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Slayers - Volume 6 - Chapter 3




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3: On a Journey, Ready for a Showdown

Clank! With a flash of silver light, the window latch fell to the floor. The window then opened with a creak. A shadow hung outside in the night sky, backed by the shining full moon.

Talk about déjà vu...

“I came to Vezendi, just like you asked,” I said, drawing my sword. But...

“You won’t be buying any time,” he said, placing a hand on the window frame.

Ugh! He was already onto me? In that case...

“Amelia!” I called as I sprang to my left. Not a second later...

“Gaav Flare!”

Roar! A streak of red light scorched the bed right along with the window! Zuma dodged it in the nick of time, however, landing just inside.

“Long time no see!” Amelia shouted, pointing boldly at the assassin. “I thought this might happen, so I hid under Lina’s bed!”

Yup. Laddock had given us all separate rooms, but I knew I would be the first one targeted, so Amelia had sneaked into my room for the night. Unfortunately, however...

“I think he knew that already,” I said.

Amelia was cowed into silence for a moment. I mean, it was really no surprise that a skilled assassin like Zuma could detect how many people were in a room from the window—which then allowed him to dodge Amelia’s surprise attack.

“No matter!” she declared, recovering. “I was overconfident at first, but you won’t have it so easy now!”

“Heh...”

With that small chuckle, Zuma zoomed toward me! I had to stop my legs from instinctively moving backward. I couldn’t afford to endanger Amelia by relying solely on her. It was time to put my new shortsword and the fruits of my training with Gourry to the test!

Clink! The moment Zuma and I crossed paths, my brand-new blade snapped. Oh, come the freak on! Was using a sword on this guy just impossible?!

As he passed me, Zuma threw out a kick that I dodged—not because I saw it coming, but simply because I assumed it was. A moment later, his left hand was reaching for my neck!

Not this again!

I managed to evade it by reeling back, and felt a slight breeze pass over my throat. I threw my broken shortsword at Zuma, which held him at bay long enough for me to straighten up and start on a chant.

“Dam Blas!” Amelia incanted first.

Zuma readily dodged her spell, but she continued to charge him anyway. Perhaps realizing she was a danger that couldn’t be ignored, Zuma turned to meet her head-on. Amelia was clearly at a disadvantage in this matchup. She was more or less Zuma’s equal in agility, but he far outmatched her in terms of sheer strength. I had to do something!

“Lighting!” I shouted.

The assassin twisted to avert the light I threw at him—but this one wasn’t intended to blind him! Instead, it sailed right up to the ceiling and cast a bright light down on the room that projected shadows behind us all. Yes, exactly as planned... Now I could use a Shadow Snap to keep him in place!

But before I could finish the incantation—Thump, thump, thump!—there came a pounding at the door.

“What’s wrong, Lina?! Did something happen?”

It was Gourry. I should’ve known we’d get some attention with all the racket we were making. I could hear the voices of various servants gathering outside the door too...

“What is it?”

“An invader?”

“Is Master Laddock safe?! Go check on him!”

“Someone call the city watch!”

“Tch!” Realizing his time was up, Zuma whipped around.

“Wait, you!” Amelia ordered.

But he promptly ignored her (I mean, obviously) and flew out the window, into the night.

Wha-bam! At nearly the exact same time, the door crashed open and Gourry ran in.

“Are you all right, Lina?!” he shouted.

“Yeah... Amelia’s fine too,” I sighed.

“And after all that, he just got away?!” Laddock, dressed in his nightgown and slippers, barked with his usual crabbiness.

I understood why he was mad, of course. Not only had Amelia destroyed the window and put a hole in the wall with magic, Gourry had also just straight-up kicked the door down.

“The assassin did all that!” I claimed, desperate to shift the blame.

“Liar!” Laddock assumed without hesitation.

I paused, considering coming clean... but it just wasn’t in my nature to simply roll over.

“Wh-What makes you so sure?!” I countered.

“Well... if the assassin could bust through walls, why didn’t he just blow you all up from outside, hmm?!”

“Because assassins like Zuma don’t roll like that!”

That much was the honest truth—I don’t know if it was a matter of professional pride or what, but his ilk preferred to kill with their own two hands.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Laddock continued to press me. “Why was he using magic like that in the first place, then?!”

“Urk!”

“And regardless, the end result is the same—you let him get away! For pity’s sake! I’m paying you enough to be my bodyguards, yet you blow up my house and let the killer escape?! I have a few complaints to register about your service!”

