every single
night no matter what happened, or how badly he might screw up.
"Gourry?"
He turned his head and saw Lina walking up to him. She knelt down next to him, sitting on
her knees. "Oi, Lina," he said with a smile. "Is everything okay?" he asked, noticing her frown.
"I…just wanted to tell you that…I'm sorry…"
Gourry blinked in shock. Lina Inverse…APOLOGIZING FOR SOMETHING?! He
looked up at the stars for reassurance that the world was still the same.
"We shouldn't have split up," she went on. "It was…a stupid thing for me to do."
"How do you figure?" he asked.
Lina hit the dirt. A second later, she was back in a vertical position, dead leaves in her
hair. "BECAUSE, YOU YOGURT-FOR-BRAINS, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!!!"
"Yeah….So?" he asked blinking.
"You…you got tortured!" Lina went on. Gourry couldn't see it, but she was close to tears.
He smiled. "Yeah, but if we HADN'T split up, who's to say they wouldn't have gotten
BOTH of us? Because we DID split up, you managed to get away and get help!"
"Gourry! Are you some kind of idiot!?" Lina cried. "It was my fault! I got you captured
with my stupid, lame plan! I…"
"Wasn't there," Gourry finished for her seriously. "And I'm GLAD you weren't." He
didn't smile. "And if you had been there, it would've been MY fault for not being able to protect
you."
She shook her head. "You really are stupid," she muttered. "Yogurt-for-brains…"
He smiled and pointed at his head. "Wanna taste?"
She laughed. "No!" Lina looked down at him seriously. "Gourry…you told me once that
you'd stay my guardian forever."
"That's right," he said proudly.
"What if I didn't want that, anymore?" she asked.
He blinked in shock. "What do you mean?"
She bit her lip and leaned down over him, pressing her lips against his. Gourry blinked in
utter astonishment as Lina Inverse, the little girl he met almost four years ago, kissed him. Locks
of her red hair fell on him, and he inhaled, savoring a faint scent of cinnamon. After several
moments, she released him and smiled, blinking tears out of her eyes.
"I mean," she said quietly, "I don't want you to stay with me just because you're my
guardian."
"Lina," he whispered.
She swallowed nervously and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Rest now,
okay?" she told him. He nodded, still unsure as to what just happened. Lina stood up and walked
out of sight.
Gourry looked up at the stars and sighed again. This time his thoughts on a DIFFERENT
ball of fire…
To Be Continued…
SYLPHIEL: I can't believe it! Gourry!? Kidnapped?!
AMELIA: Again? If I didn't know better, I'd say the author of this series was running out of
ideas…
ZELGADIS: Well, he HAS kicked the orihalcon thing to death…
LINA: EXCUSE ME!!! GOURRY! KIDNAPPED! REMEMBER?!
AMELIA: That's right! (POSES) OUR FRIEND AND COMPATRIOT, GOURRY GABRIEV…
REST OF CAST: WE GET IT!!!
Faces: After!
Part 8
P.O.W.!
Give Back Gourry!
Gourry was wet.
Opening his eyes he soon found out why. He looked up above him and found his hands
secured by ropes above his head. He appeared to be in some kind of cavern. From above them, a
tiny waterfall was cascading down the cave's wall, just enough to keep him wet and
uncomfortable. Looking down, he saw that he was shirtless and his sword was missing.
"Rise and shine, Mister Gabriev! It's another beautiful day!" he heard the oily voice of
the red priest wannabe, Zero, call out. He looked to his left and found the man striding towards
him. Greysword and another creature, something vaguely insectoid walked after him. "I believe
you know Miss Greysword," Zero mentioned.
"Yeah, we've met," Gourry muttered.
Greysword didn't look happy to see him either. Zero just smiled and gestured to the
bipedal insect. "This is Mister Kik," he said. "He's an expert."
"Expert on what?" the swordsman asked.
"The application of pain and terror, Mister Gabriev."
Gourry smiled. "It won't do any good to torture me," he said. "Nothing you could do
could stand up to what Lina would do to me if I betrayed her."
"We'll see," Zero told him smugly. "Unless of course you'd like to tell me where Mister
Greywords is now and save us some time."
Gourry didn't say anything.
"Pity," Zero remarked. He turned to Kik. "Draw it out." Kik nodded in agreement and
started toward Gourry. The creature raised a chitinous claw. Blue sparks of electricity arced
between his sharp fingers. "Have you ever been hit with a Dig Volt?" Zero asked him.
"Remarkable effects on the human body. Lightning causes a chemical reaction in your muscles,"
the red wannabe continued. "Every muscle in your body contracts at the same time. Since this
reaction occurs to each counter muscle along with each muscle at the exact same time, the subject
is frozen immobile in pain, unable to do anything to stop it." He nodded.
