96Hell's Breaking Point
Chapter XIX – Weapon Hunting
Disclaimer: .Mine...
Xellos was assigned a peculiar errand by the Lord Of Nightmare. At first, it was just a simple taunting game but as time goes by, the errand became more extreme until it turns to a resurrection of an old foe... (Mostly L/G and Z/A) - Takes place after Next and before Try.
Japanese Words:
Oka-sama : Mother aka L.O.N.
Oni-san : Big brother
Mazoku : Evil race/Monster
Juu Ou : Beastmaster
To-chan : Dad
Ka-chan : Mom
Ne-chan : Big sis
'….' Is for Phibby's thoughts
… Is for Gourry's thoughts
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"Hmmmm, the entrance should be around here somewhere..." Lina mumbled to herself as she stared at the map of the Spirit Disintergrator's whereabout Luna had made, "Find anything?" she called out to the others, eyes still glued to the piece of paper in her hands.
Long tired groaning noises were the only respond she got.
"I guess not..." she sighed, Man, why can't ne-chan be the guide for this treasure hunt...
Flashback
"What? You're not coming with us?" the sorceress' jaw dropped open at her sister's refusal.
Luna tapped her feet impatiently on the soft ground, "Are you deaf or must I repeat myself..." She was so not going to join them. Well, the least she could do was seeing them off, which is what she's currently doing, along with her parents at the outskirts of Zefielia.
"Look, Lina. I have a REAL job to attend to if you haven't notice. I'm busy plus the map I gave you is more than enough to guide you to the place,"
"Besides," her eyes shifted quickly, looking straight over the sorceress. Curious, Lina turned back to see what her sister was looking at but found nothing but trees and overgrown hedges, "This will be a test of mine to see if you really have improved for the past few years. If you can't even do a simple thing like following the map, then I'm willing to 'train' you all over again, from scratch," Luna glanced back at her before giving her an evil grin.
Lina turned white and took a slow gulp, "I-I won't fail..."
"Good. And one thing, Lina,"
Lina blinked at the sudden change in her sister's voice.
"Watch your back,"
Sensing something in her sister's words, she quickly turned back again, searching the woods, "What did you saw, ne-chan?"
"Just go quickly before I tell your friends about last night,"
"Going!" snapping back out of her suspicion, the sorceress quickly grabbed her two companions by the arm and dashed away before Luna can say anymore about her bawling last night.
"Bye honey! Make sure you don't overeat!"
"Oh and Lina! Take good care of the little princess, will ya? Don't want Zefielia to have any problems with Seyruun because of you!""
Both Lina's parents waved cheerfully at the fast retreating figures.
Luna just stood still, staring back at the woods with a serious look. Her parents noticed this.
"So, what did you see?" her father asked, turning a little curious.
She didn't answered quickly as her eyes stayed on one spot for a moment, "A challenge for Lina," she suddenly grinned before turning around and walked towards a certain restaurant.
Mr Inverse gave out a small sigh, "Lina gets all the fun..." he put his hands behind his back and followed her daughter with her wife beside him.
"Well, you're too old for those kind of stuff," his wife muttered with a smile, putting one hand on his waist.
"Don't say I'm old...!"
End Of Flashback
Lina let out a long sigh after finishing remembering the past, "Ahhh, man, this sucks... Zel! Amelia! Where are you guys?" she yelled out, getting frustrated by the minute.
"Over here!" Amelia yelled back as both she and Zelgadis emerged between the bushes, looking somewhat tired and disappointed.
Lina placed a hand on her waist, "Still no luck?"
The two of them shook their head.
"But,"
The sorceress' ears perked up at the chimera's word. A ray of hope perhaps? But the serious and suspicious look he was wearing indicated something else. Her eyes' narrowed. Something was obviously wrong.
"What is it, Zel?" her tone serious.
The chimera's eyes darted left and right at their surrounding before replying, "I think we've been watched. I got the feeling since we departed from Zefielia..." his tone low and secretive, making sure only the two girls could hear him.
Amelia too took secret glances at their surrounding, "He told me before... I don't feel anything but I think we should trust Zelgadis-san..." she whispered quietly.
Watch your back...
