Storms on the Horizon



"So what do we do now?" Amethyst asked. She looked
around the small camp, and then glanced at the fire.
"Excuse me, Xalan-san, could you get hand me some wood
for the fire?"
"We can't take Sherra," Xalan said as he stood up, he
didn't real feel like arguing with Amethyst again. She
was convinced that having the fire would help keep
Sherra comfortable until the night came and her
healing accelerated. He stood up and walked to the
wood pile.
"Yeah, she'll be unconscious for days after this,"
Xina agreed, watching Amethyst narrowly as the
chimera's eyes followed her brother's form to the wood
pile. ~Well, Amethyst is okay at least.~ Xalan started
to pick up the whole wood pile.
"No, I don't need that much!" Amethyst said suddenly.
"And we should keep the wood pile over there to
uh...cut the chance of it accidentally catching fire."
"Okay," Xalan said after a moment. Amethyst didn't
notice nearly everybody eyeing her strangely.
"Umm....what were we saying?" Amethyst asked.
"We were saying that you were going to leave Sherra
out here, while we hunt that bastard down," Duofolger
accused icily. About an hour ago Sherra's nerves had
flared to back to life, and she ceased having coherent
thoughts and emotions about fifteen minutes after
that. He hoped that she was still sane after she
finished healing, and half-hoped that she'd forget
what he had said.
"Of course not!" Amethyst said shocked at the thought.
"You'd have to stay with her, and Tinu-chan and
Kyrie-chan as well! We can't take them with us
to...whereever it is." Duofolger's eyes turned toward
the elven girl who had almost tried to examine
Sherra's injuries and how they were healing. Until, of
course, Xina got a look at her hair and started
laughing. That had managed to distract her.
"Then I'd stay to," Jolrael said. Nobody noticed Xina
nod her head, as if she had expected that.
"Watch your backs," Xina said. Jol narrowed his eyes
at her, he had a sudden idea that she knew more than
she was saying. Reaching out cautiously to the
labyrinth of her mind, he found one, clear thought.
~That....is a secret.~ Xina turned to smile and shrug
at Jol, a little sadly.
"Oh, I need a little more wood than this," Amethyst
said as Xalan came back. "Could you get me some
more...please, Xalan-san?"
"Oh...kay," Xalan said. "So that's leaves us four
then?" he asked, walking back to the wood pile. He
glanced back and noticed Amethyst staring at him, he
paused a moment and swung his tail from side to side.
He tried not to blush as Amethyst's eyes followed the
motion.
"Us four what?" Amethyst asked suddenly as Xalan
turned around. Val and Xina sweatdropped.
"It leaves, you, me, Xalan, and Val," Xina snapped.
"You know to go and kill a couple of mazoku?"
"Oh yeah," Amethyst laughed nervously. "I knew that."
She suddenly took an exaggerated concern in sharpening
her sword.
"I'm the transport again," Val sighed. "Aren't I?"
Xina smiled up at him indulgently, ignoring her
brother's growl. "Where are we going?"
"North," Xina said. "Dad's home."
"Oh, we should eat something then," Amethyst stared at
the fire. "I think I'll need a bigger fire than this,
Xalan-san, could you get me some more wood please?"
"You do know, that I know what that means, right?"
Xalan asked as he stood up, smirking at Amethyst
attempting to sputter out denials. She looked anywhere
but at him as he walked to the wood pile. This enabled
her to notice the various other disbelieving looks she
was getting. Amethyst laughed nervously.
"So, you two are going to babysit the injured and
non-combatants," Xina said pointing to Jol and
Duofolger. "While we're going to kill a couple of
mazoku, right?" Xalan looked uncomfortable including
Xina in on the hunt, but he couldn't think of a way to
convince her to stay.
"Look at that storm," Val pointed toward the horizon
where a sheet of darkness was skittering over the
ocean's surface. "Wait a minute, its moving against
the wind."
"Where?" Xina asked glancing out. "Oh, I see it.
Where's it going?"
"SAILOON!!" Amethyst gasped. "Its heading for
