Magister Negi Magi is owned by Ken Akamatsu and Kodansha Ltd. Tokyo in Japan, and by Funimation and Ballantine - DelRey in the United States, NOT by me.
SPOILER ALERT! AU story occurring after c189.
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"If I'd known in the beginning that my fate depended on that perverted ermine, I probably would have given up."
- Anya Cocorowa. Author of: "Lessons Learned in the World of Magic."
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Ala Alba in the World of Magic: Tales From the Fireside.
Chapter Fifteen: Garden of Stone.
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Albert Chamomile knew he was many things;
An occasional liar.
A panty-pincher.
A contributor to the delinquency of his Magister, the still Minor boy Negi Springfield.
An opportunist.
However, there was one other thing Albert Chamomile also knew about himself;
Despite what Asuna Kagurazaka might think or say about him, he was not totally lacking in a sense of responsibility.
Otherwise why, by all that an Ermine Elf of Cat-Elf lineage believed in, would he try to run on his own four feet across all the distance between Zephillia and Granicus City, where he knew his Magister to be?
He had to. Failure was not an option. Even if he dropped dead in his Magister's arms after delivering his message, or those of one of his students, he had to reach his goal.
Anya Cocorowa's life depended on it.
Chance lead him to witness her fate. Luck helped him evade pursuit by those responsible until he reached Albor. His own skills, abilities, and quickly returning survival instincts had taken him nearly to Hecates, a town just north of Granicus City.
Cresting a ridge as the sun neared the western horizon allowed Chamo to finally look down into Granicus River Valley and see Hecates in the distance. Panting heavily, he wondered if he would be able to reach the safety of the city before the Sab-wols he could sense following him finally made their move.
"I...I gotta' quit smokin'!"
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"What is the deal with these things?"
Nek-Jin fighter R'th Y'mi withdrew her sword-blade from the third Sab-wol she'd killed in less than an hour. "They're coming in dumb! Like they're paying attention to something else instead of what's around them!"
R'th's Kit-Jin Magister T'fa Kij'tsu closed both eyes to concentrate once more on his scrying sense, looking for the next Sab-wol. "This is very odd. That pack we killed with Kazumi Asakura was rare thing. I never expected to encounter another so soon. Especially so close to Hecates. If not for them moving so near to the road to Albor like this..." T'fa paused, turning slightly to the right as he did. "Two coming in slow... almost like they're driving prey, trying to wear it ouCH!"
R'th turned to see T'fa leaning down to rub at his shin, with an out-of-season, snow-white ermine! stunned and shaking it's head next to him. Pulling a spell Ofuda from a pouch, she tensed to receive a double attack by herself. "T'fa! Grab it! That might be Kazumi's ermine!"
Coming at a trot, two Sab-wols appeared out of the undergrowth just as R'th threw her Ofuda. A bright flash of light burst forth just as the Sab-wols saw her and tensed.
R'th followed her Ofuda in, closing her eyes for an instant as the tag's spell activated, temporarily blinding the Sab-wols. She dispatched the first with a mortal wound to it's throat, but the second, lashing out in response to perceived movement and scent, managed to rake her across the thigh with it's claws. Yelling out between clenched teeth, she stumbled forward, placing the collapsed but death-spasm twitching first Sab-wol between herself and the still dangerous second.
T'fa grabbed the stunned Ermine as it finally noticed him and tried to run away. The little creature started squirming and shouting to be let go, then tried to bite him. With no time for any foolishness, he gave it a quickly chanted sleep-spell, then stuffed the now limp ermine inside a cloak pocket. Preparing and holding a fire attack spell, he focused once more on his scrying spell.
R'th circled the fifth Sab-wol warily. Even though the creatures eyes were watering heavily, she knew it's rapid recovery abilities meant it could see her well enough to counter another surprise attack. As expected, another Sab-wol howl sounded nearby. Confidence in T'fa let her ignore it. Frustrated she wasn't distracted by the howl of it's partner, the Sab-wol tensed to make a leap. Not waiting for the attack, R'th charged. Ears laid back, eyes showing their whites, she hissed at the Sab-wol, startling and rocking it back on it's hind-quarters a step. Rendered vulnerable by it's instinctive reaction to the unexpected challenge, the Sab-wol tried to back further away but fell, stunned, as R'th smashed a weighted, gauntleted fist down on it's forehead, then drove her sword in from above, severing it's spine.
