Chapter Nine: Sudden Strike! The Issues at Hand?

Lina said the first word, 'Dragon', and Ashrid shook his head. Timothy's and Gourry's impromptu attacks were covered by the illusionary Briar, as she hurled twin lances of flame at the merchant. Lina said the second, 'Slave', and Ashrid clapped his hands softly.

A massive explosion threw Timothy and Gourry tumbling back. Illusion-Briar flattened to avoid the worst of the backlash. When the glare died and the smoke cleared, the four found themselves no longer in a cave. In fact, they were standing on a grassy plain, with no sign of a cave or mountain anywhere.

Lina gasped as she felt herself going... somewhere else? She couldn't explain it. It was like something had teleported her. "Gourry!" she exclaimed, half fearfully. It only showed in her voice before she looked around her. "Gourry!" She yelled again, not even knowing if he was there. Then she heard him, and she darted her head.

"Lina! Lina-a-a!" called Gourry as he stood beside Tim. Was she okay? Ano... He hoped so. He had to protect her!

Back in the tent, Ashrid shook his head. "There will be no more business today, good sirs. Profit has left us." The others stared at the spaces where the four had been. Servants began clearing the area. "If you are concerned, your companions are two hundred leagues north of here, in the middle of the plains of Gault. If you like, as a compensation for distressing you, I will send you to them."

Filia gasped, almost falling backward. She had never expected such drastic measures! And when the merchant had talked about killing an ancient one... Oh L-Sama! Val-Chan! "Bring them back!" she cried out, losing all common sense. "Don't touch my son!" Her fists clenched; she felt the Gods' spell coming on....

Sai stopped in his tracks when he heard a loud thump. He turned around and saw the man who'd threatened Ninoa lying at the foot of Ashrid's tent. "What is going on?" Sai stared at both Ninoa and the man. "Who is this?"

"Now that," Tim commented in a tone that was unintentionally parodying Xellos, "was a surprise. Here I thought I was going to get hit with a Dragon Slave, not teleported away. Which makes me curious, Lina; just what exactly happened to that spell? You obviously got it off in time because you're not in pain."

"Where are we?" Illusion-Briar asked, looking around.

"You are not in Hell, not yet." The voice came from out of nowhere. The black-suited man appeared with a slight whoosh of air. "I was beinging to wonder if I was going to have to force the issue of getting you out of that irritating tent of Ashrid's." He pointed at Lina. "You have a book, a book by Rathius the mage." His eyes locked with hers and the sheer mavolence there caused even her to blink. "I will make you a much simpler deal than that fool Ashrid. You will give it to me now, or I will take it off of your corpse."

Tim looked around and heard the threat. Tim knew he didn't really need to reply, but felt like it anyway. Lina would fry this black-clad man on sight unless some levity was added to the situation. "Oh, Lina has a book? How interesting. I have one too. Tell you what, you help us get rid of Ashrid and I'll help you find someone who can give you the long term companionship you obviously lack," Tim said with a grin. Visions of Rill enslaving this person in front of Lina filled his mind as he spoke.

Lina cocked an eyebrow at Tim. She gripped the book she'd forgotten she had. "Maybe this will help us," she said quietly as she fell to her knees and began to read. "Long ago... Magic...," she said, skimming through it.

The illusion of Briar scowled. Ashrid had not done what she had expected him to do. Now she was stuck out here, lacking the close support of the real Briar, which hampered her powers considerably. She knew what to do. She just hoped that Briar would show up soon.

The black-suited man smiled as Lina drew out the book. He almost laughed when she sat down and started reading. Did she really think she would have time to learn anything? "Wrong answer." He took a step forward; Timothy and Gourry placed themselves in front of Lina, swords ready.

"BLAST BOMB!" the illusionary Briar shouted, seizing the initiative. The globe of fire surrounded the man for a brief second. It vanished and the man flicked his fingers at Briar. Her head snapped back with a sharp jerk and her body went hurtling through the air.

Before the glow of the spell had faded, Timothy and Gourry had launched themselves at the man. He neatly sidestepped Gourry's attack; grabbing the blond swordsman's wrists, he slammed him into Timothy, who was barely able to avoid slashing Gourry. Both went down in a heap.

"Too late to learn," the man jeered at Lina's startled face as he lifted her off of the ground by her hair. He reached for the book....

"You are all so unreasonable today," Ashrid said tiredly, looking at Filia. "I shall send you to them." He clapped his hands softly and there was a flash.

No longer were they in a tent; the cushions had been replaced by grass, the tent by open sky. Timothy and Gourry lay in a heap near them; Lina was being held by a black suited man, whose aura radiated almost a tangible evil.

Briar was very unhappy about this. Her great plan had been completely upset. Fortunately, she and Val-chan appeared near the illusionary Briar. Val-chan was looking around, already spelled not to see the illusion. She quickly merged with it, making sure no one saw the deed. Then she turned her eyes back to what was going on.

Sai looked around. One minute he was in the cave; the next minute he was standing in an open field. "What the heck is going on?" Sai watched the others battle that man in the black cape. "Hum. This guy is going to be tough to defeat; better wait and see what he does." Sai then started thinking of spells that could beat this guy, but even thinking of them scared him. "Better not, unless I absolutely have to. With luck we should be able to take care of him without them." Sai pulled out his sword and yelled "ASTRAL VINE!" His sword developed a red glow. He held his sword up high and stood ready to fight.

Rather put out from the proceeding events of being simply dropped out in the middle of next to nowhere, Rill crossed his arms and sulked. Completely ignoring the assaults going on around him, Rill fell to sit cross-legged on the grass. "Mazoku, Mazoku. What's so wrong with Mazoku?" he grumbled, punctuating his frustration at the word by pulling at the grass by the roots, and tossing the shreds into the winds.

Tim laid upon the ground, looked upon the man in black, then placed his right hand on the ground and uttered two words. "Stone Spiker." The ground beneath Lina and the man in black rumbled, and a giant spike came out of the ground between them. The man in black held on to Lina for a few seconds and tried to break the spike, but it grew too big and his hold on Lina gave way as both Lina and the man slided harmlessly down the spike, but on opposite sides. Tim and Gourry both got up and Tim started making fun of the man in black. "NOW who feels stupid? And don't even think you're gonna circle around it. I can make that thing grow much larger. You see, Earth magicks are my specialty, and right now you are more outnumbered than you were before. My advice to you would either be to beg for mercy or run away. I Haven't quite figured out which yet, so your options are open...."

