Search for the Darkstar - Journey into the Depths of Sairaag

Author: DQBunny Title: Search for the Darkstar - Journey into the Depths of Sairaag

Search for Darkstar
Chapter 6: Hide and Go Seek Among the Ruins ← Chapter 7: Journey into the Depths of Sairaag → Chapter 8: To The South! We're Flying Dragon Express!

Chapter Index

Disclaimer: "Slayers" isn't mine, but belongs to Kanzaka Hajime, Araizumi Rui and those who represent them. I'm just borrowing the characters for a little while and will return them intact. Except for Gourry. He might be squished just a little. This story is set after the manga arc "Knight of Aqualord" and is an alternate take on the TRY season of the anime.

-----
Chapter 7: Journey into the Depths of Sairaag
Lina stared into the murky depths of the pool. Once, the gigantic Flagoon had guarded over Sairaag. Then it was destroyed and became a prison for its citizens and the people she cared for. Now, all that was left was gallons upon gallons of water and the nightmares that haunted her.
Gourry approached her. "We don't have to do this," he said in a low voice. "We can find a way around this."
"No," she replied stubbornly, making sure that her gaze kept focused on the water. "We're going to get your sword back, Gourry. You sacrificed it to save me. I owe this to you."
He moved even closer and reached for her right hand. "You risked a whole hell of a lot more to save me. You're more important than the sword, Lina." It's not worth you risking your sanity for, he thought as he stared into the pool himself.
She wrapped her fingers around his and squeezed tightly. "I'll be okay. Besides," she added with a toothy grin. "You're going with me."
Gourry paled slightly, not liking the sound of this at all. "I am?"
Lina looked over her shoulder at Shizuri. "Shizuri, you keep an eye on things up here! We'll be back!"
Shizuri smirked at them. Lina appeared too cheerful and Gourry looked like he was going to be ill. She waved to them. "Take all the time you need! I'm sure that's probably the most alone time the two of you are going to have for days."
"Shizuri!" Lina yelled, but Shizuri was too busy laughing. She snorted and swapped her hold on Gourry, wrapping her arm through his. "Ready?" she asked. "You didn't mind the last time we did this."
"Yes, I did! I was just speaking octopi and you couldn't understand what I was saying!"
"Oh! So that's why you were flailing and screaming at me before we went underwater then!"
Gourry didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry at that statement. Before he could make up his mind either way, Lina casted the Raywing spell around them and plunged them into the water.
-----
Amelia was the first one onto the road, Lyos at her shoulder. He brandished his sword, swinging it in a wild arc, nearly cleaving off Filia's head in the process.
"Would you watch where you're swinging that thing?" Filia glared at him, then snapped her head around in a huff. "They shouldn't be allowing children to carry swords, especially one that big."
Lyos growled and did his best to stick his nose in her face, despite the height difference between them. "Look, you. I don't care what dragon king you're a priestess for. I'm the Knight of Aqualord! You have no right to be speaking to me like that!"
Filia crossed her arms over her chest. "I, as a priestess of Flarelord, have a right to speak to whoever I want in what manner I choose. If I see a child that needs to be disciplined..."
"I am not a child!" Lyos' voice rose nearly an octave as he screamed at her.
"Umm...look, maybe this isn't the time to engage in this sort of argument," Sylphiel ventured, hesitantly. She bit her lip, not particularly anxious to become part of the fight between the two of them.
Lyos and Filia both sucked in a breath, ready to start round two, when the ground began shaking. Explosions sounded in the distance, coming from the direction of the ruins.
Lyos stabbed Banisher into the ground and quickly knelt to prevent losing his balance. He grabbed Filia just before she hit the ground. She stared at him for a moment with a look of part-annoyance, part-gratitude. With a muttered "thank you," she regained her footing and shook out her skirts.
"Look!" Sylphiel gasped, covering her mouth with one hand and pointing to the sky with the other.
Amelia gawked as the white and black lights flashed in the air. The last time I saw something like this, Gaav was fighting Xelloss-san. Could it...could Xelloss-san be here as well?