Withdrawing the blade, R'th slashed the Sab-wol's throat, just to be sure. As blood spilled from the wound, a 'woomph!' and the acrid scent of burned fur announced the fate of the hopefully last enemy. Slowly calming down from the adrenal 'fight' high, she looked at her bleeding leg, then kicked the dead Sab-wol out of spite before cutting off it's ear as a bounty-proof. Limping, she quickly went around to collect the other bounty-proofs.
T'fa waited patiently for R'th to vent her anger at being wounded, then calmly went over and placed a hand on his Ministra's shoulder. "You okay?"
R'th, exhausted and weary from blood-loss and exertion, looked over at her concerned Magister. "Let's get out of here before anymore of these idiots show up."
T'fa nodded, letting the now limping R'th lean on him as they moved back towards their camp.
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("Stupid Negi!")
Stupid Negi and his always trying to get his father to show up.
Stupid Negi for whatever reason those demons attacked the village and petrified everyone.
Stupid Negi for not being able to let go of his father and leading everyone into the Magic World on what was probably a wild ermine-chase.
Stupid Negi...
("Stupid me for caring enough about a boy who'll probably never notice me to follow him into this mess!")
("Stupid me for trusting a pretty face when I needed help!")
("Stupid me...")
Anya Cocorowa sat alone, head on her knees, arms wrapped around her legs, in a featureless black void. Light emanating from her 'self,' was the only thing visible to any of her senses.
("If this is what Mama's going through...it's worse than death...")
Petrification was more horrible than anything Anya could have ever imagined.
Seeking only help and rest after nearly a week lost in a forest, she had finally found a welcome sign of civilization. Approaching a walled villa, she asked the guard at the gate if it would be possible to buy a little food and a few supplies, and also get directions to the nearest town or city. Invited inside, then escorted close to the main house by the handsome young man, she stopped at the end of the flower-lined pathway, while he went inside to make the supply request of his master. Looking around, she began to admire several nearby examples of statuary, until her attention was drawn to one of an Inu-Jin girl. Holding some kind of textbook, dressed as a magic school student, the statue almost seemed alive. More closely examining the sculpture, she began to realize that the level of detail it contained, wire-rimmed glasses, individual strands of hair, and clothing details, was impossible for a statue. It had to be a petrified person. Turning to run, she took a step and stopped fast as a holding spell hit her.
Walking out with the guard was the apparent master of the villa. Mature and handsome in his looks and demeanor, he still had an air of 'perverse-creepy' Anya wished she'd felt before even coming close to this place. After a brief examination of her helpless form, he clapped his hands together and commented on how wonderful it would be to add one of the Megalo-Mesembrian Gate-Port smashers to his collection.
Anya had no idea what he was talking about, and the man obviously saw that in her eyes. Leaning down, he quickly explained what had happened, then thanked her for walking right into his lap. He didn't care for her reward. To him, she was more valuable as a collection piece. Summoning another servant, he had her placed on an empty pedestal across from the Inu-Jin girl. Unable to move because of the holding spell, she had to endure being posed in a spell casting posture like some kind of figurine while the man prepared to cast his full petrification spell.
Having to watch as her body slowly turned to stone made Anya want to scream. As desperate and strong as the impulse to do so was, she had hoped for a moment it might break her free, but the precursor holding spell prevented any such action. Before her, the master of the villa watched with a perverse delight as she silently expressed terror and fear with her eyes until the petrification had taken complete hold.
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"Hey stoat! Wake up!"
Chamo staggered to his feet, shaking himself from whiskers to black-tipped tail as he did so. Looking up, he saw a Kit-Jin male leaning over him while a partially unclothed Nek-Jin female treated several claw marks in her leg nearby. "Hey babe! I..." Chamo suddenly tensed up, all his fur standing on end, and began looking around rapidly. "The Sab-wols! Where are they?"
R'th finished tightening the bandage on her leg, then sealed the ends in place with a bit of magic. "Dead! You might be to, if you're not who I think you are, stoat!"
Chamo gulped and started to back away from the angry-looking humanoid version of one of his kinds natural predators. Unfortunately, another such humanoid predator snatched him up by the nape of his neck.
"Hey ermine. What's your name? No lies now, I'll know if you do..."
Chamo mentally sweat-dropped as the Kit-Jin male gave him a predatory smile. "Albert, Albert Chamomile..."
