Previously:

"No thanks… The more I get to know you, the less I want to!" Alibaba deadpanned.

"Mandible claw!" Faith shouted, quickly jabbing her middle and ring fingers into his mouth with the thumb of the same hand placed under his jaw, stabbing him in the soft tissue on the bottom of the inside of his mouth as she applied downward pressure by her middle and ring fingers while her thumb forced his jaw upwards.

"!?!!!?" Alibaba let out a strangled cry of pain, cradling his poor aching mouth while she calmly walked away.

'Alibaba-kun… He never learns…' Aladdin thought with an awkward smile, sweat-dropping.

"We made it! The honor's all yours, Aladdin!" Faith said brightly when they reached the door of the tower.

'So our dungeon diving expedition has come to an end…' Alibaba thought, watching as Aladdin stepped forward and opened the door for them. 'I've bet everything on finding a treasure in this dungeon! And now, with my own eyes, I'll bear witness to it!' The three of them coughed as the dust cleared. "Wh-What the… What's this?" he asked as they stared into the room, stunned. It was not at all what they had expected. Instead of precious metals and gems, they had found an entire room full of stone items. "It's not really a 'treasure chest'… but a 'storage' room?"

Chapter 16: Place That Strains Life

"Well, that was anticlimactic…" said Faith with a pout while they searched the room, clearly disappointed.

"Hmm… Hey, Aladdin, you find anything?" Alibaba asked.

"Nope, nothing. Just lots of rocks and trinkets." Aladdin answered.

"My grandma's junk room has more bling than this." Faith quipped.

"Yeah… seems like this place isn't a 'treasure chest' after all." Alibaba said with a sigh. "Eh, no helpin' it. There are a lot of buildings out there… so let's go outside and try our luck somewhere else."

"Sounds like a plan." Said Faith, dropping the trinket in her hand like the rock that it was. Maybe they could find a bank to knock over or something… She could feel the urge to kick a door in coming on.

"'Kay." Aladdin agreed, setting the vase in his hands down with a little more care as they moved to exit the tower. But as they stepped up to the doorway, they found their path blocked.

"WAAAAAAAAH!!" Alibaba and Faith yelled in alarm and surprise when they realized the huge shadowy figure towering over them was none other than Goltas.

"D? Dammit! It's on, bastard!!" Alibaba shouted nervously, reaching for his dagger.

"You want a piece of me, tough guy!?" Faith challenged the hulk, making fists.

"Wait, you guys!" Aladdin said anxiously. "He's already…" Then, almost right on cue, Goltas fell forward, collapsing to the ground. "This is terrible…" Aladdin said as they kneeled down to check on him. The big guy was covered in wounds. "He's still got burns from before…"

'But more importantly… he's go a huge slash on the side of his back!!' Alibaba thought, gritting his teeth. That could only mean one thing…

"Hey," said Faith, "if he's here, then the others…"

"Aladdin!!" Alibaba shouted suddenly when he saw danger closing in.

"!?" Faith gasped, jumping in front of the boy in an attempt to block the blur flying at him. Alibaba watched with wide eyes, shocked, as she was instantly pushed back as easily as if the attacker were merely swatting a fly, sending her crashing into Aladdin, taking them both out in one go.

"Bastards…!!" Alibaba cursed angrily as beads of sweat formed on his brow, taking up a defensive stance with his dagger as he faced Morgiana and her master.

"Peons, eh… Who do you think you're talking to…" said Jamil with his head lowered and sword in hand.

"It doesn't matter if you're the boss and I'm the servant anymore! You damn thief… First off, give me back Aladdin's flute!! We can talk things over after that!!" Alibaba said boldly.

"… A p? peon… talks to me… Don't make me laugh… you weak… vulgar… fool…" Jamil muttered darkly with his head still lowered. "You're no more than a waste of air, piece of trash…"

'What's his deal… He's acting weird…' Alibaba thought. He cast a sideway glance to check on his friends. 'Aladdin and Faith are… flying into the distance… Whoa!' he thought, surprised to see that they were still airborne. He flinched in surprise when Morgiana suddenly took off after them. "Wait a damn minute…" He shouted, moving to stop her, but Jamil wouldn't let him.

