Chapter Twelve: A City Full of Trouble

The day had been annoyingly long for Lina and her group. They were close enough to the city and its outlying farming regions that Filia was uncomfortable with flying as she had earlier on. The priestess also looked slightly the worse for wear; though no one would say that to her face. It seemed that losing Val-chan had placed her within a quagmire of depression, and she was continuing to sink. It was also cold, something the party was not prepared for. The sky was dark and cloudy, and the breeze cut through what little insulation they were wearing. Every so often, the wind would buffet them with little gusts carrying stinging sleet, futhering their discomfort.

As evening approached, they arrived at Kytares. Rather, they arrived at the gates. The lines outside were nowhere near as bad as they could have been, but it was another delay keeping the group. By the time the party arrived at the gate, they were eagerly anticipating being allowed within the city.

A rather nicely dressed man stood on the walkway above the gate, wearing what appeared to be the garb of a ranking officer in the guard. "Many apologies, good folk!" He twirled a waxed mustache. "The hour has arrived and the gates will be closed!" A groan went through the line. "They will be reopened tomorrow at dawn, so until then!" He bowed floridly, turned, and vanished from view. The great gates dropped down, with a thudding finality.

To say the party was furious would be an understatement. It was taking all Gourry and Tim had to keep Lina from opening the gates in her own way, and Sai, Ninoa, and Lyssa were having a hard time deciding whether or not Lina was wrong or not. On the other hand, Rill was quite content as he was, snuggling up with Sarino.

In the city, Briar kicked back in the hot tub. She'd be damned if she waited three hours in a line. Getting into the city had been as easy as wiggling her fingers and walking through the gates. Kytares was an interesting place, alright. Either that or Tim was a lot cooler than she gave him credit for. She had gone to acquire rooms in the finest inn in the city for the party, as mollification for getting into the city early. Admittedly, they'd be irritated if they ever found out how much she had lifted from them, but her spells took care of that. Imagine her surprise when she found that Tim had beaten her to the punch.

It puzzled her, particularly when she knew Tim was still outside the walls. Something odd was afoot here. Still, if it came up, she'd lie about it and be done with it. She settled deeper into the water. She still needed to see what she could get for that sword, too, although such a unique item probably wouldn't sell in this city without attracting a lot of attention. But that was a matter for later; more importantly, the water felt like heaven!

Briar was so relaxed and caught up in the moment, she didn't hear the scraping at her window, nor did she notice the window open.

"Cuse me?" A little boy, somewhat scruffy looking, tugged on the hem of the shouting Lina's shirt.

Automatically Lina eyed the boy, eyes narrowed in a familiar look of anger. "What do you want?" she exclaimed, before realizing it was only a small boy. But then again... She was tongue-tied as she remembered a scene like this from some time before... As Gourry and Tim slowly let go, she knelt down, looking the kid in the eyes. She wouldn't be fooled again.

"Oi... Lina? Are you okay?" asked Gourry, knowing that if Lina was her normal self this kid would be crying home to mommy by now.

Lina's eyes softened at Gourry before she turned back to the boy. She looked very... protective. "What do you want?" she asked the boy again, her voice hard.

The boy's innocent expression turned serious. "Sorry to have to give you a fright, but I'm not who you think I am." The kid looked around and continued. "This was the only way I could talk to you."

Lina looked surprised. "You mean, you're not..."

"Right," said the boy. "Hellmaster only does the kid act when it benefits him. But that's beside the point." The 'boy' looked Lina right in the eye. "It's your partner; she is in grave danger!"

Lina blinked. "Partner?" she exclaimed, standing up. "Which one? Listen, kid." She put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Tell me what's going on, or I'm guessing you know what'll happen." She waited for his reply as Gourry shuddered in the background.

The kid crossed his arms. "Threatening me won't save Briar."

"Briar!" Lina exclaimed quietly, following it up with a "Shimatta!" She frowned, looking around. Where was that girl? Had she just... left? Without anyone noticing? What the heck was going on?! She looked again at the scruffy urchin before her. Could she trust this child? Did she have a choice? "Shimatta," she said again. Shaking her head in an untrusting way, she looked once again to the boy. "Where is she?" Without quite realizing it, she moved herself right next to Gourry, her eyes a bit frightened at something she wasn't even aware of.

"Ah...." Gourry didn't finish the phrase, for in his many years with Lina, he'd learned that if he ever wanted to be close to her, he had to shut up.

"I know a way into the city, so follow me," the kid said. "I'm not sure what kind of danger your friend's in, but if Dobal's around, his boss can't be far behind!"

Lina only nodded, not quite understanding. Even if she didn't want to trust this kid, she really didn't have a choice. "Oi, Gourry, let's go!" she said to her protector, as they followed the boy. She walked quickly, her cape beginning to flutter in the wind. Gourry blinked and followed; he had a feeling he'd be having an adventure soon. He touched the hilt of his sword reflexively. He'd be needing it, too.

The usually talkative Tim was silent. He simply picked up his sword and followed; whatever illnesses he had, he pushed away. Tim knew there was real danger in Kytares. He'd warned Briar about some of the infomation in his book; he'd just hoped none of it was true. Now he KNEW it was all true and that his "source" didn't reveal all the troubles. Kytares was a trap with a capital T. He just hoped he wouldn't die before getting something useful to help the others. Best to see what the others did first.

A voice suddenly made itself heard behind Lina and Gourry. "Hey, you guys sound like you've got a bit of a problem there; you think you need any help? By the way, the name's Kerrem Dor'vu if you need names."

Lina sweatdropped, looking back at the boy they were rapidly following. "We don't really have any time...." Her voice rose in that Lina way. "SO GET YOUR ASS MOVING, KERREM!" She placed her hands on her hips, looking annoyed. Gourry slowly backed away.

"What did I do?" asked Kerrem meekly as he fell in with the others. "I just offered my help," he said as he walked beside Gourry. "Oh, and nice sword you got there."

Lina concentrated on following the child. Her attitude always got in the way....

"Oh, this?" Gourry asked stupidly; he was never one to think things over. "Yeah, I like it a lot. It's helped us lots of times." He held the hilt proudly, looking over to Lina and smiling fondly. "Yep, it's helped us get outta a lot of stuff." Lina tried to ignore him as she walked forward, hair slightly flowing in the wind. She looked determined; she wouldn't let anyone else be hurt.

"Yeah, this baby has helped me out of a lot as well," said Kerrem as he patted his two-handed sword. "Where'd you get yours, anyway?" asked Kerrem curiously.

