Disclaimer: I should have made it painfully obvious by now. I don't own slayers!
Almost there
Miss Naga, shouldn't we be going?
"Man, I can't believe I actually got myself into this!" Eruk complained as he slipped another dirty plate into the sink. "But master, you were the one who wanted to travel with miss Naga and…" Nimph tried to start a conversation. "Yeah yeah, I know. But I never expected her to stick me with the bill. She knew I had no money!". Nimph pick up a small rag and started drying a plate "But we can make this fun! See, I dry this side and you dry the other side!" For a few seconds he just stared at the tiny creature "And here I though my life couldn't be any worse…" he gDamiened. A few hours later he was finished.
"So what took you so long sidekick?" Naga asked. "Look, I had to work off all of your debt, you could at least show some gratitude" he mumbled under his breath. "What was that sidekick?" Naga shot him a hard glance. He remained silent. "That's what I thought I heard" The sorceress nodded. The three of them had left as soon as Eruk had finished his work at the inn.
Eruk had followed behind Naga for a good part of the day. "Master, You've been staring at miss Naga all day, are you attracted to her or something?" Nimph whispered into Eruk's ear. He paled and started coughing "NO! It's just that she reminds me of someone…". Nimph giggled "Whatever you say master…".
"Miss Naga?" Eruk asked "Could you tell me why we are hiding inside these bushes?". Naga pulled some branches away "Bandits" she whispered. He took a look outside. The bandit hideout was almost like a well guarded fortress. In the front, a tall wood wall had been built to protect them from attacks. Inside it seemed like most of the hideout was built into a large mountain. "I see the bandits" he whispered back "what does they have to do with us?". She looked at him in wonder "Bandits are the sure way to fame and fortune. Beat them and steal their treasure, find some grateful villagers and you have fame. What kind of treasure hunter are you anyway?". Nimph swallowed hard "Are we busted now?". Eruk ignored her "So that is what makes you inner world adventures so great?" he asked innocently. "Inner world? What do you mean by that?" Naga asked. "Well, you guys call my homeland the outer world. Meaning your world must be the inner world, right?". Naga was deep in thought "Well I guess if you put it that way…" she said. "Anyway" Eruk continued "I understand how you magic users can take on a whole bandit gang on your own, but without any magic you need and army to fight these guys". Naga padded him on the back "well then it's time for your first lesson in true treasure hunting". With those words Naga ran out of the bushes "VU VRIMER!" She shouted.
The earth started shaking as huge lumps of earth and rock started gathering in one place. A huge golem started raising from the ground. Eruk stared in disbelief. He had never seen anything like this before. As the golem continued to grow, he realized that this wasn't just a huge lump of rock. The crazy woman had actually made a huge copy of herself. "That figures" he said before charging out. "Miss Naga, I expect you to cover my back, ok?" he shouted as he ran past her.
Before the bandits even knew what hit them, the golem started to break down the wooden wall. "Now golem, disintegrate" Naga shouted. On her command the huge creature started to crumble, burying a lot of the bandits under a solid layer of mud. A single tear rolled down Nagas cheek "such waste of beauty" she sniffed as the last parts of her golem collapsed "OHOHOHOHOHOHO". Her infamous laugh made more of the bandit turn tail a run away. A few of the bandits actually had the guts to come out a face their attackers. They stopped dead in their tracks as they saw Eruk. His hands were burning with the energy of his converted flare arrow "So, who wants to go first?" he asked. One of the bandit swallowed hard "yo…you are Damien Shadowheart, aren't you?" he asked while backing away.
Damien Shadowheart? Even though he had never heard that name before, it felt like he ought to know it. He closed his eyes and tried to remember. "Yes I'm him, what of it?" he growled as he walked forward. Even though he couldn't put a face to the name, he quickly noticed how the bandits reacted to it and decided to use it to his advantage. Even more of the bandit turned tail and ran away, obviously they didn't want to mess with a legend like him.
"So you actually want to try your luck?" he teased one of the few remaining bandits. The bandit was rather young and obviously very inexperienced. He drew his sword and ran forward. Eruk merely took a step to the left, and with one stroke he disarmed his opponent. He could easily have killed him, but for now he needed answers. After that, it only took one blow to the head, and the bandit was out cold. Meanwhile Naga had taken care of most of the remaining bandits and was now helping herself to some of their loot.
"What's up with the bandit?" she asked. Eruk had been dragging the unconscious boy after him. "I know it sound weird miss Naga, but he might know something useful" he explained. "Whatever you say, sidekick" Naga rolled her eyes and went back to the treasure.
Eruk casually emptied a bucket of water over the bandits head. "What? Where am I?" he asked as he slowly woke up. From what he could see, they were inside one of the tents that was normally used as sleeping quarters. His eyes fell on Eruk, and he went silent. "So finally awake, are you?" he asked with a smirk. The bandit shook his head, the only part of his body that weren't tied up "What do you want with me?" he asked fearfully. Eruk crouched down in front of him "I want answers. If you can provide them, you might live to see another day". The bandit looked at him suspiciously "what kind of information?".
