Here's another chapter, please review. Special notes...um...I guess I had to end the last chapter with some sort of suspense. But do not fear, I will do that denouement thing...at the last chapter! *laughs maniacally for a while...* Um...please review...
If You Can Count to Ten
Their cries echoed through the impassive hallway, the flickering light ghastly illuminating the scene. Ari wiped the droplets of blood from her face and staggered back into Val, eyes riveted to the spreading sanguine pool beneath the two adventurers.
"Lina, speak to me, Lina," Gourry cried, cradling the limb body of the fiery-haired sorceress. Filia rushed over, tears beginning to course down her cheeks. Frantically she cast a recovery spell on Lina while Amelia and Sylphiel did the same for Zelgadis.
The girl clutched Val's shirt and pressed her face against the smooth cloth, warm tears soaking the fabric. Absently he patted her shoulder as he watched the others work on their fallen comrades.
* * * *
"Only one door at a time? Why didn't you say so before?" Lina screamed at the cowering girl, flames burning within the depths of her garnet eyes.
"I didn't know, I was just guessing," Ari wailed, backing up. Zelgadis reset against a nearby wall with a look of tired annoyance. There was a gapping hole in shirt, and Lina's, from the burst of energy that had nearly proved fatal.
"Miss Lina, calm down. She didn't know that would happen, even if she did you two were so set on opening that door that she didn't have enough time to warn you," Filia pointed out, taking pity on the terrified girl and defending her against the sorceress' wrath. The girl nodded vehemently and from behind the priestess' white cloak. A mumbled apology was heard, expressed in such humble timidity that the enraged sorceress finally relented.
"How about we try one at a time? I'm sure we'll have plenty of time," said Sylphiel.
"Okay, let's try the one with the cats," Lina declared beginning to push against her door of choice.
"Wait a minute Lina, shouldn't we vote on this?" Zelgadis demanded, limping towards her in protests.
"Yeah, that's only fair," Amelia declared coming to stand next to the chimera.
"If we have to face another powerful Mazoku, which seem to always pick on me for some reason, we'll need the information in this room," the sorceress replied sourly, pushing the doors open without further ado. There was a slight crackle and everyone winced, but nothing more happened.
Ari sneaked around the sorceress in order to see into the room. She sighed with disappointment as she saw the rows upon rows of ordinary wooden drawers.
"This is it?" Lina demanded as the others crowded around her. "The complete knowledge of all the Mazoku and gods is here?"
Ari pulled examined the closest drawer, noting the strange glyphs embossed with gold. Upon opening it she found a six inch long silver needle. With great care and no small amount of fear she removed it from the ebon velvet it rested upon.
"I think each drawer contains these things," she told them, holding up the slender, gleaming shaft. "I also think that you have to prick yourself with it to gain its knowledge."
"That sounds painful," Gourry commented as he stared at it.
"A sacrifice for knowledge," Zelgadis commented with a shrug, brushing past the others in order to enter the room.
"Do you think they have Xelloss' here?" Filia asked with sudden interest, a devious glint in her blue eyes. The girl shrugged and then nodded vaguely, her attention was focused on Lina as she started to read the glyphs.
"I think I'll just see if I can find it, don't mind me," the dragon chirped and then disappeared around another set of drawers. Ari shrugged again and moved farther into the room as well.
* * * *
A rude jab to the arm jerked Ari out of the nap she was about to fall into. Groggily she blinked and found a rather annoyed Val glaring at her, golden eyes expressing exasperation. On his other side Gourry stood, leaning slightly against a set of drawers and yawning occasionally. Upon seeing him yawn the girl yawned as well and started to drift off again. Sylphiel leaned against him, nodding off as she longed too.
"Will you stop it?" Val demanded, shoving her away. Before she could reply Filia came running back surrounded by an air of excitement. Lina looked up from her reddened arm into which she had inserted a needle. Amelia gave a small shriek and the drawer she had been opening crashed to the floor. Zelgadis sighed and looked bored.
"I found his. I found the needle of that annoying priest," she declared holding a shining needle for all to see. "I'll finally know his weakness and stop him from bothering me anymore."
"I don't think so," a cruelly amused voice announced. The adventurers gasped as an all too familiar figure manifested in the room. The girl's dark green eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared at the violet haired man.
"You can't be here. I told you no being touched by gods or demons could enter," Ari cried stalking towards him, or would have but Val had grabbed one of her pigtails and with a rude jerk kept her in place.
"I'm truly sorry for breaking your little cardinal rule, but I have orders," Xelloss informed them with a deceptively innocent laugh. For the briefest instant his eyes flickered open and he pinned the dragon maiden with a cold look. She gave a shriek as pale blue flames surrounded the pin.
"No you can't destroy this place," the girl yelled as she struggled against the youth's hold on her hair. The Mazoku gave them a cheerful smile as a one by one the wooden drawers burst in flames. "Now you've done it."
A violent shaking suddenly seized the foundation, the adventurers were thrown to the floor amid the burning wood. Xelloss floated above it all with a satisfied smirk on his face. Then everything paused.
A short scream escaped Ari's mouth as a jagged crack snaked across the floor and she tumbled down. Frantically she grabbed hold of something, anything to prevent her fall. Val cried out as she dragged him down and grabbed a hold of Gourry's hair. Together the three parts of the key disappeared into the fissure, their cries the only evidence of their continued existence.
"Gourry," Sylphiel screamed lunging for the hole, she would have followed if Lina hadn't grabbed her by the ankle. "No, Gourry-dear, he's gone."
"Val," Filia shrieked crouching by the rift. "Val, oh Val."