T'fa relaxed and gently set the ermine he held back down. "Good. We weren't looking for you specifically, but we know your friends Kazumi Asakura and Sayo Aisaka." Moving over to R'th, he helped her stand and pull hastily repaired breeches back on over the bandaged leg. "We've got business up in Zephillia, but you'll be safe with us until we can take you back to Granicus City."
Chamo began to vehemently shake his head. "No way! I just came from there! I gotta' get to Granicus City! One of my Magister's friends is in trouble, and I've got to tell him!"
R'th finished buckling up her breeches. "Did this friend fall in with that so-called 'sculptor' Zo Connel, north of Zephillia?"
Chamo started to hear the name of Anya's petrifier. "How did you know?"
T'fa grinned and held out the signet device from an independent Mage Knight Order for Chamo's evaluation. "Because he's our business. You're going to help us. We'll help your friend out, then deliver both of you to Granicus city."
Impressed as he was by the Mage Knight Order these two apparently belonged to, Chamo still groaned in dismay. "That's going the wrong way..."
R'th sat again to don and start lacing up her boots. "Maybe so stoat, but it gets you and your friend to Granicus City. Having to fight those Sab-wols you dragged so close to the road put us so far behind schedule we're going to have to travel all night to make up the time!. Even though part of our cover job as bounty hunters is keeping wild creatures from threatening travelers, you still owe us for saving your furry behind! If you've been in Connel's place, then you can help us get inside as a way of returning the favor!"
Chamo wanted to cry. Having come so far already, now he was going back. He could refuse, but these two, by the nature of their signet, had the authority to order his help weather he wanted to give it or not. Padding over to the Kit-Jin, he stood up on his back legs, placed his fore-legs on his waist and struck an annoyed pose. "Can I at least get a ride? I'm wiped out from running so far for nothing!"
T'fa smiled and held out his hand.
Chamo gave a grateful smile, then ran up the proffered arm to perch on the Kit-Jin's shoulder. "So! While we're on our way; Why don't I tell the two of you about my Magister, and how I helped him defeat The Magus Nosferatu?"
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Sitting alone in the void, crying tears she knew would never fall in reality, Anya understood why everyone in the village had been carried to a safe place. Petrification was not death, but she wasn't sure this 'living death' was any better. Without anyone else around, how long would it be before she went mad? No light beyond that of her 'self,' no touch, despite the fact she was 'sitting,' no sound beyond her own voice, no nothing.
Not even hope.
No one could possibly know where she was. Negi had never given her an Ala Alba badge. Now, even if her mother was cured, she would never know what happened to her daughter. How awful that would be, brought back from this terrible nothingness, only to learn that the one person who might have been her ray of hope had gone missing.
Negi would never find her, would never know how she really felt about him. Even though she teased him so much, she did like him. She also, as another survivor of the demon attack on their village, felt a unique closeness to him. It just made her so jealous that he was always chasing after his father, that he seemed constantly surrounded by more 'mature' girls than she, and, young as they were, that he would never stop long enough to notice 'her.'
("Anya...")
Anya screwed her eyes shut, covered her ears, and tried to block out whatever had just called out in her mind. ("So now it starts... How long has it taken me to start hearing voices? A day? A week? One-hundred years? How does time pass when you're petrified?")
("Anya...")
("GO AWAY! I don't want to hear any voices in my head!")
Warm, comforting, a pair of arms enveloped Anya's shoulders and held her tight. She tried to struggle free, but the arms wouldn't let her go. Even as she continued to struggle, the arms drew her back to rest against a familiar form.
("Anya, my darling daughter, please don't loose hope!")
Anya listened to the gentle, long lost voice and felt her struggles begin to weaken. If going mad meant being with her mother, maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Opening her eyes as a hand began to gently stroke her hair, she turned within the warm embrace to see her mother's smiling face. Unstoppable tears welled up in hers eyes, and she turned completely and threw herself into her mother's arms. ("Mama! Mama! ...hic... I've missed you so much!")
Holding her sobbing daughter close, Anya's mother resumed stroking the girl's crimson hair while planting reassuring kisses on her forehead. ("There there, you're not going mad. I'm really here for you.")
Anya clung to her mother and cried until she exhausted herself and finally fell 'asleep.'
Waking an indeterminate time later, no longer so filled with panic or hopelessness, Anya found herself sitting in her mother's lap and arms, slowly having stray strands of hair moved out of her face.
("Feeling better now Anya?")
