It was wonderful to be back on the road with Lina beside him once more as they left Solaria City far behind them. The aftermath of any big adventure was never fun. Rather than being rewarded for their hard and life threatening work they were usually subjected to interrogation after interrogation as people tried to poke holes in their story. Further, rumors had started to spread about the demise of both Langmeyers and even though the officials ended up clearing them of wrong doing and stated that they were heroes, the suspicious looks they were greeted with slightly outnumbered the adoring ones and Gourry felt that they had very much overstayed their welcome.
But as usual, once they were outside of the city limits he and Lina were able to blow it off and have a good time, reaching the anonymity of a new place by dusk and settling into the inn after dinner. After he'd unpacked he walked over to Lina's room to see if she wanted to go for a walk, but her room was empty, and his stomach sank as he realized that he'd never heard her come up after dinner. Was she hanging around the eatery or planning a bandit raid?
He walked downstairs and started looking around, but there was no sign of Lina. He ran his hand through his hair as he stood awkwardly in the foyer as he debated with himself about whether or not he should try to track her down.
"Can I help you, Sir?" the innkeeper asked.
"No," Gourry said with a sigh as he headed back towards the stairs, the anxiety making him sick to his stomach with every step. What if she got in over her head and needed help?
But he also didn't want to fight with her. Things had been going so well between the two of them that he didn't want to fight. And if he found her then there would be a fight. He reached his room and opened the door and closed it behind him more harshly than he'd meant to as he started pacing the small confines. At times like these he wanted to lock her in her room, but that would be wrong. She had every right to go and hunt bandits. He just really, really did not like that she did it. Especially since if he caught wind of it his choices were to start a fight by trying to stop her or pace anxiously as images of her coming to a violent end tormented his mind.
Breathe. The thought rose, but he pushed it away. He would much rather torture himself than push back against the tidal wave of his thoughts. He was justified! She had no idea what she put him through when she did this and he wasn't going to bat it away with breathing exercises. As if he didn't have enough stress as it was keeping her alive when there were Demon Lords on her tail, but she still had to go out and seek trouble by fighting bandits?! When was enough enough?
He paced and seethed and glanced out the window, desperate for any sign that she was safe as he started to wonder how long he should give her before he went out and looked for her. If she was hurt or in trouble then leaving immediately could make the difference between life or death. He took a deep breath and started to head for the door when he heard the sounds of footsteps up the stairs. A moment later the door beside his opened and he heard her mutter something as the sounds of bags full of treasure dropping on the floor reverberated into his room.
The relief he felt was very quickly subsumed by anger. There she was having a merry time while he'd spent the evening in anxious fits worrying about her! And that was that. He hated to fight, but he risked losing her either way. And she meant enough to him that she was worth the fight. The next time she snuck out to hunt bandits he would confront her!
The next time Lina snuck out Gourry was almost asleep. He sat up in bed groggily and wondered if it truly was her door closing that woke him. He took a breath and could sense that her room was empty. A wave of anger and anxiety propelled him to put on his boots and grab his sword and rush outside to track her down. Fortunately he caught up to her easily. "More bandit bullying?"
Lina shuddered as she turned around. "Yeesh... don't startle me like that, Gourry."
"You're really the one complaining here? Why do you always have to slip out on your own like this?" he asked, hoping that his voice was light despite the intensity of the anger he was feeling.
Lina put her hands on her hips as she asked, "What, you wanted an invite?"
"Of course not."
"C'moooon, man. I gotta go bully some bandits to replenish our travel funds. And to blow off steam." She whined as the reason that she was upset penetrated his exhausted mind.
"Are you still annoyed about that?"
"'Course I am!" she said, and Gourry had to sigh. When she'd submitted her report to the sorcerer's guild about the incident in Crimson City they had not believed her. And it sucked that their hard work and the risk they had put themselves in was laughed at and questioned. Further, they'd offered Lina a mission investigating an outbreak of lower demons for pay that barely covered travel expenses that she'd felt obligated to accept.