Lyos shielded his eyes, then scanned along the ground. Close to one of the ruins, he noticed several shadows slipping around the giant remains. He pointed. "Look over there. There's someone near those ruins."
At the base of the ruins, Gravos was on his knees, digging through the dirt. He'd spotted something glittering after setting off the explosions that Valgaav ordered. He dragged Jillas along, insisting that he saw something.
Gravos reached into the hole that he made, his hand closing around something solid. "Look, Jillas! I found something," he exclaimed, then hefted a large sword. Elaborate metal vines curled around the blade, which appeared to him to still be sharp despite being buried.
Jillas' eyes widened. "Is that the Sword of Light?"
Gravos shrugged. "Well, it's a sword," he said. "Nice one too, by the looks of it."
Jillas scoffed at the weapon. "Idiot. That's probably just some random sword someone has thrown away."
Gravos waved it at him. "It fits the description! It's a sword found among these ruins. How many swords in this condition are found in a place like this? I say we take this back to Valgaav-sama."
Jillas shook his head firmly. "I still don't think it's the Sword of Light."
"It feels light!"
"It'd feel light to you!" Jillas shot back.
Gravos huffed for a moment, then considered the sword once more. He slashed it through the air. It was a decent enough blade, but other than the decorations, it seemed to be much like any other sword he'd seen. "Well, didn't Valgaav-sama tell you what it looked like?"
Jillas frowned and fell silent for a moment. Finally, he shrugged. "Nope.'
"Oh."
Their heads snapped around at the sound of loud rustling in the bushes. A moment later, Amelia, Filia, Sylphiel and Lyos burst through. Lyos quickly skirted in front of them, brandishing Banisher.
Sylphiel's eyes widened when she got a good look at the weapon in Gravos' hands. "It's...it's the Blessed Blade! What are you doing with that?"
Jillas took two steps backwards and sputtered. "You mean it's not the Sword of Light?" He whirled around and jabbed a finger in Gravos' face. "Told you so!"
Sylphiel stepped forward. "That's a sacred sword for the people of Sairaag," she said firmly, her features hardening. "I'd like to have it back, please."
Jillas turned his attention back to Sylphiel. With a cackling laugh, he grabbed the Blessed Blade from Gravos and backed up slightly. "I recognize you. You're with Lina Inverse. Tell us where the Sword of Light is and we'll give you this sword."
Sylphiel made a small sound of protest. Amelia leaped out in front of her, legs spread wide. With one hand on her hip, she pointed dramatically at the sword. "You can't keep that sword! It belongs to the people of Sairaag and it's unjust to loot a massive gravesite."
Amelia didn't think it was possible for an ogre to turn pale, but the one on front of her did so considerably. "G...g...grave?" Gravos stammered, remembering what he had heard about the city of Sairaag being bewitched. "Jillas, maybe we should give them the sword back."
"You're going to believe an annoying little twit like that?"
Amelia's eyes started to flash with temper. "Who are you calling an annoying little twit?"
Filia glanced at the sword, then back at Sylphiel. "Let me get this straight. Sylphiel-san, this sword that this beast is holding has nothing to do with the Sword of Light?"
Sylphiel nodded. "That's right, Filia-san."
Filia marched over to Gravos and Jillas, brushing past Lyos and a still-furious Amelia. She came to a stop in front of them and clasped her hands in front of her. "As a priestess of Flarelord, I command you to turn this sword over to the priestess from Sairaag right now."
Lyos cradled his head in his hands. "Oh, geez, lay off!"
"You can't order us to do anything, Missy!" Jillas shot back.
Filia's eyes went wide before anger started to set in. She advanced slowly on Jillas, a golden glow starting to form around her body. Her hands curled into fist as a gust of wind suddenly blew threw the area. A moment later, a small pop sounded and Filia's tail popped out from beneath her dress.
"Filia-san!" Her own temper forgotten, Amelia ran to Filia's side, grabbing hold of her arm. "Calm down, please, Filia-san! You can't transform right here!"