Gourry raised an eyebrow slightly. "This?" He pointed at the Sword of Light. "It was a family thing.... Ano... I had to give it away and... I got it back... somehow."

Lina punched Gourry right about then. "YOU DON'T REMEMBER?!" she screamed. "We got it back! Baka baka baka!" she yelled at him. Gourry turned chibi and his arms and legs flailed around.

"Well then, I guess you and the sword have gone through a lot, eh?" said Kerrem. His eyes filled with sadness as he began speaking. "This sword was my teacher's prized sword; he gave it to me before he died. My life was with him, so when he died I didn't know what to do. Then I decided to adventure and win a name for myself among the best adventurers." A tear formed as Kerrem mentioned his former mentor. "Well that's behind me. What do you say we help this friend of yours?" he asked.

Gourry nodded as Lina glanced back, slightly smiling. It figured he'd make friends instantly with another swordsman.... "Let's hurry!" she said, in a little bit better of a mood. She looked back to the boy for help. "Where now?"

Filia finally caught up with the overenthusiastic Lina. She hoped she was not being too much of a bother. "Lina-san...." Her voice trembled; it was one of the few times she had spoken during this terrible ordeal. She looked ahead at the young boy they were following. Her heart sunk. He reminded her so much of her own young one.... Oh my little Val-chan.... She held back her cry for her son. It would have to wait. "What about my son? Have you found anything out yet?"

Lina looked a bit disturbed about seeing Filia so distressed, but she hid it, for her sake. "Ano.. Filia, nothin' yet, but we just GOT here. Right now Briar is in trouble, so we need to get her outta it, okay?" She patted Filia's shoulder reasurringly. "We'll find him, Filia, I promise."

Gourry nodded. "And when Lina makes a promise... uhh.... Never mind."

Kerrem walked over to Filia. "Just don't give up. They will find him, and I'll help in every way possible, but as she said right now we need to help Briar." After speaking to Filia, Kerrem returned to walking beside Gourry.

Filia meekly nodded, still unsure of the entire situation. Her shoulders shook a bit, but she continued on. From that point on, she followed Lina. For the oddest reason she felt... closer to her in an odd way. Like they were almost sisters, but not quite. Again she shook to her head to rid herself of the silly thought. "Thank you, Lina-san, Kerrem-san, Gourry-san..." she whispered.

Tim, walking nearby, nodded and spoke. "Maybe Briar's found something out about your child." At least that's what I hope for, Tim thought to himself. Tim turned to Filia. "When I find out something, you'll know about it. It will be there in my book. Just wait and see. I'm sure we'll find out something soon. Even the villains coming back to issue their demands for your child will yield some important clues. You'll see."

Again, the troubled Filia nodded. Her stomach in a knot, she looked down at the once forgotten book in her arms. "Arigatou," she whispered, and tried at least a smile. "I'm so sorry to cause you all so much trouble and worry.."

"Oh, by the way I didn't catch your names," said Kerrem as he looked at Lina and Gourry, and the group of other people trailing them. "I would like to know who I'm traveling with, if that's fine with you."

Lina smirked, pointing to Gourry. "That's Gourry," and then looked to Filia. "And that's Filia. Ano, us three've been grouped up together before, so..."

"Gee, Lina, I guess I never leave you," Gourry stated, unusually bright for once. He tilted his head for the effect.

Lina blushed, putting hands on her hips. "Like that even matters right now!" She pointed at the recently-arrived Tim, then at the group of people just catching up. "And the rest of the group: Tim, Sai, Ninoa, Sarino, Rill, and Lyssa."

Tim looked at Kerrem, as if acknowledging him for the first time. "My apologies. My mind's been elsewhere. The name's Tim Grey and I'll be a lot happier when we can get some answers. I knew I shouldn't have told that silly girl about the catacombs. She probably went straight to them and decided to explore." Tim shook his head and smiled.

Filia turned, and bowed slightly in Kerrem's direction. "Nice to meet you. My name is Filia; please be nice to me..." she whispered. Then, she turned back to Tim. "The catacombs...?"

Tim nodded and answered Filia. "Catacombs. Supposedly underneath the city of Kytares, there lies some catacombs. Inside, there's supposed to be some clue that leads to some ultra-powerful object; you know how these legends go. Well, anyway, Briar was interested in knowing just what was in Kytares that was so intriguing me. What I didn't tell her, though, is just how I got this information. Somebody has been attacking me through my book and leaving this infomation in the form of false memories. It's one of the reasons why I wanted you to borrow that book of mine. The attacks are easier to deal with when I'm not holding it. I've also noticed that everyone else seems immune to these attacks. I didn't want her to worry about that."

Filia simply nodded. "Perhaps... Val-chan might be..." she thought out loud, and then quickly shut her mouth.

"Gah!" said Kerrem, in shock. "Lina and Gourry... You mean THE Lina Inverse and THE Gourry Gabriev?" He grinned wildly. "I'm gonna be famous! Oh yea! I'm gonna be famous!" yelled Kerrem as he started jumping around and chanting those words over and over again. Then he suddenly stopped. "Hey! Lina, I'm a sorcerer too! See, watch, I'm gonna shoot that bush over there!" said Kerrem as he pointed at a small unassuming shrub. "FLARE ARROW!" he shouted. The next thing the group saw was him running in circles, yelling, "MY BUTT'S ON FIRE!"

After putting his butt out Kerrem asked, "Ultra-powerful object... as in really amazing item, right?" Kerrem thought for a moment. If Lina's a powerful sorcerer and Gourry's already got the world-famous Sword of Light, then.... "I've got dibs on it if it's a sword!" he yelled.

Lina grinned proudly, then lifted an eyebrow at the newcomer. "Who says I don't want that object, even if it IS a sword?" she asked, tilting her head. "And who says the others here don't want it either? Really, I think it might haveta be a group thing. But our main concern is Briar, right?"

"Who was that again?" Gourry asked, then got hit upside the head.

"And Val-chan," Filia added quickly.

"But... but... but.... Okay, I give in. We find Briar," Kerrem started, then shifted to a sulking mood. "Then we decide who gets this Item," he mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard.

Lyssa walked over beside him, wondering who this stranger was and why he'd joined their group so suddenly.

"Hello, don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you," said Kerrem, smiling at the young elf. "The name's Kerrem Dor'vu." He finished with a slight bow. "I wonder..." he said, thinking aloud. After a moment his lips twisted into a smile.

