Sword Muyo

Written by Adrian Tymes

[Legal disclaimer:

This story is based on characters created by Hajime Kanzaka, Rui
Araizumi, Kadokawa Shoten, and others.  Permission is granted to freely
distribute this story, so long as:
a: no recompense of financial value is received or given by the person
who distributes the story, and
b: the distributed copy is identical to the story as originally
authored.
In other words, don't sell it, and don't alter it.

Copyright (c) 2002, all rights reserved, et cetera.]

******

"Mwahahahahaha!"

"Aaah, my sword!"  Gourry leapt to try to retrieve his weapon from the
ceiling, but it stayed annoyingly just out of his reach.

"Fool.  It's magnetized.  No steel shall harm *ME*!"  The villain tapped
Lina's crystal prison, glad that its silence both stopped her from
casting spells and kept from his ears the curses he could see her
mouthing.  "And you...were this girl's last hope?  How pathetic."

"Man, I wish I still had the Sword of Light.  Oh, well, guess I've got
no choice.  RAGNA BLADE!"

Nothing in the history of the world had ever brought a full-on Lina
tirade to a screeching halt.  But, as they say, there is a first time
for everything.  Lina could do nothing but gape as Gourry wielded the
black blade as if he had been born holding it.  While the sorcerer who
had kidnapped her was powerful, Gourry just batted his attack spells
aside without blinking an eye, finishing by reflecting a Dragon Slave
back at its source.  Only when the battle was finished did Gourry slice
open the crystal around Lina.  Under different circumstances, Lina might
have intuited that he had been worried about stray shots hitting Lina if
she needed time to recover from the prison's magic drain; as it was, she
promptly fainted into Gourry's arms.

******

Under other circumstances, the fact that Lina stayed asleep all the way
back to the nearest inn might have indicated severe shock or fatigue.
While this was her condition in this case too, her antagonist in this
case had forsaken the usual remote tower in favor of a nice, suburban
dwelling, so the nearest inn was but a few minutes' walk away.  Said
villain had not realized why remote towers were so popular among his
kind: the local constabulary had been receiving complaints about lost
pets being turned into horrible beasts, hexes placed upon those who
looked at him the wrong way, and the like.  Unfortunately, none of the
complainants had actually witnessed any wrongdoing - those who had
witnessed any tended not to leave his presence alive - so the local
courts could not authorize his arrest.  When the constabulary arrived to
investigate reports of explosions and Gourry told them what happened,
they were more than happy to cart off the charred, but somehow still
living, body to jail.

Gourry was reflecting on how he never even heard the name of their enemy
as he crossed the inn's front door, only to see another familiar face
coming down the stairs.  "Hey, I know you.  Aren't you one of Princess
Amelia's attendants?"

The guard looked up.  "Gourry?  Lina?  Oh, thank the dragons, it *is*
you!"

"Is something wrong?"

"Very...umm, is Lina all right?"

Gourry glanced at the sorceress in his arms.  "Oh, she's just tuckered
out.  That, or she's under a sleep spell.  I can't tell."

"I can fix that.  AWAKENING!"

"Oooh..."  Lina blinked her way back to consciousness.  "Gourry..."

"Are you ok, Lina?"

"I'm fine," she replied weakly, "but you've got five seconds to get your
hand off my-"

"That's not my hand."  Gourry frowned at the attendant.  "If you don't
mind..."

"Oh, sorry.  I *was* thinking she wouldn't mind a Growth spell right
there, given what Amelia's told me about her, but if you insist."  He
removed his hand from Lina's breast.

Lina's eyes snapped wide open, as she leapt from Gourry's grip and
grabbed the guard's collar.  "'Growth' spell?  Those things actually
*exist*?"

"Oh, sure.  Didn't you know?  Amelia's been studying all sorts of
ancient texts that Zelgadis has been unearthing and sending to her.
They've been trying to find a cure for his condition, and while they
haven't found one yet - oh, my, I almost forgot!  Amelia's been hurt!
You've got to save her!"

Priority clashed with priority in Lina's mind, each side warring across
her mental landscape with armies of pure thought, until they discovered
that the conflict was quite pointless since there was a solution to help
both of them.  "Fine.  I'll save Amelia, then you teach me the Growth
spell.  Agreed?"

"Done!  Such a deal!  I thought for sure you'd charge more than that to
save her from your sister."

Lina froze.

"We'd heard that your sister works at the Cafe Ceipheed, a magical
restaurant that moves from town to town according to its owner's whims.
It's said that most of its customers encounter some great or terrible
destiny as a result of eating there, and the food isn't too bad either.
When the restaurant showed up only a day's march from Seyruun, Amelia
decided to come here, to talk to Luna about you if nothing else.  They
knew we were coming and made a reservation - but only for her.  The
restaurant disappeared after she went in.  A short while later, Amelia
reappeared, coughing up blood and clutching her stomach.  She collapsed
before she could tell us what happened.  We took her here to recover,
but none of our white magic could find a thing wrong with her.  We
couldn't even find a wound on her skin."