Luna's words echoed in the sorceress' head and her lips curved a little, "Hmmm... I see. Someone knows about us trying to retrieve the weapon...," Someone, meaning Hellmaster Phibrizzo, "Act natural and stay sharp," she commanded in a low tone. Seconds later, she return to look back at the map in her hand and let out a frustrated groan, "But this stupid map! We followed the trail perfectly! The entrance should be right here!" she emphasized by stomping her foot on the bricked ground repeatedly. It was true though. They followed the map's instructions, word by word and they had found themselves in a small clearing surrounded by wild trees, bushes, hedges and plants.
"Yeesh! It's as if we have to say some stupid password like "Open sesame" and waaaah!" she yelped as the ground beneath the three of them suddenly opened up, sucking them inside the earth.
The three of them could only managed to scream before the ground closes up again.
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"Ahhh, my butt..."
"...my ears..."
"S-shut up, Zel! You were screaming too, you know!"
"T-that was just from the shock!"
"Yeah, yeah. Right..."
"Lina-san... What just happened? You are Lina-san, right? I can't see a thing... L-Lina-san...? Z-Zelgadis-san?... Kyaaaaaa!"
"O-oi, Amelia! Stop yelling! That was just my hand! Dammit! Lighting!"
A small orb of light suddenly appeared and hovered above the sprawling figures, brightening the small passage that the three of them had fell on somewhat.
"Much better..." Lina sighed as she rubbed her aching behind, thanks to the sudden fall.
Amelia too let out a sigh, "Light at last..." she placed a hand on her chest.
Zelgadis raised himself from the floor and sat crossed leg across them, "About your question Amelia. It seems that the entrance, which was the bricked ground where we stood, opened up after Lina said the password,"
"Open sesame? Open sesame! What a stupid password! Ne-chan, didn't even bother to tell us about it!" the said sorceress shouted in annoyance.
"...maybe that's the test she mentioned before..."
"Ummm, Lina-san. Why didn't the surface open up even after you yelled the password twice...?"
"..."
"Open sesame!"
"OPEN SESAME!"
"Kyaaaa! OPEN SESAME!"
"..."
"...maybe from the inside, we have to say a different password...?"
"..."
"...darkness beyond twilight-"
"STOP CHANTING!" Amelia freaked out before the chimera quickly snatched the sorceress' arms, gripping it tightly as Lina struggled against him.
"At least find the weapon first before you destroy us along with this ruin!" he shouted at her obviously frightened by her sudden Dragu Slave impulses...
That did the trick. Instantly, Lina relaxed against his hold, "Oh, yeah! Well, lets find it then!" she replied cheerfully as she removed herself from Zelgadis.
He and Amelia looked at the sorceress before turning to each other and letting out a long sigh.
Although the entrance was a blunder, the rest of the journey in the ruin passage went smoothly (thanks to the map) and they were surprised that some of the booby traps were disarmed and had already been activated. What's left were hundreds of dead and broken arrows lying on the ground, opened trap floors, immobile yet dented giant axes, and tiny pieces of a suppose trap boulders...
"...this must be ne-chan's doing..."
There was a small tremor though but nothing happened... Finally, after a long walk, they arrived at a large, dimmed lighted hall.
"According to the map, this is the room where the DS is sealed," Lina explained as she removed her eyes from the map and stared at the inside of the hall. A tall altar stood at the end of the hall, "That altar's our next destination then,"
"I guess so..."
The three of them froze. A stranger had spoken to them. Suddenly a figure walked briskly passed them, heading towards the altar.
"Who are you!" Lina snapped back to her senses.
But the disheveled hair boy did not stop walking, instead he drew out his sword.
Then it hit her, "He's going to destroy the weapon!" she yelled in panic as she dashed towards the new enemy, with Amelia and Zelgadis behind her. Having little time to chant a spell, Lina quickly unsheathed her short sword it and threw it towards their enemy, still sprinting ahead.
With one swift move, the boy slide to the side, evading the flying weapon which made a clank noise as it fell to the floor. The boy then turned to face his assailant, "...Lina Inverse..." One eye glared at her as the other eye was covered by his long bangs.
The sorceress stopped moving abruptly. Her eyes twitched. She had never met the boy and yet he knew her name, "You're the one who has been following us since in Zefielia. Who are you?" she asked again, this time in a low tone.