“I told you to kick them out already, Dad.” This interruption came from the idle brat Abel, who must have arrived on the scene while I wasn’t looking. “Think about it. They could easily be lying about the attack. We should toss them out and—”

“Shut up!” Laddock managed to roar before Amelia and I could. “I told you already! If they’re frauds, all I’m out is a little money! If they’re not, I’m out my life!”

“If they’re not frauds, it’s all the more urgent that you get rid of them!” Abel insisted, refusing to relent. “You said Zuma would target that woman before you, right? So just throw her out! Then he’ll leave to go after her!”

“So you want me to spend the rest of my life in fear of an assassin that might or might not come?! The only way I’ll ever sleep soundly again is if I can keep tabs on this whole affair for myself!”

The man had a point. Tangible fears were easier to steel yourself against than invisible ones. That was why people tended to fall into one of two categories: those who were compelled to get to the bottom of problems, and those who fervently denied their existence. And as long as the threat of Zuma loomed, Laddock couldn’t stick his head in the ground on this one. If I couldn’t kill Zuma, he wanted Zuma to kill me right here under his nose where he could deal with it immediately. That was why he was keeping us on a short leash.

But that also meant... unless we finished things with Zuma fast, we’d be stuck with this bickering father and son forever.

“Even so, Dad! If this kind of chaos happens every night, it will ruin us!”

“Hmm... True, but...” Abel’s words briefly forced Laddock into silence. “I still can’t just kick them out! Is that understood?” he shouted with finality before striding out of the room.

“Dammit...” Abel cursed after a pause, then made his own exit.

That left me, Gourry, Amelia, and the live-in servants in the room.

“Don’t let it bother you, dearie,” said a plump old lady. I think I’d seen her in the kitchen a time or two. “They’re both just on edge because the master’s life is in danger. They usually get along very well.”

“Really?” Amelia asked, shocked. I was pretty aghast myself.

“Yes, really,” the woman continued. “The master’s had to raise his son all by himself ever since his wife’s passing, you see...”

Ah, it was back! The deadly gossip trap! She looked like a nice old lady, but if we let her get started, she was gonna talk our ears off until dawn.

“Then all the more reason to take care of business!” I said, interrupting her at the first opportunity. “I’ll get rid of that assassin as fast as I can! So... oh yeah! If an assassin is after the master, someone must’ve hired him! Any idea who might do that?”

“Let me think...” the old lady said pensively before beginning, “The master isn’t the kind of man to make enemies... but you never can tell, can you? I don’t know if I’d say he was an enemy, but there was this one fellow named Lezack. The master hired him recently, but then had to let him go immediately. He’s a likely suspect, if you ask me. Oh, and plenty of men might have had it in for the master’s late father! Brilliant though he was, he could be quite greedy... Earned himself a lot of hard feelings, he did! Master Balwom, for instance, is the richest merchant in town now, but the master’s father was always beating him to good deals. And...”

And so, my careless question triggered a torrent of... evidence or gossip, whatever you want to call it. We were there until sunup after all.

The next afternoon, we were about town. Last night—or, rather, early this morning—after story time with Granny, we’d had breakfast and crashed until about noon before heading out.

I was totally bushed. Staying at Laddock’s place put us smack in the middle of an unending father-son shouting match, so the three of us—that is, the group minus Xellos—got permission from Laddock to head into the city. It was on the pretense of gathering information, but I also snagged myself a replacement for my broken shortsword while we were out. Not the best in the world, but it was decent enough. I was really racking up the expenses on this trip, huh?

“So? What have you learned?” Zel asked once we caught him up to speed.

We’d stopped by the inn where he was staying in the early evening as the sun started to dip low in the sky. We were currently seated around a table in the first-floor restaurant. Talking here raised the risk of eavesdroppers, but that was preferable to getting trapped in another demon barrier.

“Nothing conclusive, to be honest,” I reported unhappily. “The family business has been waning since Laddock Lanzard took over. Not fatally, mind you. It’s just that most of his competition is saying stuff like, ‘The Laddock era’s been easy street for me.’ There was definitely some bad blood with his dad, but everyone insists that if they were going to hire an assassin, they’d have gone after his old man and not him.”

“Makes sense to me,” Zelgadis said with a nod.

“And then there’s this Lezack guy that Laddock fired and has since gone missing.”

“He’s missing?”

“Yeah. I talked to some people who knew him, and they said he got canned for pilfering money from Laddock’s household. Apparently he got drunk the night it happened and said he was gonna leave town. Then, the next day, no one could find him anywhere. It doesn’t seem like he was mixed up in any trouble, so the general consensus is that he was good for his word. But he was also apparently penniless and kind of a gutless coward... not to mention he’d been fired for the same thing once or twice before. In short, it’s hard to believe a down-on-his-luck guy like that would spend what little money he did have hiring an assassin like Zuma to kill Laddock.”