So she had reasons to be upset. But one didn't go into a life of travel expecting to get rich. And in the meantime they were in the middle of town when there was a lesser demon outbreak occurring arguing in whispers so as not to attract attention and he wanted to get them inside and safe. Gourry struggled to find some way to reach her without imploding the situation, "Well... there's nothing wrong with beating up bandits, and I can't tell you to stop doing what's clearly in your nature..."
"My nature?" His stomach tightened as for a moment he feared that he had indeed imploded it, but then he realized it wasn't just the way that she recoiled in anger. Someone else was there!
Their opponent, who Lina later named Shaman, was skilled and dangerous, and he nearly succeeded in killing Lina at one point in their fight. And while Lina may have been spared, the young man with a gaping wound in his chest that Shaman had been hovering over had not been so lucky. Once again they had stumbled onto something big. And as they walked back to the inn Gourry bit his tongue. He was tired, he was exhausted, he was glad they were both still alive, and he was itching to ask her, "What would have happened tonight if I'd not followed you?"
But he bit his tongue. Who was that dead man they had found? Did he have a family? Family who would be worried sick about him when they found that he wasn't there in the morning? And what if the same thing happened to Lina one night while she was out alone bandit hunting? Did she ever think about what it would do to him if she just went missing one night?
But then, if she knew how much he cared, would it scare her? What if she didn't feel the same way?
So he bit his tongue.
Even though he'd bitten his tongue, Lina did become more cautious. For the moment at least. She'd stopped bandit hunting, and he wasn't wanting to rock the boat by asking why. But what was stranger was that as they sought information on the demon attacks they heard about a white giant, one that she didn't seem particularly eager to track down. She also didn't bother to ask questions about Shaman or investigate the death of the man they had stumbled upon, settling for getting out of town as quickly as possible the next day. Given that Lina loved to poke her nose into things that were none of her business, it was odd.
And Gourry was partly relieved. The fight with Halicform had been bruising enough and nearly killed them, but what had followed with Gaav and Hellmaster Fibrizo had been far worse. And it wasn't as if they'd gotten much for it but some hideous mental scars. They'd had to settle for the knowledge that they'd saved the world several times over. And it was enough for him. But Lina seemed to be harboring some resentment.
The other part of him was worried. He'd been attracted to Lina because she did poke her nose into things and ended up doing incredible things in the process. He'd wanted to find a way to make owning the Sword of Light worthwhile, and he'd done that with Lina. But then they'd already destroyed a seventh of Shabranigdu, Hellmaster and Gaav. And the Sword of Light was gone. Hadn't they done enough?
Lina just seemed less satisfied with a life lived on the road. She complained about the pay constantly and was less interested in getting involved in things. And then, when Gyria City came up, she broke down. That mercenaries were gathering there was alarming news that they could not longer ignore, but while Gourry was determined to see the best in it and do what he could to help Lina seemed…haunted.
And worries crept up upon Gourry. What if she was no longer happy traveling? Would she just go home? Without him? What if the only thing keeping her on the road now was the obligation she felt to replace his sword?
If she wanted him to come to her home with him, maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Perhaps there could be a place for him and he could learn some skill other than swordplay and they could make a life together. But what if she didn't want him?
And what if the reason that she didn't want him to come home with her was because she was miserable with him on the road now? And if that was the case then he had to fix it! There had to be some way to reach her, to make her happy again!
"What's wrong, Lina?" he asked.
"What makes you think something's wrong?" She deflected. Even after all that they'd been through it was still hard to get her to open up.
"You've been super down since we left that village. What's up?"
"Oh... that, it's what that villager said... about how Gyria City was recruiting mercenaries and we should check things out there..."
"What about it?" he asked, managing to keep his voice casual despite the lump that was building in his throat.
"I've just got... bad memories of Gyria, you know?" and her voice was so sad he couldn't stand it!
He smiled, hoping he could find a way to make her happy. "Oh, is that all? That's not like you."
"'Is that all'?! Who would be happy about revisiting a city they have bad memories of?"
"Well, come on. Is there any city you have good memories of?" he said, hoping to get a laugh out of her.
