Slayers Labyrinth
By Shahiri Mooney
Chapter Three
After the sorceress had helped Zel escape from his little situation, she had introduced herself as Lina Inverse, the world's most powerful (believable) and beautiful (doubtful) black mage. She had then offered Zel her services one more time, but he turned them down because he didn't have anything to pay her with. The young woman thought for a moment, before grinning at him.
"Don't worry about it, Zel." She said, already calling him by his nickname. "I have a feeling that this will be worth it, anyway, so I'll help you out and claim my prize when I found out what it is." She had winked at him and he managed to crack a grin. What could he say? He hated the feeling of dependence, but if he said no, he would never get through the Labyrinth alive, let alone in time to get his body back. He felt that shrugging and grunting would be the best way to accept her offer without damaging his ego too badly. She had grinned and slapped him on the back enthusiastically, then cried out in pain for the second time.
"Really, what ARE you?" she asked, but dropped the question when she saw the look in his eyes. He still hadn't uncovered his face. She supposed he was horribly scarred or something, but that didn't explain why his skin was so hard. Lina Inverse hated not knowing everything, but she figured it was none of her business. . . and she could always take a peak when he was sleeping.
That was what she thought, until-
"WHAT?!" she yelled, causing Zel to wince.
"Lower your voice, please." He said calmly, "And would you keep moving? We're wasting time." Lina had stopped walking when she'd heard the news.
"You expect me to get you to the castle in a little over eleven hours?! It's NOT going to happen! At best, it's taken me a day to get there, and that was before I stole the Goblin King's Orihalcon statue, and he's set up extra protection in the Labyrinth so that it's harder for me to get there."
"Well, then you're just going to have to work extr hard for that 'reward' of yours, kid." He said.
"KID?! I am NOT a kid."
"Alright. . ." he said, rolling his eyes. He was obviously humouring her. "How old ARE you, then?"
She stopped, her arms folded across her chest. "16." Zel's eyes widened.
"You're 16?!"
She opened her mouth to reply when they suddenly heard a petrified scream. Without hesitation, they ran around a bend in the Labyrinth and found a terrified young woman with aqua-green hair standing next to an older man. A 10-foot-tall blond Sasquatch type thing stood before them. The girl screeched again.
"Daddy, it's TERRIBLE! Get rid of it, NOW!"
"Well, alright Martina, dear. Guards!"
At the man's beckoning, a group of Golem guards rushed into the area and tried to capture the Sasquatch-beast, which just moaned and pushed them aside.
"Think we should do something?" Lina asked, and didn't wait for Zel's reply. She walked up to the beast, placed a hand on its furry coat, and said:
"I caught it!"
The girl began wailing again, but this time, it was in joy.
"Thank you! My hero!" she cried out, walking towards Lina, who shrugged modestly.
"Oh, it was nothing, really." Her eyes widened in confusion as Martina walked straight past the red-head to Zel.
"What would I have done without you, oh handsome knight?"
Lina watched in horror as Martina closed her eyes, standing on her tip-toes. She reached out and pulled off Zel's mask-
"Oh, well, that explains a lot." Lina said, loudly. Martina opened her eyes in confusion, and screamed. She leapt back, her eyes wide with fright.
"Oh, daddy, it's terrible! Get rid of it, now!"
Lina rolled her eyes and walked calmk\ly up to Zel, placing her hand on his arm.
"I caught him." She said. Martina's forehead wrinkled in disgusted.
"How can you touch that thing?!"
The sorceress's grip on Zel's arm tightened in annoyance. "He's not a 'thing'."
"But look at it! It's horrifying!"
Lina's eye started to twitch.
"He's not horrifying."
"IT'S UGLY!!!"
"He's not ugly!!!" Lina stated chanting a few words under her breath. "FIREBALL!!!!!"
Zel watched in amusement as Martina and her father got blasted, then ran away, screaming.
"Uhhh. . . thank you?" Zel covered his face again. Lina's shoulder were heaving from her trying to take deep, calming breaths. She stopped and looked up at him, shrugging.
"Eh. People like that just really get on my nerves."
Suddenly, the big Sasquatch came up to them.
"Oh, I forgot about this guy." Lina looked at it, and the creature blinked, then grinned widely.
"Thanks a lot, little girl! That lady was SCARY!" it said.
"It can TALK?!" Zel cried out in alarm.
"Little GIRL?!" Lina felt her temple begin to throb.
"My name's Gourry," the creature continued, "Boy, since you guys were so nice, I'm gonna have to go with you, so I can repay the favor." Lina and Zel exchanged glances.
"Well. . . can you do anything?" Lina asked, giving Gourry a disbelieving look. He reached into his fur and took out a sword's hilt.
"I have this thing called the Sword of Light. . ." Lina's eyes widened.
"That'll do. Let's go."