“So... the grudge angle’s come up dry, then?”

“Alas,” I said with a sigh.

“By the way, I was wondering...” Zelgadis said, a note of dissatisfaction in his voice. “If I could change the subject for a moment, what exactly is Xellos doing?”

“Playing chess,” Amelia responded, also sounding dissatisfied.

“Is that idiot even taking this seriously?!”

“Probably not,” I put in. I exchanged a glance with Zel and Amelia, then continued, “Listen up, you two. Don’t get the wrong idea. Xellos is just along for the ride here. He’s not one of us, and he isn’t on our side.”

“Fair.”

“That’s true, but...”

There, they let out a collective sigh. What I said may have sounded harsh, but it was indeed the truth. Until we knew what Xellos was really after, we couldn’t count on him as part of the team.

“Anyway, Zel,” I continued, “Zuma attacked last night as expected. Have any suspicious men come to stay in this inn recently?”

“What kind of a question is that?” he replied with a shrug. “There’re a lot of suspicious figures in the area, myself included. And if Zuma’s a fighter on par with Gourry, that means he has the ability to mask his true power. Plus, he might have arrived before we did. It would be impossible to pick him out of a group like this.”

Okay, valid...

“I guess we’re playing the waiting game, then,” I conceded with a long sigh.

“Now, here’s what I’ve been wondering. How are those demons involved in all this?” Zel asked.

“That’s a good question.” I thought for a minute. “An assassin trying to kill me tells me to come to Vezendi, and the minute we get here, we run into a group of demons that has it in for me and Gourry. There’s no way that’s a coincidence. But I find it hard to believe Zuma hired demons to kill me for him. He’s a real hands-on kind of guy.”

“Maybe the demons contacted him, then?”

“That doesn’t seem right either. Knowing Seigram... I can’t imagine him deigning to throw in with some human hitman.”

“This is just an idea, but...” Amelia chimed in. “Zuma was hired to kill you, and also to kill Laddock. What if whoever hired him also has a pact with those demons?”

“One of which just happens to be a demon with a grudge against us?”

“Yeah... Kind of a stretch, huh?”

“Either way,” Gourry piped up, “we just have to beat them all.”

“Well, that’s true, but...”

Gourry’s approach might have seemed overly simplistic, but he was right. Our only real option right now was waiting for the bad guys to show up so we could beat ’em.

A battle of attrition on two fronts... Maximum ugh. I let out another deep sigh.

“Master Laddock awaits,” announced the butler when we returned to the estate.

The three of us looked at each other and shared a groan. Whoopie, another bitchfest! Had to wonder where the guy got the energy...

Granted, he was still my employer, so I couldn’t just blow him off.

Raltark the butler led us to the parlor, then took his inconspicuous post in the corner of the room. Laddock was already there, as were Xellos and Abel for some reason.

“You’re late!” Laddock bellowed with his usual grump, and without even offering us a seat. I ignored him and took a spot on the sofa, where Gourry and Amelia joined me. “But no matter. I didn’t bring you here to yell at you today.”

Wow, really? Someone check the sky for flying pigs...

Laddock looked around the room, then continued, “Tomorrow, I’m heading out on a trip.”

“What?!” we all cried in unison, including Abel.

“Are you crazy, Dad?!” Abel railed, leaning forward. “Have you forgotten that someone’s trying to kill you? I don’t know what the best thing to do in a situation like this is, but ‘going on a trip’ can’t be it!”

“I’m running low on certain inventory! I have to go buy more!” Laddock argued, raising his voice over Abel’s.

“You could send someone else to do it!”

“I agree!” Amelia interjected. “It’s bad enough in the city! Leaving is just asking to be attacked! You’ll be playing right into their hands!”

“This is my business we’re talking about!” Laddock hollered even louder, silencing Abel and Amelia both. “I always go on acquisition trips myself to ensure the quality of my goods, and I won’t let this get in the way of that!” He then turned to look at me. “Of course, I’ll be taking you with me as my escort! This is all covered by your contract, so I don’t want to hear one word of complaint!”

Go figure. Everything he was saying was reasonable enough, but I was starting to suspect his true motives lay elsewhere. Still, as long as his logic was sound, I couldn’t really argue... Oh well.

“Fine,” I said firmly. “When do we head out?”

“Well...” Laddock hesitated, clearly caught by surprise. “As soon as possible, but I have some preparations to make. The day after tomorrow, I imagine.”