Rubbing at her eyes, Anya sat back and looked up at her mother. ("Mama, how...?")
Reaching up, Anya's mother lay a hand against her daughter's face. ("I don't really know. Stan could explain it, but he's the one who organized and is leading everyone from the village in casting the spell that's letting me be here with you.")
Despite her recent spate of crying, Anya felt the tears threatening to begin again. ("You... you can't stay?")
Anya's mother shook her head. ("No, but as your mother, I could feel your pain and fear, so I asked Stan what I should do, and he sent me here.")
Anya nodded. ("What will I do Mama? How will I survive if you can't stay with me?")
Reaching out, Anya's mother wiped away one of her daughter's tears. ("The same way you've survived my absence up until now. By being strong. You're not held by the same spell all of us from the village are. You can be easily cured.") Anya's eyes went wide. ("In any case, you're not alone, look...")
Anya turned, quite nearby, another person's 'self,' was beginning to show. She couldn't be sure just yet, but it seemed to be that of the petrified Inu-Jin she'd seen earlier. Flat on her back, the girl seemed to be sleeping soundly. ("Mama... how can she be so calm...")
Anya's mother gave an amused smile. ("Well, she seems to be a simple girl, and there is something to be said for blissful innocence. Eventually she'll notice you, and you won't be alone. When people who are petrified are close together, interacting with each other through their 'self' is the only way to stay sane. Other than for safety, that's why everyone in the village was placed together, to make it easier for us to notice one-another.")
Anya chuckled as the Inu-Jin girl rolled on her side, and her tail began to wag, like a puppy when it was dreaming.
Anya's mother smiled and pulled Anya up into her lap. ("This girl isn't all. Even now, Negi's familiar is bringing help.")
Anya felt a tiny bit of hope as a smile crept onto her face. ("Cha...Chamo? What can that perverted ermine do?")
Anya's mother moved her hand to her daughter's chin. ("Albert Chamomile is being very brave. He was here and realized what had happened to you. He was trying to reach Negi on foot, but found help closer, and even now is on his way back.") Anya's face grew noticeably brighter, causing her mother to smile as well. ("Now Anya, I don't have much longer to stay with you. There was something I was going to teach you when you grew older, but it's going to have to be now. It upsets me to see you in so much danger you even need to learn this, but I would be remiss as your mother if I didn't do everything I could to help you defend yourself.")
Anya moved back and sat on her knees in a position of attention, as she'd been taught to do when being given an important lesson by her mother.
Anya's mother moved to match her daughter's posture. ("Now, you inherited your affinity for fire magic from me, but there's a related ability we both have that came from your great-grandmother.")
Anya listened carefully as her mother explained an ability that would let her increase the strength of her normal fire spells by drawing heat energy to herself from the surrounding area. Demonstrations, questions, and practice went on until she stumbled as something suddenly tugged on her 'self.' ("Mama...it hurts!")
Anya's mother moved to comfort Anya as the girl clutched at her chest like she was having trouble breathing. ("Albert Chamomile is here! He got back faster than I expected, and he's 'calling' you.") Anya looked up at her mother, tears flowing freely again. ("My lovely, beautiful, wonderful Anya. Talk to Negi when this is over. He'll be able to teach you and show you how to do things with this new ability I didn't have time for. It may not be his forte, but there's fire magery in him as well.")
Anya felt another stabbing pain in her chest as something began pulling her away from her mother. ("Mama! Please don't leave me again!")
Shaking her head, tears flowing as freely as her daughter's, Anya's mother willingly released her child's hand. ("Remember Anya, your mother will always love you... I'm so proud of...")
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Getting back into Zo Connel's villa was easy enough for Chamo. After imprudently calling out Anya's name when she was petrified, he'd managed to convince Connel and his guards he was Anya's familiar by bolting past them and escaping out the front gate. Careful examination revealed the small hole in the villa's wall he'd originally come in through was still unblocked. Being wary of any potential flytraps or other snares, he quickly made his way over to Anya. Her petrified form seemed unharmed in any way, so he left her and re-entered the villa's main house by climbing a rose trellis and slipping through the same loose panel in the eave he'd used before.