SLASH!

The Chief swiped his sword at Alibaba. Alibaba jumped back just in time to avoid being cut.

"I've got a list of grievances to administer punishment for…" Jamil told him. "… Punishment?" asked Alibaba nervously.

"Yes!!" Jamil shouted, finally raising his head to reveal just how frazzled he really was. The Chief's hair was disheveled. His eyes were wide and wild. And his face was pale with fear and dripping with cold sweat. "What were those monsters!?" he cried. "Why were they here… Why did this happen… What did I do to deserve this!? It's all… your fault!!!!" he yelled at Alibaba, panting heavily as he glared at the teen with tears in his eyes.

"…!?" said Alibaba, taken aback. 'Geez… Whaaat the heck! This guy… I can't believe I used to be afraid of this guy.' He thought seeing the big bad boss in such wretched state. "I can see you wetting your pants from here, fearless leader-san… But… I've been saying this all along… This is a 'dungeon'. Status, lineage, and your name don't matter one bit. This is a place where you put everything, including your life, on the line! A place that strains life!! If you're scared… go cry a river in your damn house, little man!" Alibaba finished coolly, aiming his sword at him as he took up a starting fencing position. Jamil's eyes widened as something inside of him snapped.

"Enough… Shut up…!!!" he yelled furiously. "Peons like you… never make a lick of sense!!" Jamil raised his sword and pointed it at Alibaba. 'Fool… Do you think you can beat someone who's spent years learning swordplay from the royal palace?' A peon with a little knife like yours… isn't even worthy of being called an opponent.' He thought disdainfully, looking down his nose at the boy. 'Yes…! I'm stronger than him! I've been cultivated to be different than a mere peon!! It wouldn't be any fun to kill him in one blow… I want to watch him suffer, have him try and escape, only to find he can't… I'll cut him away one part at a time! Foolish plebeian… how about I carve my name into your flesh until you die!?' "First is… your leg!!!" he shouted, lunging forward to attack. Alibaba dodged his blade with ease. "Hahah… Nice work getting lucky just now… I'll say, I'm impressed, but… How will you deal with this?" Jamil asked, thrusting his sword forward in another attack. His eyes widened in shock as, once again, Alibaba dodged effortlessly. "Whaaaat!?"

"Is that all? Boss?" Alibaba asked with a smirk.

"Damn!!" Jamil cursed. A vein popped on his forehead as he went in for the kill again, but Alibaba skillfully parried the attack with his shorter blade. No matter how hard he tried, whatever method he used to attack, it was useless. He couldn't land a single blow on Alibaba. "Why is it… Why… Why can't I hit you!?" he demanded hotly in frustration.

"You know… your side is open." Alibaba told him, holding his short blade pressed against the Chief's ribs. Jamil's eyes widened in fear, and his face went deathly pale as Alibaba pulled back his knife, drawing blood, as he sliced through his coat.

"Waaah…!!" Jamil screamed, clutching his side.

"Hey now… your neck, shoulder, elbow…" Alibaba said as he continued the fight, listing all of the places the Chief was leaving himself open. All of the places he could strike next.

"I can't keep up!! My teacher never taught me this!" Jamil cried anxiously. "!!!" He gasped as Alibaba went for the kill, freezing with his knife under the Chief's chin with just enough pressure behind it to prick the skin.

"I'll give you an 'F' for failure… Little man!" said Alibaba with a smirk.

'J-Just what is this guy!?' Jamil wondered, trembling with fear. 'I've been learning sword play for such a long time… This is just like when my teacher warned be about the danger… But I did practice my swordplay… Yet I can't beat him! No, this isn't practice… this is… the real deal…! Royal swordplay!! Why does a peon know swordplay? And it's not just the way he fights, but he was also able to read the language of Torran… Why? Why? What is he…! What is heee!?'