"The extent of your power?" The black-suited man laughed. He reached out casually and tapped the spike. It shuddered and silently imploded, dissipating into nothing. "You misunderstand me entirely. It is your options that are limited." He tapped his chest. "Glass Room." Nothing immediately happened; with a roar, the man charged, his aura crackling with power.

Lina struggled before the man, holding the book tightly. She couldn't let it go... she just couldn't! Holding her hand out, she screamed "Fire Ball!" Just enough energy to push her away from the man, though she knew it probably wouldn't affect him too much. Her head darted and saw the others around her. "Gourry! Tim!" she cried.

Filia fell roughly upon the grass. Her eyes slowly opened to the surprising brightness. They quickly adjusted; they needed to. Her gaze turned to the screaming Lina, and then to the heap of Gourry and Tim. Her eyes grew wide. W-Were they... IIE!! She ran toward them and let out a sigh of relief as she felt them both still quite alive. But then, something... something felt like it needed... her attention. She turned, and there stood... "VAL-CHAN!" she screamed, delighted, scopping him into her arms lovingly. "My child...."

Obviously not one to be very quick, or perhaps just completely unconcerned about the feuding around him, Rill abruptly stopped picking at the grass to look upon the fighters. He groaned and rolled his eyes in annoyance. No one was going to get anything done this way. Stupid people, they were no good to anyone dead, least of all him. An inkling of distress sparked in Rill at the vagrant thought that one of his Bound would be hurt in the fray.

Rising with that boneless grace of his, Rill raised an elegant hand and gently whispered "Dark Mist." From his elevated limb, a dark fog spiralled down dramatically, then suddenly spread out across the plain, blanketing them all in shrouds of black. Then as a lost form in the shadow, he brought his first two fingers to his lips, and kissing them, bent over to press them to the ground. "Golem." The ground shook for only a moment, and shortly after, figures rose from the land. A great many figures, climbing out from the dirt like the undead.

Rill laughed aloud and merrily, because if anyone was to get a really good look at those golem figures in the dim gloom, one would get quite a surprise. For an army of Rill Tanes had just risen, each sharing his mischievous grin and impish semblance.

"My cover nicely, and my thanks as well," the man called from the blackness. After all, to a creature of darkness, what was the absence of light? He continued laughing, moving so the golems would not bother him.

Sai was surprised at this. "He is dodging the golems left and right. Oh man, what are we going to do?" Sai powered down his sword and backflipped away. He then looked around at the others as they were fighting.

"Oh boy. I have never used this spell before. I just hope it works." Sai took a deep breath and concentrated. He called forth the power of his headband, and started to talk in a language no one present had ever heard before. He started to glow with a black aura. After a few more words, he was completely covered in darkness with electricity crackling around him. Sai then yelled out "SATENTRA ZERO!" From the darkness shot a black beam surrounded with golden energy. It struck the black-suited man with full force. After the spell was finished, Sai fell to the ground.

There was silence. The afterimage of Sai's spell was burned into the retinas of those who had been looking. Even the golems were still, reflecting the startled will of their master.

"Bravo."

There was a sound of clapping coming from where there should not have been. "My father's sister is as beautiful as I remember." There was a pause. The man reached out and tapped a golem. There was an invisible flare of energy that arced out to the source of the control. Rill shrieked in pain as the energy used him as a conduit to the rest of the golems. The scaly boy's control over them vanished in the feedback.

"The test has succeeded better than all expectations. I pray you survive to the next."

In the darkness, an army of eyes suddenly gleamed white. The golems, still ressembling their maker, save for cruel smiles, attacked.

"Nice trick, boy," spoke a voice from behind Sai. Before he could turn around, he was slammed in the stomach with the scabbard of a sword. The blow bit cruelly, making Sai spit up a little blood as the person passed by with grace. It was Metcliff. "But your quickness needs a little work...," he added with his back turned to Sai.

He then looked toward Lina and Gourry. "The Gorrn Nova...." Metcliff smiled devilishly. "If you don't mind, I'll take that off you... permanently, young man." He readied his blade as a tower of darkness seemed to erupt from it. The sky around became dark as ash as he held it with malice. "Let's see how you do against the Ban Sai," Metcliff spoke before beginning a charge.

Sai slowly stood up and looked at the person who had struck him. He is that guy who Ninoa flung into the tent.... he thought. "The Ban Sai?" he said, pulling out his sword. He was still in pain from the spell he had cast as well as from the blow Metcliff had given him. "Oh man, I can't fight him like this. What am I going to do?" Sai quickly said "Astral Vine," preparing his sword, and stood ready to fight.

"Bonsai?" Gourry asked, neatly parrying Metcliff's charge. "Where?" He placed his hand on his brow and peered left and right. "I don't see one."

"Don't mock me, fool," Metcliff growled. He began a vicious series of attacks.

Gourry blocked them all and leapt back. On his sleeve, a cut appeared in the fabric. He grinned. "You're not too bad." He charged Metcliff. "I may even have to be serious!" He grinned as the two met in a crackle of energy.

The fight was a fierce one, but there were complications. Mainly, the golems made no distinction between Metcliff and the rest of the group. Two, those same golems were far tougher and much faster than before. The dark man had done more than seize control of them; he had altered them. They took at least two well-aimed strokes from either sword to destroy. They also healed if not destroyed at once. As a result, the fight became more of a fancy dance than a sword fight. If either man stood in place, he had to contend with at least two golems as well as his opponent. Neither could destroy a golem either; the second hit required would have caused either to take a hit from the other. So they dodged the best they could.

Briar looked over the fight. She was crouching with Val-chan, behind Filia, who was desperately fending off the golems. She really, really hated this. Her magic was absolutely useless against the golems, and she did not want to play her other card unless her life depended on it. The situation wasn't that bad, not yet. She spotted Gourry and Metcliff duking it out. A smile came to her face.

Against those who lived, her magic was quite effective. Magic swords had a nasty habit of deflecting or reflecting spells that targeted their wielders. Briar's magic was different, more subtle. Her fingers danced.