Kik touched him with the claw. Gourry's body tensed up as arcs of blue electricity ran up
and down his body. After a minute, what seemed like a lifetime to him, Kik pulled away.
"Impressive, ne?" Zero asked. "Tell me where Zelgadis Greywords is."
Gourry looked at him and spat, the spittle striking the man's immaculate robes. Zero rolled
his eyes and waved at him. Kik touched Gourry again. This time, an almost inaudible scream flew
from the swordsman's lips.
Zero turned to Greysword. "This is going to take awhile." She nodded and decided to
leave the room. She didn't have as much stomach for this part of the job as Zero did. She picked
up her pack and started for the cave's entrance. She'd might as well take this opportunity to get
her knife back. Once Gabriev broke they'd have to move fast.
She bumped into a stalagmite, causing her bag to jostle. From inside, a soft tune began to
play. She stopped and reached inside, pulling out a small music box. The bump with the stalagmite
had caused it to open. She listened to the tune for a few moments before closing it again.
Without a word, she walked out of the cave.
Lina knelt down and looked down the hole in the road. It was filled with water. She
nodded and put it together. The red priest duplicate must have used an ice spell on Gourry, then
trapped him with a Bephis Bring. The ice had melted, filling the hole with water.
She stood up and sighed.
(Why did you split up?) her mind asked her accusingly. (Why did you leave him here?)
"Oi, Lina!" She looked up and saw Zelgadis waving her over. He was standing in the
forest not far away. Sylphiel and Amelia were with him. She jogged over to him, and he pointed
down at the floor. Two sets of footprints ran alongside two parallel lines in the dirt.
She nodded. "Two men dragging a third."
"Then they really have Mister Gourry?" Amelia asked.
"Looks that way," Lina mumbled. Her head still hurt, but thanks to Amelia's spell, she'd
be fine. Didn't stop her headache, though. "Think you can follow these tracks?" she asked
Zelgadis. He nodded. "Okay. I'm going back to Namor," she announced. They looked at her
quizzically. "I think I might have a lead. Amelia, why don't you come with me and we'll check it
out. Zel, you and Sylphiel follow this trail and see what you can come up with."
They all accepted this plan with nods.
"One more thing," Lina went on. "If you see these guys, don't try anything until we get
there. They're good."
Zelgadis nodded. "Come on, Sylphiel." The chimera and the priestess started deeper into
the woods.
Lina turned dully and started walking down the road. Amelia followed alongside the
redhead, picking up on her sour mood. They traveled silently for a good mile, neither speaking.
The sorceress' thoughts went back to Gourry. It was like Phibrizzo all over again. He had
been taken because of her; because of HER stupidity, because of HER arrogance. (Splitting
up…What the Hell was I thinking?) she asked herself. (I know better than that.)
"Miss Lina."
She turned her head and saw Amelia doing her absolute best to smile for her benefit.
"Mister Gourry will be okay."
Lina tried to smile back. "Yeah, I know," she told the princess quietly. Amelia nodded as
if to say, "And that's that," and continued walking. "How are you doing?" Lina asked her.
Amelia looked at her; surprised that Lina would ask such a thing. "I'm…I'm fine," she
told the sorceress. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Lina saw the look on her face, the half second flash of pain, and knew that Amelia had
found out about Zelgadis and Sylphiel. "I'm sorry, Amelia," she whispered.
The princess turned back to the road and set her jaw. "It's better this way," she told Lina
quietly. "I'm…I'm fine with it. I really am."
Amelia turned and found that Lina had stopped walking. She was looking at the princess
sympathetically.
"I…really am," Amelia told her, an unwanted tear forming in her eye. "I am…I really…"
Lina held her arms out. Amelia found herself rushing into them, crying into her role
model's tunic. The sorceress hugged her and patted her back.
"I'm fine with it! I really am!" Amelia cried. "I really am…"
Lina didn't say anything. She merely held the crying princess as she wept. She knew it
was all a part of growing up. Amelia would be fine.
Eventually.
"Poor Miss Lina," Sylphiel commented as she pushed aside a tree branch to follow
Zelgadis. "She must feel horrible."
"It could have happened to any of us," Zelgadis told her.
"But her feelings for Gourry…" Sylphiel shook her head. "She must feel so guilty."
Zelgadis paused, kneeling over a part of the trail. "They were after me," he whispered.
"Why would they be after me?"
Sylphiel blinked at him. In their rush to rescue Gourry, that part of Lina's story had gone
right by without registering.