Sailoon!! We have to get to my father and warn them!"
"We don't have time," Xalan said stalling her. "We
have to get the staff back, again."
"Hey...sword boy!" Jol and Duofolger turned to look at
Xina. "You can still teleport right?" Jol looked back
towards the "storm" there was something about it aside
from the fact it was moving against the natural
movement of wind in this part of the world.
"Yeah," Duofolger said, narrowing his eyes. "Not as
much as I used to be able to...otherwise this would
have been a much shorter trip."
"You can teleport the five of you though," Amethyst
asked quietly. "Tinu and Kyrie don't seem to take up
much mass."
"I think I can do that, yeah," Duofolger said. "Why
should I?"
"For one thing, I'm sure Gourry-sama and Sylphiel-sama
would like to know that Kyrie is safe," Amethyst said.
"Not to mention that if Sailoon falls, then it won't
be that safe for anybody," Jolrael added. "And there
is that storm."
"WHAT?!?" Xina whirled to face the other horizen and
blanched at the darkness coming from that direction.
"Damn! We need to all get moving now!"
"That will be here come tomorrow morning," Val agreed.
"But I don't think we can outrun it."
"I guess, this is where we split ways for at least a
little while," Amethyst sighed. She stood and turned
to the five who were returning to Sailoon, taking a
serious face. "Jolrael-san, Duofolger-san, take care.
If you happen to see my father, tell him what is
happening." She glanced around, holding her sword, and
looking for something. Val, meanwhile, walked wearily
towards a rock for some privacy to change into his
dragon form.
"Missing something, Amethyst?" Xina asked.
"I can't seem to find my..." she glanced towards where
Xalan was sitting, and spotted her scabbard.
"Ah...there it is. Xalan-san could you hand me..."
"Some...wood?" Xalan asked, interrupting. Amethyst
lost the ability to think coherently.
"Yes...no...um...the thing...wood...put sword in...NO
didn't mean THAT....the uh... the
uh....ARRRGGG...scabbard!" she jabbed a finger at the
scabbard next to him and flushed brightly as he handed
her the asked for item. Amethyst snapped her blade
into the scabbard and turned her back in an
embarrassed huff.
"I thought the guy was supposed to have the sword,"
Duofolger said idly. Amethyst fumed, being joined
suddenly by Xalan, while Xina's laughs redoubled.
"We don't have time for this foolishness," Amethyst
said. "We need to go! Val-san, are you finished?" The
ancient dragon's natural form grew up from behind the
rock he was behind and his turned to view the camp
sight.
"Yeah, we can..." the dragon-head blinked. "Amethyst,
why are you all red like that?" Amethyst laughed
nervously again.
"BIG LIZARD!!!" Kyrie said suddenly.
"Noooo, I'm a dragon," Val said.
"LIZARD!"
"Dragon!"
"LIZZ....ARD!!!"
"Oh Val-kun! Please be careful! Or I'll never see you
again!" Tinu's words catalyzed several people. Xina
stopped laughing, standing up and moving very business
like.
"Erk," was the dragon's intelligent response.
"Well come on, we can't hang around here and just wait
for that second storm," Xina snapped. "Let's go, good
luck to you Jol." She glanced at Tinuviel. "On all
fronts."
"Thanks, you too," Jolrael said, looking her over
suspiciously. "Anything I should know?"
"Nothing that would help," Xina said as she moved to
join her thoroughly embarrassed brother, and even more
embarrassed chimera princess.
"Bye bye, big lizard!!" Kyrie called out as Val took
off with the other three.
"I AM A DRAGON!!!!!!" Val's parting shout called out.
"Do we have time to wait for nightfall, do you think,"
Duofolger asked, noting the pain-racked body in his
arms.
"We should," Jol admitted. He glanced to the ocean and
noted that the first storm had indeed disappeared, and
wondered about it. He had thought that Xina had wanted
them going back to Sailoon, but he hadn't been able to
get more out of her mind than "That...is a secret." He
supposed, however, that she could have faked a storm
if she had controled the darkness well enough. Maybe
after this was all finished, she would tell him then.