“Okay. The truth is, we have another companion in town...”

“Here in Vezendi?”

“Yes. He’s out gathering information. We can bring him along, can’t we?”

“I won’t pay you one coin more for it.”

If that’s the hill you want to die on... Weird, but okay.

“So be it,” I said through my teeth.

I had a big bone to pick about that, actually. But Xellos was already basically a freeloader, and as far as Laddock could see, we hadn’t done anything useful so far. Trying to negotiate could backfire.

“Very well,” Laddock agreed with a nod. “Then it’s decided. We’ll prepare—”

“Wait,” Abel said, cutting off his father.

“What? More complaints?”

In contrast, Abel shook his head: “No. I won’t argue with you anymore. But I am coming with you.”

“Have you gone mad, Abel?!” It was now his father’s turn to shout. He looked panicked. “They’re trying to kill me, you know!”

“I know that. I said as much earlier. But I’m still your son. If I’m going to take over the business someday, I want to see how you do things.”

“But... now of all times?” Laddock asked, sounding truly concerned.

“You can’t change my mind. I’m coming, whether you like it or not,” he insisted before spinning on his heels and making for the door.

“Get back here, Abel!”

But the young man left anyway, ignoring his father’s protests.

“Argh!” With a growl, Laddock stood up and chased after his son. He turned back at the door to shout, “Anyway, get ready!” before disappearing through it.

Silence lingered in Laddock’s wake. Eventually Raltark, who’d been standing quietly at attention in the corner, gave us a bow and took his leave without a word. That left the four of us—me, Amelia, Gourry, and Xellos—sitting in the room alone.

“Wow, Lina, you really let him walk all over you,” Gourry said after a little while. “I was sure you were gonna fight tooth and nail... especially about the pay.”

“Well, I gave it a good think,” I said hesitantly. “I believe I’ve puzzled out what Laddock’s really up to.”

“And what’s that?” Amelia asked this time.

“What do you think, Xellos?” I said, suddenly turning to the man who’d sat in silence all this time.

“Really, I’ve been such an outsider this time, I could hardly presume to form an opinion...”

“Give it a shot anyway.”

“Well, if I may... This is a trap, most likely.”

“I think so too,” I agreed.

“Uh... I’m not following,” Gourry said, scratching his head.

“Okay, here’s the deal. Laddock can’t stand the stalemate. As long as we’re here at the estate, Zuma’s gonna keep attacking to no avail—walls will get blasted, people will come running, the works. And each time we go through the motions, the property damage toll goes up along with payroll. Meanwhile, the showdown keeps getting forestalled and Laddock keeps living in mortal fear. He’s never been involved in this cloak-and-dagger stuff, so he can’t take the heat. That’s why he wants to take us out of the city on the pretense of a business trip. We’ll look like sitting ducks to Zuma, who should come running... and then we settle things once and for all.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Amelia stood up, raising her voice. “Doesn’t that mean he’s intentionally putting you at risk?!”

“Whaaaat?!” Gourry shouted, apparently finding Amelia’s explanation easier to understand than mine. “Hey, Lina! Why’d you agree, then?!”

“Well, c’mon, I want to settle this ASAP too. I’m sick of looking over my shoulder all the time. Besides, think about it. The longer this drags on, the longer we have to listen to Laddock’s whining and his incessant squabbling with his son.”

“Ugh...” Gourry and Amelia groaned in unison. They clearly felt the same way I did about that prospect.

“But it’s still not a good idea, is it?” Amelia said, suddenly serious.

“What makes you say that?”

“If you get killed on the road, Zuma will just go after Laddock next. There won’t be anyone else to protect him.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” I said, holding up my index finger. “Poor naive Amelia. If Zuma kills me, Laddock will have plenty of protection—you guys!”

Gourry and Amelia stared for a minute. Seemed they didn’t catch my drift.

“Let’s just say Zuma manages to kill me. What would you guys do?” I asked.

“Have a funeral, of course,” replied Gourry.

“Rifle through your stuff, I guess,” said Amelia.

“I’d most certainly laugh,” added Xellos.

Wow, you guys are the worst...

“That’s not what I meant... I’m saying you’d want to avenge me by killing Zuma, wouldn’t you?!”

“Well, maybe... Oh!” Amelia said quietly, finally seeming to catch on. Gourry was, per usual, still two steps behind.

“Yup. If Zuma kills me and you guys want revenge, you’d probably end up sticking around Laddock while you waited for him to attack again. In other words, whether you like it or not, you’d be babysitting the guy. If Zuma killed him too, you’d lose his trail for good. Get it now, Gourry?”