(They're after Zelgadis dear…)
She felt a ball of ice descend into her stomach. Should he be out here, then? What if they
had taken Gourry to be used as bait?
The chimera stood up and took a breath. He was going over the descriptions of Lina's
attackers in his head again. The "Rezo wannabe" didn't ring a bell, and the woman didn't seem to
raise any red flags either.
"Greysword," Lina had called her.
He must have said this out loud because Sylphiel spoke up a second later. "It's a fitting
name if what Miss Lina said about her skills is true." She blinked a second later. "You
know…It's also an anagram of YOUR name."
Zelgadis turned back to her. "What?"
"Well…Yes," she said. "Just move the 'S' to the end, and you have 'Greywords.'"
He blinked in surprise. She was right. He shook his head. "We must be cousins," he
quipped.
"Ninth letter, fourth removed?" Sylphiel asked with a slight smile.
Zelgadis chuckled and started after the trail again. "Come on. It leads this way."
"Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel called out. He stopped and turned to her. Her earlier smile was
gone. "Promise me you'll be careful," she begged.
"I'm always careful," he told her.
"Just don't get hurt," she told him. "Or captured!" she added in a second later.
He smiled. "Even if I was, wouldn't you just use violence, money, and sex appeal to
rescue me?"
She blushed, remembering the words she had spoken to Lina when Phibrizzo had taken
Gourry. "Yes…of course, I would," she said, staring at the ground, drawing little circles in the
dirt with her toe.
"Then I have nothing to worry about," Zelgadis said casually, turning back to the trail.
"C'mon. If Lina beats us to Gourry, we'll never hear the end of it."
Sylphiel nodded with a smile and ran after him.
"The one with the breasts," Lina elaborated.
The weapons merchant's face lit up with recognition. "Oh, yeah…Her. Nope, she hasn't
been back for her dagger yet. Why you ask?"
"She owes me money," Lina told him casually.
"SHE'S A FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE!" Amelia explained, posing. "A HORRIBLE
WOMAN WHO'S STOLEN A GOOD FRIEND AND VALUED ALLY FROM THE BOSOM OF
HIS FRIENDS! IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE I DEMAND YOU TELL US EVERYTHING YOU
KNOW ABOUT THIS SWORD-SWINGING SLUT!!!"
Lina and the shopkeep sweatdropped.
"She's on medication," Lina explained. The merchant ah'd in response and nodded. "So
what can you tell us?"
"Well, all I know is that her dagger's repaired and it's still here. All she has to do is pick
it up."
The redhead smiled evilly. "It won't be the only thing she picks up here." She tossed a
small, red gem up and down in the air.
Gourry cried out again in pain. Sitting in a simple, wooden chair off to the side, Zero bit
into a sandwich and chewed.
"You know," Zero told him between bites. "Lord Rezo once told me that there is no such
thing as an unbreakable man." He gave a nod to Kik, who placed his electrified claw to Gourry's
chest again. The swordsman felt the shock running up and down his body and did his best to
scream, but the muscles in his jaw were all contracting at once, freezing him in place.
The Red Priest lookalike took another bite of his sandwich. "But," he went on, "He also
told me that for all things there is a first." Kik prodded Gourry again, and the swordsman
convulsed. Zero merely continued to eat. "You are indeed a brave man, Gourry Gabriev." He
smiled. "I salute you."
Gourry hung there limply, panting for breath.
Zero took one last bite of his sandwich and clapped his hands off. "We can't break him.
We're wasting our time," he told Kik. "Cut him down."
Kick looked to the priest in shock. Gourry felt hope rush into him.
"Cut him loose," Zero repeated. "We're letting him go. Out of respect for his strength and
loyalty to his friend." Kik produced a knife.
Gourry felt like laughing. Maybe the gods were finally giving him a break.
Zero nodded. "We'll get what we need from the woman." Gourry tensed. "Give me the
knife. I'll cut him down. You need to get started on her."
"What…What do you mean?" Gourry asked tiredly.
The priest waved his question aside. "Don't worry yourself, Mister Gabriev. Miss Inverse
looks rather frail. I'm sure she'll break quickly, and then we'll let her go too."
Gourry growled. "If you've hurt one hair on her head, I'll…"
Zero shrugged. "Haven't had a reason to hurt her yet. Mister Kik dislikes plying his trade
on women. And since we figured you'd break eventually, there's been no need to start on her. She
put up a very tough fight. She's not quite conscious yet." He smiled.
The swordsman swallowed nervously.
"Something wrong?" Zero asked in concern. He held the knife casually.