"Wonder what?" Lyssa's head cocked to one side in an almost bird-like manner.

"Come on," the boy said, motioning to the group impatiently. Lina, Gourry, Tim, Kerrem, and Filia instantly started following him, not glancing back.

"Mmmmm...," Rill grumbled. "Why do we have to go save that Briar girl?" He reached out to snuggle Sarino. And fell to the ground. Sitting up, the scaly boy bobbed his head to and fro, looking for his beloved. "Waaaaa!" he cried, for Filia had Sarino in tow. Rill glanced at the others. Only Sai remained, along with Lyssa, who was fawning over a reluctant Ninoa. Rill had a sudden picture of him and his Chosen snuggling. "Come, Koi-san. Let us rejoin the others." With that, he grabbed Sai's hand and began dragging the other boy as he pursued his other two.

"Huh, Sai?" Ninoa looked up. "SAI!" she cried, seeing him bouncing and skipping behind Rill. "Grr... How dare he treat Sai like that!" She hopped up and began chasing them. Lyssa, still hoping to get into Ninoa's good graces, bounded playfully after her.

The boy led them to a small grove of trees near a brook. In addition to the rustling of the underbrush, there was also the noise of Rill, Ninoa, Sai, Lyssa, and Filia, who were having a muffled fight. Tim, Kerrem, and Gourry looked on, sweatdropping.

Lina was doing her best to pay attention to the kid, but the argument behind her.... She held up a fist, trying to control her irritation. Suddenly, she heard someone say something. Something... very unwise. "Minna...," she turned around slowly. Suddenly her head morphed into its giant, scary, pissed-off Lina head. "Who. Is. The. Short. Flat. Chested. Redhead?" Everyone suddenly went chibi, flailing their arms and legs wildly in fright. "Fireball!" Ah! I feel so much better now, Lina thought. Behind her, the entire party looked blankly at her, charred and blackened.

"Here it is!" The boy popped back out of the underbrush. "The tunnel into the city!"

The tunnel was dank and mossy. It was small, too, barely wide enough for two of them to go abreast. The only light came from the spell Lina carried above her shoulder.

"I don't like this," Tim whispered to Lina.

She nodded. "Me either." She wished that Zelgadis were here. He was always calm.

Suddenly, the ground trembled. "What the!" the boy cried, dropping to his knees to keep his balance. "What's going on?" The silence was supreme. Then the ground jumped. The entire party was flung roughly into the ceiling and walls as the ground thrashed and groaned in agony.

"W-what's happening?!" cried Filia.

"Earthquake!" Tim yelled back. "Stay calm!"

The floor of Briar's hotel room trembled from the aftershocks of the spell. Gauging by the flash which had momentarily illuminated the city, she'd say it had been a Dragon Slave, more than likely. Interesting.

Meanwhile in the Kytares Arena, other entertainment was just beginning. Usually the most exciting thing going on in the mountain city was the occasional bard's convention, or a round of betting on a tense game of cards. But this week, the Slayers Continental Wrestling Association was in town. In fact, several of the city guards had closed the city gates early so they could get in line and get good seats....

Besides the usual grudge matches and rivalries we have all come to expect from the SCWA, tonight there was a title fight. A few months ago in Atlas City, current champion The Mysterious Mazoku had bushwhacked a wrestler named Red Okonagi and stolen his championship belt. Red had gone through all the contenders and lackeys of The Mysterious Mazoku, and tonight, it was payback time.

Suddenly, a voice reverberated all throughout the arena. "CAN YOU SMELLLL... WHAT THE RED... IS COOKING!" Music began to play, and the enthused spectators got to their feet and cheered as a man walked into the ring.

He was called the Most Electrifying Man in Fighting Entertainment. His fans considered him cute, sexy, and a great fighter -- as tough as they come. He considered himself an excellent speaker and a great person.

Red Okonagi got onto the turnbuckle and began to absorb the electricity that his enthused fans were filling the air with. They began to cheer, "OKO-NAGI! OKO-NAGI! OKO-NAGI!" He closed his eyes and absorbed the love and power they were giving him. I know... that they can all smell what I am cooking!

Slowly, Red took the microphone and pressed it against his lips. He looked up into the sky, then began to speak in a voice both soft and firm. "Finally, Red has come back to the Kytares arena!" His fans roared their approval. "Red has been through HELL AND HIGH WATER! Red defeated all his enemies... then one day, a TRAGEDY happened! RED LOST THE CHAMPIONSHIP BELT!" The crowd began to boo and let out their hatred for the current SCWA champion.

"THAT ROOOTY POOO CANDIED ASS MAZOKU STOLE THE BELT FROM RED! Ever since then, Red had to go into matches against his butt buddy friends, Frick and Frack, Mike and Ike, Bob and Rob... ahh, it doesn't matter what their names were! The fact of the matter is, Red Okonagi has gone through all obstacles, Red Okonagi is here, and RED OKONAGI IS GOING TO LAYETH THE SMACKETH DOWN ON MAZOKU'S CANDIED ASS AND TAKE THAT BELT AWAY FROM HIM!" The fans cheered loudly, stomping their feet and shaking the arena. They loved Red, and Red loved his fans.

Red was about to continue when a most disturbing thing happened. A loud explosion flared up somewhere outside the arena, and the entire world was shaken by some kind of earthquake. Once it was over, Red raised one eyebrow... and a loud alarm began to wail. Suddenly, most of his audience began grabbing their swords in alarm and taking off! That's the problem when most of your fans are members of the city guard -- if there's an alert, they have to go check it out, no matter WHO's on stage.

Pretty soon, Red was practically alone in the arena. He took off his sunglasses and looked around in shock. It was pretty clear to him what had just happened. "Who... are the rooty poos who've taken away Red's fans? Red says NO, NO, THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!"

He began to race off towards the exit. "Red says he's going to find the jabronis who caused this commotion, and LAY THE SMACKDOWN ON THEIR CANDIED ASSES, IF YOU SMELLLLL... WHAT THE RED...."

There was a long pause. Complete silence filled the utterly still arena. Red practically growled. No one was cheering. No one was stomping their feet or filling the air with electricity. "IS COOKING," he finished and stormed out of the arena.

Suddenly, everything was still inside the tunnel. The silence was even more oppressive this time. Light flickered on as Lina recast the spell. "Is everyone okay?" Seeing the party getting back to its collective feet, she breathed a sigh of relief. "What was that all about?"

