A/N: Oh, you remember those Potos on Bucca Island, don't you? Of course you do. Annoying buggers. Well, they get their own in this chapter ^_~. Oh, and Kevin speaks normally, even if he doesn't speak that often. I don't think I could handle having Carlie-speak and Kevin-speak in my fanfic. Too annoying. Anyway…Criticism appreciated, as always. What about the title? I wasn't sure about it, but it has a nice ring to it, and Bucca is a volcano…okay, enough babbling. On with the story.

Hell's Gambit

Water. The damn blue stuff was everywhere! The big warrior had never liked the sea, and now he was going to drown in it!

What a Goddess-damned way for a warrior to die!

He floundered, trying to get back to the surface. Twilight made the sea an amorphous mass of near-darkness, so that he could not tell how far away air was. And Duran of Forcena had never been a good swimmer. Something was keeping him from getting anywhere, something weighing him down. He felt his wind failing…

Then, she was there. He felt a warm hand grace his cheek as she pulled him to her breast. A familiar sensation, the touch of sweet lips, and blessed air.

:Angela says, "Kick off your boots, you lackwit!":

The faerie's sharp tone cut through the stupor instilled in him by the cold water, and he did as told.

:The armor, too. She is helping you with the clasps.:

Time seemed to slow as she broke away from him, letting his breastplate sink into the dark depths. With a powerful kick of her strong legs, she propelled him upward, urging him to do the same. It took a few moments for him to understand the way of it, but he was soon pumping hard, and they made good progress. Just when he thought his lungs might burst, they broke out into the starry night.

He sucked in air with gusto, luxuriating in the lovely feeling of being alive. The moon was out, and it cast a silvery reflection over the dark water. The sea was very calm, hardly stirring except for the occasional small wave.

I still hate water.

"You idiot! How dare you try to get yourself killed? Drown? I think not! Not while you're traveling with Angela, Fifteenth Princess of Reason!"

She thwacked him over the head with an open hand; he was glad she did not have her staff with her.

"But the water's freezing…" he whined.

"Freezing? Duran, if you think this is cold, you'll never make it when we go to my country. This isn't even chilly compared to the ice floes."

He groaned, and she thwacked him well over the head again.

Riesz was alone. She had already kicked off her boots and rid herself of the light armor she wore. Her hair had escaped its restraints and was floating around in the salty water around her, a fan of golden strands in the faint moonlight.

"Is there anyone here?"

She tread water easily, the fishermen of Palo had taught her, almost before she could walk, the ways of the water. Thus, she was in no danger, but it was lonely out here on the water, with no other beings in site, and land so far away in the distance. She knew the island that loomed far off from her was Bucca Isle, the home of Bucca Volcano. The great mountain was smoking for the first time in hundreds of years.

I read that Bucca was an inactive volcano, but I guess it wasn't as dormant as people thought.

Big, blue eyes loomed in her mind's eye. She didn't know why he always haunted her, she even hated the very fact that he did. But she could not deny it. She could ignore the way she felt, the warmth that welled up in her when she thought of him, but she could not deny it. And here, with no apparent human activity within sight, he haunted her even more profoundly than he usually did. She longed for his quiet solidity, his spicy scent, everything about him.

She hated it.

Damn that man! I'm a princess of Wind Kingdom, I can't fall in love! Not yet. So why does the Goddess torment me so? She did this, I know She did. I have known love, and this is it. But why? Why now, of all times? Why not when we complete our task? Why is it him?

She had not even been certain she wanted to love someone, other than her parents and brother. Her first loyalty was to her people, then to the land they stood on, and only when her heart had taken care of those worries could she be allowed a third. But in the absence of kingdom and its dwellers, she found herself lost.

Without Angela, I'd have fallen apart long ago. I should have been the one to lead, I've led warriors since I could bark out a command.

But she knew why Angela led this moving legend of a story. Angela was chosen of the Goddess. All of the Seeds were, really, but Angela was the Chosen. The Seed of Mana.

How she knew, Riesz did not know. But there was a certain radiance about Angela that led the others to follow her. Riesz had seen the god-touched before, the keeper of the Pathway to the Heavens was touched. But Angela seemed totally unaware of it.

Frowning, the valkyrie began the long swim to shore.

"Magic light, grant Carlie a miracle! Heal Light!"