"..."

"Lina?"

Lina screwed her eyes shut.  "T-time to be scared later..."  She took a
few deep breaths, concentrating hard, then held out her hand.  "Take me
to-"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..."

Lina's eyes snapped open.  "Amelia!"  She dashed off in the direction of
the scream, the two men close behind her.

Amelia's cry had stopped by the time Lina got to her room, though Lina
almost let out a yelp upon brushing through the other worried, but
impotent, attendants present and seeing her friend's condition.
Amelia's skin was whiter than the sheets she lay on, her hands gripping
the sides of the bed hard enough to rip the fabric, and her whole body
shook like a daffodil in a mild earthquake.  Her unseeing eyes were wide
open as her mouth pressed itself shut, suppressing further outbursts.
The only obvious sign of anything specifically wrong was the bulge under
her bellybutton, visible where her shirt had been left pulled up in a
fruitless effort to find injection marks or some kind of wound.

Lina quickly put her hands on Amelia's sides and started tracing
intricate patterns, noting which spots elicited gasps to mark
particularly sensitive spots.  "It's ok, Amelia.  Just hold on, and Lina
will fix you right up."

"L-Li-i-in-na-a?"

The attendant with Gourry relaxed a bit.  "You know what happened to
her?"

"Oh, yeah.  This is *definitely* my sister's handiwork.  No spell I know
of will work on this, but there is a nonmagical cure.  But it's not
going to be pretty."

Gourry blinked.  "You mean...?"

"Mm-hmm."  Lina lifted her hands and applied right palm to back of left
hand, lacing her fingers together.

"Everyone else, get out of here.  And if seeing her like this upsets
you, cover your ears."  Gourry dashed over to the window and opened it.

The attendant already in the hallway started to comply, then noticed
Gourry's hands at his side.  "What about you?"

"I've been through this before.  Lina saved me, too.  I'd be a hypocrite
if I thought any less of Amelia for it."  The swordsman ushered the rest
of the attendants out, then exited as well and closed the door behind
him.

"Li-i-in-n-naaa, hurry..."

"Just a little bit longer."  Lina gently put her free palm on Amelia's
skin and began to rub it around.  "Just have to find the right
spot...THERE!" She took a breath and lunged forward, putting all her
weight against Amelia's bulge.

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPP!"

Still holding her breath, Lina muttered a quick, "Diem Wing!" and
watched the curtains flutter as the foul gases freed from the princess
made their way out the window.

"Ooooh..."  Although Amelia's skin remained pale, her stress melted
away, and soon she was merely resting on the bed like so many before
her, just as limp as the sheets.

"Lemme guess, you had the dragon's blood soup, right?  You gotta be
careful with that.  It did the same thing to me, first time I had it."

"Lina...when Luna said you were going to save me from myself, I didn't
think she meant it this way."

"Yeah, well, that's my sis for you."  Raising her voice towards the door
and releasing her nose, she called out, "Ok, guys, all clear!  You can
proceed with my reward now!"

"Reward?"  Amelia blinked as Gourry and her guards came back in.

"Yeah, they promised to teach me that Growth spell you discovered."

"Growth spell?  But why would you...oh.  Umm, I'm sorry to tell you, but
that only affects an entire body.  You could use it to become a giant,
but not...well..."

Lina sighed.  "Ehh, figured there'd be a catch.  Tell you what, I'll
accompany you back to Seyruun and you can pay me there."

"Actually, Miss Lina, I'm not going straight back to Seyruun.  According
to what Luna told me, it seems I'll have to go bandit hunting.  You're
certainly welcome to come along."

"Bandit hunting, huh?  Any bandit in particular?"

"'That...is a secret.'"

Lina boggled.  "XELLOSS?!?  But...but why would you need to see him?"

"If I told you, you might not believe me.  Let me get my strength back,
and I'll show you.  In the mean time..."  Amelia's eyes scanned her
attendants.  "Whichever one of you misled poor Lina can buy her and
Gourry a snack to make up for it.  And teach her that spell, if you did
promise it."

Gourry smiled.  "Hey-hey!  Justice in action, right?"

"At least I can create *some* justice..."  She was asleep before Lina
could ask her what she meant.

******

Once they were on their way, it did not take long to find a bandit camp
in the forest.  It helped that Gourry had talked the constabulary out of
some hints while Lina was practicing the Growth spell.  A large number
of bandits had turned themselves in recently, and actual raids had
nearly stopped, though Gourry was not certain why - only that the ones
he had talked to were surprised he did not already know, given who he
was with.

Only a single droopy-eyed guard watched the party emerge from the
forest.  He leaned on his spear as he stood in front of the wooden gate
to the camp site.  "Halt, who goes th-*yawn*-ere?"

Lina blinked.  "Geez, pal, not very enthusiastic about this job, are
you?"

"We're low on manpower.  I've had to pull double shifts.  If you are the
constables, come on in, I won't fight.  Just so long as ACK!"

Gourry blinked.  "'As ACK!'?  That doesn't make any sense."

"It's...her..."