Chamo quickly re-entered Zo Connel's thankfully empty library and found the spell book he'd seen the mage studying before still on the room's desk. Locating the counter-spell to reverse Anya's petrification was easy enough, but as he was about to leave, his attention was drawn to another book with an ominous aura. Zo Connel was a proper sculptor, Chamo recognized some of the items in what seemed to be a photographic collection of the sculptor's works, but the book also showed 'other' works. Some of the statues he recognized were not statues at all, but the petrified enemies of people Connel had taken 'commissions' from. One picture was of a statue of the 'missing' son of a Mage Council member. He couldn't know it, but the life-sized 'reproduction' given to him by a fellow council member to honor his loss, was actually the petrified son himself!
All of that made Chamo have no regrets about R'th and T'fa's plans were for Connel. However, the last photo in the book left him shaking with a proper Erminic rage.
Against the backdrop of a burning village, the picture showed a 'statue' of Negi's uncle, surrounded by statues of several other mages.
Now, too much was at stake, he hadn't intended to risk discovery by taking anything, but the two books on Connel's desk held potential clues to why his Magister's village had been attacked by demons. Without hesitation, Chamo stuffed both books into his Hammerspace pocket, climbed back into the rooms rafters, and headed back outside to help R'th and T'fa get into the villa.
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As her mother and the still sleeping Inu-Jin girl's 'selves' faded into the distance, Anya felt an incredible agony threaten to overwhelm her body as she tried to draw a breath with still petrified lungs. She had a sudden feeling of falling, then felt an impact and found herself lying face-down on the pathway to the villa's main building.
"ANYA! ANYA! GET UP! YOU'VE GOTTA' HELP US!"
Anya rolled onto her back, drawing in a deep, wonderful breath as she did so. Negi's familiar Chamo was shouting something and pushing at her shoulder with his tiny paws. Turning her head, she could see two strangers dueling several magic, and non-magic using guard-types as she lay unmoving on the ground. Just as she started to try and raise herself up, Chamo suddenly looked towards the entrance to the main house, then launched himself over her prone body.
"Ermine Tyranus Deflexio!"
Rising up onto her elbows, still feeling weak, Anya saw Chamo holding a deflexio spell against the mage who had petrified her, how long ago?
"Anya! Please! Do something, anything! We're too balanced against these guys and you're all the extra help we're gonna' get!"
Slowly standing up, feeling like she was being guided by someone else, Anya faced the mage who'd petrified her and began chanting the words for a fire magic precursor spell she couldn't quite remember ever knowing before. "Acerbus antequam crepusculum..."
T'fa launched a barrage of fire Sagita at his and R'th's opponents just as a breath of cold air wafted across his tail, making every hair stand on end. Impacts and explosions staggered the enemy momentarily, so he risked a look back at the girl who was Albert Chamomile's friend. Shimmering heat was rising from the flame-haired girl, but everything around her was beginning to glisten with a thin rime of frost. As he watched, several plants in the tended area next to the walkway shattered and collapsed under their own frozen weight. ("Fire-magic booster! She's pulling in heat uncontrollably! This could be bad!") Without hesitation he cast a shielding spell under his and R'th's feet, then concentrated everything else on defenses. R'th noticed, and began concentrating on 'defense only' as well as the area of frost began to rapidly spread.
Chamo held his delexio against the very strong, but unfocused Sagita magic Zo Connel was using to attack himself, Anya, T'fa and R'th. He easily recognized the danger of Anya's precursor spell as his legs began to ache from the cold, but he was for all intents the crimson-haired girl's Ministra, so he would defend her, and as a consequence, T'fa and R'th, even if he burned himself out doing so.
Heat waves reflecting in her dulled eyes, Anya watched Zo Connel begin to worry without really seeing him. All she could sense, holding her wand up, clasping both hands around the haft, then slowly lowering it to point at Connel, was the feeling of someone guiding her through the final incantations of a fire-ball spell. "Fortis la tius, Liris lirios..."
Before her, Zo Connel began to sweat.
"Anya..."
Too late, he began to reinforce his defenses as flames began to dance around Anya's wand.
"...flame buster..."
Now Connel tried to run, but the area of frost had covered the distance and held him fast in the entrance to his villa's main building.
"...CANNON!"
With an explosive roar, a huge ball of flame launched itself from Anya's wand, rocking the crimson-haired girl back onto the ground as it flew off towards the mage responsible for petrifying her. Crying out first in fear, Zo Connel then screamed in agony as the fireball engulfed him and detonated with a loud 'Chou-wompPHHFF!'
Anya watched with still dulled eyes as her tormentor met his fate. Unable to hold herself up any longer, she collapsed and passed out in the quickly evaporating skim of water created as an after-effect of the precursor spell.
