Protector

Chapter 20

The Trap is Set


Here's the next chapter in the series and it's going to start taking some new twist. So if anyone thought it had seemed to stall well your wait is over. That and I'm also having fun with Gourry. Such an idiot savant but when he gets in a fight he seems to become a genius.


He yawned as he walked in one of the gardens adjacent to the Inverse estate. He had just finished having dinner with Amelia, Lina, and Luna and liked the idea of a stroll around the grounds. As he was walking through the rose garden he thought he saw something move. He went to investigate and found a figure heavily clothed in a forest green cloak. "Who are you," he asked as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Hello Gourry," the woman answered him before saying, "I've come because I have some business with you."

"What kind of business," Gourry asked while going into a defensive stance. He was getting a really bad feeling about this situation.

The figure held out a armored hand and chanted something softly. Soon two large creatures made of earth and stone formed beside the woman. "Go. Capture the swordsman," she commanded as the creatures looked at her.

Gourry drew his sword as the creatures turned and charged at him. They glided over the ground at a terribly unnatural speed. The first one swung at Gourry as he tried to parry the blow. The two connected and Gourry was forced back before the other one hit him in the side. Gourry flew into a rose bush but quickly jumped out as he said, "I see."

He produced the steel pin he kept in his pocket and poked the spot on the sword that held the lynch pin. He then flicked his wrist and sent the steel blade flying at one of the creatures. The blade hit the mark but did little to no damage. Gourry then smiled as he took the hilt in both hands and shouted, "Light come forth!"

The creatures stopped in there tracks as the brilliant light hit their eyes. Gourry took this moment to charge the closest creature. He jumped in the air and hit with a downward slash to his first opponent. The creature cried in pain before it exploded into dirt all around him. Gourry coughed as he inhaled some of the earth that flew into the air. He began to walk towards the other creature when it charged him. He quickly side-stepped the stop and hacked through the creatures arm. "Nice try but not good enough," he replied as he spun and cut the creature in half.

This time he heard both the creature and the woman scream in pain before the earth creature returned to the dust. He looked at the woman to see her bent over in pain. He began to walk towards her as she recovered and said, "You'd better give up. I don't think you can take much more of that kind of pain."

"What do you know about pain," the woman almost shouted as her eyes flashed red.

"Your like Xellos," Gourry replied as he couldn't exactly remember what Lina called Xellos' race.

"Yes, I'm a mazuko. But, that isn't important my mission is all that matters," the woman replied as a spear appeared in her right hand.

Gourry shifted back into position and replied, "If you want to fight that's fine but I'm not going to take it easy on you."

"I would be disappointed if you did," she replied as the spear began to glow with dark power.

Gourry charge forward hoping to catch her off guard and end the fight quickly. He quickly dodged to the right as the spear tip swung towards him. He rolled and regained his stance before saying, "That spear gives you a reach advantage. I'll have to try a something else then."

"As you wish. The former captain of the Chelta druid guard won't be defeated so easily," the woman replied as she laid the spear behind her neck holding the back with her right hand and guiding the head will her left.

'What kind of stance is that,' Gourry thought as he shuffled to the side trying to see what she could do with this stance.

Gourry then rushed forward needing to get into close range to render her spear ineffective. As he made his approach the woman lunged forward as the spear came at him. Gourry jumped into the air and over the attack as he prepared to end this fight the same way he did with the first earth creature. "This is finished," Gourry announced as he came down on his target.

"I think not," the woman answered as she let go with her guiding hand and spun her entire body.

The spear flew in a circle and was brought up to slash at Gourry. The spear hit Gourry in the chest and sent him to the ground with quite a crash. The woman smirked and taunted, "I thought the swordsman of light would be better than this."

Gourry got up and reposted his stance. He was bleeding slightly from a cut on his chest that the spear slash had left. He smirked slightly before saying, "I haven't begun."

Gourry rushed forward and was met with the same slashing as before but this time he was ready for it. He parry the pole with the flat of his light blade which caused the spear to bend and then vibrate away from him. He then rushed forward and slashed at the woman as she was phasing out. He turned to find her on the opposite side of the garden holding her left arm in pain. "Do you give up now," Gourry asked as he faced his opponent.

She glared at him as her eyes turned red again and the ground began to shake. "I'm done playing with you," She shouted as she jumped into the air and chanted something.

Before Gourry knew what to do two large hands formed out of the earth and captured him in a vice grip. He watched as the woman landed right next to him. She looked at him and said with a hiss, "Now you pay for that shot," before she stabbed him in the shoulder.

Gourry gritted his teeth as she stabbed him. The initial pain was not bad but what felt like lighting soon began to run through him. He screamed as he couldn't take it anymore and then passed out from the pain.

The woman stopped channeling the energy through her spear and removed the spear from Gourry's shoulder. She then dropped to her knees as she began to breathe heavily. She removed her hood to reveal her silver hair and green eyes. Illianna breathed deep before saying, "That damn sword hurts more than I could've imagined."

She pulled herself up as her wounds began to heal. She dismissed the hands of earth and watched as Gourry dropped limp to the ground. She walked over to him and lifted him effortlessly by the collar. She looked at the blonde swordsman before saying, "You're lucky Vladimir wants you alive. For that wound you gave me the pain would've been much worse."

She threw Gourry over her shoulder before picking up the sword of light. She concentrated for a second and he sword of light came to life. Instead of the normal longsword that Gourry manifested she was now holding a sword with a blade that looked more like a rapier. "Well, that does make sense. I've always been more of a finesse fighter."

She let the sword go off and phased out to where Vladimir wanted Gourry to be place. When she arrived she placed him next to one of the walls of ice before she focused her energies. The ice grew quickly until it incased Gourry in a prison of ice. As she was finishing up she heard a low tenor behind her, "Seems you still have quite the control of nature."

She turned to she the large outcropping of ice that was at the center of the area. She smirked slightly before looking down, "I can control it...but it comes with a price ever since I joined Vladimir."

"I see," the voice answered.

"Then I was fighting him...every time he destroyed an elemental my body was wracked with their pain. It used to not work like that, but I guess that is the earth mothers curse for my weakness," Illianna replied before phasing out of the mountain.

The voice laughed and then asked, "Is it because of weakness or is it from the guilt you still feel from Chelta?"