SailorStar9: Anyway, Chapter 14 goes up. This is Chapter 15. To all my non-reviewing readers, I love you all! Will love you more if you review! *hugs all round!*
Disclaimers: Nothing here is mine, well, except the plot and the pairing.
Chapter 15: VICE! The One Who Was Left Behind
"Lina, how deep is the laboratory?" Gourry sighed.
"How am I supposed to know?" Lina retorted. "Come on, we have to get down there before Rezo and Eris."
"But it's so deep." Amelia stated.
"We didn't get much of an idea of what Rezo's legacy is, but it's hidden so deep, it's bound to be something great." Lina grinned.
"What do you mean?" Gourry wondered.
"Pretty wild stuff can happen when you experiment in a magic lab." Aria explained, walking down the staircase. "That's why you build them so deep."
"In case whatever you're working on goes out of control, you can protect some of the surrounding area." Zelgadis supplied, keeping in-step with his partner. "It's pretty rare." He assured. Tossing a light ball down, he lit up the underground hall.
"The décor's really in bad taste, huh?" Aria mused, the others hurrying down. "Guess we should've expected that from him."
"Rezo's legacy must be in that room." Lina was confident and pulled the door open, only to find yet another staircase behind it. "What's with him?" she fumed. "Why would he put a door in front of it?"
"Because Rezo built this place." Zelgadis replied.
"We should have been prepared for bad jokes like this." Aria agreed.
"I guess this isn't the lowest chamber, then." Lina concluded.
"Lina look." Amelia pointed. "Another door."
"The logical choice would be to go down." Lina remarked. "On the other hand, it could really be a trap."
"Well, this is Rezo we are talking about, after all." Aria reminded.
"Equally, the other door could lead us to a dead end." Zelgadis added.
"Either way, I'm tired of climbing down these stairs." Lina declared.
"Looks like there's no stairway." Gourry noted, once Lina pushed open the door.
"So, it was a trap." Zelgadis remarked, Lina and Sylphiel slammed the door shut to prevent the wave of fire from entering.
"Let's go." Lina took the lead.
"What's with this place?" Lina wondered, leading the group into a dusty room.
"Looks like no one's used this room for ages." Zelgadis noted.
"What was your first clue?" Aria deathpanned.
"What's that?" Sylphiel spotted something.
"Who are you?" Tiva came into view. "Who disturbs the sleep of the great Tiva?"
"What's with the chicken?" Gourry wondered.
"You dare call Tiva of the Monster Race a chicken?" Tiva snapped. "Look at this magnificent form and tell me what you see!"
"A chicken." Lina replied.
"A chicken." Amelia added.
"A chicken, in every possible angle." That was from Zelgadis.
"The chickenest-looking chicken I've ever seen." Gourry remarked.
"What they said." Aria nodded.
"And what do you think?" Tiva pointed to Sylphiel.
"A very pretty chicken." Sylphiel sweatdropped.
"So, what are you doing here?" Aria asked.
"I've got nothing to say to a bunch of beauty-blind idiots." Tiva retorted.
"Oh really?" Aria glared. "Deep Ocean Pressure!" a bubble of water formed around Tiva almost instantly, leaving the Monster with no air to breathe. "So, what are you doing here, Mr. Chicken?" she beamed, releasing the bird-like Monster from its water prison.
"Rezo-sama summoned me to this lab to help me with his research." Tiva replied. "There're spells that only a Monster would know, you know."
"You're the poorest excuse of a Monster I've ever seen." Zelgadis sighed.
"If you helped him with his research, then do you know where Rezo's legacy is?" Lina demanded.
"I'd say what you're talking about is that secret research Rezo-sama was working on years ago." Tiva noted.
"You don't know?" Lina echoed. "Oh, for Pete's sake. Tell us the quickest way to the bottom-most chamber."
"I won't tell you." Tiva snapped.
"If you don't tell me…" Lina smirked. "Then I'll turn you into fried chicken dinner!"
"I'll tell!" Tiva shrieked.
"Well, where's the shortcut to the laboratory?" Lina asked, Tiva leading them outside.