“I think so...”

“Unforgivable!” Amelia shouted angrily, her fists clenched and her silhouette backed by flame. “Taking advantage of human kindness for his own ends... If that’s his aim, Lina, you don’t have to go along with this! Abandon him and save yourself!”

“I can’t exactly do that...”


“Why not?!”

“He paid us an advance. Besides, like I said, I’m anxious to finish this too.”

“I mean... if you’re all right with it, I guess it’s okay,” Gourry whispered. “So... what about the demons?”

...

Craaaaap! I hadn’t even thought of that!

“Er... we’ll work it out somehow,” I responded, trying hard to sound calm.

The afternoon after we left Vezendi City, the sky was the color of lead as we traveled down a nameless road without another soul on it.

We were apparently going to purchase herbs in a city called Zeram, which was a short trip to the north. We had our usual crew—including Zel (face covered) and Xellos—as well as Abel (who’d tagged along, true to his word) and Laddock. Raltark the butler was driving (what a multitalented guy!) the wagon, which consisted of a single covered bed led by a tired old horse. Its wheels squeaked as they churned through the gravel.

Even out here in the sticks, where seeing people would be more of a surprise than not, there were apparently still bandits—or so I’d heard at the roadhouse where we stayed last night. As such, Gourry and I were walking on the right side of the sluggishly traveling vehicle with Amelia and Zelgadis on the left. Xellos was bringing up the rear, and we were all keeping an eye out. Since the wagon was empty on the way down, the Lanzards were riding in the cargo bed. Not that it looked especially comfortable.

“Wait a minute!” Gourry shouted suddenly.

Raltark stopped the wagon on cue.

“What is it?!” Laddock barked with his go-to thunder.

“The enemy,” I responded casually, and after a moment of silence...

“I-Is it him?!”

“No,” Zelgadis answered, drawing his broadsword.

Zel was right. I could sense several people, and based on their presences, they didn’t seem especially skilled. Just your run-of-the-mill bandit types.

The nerve of these jerks! Didn’t they know we had bigger things to worry about?

On the other hand, however, I welcomed the chance to blow off a little steam. After putting up with Laddock’s complaints, the never-ending father-son horn-locking, plus willy-nilly assassin and demon attacks... It was time for a little diversion.

“Quit hiding and come out, you hear?” I called.

“Don’t provoke them!” Laddock shouted from the wagon—a request I promptly ignored.

But the only other response I got was the whistling of the wind through the twilight trees. Betcha the goons were mad I’d called out their lousy hiding job!

“What’s wrong? Come on out already! Or are you afraid of an even fight?!”

“H-How dare you!” retaliated a braying voice at last.

A few men then emerged from the underbrush. Bandits, as expected... About twenty. Aw, was that really all of them? Bummer.

They had us surrounded, technically, but I didn’t exactly feel threatened. I could probably handle the lot of them easily enough myself.

“See?! Didn’t I tell you? Now we’re completely surrounded!” whined Laddock, he of little faith, from the safety of the wagon. Raltark looked a little surprised, but not particularly upset. I couldn’t see Abel’s reaction from my current position, but he didn’t seem to be panicking like his father was.

Obviously ignoring Laddock, the bandit leader kept blustering: “Well, if it’s a fight you want, we’ll give it to you. But if you value your lives, I suggest you hand over your money.”

“Oh, shut up,” I retorted bluntly, rendering him silent. “Let’s get one thing straight early on: You guys are trash we don’t have time to take out right now.”

“T-Trash?!”

Got ’im.

“All right, then! No mercy! C’mon, boys! Kill ’em all!”

“Yeah!” they roared in chorus as they charged at us.

Heh. Idiots.

“Flare Arrow!”

I unleashed the spell I’d been chanting, conjuring a dozen or so flaming arrows that rained down on the incoming bandits.

“Argh!”

“Gyeh!”

Screams rang out here and there from bandits writhing in pain. I’d only hit a couple of them, but the abruptness of my attack scattered them good.

“Go, Gourry!”

“Right!”

Gourry leaped out, sword drawn. I couldn’t see it from my position, but there seemed to be fighting on the other sides of the carriage too. I could hear blades clashing and Amelia chanting a spell... Behind us, Xellos was taunting a few bandits with his staff. Meanwhile, all poor Laddock could do was cower inside the wagon, occasionally shouting this or that without even bothering to look outside.

“Bram Blazer!”