Gourry looked right into his eyes. He could see his reflection there, but he could also see
Lina, suspended like he was, screaming as Kik electrocuted her over and over again…
He took an unsteady breath and shut his eyes.
Zero walked quickly into the main cavern and called out to the leader of the berserkers he
had summoned. "Gather your berserkers and prepare to move out. You're going to Borden.
Locate the target and wait. Greysword and I will join you shortly."
The berserker captain nodded and turned to assemble his men.
The priest walked to another waterfall and waved his hand before it. A few moments of
waiting and a man's face appeared in the water. A man with yellow eyes.
"Something new to report?" he asked.
Zero smiled. "Borden."
The yellow-eyed man nodded. "Find him and hold him. I can be there in three days."
"It shall be done," Zero told him with a bow. The man's image faded from the water.
The priest smiled.
Greysword walked out of the weapons shop with her repaired dagger sitting firmly in its
sheathe on her hip. She turned and started down the road, unaware of two sets of eyes watching
her from the air.
Lina looked down at the woman, her levitation spell keeping her several meters above her
target. She grimaced. "That's right, bitch," she muttered. "Lead me right to him."
"Careful, Miss Lina," Amelia cautioned. "We can't lose sight of her."
The redhead smiled. "Don't worry about that, Amelia. Remember that gem I had the
shopkeeper fit in her dagger's handle?" At Amelia's nod, she produced a second crystal. "Here's
its mate." The crystal was red and had four points. "The points light up in the direction of the
other crystal. She can go to the other side of the world, and I'd still be able to hunt her down."
Amelia lit up. "That's so cool, Miss Lina!"
Lina grinned and nodded. "She's going to lead us right to Gourry, and then I'm going to
Dragon Slave her ass. Come on."
The two began to float ahead after the swordswoman.
"Zelgadis dear? Do you hear that?"
Zelgadis listened for a moment before his eyes went wide. He grabbed Sylphiel's arm and
quickly dragged her behind some palmetto bushes, pushing her to the ground and lying next to her.
"Wha…"
"Shh!" he hissed.
They both watched through a small opening in the bushes as several berserkers marched
by. He felt Sylphiel tense next to him.
"I don't see Gourry," she whispered.
Zelgadis shook his head. There were too many of the creatures for it to be some kind of
patrol. It looked like they were ready for a war, though. Most were carrying heavy spears or axes
along with their swords. There were no humans with them.
They waited as the monsters marched past them and remained still for a few minutes after
they had gone. Zelgadis stood up and started down the trail again in the direction from which the
berserkers had come. Sylphiel followed after him.
"Come on," he urged, quickening his pace. "It looks like they might have sent the bulk of
their people out for some reason. Gourry might be left with only one or two guards."
Sylphiel nodded and ran to catch up.
The terrain turned rocky before long, and Zelgadis decided to leave the main trail in favor
of a more oblique approach. Picking their way through the shrubs and rocks, the two soon found
themselves on a small ridge overlooking the entrance to a cave a hundred meters away.
They laid down on their stomachs near the edge of the ridge and looked down at the trail
leading to the cave. Zelgadis produced a small telescope and surveyed the area. He handed it to
Sylphiel a moment later and bid her to look through it, pointing up at the opposite side of the trail.
"There's a guard there," he whispered, pointing. "Another one near the entrance, but that's
it."
Sylphiel let her gaze fall where Zelgadis instructed her. She could see the berserker guard
near the path, and the one at the cave's entrance. Her sight fell on something else. A woman was
walking towards the entrance, a katana riding her hip.
"Greysword," she noted.
Before either of them could react, something hit the ground behind them. Zelgadis turned,
his hand going for his sword, but Lina's outstretched palm bade him to be quiet. She and Amelia
hit the ground next to them.
"Glad you made it," Zelgadis remarked as Sylphiel handed her the scope. "One across the
way, one near the entrance. The woman just went inside."
Lina nodded. "What do you think?"
Zelgadis' gaze was above, looking out past the cave. "I think there's a back door." He
pointed. Lina looked and found smoke rising from not far away. "That might be the smoke of a
cook fire coming out of a crevice."
The redhead smiled. "Time for a game of High-Low."
"I'll go high," Zelgadis told her.
"I'll go low," Lina replied. "Amelia, stay here until I wave you down. You're back up."
"Right!" Amelia replied.
"I'll go with Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel piped up. "Gourry might be injured, and if Amelia
is going in with you…"
Lina nodded. "Okay, let's go." She started around and down towards the path, keeping
behind the shrubbery and stones of the ridge.
Zelgadis tossed the telescope to Amelia. "See you inside." With that, he and Sylphiel
started higher up the ridge. Amelia looked down at the path through the scope. She watched the
guard on the other side of the path. The berserker was sitting near a tree, looking bored.