Their guide looked terrified. "I-I don't know! Something must have happened back at the city!" He took off in a sprint. Very quickly the entire party was on his heels.

They burst out of the tunnel through a poorly sealed wooden door. A quick glance revealed the place to be a large, mostly empty warehouse. Empty except for the small army standing in a half-circle around the entrance. They carried assorted weaponry, and were dressed in the garb of the town guard. "Good job, kid." The leader, a beefy, bearded man, tossed a jingling bag to the boy. "Now get lost." The kid did just that.

A look of fury appeared on Lina's face. "What?! Why you...."

The door burst open behind the group, startling everyone. "G-General!" an exhausted man sank to his knees. "The Market Quarter! It's destroyed!" The man's eyes fell on Lina, and he screamed with terror. "I-it's h-her! S-she d-did it!" he stammered, pointing. His finger moved to Tim. "H-he w-was w-with h-her!"

The general's head swiveled. "WHAT! You destroyed our precious town! I can't forgive that! SHOW THEM NO MERCY!" And with that, the militia charged.

Ninoa was confused at the whole turn of events. She had felt as though she was gliding through the past day and didn't truly experience things as they happened to her. This happened from time to time... she felt her body was sometimes not her own. It was a strange feeling, and one that left her in odd situations... like this one. Now she was faced with a buncha people that she didn't even know why they were attacking them....

Filia's eyes darted to each one of the buff men. There were so many! No time, she couldn't transfer into dragon form. "Stop, we mean no harm!" she cried, and placed her arms up to protect herself. It looked like they were not going to listen to reason. Maybe... maybe it was time for the God's Spell?! She shouldn't... but there were so many attackers.... "Anakusolum naggkwacreem CHAOS DISINTEGRATE!" A spray of golden rays flew through the air, hitting several of the men and making them fly backwards. "Gomen nasai!" she called, feeling ashamed.

Lina's eyes lit up as she looked to Filia, clapping joyfully. "That's how it's done!"

Filia cupped her hands cutely under her chin. She blushed wildly. "Lina-san," she said, embarassed.

The sorceress ignored her friends' embarrased glares and turned to the men who were hit with Filia's spell. "How the hell could we have destroyed your marketplace? I haven't even BEEN here before!" Her hands were on her hips with determination. Gourry sweatdropped... she was doing that 'cool pose' thing again....

Tim put his hand to his head. "Idiots," he muttered under his breath. Then he looked at the officers and spoke in a pleading tone. "Look, we aren't behind the earthquake. That requires subtlety, which as you can clearly see we lack. If it was us, your city would've been totally destroyed with nothing left but a giant crater, which you can clearly see isn't the case. We apologize for our running around in the streets after dark, but one of our group was kidnapped and the kidnapper is inside your city walls." Tim had a feeling this was probably too little, too late. It needed to be said anyway, just in case things really got ugly.

"Earthquake!" The messenger had regained his breath. "You call a crater in the middle of the market an earthquake!" He flung a stone at Tim. "Do you have any idea how many people were caught in that blast?!"

He looked at the guard. "Unfortunately I do not. I wasn't there. I happen to like Kytarian Hot Chocolate. I was looking forward to getting some. I can't get that if the market's destroyed. I'm as angry as you are that some lunatic destroyed it. In fact, I'll even offer to help you find them. The lunatics, in this case, however, weren't us. It's probably the group that kidnapped our friend, now that I think about it."

More men arrived, ready to fight and unwilling to listen. "OHHH Nooo..." Filia said, eyes turning wide, overwhelmed by it all. She fell to her knees, and brought out a cup of tea from nowhere. "Oh dear... the stress is not helping me in the least...." She took a sip and sighed loudly. "Ahh... nice and warm...."

"Well, I see Filia's gunna be no help," Lina remarked, turning to Tim. "We can't let these guys hold us up! We--"

"Oi," Gourry started, walking up to the soldiers and what not. "We just got here. Ano.... We'd help you find the bad guys if we weren't already trying to rescue someone. Sorry 'bout your town." Then he turned to Lina. "Can we go now?" Lina had a sweatdrop about the size of a small horse.

As yet more soldiers poured into the area, Kerrem took stock of the situation. "Oh great, taking on the city guard is not what I had in mind for getting famous. But hey, I never did take kindly to obeying orders." With that, Kerrem drew his sword and charged into the mass of soldiers. "Gourry, if you're not too busy, it would be nice to have some HELP!" yelled Kerrem as he plunged into the fray.

More rocks were flung at Tim by the guardsmen, their accuracy improving. Gourry looked back and forth at the two guards, and suddenly went super-deformed as he fled the two super-deformed guards swiping madly at him. The rest of them reached that critical point in their charge, where they leapt dramatically and were preparing to come down on various members of the party.

Tim looked around at the battle in disgust. This COULD have been discussed in a calm, rational manner. But no.... As the rocks came closer and closer, Tim got an idea. Time for the guards to feel like they're competent, Tim mused to himself. He moved up to the guards, who were still throwing rocks at him, and allowed one to get so close to his head that no one could dispute that it hit him.

When the rock 'hit', Tim pretended to fall down onto his back. He quickly cast two spells. The first raised up a cloud of dust. The second spell came directly from Briar's forte; it was an illusion spell. Specifically, he cast Invisibility on himself. Then Tim departed from where he'd landed before anyone could figure out just what had happened. Within seconds, he was out of the warehouse, without anyone the wiser.

Lyssa looked from Sai to the guards, made a little whimper, and stepped back. A sigh escaped her as she dropped her cape to the ground and began to chant, low, under her breath, focusing on the guards. She let the spell grow a little, then cast, "DEMONA CRYSTAL!" She did so hate to actually KILL people.

Kerrem jumped out of the crowd as the spell hit, and landed beside Lyssa. "Good timing," Kerrem said through his gasps for breath. "I could really use a break," he finished before catching his breath. "Cast away; I'll stop them before they break your concentration," Kerrem said overconfidently.

Lyssa looked at Kerrem, blinking. "SUUUUUURE you will, Child." She giggled and resumed turning guards into popsicles.

"I'M NOT A CHILD!" yelled Kerrem as he lit into the guards once more. Geez, these people are getting on my nerves with this 'child' stuff, he thought. "I wish Master were here," he mumbled as he engaged the guards who hadn't been frozen yet.

The sword held to Lyssa's back by a leather harness glowed faintly as she cast magic. Now lacking the cover of her thick cape, it was free to draw in the energy from her spell and amplify it. This thought finally occurred to Lyssa and she unsheathed the blade, using it as a focus to intensify her spell, allowing it to encompass ALL of the 'bad guys', and once again, resumed turning the guards/soldiers into popsicles.