'What is she!? How can this person… still stand!?' Morgiana wondered as she faced Faith, who had somehow managed to protect Aladdin during their fall. Faith had ended up bearing the larger brunt of the attack, and yet there she was, standing up. Morgiana had never seen anyone recover so quickly from one of her attacks before. She watched as Faith wiped the corner of her mouth and spit out some blood.

"That freakin' hurt!!" Faith scowled at the freakishly strong girl, breathing heavily and holding her side as she straightened up. "If I have internal bleeding… I'm gonna be really… pissed!!" She shouted angrily, lunging forward with a straight jab aimed at Morgiana's head. When Morgiana ducked to avoid it, Faith smirked and hit her with a roundhouse kick that was strong enough to send the other girl sliding back.

'How can she still fight…!?' Morgiana wondered with wide eyes.

"How did I lose to you…!?" Jamil asked Alibaba as he fell to the floor, staring up at the boy in shock.

'Pheww… Somehow, I've gotten things under control here… All that's left is to save Aladdin and Faith…' Alibaba thought, exhaling a small sigh of relief, as he glanced around the room, looking for Morgiana. 'That girl is… sweet, she's all the way over there. I'm in the clear!' "All right, buddy!!" he said sternly, looming over Jamil with his knife in hand. "You don't make any funny moves, and I won't have a reason to take your life. Just hand over Aladdin's flute and we're square, got it?"

"Ngh… Morgiana!! Come and save me, now!!" Jamil yelled desperately.

"That ain't happening." Alibaba told him, unaware that she was already behind him.

"Duck, Alibaba…!!" Faith yelled from across the room as she fell to her knees, wincing in pain. She was just in time to warn him as Morgiana aimed a kick at his head.

"!?" Alibaba gasped in alarm as her foot missed his head by a hair. "Wha… ah…!!" he cried as he stumbled away from her, startled. 'When'd she get here!? No way… she ran all the way over from over there…!? In no time flat?' he thought warily. 'Sh-She's… a monster!! A freakishly strong monster!' Jamil grinned when he saw how pale and nervous Alibaba had become.

"Aww, what's the matter, scared?" he taunted Alibaba, picking himself back up. "I thought you were ready for anything."

"…" Alibaba only kept his head lowered for a second longer before lifting it again to flash the Chief a big shit-eating grin.

"?" Jamil was confused. Why did this peon still look so cocky?

"And here I thought you were prepared for anything. I guess I thought wrong, huh, boss?" said Alibaba with a shrug. "So…! Morgiana! Come with me!" he said confidently, offering his hand to the slave.

"!?" said Jamil with a dubious expression on his face, taken aback.

"Think about it, this is your chance!" Alibaba told her. "This is a dungeon. If you run away from the boss here, no one would have to know about it! You don't have to be scared of a guy like him! So fight with me… fight for your freedom!" Morgiana was silent.

"… Hey… Morgiana…" Jamil said, beginning to feel nervous when she didn't answer right away. "Morgiana?"

"…" Morgiana took a step forward, leaving her master's side. Jamil paled as he watched her approach Alibaba, raising her hand to take his.

"I guess this is… okay, then?" Alibaba said, glad that she had decided to accept. "Guh?" he said, surprised when she suddenly pulled him towards her.

WHAM!! CRASH!

In one fluid motion, Morgiana swung Alibaba around, smashing him into the pillar next to her so hard that it cracked the stone. Alibaba's eyes were wide with shock and pain as he crumpled onto the floor, too stunned and hurt to move.

"Ah… Wh-Why…?" he managed to choke out. He didn't understand. Jamil's nervous expression twisted into an evil grin.