Eruk smiled "Some of you called me Damien Shadowheart, what I wanna know is, who is that man?". The bandit turned away "We were beaten by a lousy look-alike?" he frowned "I ain't telling anything!". Eruk nodded " I was hoping that you would reconsider…". He picked up a dagger from the ground and started casually playing with it. The bandit was silent. Eruk sighed "I was hoping that I could avoid this, but if you want it the hard way…" He whistled loud and clear. "just call me if you should change your mind" he said before leaving the tent "and believe me, I would prefer to talk, if I was you".
A few minutes after he had left the tent, another one entered. It was a woman. The tent was dimly light, but the bandit was able to make out some details about her. Naga was wearing her usual outfit, minus the cape. She had added a black mask and a mean looking whip she had found among the bandits weapons for a more dramatic effect. From her shoulder Nimph stared daggers at the bandit. She was wearing an outfit similar to Nagas. Eruk could only guess where she had gotten her hands on it, and he wasn't certain that he really wanted to know anyway. "OHOHOHOHOH! So you are the next victim of the great Naga" She laughed, while cracking her whip maniacally.
Outside the tent Eruk was counting down on his fingers five four three two one and "Mr.! Mr.! I'm telling everything!" the bandit shouted "just get her away from me!". Eruk were smiling innocently as he entered the tent again, but Naga actually looked a bit disappointed that she didn't get the chance to perform her part to end. "Miss Naga, why don't you go collect some more treasure" Eruk suggested as the raven haired sorceress left the tent.
"So you want to talk now?" Eruk asked conversationally. "What was that?" the bandit asked, seemingly out of his mind with fear. Eruk shrugged "oh that. It was my partner Naga, and the little one is named Nimph. Now on to my questions". The bandit nodded nervously while his eyes darted back and forth. "Damien Shadowheart. Who is he?" Eruk asked. The bandit swallowed hard "They say he was the best goddamn assassin in the whole wide world". Eruk stood up and started walking around "you said he *was* the best?". The bandit nodded "He vanished about a year ago. Rumors has it that he was killed in some sort of magic experiment". Eruk stood with his eyes closed About a year ago? Wasn't that when I woke up in the Sairaag forest? My returning memory… those two that keeps calling me a failure. It all adds up now. I must be Damien Shadowheart, or at least I have some connection.
His thoughts were interrupted as the bandit started moving nervously "Uh mister is something wrong? You seemed so distant". Eruk shook his head "you? Nervous about me?". The bandit nodded eagerly "Between you and that crazy woman, I'll pick you any day!". Eruk suddenly threw the dagger towards the tied up bandit. The rope fell down and landed on the ground. "What did you do?" he asked. Eruk shrugged "you said it yourself, I am supposed to be the best. If I couldn't hit the ropes, that would just prove that I was not the one I thought. I guess, I really am Damien Shadowheart".
The bandit looked at him with fear in his eyes "You mean, it was a gamble? You didn't know if you could do it?". Eruk nodded "Yes it was. Now if you can tell me one more thing, I'll let you go". The bandit stood up "What do you mean?". Eruk faced him "I need to know where exactly I vanished".
"So you are back now master?" Nimph asked "What happened to the bandit?". He sat down by the campfire "I let him go". Naga stopped counting her loot "What? you let him go? But he was a bandit!". Nimph landed on his shoulder "Miss Naga is right! Why would you let an evil person like that go?" she asked. Naga stood up "never mind that. More importantly, did you find out anything about the treasure?".
He sighed deeply "There is no treasure miss Naga" he admitted. Her eyes went wide with surprise "No treasure?" she asked. "That's one way of putting it" he admitted "I am the only one who can benefit from the treasure in Xen". Naga was towering above him "What do you mean?". Eruk took a deep breath "The treasure is knowledge miss Naga! You know that I have amnesia. To me everything connects to that town. I need to know the truth!". The two girls were silent for a while. "What a beautiful story" Naga finally whispered.
"Nimph, the two of us is a team now. I know, I can count on your aid. How about you Miss Naga?" He turned to his *employer*. The tall sorceress seemed undecided, finally she gave a small nod "I know that you'll be helpless without me around. I'll help you, but all the treasure we might find is mine". He smiled back to her "Thank you, miss Naga. I really appreciate that". He stood up and walked around. Not much to do here he thought.
He turned to look at his companions. Things had gone so fast over the last few days. Nimph was flying around, wrapped in a handkerchief made of silk. He could see that he was still wearing her Naga look-a-like costume underneath. It was only a few weeks ago that he had considered her an enemy, and an annoying pest. Now she was one of his closest friends, and invaluable to him because of her special abilities. She could still be quite annoying, but he was getting used to it by now. A small part of him even hoped that she would stick around after everything was over.
