To Kill or be Killed! That is the Question!
So, they were just going to run, were they? Cowards. But smart cowards nonetheless. Jadarin had lost track of them as soon as they left. Obviously, they were using that spell to conceal their whereabouts. That meant that they could be anywhere.
He hovered above the forest, scanning the horizon. "I never would have thought Sonjia would actually use the spell herself on a large enough scale to hide five people." He snorted to himself. "'Course, she's been trying to hide the fact that the spell even existed ever since its creator went into hiding. It's unlikely she would actually cast the spell herself."
Jadarin continued pondering yet another contradicting thought, though. "However, she did use it to trap Xellos and get him to talk. At least she didn't ask any intelligent questions." He had already concluded that she was using Magic Lock to stay hidden. The only question was whether or not she cast the shield herself, or was using a pre-existing one. Apparently, she was willing to use it as long as it didn't hurt anyone. Typical God behavior. Behavior that must be punished.
However, if she didn't use the spell herself, there was really only one place to hide.
There was the town. Just outside forest, which had recently been reduced to cinders. The smoke had covered the sun, leaving a rather foreboding atmosphere around the area.
No, she wouldn't have gone very far. She was still unfamiliar with the place and time. She was in that town all right. And probably yakking up a storm about the Magic Lock. And a bit of personal history to get those humans to feel sorry for her. In the end, a very self-serving strategy that would ultimately get them nowhere.
He couldn't keep chasing her like this. An independent mind led to independent actions beyond his control. This would have to be rectified.
He'd have to kill her.
She had also apparently planned to tell those four travelers about the spell. One of whom happened to be Lina Inverse. Lina Inverse, the holder of the forbidden spells of the Lord of Nightmares. Lina Inverse, the one who single-handedly defeated Ruby Eye Shabranigdo. Lina Inverse, the human who should never be allowed to know too much.
Looks like the body count would have to rise a little higher before the grand finale.
Jadarin landed in the middle of town and surveyed the surroundings. It was quiet. Dead quiet. He pricked up his ears, flicking them from side to side, scanning for any sound. There it was. The dull chatter of a conversation about a block away.
"Gee, I wonder where they are?" he said to himself sarcastically as he walked over to the house the sounds were coming from. Magic Lock might have prevented him from sensing their energy, but it certainly wasn't sound-proof. They trusted that spell too much.
Pressing his ear against the door, he decided to eavesdrop a little before making his move.
"Wow, I never really stopped to think that you might look different as a goddess!" said Amelia. "So what do you really look like?"
"It's not important," said Sonjia. "I don't exactly feel like being gawked at right now, thank you very much."
"So what? You have an alternate form. That still doesn't make you a goddess," said Zelgadis. "Besides, your story still has a few major flaws."
"You mean how Magic Lock can still be cast if my sister is dead?" Sonjia asked. Zelgadis blinked in surprise, then nodded.
"Maybe the Gold Dragons took it," suggested Lina. "There's a theory about transferring the power of a spell from one being to another that my sister told me a long time ago. She said that a God or Mazoku can willfully transfer their power to another of any race. But it had to be voluntary. Except if you find a way to kill the God or Mazoku, you can steal their power at the time of their death, since there's no longer any force holding onto it."
Sonjia stared at Lina in shock. "Who the heck was your sister if she knew something like that?!"
Lina fidgeted a little. "She's, uh, the Knight of Ceipheed....."
Sonjia looked at Lina warily. True, from her experience with the sorceress, she'd come to the understanding that Lina probably wasn't the type to try something like that. Which was one of the reasons she decided to trust her. Still, Sonjia had observed that Lina was also quite capable of killing her. She felt downright pathetic about having to be wary of a puny human like Lina.
Sonjia shook her head to rid herself of the thought of Lina seriously threatening her. "Anyway, yes, I think that's what happened. I think the Gold Dragons extracted my sister's power upon killing her. So that's why the spell is still able to be cast."
"But if they've had the spell this whole time, why haven't they used it?" asked Amelia. "It seems like something the Gold Dragons would want to make good use of if they'd kill one of their own for it."
"They must have wanted it pretty badly," said Gourry. "People who want my Sword of Light don't usually try to kill me for it."
"Oh, poor Gourry!" said Lina. "I know! You can just give the sword to me, and then everyone will stop hassling you for it!"
"I've already said 'no' to you about a hundred times," said Gourry.