Metcliff suddenly saw Lina point at Gourry and shout something. Her words were lost, but a thin beam of light arced out and splashed the blonde swordsman. Suddenly, there were four Gourrys, each moving in synchronization. "What cheap trick is this?" Metcliff laughed. Illusions indeed, he thought, and threw himself at the real Gourry. The Gourrys all dodged back, then countered. Metcliff's sword came up and neatly parried the real sword, unconcerned about the illusionary ones. His eyes widened in surprise as three blades struck him and left deep, bloody gouges on both of his sides and in one of his arms. Gourry, taking advantage of his opponent's hesitation, leapt in.

Briar sank down to her knees. I need a nap, she thought, hoping that the fighting would end soon.

Lina ground her teeth in frustration. She had to think of something. Gourry was good... I mean, really good. But with magic involved.... "Gourry!" she screamed again, then she went into deep thought. What would help him? Maybe.... She really hated doing this spell. Not that it wasn't powerful; just that it was a bit too powerful. Not to mention the fact that she never had any power left after casting it. She saw Metcliff attack and knew he had something up his sleeve -- there was no time to waste! "Raguna Blade!" she screamed as the power burst into her small hands. It grew immensely, its darkness flying high into the sky. She ran towards Metcliff then, slashing at him.

Metcliff saw the attack coming and held his sword close to his face at the last possible moment. He slashed at the Laguna Blade and met it head on with his sword of darkness. The impact caused him to fall back a bit as he rested a bit from the parry. Powerful stuff, he thought to himself as Gourry came toward him once more. He defended himself against the swordsman as their two blades met with ferocity. "Not bad," Metcliff commented to Gourry. "But I forgot to introduce you to... THIS! DRAGON ARC!!"

As he spoke, Metcliff concentrated his aura and flung it at Gourry in a large beam. Gourry met it head on with the Sword of Light, but still suffered heavy damage as blood streaked down from a gash across his forehead. Metcliff smiled at this. The weaker his opponent became, the stronger he felt. He charged at Gourry with great force and made the swordsman jump back a bit. He constantly plagued Gourry with sword slashes until something caught his eye.

Metcliff looked at Lina, and blinked. Was it true? Was his beloved still alive?

They looked at each other clearly for a moment. And saw into each others' eyes.

What Lina saw was a human version of Zelgadis.

Z... Zel?! Lina thought. It COULDN'T be true! Could it...? She looked to Gourry, who suffered head wounds. Zel wouldn't hurt Gourry. Ano... If it was Zel... But what if it wasn't! "Damn it!" she said aloud, barely able to hold the blade any longer. She looked at Gourry's head again. He was hurt. Ano.... She prayed it wasn't truly Zelgadiss before her. She ran towards him with her eyes closed, and slashed with all her might. Then the magical blade disappeared and she fell to the ground. She could feel a trickle of blood at the side of her mouth. "G... Gourry...." she said before she blacked out.

"LINAAAA!" cried Gourry.

Sai was surprised at this. "You... I am just about sick and tired of this. Good Lord! Everyone has a crush on everyone else. Am I the only one with sense around here?" Sai fell to the ground for he was too weak to stand. "Oh man, I can't fight like this. You know, maybe I should give up and become a shoe salesman." Sai smirked. "Yeah, right...." In pain, he just lay there, looking to his right.

Meanwhile, Tim had spent his time dealing with some of the golems whom he had dubbed "the tour group from hell." The battle was pretty much even at this point with both sides scoring some major hits. If the Rill look-a-likes had feelings, they might have been extremely angry. Tim wasn't screaming or cursing; instead he was grinning with a mischevious glint in his eyes and even singing (badly) during the parts where he was successful. He was glad the bad guy had gotten ahold of the clones. They provided a much needed outlet for his stress. Of course, he'd never admit that publically and would need quite a lot of healing salve afterwards, but for now, this was fun.

Tim continued the good fight when all of a sudden he heard a buzzing sound (he thought it was a sound; in reality, it was a sensation and he was the only one affected). When he paused momentarily to try and shake it off, the golems scored a series of blows that knocked him to the ground. In angry retaliation, Tim cast "Tremor" and sent some of the clones back, then proceeded to do battle again. Although this time, he wasn't in such a great mood.

Had he had the time to look at his Book of Memory, he would have noticed a new entry. The entry said the following:

"Zelgadis is a pretty good fellow for a cursed golem. However his eagerness to get rid of his curse may blind him to the darker side of absolute power. Be wary of this when the time comes."

Filia still held Val-chan tightly. She looked behind her. Golems? She blinked. GOLEMS?! Of course, this struck her NOW....

Lina now lay on the ground, blood slowly dripping from the side of her mouth. Gourry saw this, and his eyes widened. "LINAAAA!!" Gourry screamed, running forward. He took out his Hikari no Ken, screaming "LIGHT COME FORTH!" His eyes turned wild from seeing Lina hurt. "Lina! Lina, wake up!" he yelled, while slashing at Metcliff. And was he...? Yeah, he was crying. "Lina!!"

Lina slowly opened her eyes, seeing Gourry in a fuzzy haze. "G-Gourry?" she said quietly to herself. She became focused, but was still unable to get up. She needed to be healed. Damn it... he was always doing stuff like this... Shakily she pushed her body up, sweat coming from her brow. "I... I can't leave him doing something so reckless." She fought the urge to lay down. "Gourry no baka...." There was affection in her voice.

During the progressing battle, Rill had fallen to sit again. This time, however, there was no indifference or languor in it. He was curled tightly unto himself, his tail around drawn up legs. The long ears, usually perked, now lay back meekly. His eyes were wide and blank as he stared outward over the field; he shivered and his sharp teeth chattered in his fear.

Much like himself, Rill's Golems were not fighters. At least, they were not created to be such. To each of them a small part of himself had been bestowed, much like in his Binding. He had risen the Golems before when he had been lonely or simply bored. Yet now, here they were, running wild and brawling, and he had no control over them.

The links from the Golems to him were still there, but they felt contaminated and dirty. And as they were cut down and destroyed, Rill felt each link sever painfully, an inner wound left festering and raw.

Sai felt that he was rested enough. He slowly stood up and saw Gourry yell out "Lina!" Sai then thought, "What the heck is going on?" He was still feeling weak from the spell and from the hit Metcliff had given him. He fell to the ground and looked around. "Boy, we are on the up and up today. It is hard to imagine that all this could happen in a single day." Sai then gripped his sword harder. "I have to get out of here. I can't do any spells in my condition. Hum... I think I can get at a safe distance to recover."