************************************************************************

Riding the Storm



For some reason that Xina had not yet explained to
them, the female Metallium had asked Val to skim over
the waves away from the storm to the south. Behind
them that storm was gaining steadily on their
position. If they weren't over the ocean with out land
in sight then Xalan would have already suggested that
they land and seek shelter.
"Its going to hit us by nightfall," Xalan said 
"Too bad you two couldn't get your 'wood', eh?" Xina
asked, smirking. Xalan didn't bother to reply, but
couldn't hide the blush.
"Would you please quit bringing that up every few
minutes?" Amethyst pleaded. "I don't know what got
into me, like somebody wanted a laugh at my expense."
A certain cosmic power whistled innocently and
twiddled his thumbs, but nobody noticed.
"To the business at hand," Xalan insisted changing
subjects. "Dealing with that storm..."
"We should look for land..." Amethyst said.
"No!" Everybody, except the dragon who was focused on
his flight path, stared at Xina. The firmness of the
denial was surprising to them. "We can't stop, or
we'll be too late."
"Too late for what," Xalan asked supiciously. Xina
smirked and raised a finger.
"That...is a secret," she told him.
"She doesn't really know," Val roared out from beneath
them.
"Hey!" Xina snapped. "How would you know anything
about it anyway?"
"Remember that twelve hour nap you took on my head
when we were heading to Sairag?" Val didn't wait for
her to answer. "You talk in your sleep." Val didn't
miss the growling sound coming from atop his head,
just between his ears.
"Storm. Overtaking us." Xalan interrupted. Xina looked
at him for a moment.
"Oh. Right," Xina started chewing on her mouth as she
considered the problem. Nobody noticed Amethyst roll
her eyes or start gesturing until the cloud started to
form above them. "HOW'D IT GET HERE SO F--" Xina cut
off as her brother pointed at Amethyst.
"Xina-san, Xalan-san, shall we make use of this
cloud's shadow?" The kage-kitsune looked to the cloud
high in the sky and then down at the suddenly darkened
waves. Then both smirked
"Hey, Val, fly into the shadow!" Xina called out, as
the cloud's shadow seemed to deepen suddenly.
"You know how much I hate that place right?" Val
called back.
"Surely such a magnificent being as you is not afraid
of a simple dimensional pocket," Amethyst answered
back.
"Yeah, Val, are you coward or something?"
"WHAT?!?"
"That is not what I..." Amethyst tried to protest the
twisting of her words, though even she had to admit
that there wasn't much to twist.
"Fine, lets get this over with," Val growled as he
dived into the deep shadow and popped out of another a
few miles away at the edge of the clouds shadow. The
magical cloud moved, much quicker than a normal cloud,
to join their position and the proceedure was repeated
as soon as it had almost passed.
"HA!! Catch us now!" Xina shouted back.
"Xina-san, why are you acting like the storm is
alive?" Amethyst asked.
"Err...no reason."
They continued on this way for maybe an hour before
another storm appeared, ahead of them.
"We have to get through," Xina said. "The island is
just past this mess."
"Yes, I can feel it there," Xalan agreed.
"I can handle the protection problems, Xalan-san,"
Amethyst sighed and started to conjure a defense spell
around them. Hopefully they would all still be in a
shape to fight after all of this. Casting defend
around a whole dragon was rather exhausting work.
"Why not just do the same thing with the circles?" Val
asked. Xina playfully rapped her fist on the dragon's
form.
"I thought you didn't like that place," she teased.
"Its better than being stuck in a storm," Val
grumbled. "So why can't you do it."
"Too much lightning," Xalan answered. "Shadows aren't
going to last long enough."
"That doesn't make me feel better," Val grumbled,
Amethyst's field of magical defense appeared around
them, reflecting off the waves below in a yellow
light, as the dragon plunged into the storm barrier.
~Is this....no this isn't what I saw,~ Xina sighed.
Then she started chuckling, a sound easily hidden by
all the thunder and lightning surrounding them. ~But I
can make it look like what I saw.~
Val blinked as what he first took to be birds seemed
to start swarming around him. One paused in his feild
of vision and he saw a flash of silvery light and
eerily solid light. It looked almost like one of
Xina's powers, but he hadn't known she could make
illusions like this. Then one of the "illusions"
swerved to place itself between Val and a lightning
bolt.
Xalan was less fanciful than his sister. Besides which
he hadn't been using these tricks as long as her, and
simple was better as far as he was concerned. He
raised shields of light and shadow gates to intercept
the oncoming lightning bolts. Whatever got through
Xalan and Xina smashed into Amethyst's defense spell.
They were all being steadily worn down, but the land
ahead was being closer.
Val did his best to ignore the crashing lightning and
concentrate on flying through eerily well lit storm.
Surrounding him was the yellow glow emanating from
them and reflecting off the sea below in a golden
aura. Fortunately, Amethyst's defense spell kept out
the wind, but he was finding himself needing to rise
higher in the air to avoid the waves.
"These lightning blasts seem to be rather particular
about where they strike!" The dragon roared.
"Don't they," Xina agreed sarcastically, breathing
heavily.
"Perhaps the storm IS alive?" Amethyst asked as she
reinforced her defense spell.
"Seems rather convienient doesn't it," Xalan agreed.
"There's the island, won't be another minute," Val
called out.
The constant lightning illuminated Wolf Pack Island
very quickly, no more than five minutes into the
storm. With a goal to make for, Val put forth a burst
of speed through the remainder of the storm, coming
out in an eerie patch of calm. The entire island was
lifeless, ruins and rubble were scattered about. To
Xina and Xalan the place was only mildly less
disturbing than the lake formed by their mother's
giga-slave.

~We have visitors, my love,~ Martina noted irritably
to HER general, the final proof of her power. ~We must
not let them interrupt the summoning of Zomalgustar,
but...wait for them here, it will be much easier that
way.~
"Yes, my mistress," Zangulus nodded, smiling
viciously. "I was hoping to see them again anyway."
~Don't bother to talk to me outloud, its beneath you,~
Martina reminded him. Zangulus gritted his teeth
momentarily. ~That's for the mortals.~
~Of course.~ Zangulus responded, Martina cackled at
his agreement and went back drawing the circle with
Xellos's staff.

"Why isn't the storm ON the island," Xalan asked
suspiciously. He noted his sister handing Val his
clothes and frowned, turning his twin away from the
dragon and scowlling as Val took human form again.
"Hey, if you and Amethyst can get some 'wood'...!"
Xina snapped. The aforementioned chimera was looking
back towards the storm away from the transforming
dragon.
"Xina-san, please stop bringing that up," Amethyst
pleaded again. "As to why there is no storm here,
perhaps it would interrupt whatever ritual they need
the staff for."
"Over there?" Xina pointed where she could barely hear
some hideous high-pitched noise that vaguely reminded
her of a hyena on a sugar high. The other three nodded
sagely, hearing the same noise. 

*******************************************************************

Do It Again!