Suddenly, a hand clapped over his mouth from behind. Amelia saw a quick flash of a dagger's
blade, and the berserker was pulled out of sight into the bushes.
It didn't take long for Zelgadis and Sylphiel to move up the ridge and find the source of the
smoke. The crevice was just wide enough for a man to squeeze through. Zelgadis pulled out his
mask and a canteen. He quickly soaked it and tied it around his face, covering his mouth and nose.
Sylphiel dug in her pouch and managed to find a purple scarf. She took the canteen bottle
and doused her own cloth with it.
"You can stay up here if you want," Zelgadis told her, his words muffled by his mask.
She shook her head and tied her own mask on. Zelgadis only nodded, took a deep breath of
fresh air, and started down the hole. He braced his right foot against the far wall and pressed his
back against the other, his left foot braced below him. Slowly, he began to rock-chimney down the
chute.
He heard Sylphiel cry out above him and suddenly felt her weight strike him! Zelgadis grit
his teeth and strained to keep from falling down the chute. He heard her cough. His eyes were
burning from the acrid smoke. He pushed her up and out of the chute, climbing out a moment later.
"Brace yourself against the wall," he coughed out. "You have to rock-chimney down. Try
not to breathe too deeply."
She continued to cough, but managed to get out an "Okay!" They rested for a moment and
then tried again. Zelgadis went first in case Sylphiel fell again. She went slower than he did, but
seemed to be getting the hang of it.
He continued down and tried his best not to breathe.
Lina put her back against the rocky wall. Just around the corner, three feet from her left,
the berserker was standing guard. She drew her dagger and began to whistle quietly, like a bird.
She heard movement and tensed. A second later, the berserker turned the corner and saw
her. He gasped out in surprise as Lina sunk her dagger into him and covered his mouth. She held
the knife in him and muffled his cries until he stopped moving.
The sorceress edged around the corner and waved in Amelia's direction. She turned and
started into the cave, not bothering to wait.
(Hang on Gourry.)
"What's all the fuss?" Greysword asked Zero as she walked up to him.
"Mister Gabriev volunteered to assist us," Zero told her with a smile as he started down
one of the caverns toward the man in question. "It appears that Greywords is in Borden of all
places."
Greysword tensed.
"You know it," the priest remarked.
"Yes," she said quietly. "I know it."
"Good. You'll lead the attack. I sent the berserkers on ahead. We'll join them just as
soon as we attend to our loose ends."
The swordswoman followed him, unaware of the redhead that had just entered the cavern
and ducked behind a stalagmite.
Lina watched as the two started down another cave, and her eyes narrowed. A few
seconds later, Amelia came huffing up to her, ducking next to her. "Where's Mister Gourry?" she
asked. The sorceress nodded in the direction of the cave Zero and Greysword just disappeared
into. Amelia looked around the cavern and blinked. "Where's the fire?"
"What?"
"The cook fire Mister Zelgadis found. I don't see it. Where are they?"
"Probably in another cavern. Come on." Lina got up and started after the two kidnappers.
Kik raised the brand from the fire and admired its glow. He turned and started toward
Gourry, his claws clicking together in anticipation. The swordsman eyed the glowing metal iron
and grit his teeth. Before the insect could apply it to his flesh, however, Zero and Greysword
entered the room.
"Ah! Mister Gabriev! I'm glad to see you're still here! I just wanted to thank you for your
help." The sorcerer priest smiled smugly.
"Where's Lina?" Gourry growled.
Zero shrugged. "Hell if I know," he admitted.
"You son of a bitch," Gourry breathed.
"Not quite," Zero told him. "Kik, kill him. No loose ends."
The bug bowed in acknowledgement and pulled a knife. He started toward the blonde.
Gourry growled.
"Sorry, blondie," Greysword told him. "That's the way it is sometimes."
Gourry smiled and thought of what Lina might say in his place. She always had something
appropriate. He found a phrase he could hear her saying and turned to Greysword.
"Yeah, screw you too."
"Tick tock tick tock," Zero prompted Kik.
Suddenly the insectoid's eyes went wide. The knife fell from his hand as purple blood
dripped from his mandibles. He dropped to the floor, revealing his killer behind him.
"Zelgadis!" Gourry cried.
The chimera stood over the insect's body, his sword coated with purple blood. Sylphiel
stood just behind him.
"Gourry!"
Zero growled and raised his hand. "FREEZE…"
"ARROW!" he heard behind him. He turned just in time to duck under a Freeze Arrow
hurled at him from the other end of the cavern.