Light pooled in Hawkeye's eyes, and he woke with a start, coughing up water. At least there was solid ground…or sand beneath him. A rough hand pounded his back to help him out, and he turned gratefully away from Carlie's delighted face to thank his helper.

The beastman was leering at him lopsidedly, obviously pleased that he was awake.

"Wasn't sure Carlie could wake you up. Sea almost ate you."

Hawkeye's blue eyes widened, and he scrambled back away from Kevin, sudden repugnance robbing him of thankfulness. Carlie stared at him, her own baby blues sad.

"Hawkie…"

"How can you stand to be near…that thing?"

He shook himself. Kevin shrugged and started to walk away, but Carlie grabbed his arm with a tiny hand, then stormed over to Hawkeye. She slapped him hard across the face.

"Kevin not a thing! He save Hawkie's life!"

Hawkeye rubbed his jaw, she was strong for her age. Breathing hard, Carlie glared at him.

"Sea was eating Hawkie, and Kevin dove down to save him! Hawkie should be thankful!"

"Thankful for what?"

Using the new voice as an excuse to avoid that sapphire gaze, Hawkeye turned to look. Riesz was coming up behind them, her hair wet and unbound. A small part of him noted that even disheveled and shivering, the valkyrie was beautiful.

"Hawkie is being a mean man!" Carlie cried, stabbing her finger through the air at him. Hawkeye winced, and Kevin rather looked as though he wished he were back in Beast Kingdom.

"Mean man…What did you do?"

Riesz's eyes grew cold. She loved children, and if you messed with one, may the Goddess protect you, for Riesz was a hellcat unbound when a child was threatened. Hawkeye gulped and averted his gaze. Unfortunately, that meant he was looking directly at Carlie, whose eyes were just as accusatory as the valkyrie's.

"Well?" Riesz demanded imperiously.

"It's nothing." He replied, looking at the ground.

"Nothing." Riesz grabbed him by his shirt collar, her eyes blazing. "What in the Goddess' name did you do? I swear, if you've hurt her, I'll…"

"Nothing is right." Said the beastman, shaking off Carlie's grasp. The little girl's eyes softened, and she looked up at him quizzically. "He has done nothing. Let it go."

With that, he went off to be by himself. Carlie made as though she might run after him, but Riesz patted her shoulder to keep her.

"Poor Kevie…" said the little girl.

Hawkeye wanted to cry.

When Angela dragged the nearly inert body of Duran onto shore a short while later, the others were glad of the distraction. Carlie worked her magic again, and he was soon revived, albeit still complaining of the cold. When he mentioned it for the fifth time, the expected thwack did not come down on his head.

"Oh Duran…I know a way to get you warmed up…"

Angela ran a warm finger around the rim of his ear, and he shivered. When she started to run it down his back, his shivers became blushes. She took her hand away and laughed, then thwacked him over the head.

"Stop complaining. It'll be warm come morning." She turned to the others. "I hate to tell you this, but we really should get moving. This beach is no place for us to sleep, not with monsters out and about. I know you're all exhausted, I am too, but we need to find a proper shelter before we can rest."

There was some grumbling and mumbling, mostly from the male members of the party, but everyone managed to rouse him or herself, and they made their way up the island and into the lush, tropical jungle that awaited them.

"Carlie, stop poking me!"

Angela wanted to wring the child's neck, but the little girl's cuteness saved her, barely.

"But Angie…there's a giant turtle thingie watching Carlie!"

Angela turned to look where Carlie pointed, but saw nothing.

"Carlie, don't play tricks on me."

"You shouldn't!" called Hawkeye from somewhere behind them. "She's got a mean hand with that staff of hers!"

Angela growled, but managed to contain herself. They walked on for a few more ells, then Carlie poked her in the leg again.

"Carlie, I swear, if you do that again, I'll…"

This time, when she followed the girl's finger, it led to a huge…turtle.

Angela screamed. Duran came racing up, his sword out. His shield had been lost in the sea, but he had managed to keep his sword somehow.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Angela took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She brushed away Duran's concerned glance, knowing that the beast had disappeared again without having to look.

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Diamond Missile!"

The jewels of the earth answered Angela's call, quickly eliminating the flock of needle-feathered birds that had chased them to the entrance of a settlement. After several squawks and feathery explosions, they continued into the village.

"Carlie knows this place." Said the little girl.