She made a choking sound as a stricken look crossed her face, and to his horror he realized he'd misfired. He tried to explain, "See? If you let that get you down, you'll be depressed for the rest of your life. Just let it roll off your back!" he patted her on the shoulder, but as she looked at him he realized with a sinking feeling that he was digging himself in deeper. "Anyway. Just sighing won't—"
And in retrospect, it was likely a good thing that Shaman attacked them once more.
For some reason it wasn't a big surprise to have run into Luke and Mileena once more. What was surprising was that rather than hunting for treasure they had been employed by a young, noble man named Jade who not only looked remarkably like the dead man they had found, but reported that there was a new general in Gyria City named Sherra, which meant that once more he and Lina were traveling in a large group.
Privacy was hard to find in such a large group, especially during the times when they'd have to get one room for the men and another for a women, and even more so when there was just one room, such as now that they were all staying with Maias and sleeping on the floor of his small flat. Given the crowded, cramped conditions and being wedged between the warm temptation of Lina on his right side and the repelling force of Luke on the left, Gourry hadn't slept that well and ended up giving up on sleep early in the morning and snuck outside in to get a breath of fresh air and have a moment to himself before the day started. He watched the rising sun in silence as he thought about the way that Jade and Maias had glorified being a knight and wondered when he'd lost that idealism.
Suddenly from the direction of Maias's apartment he heard Mileena yell, "Why is it so hard for you to get the message that we are not in love!?"
Luke quickly followed with, "Mileena, wait!"
Gourry facepalmed as he'd remembered how Mileena had wedged herself on the floor between the wall and Lina to sleep the previous night, and how Gourry had made sure to sleep beside Lina, leaving Luke beside him. Even with him gone Lina should have been a formidable barrier, but if she'd woken to use the bathroom or something…
"Oh let her go," he heard Lina say.
"Stay out of it!" Luke snapped as Gourry sighed and reflected that the whole building would be woken soon when he heard footsteps approach.
"That man!" Mileena huffed as she joined him outside the building and then she straightened a bit as she noticed him sitting on the steps.
Gourry considered her carefully, "You okay?"
She folded her arms under her breasts as she looked at the ground and stated, "You're a man."
"Um, yes." Gourry said as he reflected that there was no way this conversation was going somewhere good.
"How am I not being clear with him? No matter how many times I tell him, how many times I yell at him, no matter how I phrase it…" she fumed.
"You seem rather clear to me. I don't really get it to be honest." Gourry said, "I mean, the thought of being rejected, it's paralyzing even when a woman seems willing. So it doesn't make sense why he'd set himself up for that kind of pain repeatedly, it's not normal."
She snorted as she looked at her feet. "No, he's not normal."
From Maias's apartment he could hear Jade saying, "A knight never pressures his lady, he takes his time and…"
"Dumb knights know nothin' of romance!" Luke snapped, "It's why you never get laid."
"And when was the last time you got laid?" Lina asked.
Gourry hesitated for a moment as he wondered if he should ask. But then it was a good question, "Why do you travel even travel with him?"
"Who says I am? He follows me around. Damned if I can get rid of him." Mileena snapped.
Gourry felt there was more to it but backed off before he agitated her further, "Look, there's one thing worse than being constantly rejected."
"Oh?" she asked.
"Being ignored." He said. "Some people like drama and fights. Maybe Luke is like that. He's a fighter after all. But if they learn that there isn't going to be any of that they'll back off."
"That's crazy!" Mileena said, "I swear the only thing keeping his from pouncing on me is how I yell at him all the time!"
Gourry shrugged but before he could say more Luke stormed out and glared at Mileena, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"It's none of your concern!"
"What are you doin' talkin' to him for?" Luke asked as he pointed at Gourry as he heard more footsteps on the stairs.
"What sort of idiot are you?" Mileena asked, "He's Lina's man through and through. And I'm not your woman so it's none of your business anyway!"
Gourry blushed as Lina appeared at the stairs and he wondered if she'd heard that. Still, Luke relaxed a little as Lina, Jade and Maias joined them on the landing. "Right."
"Come on," Maias said tentatively, "We shouldn't draw so much attention to ourselves."