"Hahahah… You're such a good little girl, Morgiana…" he laughed, giving her a pat on the head, as he strolled over to Alibaba. "You played him like a string for me, didn't you!? Hahaha, that's it, right!?" He kicked Alibaba just as he was about to try to get up again. Once he started, he didn't stop. "You trash! Plebeian! Plebeian! Plebeian!! Do you think you can 'use' her like I do!? What gives you the right to order my slave…! Huuuh?" He shouted furiously. "'Why', you ask? You mean you don't understand it… Let me teach you how to use a slave." He said, breathing heavily, as he finally stopped kicking. "Morgiana… Come here and kill this plebeian." He ordered.

"…" Morgiana's eyes widened slightly. A bead of sweat slid down the side of her face as her master placed his sword in her hands with a smile on his face.

Jamil is a leader who surpasses others. Not in swordplay or education, but in the abuse he heaps upon his slaves. Day after day, Jamil would use abuse as his doctrine… which would eventually cause a big change to happen within Morgiana. She would never resist him. And that's because…

"Now, go ahead and kill him for me!" Jamil urged her to get a move on.

"…" Morgiana hesitated.

"Do it now." He commanded sternly.

All those tragic memories he had planted in her, now control… her every move!

Morgiana raised the sword above her head.

"Kill, kill! Kill! Kill him!!"

Morgiana grit her teeth and brought the sword down, even as her mind was screaming against the idea.

"Alibabaaaa!!" Faith yelled, stumbling and falling in a vein attempt to reach him.

FSSH!

Morgiana's eyes widened when she realized the blade of the sword had suddenly disappeared. She gasped, whipping her head around to look back at Aladdin, who was now standing in front of Faith, holding a stone cane with wings.

"It's all right, Faith… I'll take care of the rest." He said calmly. He could see how exhausted she was. She could barely even move.

"Aladdin…" she said, staring in amazement at all the little bird-shaped lights fluttering around him. "What just…?" Did he do that? When did he wake up? … And where did he get that stick?

"Don't worry." He told her as he walked away to check on Alibaba. "It'll all be over soon…"

'What the… did he do something to break the sword blade from over there?' Jamil wondered, furrowing his brow, as he watched the boy walk by.

"Alibaba-kun… are you okay?" Aladdin asked, kneeling down beside him.

"Y—Yeah… But you'd better be careful…" Alibaba said weakly. "That girl… she's trouble…"

"I see… you're still awake, huh?" Jamil said aloud. Aladdin stood up and turned to face him.

"Hand over my flute." He said.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Jamil replied. "I mean, after all, that dirty little urchin dragged me around a fair bit. This is me we're talking about! So I can't possibly give it back until reach the goal, okay?"

"My flute. Hand it over." Aladdin repeated, holding out his hand.

"If you want it so bad, take it by force." Jamil told him, crossing his arms. "Without the flute you can't do anything. Which means that you're useless to me too."

"…" Aladdin lowered his hand and raised the stone staff. "Hand it over." He said sternly.

'Huh…? That's just a stone cane, isn't it?' Alibaba thought, confused. Why was he acting like it was some kind of weapon?

'Ah… there it is…!' Faith thought, watching as light gathered around Aladdin and his staff. "!!" She gasped in surprise when it suddenly flared up, shining bigger and brighter than before. It looked really similar to what Ugo did before when he fought the slime king.

'Ah…!! They're those things…! From back then!?' Alibaba thought, coming to the same conclusion.

"…!" Jamil gasped. They all stared in awe as Aladdin, surrounded by a blazing swarm of fluttering lights, raised the staff above his head. "Amazing… It's just my teacher said…!! It has to be him…!!" he exclaimed excitedly as Aladdin charged. Morgiana immediately rushed to intercept him. Aladdin swung his staff, and Morgiana countered with a fierce kick, stopping the staff with the metal shackle around her ankle.

"!?" She gasped when a huge burst of light fired from the staff, shooting straight past her. Her eyes widened as it exploded violently against the wall behind her.

'D-Damn…!!' thought Faith as her jaw dropped in astonishment.

"It has to be him…!!" Jamil exclaimed with an almost maniacal look in his eyes. "A user of the grand world creation magic…!! The magi!!!"