The window of Briar's hotel room was wide open. A small lizard crawled in, onto the ceiling. It surveyed the room with its slimy eyes. "O.K.," it whispered. "Coast's clear." Two zombies slipped in through the window, followed by a short man bundled up in several layers of clothes. The lizard dropped from the ceiling and landed in one of the man's many pockets.

The zombies looked about the room. "Well?" said the man. The zombies looked at him, utterly confused. "Find the girl!" the man snapped. "He wants to have a word with her!"

A silken noose settled silently around the bundled man's neck and jerked tight. He clutched at his throat as the thin cord cut into his neck. A soft, seductive voice with a black widow quality whispered into his ear. "The door serves a purpose. Very much like politeness. Do you know what the purpose of that door is?" the voice said in the same seductive tone. The man felt liquid on his fingers, warm and sticky. He gasped, unable to do anything else. "It's to hide your death." Her breath was warm on his ear. "Your friends are useless without you to command them, and they'll never see me. My poisons will kill you in slightly less time than my noose." Her voice went hard. "Your life can be saved by one thing. I need two answers from you and I may spare you. Who is He and where may I find him?" Her voice went pleasant again. "And before you say anything, 'I'll take you to him' is a wrong anwer."

"Then why don't I come to you?" came a dark voice behind her. She spung around and found herself looking into the two red eyes of a nine-foot-tall monster. How he'd been able to fit through the window, she didn't know. With a scaly green hand, the beast slapped the noose out of Briar's hand. The little man, set free by this, fell to the floor, holding his throat and gagging. "Dobal?" the beast asked in a tone that showed he was not at all pleased. The little man cringed. "I thought I told you to find her," it said, pointing to the girl, "not take her by surprise!"

"We had to come in that way!" Dobal said, gesturing towards himself and the two decaying bodies. "I think that the common folk would get a little suspicous with two corpses walking down the halls! Besides, we--"

The beast moved its other hand, which wore a black gauntlet, and the little man went flying into the wall. It then turned back to Briar. She now noticed the mask it wore, and its bloody armor. "Forgive him; he knows nothing of manners." The giant bowed and continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the dark warrior Oni. You must be Briar."

A quick flick of her wrist had her noose back into her hand. Sucker, she thought. "Touch me again without askin', bucky, an' you'll find that your armor doesn't protect you as well as you might think it does." She reached over and began to put her clothing on, for she hadn't had the time to dress after her bath. The fact that she'd been naked all through the situation did not seem to bother her in the least. "I assume I'm supposed to be impressed, at least to the degree of accordin' you some sorta respect for your occupation." Skirt on, she walked over to Dobal's form. "Good. He'll never interrupt a lady's bath again." Slipping on her halter, she turned back to Oni. "Unlucky for you, I don't impress real easy." She crossed the room again and seated herself in a chair, facing Oni, legs crossed. "First off, you hire incompetents. Fools use idiots, and idiots use fools." She leaned to one side, resting her head on her palm. "Secondly, you're in a position where you aren't sure of the outcome." She smiled coldly. "Thirdly, I'm a fickle bitch, and due to you, my nice, comfortable bath was ruined." Her expression became matter-of-fact. "You did punish him, however. And if you get those things," she pointed at the zombies, "out of here, you'll only have two strikes against you. They stink. Do it in a manner that doesn't add to the stench, and I'll hear you out."

Oni stared at her; his eyes seemed to be on fire. He suddenly threw his head back and laughed. "No one's ever talked to me that way before." He raised his hand to his chin, eyeing her, and after a long silence, he anounced, "I think you're the one I've been looking for."

The door suddenly flew open, and three guards came rushing in. "We heard some loud banging and thought you were in trouble, ma'am, so we...." The guard's eyes then fell upon Oni.

The giant was no longer pleased in the least. "Fools," he said as his humble nature became savage. The lawmen began to tremble. "HOW RUDE!" he yelled. The first cop screamed and burst into flames. The second turned to leave, only to have his head severed by Dobal, who was up and wielding a giant blade. The third was attacked from behind by the two zombies who were full of life again. Oni then snapped his fingers, and the five corpses were gone, leaving him, Dobal, and Briar, with the sweet smell of pine hanging in the air. "Sent them to the astral plane," he said matter-of-factly. He turned back to her. "Shall we talk?"

Poor saps, she thought. Never knew what hit 'em. Briar was still seated. "You have a certain lack of subtlety about you. A total lack of it, apparently." She smiled and folded her hands across her chest. "But there's a certain charm in that." She waited expectantly.

"I don't care much for planning," Oni replied. "I've done it for so long in the past that it feels useless now." He sat down on the floor and looked at Dobal, who was now holding something. "Dobal," said Oni. "You watch the door, and make Eynin watch the window."

Dobal nodded, and put the lizard, who was in his hands, on the floor. "Eye?" he said, and the lizard looked up at him with respect, as a dog would. "Watch the window," he then said, along with some words in a tongue that Briar didn't understand. Eye nodded its head, and scurried to the window, watching the outside world. Dobal moved himself to the door, and drew his giant blade.

Oni looked back at Briar. "Now that we have complete privacy, let's get down to why I'm here, if that's okay with you."

Her brow quirked. Her spell was in place, so she wasn't particularly worried about intrusion, anyway. "Like to repeat yourself, do you?" She waited, again, for him to speak.

"You have to point everything out, don't you?" Oni replied, slightly miffed. "Oh, let's forget that. Now, the reason I am here is that I am looking for a magical relic of unimaginable power." He held up a scroll and unraveled it, showing a picture of an eye inside an upside-down triangle. "This," he continued, "is the Eye of Zar. This baby has enough juice to control almost all mortals' minds in this world." He rolled up the scroll and placed it back inside his cloak. "But that's not the reason I want it." He got up and loomed over Briar. "It's the only piece of the Elders' magic that will control an unstoppable weapon of destruction." Oni turned away from her. "The Golem Bakmondo, a twenty-three-metre-tall monster that will obey whoever holds the Eye of Zar."

Briar resisted the urge to laugh out loud. Partly because Oni's attempts to be 'intimidatingly mysterious' were rather transparent and laughable, especially from where she was sitting. Secondly, the Eye of Zar. That was one of the lesser items lost when the wizard of ancient times, Algernorna, and his lands had been destroyed. Which was interesting, since Algernora had also created the Power of Command, according to both her sources and Tim as well. And thirdly, it was called 'Eye' for a reason.