Filia's head snapped toward Amelia's and the look in the golden dragon's eyes chilled her. Filia's aura flared again, knocking Amelia to the ground.
"Amelia!" Sylphiel cried, rushing to her side.
"Give it to them." Valgaav stumbled out from behind one of the ruins, clutching his right arm. He staggered toward them, distracting Filia to the point that her aura dropped. Shock filled her as the man stopped a few feet away from them.
Gravos and Jillas both gaped at Valgaav. "What? Give up the sword? But it could be the Sword of Light!" Jillas protested.
Valgaav glared at the Blessed Blade in disgust. "Give it to them," he ordered in a low, tight voice. "Now!" His gaze shifted over the crowd, then settled on Amelia. "Tell Lina Inverse this isn't over. I'm not going to waste time fighting over a worthless hunk of metal."
Amelia shifted into a fighting stance. "Where's Lina-san?"
Valgaav snorted and stared back at the main part of the ruins in disgust. "Hell if I know. Damn woman disappeared. But when she shows back up, you tell her I'm not finished with her. That damn Xelloss isn't going to stop me from getting my revenge."
Amelia ignored Valgaav and raced past him, heading toward the center of the ruin site. She knew exactly where he'd been looking at - the place where Flagoon had once stood. Sylphiel followed Amelia. Filia hesitated for a moment and glanced over at Valgaav once more. She waited, hoped that he would make some sort of eye contact with her. When he kept staring stonily into the distance, she followed Sylphiel and Amelia.
Lyos sauntered over to Jillas. "I'll take that," he informed him, snatching the blade from the fox's hands. Swinging Banisher over one shoulder, he ran off after the others, the Blessed Blade held tightly in his hand.
-----
Gourry hated flying. There was nothing worse than the feeling of not having solid ground beneath your feet, especially when one had to depend on Lina for safety while in the air. There were times when he was able to push it out of his mind, like when Sairaag was destroyed. Lina and Zel's ability to get them all into the air safely had saved their lives. Still, it was one of the reasons why he was extremely glad that his fate in life wasn't to be a magic-user.
But as they plunged into the water using the Raywing spell, he didn't feel so antsy - mainly because she had forewarned him this time. Lina had used the spell to take him, Amelia and Zel underwater before and it had held up fine once he'd gotten over the initial panic. It almost felt like they were on solid ground.
And if worse came to worse and the spell failed, he was an excellent swimmer...as long as he didn't stop to think how far it was to the surface.
The world was nothing but an enormous swirl of darkness around them as the surface disappeared from view. After a moment, his eyes adjusted and he could see the faint outline of stones from where the room had been Hellmaster's cavern.
Why can't I remember this? I should be remembering this. Wasn't I here? Lina said I was. So did Amelia and Zel. They came and rescued me here. I was here for quite awhile. Why can't I remember? Gourry turned back to Lina, frustrated with himself. It merely wasn't being forgetful this time, that he knew. He just couldn't remember anything at all.
When they returned from Sairaag the last time, he'd told the group the he recalled being in the mountains, fighting Gaav. Then Hellmaster had snared hold of him and the last thing he could see in his mind was Lina running after them, screaming his name. The next thing he knew, he had woken up to see Lina glowing gold and something about her being taken away.
His mind was jumbled up from that point on. He ran after her, followed her into that black hole that Zel had called the Sea of Payoff. Then his sword disappeared. Then something about a kiss? No, that was his imagination taking over again. Then they were back in Sairaag and Lina was kicking him into one of the lakes - just like old times.
Lina's voice cut through his thoughts. "I figured there would be something left," she said hoarsely.
Gourry couldn't see well, but he did notice something shining on her face. Was she crying? "Lina?"
She didn't say anything for a moment. "In the middle of this...thing, there was a huge crystal that held every single person who died in Sairaag the day Copy Rezo destroyed the city. Phibrizzo was manipulating them like he would a puppet." Like he did you, she silently added.