Lina shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying. Anyway," she said, returning to the matter at hand, "what we've hypothesized so far is that the Gold Dragons may have control of the spell. But if they did, they would have used it by now, and it's obvious they haven't, since we're not exactly having a Mazoku shortage."
"Maybe they don't know how to use it," suggested Gourry, having a lot of experience in that field.
Lina smacked herself on the forehead. "Gourry, would you please stop coming up with the obvious explanations? They're making us smart people look like idiots."
"Sorry," said Gourry.
"Before we hypothesize any more about Dragons and such, don't you think we should take care of that Mazoku that's been pestering us?" Zelgadis reasoned. "Other than Sonjia, he's the only one who knows the spell who can be considered a threat."
Sonjia lowered her eyes at him. "Oh, thanks."
"Right!" said Lina, flexing her arms. "First thing's first. Now that we know how his spell works, we'll blast that Mazoku into tiny pieces! ... Is what I'd like to say, but basically all we've learned is that there's no way to hit him."
"Sure there is," Sonjia interjected.
All eyes went to her. Lina grabbed her by collar. "Oh now's a fine time to tell us that! So spill already!"
Before Sonjia could speak, there was a knock at the door. Everyone froze.
"Maybe it's Xellos-san...?" Amelia ventured.
"Hello?" came a voice from the other side. "I have a large pizza here for a Miss Lina Inverse. Sorry, I couldn't make it in under a half hour, so the pizza's free."
"It's about time!" shouted Lina excitedly. "Finally! Food!" She bolted for the door.
"Lina-san, wait! It's gotta be a trap!" Amelia called after her, stating the obvious.
But Lina's hunger had overridden her logic, and she hastily opened the door to relieve the pizza boy of his burden. Of course, I think we can all guess who was at the door instead.
Jadarin smirked at Lina's horrified expression when she realized who he was. "Special delivery." He swung one arm up, catching Lina full in the stomach and sent her sailing across the room, only to smash into the wall on the other side.
"Lina-san!" Amelia shouted, running to her aid.
"What? No tip?" said Jadarin, blocking the door, which was conveniently the only way out. Zelgadis and Gourry drew their swords and prepared for a battle in close quarters. Sonjia still sat in the chair, shaking her head in annoyance.
Lina stood up unsteadily, leaning on Amelia. "What do you want from us, Jadarin?" she asked.
"Your lives, of course," he explained. "She told you about the spell, I noticed. You see, that's no good. Big, fat, glaring Rule Number One," he said, holding up his index finger, "NEVER tell anyone about the spell. And anyone who does know about it," he continued, lowering his arm slowly, "dies."
"We won't let you hurt anyone else!" shouted Gourry, charging forward with his sword. Jadarin flicked his chopstick forward like a dart, hitting Gourry in the forearm. Gourry winced, but still slashed his sword down on Jadarin's head. Unfortunately, it just passed right through without leaving a mark.
Once the sword had passed through, Jadarin grabbed Gourry by the arm to retrieve his chopstick. He then kicked Gourry in the stomach, sending him crashing to the ground.
"And you've been with Lina Inverse HOW long? Really, you people should know that swords do not work against Mazoku. You can't even scratch me like that."
"Better try the Sword of Light next time," suggested Zelgadis.
"And now that you've conveniently trapped yourselves in here," said Jadarin, raising his hand, "hitting you shouldn't be too much trouble."
They needed some way to escape. But they seemed to have flat run out of options. Swords and magic wouldn't work against him, and they couldn't blow down one of the walls to make a makeshift exit, since all the walls were magic-proof. The only way out was through the door.
Lina stepped forward, a stern look on her face. "I know we can't get around you or through you," she said. "So I have a different idea."
Jadarin stepped back a bit. True, it could just be a bluff to get his guard down, but there was still the minute possibility that there was something that she knew of that would work against him. He couldn't think of anything at the moment, but that didn't mean...
"I do believe we shall go... under you!" She slammed her palm to the dirt floor, which hadn't been affected by the spell. "Dug Haut!"
A pillar of rock erupted from beneath Jadarin's feet and skyrocketed upward, taking him with it. The stone pillar slammed into the ceiling, pinning him against it. And since the ceiling was Locked, he couldn't use magic to dislodge himself.
"It worked!" cheered Lina. "I had a feeling indirect magic like that would have some effect on him."
"Bravo," said Zelgadis. "But now what?" he said, motioning to the door, which was now blocked by the large stone pillar.
