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acking turned out to be a more involved task than previously expected.
Given that Lina had no idea how long this trip would take to recover the next four pieces ("But the less time the better") the group was not going to take off underequipped. Lina personally oversaw the packing of rations and supplies... cured meat, fruit, breads, berries, nuts, grains, leftovers, snacks and so on went into a very large bag. A very large, heavy bag.
"How're you going to carry all that, Lina? We don't need THAT much food, do we?" Gourry asked.
"Of course we do!" Lina said. "We're underground, and I'm sick of living off prepackaged food. And we are NOT getting into another 'Meals Ready To Eat' scenario! Besides, you're carrying the food."
"Me!?"
"My poor frame is too delicate for such backbreaking manual labors..." Lina sighed, putting on her best feminine wistful expression.
"Actually," Gourry said, "I heard that short skinny people are better at bearing weight, because they have less weight to carry themselves--"
The end result of that discussion was that Gourry would tote the food and the swelling would go down in a few hours.
Next up was a shopping expedition to the town's market place. There, they found a sleeping bag and pillows for Gourry, an immediate concern for Lina. Figuring 'what the heck' she also added a few pillows for herself and a magical space heater so they wouldn't clog up the cave with smoke and she even bought a fuzzy doll that looked like a penguin.
"Aren't you a little old for stuffed animals?" Zelgadis asked dryly.
"The advantage of being a powerful sorceress and the Knight of the Lord of Nightmares posessing powers unknown and important to the span of history is that you don't have to defend your little quirks," Lina reminded. "So nyah nyah."
"Could you please take this more seriously?" Zelgadis said, voice on edge of wanting to throttle her. "The Lord of Nightmares could be chained by these things. It would be the end of the world! If--"
"We knew that already, Chi'Nai told us everything was going to end soon," Lina said easily. "And Myth confirmed it. So why worry about what we can't change?"
"You mean you're treating this like a joke because you've given up?"
"No, I'm just not panicking and running around screaming because I prefer to approach problems one at a time," Lina corrected. "When the apocalypse hits, well, we'll just burn that bridge when we come to it, mm? Our first task is to track down those other thingydohickeys. We.... oooh, kitties!"
Lina's arms blurred as she shuffled over to the vendor across the way.
Zelgadis grumbled a few mutterings of discontent, and turned his glaring anger on Gourry. "And why are YOU smiling?"
"Lina's happy," Gourry said.
"So?"
"I dunno, I think it's good that Lina's happy," Gourry said. "And she's right, this whole world situation event whatever's not something we can deal with right now. Heck, I barely understand what's going on! That makes things a lot easier for me!"
Unable to vent in the face of Gourry's unique approach to life, Zelgadis aimed next at Chi'Nai, who was carrying a small bag with some personal supplies she'd need.
"And why are YOU coming? You're no adventurer," Zelgadis pointed out.
"Father thinks we have an interest in this, and wants me to observe," Chi'Nai said. "And I know a little about how to defend myself, if we get into any trouble. You don't have to worry about me. I have been taking lessons at the community center for two weeks now."
"Lessons," Zelgadis repeated, contemptuously. "We're not talking about plush mats and white robes and guys shouting 'Hiyah!'. We're talking about monsters beyond anything you've seen. If--"
The girl reached out and grabbed Zelgadis by the shirt, leveraging her stance perfectly to pivot the surprised chimera over her head and fling him across the street, into a stack of empty wooden crates left for the recycling guys to pick up. With a splintering crash, Zelgadis came to a halt, upside down and staring in confusion at Chi'Nai.
"Sorry, I just figured a demonstration would be more to the point," Chi'Nai said. "I think I clarified the situation."
He could SWEAR she smirked... but it was gone in a moment.
In fact, packing took so long that the town clock was already chiming the start of Sleeptime. Night and day had little meaning, but the chimes were enough of a signal that the population started to wind down, pack up, and head home.
Lina watched the shops start to close down, still having a few items left on her list. Gourry staggered around under a heaping mountain of packages, unable to see where he was going, relying on Chi'Nai to guide him; fortunately the chimera tugged on Gourry to get him to stop before he ran over Lina, who had paused in the middle of the road.
"What, night already?" she said. "Damn. Okay... let's find a good inn and crash for the evening. We'll start out first thing in the morning."
"Crash?!" Zelgadis asked, amazed. "You spent the whole day shopping when we SHOULD have been questing, and now you want to spend the whole night sleeping? We need to go! Lina, maybe I didn't adequately relate how important this is. I saw--"
"I know what you saw," Lina said. "And yes, it's important. But not as important as a hot meal, a warm bed and maybe a bath! I'm looking forward to all three, perhaps the food most of all, although a bath would be great too and... ah, I'm getting ahead of myself. So, c'mon, gang! Let's go rest up. Big day tomorrow."
"My legs are going to break," Gourry whimpered from somewhere inside the consumer goods.
"All the more reason. Now--"
"I can't believe this," Zelgadis said. "Lina, for heaven's sakes! You never take anything seriously. You'd think after the messes you've been through you'd have learned, but you haven't changed one bit! Forget it. I'm still having weird little flashbacks; maybe I'll get lucky and find whatever it is we're looking for on my own."