Whoom! Bandit A took a direct hit and went flying. Given the situation, I couldn’t use anything too big or flashy that might catch the wagon or my allies. I was relegated to picking off small fry with smaller spells. That made it less stress relief, and more pest control. Alas.

“You guys really are bottom-feeders,” I snarked, setting my sights on the boss-looking bandit I’d talked to earlier.

“You think so, do you?!” he shouted, near apoplectic. He then raised his right hand high, and...

Vrooosh! I heard something rip through the air and quickly dodged. Then... Whunk! An arrow, still wobbling, appeared in the side of the wagon.

Did they have backup in the woods?! I scanned all around me and, sure enough, detected a faint aura of hostility amid the brush in the direction the arrow had come from.

Got you now! I began chanting a spell, but before I could finish—Vroom!—another arrow tore through the air! It wasn’t aimed at me...

The wagon?! Crap!

The horse neighed urgently—they’d hit the old beast to try to get the wagon away from us! And I was too late to stop it! With newfound speed, the horse began retreating. Gourry and Zel didn’t realize what was going on until it was in full flight.

Ugh!

“Blast Ash!” I incanted, unleashing a spell that turned part of the forest, along with the hostile presences within, to ash.

“What?!” the bandit boss yelped in shock. “No! This wasn’t the deal!”

Oh, it wasn’t, eh? That was an interesting tidbit to overhear, but I didn’t have time to investigate further right now.

“Gourry! Take him alive!” I ordered, indicating the boss before beginning another chant. “Lei Wing!”

By the time I’d cast my swift-flight spell and taken off into the air, the wagon had already disappeared down the winding road. Still, there was only one path it could take... I just had to catch up!

Wreathed in my barrier of wind, I sailed after it. The carrying capacity, max altitude, and general speed of Lei Wing were a balanced ratio that depended on the caster’s skill. To catch up with the speeding wagon, I had to skate along the ground at a pace that was honestly a little scary.

Soon enough, the wagon came back into view a ways down the tree-flanked road. I’d caught up! I mustered all the will I had to pick up speed, and then...

Bwoom! Flames consumed my vision.

“What?!” I was blasted off course and hit the ground hard. If not for the wind barrier around me, it might have been fatal.

The culprit was a Flare Arrow... Countless arrows of flame that had slammed into my Lei Wing.

“Ngh!”

I quickly dismissed my spell and picked myself up. There was a rustling in the trees nearby, and the enemy caster stepped out. It was a lesser demon—no, four of them!

What?! What are these things doing here?!

Lesser demons were the lowest class of demon, but they still had considerable resistance to shamanistic spells. You had to be a pretty good sorcerer or swordsman to face off with one. Obviously, they weren’t a threat to me personally, but I was kinda strapped for time here! The wagon was already out of sight again, and Gourry and the others were too far behind to help... I’d just have to bust through somehow! I started by chanting a spell.

One of the demons let out a howl, sending a dozen or so Flare Arrows raining down on me! I managed to dodge them without breaking off my chant, but a second demon was already shooting another volley of flaming arrows my way.

Ugh! So annoying!

“Ragna Blast!”

At my summons, a pillar of darkness appeared around a lesser demon as black plasma scorched its body. That’s one down!

The remaining three demons, seemingly unfazed, kept the rain of fire coming. I continued to dodge and moved into another chant. Gotta say, the lesser demons’ attacks were way too simple... Were they just here to slow me down?!

When my chant was finished, I positioned myself so that I had two demons in a straight line... and let ’er fly!

“Gaav Flare!”

The magical flame I unleashed opened a hole the first one’s chest, and evaporated the head off the second. Only one to go! Unsurprisingly, I had to deal with another flaming arrow barrage before I could get to it.

There was no question in my mind now. These goons were definitely here to slow me down. But who sent them? Probably not the bandits, although... C’mon, Lina, beat the baddies first and ask questions later!

“Dynast Blas!”

Tendrils of lightning formed a five-pointed star around the lesser demon, ensnaring it. There was a flash of electric blue light, and when it was gone, the demon’s charred body fell to the ground.

Okay! All done here! Now I just have to catch up with the carriage again and—

I looked back in the direction it had gone, and stopped cold. There was a figure limping toward me.

“Abel?!” I quickly ran over to him. “What’s going on?”

His clothes were in tatters and he was battered all over, dragging one leg behind him.

“I jumped out of the wagon,” he said, his voice a little muffled, like he’d bitten his cheek. “Dad and... Raltark are still on board. You have to help them...”

With that, he slumped against a nearby tree. He looked like he was in pain, though none of his wounds looked particularly serious.