Gourry looked up to see faces pressed to the windows and he was grateful towards Maias for pointing it out and diffusing the tension between Luke and Mileena for the moment as they went back up to get prepared to face the day. And when they got back to Maias's things were so cramped and crowded as they got ready for the day that he couldn't get a read on Lina and whether or not she'd heard the comment about him being her man. Because if it was so obvious to Mileena and Luke, then was it obvious to her?
And if so, why did she never say anything?
Once they got to Gyria City Gourry had to admit that Lina's reticence to return there was warranted even if it was a good thing that they had. Not only had the dead man they'd found been Jade's brother but they'd found that Shaman was Jade's father, Grancis, transformed into a demon by Dulgofa. And Gourry wasn't sure which was worse, having your father transformed into a demon to do evil things or having a father who embraced his dark side willingly.
But he did know one thing. And it was that he was going to follow up on his promise to himself that he would be the person he needed and did not have when he was standing up to his family. Jade was trying to be responsible and fight what was left of his father, and it was positively painful to watch.
Any trace of humanity had left Grancis and he was calm and collected as he attacked. But Jade…Gourry recognized the toll it was taking on him all too well. He was slow to deflect, slow to attack. Almost as though he wanted to die but some self preserving instinct would kick in at the very last moment. Jade wasn't giving his best, and he needed to. But how could he be expected to?
Jade let his guard down. It was a dumb move that even a person with only a few lessons under their belt would not make. Gourry wondered if he'd done it deliberately in the hopes that some part of his father would revive and fight for him (and perhaps Gourry could remember doing something similar a lifetime ago). But if he had he had lost the gamble as Shaman went in for the kill. And that was when Gourry knew he had to intervene.
"I don't need your help!" Jade spat as Gourry blocked what would have been a killing blow.
"Look, man..." Gourry said as he stayed between Jade and his father. "You're fighting like you're trying to get yourself killed. I understand how you feel, but I can't just stay back and watch a guy do that, even if you ask me to."
Gourry waited for a tense moment as he worried that Jade would fight him. But when he spoke he whispered, "Right now, the only way to save my father... is to kill him. I want... to save my father. It's my duty as his son... but... I know I'm not strong enough to beat him. Please... save my father."
It was not a comfortable feeling, taking over the task for Jade. And Gourry did what he could to end it quickly. And while Jade thanked him, there was little that was satisfying in it. But at least Gourry could take a small measure of comfort from doing the right thing in a hard situation.
Gourry listened quietly as he ate dinner as Milgazia explained the history of the Incarnation War and casually mentioned that two years ago he felt a powerful demonic presence, something that Memphys said that the elves also felt. Gourry noticed how Lina set her fork down as she tensed a bit as he remembered the time when Shabranigdu was reborn. And the start of their adventures together.
And how little credit Lina got for the world she'd saved.
"Say, Lina," Gourry said as he looked at her, "Two years ago, huh? You think they're talking about the time we beat that Dark Lord Shabby guy?"
It was as though someone had set off a Fireball at the table. Luke, Mileena, Memphys and Milgazia all started choking on their drinks as they coughed while Lina screamed, "H-Hey! You can't just spring that on people!"
Gourry kept his expression puzzled, but inside he was happy. Happy that he had let them know what they'd done together.
Luke was the one who recovered first as he stammered, "H-Hang on here... You talkin' about Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu? There's no freakin' way!"
"I don't think he's the type to lie though..." Mileena said as she wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Y-Yeah, true... Doubt he's got the brains for it, " Luke reconsidered as he raised an eyebrow, "So, how the heck'd you beat 'im?"
Lina scratched her head nervously as she looked at Milgazia and Memphys like a school child who was about to fess up, and Gourry was confused. She'd saved the world! Why was she so bashful about it? "Um, well…I maybe sorta kinda cast a teeny-tiny itty-bitty incomplete Lord of Nightmares spell onto the Sword of Light, which turned out to be Dark Star's weapon Gorun Nova, teehee!"
"I dunno what that all means, but... I'm guessin' it's a big deal, yeah?" Luke said, and while it was hard to tell for sure with Mileena, she looked similarly lost.