As Val flew off with the Metallium twins and Amethyst,
Jol felt the oddest sensation of being in two places
at once for the briefest of moments. Then he was just
in one place again, and he recognized it. The village
they had last seen Lina Inverse before leaving after
Zangulus.
"Do it again!! Do it again!" Kyrie jumped up and down
in front of Duofolger, radiating enough energy to make
nitroglycerine seem stable. With her hairing bouncing
and arms pumping at hyper intense speed, the little
girl even made Tinuviel nervous.
"Maybe later," the mazoku said before slumping over,
exhausted. Six hundred years locked in that sword form
with most of his powers sealed had not been completely
recovered simply because Sherra was now a werefox. The
teleportation had really pushed him, it would be a
while before he could do much more. He contented
himself with dropping to the ground and lying next to
Sherra's...torso. At least night would come sooner
this far east. If only by a small amount.
"Want do it now!!!" Kyrie demanded, she started
pounding ineffectually at the recovering mazoku.
Between the pain virtually oozing from Sherra, this
girl's temper-tantrum, and Jolrael's irritation
Duofolger thought he'd be one hundred percent in
another hour or so. And there was a comfortable chill
developing in the air that reminded him of home.
"Hmm, this is interesting," Tinuviel said suddenly.
Jolrael glanced at her cautiously. "Interesting" had a
different meaning when spoken by Tinuviel. 
"What's interesting," Jolrael asked. He relaxed when
it appeared that Tinuviel seemed to be just looking
up.
"Its snowing." Jolrael blinked and glanced around as
he now noticed the drifting flakes, coming down out of
the sky. Duofolger sat up, ignoring the child
demanding that he teleport her again. He joined Jol in
looking about the area, then hmphed in contempt.
"Minor mazoku," he said. "I'm not going to be taken by
some half-wit demon." Duofolger moved to stand, a
little unsteadily, and quickly found himself forced
back down.
"I'm comparatively fresh," Jol reminded him. "Stay in
reserve." ~Especially if that little display could
bring even a weak mazoku down to the ground.~ "Tinu
get back with them, its coming."
"You might have a point," the mazoku admittedly
grudgingly. ~You'd almost think HE was the elf-lord if
he didn't look so human. Damn arrogant elves.~
"What's happening?" Kyrie asked, finally noticing the
tension, but still unafraid. The drifting flakes of
snow increased in volume, rushing past the level of
flurry, and quickly approaching blizzard levels.
"Jol-oniisan! Its cold!!"
"Don't worry about it Kyrie-chan," Tinuviel said
cheerily, shouting over the rising wind. "I'm sure
Jolrael will fix it, now pay attention, this should be
fun!"
Duofolger and Jolrael glanced at Tinuviel in
confusion, even Sherra's comatose form seemed
embarrased by that remark. Then the mazoku landed.
Jolrael turned to face a huge icey limbed humanoid as
he drew his own sword. The mazoku's landing had
elicited a brief let up in the wind around him, and a
small explosion of snow.
"Pitiful mortals," the thing's hissing voice, liking
cracking ice, carried easily through the blizzard.
"Not all of us are mortals," Duofolger smirked, but
much to his annoyance the other ice demon barely paid
him mind.
"Of no consequence, rogue, drained," the creature
didn't even bother to give a physical hint of his
contempt. 
"I'm game for a little fun." Jol smirked stepping
forward, the supernatural storm retreating from around
him. The mazoku glanced at him in the way a person
would stare at an attacking mouse. Then the "mouse"
lashed forward with telekinetically enhanced speed and
power. The ice demon glanced in surprise at the stump
of an arm where it had been too slow too dodge
completely.
"Could be fun after all," the thing smirked, dodging
another attack from Jol as its arm regrew, attracting
the snowflakes for its mass. Duofolger watched, both
sides of the battle and smirked, though it chilled him
as well. The relationship between elves and humans was
well known to mazoku. Humans were what the elves used
to be in many ways, and the elves were what the humans
were moving towards. Especially considering how long
the two races had been mixing blood. Jolrael was a
clear sign that the humans were close to reaching the
next level being. This was moderately disturbing.
Jolrael was fighting physically and psychically, but
the ice demon couldn't feel it yet. The young
swordsman was being subtle, placing walls that kept
the nourishing emotions in the air away from his foe.
The ice demon was barely keeping up with Jol now, and
its reserves of power were not being refilled at any
rate, much less a normal one. The fight was a foregone
conclusion.
The snow storm began to calm around them as the fight
conitnued. The wind dropped, the snow settled, and the
two fighters continued the battle, one obviously
toying with the other. Until in the end the ice demon
released a flood of cold black energy in a undirected
magical attack at his opponent.
Jol smirked as the attack was deflected off a
brilliant white light emanating from him. The mazoku's
desperation attack shielded the swordsman from sight
as he charged forward. The ice demon never saw the
strike that clove it in twain. Jolrael's brilliant
white aura flared once as the minor mazoku screamed in
denial once and then dissipated into nothing.
"Definitely only a minor mazoku." Jolrael agreed as
the storm just vanished around them, leaving them in a
snow filled town void of people.
"I would have broken those walls instantly," Duofolger
agreed wearily, falling back to the ground to continue
resting.
Tinuviel watched as Jol walked over to them and sat
down close to her. Jolrael had just demonstrated
powers only an elf-lord should possess. She had known
he was an empath, but had always thought everything
else was just human magic. That, however, proved
otherwise. She blinked at the young man she had
watched grow up for the last seventeen years.
~This bears further investigation.~ She told herself.
"Jol-oniisan..."
"What is it, Kyrie?" Jol asked as he tried to catch
his breath.
"I couldn't see with all the snow, can you do that
again?" Tinu and Jol facefaulted, Duofolger just
groaned. 