She uncrossed her legs and recrossed them. "Okay. Now, let me point out something that should be rather blindingly obvious to someone of your intelligence. It's an 'eye', not 'eyes', and there is only one golem. The implication is that only one person gets this 'item of phenominal cosmic power.' Now," Briar said coldly. "I'm insulted if you think so little of me that you think you could slip that by me. I won't forgive that."

She began to worry with her bangs, twirling them around a finger. "I assume that you plan on getting that item for yourself, as you're the one who thought of it." She began studying her fingernails on her other hand. "So, what do I get out of it?" She glanced up at him. "And it had better be up front, because I won't have time to have fun with it after you get your item." She resumed polishing her nails. "Unless you're the most idiotic and incompetent Mazoku in existance. Which I assume isn't the case."

Oni stared at Briar, feeling for the first time like a complete moron. What could he do? This girl was like a headmaster and he was her new student. Maybe I made a mistake, he thought to himself. But then again, they said that she'd have an attitude.... He started to review the plans, wondering if he really needed her or not, but then decided it was definitely for the better that she come along.

He fished into his pockets and produced a bag a little bit bigger than his fist. He threw it on the bed and looked at Dobal. The little man nodded, concealed his weapon, and snapped his fingers. The little lizard jumped from the window into Dobal's pocket. "If you are interested, the money's in the bag, and we'll be waiting down at the bottom of the hotel for you. If not," he moved to the door and draped his cloak over himself, "the money will return to me, and this night will be like it never happened." He opened the door. "Sorry to have wasted your time." He slowly closed the door behind him.

Well, at least he admits it, she thought as the door closed. The Briar in the chair vanished like the illusion it was. From the place she had been seated the whole time, she rose and hefted the bag. "Money?" She sighed. "Why does no one ever offer a bevy of handsome male masseuses?" She began to pack her stuff. This was interesting, yes, if for no other reason than it would give her a chance to endear herself to the others even more. 'Course, Oni never actually said what he wanted her for. It didn't matter really. If she didn't like it, she would leave, and that would be that.

"Gorn Nova? Interesting." The voice was soft.

Briar whirled around, at once startled and furious that anyone had snuck up on her, and seen through her spell as well. "DYNAST BRAS!" Lightning struck the kneeling figure.

"Please," the man said, standing. Briar recognized him as the dark suited man from the earlier fight. "I am not in the mood for such games."

Were the man mortal or anything less than a very powerful Mazoku, what Briar hit him with would have melted his mind. As it was, the man laughed. With remarkable grace and speed, the man reached out and grabbed Briar, ignoring it all. She punched him desparately, hoping her next to the last trick would work.

It did, sort of. The man skidded back a foot. In that time, she launched her self at the door, only to be knocked out of the air as the man viciously struck the back of her neck.

"Now," the man rolled her over with his foot. "I like you, so I will forgive this one rudeness." His voice was soft, showing no signs of exertion. "I'm going to offer you a deal. You will be my agent. Or I will kill you."

She struggled to rise, but the man did not move his foot. "W...what do you want?" She glared at him.

"Good. You are being reasonable. I have an agenda and I want you to assist me. I am a very lax employer, and I will not make many demands of you." He smiled. "In fact, I want you to continue as you have been." He removed his foot and offered her a hand.

Briar sat up, wincing. Studying the hand, she weighed her options. They weren't good; she would not be able to take him by herself, even if she used her last trick. She was beaten, and knew it. With a nod, she took it.

"Good," he said, pulling her to her feet. "In exchange, I will grant you a measure of power." He held a finger out and looked her over. "It leaves a mark. Where would you like it?"

She told him without hesitation. There was a slight tingle, and it was over.

"A measure of reality pervades your spells now, servant," he said as he turned. "I shall return this," he pointed to the sword. "It suits me for him to have it for now."

"Yes. Before you leave... who are you?"

"De'Esem." With that, he was gone, and time began to flow again.

"A measure of reality to her spells" he had said. "Servant." She scowled. Not again. He would pay, yes, though it kill her.

Oni and Dobal sat at the pub in the hotel. Oni watched his drink as he swirled it around in its glass, his eyes cold. He felt nothing. Not even anger that the girl had insulted him.

"Oni," came a child's voice behind him.

He grimaced. He spun his head to see a small boy staring up at him. "Of all the days," he said as he turned back to his drink. "Of all the #$#@$% days!"

"You have much blood on your hands!" the boy said.

"Shut up," replied Oni.

"Your days are numbered, monster! Your...."

Oni cut the kid off by smacking him in the face. "SHUT UP! I'M IN A BAD MOOD!" he yelled as he lifted the kid up by his neck. The whole pub was silent. Dobal still sat in his chair, inhaling his drink. Oni tightened his grip, his eyes full of rage.

"The... they're here," the boy said. "I have brought them here! Made a little cash on the side, too; city guard's been after 'em for a while now...."

Oni's eyes widened, and he brought the boy close. "You little freak! CAN'T EVEN FIGHT YOUR OWN BATTLES, CAN YOU?" He dropped the boy, and drew his sword, a ten-foot saber. "I have not the patience to play with you tonight," he said. "So I shall end our little game!" He lifted his sword, and sliced the boy's head off.

The boy's body and head disappeared shortly, and Oni sat back down next to Dobal. "Bartender, more rum," he said. No one in the pub dared to move. "BARTENDER!" he yelled, and had his glass filled by five others who dared not make him wait another second.

Oni finished that one last drink, and stood up. "Let's go, Dobal," he said. "It looks as though we've been stood up."

"But sir, what of the money?" Dobal said as he hopped down from his seat. "Won't it return to us?"

"I'll let her keep it," Oni said as they walked past the nervous patrons of the bar.

Dobal looked surprised as they stepped out the door. "But sir, I thought...."

Oni picked him up and held him to his face. "YOU THOUGHT WHAT? THAT SHE WAS REALLY GOING TO JOIN US?" He then threw Dobal into the air and watched as he fell on top of a very sharp rock. Oni walked over and plucked him off the rock, then dropped him to the ground.

Dobal stood up and looked at the hole in his chest. It suddenly was covered up by his coat stitching back together. "I really wish you wouldn't do that, boss. It does sting, you know."

"It must be better than this!" Oni snarled as he hit Dobal with a well-placed backhand, ripping off his head.