“Okay,” I nodded and began chanting again. “Lei Wing!”

I sped a bit farther down the road and caught sight of something in the distance. Was it the wagon?! It must have lost its balance along the way, because it was toppled onto its side now. I dismissed my spell as I got closer and touched down on the ground. There was no sign of the two men who’d been riding in the wagon. Just the collapsed horse, breathing in agony.

“Geh...” I heard a soft moan and turned around to see Raltark seated on a tree root nearby. “Y-You...”

“Are you all right?! Where’s La— er, Master Laddock?”

“I’m fine...” Raltark replied, grimacing slightly. “But Zuma the assassin appeared...”

“Zuma?!”

“He told me to tell you... ‘I have Laddock Lanzard. If you want him back alive, come with Gourry Gabriev to the hunting cabin in the mountains east of the village of Duphon.’”

A challenge, eh?

“My, how dreadful,” a sudden voice said, causing me to whip around.

“Don’t scare me like that, Xellos... Where’s everyone else?”

“They finished the bandits off and are heading this way.”

Hmm... I had a feeling I knew what Xellos was up to this time.

“Xellos, look after Raltark. I’m going to rejoin the others.”

“I... I don’t know anything!” the bandit boss cried pitifully once we were all around him. Gourry had captured him alive, just as I’d asked.

“Don’t lie. I heard you say, ‘This wasn’t the deal.’”

“Th-That was just...” he stammered. “Last night, a man came to our base...” Realizing it was futile, perhaps, the man began to talk. “He was clad all in black... Called himself Zuma. Normally we would’ve just killed the guy, but he brought demons with him. Like heck we could fight demons...”

“Demons?!” I echoed. “You mean lesser demons?”

“How should I know?! I’ve heard stories about demons, but it’s not like I’d ever seen one before!”

Had Zuma been the one to send those lesser demons after me? I hadn’t pegged him for a skilled summoner... Didn’t really fit his image.

“Okay, fine... What happened next?” I asked.

“He threw some money at us and said he needed our help. He said tomorrow—well, today now—a wagon would be coming down this road and that we were supposed to separate it from its escort. If we succeeded, he said he’d give us even more money. He threatened us with the demons too, so it wasn’t like we could refuse. He said the escort was nothing special. That if we needed help, the demons would provide it. And so we agreed... but you’re actually super strong and the demons never showed. That’s what wasn’t the deal.”

“I see...”

So he intended from the start to kidnap Laddock? Or maybe he’d meant to finish me and Laddock off together...

“You do? Then can I please go?”

“Of course not!” Amelia said, pointing dramatically at the man. “Don’t think we can simply overlook your more mundane wrongdoings! We’re handing you over to the closest authorities! Stay quiet and accept your fate!”

“Nooo! Anything but that! I’ll change my ways! Please, give me a second chance!”

“Never! Normally, the wrath of heaven would fall upon you here and now—”

I tuned out the rest of their exchange as my thoughts turned elsewhere. If Zuma was kicking things into high gear... our next meeting would probably be the final showdown.

“A showdown, huh?” I whispered, too quiet for any of the others to hear.

The wind whistled through the evening sky. Gray clouds swarmed the heavens above—pretty typical for this area and time of year. It had been like that ever since we left Vezendi.

It was about two days later now. Gourry and I were currently on a mountain road just wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and we’d just arrived at a log cabin screened by black trees. It had to be the place Zuma mentioned.

“You ready?” Gourry asked, and I nodded silently.

I wasn’t sure about Gourry, but coming this far had been pretty trying for me. We’d tangled with the masked assassin several times now and never managed to get rid of him, after all. The psychological pressure was the worst part.

I’d been keeping up my training with Gourry, of course, but it wasn’t like I’d gotten to be a master swordsman overnight. If things came down to a one-on-one, there was no way I’d stand a chance.

We’d come close to defeating Zuma once, but that was almost entirely thanks to Gourry. I hadn’t done much more than watch. Fortunately I had the big lug with me now, but there was still plenty to be worried about.

The fact that Zuma apparently had lesser demons at his command now, for example. If he sent a bunch of them to separate us, we’d be in for a tough fight. I would’ve liked to bring Amelia and Zelgadis along too, but Zuma having a hostage really tied our hands. Thus, everyone else was waiting back in Duphon at the foot of the mountain for us to return.

But that wasn’t all. There was another question bugging me: Why had Zuma asked me to bring Gourry along? I thought he was only after me and Laddock. If he wanted to kill Gourry too, that would seem to suggest he wanted payback for the beating he took last time... But taking Laddock hostage and getting revenge on Gourry? It just didn’t sound like Zuma’s MO.