R'th witnessed the explosion and launched herself at the remaining guards. One dared stand against her and paid for doing so. Another fell to a binding spell from T'fa, and the rest, with their boss and part of the building behind him smoldering nearby, threw down their weapons and magical artifacts. Moving up as T'fa covered her, she quickly picked up or kicked away all the items, then went over to where Chamo was pushing on the redhead's shoulder again. "Hey stoat! Is that kid okay?"
Still shivering from exposure to the precursor of Anya's flame spell, Chamo looked up at the Nek-Jin with exhausted irritation. "Will you stop calling me 'stoat,' I'm an ermine, and I have a name, 'cat-girl.'"
R'th glared at the increasingly tasty-looking ermine as it continued pushing at the faintly stirring girl's shoulder. T'fa had dealt with her wounds from fighting the Sab-wols, but the new ones she'd collected fighting the villa's guards had her irritated and in a foul mood. "Well then, how about you tell me how you canceled that petrification spell?"
Chamo averted his eyes. "I...I just did..."
T'fa finished dealing with the guards, and was turning to join R'th when the Inu-Jin that had been across from Anya suddenly reverted. The girl collapsed, falling from the pedestal and into his arms. Glancing over at the smoldering mage, he understood why. Being now quite dead, any non-permanent, still active spells he had cast were falling apart. Since none of the other statuary reverted, it could only mean those persons had suffered spiritual death, or that they were actually statues. "Chamo. We came here to punish that man Anya dealt with for what he's been doing. If you know how to cure the petrification, please help us. After all, our superiors are positive these two aren't the only ones Connel's petrified. Some may still be alive, and if we can find records of what happened to them, we might be able to free them as well."
Chamo looked up at T'fa. He desperately wanted to preserve the secret he'd discovered, for how it might be able to help the people in Anya and Negi's village, but the Kit-Jin mage had a point. Any other victims of the dead mage had just as much right to have their lives back as the people in the village did, maybe more so, since the spell used seemed to be less virulent than the one used in Wales. "I found his spell book, just like I said I could. The petrification spell itself is complicated, but reversing it is easy enough." Chamo glanced over at the mage Anya had char-broiled. "That guy was actually pretty sinister. From what I saw in a 'commissions' record book I found, he'd use a holding spell, pose someone however he liked, then hit them with the petrification spell. If he or someone else didn't like how one of his 'statues' was posed, he'd thaw them out and pose them again. I think he got off on the terror people show when they're being petrified."
T'fa looked over at the mage as the Inu-Jin girl in his arms began to stir. "He's lucky then that your friend did what she did. We wouldn't have been so quick about it."
"Considering the Order of Mage Knights you two belong to, I'm surprised there's even anything still standing."
T'fa, R'th and Chamo tensed up and turned to see a buxom redhead, dressed as an Anna Miller's waitress, holding a deck-brush behind her back in a relaxed manner and standing less than three paces away on the pathway to the villa's front gate. Without a doubt a strong, confident mage, despite the odd clothes, the person's amused, non-threatening manner left all three at a loss in how to react.
Dropping both arms to her side, the 'waitress-mage' ignored them and walked over to where T'fa had used binding spells on the surviving guards and servants. With a wave of her hand, she released them, then pointed at their dead boss and the growing fire behind him. "Cover him up and get that fire out. Try to run off, and you won't like what happens..." Quite obviously intimidated, the freed individuals scrambled to obey.
Turning back, the 'waitress-mage' observed Chamo, T'fa, R'th, and the two girl's they'd rescued for a few moments, then moved over to stand before T'fa. "I knew something like this was going to happen when I saw two 'Stellan Knights' walking through town!" T'fa gave a slight start at having his Mage Knight Order correctly identified, then smiled and gave a small, polite bow. "Because of what you three just did, the investigation I've been conducting over the last year is probably ruined." Stepping forward, she reached out to turn the face of the Inu-Jin girl T'fa held to get a better look. "Is this the niece of Magus Farandole in Ariadne?"
T'fa gave an affirmative nod. "Yes, my Lady Knight of Ceiphied. The magus contracted our Order to retrieve her, and punish the kidnapper appropriately."