The ripped stitching at Dobal's throat suddenly became a new head. "Ow!" said Dobal's new head, as his hands rubbed his neck.

Oni looked at the sky, and then they both continued on their journey. "You really are a moron," Oni finally said as they passed what looked like the remains of a marketplace.

"How so? I thought she had the right stuff!" Dobal said as he stepped over a charred body.

"I'll give her that," Oni said. "She did get the slip on you." His eyes narrowed. "And she got me, too."

"Where to now?" Dobal asked.

Oni shut his eyes and then snapped them open. "Now, we go and find them," he said at last.

A horn was blown and the cry went out. Across the city, special people donned their armor. They took to the streets, first one, then three, then seven, continually growing until they formed full units. There were seven units, of which each individual wore matching armor, carried matching shields and swords, and each, over their left eye, bore a distinctive insignia. They converged towards the threat.

"The Null Knights!" the old folk watching from their porches whispered. "The city's safe now!" mothers said quietly to their children. "They're soo coool!" young ladies gushed to their friends.

The Null Knights took this in stride, and continued their march. There was sorcery afoot in this town, dangerous sorcery. But it would stop, come to a screeching halt very shortly. Yes, it would!

"So, handsome," Briar said cheerfully, appearing right next to Oni and kicking a charred head out of her way. "What'd you need my help for, anyway?"

Oni and Dobal stopped and turned around. "You dare to show your face!" Dobal suddenly yelled. "I don't...."

He was suddenly quiet as Oni's hand smacked him into a wall. "Shut up, dimwit," Oni said. He turned back to Briar. "I need your help to find that relic," Oni said. He then looked at the ground. "But for that, I'll have to tell you the truth."

His speech was cut off as a bunch of men in armor came running down the street towards them. "Oh boy," said Dobal.

"Halt!" yelled one of the guards. Ten of them surrounded the three conspirators as the others took off to their destination. "Who are you?" demanded a guard. "I don't remember seeing your faces before!"

Oni looked at Briar. She was not pleased. As for Dobal, he was looking forward to some fun. "Please," Oni said in a mocking tone of voice, raising his hands, "don't hurt us." He walked toward one of the men. In a flash, he had the guy hanging four feet off the ground by the neck. "Let's play a game, shall we?" he asked, and in an instant had snapped the man's neck.

Briar frowned and made a mental note to start including Oni in her spells. Leaving a bloody swath across Kytares was just so... inefficient. No matter. No one in this town would see her true face anyway, and if this was the way her new employer wanted to work, that was fine by her. A quick dance of her fingers took care of that one possible complication.

Now, to impress the locals. "DUG WAVE!" she cried. In the center of the group of guards, the earth, the very ground rippled and burst in an powerful explosion, throwing soldiers into walls or to the ground.

"Well, that was a waste!" complained Dobal, who had expected more of a fight from the men.

"Were these Kytares's famous Null Knights?" said Oni, looking down at the heap of remains.

"More like the Dull Knights if you ask me," stated Dobal, as he kicked one of the bodies, or what was left of one.

"Strangely enough, no one was asking you." Oni then held up his hand.

Dobal looked back at him. His boss was looking off into what was left of the town. Looking for something. "What is it, boss?" Dobal asked.

Oni's face turned into a scowl. "I smell something." He looked about the area. "O.K., stranger! Come out!" he finally said. Briar wondered if her new employer had lost it. "I can smell you," Oni continued. "I can feel your power, and I can hear your breath." He kept on staring into the darkness. "But I seem to be having a little trouble seeing you." His tone rose with great speed. "Come out!"

A shadowy figure materialized in the street. It was an old man, wearing a cloak. "Hello, Oni. Who's your new flunky?"

Oni's eyes began to burn with rage. "Lazar."

"FLUNKY?" yelled Briar. "Why you...!" She waved her hands and a fireball flew at the old man.

He lifted his staff and shunted the fireball away. "Give it up, Oni," he said. "You can't win. Listen to your grandfather."

Oni covered his ears. "STOP IT! YOU'RE NOT MY GRANDFATHER! YOU'RE A LIE!" He drew his sword. "You will die, old man."

"Not while evil walks this earth," Lazar said, as he removed his hood.

Sipping her drink in the outdoor portion of a cafe, Briar watched the interchange between Oni and Lazar. Layer upon layer, she thought. If I weren't so damn good, even I'd start gettin' mixed up. It seemed that someone had told Oni that her skills would be useful and it was rather obvious as to why.

Those soldiers hadn't been Null Knights, otherwise both of the idiots would be dead now. The Null Knights were impervious to magic that could harm them and, as long as they remained in the city, were blessed with exceptional skills. Oni might be able to take out four; the slower Dobal, two. The remaining eighteen knights would just kill them dead. Fortunately, as long as the morons didn't actually try to attack the contingent coming down the street right now, her spell would hold.

It seemed that neither of them had any intention of listening to her about subtlety. Nor did she particularly care to get involved with their little family feud erupting. However, she had said she would lend her aid.... Her fingers danced as she imbued and empowered her double to be 'real'. None of them had penetrated her spells yet, and even if they had, this was one of her highest level ones. With that, she finished her drink, slapped a few illusionary coins down, and left.

Lazar clutched his right arm to hold off some of the bleeding. He's stronger than last time, he thought to himself. Oni stood opposite from him, holding his sword and laughing. The battle had been a long one. Last time they'd fought, Lazar had been able to at least hold him at bay, but Oni had grown since then. Damn his demon half, the old man thought. Because of Oni's demon blood, he could heal his wounds and burns without the help of white magic.

"Had enough, old man?" Oni yelled. Before Lazar could react, Oni leaped at him, raising his saber above his head. Lazar pointed his free hand, still clutching his staff, and let loose a mighty Fireball. Oni dodged it, and just as he was inches away, Lazar disappeared. Oni did a flip and landed on his feet. "COME OUT AND FIGHT, OLD MAN!" he yelled into the night.

"I'll be back," came Lazar's voice from nowhere. "You may have killed Yun, but at least he brought the warriors here. I will go for their help." And like that, the voice was gone.

"COWARD!" Oni yelled.

Staring in horror at the frozen guardsmen, Ninoa whacked Lyssa over the head. "WHY'D YOU HAVE TO DO THAT!" she hollered at the girl. "YOU COULD'VE SUBDUED THEM WITHOUT KILLING THEM!"

Lyssa whimpered and looked at Ninoa. "Gomennasai! I didn't kill 'em.... I just froze 'em. They'll thaw in a while...." She sniffled, rubbing her eyes. "You're so mean to me!" Two bandages appeared over the bump on her head.