"What's a town doing in on a volcanic island?" Hawkeye mused, taking in the exotic housing of the little priests that inhabited the village. Small, straw huts dotted the village, each with a strange bird icon hung over the doorway, or perched on a roof. The others ignored Hawkeye.

"How do you know, Carlie?" asked Riesz, kneeling so she could see into the girl's eyes.

"Carlie has seen the Dark Priests in her dreams many, many times. They not bad people. Only…mis…mis…"

"Misled." Kevin finished for her.

"That's it! Misled! They not believe in Her, they believe in a bird god. But they good people."

With a few fervent nods to emphasize her point, Carlie dashed into the village, where a bonfire was lit. The floating priests appeared to be dancing around the fire, on top of those silly plates that they used for their levitation. The little girl joined in, whirling around happily, looking particularly wild and primal in the glow of the firelight.

"A bikini? What does a village of men want with a bikini?"

Angela picked up the scant garment warily.

Sickos…

"Bi-ki-ni? That is what this loincloth is? I did not know." The little priest who was selling armor began to sweat as Angela glared at him.

"You really don't know what a bikini is."

The small man shook his head quickly.

"You people really are in the middle of nowhere, aren't you?"

"No-where. No, we are in the middle of Bucca Isle."

"Never mind. I'll take it."

"Of course. That will be four thousand luc."

"Four thousand luc…you've got to be kidding me! For this thing? It won't even fit me without magic!"

"You do not like it? Very well." He began to put it away in his bag, but Angela sighed and handed him a bag of money.

"You're a thief, you know. You're just making me pay all that because you have a captive audience."

"I am not the thief, your friend over there is."

Angela looked over her shoulder to see Hawkeye trying to remove one of the large rubies set into one of the bird god icons.

"Hawkeye! You're going to get us all cursed! Put that dagger down and leave the statues alone! Do I need to come over there?"

Removing his hand like it had been burned, Hawkeye slunk away dejectedly. Angela smiled. This was more like how he had been before the class change.

Maybe he hasn't changed all that much. I just wasn't looking hard enough. I hope that's it.

"We are Dark Priests, we do not question the will of the bird-god. If we die, we die. If you wish to find your way off of this island before the volcano erupts, I suggest that you seek out the protector of the island, he may grant you passage."

Duran scratched his head thoughtfully and thought about what the priest had said for a moment.

"The protector of the island?"

"Yes. His cave was blocked in one of the recent earthquakes, however, and you will need to find another way in."

"Right. Thanks."

Duran gathered everyone together before the fire. The priests had since stopped dancing, and sat about the fire in a circle, conversing and drinking some strange, fruity liquid that soothed the throat and quenched thirst as water never could.

"The priest says we need to find the island's guardian to hitch a ride. Thing is, his cave's blocked, so we'll have to look for another entrance."

"Maybe not." Angela said, her face speculative. She was dressed in the tiger bikini she had bought, and just looking at her seemed to make Duran's temperature rise. "We do have the Elemental of earth with us, he should be able to help."

:Yes, Gnome would be able to clear any amount of rock from your path.: the faerie confirmed.

"First, though, we need to get some rest."

Duran looked around at his friends at Angela's words. Carlie's eyes were drooping, and she leaned against Kevin wearily, having spent the last of her energy dancing with the priests. Kevin himself was nodding off as they sat there, occasionally starting himself awake and staring around to see if anyone had noticed he had fallen asleep. Riesz's hair was still down, and she looked longingly at the straw futons the priests had lain out for them to sleep on.

"The Goddess might not be here," said the valkyrie, stopping to yawn, "but some force of good protects this village. We can sleep in peace."

"All right then, let's sleep. We can find the guardian tomorrow." Angela cocked an ear toward the mountain for a moment. "Bucca's not going to blow anytime soon, we should be fine." But her eyes were dark with worry.

An explosion beneath the ground rocked the earth, and Hawkeye grasped the rock face beside him for support.

"Bucca's not going to blow anytime soon, we should be fine! My arse. Angela, is your magic broken? Because the sure doesn't seem like fine to me!" he mocked.

"Oh really? You try communing with a volcano that's been asleep for two hundred years and see how well you do! I'd like to see you try to use any elemental magic, thief-boy!"

She meant it in the lightness of the conversation, but he seemed to take her seriously, much to her dismay. She'd thought that it was as it had been before, that she could joke with him as they once had, but…

"I have been, Angela. You just don't pay very close attention."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, incredulous.