The others followed the nervous bandit's shaking pointed finger, to
where Amelia stood on a tree limb high above.  "That's right, it's me,
Amelia, defender of justice!  Put down your weapon and-"

"PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!!!"  The bandit fell to his knees.  "I beg of you!
I've only been doing it since my wife and cattle died of the plague!
All I knew was raising cattle, but I've got two kids to think of!
Please!!!"

Lina blinked.  "Umm...what's going on?"

"What, don't you know who you're traveling with?  It's Amelia of the
Dark Justice!  They say when she inflicts her righteous wrath, monsters
gather to revel in the torture!  No bandit in 'is right mind would dare
stand up to her!"

"Hello?  You've heard of her but not me?"

"...no, sorry, can't say I have.  Should I?"

"Should you?  Ha, should you have heard of Lina Inverse, the bandit
killer?"

"Lina Inverse?  Hmm...yes, yes I have heard that name..."  The bandit
started, then crab-walked away.  "You're the one who taught her black
magic!"

"Well, not quite, but I did..."

"If you're here, then she must be planning something *really*
spectacular to show off!"

"Umm, Gourry?  Is it just me, or is this not the Amelia we knew last
time we were near Seyruun?"

Gourry shrugged.  "I dunno.  'Monsters gather to revel in the torture'?
Never knew she had it in her."

"Well now," a familiar voice echoed from beyond the gate.  "This would
be the point where the bandit goes running off to the village and turns
himself in, swearing never to do evil again, before Amelia *does* get a
chance to act."

The bandit blinked.  "Umm, right!"  He proceeded to do as suggested,
leaving his spear behind.

"Xelloss."  Lina crossed her arms as the named one opened the gate from
the inside.  "I assume you've got something to do with this?"

"My, my.  What a pleasant surprise, Lina.  Sharp as always.  All I had
to do was show up a few times she got the drop on some bandits,
introduce myself, and back up my claims.  After that, well, you know how
rumors spread.  Truth is, I didn't even have to harm anyone...not much,
anyway."

Lina shook her head.  "Do I have to ask *why* you've been ruining her
reputation?"

"Oh, Lina.  I can tell you've already figured it out."  Xelloss turned
around and addressed the camp.  "AMELIA'S HERE!  RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
AMELIA HAS ARRIVED!"

They could see that the gate had been the only opening to the camp site,
with a wooden wall extending all the way around it.  Fear-driven bandits
quickly knocked open several back doors as they fled, leaving Xelloss
almost doubled over in laughter.

"Yeah, I kinda thought that might be it."  Lina sighed.  "But what I'm
really curious about, Amelia, is why you've been letting him do this to
you."

"It's not like I have a choice."  Amelia bounded down from tree limb to
tree limb, finally reaching the ground next to Lina.  "I'm not powerful
enough to defeat someone like Xelloss, and I have to admit, he has
helped."

"Xelloss?  Aiding the cause of justice?  Oh, this I have to hear."

"As you saw, all I have to do is show up and bandits run for their
lives.  They usually turn themselves in.  No one has to get hurt.  I
just wish there was a more effective way than fear, though."

"Mm-hmm.  And Xelloss?  Any particular reason you've been helping Amelia
you'd like to share?  One that *isn't* a secret, this time."

"Oh, Lina.  I'd almost say you don't trust me."

"You got that right."  Lina smiled with Xelloss at their personal joke.

"Well, I suppose I could give you a hint.  Do you remember when you cast
the Dragon Slave to save Seyruun, and that Amelia actually prayed to
Shabrunigdo?  The princess of the human capital of white magic, begging
a dark lord for protection - it caused quite a stir.  Especially when
she prayed again."

"She...WHAT?!?  Amelia, is this true?"

Even though Amelia's eyes were on the ground, she could feel the heat of
her friend's gaze.  "I...I was desperate, Lina.  I didn't know where
else to turn.  I needed to call upon the god or monster I knew best, and
Xelloss was it.  But I didn't have any other way to contact him."

"Hmm, what's this?"  Xelloss leaned in close.  "I was only told to hang
around you for a while, to answer your prayer.  I never imagined you'd
actually asked for my aid.  If I'd known, I would've asked what you
wanted instead of sticking around just long enough to scare your
enemies."

Lina blinked.  "Amelia, what kind of aid could this monster possibly
give you?  You're a champion of justice, a hero and a princess.  You
don't need Xel hanging around clouding that all up."

"Xelloss.  The highest attacks of black magic call upon the dark lords -
like the Dragon Slave, fuelled by Shabrunigdo's power.  Please, teach me
yours."

"My...attack spell?  Hmm, interesting.  No one's called upon my power
like that since before the war between the dragons and monsters.  I
suppose I could show you one or two ways..."

"A spell no one's cast in over a thousand years?"  Lina's eyes lit up.
"Cool!  Hey, teach me, too!"

Xelloss smirked.  "...especially since a certain other sorceress still
hasn't taught you the Dragon Slave.  Apparently, she thought you'd use
power like that irresponsibly.  I, of course, have no such qualms.  Now
listen closely..."