He looked a little to the left. Naga was busy gathering the most valuable of the bandits treasure together. Mostly everything about her was still a mystery to him. She was a mercenary. All he had to do to earn her favor was to offer her some money. But still there was something that bothered him, because of his special powers he could feel a sadness that radiated from her. She was pretty good at hiding it though, any normal human would never suspect anything. She had promised to help, and he was sure that she would follow him on his quest. He just needed to make sure that she kept believing that she was in charge.
"Hey what are you doing sidekick?" Naga shouted, making him snap out of his thoughts. He walked back to the girls "I wasn't doing anything. Just thinking that maybe it was time to get moving?". Naga stood up, "an excellent suggestion sidekick. I hear that there should be a town nearby with a hot spring". Eruk picked up his cape from the ground and put it on "I guess I cant deny you a break after taking care of most of the bandits". He started walking "Well, let's get going then". Naga picked up her back of treasure and followed. "Master?" Nimph asked after settling down on his shoulder "I'm really tired, how long until we reach that town?". He shot Naga a glance "She didn't say that did she? Well there is always your pocket…". Nimph sighed "I guess so". She flew down and made herself comfortable in his pocket. "Oh Nimph, one more thing" He said before she went to sleep "could you please change to your normal outfit? Miss Naga is great and all, but seeing two of her might give me nightmares". The fairy laughed heartily "oh fine! Whatever you say master. But I'm saving this outfit for summer!". Eruk shook his head, he just had to live with her.
"There it is!" Naga announced. Eruk looked in the direction she was pointing. In the distance he could see several lights. "Let's hurry then" he suggested "It's pretty late already". Both of them increased their speed.
"Here it is!" Naga stopped in front of a pretty large building "We'd better get some rooms". They walked up to the innkeeper "Good evening sir" Eruk greeted the man. He got no response. From what he could tell, the innkeeper was pretty old. He was sitting in a chair, and closer inspection showed that he was sleeping. "Hey mister!" Naga gently poked his arm. The old mans eyes flew open "I wasn't sleeping!" he shouted. He looked around the room until his eyes fell on the two newcomers. "Oh customers" he exclaimed, and walked over to a large book "what can I do for you kids?".
Naga stepped up to him "What do you think? We want a room of course!". The old geezer looked her over "What was that?" he asked "My ears aren't that good anymore". Eruk walked up next to Naga "We want a r o o m" he said the last word very slowly. "what do you think I am?" He asked "Deaf? Of course you want a room". He tossed Eruk a key "There, it's the last room available, so you can consider yourselves lucky". Eruk and Naga exchanged looks. None of them seemed too keen on shearing. "I guess we can't avoid it…" Eruk said "I didn't see any other inns, and we both need rest".
Eruk looked around in the room. That damn old geezer! This is a honeymoon suite. He was feeling a bit ill. All of the furniture, from the chairs to the heart shaped bed was pink. He felt glad that Naga already had left for the hot spring, that gave him time to straighten out their sleeping arrangements. Even though he had to admit that Naga was stunning, he didn't feel like sharing a bed with her.
He walked around until something caught his eye. There was a pretty large window in one side of the room. He nodded, this would be the perfect place for him to sleep. The open night sky gave him more comfort that the sickeningly pink color of the rest of the room, and with a little effort he could set up a make shift curtain just like he had done a long time ago when sharing a room with Sylphiel. He started dragging some blankets over to the window, and prepared to settle in for the night.
"Hey Nimph are you awake?" He gently poked his pocket. "What is it?" the fairy asked sleepily. "I think you should come out here" he snickered "This room would fit you perfectly!". A few moments passed. Judging from her movements he concluded that she was getting dressed. "What do you mean?" her head came into view from the pocket. In one instant she woke up "OH WOW!" she cried "this room is wonderful!". She started flying around at her top speed "Can I sleep in this bed? This is so cool!".
Eruk laughed to himself "Told you that you would like it. And about sleeping in the bed, you have to ask miss Naga about that!". She stopped her flying around and sat down on the bed "Where are you staying, if you aren't sleeping in the bed?" she asked curiously. He dropped another blanket "right here", he gestured to the window. "But why master?" she stubborn continued "This bed is big enough for all of us!". Eruk blushed a bit "Nimph, I'm not sharing a bed with miss Naga" he told her "besides, this room is a bit much for me, I think I would feel uncomfortable even if I wasn't part mazuko". Nimph shook her head "humans! Sometimes I just don't understand you".
Authors notes:
Naga and Eruk? That's quite a team, isn't it?
I'm sorry if some of my younger readers took offence from the little *Naga, the bondage queen of darkness* stunt I pulled in this chapter. Her outfit (or lack of same) is just perfect for that part. But hey, if you can handle Naga as she is, this shouldn't be a problem at all.
See ya next chapter.