"Right here." Tiva pointed. "This leads straight to the lab. We're here." He added, the transport circle teleporting the group deeper underground.
"So, Rezo's legacy is behind this door?" Lina mused.
"Mr Chicken?" Sylphiel blinked, following Tiva as the bird-like Monster shuffled off while the others searched the lab.
"This should do." Tiva grinned, taking down a bird mask from the wall and put it on, reverting back to his original form.
"What's happening?" Sylphiel gaped, shocked and knocked over a bucket by accident.
"So, you saw?" Tiva turned.
"Guys, we have a problem!" Aria raised the alarm.
"Aria, what's wrong?" Zelgadis demanded, the others hurrying over.
"Who's this guy?" Lina gaped at the grown-up Tiva.
"That's Tiva, or what his true from looks like." Aria replied.
"Now you behold my true form." Tiva boasted.
"That chicken is…" Lina stammered.
"Then what was wrong with you before?" Zelgadis asked.
"When Rezo summoned me long ago, he sealed my power into this mask." Tiva replied. "That seal was the form you saw before. And now that I have this mask back, I won't let any of you have Rezo's legacy. No, I won't allow any human to possess any research which can be used against my people." With that, he rained his feathers at the group.
"Digger Bolt!" Lina released her spell.
"You'd be well-advised not to underestimate my power." Tiva chuckled, unfazed by the attack and showered the group with his exploding feathers.
"No fair!" Amelia snapped. "Why don't you stop hovering up there and come down?"
"Sounds like fun." Tiva remarked. "I'll do it." And landed.
"I don't really want you to come down here." Amelia blinked.
"Amelia, next time, don't give the enemy any ideas." Aria deathpanned.
"Take this!" Tiva renewed his feather attack.
"I can't cast a Dragon Slave underground like this." Lina cursed. "Why you… Elmekia Lance!" but was forced to stop in mid-attack.
Gourry took the opening and charged in.
"I'll end this now." Tiva laughed, dodging the sword swipe and sending an energy blast at the group, sending them into a pile next to a pedestal which has stone tablets hanging on its sides. "Very sloppy!"
"I think you underestimate us, Chicken." Zelgadis taunted.
"Don't call me 'Chicken'!" Tiva roared.
"Chicken!" Zelgadis grinned.
"Chicken!" Lina mocked.
"I'm going to try a Ra Tilt." Zelgadis remarked, Tiva's rage now at its peak.
"Then I'll try an Elmekia Lance." Lina added. "Let's do it." When a tablet was knocked loose of its place and landed right in front of Aria.
"Don't touch that!" Tiva panicked, the stone tablet started reacting to the Ragradia Sapphire.
"You don't suppose…" Lina blinked, the Ragradia Sapphire flared, creating a shield that blocked off Tiva's claw.
"Oh no!" Tiva exclaimed in horror. "I don't believe it! How could it just fall into your hands?" he shielded his eyes from the blinding light, the other tablets falling off their bases and hovered around the water mage. "We've been waiting for you…" the voices echoed from the glowing inscriptions. "The One who houses the Spirit of our true master…"
"I… understand…" Aria whispered, bathed in the sphere of light and the knowledge written on the tablets were passed to her.
"That's Rezo's legacy?" Zelgadis mused outloud. "These stone slabs? Aria?" he blinked when the water mage stood up.
"No…" Lina gaped, Aria transforming into her Ragradia battle suit. "Ragradia…"
"That's Ragradia?" Sylphiel and Amelia were stunned.
"First dance," Aria summoned her new attack, her staff glowing ice white. "Tsukishiro!"
Tiva barely had time to scream when the pillar of blinding white engulfed him, freezing him along with the ground he was standing on. Seconds later, the bird Monster scattered along with the ice.
"That isn't the true power of the slate." Rezo chuckled as the first tablet flew into Eris' hands.
"At last, it's mine." Eris laughed. "Rezo-sama's legacy!"
"The manuscript of the Claire Bible." Aria finished.
SailorStar9: Okay, this chapter is finally down. Read and review folks.