Both sorceresses did, for quite a few seconds, until Amelia broke the
silence.  "Oh!  I get it!"

Lina blinked.  "What?  What?"

"Really, Lina," Xelloss tsked.  "*You* know Telepathy.  If you're going
to eavesdrop, you should really do it properly."

"You mean...?"

"That's right, Lina.  I was only ordered to help Amelia, and I have now
done so.  If you want my spell, ask through the proper channels...or
*maybe* Amelia will teach you, if you're really nice to her."

"Pray to dark lords, or make nice to Amelia.  This is a choice?"  Lina
knelt in front of Amelia, grabbing her by the shoulders.  "Pleeease
teach me that spell, Amelia!"

Amelia looked up in thought.  "Well, if you want the spell that
badly..."

"Yes?"

"...I suppose..."

"Yes?  Yes?"

"...that spell is..."

"TELL ME!"

"...a secret!"  She winked.

Xelloss chuckled at Lina's resulting expression.  "Oh my, Amelia
certainly is a quick learner.  I think my work is more than done here,
but perhaps I'll accompany you back to town anyway.  I'm curious to see
how those bandits are getting along."

******

"Hey, Lina," Gourry queried once they were back in town, having kept
pace with Lina, who was walking slow enough that the others soon left
them behind.  "You've been awfully quiet lately.  Are you all right?"

"Just thinking.  First you pull off the Ragna Blade, then I get to save
Amelia from my own sister's 'service', then I get that new spell I'm
still memorizing, and now Miss Justice starts taking after Xelloss.
It's going to be one of those days."

"Err..."

Lina's demeanor would have changed, but she was already in her 'put
upon' mood.  "Where did I lose you?"

"*I* cast the Ragna Blade?  When did this happen?"

"Never mind."

A nearby shriek attracted their attention.  A girl, slightly younger
than Lina from appearances, fearfully gripped a sword wielded between
herself and a hulking, drooling brute of a man, one that could almost
pass for an ogre in bad light.

Gourry started to draw his own blade, but Lina put her hand over his to
stop the motion.  "Don't bother.  She can take him."

"Lina?"

"I wasn't that much younger when I was learning to use a sword.  This
fight will do her good, and that ogre wannabe should learn not to pick
on a girl."

Even as they spoke, the fight started and quickly finished.  A few
feints, which looked to Lina like they were intended to be full strikes
but pulled too soon by the girl's fear, then the sword skewered the
thug, who soon slid off the sword and onto the ground.

"There, see?  Problem solved.  I suppose we could help the fallen, but
let's give the girl a chance to run before I cast-"

"INSTANT HEALING!"

Lina froze as a bolt of white magic arced over her shoulder, struck the
man, and closed his wound.  He slowly stood up, blinked off his daze,
touched his chest where he had been hit, then snorted at the girl, who
took that as a cue to run for her life with the man in pursuit.

Gourry shook off Lina's hand.  "Shouldn't we help them?"

Lina slowly turned around, almost as white as Amelia had been earlier,
her eyes wide in total disbelief.  "Xelloss...?"

"So this is where you've gotten to.  Amelia wanted to see you."

"Did you just...no, I heard it, you did.  But how?"

Gourry blinked.  "Is something wrong, Lina?  I mean, ok, Xelloss healed
the bad guy.  He's a monster.  That's the kind of thing he does."

"MONSTERS CAN'T CAST WHITE MAGIC, YOU DOLT!"

Xelloss smiled.  "Oh, my, did *I* do that?"

Lina leapt onto Xelloss in one step and grabbed his neck.  "DON'T PLAY
DUMB WITH ME!  HOW DID YOU DO THAT?"

"Well, I suppose that is..."

"If you DARE say 'a secret', I swear, I'll..."

"...hint number two!"  Xelloss teleported away, his smile never
faltering for an instant.

"..."

Gourry stroked his chin.  "So, Amelia wants to see us.  Did she say
where she was going?"

"Probably back to the inn.  I didn't get a good look at it.  I don't
suppose you remember which one we were staying at."

"Nope.  Which can mean only one thing."

"I'm going to regret this.  I know I'm going to regret this.  But I'll
ask anyway: what, Gourry, does that mean?"

"The name of the inn is...a secret!"

******

Amelia looked up as Lina and a beat-up Gourry walked into the inn's
lobby.  "Oh, there you are!  We were getting worried.  It sounded like
there was some horrible monster out there."

"Nah, just Xelloss."

"No, not that.  All that yelling and screaming and all those
explosions...you know, come to think of it, the monster sounded a bit
like you, Lina, and it seemed to be going after Gourry."

"..." Lina eloquently explained.

"Anyway, I've decided to teach you Xelloss's spell..."

"Great!"

"...on one condition: it's payment for helping me find Zelgadis."

"Not so great.  Amelia, he could be *anywhere*!  I wouldn't even know
where to begin looking for him."

"Actually, I know exactly where he is."

"So what do you need me for?"

"Because I don't know where the place is, but Luna said you'd know."