"It's bigger than a big deal! What were you people thinking?! Do you even realize that you could have destroyed the entire world?!" Memphys screeched as Gourry's mouth dropped. Well, hadn't Lina refused to cast the Giga Slave when Kanzel was torturing her for that reason? But she was in bad shaped then, and with Shabranigdu it wasn't as if there were a lot of options…
"Well... I didn't at the time, no..." Lina said.
"You can't just use spells when you don't understand their consequences! I swear, you humans..." Memphys said as Gourry was frozen, stunned at how what should have been a brag about how Lina had saved the world ended up in a lecture. He wanted to say something but his tongue was tied.
"Hey, c'mon. That's all in the past!" Lina snapped.
"You don't even seem sorry!"
"This has nothing to do with the problem at hand," Mileena finally interjected. "What we need to focus on is what happens from here, right?"
Gourry sent Mileena a grateful look for steering the conversation to safer waters and, was it his imagination, or did she give him a small smile in return?
"Hey Lina," Gourry asked as he brushed her hair later that evening, "Why did Mr. Milgazia and Memphys react that way when they learned about how we defeated Shabranigdu?"
Lina was silent for a moment, and then she sighed, "I didn't know it at the time. Sylphiel warned me about it later during that incident in Sairaag. At the time I thought that the worst thing that miscasting the spell would do was kill me. But according to Sylphiel it could have destroyed the whole world."
"Even if you were in good shape while casting it?" he asked.
"Apparently." She replied.
"Still, it's not like there were a lot of options, were there?" Gourry asked.
"Well, I guess someone as powerful as a dragon or an elf would gather the troops and try to use that technology they've been developing. How successful it would have been and how many lives would have been lost in the process, who's to say? If I'd not made a stand then and there and taken time to find help…"
"Or things could have been worse." Gourry said quickly as he thought about the times when he'd thought about different things he could have done to save his family. But where did it get him but obsessing about things that he couldn't change? "We survived, so I still don't see what the big deal is. And it's not as if you're throwing Giga Slaves around left and right."
She laughed nervously, "Well, let's just say I'm even more careful about the spell now. And the times I've cast it, I don't regret it. But I also don't like calling attention to it or that spell."
"It's just, you have such big accomplishments, and it's a shame you don't get to talk about them more."
She turned and smiled at him, "It is a bit. But it's safer this way."
"Safer? How?"
"Well it's what Hellmaster wanted, y'know. He wanted me to cast that spell and for it to go out of control." Lina said as she stiffened a bit.
Gourry felt the butterflies form in his stomach. Zelgadis had wondered if this was what Hellmaster had wanted, but Lina would never open up about it. And there were things he was desperate to know. But then, what if he was wrong about some things? "Oh. Is…is that why he took me?"
Lina turned away from him as she nodded, "There's a price that comes with doing big things."
Why did the memory of his mother telling him that she wished he'd been the one who died have to resurface now, when he needed to be brave? The tension rose through him for a moment, causing him to freeze as he fortified himself. Facing down Dark Lords had strengthened him in some unexpected ways and he was able to push through it as he asked softly, "Did you know that was what he wanted when you went to get me back?"
"Yes." Lina said.
He patted her head and started to stroke her hair as the relief ran through him, "I'm glad you did."
The tension seemed to release from her body as she relaxed, leaning back upon him as she did so that her back was touching his chest. "Like I said, I don't regret it. But I also don't want a repeat of that whole mess." She said as he yearned to wrap his arms around her. And he was going to do it! "So it's best that we keep quiet about it. Think you can remember that much?"
She was asking him a question. But he was too distracted by how nice she felt pressed up against him in bed and with how excited the thought that she came to rescue him knowing that Hellmaster wanted her to destroy the world to focus too much on what she was saying anymore. In fact, thinking through a response was hard because all he wanted to do was to summon the bravery to wrap his arms around her and start to nuzzle at her neck.
She was waiting for some sort of response though, and he managed to say softly as he raised his arms up, "I'll try."
"You'll try!?" she said as she stood up and glared at him. Well, the moment was nice while it had lasted.