*******************************************************

Realizations



"So, why are we waiting, Jolrael-san," Tinuviel asked.
Jolrael pointed at the mazoku laying on his back next
to half a were-fox in human form.
"We're waiting for them," Jolrael said. "So are you
really okay, Tinu?"
"Hmm?" Tinuviel asked as she jotted something down in
her notebook. "Why shouldn't I be okay?"
"Because you were held hostage by mazoku for several
days," Jolrael noted.
"That nice man was a mazoku?" Tinuviel asked,
blinking. "Why that can't be, wouldn't he have killed
us then?"
"Do you know what happened to the other people you
were with?" Jolrael asked.
"Didn't they go to Zephilia?" Tinuviel asked,
blinking.
"No, they didn't," Jol answered quietly. He scratched
an itch, telekinetically since his arms were otherwise
occupied.
"Well, then, did they come with us to Sairagg?"
Tinuviel asked. "How did Kyrie and I get to Sairagg
anyway? I've been trying to figure that out off and on
for a while now." She jotted something else down in
her notebook.
"That 'nice' mazoku brought you, teleporting," Jol
said, getting close to actually being irritated with
Tinu. "After he killed everyone else that was with
you." That is what he had told the Elf Lord at any
rate. Though Jol didn't mention he hadn't actually
seen the massacre.
"They're...all...dead?" Tinu dropped her pencil and
after a moment picked up again. "That's silly, if
there was a battle then I would have heard..." Tinu
recalled an explosion of some kind and falling. She
had thought it had something to do with the chemicals
she was pla...err...experimenting with. It had come
from the wrong direction though, hadn't
it."...something."
"Look at Sherra, that 'nice' man did that too her,"
Jol said. "He's almost killed Xina everytime they've
run across each other, he kidnapped you once before.
All this while he was still human"
"You're just...being silly," Tinuviel insisted,
jotting something else down in her notebook. "If he
was really that bad he could have just killed us."
"ink abou bay inu," Jolrael found talking with tongue
pressed down mildly difficult.
"Bait? Why would he want bait?" Tinu asked. "Its not
like we have anything of interest to a mazoku...except
Xina's staff...which he took." Tinuviel paused and
stared off for a moment.
"Are you okay?" Jolrael asked again. Tinuviel didn't
respond right away, instead pointing towards the
recovering pair.
"What's you're sister doing?" she asked. Jolrael
turned around and caught his sister edging closer to
the injured were-fox, curiousity plastered on her
face. Tinuviel didn't even blink as the apparatus she
had developed to help her investigation of Jolrael's
power as ripped to pieces. It hadn't actually been
designed to restrain Jol after all, and when he went
for his sister it fell apart spectacularly.
"Kyrie, don't bother her," Jolrael started to lecture,
Tinuviel let the conversation of siblings fade out as
she considered some things, and watched the setting
sun.
"That means we'll be moving soon," Tinuviel said idly
to no one.

The pain of transformation was more than overshadowed
by the pain that had been wracking her body over the
last few hours. After it was over Sherra was going to
start wondering why it should hurt so much, her mazoku
body had suffered worse damage, but for the moment she
was only relieved to note that the pain was beginning
to subside. The healing process was accelerating, and
she could feel the flesh knitting together, growing,
returning to its proper mold.
As the pain reduced to the level that she could think
again she was struggled to sit up and watched as her
lower body grew back. There was an interesting, and
extremely uncomfortable, feeling of pain that
travelled downward as new flesh was being created.
~Oh, internal organs,~ Sherra considered as the
process neared its finish. ~Nerves and such, never had
those as a mazoku.~ Somebody was holding her and she
twisted around to look up and saw Duofolger as she
expected. The transformation came to an end and she
looked down to see toes and wiggled them.
"Duofolger?" she asked as the pain subsided, then she
let out a big breath.
"Yes, Sherra?" Duofolger was always close, that was
the right way of things according to Sherra's normal
way of thinking, even if he wasn't a sword anymore.
But she remembered him confessing he loved her, when
he thought she was dead. She didn't know how to deal
with that.
"LET GO OF ME!!" So she didn't. She shrugged off the
surprised mazoku and started stomping off into the
woods. "I'm going hunting, DON'T follow me." The
silvery-blue furred were-fox stomped off into the
woods, not noticing Jolrael having turned himself and
his sister away from her or Tinuviel staring at her in
shock.
"Does she know that she has no clothes below her
bellybutton," Tinuviel asked, a little shell-shocked.
"I did not look," Jolrael insisted.
"And what about you," Tinuviel glared at the still
tired mazoku, other matters temporarily forgotten in
the face of keeping the men in line.
"I've been her sword for six hundred years," Duofolger
said.
"Did you look?" Tinuviel asked again.
"Look at what?" Kyrie asked. "What are all you talking
about?"
"You're too young Kyrie-chan," Jolrael said tightly.
"Of course, I look..." Duofolger was interrupted when
a stick whapped him in the head. He looked up
irritably. "Was that supposed to hurt?"
"How odd," Tinuviel considered this, it was an
interesting distraction from other things. "Let me try
something else."
"Like wha...." Duofolger watched nervously as Tinuviel
walked over to where Jolrael's back was turned and
drew out his sword.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!" Duofolger and Jolrael shouted
simultaneously.
"Well, maybe this will hurt him," Tinuviel said matter
of factly. Jolrael took the sword from Tinuviel
quickly. "How does it work anyway, I never got a
complete examination of it." She didn't seem at all
concerned with how easily he had taken the sword.
"Tinuviel..." Jolrael sighed. ~She had been doing so
well too.~
"I think the edge is only one dimensional," Tinu
rattled on. "Maybe that's why it cuts through
anything...could I see the scabbard please?"
"I think we should get started after Sherra comes
back," Jolrael said as he tried to maneuver to keep
Tinu away from his sword again. "So get some more
rest."
"Are you giving orders?" Duofolger asked.
"Got a better idea?" Jol answered. "Tinu, please no,
its not a toy!"
"Just let me look at for a moment," Tinu insisted.
"I'm sure I can figure it out."
"Can I play too?" Kyrie put in.