"Aw, no, do we have to drag *her* back into this?"

Amelia shrugged.  "There's more than one 'Bay of Death' in the world,
but Luna said you'd...Lina?"

Lina sat down hard into one of the chairs, suddenly short of breath.

"Lina?  Oh, never mind.  DICLEARY!"

Lina's mind's desire for shock battled Amelia's curative spell for a
moment, but the magic won out.

"Now.  Where's this 'Bay of Death', and what does it mean to you?"

"I'll...I'll take you there.  It was the site of my biggest mistake
ever...and the place where I almost destroyed the world by accident.
Suffice it to say, I'm the reason it earned its name.  But I don't
understand what Zelgadis would be doing there."

"Luna said he heard a rumor that a powerful spell was cast there, and
that traces of it still remain.  He was hoping to study the traces to
see if he could recreate the spell, to see if it could cure...hey!"  It
was only the fact that Amelia was sitting between Lina and the door that
let the princess grab Lina as she ran by.  "*Excuse* me, Lina, but..."

"That spell is the Giga Slave!  If he messes it up, the whole world will
be destroyed!  I've got to stop him!"

"Wha...?"  Amelia blinked as this set in.  "Fine...but *we* have to stop
him.  How far is it?"

"If I fly all night and all day...four days, maybe three if I push it."

"By which time, you'll be so tired you'll probably crash into him just
as he's trying the spell, with our luck.  Give me a moment."  Amelia
released Lina, then crossed her wrists and cupped in her palms the blue
charms on her wrists, which began to glow.  "Zelgadis...please, my love,
hear my words..."

Lina rubbed her wrist where Amelia had grabbed her.  "Oh, right, I
forgot you gave him one of your charms."

"...please, Zelgadis, do not cast that spell...Lina is involved, I shall
bring her...see you soon."  Amelia slumped as the charms faded.  "Ooh, I
wish these things would allow longer messages."

******

Even with disaster delayed, none present thought it wise to delay
presenting a detailed explanation to Zelgadis, Lina in particular.  Only
Amelia and Lina knew Ray Wing, and with Amelia carrying their supplies,
Lina could carry one person.  Thus, after picking up a new sword for
Gourry and acquiring enough supplies for the trip, they bid farewell to
Amelia's attendants and set off to the northwest.

Conversation during the flight was minimal, as both sorceresses
concentrated on maximum speed, racing each other in some places.  Even
so, they did have to stop to sleep and eat - and still not talk much.

It was during lunch on the third day that Lina's curiosity burst.  "Ok,
Amelia, what's up?  You're usually hyper, but since we set out on this
trip you've been quiet.  I know you're looking forward to seeing
Zelgadis again, but-"

"I think I can cure him."

Lina blinked, taking a moment to reflect on this.  "Wait...you mean,
Xelloss's spell is..."

"No, it's not that.  His spell was intended for war: the ultimate
general's aid, made to help defeat entire armies.  But...I think, given
what that spell is to him, then..."

"What?  What?"

"Oh, Miss Lina.  If this works, I'll never have to part company with
Zelgadis ever again!  We'll be able to marry, and I can stop worrying
he'll be lost in some unknown tomb, and we can fight for justice
together, and..."

"I still don't know how you intend to cure him."

"Oh, you'll see.  Besides, I only want the happiness you and Gourry
already have."  Amelia blushed.

Lina twitched.  "Now, look, Amelia.  Just because we always travel
together, and we've saved each others' lives more times than I care to
count, doesn't mean-"

"Oh, so you'd have no problems if I asked if you could carry the
supplies and I wear the cute guy?"

"..."

It was only Gourry's survival instincts that were keeping him very quiet
and his eyes everywhere but on the girls just then.

"Now look, Amelia!"

"I have been.  I've been looking at where he's been holding onto you.
You object when other people see him grab your breasts.  Is it that you
only object to other people thinking the mighty, powerful Lina Inverse
is in love?"

"I...ah..."

"If it *is* that, I'd think it's a kind of strength compared to the
alternative.  To be all alone in the world, to have no one to comfort
you..."  Amelia sighed.  "...to pine for your heart's true love as he
searches for what you hope is the only thing more important to him than
you are..."

"Ssh!"  Gourry began to draw his sword.

"Not you, too, Gourry."  Amelia frowned.  "Look, if my talking about it
upsets both of you, I'll stop, but-"

"We're surrounded!"

The sorceresses began looking around, but saw only the trees that
surrounded the clearing they had landed in.

"So," a mirthful voice came from the trees.  "The reports of your
observational powers are not unfounded.  Is it true what they say, that
Amelia merged your style with her father's to become even more powerful
in a fight?"

"That doesn't make any sense!"  Gourry finished removing the hilt of his
weapon from his scabbard.  "She doesn't even use a sword."

"And neither do you, it seems."

Gourry beheld the bladeless sword grip in his hand, then tilted up his
scabbard with his free hand and watched flakes of rust fall out.  "Man,
I knew I shouldn't have let you talk me into just grabbing something
from the discount bin."