"Um, Damu Bras?" said Lina, throwing a handful of magical grapeshot at the pillar, disintegrating it. "Just run! Ask questions later!" The five beat a hasty retreat over the rubble while Jadarin reoriented himself.
"Curse you, Lina Inverse!" he shouted after them. He pulled himself out from under the fallen column and pursued.
"Guys, we should split up," said Lina. "Sonjia, go with Gourry and Amelia to the other side of town. Zel and I will keep going this way."
"I'll go with them... but not because you told me to," Sonjia replied.
"Oh, whatever," Lina grumbled. "Just don't get caught or killed or something." The five parted ways into their respective groups of two and three.
"Okay, Zel," said Lina, "it looks like about all we can do right now is throw rocks at the guy. And since earth Shamanism is your specialty, I'm counting on you to find a way to--"
"Lina, why the heck did you do that?" Zelgadis interrupted. "You sent 'Miss Goddess' with the two people who are too dense to see through her act! She'll end up getting them killed!"
"Zel, have a little faith!" Lina retorted. "It's gotten to the point that there's a good chance that she's actually telling the truth. Her explanation does seem to fit everything that's happened so far."
"Except her ribbon," he stated flatly.
Lina blinked in confusion. "What about it?"
"It changed color," he explained. "Not just from silver to blue, but silver to red. Red from blood. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Gods bleed. Especially not from wounds inflicted by swords."
Lina rubbed her chin in thought. "I... guess you have a point there. But she didn't bleed when Xellos blasted that hole through her chest. What was different about that?"
Zelgadis shrugged. "Physical versus magical damage, maybe?"
Lina shook her head. That couldn't be it. All through this entire escapade, both God and Mazoku weren't getting hurt when they should have, and getting hurt when they shouldn't have. Sonjia had gotten a cut on the arm and couldn't heal it, even though she claimed to specialize in recovery magic. Then later, she got a hole blown through her chest, and that healed right away. But why couldn't she heal....?
Lina's eyes widened. "That's it! You can't heal it!" she exclaimed in realization.
"Pardon?" said Zelgadis.
"That's gotta be how you defeat this guy!" she said excitedly. "The spell blocks and disables all magic! Which means all you have to do is--"
Unfortunately, she wasn't able to finish that thought, as a fireball erupted behind her, throwing her and Zel apart. Through the clearing smoke, Jadarin stalked towards them.
"Lina Inverse..." he growled. "I think it's time to shut you up for good..." He raised his hand and unleashed another fireball.
Lina rolled out of the way and shouted, "Zel, get him! He's using magic, so his shield must be down!"
Jadarin spun around and whipped out his chopstick just before an Elmekia Flame caught him in the back. But he was too quick, and the spell evaporated as soon as it hit him.
"So, I see you've worked out a little strategy against me. But it will do you no good," he remarked. "I see my hunch was right on target that you have a knack for figuring things out. Unfortunately, the only place you'll take that knowledge is to the grave."
Lina crossed her arms defiantly. "So what are you going to do? As soon as you drop your shield to cast a spell at me, Zel can hit you with a spell of his own. And if you try attacking him first, well, then you've still got me to deal with."
Jadarin lowered his head and smiled menacingly. "Who ever said I was going to kill you with magic...?" He tucked his chopstick into his pants to free his hands, and got ready to pounce.
Lina gulped. She hadn't counted on this. Jadarin growled and leapt into the air at her. Lina scrambled out of the way just as his claws hit the ground where she had been standing.
"Never underestimate the usefulness of brute strength!" he shouted, remaining on all fours like some sort of demented lion.
"Uh, Zel?" said Lina, expectantly, while running behind him.
"Two steps ahead of you, Lina," he replied, palm outstretched. "Infinite earth, mother who nurtures all life. Let thy power gather in my hand! Vlave Howl!" he chanted, slamming his hand into the ground.
A geyser of mud and soil erupted from the street, forming into a projectile ball. Jadarin looked up at the incoming mudball and commented, "That could be problematic."
The mudball slammed into the ground and hardened instantly, creating a stone shell around everything it hit.
"Go Zel!" cheered Lina. "If Sonjia could be encased in stone, then so can he!"
Zelgadis snorted indifferently. "He wasn't so much of a problem after all. That was hardly worth the effort and excitement."
"Sorry to disappoint!" said Jadarin, one second before he bodyslammed Zelgadis from the air, smashing him into a building across the street. "That mud spell of yours would have been problematic IF it could hit something that wasn't slow-moving nor confined to the ground."