Sighing, the Knight of Ceiphied turned back to look at the now covered body of Zo Connel. "Stupid idiot. He just had to go and try his experiments in Ariadne. When will people ever learn that just because the inhabitants of that city-state aren't generally aggressive, it doesn't mean they can't be just as vicious and vindictive as everyone else. It would have been the Ermine Farm if my investigation had nailed him, but at least he'd still be alive!" After glancing back at Anya, who was beginning to stir, she stepped in closer to speak to T'fa 'sotto voce.' "Go South. I'll say you went North-West to take her home when I report this fiasco. With that mess going on in Megalo-Mesembria, that should give you enough time to get away from anyone who might be, 'upset,' by your actions.' T'fa covered his nod of acknowledgment by setting the Inu-Jin girl he held, since she was beginning to show signs of awakening, back on her feet. "Don't worry about her uncle. I'll send him a private message when it's safe to do so. Your 'punishment' for wrecking my investigation is having to take care of her until I give you the 'all-clear.' You're normally based in Hecates aren't you?"
T'fa gently slapped the Inu-girl's face, trying to help focus her open but still dull eyes on his own. "We're going to be in Granicus City. Send your message to the Bounty Hunter's Guild Hall there."
Stepping back again, the Knight of Ceiphied indicated the villa's main gate with a casual 'point' of her broom. "Get going. I flew here, but the Zephillian Lawgiver's won't be far behind by now."
T'fa nodded, then indicated to R'th it was time to leave with the twitch of an ear. R'th had helped the dazed Anya stand, and supported her as T'fa supported the Inu-girl. They had only taken a few steps when the Knight of Ceiphied turned to hold Chamo in a gaze that made him want to jump down from Anya's shoulder, crawl in a hole and hide.
"Oh! One more thing; 'Albert. Chamomile. Magesterium. Springfield...' If you should happen to remember anything, 'relevant,' to my investigation. I'd very much appreciate your forwarding that information to me here in Zephillia as soon as possible."
Chamo cringed as the woman held out a small address card. Taking the card, he glanced at the name printed there and nearly fell out of his fur. Looking up at the Knight of Cephied, who stared back at him knowingly but pleasantly through her long red bangs, he gave a mental sweat-drop and began to nod vigorously. "Ye...Yes Ma'am! I'll be sure to do that!"
Once T'fa lead everyone out of the villa and along the short distance to a nearby main road, Chamo collapsed on Anya's shoulder. He began shaking so badly from his close call with becoming a possible fur accessory he didn't recover until the Inu-girl, who's chipper, no-worries nature rapidly began to revive Anya and her irritable streak, started to shower him with much needed affection.
tsuzuku
(-)
Author's Notes:
Petrification.
My version of petrification is a 'Fate-worse-than-death' version.
Imagine being locked in an endless black void, with no sensory perception beyond that of your 'self,' or 'spirit,' if you will. (Like sensory deprivation.) In this situation, the victim, slowly or quickly, depending on an individual's fortitude, or lack off such, eventually goes mad and expires, or simply gives up and expires. The first would be akin to the victim's 'self' suffering and effective heart-attack or stroke. The second would simply be the victim's 'self' wasting away. Either produce a death of the 'self' from which there is no recovery. (Spiritual death.)
'Eternal Petrification,' the form of petrification spell used by Fate Averruncus and Graf Wilhelm von Herrmann, seems to be a 'no cost' form of petrification a user can cast and forget. Very virulent, the spell, as the name implies, is effectively impossible to reverse. Because of that, and within the concepts of AAitWoM, it essentially guarantees death of the victim's 'self.'
Zo Connel uses a less virulent version of petrification, similar to that used by Fate Averruncus in Kyoto as a simple holding spell. It is assumed that the spell continues for as long as the mage who cast it spends energy to maintain it.
Collet Farandole and Anya Cocorowa were both held by a semi-permanent version of this lesser petrification spell. As long as Zo Connel maintained a minimum feed of energy, the two girls would be held. The only way to eliminate the need for energy would be to transfer maintenance of the spell to another mage, or to cast a more permanent version of petrification on the victim. Of course, if the victim suffers death of their 'self,' the need to maintain the petrification spell is eliminated, and they simply become a very detailed statue.
'Interaction between petrification victims.'
This concept is a little more vague. However, in it's basic form, interaction is allowed/can occur when two or more petrification victims are positioned or placed within close proximity of one-another. Eventually they become aware of each other, and can interact normally after that. The closer together the victims are, the easier it is for them to notice each other. After enough time passes, or with more victims, the petrified persons can begin the manipulate the void surrounding their 'selves,' into a more 'comfortable' setting, and the less stressful their existence becomes. Even still, this is a temporary 'fix,' and with a weak personal fortitude, overwhelming depression, or from some other reason a petrification victim may still suffer death of their 'self.'