Sherra looked around nervously as she took another
chunk from the leg in her hand. Of course, it was a
bear's leg, she idly wondered if she should hunt other
things as well, but for now she was just hungry. The
regeneration process had left her that way, very
hungry, though she had been living with that for a
while now. This time it he was actually feeling better
after each meal. The bear was almost stripped clean
already and she was idly checking the air for anything
else that smelled appetizing.
"Is that a deer over there?" she asked without turning
around. When no answer came she got irritated.
"Duofolger, I asked....oh wait, left him at camp." She
stood up, sighed wistfully, and noted the blood
marring her silver-blue fur. "I wonder if he took a
look...what am I saying he's mazoku, of course he
looked, pervert...." she paused and narrowed her eyes
as the last stripped bone of bear hit the ground.
"How could he embarrass me like that?" Sherra growled
to herself before she settled into a new hunt. Several
minutes later she was devouring a moose and
considering things. "I guess it was somewhat sweet,
hmm, I wonder if THAT'S why he got annoyed whenever I
was chasing some guy. Or the running commentary
about..scratch that...DURING...my sex life. He was
JEALOUS?"
She considered this a little longer, feeling more
uncomfortable in each passing moment without the
mazoku in close proximity. It had been a long time
since she had been without him. He was a fixture in
her life, and well, imagining him not there
was...quite a bit more than difficult. She frowned
briefly, using some mouse bones to pick her teeeth.
She didn't know about having an intimate relationship
though. Sharing everything, like she did with
Duofolger. Relying implicitly on each other, like she
and Duofolger did. 
She frowned again, this wasn't going the direction she
thought it would. Then, of couse, there was the
question of sleeping together, well he was cute in his
humanoid form, such wonderfully cold colors. All that
silver, blue and pale gray, it reminded her of home.
Sherra began to wonder if the idea had merit, or maybe
if the relationship were already there.
"He'd better have taken a look," she muttered through
her teeth. She wasn't quite so hungry, and now she was
getting sleepy. "Time...*yawn*...to go back." She
glanced down and frowned. "But lets see if I can find
something in one of those houses first."

"DUOFOLGER!!" the mazoku in question cringed as the
familiar, if a little more bestial, voice called out.
They are all soon presented the image of Sherra
walking into camp in an over-sized tunic that reached
down to her knees.
"You're overreacting again," the former sword reminded
her.
~He's STILL treating me like a kid after everything
else?~ Sherra blinked, walked over to the mazoku,
yawned, and hit him. "Stop treating me like a kid!"
"When you..." Sherra hit him again.
"And that's for embarrassing me!" Sherra snapped. Then
she hit the bored looking mazoku again, if she really
wanted to hurt him, he knew she would have used the
claws. "And that's for never telling me why you got
upset with me chasing after guys." She yawned again,
pausing in her tirade, then her face returned to a
fierce pose. "And this is for...err...whatever!"
Expecting another ineffectual thumping, Duofolger, and
evertbody else was surprised when the werefox just
suddenly leaned down and kissed the mazoku. After
perhaps a minute she settled down on the surprised
winter-demon's lap and wrapped her arms around him.
"Now carry me so I can sleep while we travel," Sherra
said wearily before falling dead asleep and starting
to snore contentedly against the mazoku.
"Did anybody understand that?" Tinu and Jolrael shook
their heads.
"Duo-san," Kyrie scratched her head. "Your girlfriend
is weird."
"And very loud." Jolrael noted as the snoring started.
"Should we leave now?" Tinuviel asked, staring at the
rather, odd werefox. First she was hungry, now she's
sleeping. I wonder if this has anything to do with her
healing.