"Miss Inverse," Zero remarked. "Right on time. Astral Phase!" He disappeared a
moment later.
"Sylphiel, take care of Gou…" Zelgadis began, but Greysword cut him off. She screamed
and dashed toward him with her katana. He jumped back as she swung!
"STONE CLEAVE!!" she howled. The wall Zelgadis had been standing in front of
shattered.
(An enchanted sword,) Zelgadis thought. (Two can play that game…) He held his sword
up. "ASTRAL VINE!" A crack of lightning touched his sword, and the blade began to glow red.
Just in time too. Greysword leapt at him and swung! Zelgadis turned her blow and lashed
out with two of his own. The woman dodged them easily.
"Zelgadis dear!" Sylphiel cried.
"Get Gourry out of here!" Zelgadis shouted to her. "Do it!" His attention was pulled back
to Greysword as she began another attack. (She's so damned fast!) he thought. He didn't even
have enough time for a spell.
Sylphiel picked up the knife Kik had dropped and set about cutting Gourry down.
Zero reappeared behind her and lashed out with a fireball! Lina dived to one side and
pointed up at him. "FLARE ARROW!" The priest phased out before the flame shaft could hit him,
striking the ceiling behind him instead.
"Amelia! Help Sylphiel and get Gourry out of here!"
"Right!" Amelia rushed further into the cave towards the still suspended swordsman.
Zero appeared thirty feet from her and smiled.
"You did all right last time," she told him, "Ready for a rematch?"
"By all means" the priest smiled.
"FLAAAARE…"
"FREEEZE…"
"ARROW!!" they both cried, launching their attacks at one another.
Amelia, meanwhile, arrived just as Gourry fell to the floor. Sylphiel dropped the knife and
knelt next to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Miss Amelia! Help me!"
The princess took his other arm, and together, the three started for the cave's exit. Amelia
reached out and grabbed Gourry's sword, standing against a nearby wall, and brought it along,
struggling with its weight.
Sylphiel threw concerned looks back at the fight and tried to walk faster.
Zelgadis' back hit the wall, and he ducked quickly, avoiding a slash from the woman's
katana. He braced his feet against the wall and launched himself into the woman, knocking her
down. She was on her feet in a flash, pressing her attack again.
He didn't know what to make of her. He'd never fought anyone as fast or as eager to kill
him as this woman. The chimera brought his sword up to block another slash, and the two blades
locked.
"I…won't….let…you….keep him!" Greysword growled at him. She brought her knee up
into Zelgadis' gut, but did nothing more than bruise her leg. Zelgadis lashed out with the pommel
of his sword and struck the woman in the face. Greysword hit the ground unconscious.
The chimera didn't waste time. He ran back into the larger cavern where Zero and Lina
were still fighting it out. Zero saw him approach and turned, readying a spell. Lina didn't give
him time.
"FLARE LANCE!"
The priest ducked under the attack, which came close enough to him to burn his arm
slightly. He growled. Zelgadis and Lina had him surrounded.
"Why are you after me?" Zelgadis demanded, getting right to the point.
Zero smiled. "It is not my place to question why. VEEGASGAIA!!!"
The cavern began shaking.
"Dammit! You'll collapse the entire cavern!" Lina shouted.
"Yes, how about that?" Zero asked casually, disappearing.
"Son of a…" the redhead growled. Zelgadis grabbed her arm and started running for the
exit.
"No time for that!" he yelled. "Run!"
Stalactites and boulders fell from the ceiling, threatening to block their escape. Lina
tripped and fell, but Zelgadis pulled her to her feet, nearly tearing her arm from its socket in his
rush to escape. They managed to make it out just as the ceiling collapsed, filling the cave with
debris.
Lina and Zelgadis, covered with dust, looked back in amazement.
"Zelgadis dear! Miss Lina!"
They turned and found Sylphiel and Amelia not far away. Gourry was sitting on the
ground. Amelia was chanting a healing spell for him.
"Zelgadis," Lina began quietly. "Who are these guys?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. But I do know one thing. They're very good at what
they do."
She nodded. "Zel, you have got to be VERY careful…"
He didn't bother to answer that. "Let's get out of here before they have a chance to
regroup."
Greysword's head appeared suddenly out of the pile of dirt and debris, her hands clawing
to get out as she gasped for breath. She slowly pulled herself out of the earthy tomb and rolled
over onto her back, panting for breath.
"Well it's about time you showed up again," Zero remarked, appearing next to her. He
knelt down next to the swordswoman and smiled.
"What happened?" she croaked out.
"We almost had him, and then the damn Mazoku brought the entire cavern down on top of
us."