With that, Zelgadis turned sharply on one heel, and marched off towards wherever he was going.
Lina paused, her cheerful bounce still for a moment while she thought of something.
"Hey, Chi'Nai, get Gourry to the inn down the road and.. I don't know, give him a leg massage or something," Lina said. "I'll be right back with Zelgadis."
"But isn't he going away?" Chi'Nai asked.
"Trust me," Lina said, flashing a smile, and briskly trotting after Zel.
Zelgadis quelled his anger, ignoring that he didn't know where he was going. The silly, ridiculous little...! Buying dollies when she should be responsible and do what she's supposed to. It was fine with Zelgadis... he was used to having no resources and being on his own. Maybe he could do something if she wouldn't--
"Yoo-hoo! Zel-kun!"
He was tempted not to turn around.
"What is it now?" Zelgadis asked.
"I was just wondering if I could have a brief word with you..." Lina said, approaching him, and putting a hand on his shoulder. "In there."
"In--"
Lina steered him into the nearest dark alley between two buildings, for a little privacy. This being a very ordered city, crime wasn't a factor, but chances were she'd just have blasted anybody hiding in there to kingdom come if the situation called for it.
"What do you--" Zel started, but was cut off again when Lina shoved him against a wall hard enough to make a loud clack of stone on stone.
She closed her eyes... and a pair of golden wings unfurled from Lina's back. Zelgadis had heard of them before, and seen them, but never up close. It came as a surprise despite his knowledge.
"You see these?" Lina asked, fluttering them a little for emphasis. "You know what these are?"
"Wings," Zelgadis said. "Now--"
"No. They aren't wings," Lina said, voice quiet and restrained. "They're problems. They're problems that have nearly gotten me killed on several fun occasions, including but not limited to the time YOU tried to kill me."
"I was--"
"I have been shot at, attacked, ambushed, led into traps, manipulated, dumped into a prophecy I didn't need or want, expected to lead beings of power from before time was time, put through an emotional roller coaster trying to figure Gourry out, and that's just the tip of the iceberg," Lina continued. "I've lived through parts of history in the last two months that would make sane people run away and become accountants. I've been saddled with the title Knight of the Lord of Nightmares and all the nightmares that go along with it. Despite a few desires to flee for the hills, I have not once backed down from whatever absurd journey I was expected to go on, and have yet to screw up in any way that can be considered failure. I've toughed out things that you can barely imagine. Are you with me so far?"
"Lina--"
"Without a doubt, just KNOWING how things like this end up, I'm also going to have a front row seat for the end of the world and have to face down the scariest person on earth, namely, my big sister. In fact, odds are that I'm one of the only things between doom for the world and a better tomorrow. That's not a boast, that's just based on my past experience! What I really, really want to do right now is go home, lie down and forget all of this happened, but I'm not going to, because it's the wrong thing to do. And what I really, most of all, on top of everything else with a cherry and whipped cream DO NOT NEED is you kicking my ass over being irresponsible. NOT when I'm giving more for whatever the hell we're supposed to be doing -- despite the fact that what's going on hasn't been explained to us -- than three or four normal people could manage in their prime! SO PLEASE! BE NICE TO ME OR I MAY BE FORCED TO HURT YOU!!"
Zelgadis had absolutely nothing to say, eyes wide.
Lina eased up a bit, letting go of his shoulder, stepping away, looking aside.
"If I'm acting happy about this, believe me, it's not because I'm happy about things, or because I don't care about the quest," Lina said, calmer now. "It's because I'm not the kind of person who likes to live in fear. You lectured me a long time ago at MagiCon about taking life more seriously, right? You better believe I am. But there's a difference between acting serious and being serious. Unlike some people, I choose to keep my spirits up despite everything running out of my control... and I also choose to think carefully about this. Zelgadis, what do you think would happen if we ran out the door this morning with no food and no supplies, charging willy-nilly into whatever's ahead of us?"
Zelgadis stayed quiet.
"This is the part where you speak," Lina reminded him.
Grabbing a hold of his wits, since Zelgadis thought himself to be a reasonable person, he analyzed Lina's question. "Given that we're underground, and this is the only thing resembling a village or a waystation we've seen, we could run the risk of getting lost and starving to death. Even on the food we had, it wouldn't be enough to feed us plus Chi'Nai. Plus, you'd kill Gourry in his sleep if he grabbed you."
"And why didn't you realize this before?" Lina asked.
"I.. thought the quest was more important," Zelgadis said lamely.
"And what would happen if, after buying all our supplies, we jumped right into things tonight without getting some sleep? This one should be easier."
"We'd end up sleeping anyway in a few hours from exhaustion."
"Now do you see why these things are important?" Lina asked. "And you missed a very vital one, which I'm not surprised you overlooked; morale. Gourry's a whining mess after a rigorous day on the town and needs his nap, for instance. Do I really want to go up against unknown danger with him in a bad state of mind?"