Lina shrugged.  "Hey, we were in a rush."

"Oh, well, guess I've got no choice."

Anticipation welled up in Lina, as she watched Gourry become even more
focused than usual.  In her mind, she could already see Gourry hacking
away at their foes with the Ragna Blade, then her using this undeniable
evidence - with Amelia as a witness, even - to convince him to share the
knowledge of how to control it so well.

She almost missed Gourry simply chucking the hilt into the trees and
listening to it strike metal.  "Hmm...as I thought: they're wearing good
armor.  Plate mail, stainless steel with minimal decorations...hey, you
wouldn't happen to be the Northern Vigilantes, would you?"

"You know them?"

"Yeah.  They try to enforce their own brand of 'justice', usually
picking on anyone who's just worn themselves out raiding bandits.  Real
bunch of losers, if you ask me."

"Ohoho," came the reply from the woods.  "'Losers', are we?  Tell me,
what kind of people defend the infamous Amelia wil Tesla Seyruun,
Defiler of Justice, Hero to Monsters?  Sounds like you're the losers
here!"

Lina cocked her ear for a reply from Amelia, and was not disappointed to
hear her chanting a spell.  Lina raised her own voice to cover whatever
Amelia was cooking up.  "Takes one to know one, friend.  So you steal
from bandit hunters, huh?  I'm surprised I've never run into you."

"Should we have?  You're just Lina Inverse."

"'Just' Lina Inverse?  Hello, Miss Bandit Slayer here!  The one who slew
Shabrunigdo, Gaav, Phibrizzo, *and* Dark Star?"

"If you say so.  All we've heard is that you taught Amelia.  But if
you're trying to say *you're* a bandit hunter too, taking what they
stole and making it so the original victims can't ever find their loot
again...well, I guess we'll just have to punish you, too, then.  Nice of
you to tag along with Amelia: we can clobber both of you, and your
boyfriend, at once."

"Hey!  Gourry is *not* my boyfriend.  Bodyguard, maybe, but-"

"Cut the act, Lina.  Even *we* could hear what Amelia told you about
him, and your reaction."

"..."

"Tell you what: you can die in each others' arms."

"Gee, thanks for the offer."  Lina smirked as she heard Amelia's chant
building up, signaling that the spell was about to go off.  "But you're
about to get your rears handed to you."

"Oh, really?  By what?"

"A spell so powerful, it was made for war by a master of the art.
Specifically courtesy of Xelloss.  Hit it, Amelia!"  Lina ducked to get
out of the way, followed shortly by Gourry.

"XELLOSS SPY!"

Already ducking as she was, when Lina's footing slipped, it was not a
far trip for her face to fault on the ground.

Amelia grabbed a telescope that appeared out of thin air and spun on one
foot, seeing into and through the woods and the army therein.  "Wow,
there sure are a lot of them.  Let's see...ah!"  She tossed the
telescope away and began running.  "This way!  RAY WING!"

Lina picked herself up, collected Gourry, and Ray Winged after the
princess, leaving the clearing just as their assailants crashed in
through the trees from every direction except the one they had gone in.
It took half a minute to catch up, even with Amelia slowing down so as
not to lose her in the forest.  "'Xelloss Spy'?  *That's* your
army-crushing war spell?"

"Sure.  With it, a general could see exactly where everyone on a
battlefield was, friend and foe, and direct things accordingly.  Without
it, battles tend to get all confused, especially if anyone tries to
hide.  It became the basis for the divination spells used by shrine
maidens."

"But divination is white magic!  Pure white magic!"

"It started out as black.  Who knew?"  Amelia shrugged.  "I hope you've
got your stomachs ready.  We're still surrounded, but the only people
this way are their cooks, and it was lunchtime for them too."

"You mean...?"

"Yes, we're going to do an eat and run!  Here we go..."

******

With full stomachs, the trio sailed on, reaching their destination at
sunset.  Amelia did not have to be told it was the place: death was the
only way to describe the scent and aura of the place.  Even the water
was dead, both in the sense of being brackish with black matter best
left unidentified, and without a single ripple disturbing its surface.
Dead silence was all that could be heard from the surroundings.
Rippling grasses announced a breeze that kept trying to approach the
area, but died down as it drew near.  Besides, Lina shed a tear as she
landed.

Gourry counted on his fingers.  "I thought you said it'd take four days
to get here."

Lina nodded.  "Or three if I pushed it.  Sometimes, Amelia's pushiness
is a virtue."

Amelia smiled and nodded for three point one four one five nine seconds
before realization struck.  "Hey!"

"Ah, good, you finally made it," came Zelgadis's voice from nearby.

"Zel?"  Lina looked around, seeing only a pit in the direction she heard
him from.  "Where are you?"

"Down here."

Checking inside the pit, Lina found the part-golem, with his tent
pitched at the bottom of the steep pit.  "Do I want to know what you're
doing down there?"

"The walls are too slick to climb, and I was about to cast Levitation
when Amelia said not to.  So, I've been waiting here."