"This."

The ninja pulled a dagger from his pocket and concentrated hard on it. After a few seconds, it glowed a faint purple, the color of Gnome's attack magic. Angela's eyes widened.

"How long have you been doing that?"

They walked through the levels of Bucca with some trepidation now, the volcano was shaking the island more and more often, and there were monsters threaded between the waterfalls and hills of the tropical paradise. The birds that were enchanted with Gnome's power were particularly nasty.

"Just a little while, since we came to Bucca. Helps a lot against those birds we've been seeing."

"Oh…but why? Why do you need to do that? Isn't my magic good enough?"

Now it was Hawkeye's turn to be surprised, Angela's eyes began to tear. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder as they walked, and she took it gratefully.

"I'm sorry, my magic just hasn't been very reliable lately."

"It's probably just nerves."

"I hope so."

:This? Aw…that'll be a cinch! I'll have this boulder out of your way in two blinks.:

When they had reached the entrance to the guardian's cave, Angela had called to Gnome, and he had come, but only slowly. She wanted to weep. The magic was still there, and she could reach it if she tried, but it was becoming harder and harder to do so. Calling Gnome had taken everything she had.

The little spirit pushed up his sleeves, grasped the boulder with his stubby hands, and tossed it merrily out of the way.

:There you go!: he said cheerfully, and promptly disappeared. Carlie dashed inside, Kevin close on her heels. Riesz and Hawkeye followed, talking with their heads pushed close together. Angela envied them, she could see the quiet chemistry that sang between them. Nothing seemed to be going right for her lately. Duran had been distant since the incident in the sea, Hawkeye was even weirder than before, and her magic was acting up.

Damn it all! What's wrong with me?

"Angela, you coming?" Duran turned away from the cave mouth to motion for her to follow. She shook herself and hurried inside, not noticing his frown as she went past.

What is wrong with me?

"Something wrong?" the big knight took her hand as she passed, but she shook him off irritably.

"No. Nothing."

Nothing you can do anything about, anyway. No need to make everyone worry. I'm sure I can figure this out on my own.

Inside her mental refuge, the faerie bit her lip. She knew what was wrong, and how to fix it, but she could not tell Angela. That was the nature of this dilemma. Much as she hated to see the girl suffer, she knew that Angela had to unravel the mystery of higher magicks on her own.

"Angela, some help here?"

Riesz was sparring with a strange, white-furred creature that used its tongue to attack her, and healed itself and its fellows infuriatingly. It had her on the edge of a cliff face, and she was hard-pressed to keep it from pushing her over the edge.

"Okay! O spirit of darkness here my call…"

:No.:

Angela reached out to Shade, and found nothing. She tried Jinn, then Gnome, and finally Wisp, but found nothing. She could not touch Mana any longer.

"Evil Gate!" Carlie waved her morning star around, and a portal of dark energy opened up to suck the creature attacking Riesz in. It reappeared several feet away, but Hawkeye was able to dispatch it then. Angela fell to her knees, dropping her cane on its ruby tip.

"No…it can't be…not again. I can't stand it! No, I won't stand for it!"

She did weep then, shedding all the tears of shame and despair that she had never let free as a child. She cried and cried, refusing to let any of the others help her or even touch her. Her magic was gone again, she could not touch it. Mana had fled her, and she had nothing.

She was in the dark chamber again, and the four strange figures stood in ranks on either side of her. The man in black stepped forward and caressed her cheek with a gloved hand, and she slapped it away.

"Who are you, anyway? What is this place?"

"This place, dear Princess of Reason, is your mind. It is a dark, cold place where nothing lives. You have fashioned it this way."

"No…I hate it here. Why would I make my mind into a place that I hate?"

"Truly? Do you hate this place so much? Whenever you felt particularly sorry for yourself in your childhood, you came here for comfort. Why is such a place comforting? And why do you suppose that we have come here? You do know who we are."

"Yes…the Elementals. And you're here…because of my magic. I can't find it anymore, it's gone. I don't know why you've come to me, I'm useless."

"That's precisely the attitude that landed you in this situation, Angela." Replied Shade. He reached out to touch her cheek again, and she did not resist.

"Whatever. I've tried everything, nothing works."

"That's because you're trying too hard." Said the man in gold and silver armor, Wisp. She turned to him, startled, and he grinned happily. "It isn't that you don't have the power, it's that you have too much of it."