Ninoa calmed down. "Well... it's probably okay then. I just got a little carried away... sorry! But if you REALLY want to take care of a group of people without hurting them.... Just watch!" She lifted up her arms with her eyes closed. Muttering a spell and gathering energy, she started to cast it. "Illness of the excess, come to me now," Ninoa began to chant. "Plague my enemies with the sickness of your powers! DOLFUS HANGOVER!" As she spoke this, Ninoa sweatdropped and a gas spread from an aura around her. The gas was light blue and raced toward the remaining, unfrozen guards. As they inhaled, they became ill and started to stumble about, as if... as if they were having hangovers....

"Gee, they look hungover, don't they?" spoke a voice from behind Ninoa.

She spun around to see the strange blue-haired teenage girl from earlier. "What are you doing here!?" Ninoa exclaimed.

"Oh, wrapping up some loose ends," the girl replied with a smile. "I'll take care of these guys for ya. After all, we are friends." Before Ninoa could object, the blue-haired girl pulled a snowball, smaller than her hand, out of nowhere. Tossing it upward, she looked on as it floated in the air. With a blink of her eyes, she made the ball zoom towards the remaining guards. It knocked many of them unconscious. She smiled in delight as they lay in piles after the ball had stopped zooming. "Sayonara, Ninoa-chan," she giggled while disappearing from sight.

Lina put her hands on her hips, glaring at Ninoa and her strange new friend. "Show off...," she said under her breath, then looked at Gourry. "Why didn't YOU attack?"

Gourry looked at her confidently, smiling. "Lina, they were only guards, with no magic or anything. I was waiting for you to tell me I could attack!"

Lina sighed. He was a sweet guy but oh boy some times....

Sai raised one eyebrow. "Hum... Both Ninoa and Lyssa are skilled in magic. Very impressive." He jumped up to the rafters of the warehouse, where he stared at the doors. "I am sure we can expect more guards to show up, though." He folded his arms and started thinking.

Now that the guards were taken care of for now, Kerrem walked towards Gourry. He spoke in a calm voice which grew into a yell. "I could have used your help a while ago, but you decided to WAIT!"

Stuck in SD mode, Gourry blinked at Kerrem, his arms flailing cutely.

After yelling at Gourry, Kerrem walked towards a wall of the warehouse and sat down. He began rummaging through his pack for something. The entire time he was looking in his pack he was mumbling somthing about "brains", "bricks", and "doing all the work". Kerrem brought two things out of his bag; a pendant, and some food for himself. "If no one minds, I'll just have my dinner now." He began eating calmly, waiting for the next move.

Calmly looking to Kerrem, Lyssa lifted a shoulder in an indifferent shrug. "Whatever you want, Child."

Kerrem looked up from his dinner. "Huh? I wasn't paying attention."

She chuckled at Kerrem's blissful ignorance and walked over to him as the boy enjoyed his food. "A child, Youthling... to me you are a child." Her smile turned to an 'uh-oh' look and a sweatdrop formed over her head as her tummy rumbled. Giggling, she rubbed the back of her neck. "C-can I have some too?" So much for her ACTING her real age....

"Ummmm... sure. If you say the words 'I am terribly sorry for calling you a child'," Kerrem said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "If not, then forget it."

Elven ears drooping, and smile turning into an oh so pitiful pout, Lyssa looked down. "But you ARE a child... an' an' an' an'...." The girl, who actually did appear to be younger than Kerrem, just sat and looked at him, a big flood of tears waterfalling from each eye down her cheeks. "You're so mean!" With that, she got up and ran over to hug the nearest person, still whimpering. A little odd, how someone her age still needed to be cuddled.....

Sai folded his arms. Kerrem and Lyssa were occupied with each other. Lina and Gourry and most of the others were just standing among the frozen or unconscious guards. And Filia was still drinking her tea. It didn't look like anyone was likely to get moving soon. "Hum.... This sucks." He sat down and lowered his head in deep thought. Questions came to his mind; questions about his father, his clan, his mission.... "Better think this out." Sai then went into meditation.

Lina rolled her eyes, then, smiling, looked at Kerrem and Lyssa. They did look sorta cute together. Of course... she wouldn't say anything about that to them. It would backfire, and she'd get it in the face.... She glanced at Gourry. And she didn't want anyone bringing something like that up again and again.... Slightly she blushed.

Gourry then looked to Lina. "Oi... what's the matter, Lina?" he asked, tilting his head.

Lina's eyes quickly darted away. Why the hell had she been staring at him?!

Filia continued to sip at her tea nervously. She sighed with pleasure as the warm liquid ran down her throat. Her table was a crate just sitting around in the warehouse. Again, she picked up her cup, and this time simply stared at it...

Resting his elbows on the makeshift table and setting his chin upon loosely laced fingers and hands, Rill smiled at Filia cheerfully.

Filia blinked at the new visitor at her table. She shook that away; she was being rude! "Rill-san... doozo," she said, handing him a steaming cup of warm tea.

"Hm?" Rill squeaked, coming out of his reverie. "Mn, thank you, sweet gold." He took the cup gingerly and stared down at the liquid contents within. He seemed abashed as he blinked owlishly at her. "What is this?"

Filia raised an eyebrow. "You don't know what this is?" She mentally slapped herself for that question. That was very rude of her. "Gomen nasai, it's tea. It helps me stay calm." With that said, she took another sip of her own.

Ninoa then sat down at the table, joining the little tea party in session. "I'd like to have a cup too, Domo." She smiled childishly, waiting for Filia to reply.

Filia giggled; so many people were joining her little party! "Doozo," she said while handing Ninoa her cup of tea. "We should make a plan," she said suddenly, quite thoughtfully. "We need to retrieve my child, and our lost friend. Just running around blasting guards is accomplishing nothing." She took another sip of tea; right then she needed to be calm.

Lina's eyes narrowed as she growled. "Why are you all drinking tea?!" she exclaimed, hands in tight fists. "Don't we have people to save?!" Her voice just kept rising, and it took all Gourry's strength to hold her back. "Let's go! Filia, do you want to save your son or not?! If so, we still have to save Briar!" She knew it sounded cold, but she didn't know how much time they had left.

Filia looked to Lina with pure shock. How could she say such things?!

Gourry was worried, as he looked first to Filia, and then to Lina. He knew she couldn't be enjoying this. "Lina...," he murmured quietly.