Amelia joined Lina at the top of the pit.  "Oh, sorry.  I meant the
spell associated with the bay.  I'd heard you were going to try to cast
it."

"Oh, *that*.  You mean the Giga Slave, right?  Don't worry, once I
figured out what the spell was, I knew it wouldn't help me with my
curse.  But you said Lina is involved in this.  How?"

"Oh, she's the one who cast it."

"Really?  I've never know her to fumble a spell like this."

Lina made a warding gesture.  "Hey, hey, gimme a break.  I was an
amateur, and it was my first time with the spell.  I'd rather not dwell
on it, if you don't mind."

"As you wish.  Levitation!"  Within moments, Zelgadis and his tent rose
from the pit and began to hover away from it.  "Is there anything else
you wish to discuss with me?"

"Oh, yeah.  Amelia thinks she has a cure for you."

Zelgadis blinked, and his concentration was disrupted enough to send
stone man and tent crashing to the ground, landing in a jumble just
outside the pit.

"...are you all right?"

"Fine, fine."  Zelgadis extracted and righted himself.  "What's this
about a cure?"

Amelia sighed.  "I probably shouldn't get your hopes up.  I mean, you've
been searching for so long, and I really don't know if this'll work, but
I don't think it can do any harm, and-"

"Amelia.  I've been through that all before myself, many times.  Let's
just see if it works.  What is it: a spell, a potion, some kind of
ceremony?"

"Oh, keeper of my heart, flame of my love..."

Zelgadis blinked, then blushed.  "Now, now.  Let's just see the cure."

"...cursed by your boon from the evil in the heart of ultimate
goodness..."

"..."

"...now lend to me that which you would be rid of forever!"

Lina noticed that Zelgadis's eyes had become completely blank and his
body motionless, as if he were listening to a call beyond what her own
ears heard.

"STONE SKIN!!!"

Light surrounded Amelia and Zelgadis, then faded.  Zelgadis began moving
again, experimentally flexing his hands and arms.  "Well, I don't feel
any different."

Amelia, however was looking at her blue hands in joy.  "No, it worked! I
know it!  See?"  She picked up a nearby chipped rock and whacked it
against her forearm a few times.  "No blood, and I'm barely even feeling
it.  Which means..."  The princess ran over and glomped Zelgadis.

"Ow!  What..."  Who pried her away, to see that her hair had punctured
his shirt and skin a bit.  "Blood.  That's...my blood."  He widened the
tear in his shirt, to see pink flesh underneath.  "I'm...you did it.
You did it!!"  He hugged Amelia tighter, careful to keep her razor-wire
hair away from his flesh.

Gourry shook his head.  "You know, I don't think I've ever seen anyone
so happy to be wounded.  And with everyone we've encountered, Lina,
that's saying something."

"Hmm...interesting."

Gourry raised an eyebrow.  "They're that happy, and all you can say is,
'interesting'?"

"Well of course I'm happy for them.  What's interesting is Amelia's
technique.  I almost forgot that Zelgadis is part demon.  It's close
enough to being a monster that Amelia must've figured out a way to call
on his power.  Of course, it's only temporary - he'll turn back to
stone, and Amelia back to flesh, once the spell ends - but it's better
than nothing."

"I've never seen you call on demons before."

"Mere demons usually don't have powers worth calling.  It's either that,
or...nahh."

"Or what?"

"Well, I remember hearing something about how you could call on anyone
you knew, tap magic directed into kind of a personality template.  The
person wouldn't even have to be that powerful, just the magic.  But
that's ridiculous."

Gourry nodded.  "Which means it's about to happen, right?"

"Rig-WRONG!  That means it's *not* going to happen!  It's one of the
basic tenets of magic: black magic and white magic can only be cast by
invoking the monsters and the gods; which one you're using depends on
who you're invoking.  There just isn't enough power in anyone else to be
worth using."

"Even if it's to ward them off?"

Lina saw the approaching Vigilante army just as Amelia felt a volley of
their arrows bounce off her back.  Whether by miracle or deliberate aim,
none of them scored more than a nick on Zelgadis.  "How'd you catch up
so fast?"

"We teleported."

Lina tried to pick out which grunt had replied, but whichever one it was
did not seem to be in the front ranks.  "How?  You need a gate or some
large device for teleportation, and-"

One of the grunts flickered out, then reappeared right in front of Lina.
"Bah, you haven't even heard of a Teleport spell?"

"...those...don't...ex-xis-st..."  Lina gulped, trying to convince
herself it was only to moisten her suddenly dry mouth.

"Yeah?  Then whaddya call *this*?"  The grunt flickered back into the
ranks, precisely where he had been a few seconds ago.

Once again, Lina heard Amelia chanting.  Tuning out the specific words,
she figured she would just have to shake the princess down for whatever
other tricks she had been coming up with and not telling anyone abo-

#Slayer of bandits, spooker of dragons...#

Immediately deducing what was about to happen, Lina slapped her hands to
her ears.  "I'M NOT LISTENING!!!"