"I see," Greysword growled. "How did they find us so fast is what I want to know. One
of the berserkers must have…"
"My dear Miss Greysword," he interrupted, "What IS that lovely gem on the hilt of your
dagger?" he asked, pointing to the knife on her belt.
She looked down at the red gem and grimaced. "Son of a bitch," she swore.
"Yes, quite," Zero remarked, taking the dagger from its sheathe. He examined the gem for
a moment, smiled, and smashed it on a rock. The jewel cracked open.
"So now what?" she asked. "Go after them?"
"And what?" he asked her derisively. "It was hard enough when we just had to deal with
Inverse and Mister Gabriev. We will find it quite a bit more difficult, I think, to fight them, the
target, and two other sorceresses at the same time, no?"
She turned away in disgust. "Do you have a better idea?"
"My dear, do I not ALWAYS have a better idea?" He smiled.
Greysword gingerly touched her jaw where Zelgadis had punched her and winced.
"Your brother packs quite the punch doesn't he?" Zero asked with a smile. His smile
dropped as the tip of Greysword's katana suddenly found itself grazing his throat.
The swordswoman was glaring up at him hatefully. "That…MONSTER…is NOT…my
brother," she hissed.
Zero bowed his head slightly. "My apologies. I meant no offense, my dear."
She hesitated a second and pulled the blade away. "Enough bullshit," she muttered. "Tell
me about this plan of yours."
"First we'll have to report to Lord Scarrin."
"He's going to be royally pissed, you know," she warned him.
"Yes," Zero muttered. "But given the nature of the mission, drawbacks were to be
expected. Next time…it'll be different."
Greysword stood up. "Let's get moving."
Lina stared down at the water, unsure of a lot of things, but at the moment, mostly just of
herself. Gourry was safe, but injured and exhausted, and she was still feeling the guilt of it all.
But there was more than that.
Fear.
She was afraid. For the second time someone had taken Gourry; had nearly killed him, and
she was feeling so…edgy, so shaky. What really made her wonder was the fact that if it had been
any of the others, she wouldn't have felt this way. If Zelgadis or Amelia or Sylphiel had been
taken, she would've been angry, yes. Frightened for them, certainly…
But not terrified of it happening again.
She sighed and rested her back against a boulder, letting the river's current wash over her.
Someone entered the river nearby, out of her sight.
"Miss Lina?"
"Over here, Sylphiel," Lina called back, not bothering to turn towards the priestess. She
heard the gentle splashing as Sylphiel made her way towards the sorceress.
"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked politely. "After climbing down that chimney, I
smell like smoke. I thought a bath would be nice."
"Sure," Lina said quietly. The shrine maiden sat back against the same boulder on Lina's
left and began washing her arms with a washrag.
Sylphiel noticed how quiet the sorceress was and paused. "Miss Lina? Is something the
matter?"
The redhead said nothing for a minute, then, "I'm in trouble, Sylphiel."
She could almost see the shrine maiden blinking in puzzlement. "What kind of trouble?"
For some reason she couldn't explain, Lina always felt comfortable with Sylphiel. They
almost seemed to work in synch sometimes, even without meaning to. Out of all her friends,
Sylphiel had been the only one to figure out that Lina had intended to fight Phibrizzo alone and
went after her. Sylphiel was almost like an older sister…just not as abusive or psychotic
as…oh…say….Luna….
She took a breath and came out with it. "I think it's time Gourry and I went our separate
ways."
"Miss Lina?!"
"I…can't keep putting him in danger like this," she went on quietly. "It was different
when I was just Lina Inverse, Bandit Killer, but now I have high level Mazoku coming after me,
sorcerers, mercenaries, monsters…Last time he was kidnapped and almost died, this time he was
tortured, what about the next time?"
"You love Gourry," Sylphiel told her.
"What?! That yogurt-for-brains?!" Lina cried indignantly. "He's…He's…"
"In love with you too," the shrine maiden finished for her.
Lina went silent. "No he's not," she finally got out.
"After everything that's happened," Sylphiel went on, "How can you deny it?" Lina said
nothing. "Even…Even I couldn't deny it for very long." The sorceress blinked. "Miss Lina, why
do you think Gourry stays? If you're right, and he is in such danger simply from being near you,
why doesn't he just go?"
"Because he's got yogurt in that soft skull of his!" Lina cried defensively. "And…" She
broke off and remained silent. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find Sylphiel
smiling at her.
"Gourry is a very special man, Miss Lina," she told the sorceress. "I knew that since the
day we met." She turned away for a moment. "Did you know, Miss Lina, that I once saw you as a
rival? That I learned the Dragon Slave to impress Gourry?"