When it became clear that Gourry hadn't remembered his time spent as one of Phibrizzo's puppets, Lina had Zel, Amelia and Sylphiel swear not to tell him that he attacked Lina. She knew Gourry's mind well enough. He would not be able to handle the fact that he tried to kill her well, even though it had been beyond his control.
Besides, she carried enough guilt for them both.
She gritted her teeth and channeled more energy into the spell. The memories were hitting her again, one right after the other. She was trying to block them out, to remember what they were doing.
Gourry's crystal was cracking. She could see the lines blossom over the surface, like glass the moment before it shattered into a million pieces. She could hear Phibrizzo's insane laughter as she reached the only decision she could make. She would not have Gourry's blood on her hands! She would cast the Giga Slave.
No, that wasn't right. Gourry was fine. He was beside her, trying his best not to turn an interesting shade of green the deeper they went. He was alive. Phibrizzo was not. They were going to get the Sword of Light back.
Are you so sure about it? Her mind questioned her and for a moment, the lines between reality and memory blurred.
Gourry swallowed nervously as the air bubble around them started to waver. Somehow, he didn't think that the spell was suppose to do that.
I can see it! His crystal is shattering!
"Lina, snap out of it!" Gourry said harshly, grabbing her shoulders. It was just enough to shake Lina out of her thoughts.
Then their feet hit the ground.
Lina swore, catching her balance while maintaining the spell. Gourry wasn't so lucky. He hit the ground, his arm flinging out beyond the Raywing shield. He yanked it back, but it was soaked to the bone and blue.
"Co...cold," he shivered, rubbing it frantically. "It...it was only..only out there a second!"
"We're so deep under water, it wouldn't matter," Lina told him. "If this goes down, we'll freeze before we could get back to the surface."
Gourry decided it was not a good idea to mention that her spell had wavered. At least, not right then. Maybe when they were back on the surface and he was kissing the ground in gratitude.
They stared at their immediate surroundings. Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but that didn't help them much. Lina considered their options. Casting a Lighting spell was possible, it was low-level enough to where it shouldn't interfere with the Raywing spell. But they were so deep that she didn't want to take the chance of it happening.
"If we don't find it now, we'll have to make a second trip," she told Gourry. "We can't run the risk of my magic getting too exhausted. We won't make it back to the surface."
"We can't have that now, can we?" he replied cheerfully. He refused to let her worry. "We'll find it, Lina."
She gave him an odd look, then started to navigate the bubble around the bottom of the chamber.
Things in life never came easy to Lina Inverse, which was why she was shocked when Gourry suddenly tripped over something. He handed on his hands and knees, nearly spilling completely out of the Raywing bubble. She expended more energy than she wanted, expanding the bubble out to keep him safe.
"Hey, jellyfish! I'm working here," she grumbled. "We can't afford for you to trip over your own two feet."
"I didn't trip myself up," he countered, then felt around on the ground. Suddenly, he had something in his hand and she heard him whisper an incantation.
Light filled the area as it shot forth in a blade from Gourry's hands. It took Lina a moment to realize that he was holding the Sword of Light, the blade about the size of a short sword so it wouldn't pierce through the Raywing bubble. They grinned at each other.
"Let's get out of here!" Lina grabbed Gourry's hand and started to maneuver the Raywing bubble back to the surface.
This was too easy, Lina thought as they rose. That cavern was huge. Maybe those stupid flashbacks were good for something after all if they caused me to literally land on top of the weapon. Now that we have the sword back, we can go see if this prophecy is full of bunk or not.
Lina looked up and started to see the night sky above the water. She closed her eyes and willed the bubble to move a little faster as drowsiness started to seep through her. I could use a nap. Or two days of sleep. Wait a minute... Lina's grip on Gourry's hand tightened as alarms went off in her head. She was drained. Her magic was tapped. Her eyes snapped open as she started to wobble.
"Lina?" Gourry glanced down at her as she began to sway. He quickly wrapped an arm around her to steady her. "Lina, what's wrong?"
"The Raywing," Lina ground out, holding onto Gourry for support. "Damn it, I put too much power into it somehow. I'm not sure I can keep the bubble going."