**************************************************************************

Battle



As the Metalliums, a princess and a dragon began to
really attempt to outrun an onrushing storm that
seemed to be alive, a werefox, mazoku, swordsman, elf
and little girl climbed to the head of a ridge and
looked down into the developing battle. A few
skirmishes here and there was the extent of it for the
moment, but that would quickly change.
"There they are," Jol noted pointing down the hill.
"There are some units down this path a ways."
"Yes, I felt that, thank you," Duofolger agreed. A
hand snapped the mazoku over the back of the head.
"Sleepin'," Sherra shifted in his arms and fell back
into full sleep.
"She's feeling better," Jol noted quietly. "She's only
been asleep since the night before last."
"Well, I think it is the regeneration," Tinuviel
noted. "I've heard that some forms of regeneration
involves burning a lot of energy, it would certainly
explain why she was so hungry, I wonder how much she
ate. Hmmm, I wish I had thought of this before, I
could have done a quick search to find any remains,
what kind of animals live in this area anyway, it
seems to be very wild, the animals aren't like those
in an elven forest at all..."
"There are a lot of foxxies!!!" Kyrie reminded her
helpfully.
"Excuse me, could you to please keep quiet," Duofolger
asked. "We are trying to approach a battle without
attracting attention." Sherra slapped him again.
"Try sleep." Duofolger rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Is she really asleep?" Jol asked. "Or is she just
faking?"
"You can't tell?" Duofolger asked.
"Quiet," Sherra snapped sleepily, slapping the mazoku
again.
"You can't figure it out anymore than I can," Jol
pointed out to the irritated mazoku.
"True..." Duofolger growled as Sherra's arm smacked
him again.
"Maybe its a reflex action," Tinuviel suggested.
"If I was still *thwap* talking to her *thwap*
telepathically, *thwap* I could *thwap* see that."
*thwap*
"Hee hee, they're funny," Kyrie pointed at the pair
and giggled.
"Stupid sword." Everybody else stared at Sherra for a
long moment before Jol looked back up to Duofolger.
"Tinu may have a point," Jol said as Sherra continued
snoring away blithely. Duofolger wanted to say
something, but didn't particularly want to be hit
again either, whether or not she could actually do
anything he would find painful. Feeding on irritation
was one thing, BEING irritated was quite another.
"Shall we go?"
"It would be nice to get into the battle before it
ends," *thwap* Duofolger rolled his eyes and sighed
expressively.

"It's been an hour," Tinuviel noted. "Why are we just
going in a big circle?"
"Shh," Jol continued quietly. "We want to be quiet."
"Jol-oniisan," Kyrie whined. "I'm tired, will you
carry me?"
"HA!" *thwap* "SHHH!" An irritated mazoku glared at
the three mortals.
"I think my parents are off this direction a few more
miles," Jol said pointing, while ignoring his pouting
sister.
"Why is that Jol-san?" Tinuviel asked, drawing out her
notepad.
"The fighting is more confused out there," Jol said
shrugging. "I think I can find the reserves..."
Duofolger set Sherra down, or tried to, the werefox,
currently in human form merely grabbed tighter to him
and wouldn't let go. The mazoku decided to go ahead
and suffer the coming hit.
"I'll point us out *thwap* to them easily," Duofolger
started. "And don't think that *thwap* winter demon
was the last. *thwap* I'll stay with Sherra and watch
for them." *thwap* One of Sherra's eyes blinked open.
"Would you please keep quiet?" Sherra demanded.
"Nothing but chatter."
"Sounds like she's almost awake anyway," Duofolger
noted dryly.
"Grrrr."
"That sounds funny when you aren't all hairy!" Kyrie
pointed out helpfully. Sherra turned to glare at the
little blonde girl and then tried close the already
almost non-existant gap between her and Duofolger
before going back to sleep.
"I'll try to come back this way," Jol said. "But I'll
probably be fighting before I see you again."
"This is a problem?" Duofolger asked. Jol arched an
eyebrow.
"Jol-niisan, I don't wanna walk anymore!!"
"Keep an eye on your back," Jol said.
"Jol-niisan!" 
"If you want quiet maybe we should go before the
little br...your sister starts crying?" Tinuviel asked
sweetly, she missed having long hair. Jol rubbed the
bridge of his nose and picked up his sister after a
moment's exasperated head shaking. The three vanished
into the woods, leaving behind Duofolger with a
snoring blue-haired girl that was seemingly surgically
attached to him.