Gourry was surprised by the knock at his door. Still, he didn't sense any malevolent presence and when he opened it saw that it was Milgazia. "I'm sorry to disturb you so late. May I come in?"
"Sure," Gourry said as he stood back a bit and closed he door behind the dragon, "What can I help you with?"
"I was curious about your sword." Milgazia stated directly, "What do you know about it?"
"Not much," Gourry said as he sat on the bed and indicated that Milgazia take the chair, "We fought a lord who was usurping his brother's kingdom a few months back and he had a horde of treasure and swords. This was one of them."
"May I look at it?" Milgazia asked.
"Sure," Gourry said as he handed it over, wondering if Milgazia could offer any insight into it.
Milgazia took it out of its scabbard and studied it quietly for a moment before saying, "This is an interesting and impressive blade. It's not enough to take down a demon, but if you would like I can find a way to make it stronger."
"Really?" Gourry said. "Yeah, go ahead."
Gourry watched silently as Milgazia pricked his finger and then drew a pattern on the sword in blood. Given how dramatic Lina's spells were, it was rather anticlimactic as Milgazia handed him the blade back, "There. It's not what the Sword of Light was but it should help with our current situation."
"Thanks," Gourry said as he attempted a smile even as the worry that Lina would leave if she knew rose.
"Something seems to be troubling you," Milgazia noted, and Gourry's eyes widened as he wondered what had given him away. He was reminded a bit of Master Janawes, who always had a way of reading him when other people couldn't.
"Oh," Gourry said as he hesitated. This went way beyond shop talk and something that Milgazia wouldn't be interested in. Still, it was hard to not have anyone to talk to about it, "It's nothing really. I'm just worried that Lina's ready to settle down is all."
"The tends to be the way of things among humans." Milgazia noted.
"Hm." Gourry said, "I just thought Lina would never want that."
"So you're wanting to continue to live a life on the road?" Milgazia asked.
"I want to be with Lina. Though part of the reason was because I thought Lina would never want to settle down. Though now that I don't have the Sword of Light…I guess I'm worried that if she decides to go home she wouldn't want to take me with her."
Milgazia's face was so impassive it was hard to tell what he was thinking. But his words were measured as he said, "That girl fought Hellmaster Fibrizo for you and somehow, I'm rather afraid to ask how, she won."
"Yeah," Gourry said with a smile, but then his eyes fell upon the sword and the anxiety reasserted itself.
"I sense that there's more than the fear of rejection here." Milgazia stated.
"Just…what if I mess it up? I didn't come from a good family."
"And you fear repeating those mistakes." Milgazia nodded, "Yet you've face bigger fears while standing up to Shabranigdu, among others."
Gourry looked at him and wanted to protest that it was different, but Milgazia stood up, "If you take all of that time you are spending worrying about having a happy family and spend that time building one then I think you will be able to have a few more accomplishments to be proud of."
"But what if I mess this up?" Gourry said, "What if I get hurt again?"
"I wish I could promise you a life without hurt." Milgazia said, "Unfortunately to live and to love is to invite pain into our lives. And sometimes it seems unendurable. But what is the alternative?"
Gourry was silent for a moment as he remembered the time before he met Lina and admitted, "I was in constant misery."
"If the two of you continue to fight for your future together the way the two of you already have then I see some reasons to believe that your families' fate won't be your destiny."
Gourry remembered Lina motivating him and Zelgadis with her fight to win speech when things felt hopeless after Shabranigdu had been reborn and smiled, "But I'll never do it if I give into my doubts, will I?"
Milgazia clasped him on the shoulder. "Good night, Gourry."
"N-night." Gourry said as he quickly got up to show him out, and then closed and locked the door behind him as his head swum with the possibilities.
Mileena may have initially scoffed at his suggestion to try to ignore Luke's love talk, but for whatever reason she had started to put it into practice, going stone faced and silent when he did. And even stranger was the fact that Luke was down right desolate over the change.
"Yeah, I know. My heart would never allow me to pop off and spoil my beloved Mileena's negotiations." Luke blabbered as he looked at Mileena smugly.
Mileena did not even bother to look at him as she remained frosty and silent.