Gourry's hold tightened as his gaze went skyward. He could see the surface, but they weren't close enough to consider swimming for it. He looked back down at Lina as she suddenly slumped forward into his arms, unconscious. His instincts kicked into gear and he took a huge breath of air, barely managing to get it before the bubble popped. As the water swirled around them from the broken spell, Gourry clutched Lina tightly to his chest and kicked toward the surface.
-----
Shizuri knelt beside the large lake, doing her best not to be worried. She glanced at the moon, noting the position. If she had to guess, Lina and Gourry had been gone for nearly half an hour. Shizuri knew about magic, but the sort of spell that Lina had used to create breathable air for herself and Gourry was unknown to her.
"Shizuri-san!" Amelia rushed up as Shizuri got to her feet. Amelia stopped and slumped over, hands on her thighs as she caught her breath. "Where's Lina-san and Gourry-san?" she panted as Filia, Sylphiel and Lyos caught up.
"In there, princess." Shizuri turned back to the lake.
Amelia stepped to her side and tried to ignore the ice crawling up her spine. "They went in there?"
"Some guy with purple hair...Xelloss. Yes, that's what Lina called him. Xelloss. He indicated that the sword was down in there."
"Inside of Flagoon?" Sylphiel questioned.
"It makes sense," Amelia replied. "That's where the battle took place."
"What battle?" Lyos asked as Filia went pale.
"You mean...that battle?" she asked Amelia. "The one with Hellmaster?"
Shizuri's eyes went wide with shock. "Hellmaster? Hellmaster Phibrizzo? Lina fought Hellmaster Phibrizzo and lived? How the hell did she fight both the Demon Dragon King and Hellmaster?"
"It's a long story," Amelia replied, not wanting to go into it at the moment. She turned back to the lake. "How long have they been in there?"
"Enough time to where I'm worried about them." Shizuri fixed Amelia with a sharp look as the princess unclasped her cloak and let it drop to the ground. "Princess, what are you doing?"
"Going after them," she replied, then dived into the water, casting Raywing as she did so, ignoring Shizuri's shouting as she sank below the surface.
Amelia manipulated the spell until it widened, then gauged her power. Holding out one hand, she cast a low-level Lighting spell and scanned the depths. She lowered the bubble some, then scanned again. She frowned when she saw something flash in the water below. She sank a few more feet and lowered the power of the Lighting spell to make sure that it wasn't her own magic reflecting off the walls. When the flash appeared again, she recognized it from the time that everyone had gone hunting for lake dragon.
Amelia released the Lighting spell and angled toward the flash, which was now a full mane of hair. As she got lower, she could see Gourry's face as he struggled with a growing lack of oxygen, his arms clamped around Lina. Amelia quickly expanded the Raywing spell, encompassing Gourry. He fell to his knees, breathing heavily as Amelia turned toward the surface.
Sylphiel let out a little shriek of joy as the bubble emerged, then popped. She raced to the edge of the water, taking Lina from Gourry's arms and stretching her on the ground as she started to cast Recovery. Lyos and Shizuri helped Gourry out of the water while Amelia climbed out next to Filia. They helped him over to Lina's side as Amelia rushed over and added her own healing spell to Sylphiel's.
Filia started to head over, then tripped. She glanced down and noticed a sword hilt lying in the large wet spot where Lina, Gourry and Amelia had gotten out of the water. She knelt and picked it up, studying it. "I don't think this was here before," she commented. "Someone's sword hilt."
Amelia's head snapped up as she got a good look at what Filia held. "The Sword of Light! You got it back!"
"Yeah," Gourry managed a weak smile. "We did."
-----
When Lina blinked her eyes open and saw her friends' worried faces crowded around her, she knew she'd managed to elude death one more time. I have more lives than a cat, she decided as Sylphiel helped her to sit up. "How did we get out?"
"Amelia came after us," Gourry explained. "She got there just in time."