"When you call gemstones from the ground, they wish to come, but none are large enough to answer your call. They are ashamed of themselves, believing that they will not meet your expectations." Said the dwarf, obviously Gnome.

"What? I don't…Stones can't…"

"Of course they think. All things created by the Goddess think. Stones just don't think the way that you do. You have much power in the ways of Mana, but you must learn to refine it, to use a lighter hand. What you had before you became the Sorceress was but a pebble compared to the mountain that you wield now."

"But I've been using my magic for a long time since the class change!" Angela spluttered. "Why did it suddenly change?"

"That, I leave to Jinn to explain."

Shade stepped back to where he had stood, next to Gnome, and Angela turned her attention to the wind spirit in yellow. He flushed, an odd phenomenon on such a powerful being.

"It's my fault, really. I thought that we could put a dampening spell on your magic to make it so you'd gradually grow accustomed to the increasing power granted by the Stone. Unfortunately, it did not work so well as I'd hoped. You resisted our stopgap subconsciously, and your body responded by shutting down your connection to Mana completely."

"So how are you talking to me, then?"

"We aren't idiots, girl." Gnome replied, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "It has taken some time, but we managed to repair the damage. You should be able to use your magic, now. However, we will need to teach you new spells for you to utilize the full power of your new magic."

"New ones? What's wrong with the old spells?"

"Nothing." Said Wisp. "You'll still be able to throw a mean Holy Ball. But they were crafted for a much lesser spellcaster than you are now. Besides, won't it be fun to have some new tricks?"

The Spirit of Light grinned jovially, and she felt her heart lighten considerably.

"Then you weren't avoiding me?"

"Never, Angela of Reason. I would never."
"Angie? Are you okay, Angie? Carlie is worried! Speak to Carlie, Angie!"
"What? Carlie?"
She opened her eyes, and they were red-rimmed from tears.
"Angie is awake, peoples! Come see!"
Her friends rushed over to her, and she felt warmth spread through her body as they questioned her worriedly. Riesz helped her to her feet, Duran offered an arm for support, and even Hawkeye offered a concerned stare before he turned back to watching all of the cave exits at once.
"I'm all right, really I am. You don't have to worry about me."
"What were you talking about when you fell unconscious?" Riesz asked as she handed Angela off to Duran.
"I thought…I thought that I'd lost my magic. Turns out I've got more of it than ever."
She grinned, pleased, and leaned against Duran's sturdy form gratefully. "I think I'll be able to help out a lot more, now."
The earth around them trembled, and she stumbled.
"The tremors are growing in frequency and power." Said Kevin. "We need to move, now."
The big beastman looked Angela up and down, assessed her condition, and decided that it would be better to carry her. "I apologize, Princess." He bowed, and thrust her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She squealed and beat at his shoulder ineffectually. He grunted, but started off at a quick run as only he could manage.
Duran was appalled.
"What the hell do you think…"
He started to unsheathe his blade, but Hawkeye touched his hand and spoke softly. "No, he's right. We need to get out of her quickly. He's the strongest of us, so it only makes sense for him to carry her. Now swallow your pride and get your butt moving."
The volcano grew hotter and hotter as they progressed down toward the core. Kevin eventually stopped carrying Angela, when she regained some of her strength, and she wore a rather sour grimace the rest of the way down. No one was in a good mood. The "Poto" creature that Riesz had fought higher up seemed to breed like the rabbit it resembled, and it was a singularly annoying animal. Finally, after another of the white-furred monsters cast Heal Light for the fifth time, Angela roared and raised her staff.
"EVIL GATE, you spineless curs!"
:With pleasure, Angela.:
A yawning portal of energy opened up around the Poto as Shade spoke, and Angela relished its screams as it was sucked inside. When it popped out, little remained of it but tattered bits of fur. Riesz swallowed bile, and Duran awarded Angela with a disgusted, yet satisfied glance.
"That was awesome!"
Hawkeye shook his head. "We've been down here way too long."
"Too much like hell for my taste." Replied Riesz. "Let's get out of here before we all go crazy."
"Don't you mean more crazy? We are on this quest, you know."
"Shut up."
A/N: Okay, so I've got two author's notes in this chapter. I couldn't resist. I was in a rather sadistic mood when I wrote that last bit. ^^;; Hope you all like it. Comments appreciated! (Bwahahaha, I'm ahead again, Sinnatious. =P)