~~
By Shahiri Mooney
Chapter Three
After the sorceress had helped Zel escape from his little situation, she had introduced herself as Lina Inverse, the world's most powerful (believable) and beautiful (doubtful) black mage. She had then offered Zel her services one more time, but he turned them down because he didn't have anything to pay her with. The young woman thought for a moment, before grinning at him.
"Don't worry about it, Zel." She said, already calling him by his nickname. "I have a feeling that this will be worth it, anyway, so I'll help you out and claim my prize when I found out what it is." She had winked at him and he managed to crack a grin. What could he say? He hated the feeling of dependence, but if he said no, he would never get through the Labyrinth alive, let alone in time to get his body back. He felt that shrugging and grunting would be the best way to accept her offer without damaging his ego too badly. She had grinned and slapped him on the back enthusiastically, then cried out in pain for the second time.
"Really, what ARE you?" she asked, but dropped the question when she saw the look in his eyes. He still hadn't uncovered his face. She supposed he was horribly scarred or something, but that didn't explain why his skin was so hard. Lina Inverse hated not knowing everything, but she figured it was none of her business. . . and she could always take a peak when he was sleeping.
That was what she thought, until-
"WHAT?!" she yelled, causing Zel to wince.
"Lower your voice, please." He said calmly, "And would you keep moving? We're wasting time." Lina had stopped walking when she'd heard the news.
"You expect me to get you to the castle in a little over eleven hours?! It's NOT going to happen! At best, it's taken me a day to get there, and that was before I stole the Goblin King's Orihalcon statue, and he's set up extra protection in the Labyrinth so that it's harder for me to get there."
"Well, then you're just going to have to work extr hard for that 'reward' of yours, kid." He said.
"KID?! I am NOT a kid."
"Alright. . ." he said, rolling his eyes. He was obviously humouring her. "How old ARE you, then?"
She stopped, her arms folded across her chest. "16." Zel's eyes widened.
"You're 16?!"
She opened her mouth to reply when they suddenly heard a petrified scream. Without hesitation, they ran around a bend in the Labyrinth and found a terrified young woman with aqua-green hair standing next to an older man. A 10-foot-tall blond Sasquatch type thing stood before them. The girl screeched again.
"Daddy, it's TERRIBLE! Get rid of it, NOW!"
"Well, alright Martina, dear. Guards!"
At the man's beckoning, a group of Golem guards rushed into the area and tried to capture the Sasquatch-beast, which just moaned and pushed them aside.
"Think we should do something?" Lina asked, and didn't wait for Zel's reply. She walked up to the beast, placed a hand on its furry coat, and said:
"I caught it!"
The girl began wailing again, but this time, it was in joy.
"Thank you! My hero!" she cried out, walking towards Lina, who shrugged modestly.
"Oh, it was nothing, really." Her eyes widened in confusion as Martina walked straight past the red-head to Zel.
"What would I have done without you, oh handsome knight?"
Lina watched in horror as Martina closed her eyes, standing on her tip-toes. She reached out and pulled off Zel's mask-
"Oh, well, that explains a lot." Lina said, loudly. Martina opened her eyes in confusion, and screamed. She leapt back, her eyes wide with fright.
"Oh, daddy, it's terrible! Get rid of it, now!"
Lina rolled her eyes and walked calmk\ly up to Zel, placing her hand on his arm.
"I caught him." She said. Martina's forehead wrinkled in disgusted.
"How can you touch that thing?!"
The sorceress's grip on Zel's arm tightened in annoyance. "He's not a 'thing'."
"But look at it! It's horrifying!"
Lina's eye started to twitch.
"He's not horrifying."
"IT'S UGLY!!!"
"He's not ugly!!!" Lina stated chanting a few words under her breath. "FIREBALL!!!!!"
Zel watched in amusement as Martina and her father got blasted, then ran away, screaming.
"Uhhh. . . thank you?" Zel covered his face again. Lina's shoulder were heaving from her trying to take deep, calming breaths. She stopped and looked up at him, shrugging.
"Eh. People like that just really get on my nerves."
Suddenly, the big Sasquatch came up to them.
"Oh, I forgot about this guy." Lina looked at it, and the creature blinked, then grinned widely.
"Thanks a lot, little girl! That lady was SCARY!" it said.
"It can TALK?!" Zel cried out in alarm.
"Little GIRL?!" Lina felt her temple begin to throb.
"My name's Gourry," the creature continued, "Boy, since you guys were so nice, I'm gonna have to go with you, so I can repay the favor." Lina and Zel exchanged glances.
"Well. . . can you do anything?" Lina asked, giving Gourry a disbelieving look. He reached into his fur and took out a sword's hilt.
"I have this thing called the Sword of Light. . ." Lina's eyes widened.
"That'll do. Let's go."
~~