Luke fell forward slightly like a puppet whose strings had been cut, "C'mon, would you shoot me down already? I hate bein' left hanging..."
And was it his imagination? Or had Mileena given him a small wink once Luke had turned away?
Once more he was dueling with a Demon Lord, beings the like of which he had not even suspected existed three years ago. Only this time he didn't have a sword as powerful as the Sword of Light with him. That sword that he had been cursed with that he'd somehow saved the world with. Still, he'd never felt as though he'd earned it, as though he was worthy of the accomplishment, of being Lina's partner.
So as he faced Dynast Grausherra with a sword less powerful than the Sword of Light he'd felt a motivation as powerful as Lina's Giga Slave flow through him. He was going to fight like hell and win! "Don't underestimate me!"
And he managed to get his left shoulder.
"Oh? Impressive," Dynast said.
"What?!" Gourry drew back, but he was trying to lull Dynast into a false sense of security. There were advantages to playing the fool. "You didn't even feel it?!"
"No, I felt it. Like a drop of water hitting a stone. But don't be disappointed, swordsman. Your skill is remarkable. But sadly, your weapon... is insufficient."
Gourry let Mileena attack as he waited for his opening and finally one appeared and he thrust forward. Still, Dynast blocked his attack as he mocked, "Do you think you're distracting me? Really?!"
"Distracting you? Never! I'm more than a distraction!" Gourry said, and for once he believed it. He was more than a distraction! He was going to show Dynast he was wrong for underestimating him. So he attacked swiftly and repeatedly, making small chinks in his armor.
"I told you! That's no more than a drop of water against a stone!" Dynast said as annoyance laced his voice as Gourry continued to attack, making wounds that were small but numerous. "Are you... insane?!"
But as Lina said, fight to win! And it had gotten them this far.
"Zellas Bullid!" Lina cast.
Gourry attacked as Dynast moved to intercept her spell.
"Screw it, everyone! Let's just dogpile the bastard!" Lina said, picking up on his strategy.
"Ruby-Eye Blade!" Luke said as he joined Gourry.
Dynast cried out in exertion and Gourry took advantage of him being distracted by Luke to attack once more. But Dynast lashed out with an attack that resulted in a shockwave that sent him sending him falling backward. But something like that wasn't going to stop him. It took him a moment, but Gourry got up and attacked from the side.
"Zellas Bullid!" Lina said.
"Can't you see it's pointless?!" Dynast said, sounding thoroughly tired of them now.
"Zellas Phalanx!" Milgazia cast.
Gourry continued to attack as the others piled on the magic spells. If they could keep this up surely they would chip away at him! Or at least buy time until Lina figured something out. And she was chanting something big! Gourry could tell. It wasn't long before Memphys did something strange with her Zenafa armor: put it on Dynast. Gourry couldn't figure it out but...
"Shield!" Memphys said.
"What did you..." Dynast cried out, a note of panic in his voice. And Gourry could tell something had shifted in the fight.
"Shield!" Memphys said.
"Ruby-Eye Blade!"
"Not so fast!" Dynast said, showing he still had some fight left.
Gourry slashed at Dynast, hitting him as Milgazia howled, causing the symbols on Gourry's blade to glow red. And then the sword pierced Dynast, who cried out in pain.
Dynast seized his sword, which cracked, and Gourry wondered if he would break it as he cried, "Impudent brat!"
His blade snapped, but to Gourry's astonishment a more narrow blade that was slight purple was concealed within. "What?!" Gourry cried, surprised to still have a weapon. But why would someone cover a sword blade with another? Still, he wasn't going to let this go to waste, and he slashed as Dynast once more, burying the sword into his side.
But Milgazia seemed to recognize it as he cried, "The Blast Sword?!"
Dynast screamed as his fight became more desperate as Luke used his Ruby Eyed Blade to pierce Dynast's other side as Lina chanted one of her big spells, the one that caused a void of light to appear in her hand. That one that always caused Dark Lords to be nervous.
"Ragna Blade!"
With Luke on having pierced Dynast's left side and Gourry's his right, Dynast couldn't move as Lina swiftly cleaved him in two with her sword of darkness, his armor falling to the ground with a clunk.