Sherra woke up yawning as the sun began climbing down
from its xenith.
"All I wanted was a couple of hours sleep," Sherra
said irritably glaring up into Duofolgers face. It
would have been more effective if she hadn't been
sitting in his lap at the moment. "Did you people have
to keep talking all the time?"
"You've been asleep for almost two days," Duofolger
pointed out. "Its hard to communicate with out
talking."
"Whatever, I've taken longer naps before," Sherra
shrugged. "How long ago did they leave?"
"Early morning," Duofolger said.
"So it's just us then?" Sherra asked slyly. "The scent
of blood and fire wafting up from the battlefield."
Duofolger raised an eyebrow. Well, Sherra was acting
normally and throwing herself into the new goal
whole-heartedly.
"You have yet to learn subtlety," he said.
"I don't need it, I'm cute!" Sherra said honestly
enough. "And about the only thing that would make this
situation even better..." Duofolger grabbed a dagger
before it could hit Sherra. "...is a good battle!"
Sherra stood up out of Duofolger's lap and faced where
the dagger had come from.
Duofolger stood up smoothly behind her and extended
his senses outward for what he suspected was the
culprit.
"Stubborn one, aren't you?" Duofolger asked the woods
around them.
"Is it that were-hunter again?" Sherra asked,
Duofolger showed her the silver dagger. "Whoever
thought that a mortal could be so much trouble."
"Luna Inverse," Duofolger noted.
"She doesn't count as mortal!" Sherra insisted.
"Lina Inverse."
"Well, yeah, but she's a special case," Sherra
protested.
"Zelgadis Greywords."
"He's not all mortal!"
"Amelia Wil Tesla Sailloon?"
"Blind luck!"
"Gourry Gabriev."
"ALRIGHT! I get the point!" Sherra shouted.
"Are you two finished?" Kalus stepped out into the
clearing holding a vial and ready to throw. "Because I
have an abomination to get rid of."
"So why aren't you in the battle?" Sherra asked the
hunter. The man tossed a few daggers which the former
mazoku dodged with a casual ease born of hundreds of
years in practice.
"I'll wait for your ilk to let down their guard," he
answered. "Like now." Kalus was either not aware that
neither of his targets were taking him seriously, or
else he didn't care. The man tossed his vial at
Duofolger, who almost negligently teleported out of
its way. The mazoku appeared behind the hunter and
grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
"Hey, he's mine," Sherra snapped. 
"Are you certain about this?" Duofolger asked.
"I haven't had a good kill since my last species
change," Sherra said angrily. "If you think I'm losing
jump in, but I want him."
"As you wish, mistress," Duofolger said with smirk,
dropping Kalus.
"This is why I hunt you freaks," Kalus snapped. "All
of you are evil, man-killing freaks."
"Actually, I never really cared about killing," Sherra
said. "It just makes such nice tasting fear and anger
in whoever's left."
"Whatever that means," Kalus hmphed. He drew out a few
knives. "Trying to take me yourself will be a
mistake." Kalus launched a few daggers which Sherra
dodged smoothly.
"Please, you're a few hundred years too late to beat
Sherra...umm," Sherra turned to face where Duofolger
was sitting. "I'm not a Grausherra any more, what was
my family name?"
"I think it was s-ow-uh-toe-may (AN: take a moment,
imagine a certain girl's bluish hair color on a
certain cursed, pigtailed martial artist's female
form, then look at a color picture of Sherra)... or
something like that," Duofolger shrugged.
"I don't need to know your name," Kalus shouted. ~If
I'm going to die I'm going to remove at least one more
of these monsters from the world.~ Kalus had trained
most of his life to fight with daggers especially, and
he had trained himself hard. In a straight battle he
might have even given Zelgadis a few minutes hard
work, assuming Zelgadis were cured of his curse and
refrained from using magic.
Sherra on the other hand was much weaker than she ever
remembered being, but she was still much stronger and
faster than the average human. A little above human
levels in fact even in her human form. And it may have
been a couple hundred years since she broke the habit
of melee combat, but that left hundreds of other years
of active participation left engrained in her
instincts. Gourry or Zangulus would have been an even
match, but this knife thrower was out of his depth.
"I haven't done this in a long time," Sherra smiled.
"I'd almost forgotten how fun it could be to face off
against an opponent like this. Thanks!" She smirked as
she dodged Kalus's strikes. She smiled at the man's
sneer. She couldn't feel his emotions any more, but
she dimmly remembered enjoying that look ages ago
before she was mazoku.
"This is not for your benefit, beast!" Kalus shouted.
"This makes quite a wonderful meal Sherra, my
compliments," Duofolger noted. 
"I don't really want to eat him," Sherra snickered.
"But he isn't getting out of this alive. I don't like
being hunted."
"Well I was referring to the anger waving off him,"
Duofolger corrected.
"Oh, that's right," Sherra snickered.
"You will take me seriously!" Kalus growled. Sherra
dodged under a slash and closed in with the man.
"Why?" Then she struck upwards, and continued
striking, finally pulling back and letting the foolish
hunter fall to the ground. "I'm way too slow." Sherra
sighed as she kicked at the hunter experimentally.
"You haven't won yet, demon," Kalus gasped weakly
through cracked ribs, drawing out a vial with a shaky
hand.
"What do you think..." An explosion erupted out from
Kalus seeming to envelope both him and Sherra. As the
flames died down the smoke cleared to reveal one
crispy corpse at the bottom of a crater. Duofolger
hovered several yards in the air holding Sherra.
"You saw that coming, of course," Duofolger noted.
"Oh, shut up," Sherra snapped. She smirked at him.
"That was fun."
"Good thing he was human," Duofolger noted. "Not like
those mazoku coming up behind us." Sherra looked over
his shoulder and frowned at the approaching snow
storm.
"A blizzard, a fight to the death, the smell of a
crispy corpse, and battle going on," Sherra listed
off, showing that six hundred years as a mazoku didn't
just disappear. "There is such a thing as too much of
a good thing." She sighed shaking her head irritably.

****************************************************************







=====
"Caffeinated Kender?  What's that, a berserk spell?" - 
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
"God has to have a sense of humor, it's the only explanation for sex." - my father
"I have to write a how-to paper for class, so I'm writing a paper on how to be psuedo-evil." - my brother

http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html

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