Sai started to crawl away from the battle. "That's right, you people just keep paying attention to each other. Oh man, it is times like this that I am glad to be one of the little people and not the main piece." Sai continued to crawl away, hoping no one would see him.

Metcliff was surprised at the sudden upswing in the blond swordman's ability. But he smiled nonetheless. "Fighters are stronger when fighting angry," he thought to himself, "But they tend to make more mistakes." Metcliff knew that using a normal spell would simply be absorbed by the Gorrn Nova. So he decided to try a different plan of attack. "Lina." Metcliff chanted softly at first; then he began to speak the name louder and louder, "Lina, Lina, Lina."

Gourry couldn't understand what was exactly happening, but something odd was going on. It seemed like things were getting darker around him as Metcliff started forming secondary illusions around himself. The illusions circled around him as they chanted "Lina" over and over again, driving him close to madness. Then, a strike was felt and he was disarmed. "It ends," Metcliff spoke as he closed in for the kill.

At least, that was what Metcliff thought was going to happen.

Briar saw Metcliff cast the spell. Now, when it comes to illusions, Briar is as far above the dark swordsman as the dark swordsman was above her in sword-skill. She laughed out loud, pausing in the middle of nuking golems.

A half-wiggle of her fingers formed an illusion of nothingness over the illusionary Metcliffs for Gourry, thus effectively dispelling them for Gourry, without indicating to Metcliff that his spell had been countered. The other half of that wiggle allowed Metcliff to see exactly what he wanted to -- Gourry getting beat up.

As a result, Metcliff was very, very surprised when he found Gourry's sword thrust halfway through his shoulder, in the muscles next to the joint, a wound permanently crippling to a swordsman without magical healing.

Filia's eyes flew open. She had been embracing her son rather then helping her friends defend from this attacker! "Val-chan," whispered Filia, lifting herself up and giving him a tight hug. "Mommy will be back soon." She lifted him into her arms, and ran to somewhere safe to place him. A tree? It would have to do, she thought wearily, placing him on a high branch and placing a protection spell around him. "I'll be back soon," she repeated, and ran to join the battle.

"GOURRY!" Lina screamed again, forcing herself to stand. It didn't help though, as she fell back to her knees. Her fists clentched in anger, for she could do nothing else. "I need to be healed," she realized weakly.

Gourry shook, coming back from the edge of madness. "Lina," he said, now VERY pissed off. His eyes were focused angrily on Metcliff.

Filia's eyes shook with fear. Her companions.... They were fighting and she felt there was nothing she could do.... Stop that, Filia! she mentally screamed at herself in anger. Thinking such things got you nowhere. She ran the rest of the way to Lina. Maybe if she couldn't help, she could make it so another could. And if anyone could, it was Lina. Her blue eyes focused as she landed beside the small sorceress. "Daijoubu?" asked Filia softly. Why did she ask that?! Of course Lina wasn't okay! Thats why she was about to heal her! She brought her hands to Lina, and gave a comforting smile. "I'll heal you, and then you can save our friends," she whispered, hands beginning to glow and releasing the energy to heal.

Metcliff staggered back. That was odd. Something indeed had happened. Why else would the blade have been stuck into his shoulder? Quickly jumping back in pain, he looked up with an angered look on his face. As the wound started to heal by itself, Metcliff looked very pissed. "DRAGON RISER!!!" he shouted out in fury, knocking Gourry back twenty yards regardless of the defense of the Gorrn Nova. His attention then was perked by an awareness of his. He then turned his attention to Briar. "An Illusionist, eh?" Metcliff smiled. "We'll stop that." He lifted his Night Blade over his head and a shadow being leapt above him. It had two burning red eyes as it looked at Briar. The being then streaked toward Briar and wrapped around her....

Briar howled in agony as she was consumed by the spell. There was a flare as the spell reached its climax. Briar's scream was cut horribly short and a few wisps of greasy smoke rose from the space where Briar had been. Metcliff smirked darkly, satisfied with his handiwork.

Everyone else paying any attention had no problems with Metcliff destroying some random golem like that. Except maybe Rill. Briar, crouched where she had been since the start, resisted the urge to mock the silly swordsman. The serpent, hidden....

There was a ripple from behind Metcliff as the dark-suited man reappeared, standing over a weakened Lina as Filia began to heal her. He slapped Filia, knocking her to the ground sharply. He casually picked up the Book of Ralthius, kicking aside Lina as she feebly attempted to stop him.

Lina landed near Filia who was shaking her head to clear it from the blow. Seeing the red-head, Filia reached out and finished her spell.

"Good job, pawn," the dark-suited man said to Metcliff. "You suffice nicely. If you are wise, you will come with me." He shrugged and turned away. "Or remain here and be gravely wounded. Your foe has chosen to cowardly wait and let you expend your energies on her companions." He smirked. "You've never been able to defeat her when you are fresh. And she will not be alone, this time." He took a step. "Do not let pride kill you, Metcliff."

Lina looked at Filia, thankful that someone had finally healed her. She was now able to help! "Thanks!" she replied, standing. She wouldn't take Metcliff's crap anymore. She wouldn't let him hurt Gourry either. Nor any other of her friends. She cast a glance to the others before running beside Gourry. "Oi!" She whispered to her companion. "You okay?"

"Lina!" Gourry exclaimed quietly from next to her. "You okay now?" He was laying about twenty feet away from where he was supposed to be, yet he had the nerve to ask -- ah, never mind. He stood up a bit painfully, but hid that. He had to fight now. He held out his sword, ready for her to take it from him. Yet again.

Lina surprised him then, by not taking away the legendary sword as he was expecting, but putting her hands onto his. The blade grew twice, maybe three times as high as normal. It looked powerful, maybe even more powerful than it had been when the Hellmaster had forced him to fight his friends.

Lina held her breath, and looked at him. He looked back. Both were serious.

"Hikari O!" they cried together, gathering all their energy and jumping forward at the same time. They glowed a faint yellow, though they could not see it themselves. They had been together far too long to question each other at this moment. They both knew what to do, and man, were they ever doing it. There were screams of anger as the sword struck hard into Metcliff's turned back....

Then, all went white.