If you will, think of this as what happened with Rose and Jack at the end of the movie 'Titanic.' Sailing forever across the Atlantic on Titanic's eternal Maiden voyage.
Another way to look at it, would be to think of 'living' through petrification being a less stressful version of continually reliving a single day in the manner of Bill Murray in 'Groundhog Day.'
Within AAitWoM, and Maho Sensei Negima, this would mean that the people from Negi and Anya's village, by being placed where they are, are living an 'on-hold' existence, probably within the created stage of their village. Anya's mother, hearing/feeling her child's cry of despair after being petrified, is sent to Anya's side after Stan organizes everyone from the village to help her do so. As this is effectively a spell separating the 'self/spirit' of Anya's mother from her body, there was a risk, but of course, what loving mother would not risk herself for the sake of their child?
Normally, within AAitWoM, the 'self' of a petrification victim could not interact with the 'real' world...
As a last related point, if a petrified person's statue/real world form is smashed beyond recovery, it would be impossible to cure their petrification. (Obviously.) Also, without an 'anchor' in reality, their 'self' would quickly suffer spiritual death without some preservational action being taken.
Anya's Fire Magic precursor spell. "Acerbus antequam crepusculum..."
This is intended as a bit of a joke, considering Anya's physical features, and if you understand it, I'm happy!
In practice though, the spell taught to Anya by her mother allows her to draw in the ambient 'heat energy' from the surrounding area and/or objects, and then to use that energy to boost the strength of her normal fire magic.
The final incantations Anya uses before launching her fire spell are those she normally uses, with a slight change based on the special effect she wishes to use.
"Ermine Tyranus Deflexio!"
'Ermine absolute defense.' Chamo's ermine defense spell. Endurance depends on the strength of the attack being defended against.
Stellan Order of Mage Knights.
Hopefully everyone will know who they are.
Ceiphied Order of Mage Knights.
A little more esoteric. Still, hopefully, everyone will understand why Chamo was so relieved to escape with his fur intact. Please note, this Mage Order and the words of Anya's precursor spell have a common origin.
(Edit:)
To address Aki Iokua's comment:
I used the form of petrification I did, based on RPG experiences involving a villain who used petrification as a form of torture on his enemies.
This is not incompatible with what Fate Averruncus says in v06, c045.
Fate was using what seemed to be a mild, temporary form of petrification on the Kansai Magic Association Headquarters. As such, those who were petrified where not in such a state long enough to become self-aware in the petrified state. Thus, they never began to perceive their 'selves,' as Anya did. Since the people of Anya and Negi's village have been petrified for several years, they are presumably fully aware, and with the power of so many mages available, can exercise a certain amount of influence, strictly within the petrification 'void.'
Consider for a moment if petrification was simply 'falling asleep.' Beyond a certain unperceived helplessness, and the possibility of being smashed to bits, why would there be any fear? If you are never cured, you never wake up. If you are cured, you simply wake up, with no perception of the passage of time. (Though there might be various forms of shock, if enough time has passed.)
However, if being petrified, and then becoming aware of your 'self,' in the manner Anya did is what happens, then THAT would be something to fear.
Think about being trapped, as Anya was, all alone in a featureless void. If you accept that generally people are social creatures, and can't survive without some form of interaction, then how long until you went mad in that void? With no way of actually ending your own existence, how long would you suffer before you 'gave up the ghost?' (Suffered spiritual death.)
Thus, the people of Negi's village were placed in a safe location to prevent any damage to their 'physical' bodies, and to permit their 'selves' to more easily become aware of each other. In this way, they have a better chance of surviving petrification by being able to interact with other people.
Still, this is not a cure-all. Eventually, you began to think of being 'trapped,' perhaps forever, with the same people, and THAT starts to drive you mad.
In this case, if the people of Anya and Negi's village are petrified for an extremly extended period of time, some of them may no longer be around when Konoka Konoe, or whomever, finally figures out a way to reverse 'Eternal Petrification.'
Name breakdown. For Chamo:
'Albert Chamomile Magesterium Springfield.'
'Albert Chamomile (Familiar of:) Magister (In training,) (Negi) Springfield.'
Chapter 16: Kotaro vs. the Maid Brigade. (Amongst other things.)