Amelia managed a wavering smile, then suddenly tackled Lina. She threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly. "You always make us worry so much, Lina-san," she sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It wasn't worth it!"
"Damn it, the spell shouldn't had gone out," Lina muttered in response. She hugged Amelia back, then nudged her away. "Amelia, pull yourself together!"
Amelia sat back on her haunches and swept her hand over her eyes as Lina recounted the trip. "The spell shouldn't had gone out," she repeated as she reached the end. "I've managed a Raywing bubble like that before, larger even when we went down to see what was up with the Octopi. My magic shouldn't go out like that." She leaned forward, cradled her head in her hands. I shouldn't had taken Gourry. I shouldn't had risked him like that. Damn it, I don't need him to hold my hand while I confront my ghosts!
Gourry stared at Lina for a long moment, his eyes downcast. "It's my fault," he finally said. "I nearly broke the bubble twice and if I hadn't..."
"Oh, stop the guilt trips, both of you," Shizuri cut in, throwing her hands in the air. She got to her feet and loomed over the group, hands on her hips. "If Gourry hadn't gone with you, you wouldn't had found the sword, Lina. Even if you did, you would had risked breaking the spell by trying to pick it up."
They opened their mouths together to protest, then mutually clamped them shut. Amelia stared at them for a moment, then got to her feet. "Hey, why don't we get going," she suggested, starting to usher Filia and Shizuri away. "Let's head back to camp and start to pack things up. I'm sure Lina-san and Gourry-san will be along in a minute."
Sylphiel rose, starting to object, then fell silent. She glanced quickly at Lina and Gourry, then headed off after the others. Lyos lingered the longest, his gaze on Sylphiel as she moved away. He hurried after her, not bothering to look back.
Lina started to get to her feet, but nature conspired against her and she found herself sitting once more. "Okay," she laughed a bit shakily, "I suppose we stay here for a moment longer."
"Are you okay?" Gourry wrapped an arm around Lina's back to steady her.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Lina waved her hand in front of him. "We've had much worst stuff happen to us in battle and I just need a moment to catch my breath."
"Not that." Gourry's hold tightened on her as he remembered how the flashbacks had come close to overwhelming her again. He was willing to bet that dealing with the flashbacks was why Lina's power had given out so fast. Did she not notice that they'd nearly caused the spell to go out then as well? "Are you alright about that?" he nodded toward the pool.
"Oh." Lina followed Gourry's gaze and slumped a little against him. She mulled it over for a few minutes. "Yeah, I suppose I am," she decided. "I think the nightmares will always be there to a degree, but we've essentially returned things back the way they were before we fought Phibrizzo. I don't think they'll be this bad anymore."
She smiled at him and saw the worry in his eyes. "Don't worry," she said with a laugh. "I'm fine! I'm not about to let some stupid dream keep me down."
He relaxed a bit, then pulled her into his arms. She stiffened for a moment in surprise, then wrapped her arms around his neck. She relaxed as he wound a hand through her hair, lighting massaging the back of her head. This feels nice, she decided as she turned her face into his neck and relaxed.
"Thank you," Gourry mummered against her hair. "You didn't have to do this for me. We could had let the sword go."
"No, we couldn't." Lina pulled back and noticed Sylphiel in the distance. The priestess had stopped about halfway back to camp and was looking back at them. Despite their talk earlier, it was enough to make Lina feel uncomfortable. She eased back slightly and made the mistake of turning her full attention to Gourry. His eyes had soften and he looked so happy that nerves began to jitter in the pit of her stomach. They started to lean in toward each other. Remembering Sylphiel, Lina quickly pulled away just short of kissing Gourry and tried again to stand. This time, she succeeded. She lumbered off. He stared after her with a bemused expression, but quickly followed.
"Just remember, pal," Lina informed Gourry as they headed back to camp, "you lose that sword again and I'm going to kick your ass."

Chapter 6: Hide and Go Seek Among the Ruins ← Chapter 7: Journey into the Depths of Sairaag → Chapter 8: To The South! We're Flying Dragon Express!

Chapter Index

Go Back To Archive