Sai saw with astonished eyes what had just happened. He was too far away to see exactly what had happened to Metcliff, but he hoped that he'd been defeated. "Oh man. I hope it's all over. What else could possibly happen today?" Sai slowly stood up, feeling a little better now. He waved to the others. "GOOD JOB, YOU GUYS!" He started to walk back towards them, falling down a couple of times on the way. Well, Sai, you wanted action and you got it....

Metcliff saw the blade coming at him, and knew that his energies alone could not suffice. He quickly grabbed onto the dark man and charged his Night Blade. The blade grew large with the amounts of dark energy running through it. Metcliff was surprised by this and parried the incoming blow one handed.

When the smoke cleared, Metcliff stood battered and bruised. He was bleeding from his forehead and chest. With a bit of time, he'd make a full recovery. As for now, he looked up at the dark man. "You're pretty good," he spoke with a smile. "You might know my employer. By the way, I think our goals are the same, so until we meet again...." Metcliff then reached out, grabbed the Gorrn Nova from an unconscious Gourry, and smiled. "Two down, three to go."

Both parties lay in a heap over each other. Lina's head lay gently upon Gourry's chest. She awoke with a start, but her head spun, so she did not move. Opening her eyes in the hazed light, she saw Gourry under her. A blush spread across her cheeks brightly. Yet she decided to not move for a few long moments. Only after she had heard a heart beat did she decide to try and sit up. She was helped by his strong arms, though it was also hard for him to move. Both had used up a lot of energy. Finally Lina looked around herself, only to see... "Oh shit! It's missing again!"

"Eh?" Gourry replied, sitting up quickly. "I didn't do it!"

"No, you moron! Your sword's gone!"

His eyes went wide. "Not again...." was his reply.

"What the hell is going on?" snapped Sai, finally arriving. "How could you let him take the Sword of Light?" Sai then looked around. "Hey, where is Ninoa? I know I saw her before I got teleported here." Sai then sighed. "Oh well. Maybe she ran off. Good grief, no one is ever around when you need them. Anyway, back to the real problem. Why would that guy want the Sword of Light?" Sai then glanced around at the others. "Well the first thing to do is to get out of here. Hey, everyone, let's get a move on!" Sai yelled.

The man smiled at Metcliff. The mavolent look in that gaze startled even Metcliff. "Of course." He placed a hand on Metcliff's shoulder in a congenial way. "You are mine, now, at a time of my choosing." He turned to walk away. "But if you do that again...." His smile was the coldest thing Metcliff had ever seen. "Your value is in your toy. Toys can be given away."

"ETHER STORM!!"

A devastatingly cold wind suddenly struck them. Ice formed on the ground; rime coated Metcliff's clothes. Only the sword he held kept him from freezing. He spun around to meet the new threat, only to find no one.

Celise crashed into him from above. Her wings buffeted Metcliff; her tail smashed against the dark man, who simply vanished. Metcliff stumbled back under the sudden attack. Timothy, through with the golems, took advantage of the distraction and took Metcliff unawares, slicing him on the back with his enchanted sword. The Sword of Light went flying from his hand and landed on the ground a short distance from Val-chan.

Metcliff scowled. "DRA--urk!" he began, in an attempt to clear everyone away. He whirled to block Celise's swing, only to have Tim whack him on the head with the flat of his sword.

Tim smirked. "Got to finish the spell first. We need you to answer a few things; otherwise you'd be quite dead. You'll not have the time to get a spell off between the two of us!"

"Heh," a shaky voice added. Lina stood up as Filia revived Gourry. "Make that four of us."

"Sorry I'm late," was heard from behind Sai. When he whirled around, he saw Ninoa casting a healing spell on him. "You're pretty banged up," she started. "Who did this to you?" Ninoa then caught sight of Metcliff and her face went white. "HIM?" she asked fearfully as she met Metcliff's gaze.

The Night Blade-using warrior looked up and smiled. "FINALLY," he spoke with a tone unfitting for a man in his predicament. "What took you? I was starting to get bored."

Ninoa lowered her gaze. What bad luck that she had to find him here, again. Well, at least the Sword of Light was okay.... She then looked around. Val-chan was close by the sword, but something else was amiss. Was he the one she felt?

"So annoying having to deal with you mortals...," Metcliff spoke as he sheathed his sword and regenerated from his wound. "Look, I'll be going now. If you want me...." He then teleported out of sight... or it only seemed so, for a stifled cry was heard as Metcliff held a hand over Val-chan's mouth and laid his other hand on the Gorrn Nova. "If you want me," he continued with a malicious grin, "I'll be in Sairaag getting the Heart of Flagoon. Don't try anything heroic, or something... unsavory might happen to the boy."

He laughed as he teleported away with Val-chan in tow. There was little the others could do to stop him. Now, it appeared he had the Sword of Light as well.

"Damn," Ninoa commented in anger. "He'll pay..."

Filia's eyes widened. Her eyes trembled, and she ran at Metcliff with fury.. and then he was gone. She tripped, falling carelessly upon the ground, her heart pounding the entire time. "VAL-CHAN!" she screamed at the space where he had been just moments earlier. There was no response, for he was gone. Her tears stained her face, and the wind blew her hair into her face, which was now shadowed with guilt. Why? Why couldn't she have protected him...? She was supposed to protect him....

Lina ran to Filia's side, kneeling before her. "It's alright... We'll get him back," she told her in her most convincing voice. Her insides were trembling with fear. Now a child was involved... a helpless child. Her anger boiled to the limit, her eyes narrowing, the wind blowing carelessly into her crimson eyes. "Don't worry, Filia, he'll come home safe to you." Not only had that warrior taken a child, it was her friend's child! And he was helpless! This could never be forgiven!

Gourry stood behind her, taking his sword back and gripping it tightly. He knew Lina was serious. This was no time for worrying about other things... this feeling in his heart told him he was doing the right thing, like he was always doing the right thing, at least, in the end. And he felt as though this was destiny pulling them forward, not letting them die until their task was accomplished. But the first thing on his mind, to lead on this track, was saving Val-chan. "So, Lina, we gonna do it?" he asked.

"Yeah, Gourry, we're gonna do it," Lina replied in a calm voice. You could never tell she was daydreaming many ways to rip that guy's head off. She looked back to the group behind her, and knew she had to take the lead. It was her role in life, or so at times it seemed. "Alright everyone, no time to panic," she said softly, eyes trembling with fear she tried so desperately to hide. "We need a plan," she stated simply.