#...devourer of feasts, enemy of all who live...#

The bandits looked among one another, but could not tell what Lina was
objecting to.  In truth, Amelia's words were quiet enough that the sound
was not even reaching Lina, to say nothing of the bandits, and Zelgadis,
once again clad in blue rock under his clothes, stood protectively in
front of Amelia to hide her lip movements.

#...lend to me your terrible fury.  Destroy the fools who stand before
me!#

"NO, NO, DON'T DO THIS AME-"  And then Lina went limp except for her
legs, arms falling to her sides as her mind briefly left her body.

"LIIINAAA SLAAAVE!"

To anyone not close enough to hear the casting, it was almost
indistinguishable from a Dragon Slave.  Perhaps a slightly brighter
shade of red, a little faster to come out, and a bit smaller...but just
as destructive to what it did touch.  Within seconds, the army had
either been destroyed or launched away from the blast's shock wave.

When it was all over, Lina stood perfectly still, in the vacant pose she
had taken when the spell went off.

Amelia stepped out from behind Zelgadis to survey the damage.  "Sorry,
Lina, but I had to get rid of them.  I was going to tell you..."

"Amelia," Gourry cautioned, "this isn't the time."

"Huh?"

"Do you know how much pride she puts into knowing all there is to know
about magic?  But she's just been proven totally wrong!"  Gourry slipped
one arm around Lina, who immediately nestled into it like a leaf curling
into a fire.  "About many things..."

"Oh.  Umm...sorry..."

Gourry smirked.  "Kinda makes you wonder what else you might be wrong
about."

"NOTHING!"  Lina shoved Gourry to the ground.  "I...I...just leave me
alone!"  So saying, she ran off.

Amelia blinked.  "Gourry?  Aren't you going to go after her?"

Gourry shook his head.  "She said to leave her alone.  Knowing her, she
just needs to practice some spells, get her confidence back - and she
doesn't want to see any of us until she does, you or I especially.
Don't worry, she'll be back in a few hours, and I pity anything that
threatens her while she's in *this* mood."

"Oh.  Umm..."

"Don't think of how you can repair this, Amelia.  You'd just make it
worse than I did."  He smirked.  "Besides, you've got Zelgadis to
cuddle.  Why don't I leave you alone for a few hours, too?"  He started
walking off in the direction opposite the way Lina had taken.

Amelia started to follow, only to feel Zelgadis's hand on her shoulder.
"He didn't mean that as a question, Amelia."

"I feel so bad for them."

"Don't worry.  If there's anyone who knows Lina inside out, it's
Gourry.  If he says she'll be fine, I trust him."  He let Amelia go.
"Hey, could you do me a favor and cast my spell again?"

"Hmm?"  The princess stared at the receding Gourry, almost not hearing
her intended.  "Oh, sure.  Stone Skin."  Silent light flashed around
them.  When it faded, Amelia stood as still as the rock she now was for
a few minutes, her mind and eyes on her departing friends but
occasionally hearing water sloshing behind her.

Just as she was about to ask what Zelgadis was doing, he muttered,
"There."

"Huh?"  Amelia turned around, to see Zelgadis wiping some bloody smears
from his face, with a cloth moistened from his canteen.

"That's all of them."

"What are you..."  She squinted.  "Popping zits?"

"Yeah.  Really annoying.  My pores just wouldn't open up while they were
stone.  Good thing the zits just looked like darker stone.  But they're
all clear now.  You can give the stone skin back, if you want."

"You dedicated your life, wandering who knows where, blasting open
countless tombs, and making me worry every day that I might never see
you again, just so you could POP SOME ZITS?!?"

"Hey, a man's gotta have a hobby."

"..."

Despite his cool exterior, Zelgadis quickly inventoried the protection
and escape spells he knew, on the off chance that Amelia was about to
invoke Lina again in more than one sense.

"Tell you what.  If you're that dedicated to your hobbies, I'll forgive
you on one condition."

"What?"

"Now that you've finished that one, make 'being a devoted husband to
Amelia' your next hobby."

******

Gourry slumped against a convenient tree, letting himself fall on his
rear.  Tendrils of energy appeared between his fingers, with which he
began to play cat's cradle as he rolled his eyes towards the sky.  "It
didn't work."

"Too bad.  It was a good plan, if I may say so."

"Xelloss," he acknowledged without bothering to look at what was, in the
end, just another part of himself.  "I thought this time for sure.  Show
her how little she truly knows, and maybe - just maybe - she'd question
other beliefs, like about how she thinks she feels about me."  He
sighed.  "She's as much the Lord of Nightmares as I am, yet I don't
understand her at all."

"As you say.  And she still doesn't remember merging with our ultimate
Lord?"

"Not at all.  I wonder why I made her forget."

"So you could play with yourself like this."  Xelloss snickered.  "It's
what I would've done.  In fact, perhaps I was responsible."

"Ugh.  I still need to get used to this
everyone's-a-part-of-the-same-being thing."

"Not that you should care that much.  You have but one purpose in this
world."

Gourry nodded.  "To love Lina.  And I do."


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