Chapter Four

"Like it, Maria? It's called The Blade of Insight. Think of it as…" Serras thought for a moment. "The Blade of Awe's bigger, meaner cousin. With a prison record." She smiled. Maria managed to catch herself before she locked up with envy. She shook her head and snapped to.

"Leeroy! Do you have any protection spells?" She asked the bumbling Paladin. Leeroy thought for a second before answering (An answer Maria didn't want to hear.)

"Uh, negatory, there, Guardian lady. Only spells for the Undead." He replied, smiling. Amani threw him a nasty glare.

"I'm waiting, my dear. Any time you and your foolish allies wish to do battle with me, I am ready." Serras taunted.

"Okay. I TRIED to show SOME restraint here, but NO! You had to taunt me! LEEEERRROOYY!" Leeroy shouted, raising his axe up on high. "JEEEEENNNNKIIIINNNNSS!" he shouted again charging blindly for Serras. In a blinding flurry of swings, Leeroy moved forwards, pushing the woman ever back. Maria noted Leeroy looked like Mario in the original Donkey Kong with the hammer. (Don't ask her how she knew what Donkey Kong was, she just did.) He continued mindlessly hacking away at his foe with a complete disregard for anything.

"GO LEEROY, GO!" Atrix shouted from the back. Galanoth was far too gob smacked to say anything. Leeroy; Leeroy, the little Paladin everyone bashes, was royally handing Serras her own hide on a gold platter. Finally, having had enough of Leeroy, Serras smacked him in the face, knocking him clear-cross the room. He slammed into (Coincidentally the same one Drakonnan did.) wall. He was out.

"Wow. That little Paladin did some damage." Maria muttered.

"I've had just about enough of your constant paining. I shall now destroy you in one strike. ERUPTION!" She shouted, raising a hand. Nothing. "ERUPTION!" She shouted again. And again, nothing. Frustrated now, she called again: "ERUPTION!" A small flame flickered in her hand and then died.

"Sorry, did I forget to mention something?" A female voice said slyly from the side. "Only my spells work in this place. Well, yours would work too if you used them for like, summoning an Ice Cream Dragon, or something along those lines. But since you're clearly NOT, they just kinda fizzle."

"Who the hell are you?" Maria and Serras asked unanimously. The woman only held up the crushed skull of Drakonnan. She pointed at the crushed nose.

"That hurt more then you can possibly ever imagine. You damn near broke my nose. I can't go into town with a broken nose. It's very unbecoming of a lady to have a broken nose. Agreed, Maria?"

"No!" Atrix said agast. "It can't POSSIBLY be! Can it?"

"What? It never once crossed your mind that I might actually be a woman?"

"Actually, I was referring to Leeroy getting up and not breaking any bones, but yea. The fact that you're a girl was a bit of a shocker." The woman fell over. She recovered quickly and straightened her hair (Which was the same seafoam color as Maria's) and brushed the dust off of her shoulders.

"I've got no time for this! I will fight only one of you! Make your decision!" Serras shouted. Everyone stopped.

"I vote Maria!" Leeroy said, re-joining the ranks.

"You coward!" Atrix replied.

"No, I think Leeroy's right here. Maria IS an X-Guardian, after all. She can handle herself.

"Okay. I'll fight her." Maria replied, stepping up to the challenge. Serras smiled. She was amused that one so young would be willing to die so soon. Without further provocation, Serras charged with her Blade of Insight. The first few swings went wide, complete misses. The next slice barely missed her armor, but some of the gel which coated her blade became dislodged from the end and came to a rest on Maria's breast plate. Serras jumped back.

"Like it? It's a very potent Acid. It will eat through armor almost instantly. Skin…that's different. With skin, it will eat away microinches at a time. Shaving it off layer by layer. It's quite painful. Everyone who's been exposed to it scream with pain from the beginning to the quite painful end. They usually go mute from screaming so loud for so long. I like the sound of true pain." She appeared to be reminiscing on something. "That's what this world needs. To know the meaning of true pain."

"You sick, sadistic…" Maria tried no to use the b-word. She thought it was a little to degrading, even for someone like Serras Nerra. So, she settled with her over-used replacement. "You sick, sadistic animal!" She stared in disbelief at how creepy Serras was. She enjoyed pain. She actually LIKED watching people in pain. She had to be stopped, Maria decided. If anyone got in her way…Maria shuddered to think.

With a supernatural burst of speed, Maria was upon the creature called Serras in an instant. She began swinging her blade in a series of short, linked strikes. She was attempting to discombobulate her opponent's concetration just long enough to land a critical blow. However, for some reason, all Maria's strikes were only hitting the Blade of Insight. Serras was laughing like a joyeous school girl who just passed all her exams.

"Foolish girl! You can't possibly expect to beat me! The Blade of Insight can predict your movements up to half a minute in advance! I can't be killed by you—"She was cut off by a pain to the neck. She groaned in protest and tried to break free of the firm hold Safiria had on her neck. Unlike most of her victims, Serras was not being put into a sensual comatose state. (Which was induced primarily by short exposures to a vampire's bite. Prolonged exposure resulted in Vamperism.) Dispite the hold the Vampire Queen had on Serras, she still struggled. She had full use of her limbs (Which would add to why Maria was not making any notion to attack her. Besides, Safiria could drink her to resemble a mummified BURP.) Well, that plan went down like a Drakel Air Raider which had just met the worlds biggest bug zapper. Serras managed to break Safiria's bite and pull away, loosing a good chunk of her neck in the process.

Safiria licked her lips, swallowing the last remanents of blood she had on her lips. Serras was now focused on Safiria. That bite had clearly caused her either great pain, or a stabbing sense of paranoia in the woman. She stared at the Vampire with fearful eyes. She expected her movements to be quick and sure. Taking the opportunity, Maria struck. She swung her Guardian Blade at the back of her left leg, attempting to cripple her. It worked for a bit, the threat went down, just barely managing to let go a squeak.

"That's some good fixings, right there." Safiria cooed to herself. She appeared stronger then she was last time Maria met her. She seemed almost as if drinking the blood of the Mage of Despair had transmutted some of her powers over to Safiria.

"It has suddenly become painfully clear to me that I cannot win this. Much of Lore has changed since my imprisonment. Men no longer keep their words, and women stand beside men. It's no wonder I was awoken at such a desperate time. This world needs rebuild upon the fabric of my generation. You society is not great. And it will fall. Sooner or later, it will fall." Serras muttered, and without another breath leaving her lips, she vanished into nothing.

"She's gone…" Atrix said aloud. Galanoth nodded. He seemed perfectly content staring at Safiria's assests. Maria now looked at her blade (Which she had not looked at since the battle began.) The entire top end was missing. The weapon had literaly snapped in half. That acid coating the Blade of Insight must have eaten through her sword. That's something not even Valencia could fix. She'd have to get a new one.

"Okay, lady. Masquerade's up. Tell us what happened." Atrix told the woman formally known as Drakonnan. He crossed his arms, waiting a response. Leeroy, Amani and Grodd lined up behind her as so she didn't try to run. Maria stood her ground, unsure of what to say. Galanoth brought up her left side, just to complete the box. Cyrus stood off in the wings, so to speak. The cornered woman spoke.