He left Zelgadis embedded in the wall and turned to face Lina. "Now, do you happen to have anything interesting to try on me?"
Lina thought a moment. "Well, I might be able to--"
"Too late!" said Jadarin, springing forward and clutching her by the neck. "I just need to snap your neck, and this'll be over quickly and easily."
Lina coughed and tried to swallow. "Whatever happened to Mazoku tormenting their victims before killing them?"
Jadarin shrugged. "I don't like it."
Lina's eyes widened. What did he mean, "I don't like it"? That was like a fish saying it didn't like water. The very essence of Mazoku resided in causing pain, fear, and aggression. It was what they were made of. And this one says... "I don't like it"? She knew there was something weird about him when he demonstrated his ability to cast spells not of his own power, but this was just completely... non-Mazoku-like.
Jadarin clutched her neck tighter. "Next time keep your nose out of things." With that, he swung her around and threw her full force against a wall. There was a crack, and it was obvious that that had broken her arm, and maybe cracked a few ribs. Lina fell and slumped backwards against the base of the wall.
"Have a nice death," he commented, wiping his hands together. Lina groaned and coughed up a little bit of blood.
"Wow, even that didn't kill you? They must make humans a lot tougher these days." He looked at her for a moment, scratching the back of his neck. "That looks like it hurts a lot. Best to relieve you of the pain now." He lunged forward at her crumpled form, claws bared.
"Astral Vine!" Apparently, Zelgadis hadn't been out for the count, either. He parried Jadarin's claws with the enchantment on his sword. And since Zelgadis's spell was already cast and in effect, Jadarin's shield couldn't break it.
Jadarin growled and clutched Zelgadis's sword's blade, attempting to snap it in two. However, he ended up appearing to to more damage to himself than the sword. He pushed Zelgadis back and backed away angrily. And, at that point, Zelgadis noticed... blood? From a Mazoku? Caused by a sword? It was just like with Sonjia, but why?
"Your actions truly annoy me," said Jadarin, dropping his chopstick and snapping his fingers. Zelgadis was about to charge, seeing the opening now that his shield was down, but remembered that snapping one's fingers was the action to bring about the Magic Lock spell. And, if it really was all that Sonjia claimed it was, it was definitely NOT a good idea to go charging in. Or even be in that locale.
Zelgadis clenched his teeth in frustration an sheathed his sword. With a Magic Lock bearing down upon him somewhere, retreat was the only option. He grabbed Lina and snapped a Raywing bubble into place, flying away.
"Run all you like, but I will not rest until I have killed that girl!" Jadarin shouted after them, picking up his chopstick. He spread his wings and began pursuing. Realizing at this point that no one would be casting any spells at him, he dropped his shield and charged up a fireball. "Crash and burn time," he chuckled, letting the fireball loose.
Zelgadis didn't know what hit him. Actually, he did know what hit him. A fireball. He just wasn't expecting it. It caused him to lose his Raywing spell, and both he and the injured Lina went crashing to the ground on the edge of a ditch outside of town.
"Ow..." moaned Lina. She tried to open her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a pair of bat wings and black claws descending upon her.
"Lina!" Zelgadis shouted. But it was too late. Jadarin was already on her, his claws easily piercing her flesh.
"Listen well, Inverse, the chase only ends when you are dead," he growled, digging his claws deeper into her arms. Lina tried to cry out, but her broken ribs made it hard to even breathe. And she was far too weak to even fight back. Which meant if he hit her again like he did before, he could very well kill her. But what could she or Zel do now?
"Don't worry. Your friends will join you soon," said Jadarin. He picked Lina up and threw her against Zelgadis. "And getting you both at once will be much simpler." He put his hands together and let loose a highly concentrated blast that caught Lina in the chest, sending both her and Zelgadis flying into the ditch behind them.
Zelgadis groaned from the impact and tried to get up, but realized Lina was crumpled on top of him. She wasn't moving, and was bleeding from several wounds and char marks. He shakily raised a hand and checked her neck for a pulse, then noticed Jadarin standing above them, ready to hit them with another fireball.
Zelgadis dropped his hand and called up hoarsely, "Don't bother wasting your energy."
Jadarin paused just for a moment to hear an explanation for this. "And why shouldn't I?"
Zelgadis sighed. "Because..... Lina Inverse.... is dead."