"Did we... get him?" Gourry asked.
"His corporal form, at least," Lina said, as she cautioned that he was still alive but too damaged to come into the human realm.
As the sense of danger faded Gourry looked at the sword as a sense of accomplishment washed over him. This was a blade that he had earned. Milgazia had identified it as the Blast Sword, and Lina had mentioned it as a legendary sword a few times, but he didn't know much about it. He studied it and gave it a few practice swings. Soon he noticed Milgazia coming up to him with Lina and his stomach lurched.
"So that's the Blast Sword." Lina said.
"But why would someone put another blade over it?" Gourry asked.
"Try to put it into your scabbard." Milgazia suggested.
Gourry wasn't sure why he suggested it, but he did, and then he cried out as the sword cleaved through it and down through the floor below, though fortunately the hilt of the sword prevented it from falling to the floor below it.
"That's why." Milgazia said in his deadpan manner.
"Damn!" Lina said as Gourry reached down and carefully retrieved it. "That's several layers of stone it cut through!"
"Well it may be a magical sword, but how am I going to use it if I can't even carry it around safely?" Gourry asked.
Lina looked at Milgazia, "Is there something you could do to take the edge off?"
"Let me," Milgazia said, and Gourry handed it to him as once more Milgazia drew a symbol on it in blood, "This should help."
"Thanks," Lina said, and then she glanced at Gourry before she turned and said, "See! I told you I'd get you a new sword."
Gourry's stomach flipped but before he could articulate why she announced, "Come on, I'm hungry, let's grab a bite to eat."
Somehow they'd managed to avoid another inquisition and get back on the road with a bag of orichalcum for their troubles from Milgazia, meaning that for once Lina was happy to be well compensated for a mission. The dragon and elf had gone their separate ways as had Luke and Mileena and once again he was on the road, alone with Lina. And a brand new magical sword that rivaled the Sword of Light.
So far both of them had avoided the topic of what to do now that they had it, as though neither of them wanted to confront it. But the conversation he'd had with Milgazia went round and round in his mind. And he and Lina hadn't defeated powerful demons by avoiding them. They'd confronted them. If he was going to make things work with Lina, if he was going to build a happy future with her, then he was going to have to confront the fears he had about whether or not they could be together.
Starting with the big one. Was she only traveling with him for a sword?
He took a deep breath to fortify himself as he tried to find the right words. And when he spoke they felt inadequate, "Say…What are we gonna do next? You said you were gonna find me a replacement for the Sword of Light, and it seems like you have."
"Oh..." Lina said as she tensed and looked at the ground.
And the fear that she was going to suggest traveling with him for the Blast Sword rose so powerfully that it helped him push through the worries that she didn't want him, compelling him to put his hand on her head and say, "Don't sweat it."
"Huh? Don't sweat what?"
"It's not like I need a reason to travel with you. How about we just go where the wind takes us for a while?" he said, asking for what he wanted. It was strange. It wasn't as if many people cared about he wanted when he was a child. It was more likely that he would be teased for wanting it in the first place. But he cared enough about Lina to state it. And was left with a moment of painful vulnerability as he waited for her to respond.
"Guess so..." she said as she started to relax as the joy rushed through him as he started to stroke her hair.
She had agreed! She was traveling with him for him now, not because of a sword! In a moment of daring he grabbed her hand and she didn't pull away as they started to talk about where to go next and kept coming back to Selentia City, a city of temples. And something about it sounded romantic.
With the orichalcum they'd gotten from Milgazia they had plenty of money. And they now had the Blast Sword and they were still together. Part of him wanted to stop and grab her and kiss her, but another part told him to wait. They'd been through so much that he owed it to them both to plan a romantic encounter at Selentia City. The kissing could wait until then. His mind started racing as he thought about how Selentia City sounded like the perfect place to court Lina and that they would take the city with a bang.
He didn't realize it would be the wrong kind of bang.
AN: So, I got 11 through 13 in one chapter! Granted I didn't do much with 11. Three more chapters and then I can wrap this one up.