"I had a hunch," Lina muttered.
"If you do feel something for him, Miss Lina, then you mustn't let him go."
Lina sighed. "What's so great about him anyway?" she grumbled.
"The fact that he'll always be there no matter what, and that he'll never judge you." The
sorceress said nothing, just looked down at the water. Lina looked over at her and blinked.
Sylphiel seemed hesitant to speak any further. As if there were a great weight on her soul.
Finally, she spoke again. "Miss Lina…the left side of my face is scarred beyond recognition."
Lina looked at her and blinked in puzzlement. "Huh?"
Sylphiel nodded. "When I was thirteen, I was trapped in a burning building. A burning
wood beam fell and hit me. When I woke up…I found that I was disfigured. You can't see it now
because of a glamour, but…" She broke off and paused. "It was Gourry that saved me, pulled me
from the fire. He came to see me a few days afterward. I was still…shattered…and feeling very
sorry for myself. But he only smiled…called me pretty…and made me feel like…like I was
special. That's one of his best traits, Miss Lina. He sees the good in everything."
"Sylphiel…" Lina only breathed.
"Miss Lina, you can send Gourry away now and be comforted by the fact that he won't
share the dangers of your life…Or you can bring him closer and be comforted by the fact that he
WILL share the joys." Lina said nothing. "After everything you've been through, it seems like a
waste to send him away now, ne?" The priestess asked with a smile.
The sorceress sighed and looked up at the sky. "I have a lot to think about, I guess.
Thanks, Sylphiel."
"It was my pleasure, Miss Lina."
"Sylphiel…does…Zelgadis know…?"
The shrine maiden smiled. "A lot happened on Zarak Tor, Miss Lina." And that was all
she would say on the matter.
Lina rose from the water and started for shore. She did have a lot to think about.
Gourry looked up at the stars as he rested. Amelia had warned him that he should rest and
try not to exert himself for awhile, and he was all up for that…At least until he got an opportunity
for a rematch with Greysword and Zero…
But that was later. This was now. And right now, the stars were very pretty. He sighed
and smiled up at them. The stars were always there. When he was younger and wandering the
world alone, he had been comforted by that fact. The stars would always be there every single
night no matter what happened, or how badly he might screw up.
"Gourry?"
He turned his head and saw Lina walking up to him. She knelt down next to him, sitting on
her knees. "Oi, Lina," he said with a smile. "Is everything okay?" he asked, noticing her frown.
"I…just wanted to tell you that…I'm sorry…"
Gourry blinked in shock. Lina Inverse…APOLOGIZING FOR SOMETHING?! He
looked up at the stars for reassurance that the world was still the same.
"We shouldn't have split up," she went on. "It was…a stupid thing for me to do."
"How do you figure?" he asked.
Lina hit the dirt. A second later, she was back in a vertical position, dead leaves in her
hair. "BECAUSE, YOU YOGURT-FOR-BRAINS, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!!!"
"Yeah….So?" he asked blinking.
"You…you got tortured!" Lina went on. Gourry couldn't see it, but she was close to tears.
He smiled. "Yeah, but if we HADN'T split up, who's to say they wouldn't have gotten
BOTH of us? Because we DID split up, you managed to get away and get help!"
"Gourry! Are you some kind of idiot!?" Lina cried. "It was my fault! I got you captured
with my stupid, lame plan! I…"
"Wasn't there," Gourry finished for her seriously. "And I'm GLAD you weren't." He
didn't smile. "And if you had been there, it would've been MY fault for not being able to protect
you."
She shook her head. "You really are stupid," she muttered. "Yogurt-for-brains…"
He smiled and pointed at his head. "Wanna taste?"
She laughed. "No!" Lina looked down at him seriously. "Gourry…you told me once that
you'd stay my guardian forever."
"That's right," he said proudly.
"What if I didn't want that, anymore?" she asked.
He blinked in shock. "What do you mean?"
She bit her lip and leaned down over him, pressing her lips against his. Gourry blinked in
utter astonishment as Lina Inverse, the little girl he met almost four years ago, kissed him. Locks
of her red hair fell on him, and he inhaled, savoring a faint scent of cinnamon. After several
moments, she released him and smiled, blinking tears out of her eyes.
"I mean," she said quietly, "I don't want you to stay with me just because you're my
guardian."
"Lina," he whispered.
She swallowed nervously and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Rest now,
okay?" she told him. He nodded, still unsure as to what just happened. Lina stood up and walked
out of sight.
Gourry looked up at the stars and sighed again. This time his thoughts on a DIFFERENT
ball of fire…
To Be Continued…