Ninoa then noticed Philia's sorrow. Going to comfort her, she dropped a sword. Lo and behold, it was the Sword of Light. Ninoa looked embarassed for a moment, and then smiled. "Briar isn't the only one who can do realistic illusions."

To which, Briar gave a mental smile, mindful of the extra weight at her side. Indeed, Mazoku. But none of her inner thoughts showed the slightest on her face. Instead, she looked around. "So, guys, just where are the Plains of Gault at?" She shivered as cold air rushed in to displace the heat of the battle. The sky was overcast, looking threateningly like dumping rain or snow on them.

"And you, little girl." Briar glared at Ninoa. "What's up with you and that guy?" Her eyes narrowed. "Have him attack us and you show up at the last minute to 'save' us? Sneaky way to ingratiate us to you and get us to lower our guard, little Mazoku. I heard what Ashrid said to you." She smiled frostily. "I suppose you've got a dandy cover story. Let's hear it. I've always wondered how Mazoku became good guys anyway."

Sai showed no emotion when he heard this, but inside him were a million questions coming all at once. He looked at Ninoa, then at the Sword of Light. He shook his head. "I don't believe it." He looked back at Ninoa, not looking her in the eye. "Is this true? Is this the real sword?" Sai asked in a faint voice. "No matter; none of this is important right now. We have to get the child back. You heard the man; we need to get to Sairaag." Not bothering to look at Ninoa, or anyone else for that matter, he took a few steps away from the party. "Hum.... I am going to need some info on this guy Metcliff and his objectives." Sai held up his hand and lightly said "Shadow Flare". A dark ball appeared in his hand; he threw it into the sky and watched it disappear. "They should find me by nightfall." Sai looked back at the group and said, "Let's get going. We can't do anything here."

Tim was half-listening to the conversation and trying to absorb it all in while dealing with his new found headache that hadn't gone away. It was an interesting question that Briar had posed to Ninoa. What was even more interesting was when she asked it, Celise seemed about to reply. He'd put that infomation away for later.

Tim put his hand on his Book of Memory. Not so much to read it, but more for the calming effect it normally had on him. I say normally because this time when he touched it, the pain became much sharper. "Ack!" Tim winced in pain. He shut his eyes and accessed the book through mystical means. Since the book was attuned to him, he didn't have to look through it or even touch it in order to read what he wanted.

When he "read" the new entry about Zelgadis, the buzzing stopped. "That's odd," Tim said. "It's never done that before." More infomation then came flooding in at a very quick and alarming pace. After three minutes of this, Tim screamed, "Too much. Too Soon. Not my memories. Stop." Oddly enough, it did.

Tim looked at the concerned faces around him. "I'm alright now. Someone or something has broken through the magic seals in my Book of Memory. Strangely enough, I think it's more interested in giving me infomation than in attacking me. I'm not quite sure on whether to trust it or not, but I am sure that this is becoming more than I can handle on my own."

Walking around, Tim then starting answering questions, starting with Lina's. "Well, this much is obvious. We are dealing with at least two Mazoku that are playing against each other, and this time we are a threat to both of them. Neither of them seem to like the Sword of Light being in our possession, and one of them already stole the book Celise gave to Lina. We need to get it back and find out what's in that book as soon as possible."

Looking over at Rill, Tim continued, "I think you will need all of our help, Lina, and we're not in the shape we need to be. We will need to get healed in body and mind. We also don't know where the child is at, so we can expect another visit from our friends -- which means another attempt at the sword. There's nothing we can really do until then. Of course, this begs the question, why was the child brought here in the first place?"

Tim turned to Briar and looked at her for a second, then smiled. "I find your choice of words and questions intriguing. Right now, whether she is or isn't looking after our best interests is a moot point. She's against the man in black, and that puts her squarely on my side. A better question towards her may just be "What do you know about Mazoku #2 and just what is he after and why?" Just for now, anyway, Briar. As for your question about the Plains of Gault, it's in the Kataart Mountains."

Tim looked at the ground and shut his eyes momentarily. "Incidentally, the new infomation mentions Kytares, a city near us, quite prominently. It's only about four days away, maybe faster if we flew. The new information also mentions another name a lot. Zelgadis Greywers. That name is familar. Correct me if I'm wrong, Lina, but wasn't he one of your travelling companions during the royal family crisis in Seyruun?"

Lina's eyes widened. "How did you-?!" Then she realized.... Tim knew lotsa things about her, and, well... she just wondered... "Zelgadiss? Where is he?" she asked a bit weakly, tilting her head.

Gourry blinked. "Ano... What about the kid?" he asked, a bit worried.

Lina sighed. "Gourry... That's another problem. As well as the Book of Ralthius." She clenched her fists in anger, sighing. "But you're right, Tim. We need to rest up, so we can finally defeat that guy." She growled.

Tim stared into space, not really looking at anybody or anything. "I have a little plush figurine of him, too. Zelgadis. That's how I know of him. I've never met him personally. As for him being in the city of Kytares, it's in my book as one of those "memories" added very recently. I have no way of verifying that. As far as how I know so much about you, we've discussed that already. You were my assignment and I never go into an assignment unprepared. The way I see it is either Zelgadis is there or we are walking into another trap; either way, it's my only clue."

Tim forced a smile, even though there was little to smile about. "I'm sure that all will end well. It always does, eventually."

Celise had been looking a little out of it ever since the fight had ended. Finally she turned to Lina. "Miss Inverse, I have a request to make of you. I am... needed elsewhere. But...." She produced a small jewel, the size of a pebble, a deep blue in colour. "If you carry this jewel, I will be able to find you wherever you are, if you are in trouble and have need of me."

Lina took the jewel, and was only moderately surprised when Celise promptly vanished into thin air.

Sai turned around. "Come on, you guys. We are not going to save the boy by standing around here." He saw Filia in her misery and sighed. "I know so much has happened, but tears are a waste of time. They will slow us down and they will not get the boy back. As long as you don't give your hopes up, you can take anything. You will feel less pain." Sai started waiting, getting a little impatient. "Now stop this crying already. Man, I hate comforting people. It's just meant to ease their minds, but still doesn't help the situation."