The last wild card on my mind was Seigram and his two buddies. He hadn’t come after us again since our encounter at the inn, but that surely didn’t mean he was finished with us.

Welp, stressing over it wasn’t gonna do me any good! I had to fry the big fish in front of me first: Zuma!

With no particular plan in mind, Gourry and I approached the hunting cabin. It wasn’t very large, naturally... From outside, we could sense one faint presence within.

“I’ll go in first,” Gourry said, putting his hand on the door.

Squeeeak... An ill-fitting cry echoed out as the door swung open easily. Gourry quickly came to a dead halt. I poked my head past him and saw a plain, empty room furnished with nothing but a small stove and a small table with a cooking pot sitting on it. There was a pile of hay in the corner in place of a bed, and on top of it...

“Master... Laddock?”

A man was lying in the hay, hands tied behind his back. He was facing away from us, but it was unmistakably Laddock Lanzard. Fortunately, he seemed to be alive..

There was nary a sign of anyone else around. There wasn’t anywhere to hide, either. It was a simple hunting cabin, so there weren’t going to be any hidden doors or secret passageways here.

Granted, Zuma was probably capable of masking his presence from me. But Gourry didn’t seem to notice anything either, which led me to believe we were in the clear.

“What’s the plan?” Gourry asked.

“Hang on,” I said and began chanting. “Dam Blas!”

Bwoom!

The spell I released blasted the hay beneath Laddock. I was worried Zuma might be hiding inside of it, but my Dam Blas scattered the dry grass without hitting anything. It did send Laddock rolling toward us, though.

“Guh...” he groaned.

Yup, it was definitely him. But then where was Zuma? All of a sudden, I sensed a new presence over my shoulder. Damn! Behind me?! I quickly turned around and saw...

“Abel?!”

He must have run all the way here, for he stood in the doorway with his shoulders heaving.

“What... Abel?!” Laddock gasped softly, apparently noticing his son.

“Dad!”

I couldn’t stop him. He ran right past me into the single room and began untying his father’s hands.

“You fool! What are you doing here?!” the older Lanzard demanded.

“I was worried about you, Dad!”

Laddock seemed at a loss for words. But the emotional silence was quickly interrupted...

“Linaaa!” wailed Amelia’s voice.

I turned back in surprise a second time to see not just Amelia, but Zel, Xellos, and Raltark too. They must have come to stop Abel, but... C’mon, guys! What’d we even split up for in the first place?!

“My, my... This wasn’t the plan, was it?” called an eerie, familiar voice from behind me.

“What?!” I gasped.

I whipped around to spot a white lump hovering outside the cabin in otherwise empty space. It then produced countless tendrils of darkness that slithered outward, taking the shape of hair.

“Guduza?!” Amelia reflexively cried out.

But... what was she doing here?!

“Indeed... Simply outrageous, isn’t it?” called another figure from the trees. It emerged slowly, as if to dramatize its own footsteps.

Duguld...

“We meet again, chimera child,” he greeted Zel with a light tip of his hat. He then turned his gaze slightly and said, “We came here to help with revenge... but this feels less like vengeance and more like a farce. It’s most unsightly... so I think it’s time to put an end to things, Elder Raltark.”

“What?!” Gourry, Zel, and Amelia shouted in the same breath.

“Hmm... I see,” Raltark responded casually enough, then began to chant under his breath.

The echo of inhuman words carried on the wind. The forest sprung to life. The birds, beasts, and bugs all tried to flee in a hurry. They knew something was wrong... but it was too late.

Uuuowmm...

That must have been the word of power. A low rumble that made my ears ring ran through the air. A strange feeling fell over the mountain.

“Dear, oh dear...” Xellos said in an even voice. “I don’t believe this was part of the agreement.”

“Now, now. I can indulge myself this little bit, can’t I?” Raltark responded in an equally even tone.

Skree! A bizarre cry like animals’ screams, though not quite, rose up from the forest. Skree! Skaaaree! Skree!

And it wasn’t just a few of them... There were a dozen, at least.

“What’s going on?!” I shouted.

“Oh, hardly anything worth mentioning,” Raltark replied indifferently. “Just a few lower-tier demons I called forth from the astral plane possessing the local wildlife.”

What the— I found myself dumbstruck. What Raltark had just done... It was...

Grrragh! At last, the agonized cries coalesced into a roar... The legions of lesser demons Raltark had summoned appeared from within the forest!

“Now!” Duguld cried out in exaltation, brushing his cape back dramatically. “Let the ball begin!”



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