Mirror (part 28 of 28)
Back to Part 27"Heed me, o spirits darker than dust," Lina Inverse declared as red
energies flared to life all around her, almost matching the color of her
hair, "red beyond crimson flow like blood." Light blazed brighter as she
growled out, "In the name of those fallen to dust, I pray to the
shadows. Mark ye these villains that bar our way, and to my small
strength thine own ally, to deliver doom, folly repay. Come judgment
from the grave, Dragon Slave!"
Unmeasurable power radiated off Lina's small form as she gathered the
energy together with the last words and then threw it at the castle's
outer walls. Shockingly the mystical defenses around the fortress
actually weakened and dispersed the attack, but no defense could have
stopped that terrible blast. The outer wall shattered inward, spilling
into the courtyard as a massive cloud of debris spread outward.
"Ray wing!" Zelgadiss cried as he used the flying spell to carry him
over the moat and into the gap, drawing his blade as guards rushed to
meet him. With a fierce smile he strode into the battle, soon followed
by Amelia.
"We'll hold the guards," Amelia said as she clobbered a guard easily
with her justice fist spell, "go after Naga!"
"Thank you," Naga the swordswoman smiled as she and Lina skirted the
brawl, herading across the open area between the outer walls and the
castle.
"I hate dodging a fight," LIna muttered, the smaller redhead keeping
pace.
"I think we'll have our own problems to deal with," Naga said grimly as
they heard a unearthly bellow.
Around the corner came a large, misshapen beast, it's human like face
furious. It's body was that of a massive lion, it had the wings of a
dragon and finally a gigantic scorpion's tail swung lethally behind it.
Along with that beast was a smaller dragon, a wyvern and several lizard
men, shivering from the cold.
"Someone likes more exotic pets," Lina mused warily as the beasts
advanced.
Naga gestured, "Freeze arrow!" In a second the ice entombed the already
temperature sensitive lizard men, taking them out of the fight.
The Manticore growled angrily and charged, but Lina was ready. Cupping
her hands she yelled, "Fire ball!" In a throwing gesture she blasted the
beast at near point blank range, the blast throwing it backward and
knocking it out of the fight.
Naga drew her sword, the long blade gleaming as she took up a ready
stance, Lina preparing another fireball beside her. "Well?" Naga purred
to them dangerously.
The dragon and wyvern looked at them, then over to where two of their
number had already been defeated. The two beasts looked at each other
and seemed to silently come to a decision. Carefully they moved away
from Lina and Naga and hurried away from both them and where the guards
were fighting.
"They were smarter than they looked," Lina noted a bit regretfully as
they went to the inner gate to the castle itself.
"I almost wish they had decided to fight," Naga sighed.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Lina said dryly as she used the
fireball she had just generated to blast the inside door to splinters.
Standing in the inner courtyard was a brown haired woman, garbed in
light armor and dressed simple wool clothing. "I am Jira Ur Nocturne,"
she declared as she drew her sword, "and I challenge you, Naga!"
"Get out of the way," Lina started to summon a spell until Naga put a
hand on her arm.
"No, Lina," Naga said calmly, "she's challenged me personally and I must
accept."
"But Naga," Lina looked frustrated.
Naga smiled grimly as she walked forwards, sword at the ready as she
murmured, "This shouldn't take too long."
"Don't be so sure," Jira answered as she swept in with surprising speed,
her sword meeting Naga's in a shower of sparks.
The battle that followed stunned Lina as the two women leaped and dodged
around the open area. Watching them fight Lina guessed that Naga was a
bit stronger and Jira a little faster, but the difference was slight.
They were eerily evenly matched as the winter chill made their panting
breaths show in the air.
Lina was so tempted to use a spell to try to shift things in Naga's
favor, but she knew the swordswoman would never forgive her. 'Come on,
Naga,' Lina thought, 'win!'
The two women slowed then stopped, facing each other as sweat dripped
down their bodies. "You're better than I expected you'd be," Naga
conceded that point, her sword still held up with iron stiffness.
Jira smiled, her own sword shaking just a bit from tiredness and
fatigue, "You're as good as your reputation."
Naga shook her arm, smiling grimly, "But as much as I may respect you as
a foe, it's time to end this fight." Suddenly Naga charged, swinging her
larger, heavier blade in a downstroke that Jira had to parry. With a
loud clang the woman's lighter weapon broke even as Naga swung her fist,
slamming her across the jaw with all the force and momentum she could
summon.
"You could have done that at any time...?" Lina groaned.
"She was a honorable foe," Naga shrugged as they stepped over the
unconscious woman, "she deserved a good fight, at least."
"I suppose," LIna conceded, thinking wryly about how much she had
changed. At one time, she wouldn't have cared at all about treating a
enemy honorably in battle.... 'I must be getting soft,' she thought.
"I feel something," Naga paused as they went deeper into the castle, "up
ahead."
Lina pointed to the ominously glowing door up ahead, "Oh, like that?"
Naga chuckled, "Actually, I think I feel... my other."
Lina looked over at Naga thoughtfully, "You want to find her? I think I
can handle Hectate, and I'd hate if she did something to the other
Naga...."
"I'll be back as quickly as I can," Naga promised, the tall woman
striding off.
Lina walked towards the door, pausing a short distance away as she felt
the magic eolling off it. 'Probably a trap spell,' Lina mused as she
studied it. Taking a page from her old partner's spell book Lina
summoned up a human sized stone golem and sent it walking at the door.
With a human like snarl the magic triggered itself, engulfing the golem
in sickly green energies. Binding it completely. Even as the trap went
off Lina ran forward, swiftly using a blast spell to break the door down
before the trap could reset itself.
Hectate looked up from where she stood by a scrying pool, her expression
calm and almost welcoming. "Lina Inverse," she nodded respectfully, her
blonde hair gleaming as she said, "it's a honor to meet you at last."
"You too," Lina agreed as she studied the other woman warily. Her
clothes were less decorated than Lina's own gem studded shoulder guards
and broaches, but she was clearly a sorceress. It was difficult to guess
her power level, but no one could have defended the walls from a Dragon
Slave without real power.
"It's strange," Hectate turned from the scrying pool she had been using
to see their trip to her chambers, "we've fought each other for so long
over the distances, but face to face you seem much shorter."
Lina grit her teeth, trying not to respond to that cheap shot. "We have
fought a long time," Lina agreed, "and I still don't really know why."
"Oh?" Hectate smiled slightly.
Lina moved forward slightly, "Why kidnap Naga the White Serpent? Why
attack me and the other Naga?"
"To save myself, Inverse," Hecate answered simply. She took up a
fighting stance, her eyes narrowing as she warned, "No closer."
"I guess you won't surrender?" LIna offered.
"Fire ball!" Hectate yelled as she tossed the spell.
"Guess not," Lina dodged then prepared to fight.
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