* * * *
Another cruel ending. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get over this cliffhanger thing eventually. Please review.
If You Can Count to Ten
Their cries echoed through the impassive hallway, the flickering light ghastly illuminating the scene. Ari wiped the droplets of blood from her face and staggered back into Val, eyes riveted to the spreading sanguine pool beneath the two adventurers.
"Lina, speak to me, Lina," Gourry cried, cradling the limb body of the fiery-haired sorceress. Filia rushed over, tears beginning to course down her cheeks. Frantically she cast a recovery spell on Lina while Amelia and Sylphiel did the same for Zelgadis.
The girl clutched Val's shirt and pressed her face against the smooth cloth, warm tears soaking the fabric. Absently he patted her shoulder as he watched the others work on their fallen comrades.
* * * *
"Only one door at a time? Why didn't you say so before?" Lina screamed at the cowering girl, flames burning within the depths of her garnet eyes.
"I didn't know, I was just guessing," Ari wailed, backing up. Zelgadis reset against a nearby wall with a look of tired annoyance. There was a gapping hole in shirt, and Lina's, from the burst of energy that had nearly proved fatal.
"Miss Lina, calm down. She didn't know that would happen, even if she did you two were so set on opening that door that she didn't have enough time to warn you," Filia pointed out, taking pity on the terrified girl and defending her against the sorceress' wrath. The girl nodded vehemently and from behind the priestess' white cloak. A mumbled apology was heard, expressed in such humble timidity that the enraged sorceress finally relented.
"How about we try one at a time? I'm sure we'll have plenty of time," said Sylphiel.
"Okay, let's try the one with the cats," Lina declared beginning to push against her door of choice.
"Wait a minute Lina, shouldn't we vote on this?" Zelgadis demanded, limping towards her in protests.
"Yeah, that's only fair," Amelia declared coming to stand next to the chimera.
"If we have to face another powerful Mazoku, which seem to always pick on me for some reason, we'll need the information in this room," the sorceress replied sourly, pushing the doors open without further ado. There was a slight crackle and everyone winced, but nothing more happened.
Ari sneaked around the sorceress in order to see into the room. She sighed with disappointment as she saw the rows upon rows of ordinary wooden drawers.
"This is it?" Lina demanded as the others crowded around her. "The complete knowledge of all the Mazoku and gods is here?"
Ari pulled examined the closest drawer, noting the strange glyphs embossed with gold. Upon opening it she found a six inch long silver needle. With great care and no small amount of fear she removed it from the ebon velvet it rested upon.
"I think each drawer contains these things," she told them, holding up the slender, gleaming shaft. "I also think that you have to prick yourself with it to gain its knowledge."
"That sounds painful," Gourry commented as he stared at it.
"A sacrifice for knowledge," Zelgadis commented with a shrug, brushing past the others in order to enter the room.
"Do you think they have Xelloss' here?" Filia asked with sudden interest, a devious glint in her blue eyes. The girl shrugged and then nodded vaguely, her attention was focused on Lina as she started to read the glyphs.
"I think I'll just see if I can find it, don't mind me," the dragon chirped and then disappeared around another set of drawers. Ari shrugged again and moved farther into the room as well.
* * * *
A rude jab to the arm jerked Ari out of the nap she was about to fall into. Groggily she blinked and found a rather annoyed Val glaring at her, golden eyes expressing exasperation. On his other side Gourry stood, leaning slightly against a set of drawers and yawning occasionally. Upon seeing him yawn the girl yawned as well and started to drift off again. Sylphiel leaned against him, nodding off as she longed too.
"Will you stop it?" Val demanded, shoving her away. Before she could reply Filia came running back surrounded by an air of excitement. Lina looked up from her reddened arm into which she had inserted a needle. Amelia gave a small shriek and the drawer she had been opening crashed to the floor. Zelgadis sighed and looked bored.
"I found his. I found the needle of that annoying priest," she declared holding a shining needle for all to see. "I'll finally know his weakness and stop him from bothering me anymore."
"I don't think so," a cruelly amused voice announced. The adventurers gasped as an all too familiar figure manifested in the room. The girl's dark green eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared at the violet haired man.
"You can't be here. I told you no being touched by gods or demons could enter," Ari cried stalking towards him, or would have but Val had grabbed one of her pigtails and with a rude jerk kept her in place.
"I'm truly sorry for breaking your little cardinal rule, but I have orders," Xelloss informed them with a deceptively innocent laugh. For the briefest instant his eyes flickered open and he pinned the dragon maiden with a cold look. She gave a shriek as pale blue flames surrounded the pin.
"No you can't destroy this place," the girl yelled as she struggled against the youth's hold on her hair. The Mazoku gave them a cheerful smile as a one by one the wooden drawers burst in flames. "Now you've done it."
A violent shaking suddenly seized the foundation, the adventurers were thrown to the floor amid the burning wood. Xelloss floated above it all with a satisfied smirk on his face. Then everything paused.
A short scream escaped Ari's mouth as a jagged crack snaked across the floor and she tumbled down. Frantically she grabbed hold of something, anything to prevent her fall. Val cried out as she dragged him down and grabbed a hold of Gourry's hair. Together the three parts of the key disappeared into the fissure, their cries the only evidence of their continued existence.
"Gourry," Sylphiel screamed lunging for the hole, she would have followed if Lina hadn't grabbed her by the ankle. "No, Gourry-dear, he's gone."
"Val," Filia shrieked crouching by the rift. "Val, oh Val."
* * * *
Another cruel ending. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get over this cliffhanger thing eventually. Please review.