Something flashed in the boy's eye, "...I am..." To her surprised, he went quiet for a while before continuing, "...I am an enemy... That is all that you need to know..."
She turned silent, "You're working for Hellmaster, aren't you? I'm surprised that a kid like you would become a Mazoku's slave,"
The boy's grip on the sword's hilt tightened as he aimed it's tip at her, "My actions are my business. Not yours," he said calmly, "Come. I am ordered to stop you from retrieving the object," his legs parted as he took on an offensive stance.
The kid's crazy! Who on the right mind would work for a Mazoku! Unless... Lina took a couple of retreating steps so that her companions were at her side, "I think he's being controlled by Phibrizzo," she explained to them in a whisper.
"Eh...?" Amelia was shocked by the information but Zelgadis remained stoic.
"So, what do you want us to do?" he whispered, eyes still glued to the boy.
Lina glanced at her short sword not far from the boy, "Distract him, take the weapon and leave ASAP. Ready?"
The two of them nodded at her.
"Go!" she yelled before the three of them charged forward simultaneously, side by side.
The boy waited patiently for the attack. His eyes shifted to Amelia, Zelgadis and lastly landed on Lina who was sprinting right towards him, closing their distance fast.
"Ray Wing!"
His eyes widen as the sorceress flew high over and past him. Wasting no time, he turned to catch after her only to be stopped by the chimera who had already unsheathed his double edge sword.
"Sorry to block your path but I can't let you go any further," Zelgadis said coolly as he swung his sword at the boy.
Because of the chimera's super speed, the boy had no choice but to parry the attack.
CLANG!
Both of their strength collided against their swords, trying to maintain each of their stance. Suddenly, the boy's sword skidded downwards against the other and quickly he made an uppercut thrust, slicing the chimera's upper body...or it should be...
The boy jumped backwards.
Zelgadis glanced at his torn cloths, "That needs repairing... Sorry. But a normal sword would not be able to cut a stone body," he used left hand to tap the exposed part of his body to emphasize his point.
The boy gazed at his failure before holding his sword horizontally in front of him, "Astral Vine!" he shouted. Following the spell, his sword started to glow an evil red.
The chimera smirked, feeling very impressed at his young enemy, "I guess now it's a fair fight," he knew by the way the boy handled his weapon that he's no ordinary swordsman. Not only that but the boy was a magic-user also and this brought excitement to the chimera. Finally, a real challenge!
With a battle cry, both swordsmen sprinted towards each other before swinging their sword, initiating the real battle.
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Lina glanced back to see Zelgadis took on the boy in a fast paced sword duel, Good! Zel's buying some time! "Amelia!"
"What is it, Lina-san?" Amelia replied beside her as the two of them flew together towards the altar.
"Go and support Zel! There's something about that kid that gives me a bad feeling..." she knew what is was. It was that emotionless expression he wore and his eye... His eye showed no emotion what so ever.
"But..."
Lina gave her a reassuring smile, "I can get the weapon by myself. It's Zel that we should worry about! Now go!"
Hesitantly, Amelia nodded, "Okay," she abruptly stop in mid air and flew to the opposite direction.
The sorceress gave another glance behind her before focusing completely on the altar in front of her, "Almost there, Gourry..."
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Zelgadis parried another swift attack with a grunt. This is turning into a really good challenge. Using his weight, he put on all his strength on his sword to push the boy backwards.
"Zelgadis-san! Lina-san is almost there!"
The boy's eye snapped open at the princess' words. Straining his head to the left, he saw the sorceress flying ever closer to her destination. He cursed mentally at his over-concentration at the sword duel. He was just about to take a step to catch after Lina when the chimera blocked his view of the sorceress.
"I told you before. I can't let you go any further,"
Just after Zelgadis had finish speaking, the boy extended his free hand in lightning speed and a ball of fire appeared, "Fireball!" chanted the spell before throwing it at the chimera.
Letting out a small scoff, Zelgadis jumped sideways to evade the spell's way but while he was in the air, he was shocked when he saw the boy's next action; throwing his sword directly at the zooming Fireball. "Dammit!" he quickly covered his face by crossing his arms in front of him just in time as the tip of the sword connected to the ball of fire causing it to explode.
The boy took this chance to ran after his prime target.
"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia yelled in panic as she saw the chimera flew backwards from the sudden explosion and quickly she rushed towards his side, "Are you okay?"