With composed movements that reigned with a sluggishness and wretched trembling, setting dark contrasts to the usual vibrant grace he displayed, Rill stood and then approached Filia. He swayed, and collapsed beside her, heedless to the power of his own legs. Resting a seemingly weary head upon her shoulder, Rill gazed outward blankly. The violet eyes dazed, and the elongated ears drooped sadly.

Impressions came unbidden to Filia's mind. Feelings of understanding and of sympathy. Along the link they possessed, Rill sent a blossoming of hope to her. Courage and undeterred confidence went along their Bond. Rill believed that they would get back her precious one, he believed it with so much strength and passion behind that faith.

If I believe, you must believe. Share the faith that I have, were what had been impressed through the Bond. That and a sense of apology, for not being able to fight, to protect that which was important. And suddenly the link began to fade, ebbing in and out, an irregular heartbeat of emotions and visions. Rill wheezed and started to slump forward.

Filia's tears were unstoppable, falling quickly and steadily from her eyes. She now found herself upon a tiny hill, not too far off from the rest of the group. How could she have been so careless?! That's when she felt a head upon her shoulder... and warmth. Incredible warmth, full of understanding and compassion. She clenched her fist tightly, forcing the tears to strain and fade away, though her eyes were still red. This was no time for pity; she needed her little Val-Chan as much as he did her. No way was she going to give up on him. Then she saw Rill slump a little forward. She caught him before he could fall. "Rill-san..." she whispered with worry. "Daijoubu?"

Slowly, Rill turned his head to Filia, and although he smiled, his eyes conveyed the worry and absence of merriment that he truly felt. "It seems I'm not used to losing so much of myself at one time." A dry chuckle escaped him as Filia's features flashed with confusion. "The Golems I create, they're . . . they were no different from the Binding. A part of me was with them. Thus a part of me was contaminated with them, and killed with them as they were cut down. So many of them gone, it's left my heart feeling raw and torn."

Rill bowed his head. "To escape this sickness of heart, I must Bond with another." He raised his arm, looking to the enchanted bracelet. "But the deal I made with Ashrid will shatter the tie. So who do I bestow upon a piece of my heart, only to have it rebuked later? Binding is to be forever, but this one will not."

Filia looked at Rill with confused eyes. "Bind...?" she whispered, holding her hands tightly together. She stood from her spot, letting her long golden hair flow behind her with the wind. Her eyes hardened, and ears became alert. "We must find him, my son."

Tim looked at Sai as he tried to comfort Filia and just shook his head. Sai was right, but his delivery was just awful. He really had nothing more to think or say about the issues at hand. Despite all the weirdness and depression around him, Tim was calm and beginning to smile. This time it wasn't forced. He wasn't quite sure of just what he had to do, just that he was on the right track.

Something in the back of his mind told him that this was not just your ordinary battle with the Mazoku and that the Gods weren't going to let this one slide. He smirked. For all the craftiness of the Mazoku, the Gods clearly could outsmart them. That's why the world was still in one piece. And all us mortals have to do is just survive until the solution appears, Tim thought to himself. Still, the solution required movement, and he was convinced that Kytares held the next clue.

Rain was beginning to fall. Not in a downpour, just in a small mist that one had to pay attention to in order to notice it. Tim walked over to Briar, took off his robe, and put it on her. Underneath he was wearing a similarly gray cloak, and clothing that were reminiscent of what Zelgadis might wear. True, it wasn't as warm as the robe, but it would suffice for Tim until they reached their destination.

"Thanks, Tim." Briar wrapped the cloak tightly around herself. Her fingers danced slightly; over the next half hour, the uncomfortableness of the weather would cease to affect him, providing it got no worse.

Afterwards, Tim walked over to Filia. "I don't know if you're going with me or not. If you aren't, please take this." Tim handed her his Book of Memory. "If I find out anything, just look in the book and you'll know what I know. If you find out anything or need to communicate with me, just write in the book and I'll get the message. I wish you nothing but good luck in your quest." Secretly, Tim thought he'd get the book back right away, but then again, people do all sorts of crazy things when facing an emotional crisis.

Tim looked back at Briar and spoke softly. "It's time we go, you and I, and see what the Plains of Gault hold for us." To the rest of the group he spoke more loudly. "I'm heading to Kytares because that's where I feel we need to be. I realize that have no real solid basis for this and that I'm taking a big leap of faith here. You may come or you may find your own path, but either way, I wish that all of your endeavours be successful ones."

After Tim made his statements, he began to walk away from the rest of the group, towards Kytares and his destiny.

Ninoa looked on in quiet. She knew that there were still three other swords left, and they were still fair game... well, maybe not. One was the Holy Sword, Flagoon. From what she heard, the sword was under a massive tree. This was the sword Metcliff was after. The next one was the Astral Sabre. That was being held in the Kataart Mountain Range, somewhere. And then there was Deimos, sister sword to the now destroyed Phobos. She knew that this sword was sealed way back in the Old Country, as she called it. But first, she would need to find the Heart of Flagoon, before Metcliff did. "Shall we get going?" Ninoa asked the group with a forced smile, "I'm not sure how far Sairaag is, but we should be going soon. If we don't, we'll be behind you know who."

Metcliff made a motion to strike the crying boy, Valgaarv. "SHUT UP!" he cried out in his frustration. He then held his head in pain. This was not what he wanted. This boy was supposed to be the key to opening the Lost Tomb, and Deimos with it? Almost seemed like a punishment from the deities up above. He grinned at the thought; so long ago...

"You can give me the power?" spoke the young man with blood smeared across his face as he looked up at a man with two cold eyes staring at him.

"Of course I can," the man responded. "But in exchange for..."

"You don't think I'd actually give you my soul, now would you?" Metcliff spoke in an angrier tone. "You might as well kill me now before I forfeit myself to you, Mazoku. I can go back to my Rosa Vaira sooner that way."

"Oh, I have something else in mind," the Mazoku laughed. "My proposition is quite fair..."

Hmmm, it hadn't been such a bad idea after all. Revenge in exchange for doing the Mazoku's bidding. Metcliff sighed as he toned out Val-Chan's crying in his meditation. Clutching the fake Gorn Nova, he frowned and shattered it against the wall. "I'll kill you soon enough, Ninoa...," he spoke with a burning feeling of resentment in his eyes. "You'll die...."