"Ugghhh," he moaned as he shook his clouded head. Fortunately, he received no injury from the blast only some minor burns, "That brat is smart..." He said wobbly as he got back on his feet again with Amelia's help.
"C'mon, Zelgadis-san! We got to help Lina-san!" And the two of them rushed forward, towards the altar.
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A few minutes later, Lina landed on top of the altar with a small thud and with haste, walked towards the center of it. There she found a small pedestal and on top of it was the Spirit Disintegrator. It looked weird to say the least. It was oval shaped with five holes at the sides. Four on the left side and one on the right side. From the substance, it looked like it was made from orihalcon. There is also a small opening at the front. Lina wanted to check some more when a voice interrupted her from behind.
"So that's the weapon..."
Turning backwards, Lina saw the boy flying right towards her.
She let out a startled gasp, "What happened to Zel and Amelia?" she demanded angrily.
He landed at the edge of the altar, "Why don't you turn back and see for yourself?" his voice was calm but his eye still holds the lack of emotion. His sword had already been sheathed back.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "And let you destroy the weapon? Fat chance! If I do that, I'll never forgive myself!" she tightened her fists as she took a step closer towards the DS.
"Why? Why do you need it so desperately?"
His lack of understanding made her even angrier, "This is my only hope to save Gourry and I won't let anyone stand in my way! Even if it kills me!" Another step closer.
Her persistent brought curiosity to him, "Why is this Gourry so important to you? He's just a man, like any other,"
Lina's eyes glazed, "Maybe to you! But to me, he's more that that. Much more... Gourry, to me is..." She swiped the weapon from the pedestal in one quick move, surprising him, "He is an idiot, yogurt for brain jellyfish," her sweet smile and her soft voice betrayed the harsh words. Her hold at the weapon tightened as she spoke.
The boy was speechless as he stared at her.
A tremor snapped the two of them back to their senses. At first it was small but by seconds the shaking grew violent until pieces of the ceiling started to crack and fell. The altar too started to wobble dangerously.
"Lina!" Zelgadis and Amelia came into her view as they flew towards her side.
"Lina-san! I think this place is going to collapse soon!" Amelia yelled in panic as she watched the walls crumbled down.
"The tremor might have been set off as you remove the weapon from its pedestal..."
The three of them looked at the spoken boy with a surprise look.
"I suggest that you leave immediately..." And with that the boy leapt down the altar to make his escape.
Lina was shocked with the boy sudden change in attitude but now was not the time to dwell on that, "Well, you heard him! Let's get the hell out of here!" she pulled Amelia's arm who was gripping on Zelgadis's arm and dragged them down the altar where she reclaimed back her short sword from the floor before the three of them Ray Wing-ed towards the exit, evading falling rocks and boulders on the way.
"But 'Open sesame' didn't work remember?" Amelia managed to yell as they were escaping.
Lina gave the two a frightening smile, "But I'm sure 'Dragu Slave' will!"
Zelgadis and Amelia gulped and prayed for their lives.
To Be Continue...
Author's Ranting :
Thank you for those who have reviewed before! I think this story is starting to lose it's popularity... Well, even if it did. I'll still try to finish the damn story!
Xellos : Well said! (claps hands)
Gourry : I have a question!
Oh, Gourry! Long time no see! What's the question?
Gourry : The Dragu Slave needs a long time to be cast, right? So how will Lina manage to cast it with the place going to collapse at any second?
Ah, good question! Well, she could ask Zel and Amelia to carry her while she chanted the spell on the way. Then after they arrive at the entrance, KABOOOM!
Zel & Amelia : (cringes) Oh god, help us...
Gourry : Ah! I see!
Xellos : So, Gourry-san! What's your thought about Lina-san calling you "an idiot, yogurt for brain jellyfish"?
Lina : (blushes)
Gourry : What? That's normal for Lina.
Xellos : I mean, don't you think that there's a hidden message in that phrase?
Lina : (blushes some more)
Gourry : (looks at Lina) If you have something to say to me, you will say it, right Lina?
Lina:Uhhh... I...I...
She'll say it in future chapters Gourry! Scout's honor!
Gourry : Great! I can't wait!
Amelia : Yaaay!
Lina : (curse at Xellos)