Sai watched Tim walk off. You too, Tim, Sai thought to himself. He looked at everone else and sighed, then walked past Ninoa not bothering to say a word. Sai then started muttering under his breath. "Hum.... Better hurry; he will be there soon. I am sure he has what I need." Sai started to walk faster. "Soon I am going to find out what this is all about."

Lina's eyes lit up. "I know the way to Sairaag!" she exclaimed. "I've been there many times!" Then her voice fell... she remembered all that had happened there. "Ano... let's hurry, though. That way we can leave sooner." She pulled her cape over herself protectively, as it slightly fell over her chin. She walked in front of the group with her own kind of pride, one that could never be forsaken, or taken, ever again. She glanced back at Gourry, and shuddered.

"Oi! Lina! Why does the name Sairaag sound familiar?" he asked.

For an answer, he was hit in the head. Lina looked angry.... And even... maybe... upset?

Briar still glared at the Mazoku, Ninoa, who had apparently decided to ignore her. Which was fine by her, since Briar had what she needed. "So that means we're in the Kataart Mountains, eh?" Hearing Filia's plea caused some disgust within her, but as always, none of it showed on her face. "I'm for the city, Kytares. Rest and recoup is always better in a city than on the trail." With that, she went to join Timothy.

Filia looked to both groups who were separating, and then to the book. Could she find Valgaarv herself? Or did this Timothy know something...? Maybe... it was a long shot but.... Quickly she ran to his side, and stopped rather quickly. "Timothy-san," she whispered quietly. "If your destiny lies where you say, my son may also...." Her eyes looked up to him, as if he was her last hope. "Onegaishimasu... help me."

Rill growled softly as Filia left him to plead with Timothy. His ears pressed back, and the very tip of his tail twitched, much like a metronome in its movement. Even in his weakened state, the sense of loathing he felt gave him strength. Upon using that strength, he crouched down low, then abruptly sprung from his position, racing with demonic speed on all fours.

Bolting straight for Timothy, when coming in close, he silently leap onto the other. The unexpected force knocked Timothy to the ground, and Rill sat angrily on his chest. Rill slapped Timothy across the face and screamed, "I do this to help my Bonded, and to spite you. You who killed mine with such passion. Now be Bound to me!" He glowed, he kissed, and then he fainted.

The small white sphere on Rill's bracelet glowed as the spell was being cast, then faded out of existence as the spell was completed.

Briar glanced at Rill's prone form. Her fingers danced secretly for a second, then she rushed to Timothy. "Tim! Are you okay?"

Tim looked at the situation with a curious look. He brushed himself off, then looked at the unconscious Rill and shook his head. "Idiot. My actions weren't designed to take your precious Filia away from you. They were designed to keep in contact with each other in case we split up and she needed to know some information I had found. I have absolutely no interest in Filia that way, not even to spite you."

Tim looked at Briar and gave a chesire cat grin. "I'm okay. The spell may have been cast, but it didn't take. Whether both parties have to enter it willingly or just my spirit may have been stronger than his, I don't know. It's not important anyway. We all have more important things to worry about, like making our various destinations."

Sai saw Rill's actions and felt he was sinking. "What the...? I know he was weird but I didn't think he would go this far." Sai watched as Rill fainted, then walked over to him and lifted him onto his shoulder. He looked over to Tim. "Uh... sorry about that. I don't know what came over him." Sai looked at Rill, now draped over his shoulder. "Boy, you sure picked a time to do somthing dumb." Sai continued walking in the general direction of Sairaag.

Filia was horrified as she looked to both Tim and Rill. She didn't know what to do.... "Rill!" she finally cried, running to where Sai was taking him away and grabbing him by the shoulders. "Why?!" she cried out, shaking the purple boy a bit. "What did you do? Please... we don't have time for this. We have to get my son!" Now she was simply going hysterical. Things weren't supposed to happen this way! Her hands dropped from Rill's shoulders and to her sides. With her head bowed, she wept.

Lina's eyes burned like fire,watching Rill and Tim. A low growl escaped her lips involuntarily. "You!" she screamed at them, turning with much force and giving them the death glare. "We're here, trying to save not only Filia's only son, but our own hides, and you're worried about that bonding crap?!" she spat. She glanced at Filia worriedly as Gourry went to comfort the poor girl. "This won't help ANYTHING! If you're just going to fool around, don't come at all!" Her teeth clenched as she knew she had to be hard on the hysterical Filia, even if she didn't want to.... "Filia! Pull yourself together! How are you supposed to help your son if you can't even help yourself?" With that she turned, her hair blowing and her cape flapping in the wind. She walked quickly towards Sairaag, in the hope that the others would follow.

Slowly Gourry pushed Filia to walk with him. She shook under Gourry's strong grip. Her eyes never left the ground as they walked. They were right.... What's wrong with me? she thought angrily. "Gomen ne," she whispered, holding back. "GOMEN NASAI!" She finally screamed, making Gourry fall backwards. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't be a mother! I'm a TERRIBLE mother!" Her shoulders trembled, and she ran forward.

Sai watched as Filia ran forward, and sighed. "Good grief, will she ever get over it?" Sai walked over to Gourry, and dumped the somewhat heavy Rill into his lap. "Here; you carry him." Sai started walking. "Let's go already!"

Ninoa looked to the distance and wondered to herself, "What is to become of us all?" She knew full well that the sword of Flagoon was another sword they needed, but she also knew that the Astral Sabre was still in the Kataart Mountains. Both were necessary....

"Guys...," Ninoa spoke to the group. "There's more to this that I want to tell you all... but first...." She clutched her stomach which growled a bit. "Let's get something to eat. I know this restaurant a little ways from here...."

Rufus the Unkempt was tired. He was hungry. He was still unwashed (though that didn't bother him so much as anyone who might be nearby).

And he had no idea what to do next. He'd followed the instructions of the Gods, and now he was standing near the entrance of a cave. A rather large cave. A rather dark and forbidding cave, set in the side of a rather large and forbidding mountain.

He might have cast a Lighting spell and started spelunking. But the Gods were being remarkably close-mouthed. And he had the strange feeling that... whoever he was supposed to be following... was no longer anywhere remotely nearby.

Oh well. He turned on his heels and plunged back into the surrounding forest. Better luck next time....