"He's a warrior," Zelgadis rebutted. "He should be able to handle things at any state of mind."
"Maybe he could, but why take the chance?" Lina asked. "I don't want to run him into the dirt, or make him unha... you know, unsettled. We'll all just cool our jets tonight and be in shining form tomorrow. The quest can wait for its questors, regardless of what it is. Now. You advised me before in the past, I think it's time for me to advise you now. Since I've explained exactly what's going on and why, do you think you could ease up on the gloom, doom and naysaying, for the betterment of the whole crew?"
He wasn't sure what to say. He didn't think burbling out a 'sorry' would cover it, or that he even wanted to have to say it to Lina...
"That'll do," Lina said, recognizing. "All is sunshine and roses once more, except for the bits that are not. Let's go back to the inn, okay? It was kinda silly to think you could do a quest this wild by yourself, you know."
"I wasn't expecting to," Zelgadis admitted. "I just.. figured I had to do something productive. Get rolling on this."
"We can do that while resting," Lina grinned. "For starters, I'd be thrilled to hear -- in as excruciating detail as you can manage -- about the first time you saw whatever it was you saw. WHAT you saw would be a great start. Maybe we can decode some of this weirdness before beddy-bye, yes? Talk and walk, it's two things at once. Off we go."
Zelgadis nodded, and fell in step by her side. "It was a dream vision, so I don't know how much to trust it..."
"That's fine here," Lina encouraged. "Dreams have been particularly useful for me lately."
Nothing encourages a nice, deep sleep quite like a full meal, a chance to soak in a hot tub, and a comfy quilt. Lina had a rather pleasant evening, all things considered, and reveled in it; after all, chances were it was the last one she'd get for awhile.
For the last few nights, Xelloss hadn't been updating her on the situation. Either that, or she had forgotten the dream by the time she woke up; but once, she snuck away from the group and cast Giga's Dream to go poke around while awake, and hadn't found him then either. Lina still was a bit rusty with using the world of dreams, whereas Xelloss was a self taught dream master... if he wanted to hide from her, he'd have no problems doing it.
Lina was relieved to see Xelloss in her dreams tonight, as she was pulled to the War Room.
"'bout time," Lina said, tapping her foot. "Where have you been these--"
"Hello!" Xelloss interrupted. "I'm not in right now, but I've left his handy recorded answering service in my place. Lina, I timed it to pop you over tonight so you could leave me a message if you wanted to. We're having a few... problems. Nothing I can't handle, of course! The war's going splendidly, all things considered, although there are a few kinks to iron out and some casualties to cover--"
"Casualties?"
"This is a message only," Xelloss smiled. "I figured you'd try to say something right there. Ha ha!"
"Sneaky bastard," Lina grumbled.
"Sooooo, once I get un-busy provided we all survive this little sticky business, I'll get back to you," Xelloss-recording said. "Leave your message at the sound of the beep. Beep."
"Xelloss, you creep, get back here!" Lina shouted. "What's this about casualties? I'm supposed to be in charge of this war, you know! General and tyrant and whatever. How can I do that when I'm stuck underground and you're leaving me toys to talk to? So... sooo... just get back here!"
Lina, satisfied, waited for him to show his face.
He didn't.
Eventually the recording beeped, signaling the end of the message space, and the figure vanished.
So, here was Lina, alone in the world of dreams, with absolutely no connection to the real world. A war with her friends situated at ground zero was blazing a mile over her head, and she had no way to do anything about it. Being faced with a quest of unknown origin didn't help matters.
All things considered, it was hard to shrug and smile as she had proclaimed to Zelgadis she chose to do. But she'd shrug and smile when with the others. It's when she was alone that she'd sit, and quietly worry.
Morning came quickly. Dress, brush teeth. Have a breakfast. Lina ate fast. The others did likewise.
"Okay, ramblers, let's get rambling," she declared, leaving a small wad of cash on top of the bill and fetching her sword. "Chi'Nai, you got the map?"
"Map?" she asked.
"The stone. The thingy that shows you where the pieces are," Lina said.
The chimera passed it over quickly. Lina nodded in thanks, picked a spot on the color wheel at random, and touched the circle.
Zelgadis recognized the moment of pause Lina was having; it was the same kind of vision attack he had the other day. When the world stops for you, until whatever's holding on finally lets go--
Lina snapped out of it quickly. And came up smiling.
"Good news, guys," she said. "The next piece isn't that far away. It's just in the reality next door. All we... Gourry, where are you going?"
Gourry paused. "Um... next door?"
"I didn't mean the BUILDING next door," Lina remarked. "I meant... oh, never mind. Let's just cast the spell and get to the world of dreams. With any luck, we'll have this thing before nightfall!"
"That soon?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously.
"Sure," Lina smiled. "What could go wrong?"
reams are probably the least understood phenomenon in human history.
Sure, philosophers have sat around drinking wine and musing that truth is beauty and beauty is truth and what dreams may come when you make a silk purse out of a pig in a poke. Some scientists have done studies hooking up wires to people's heads while they snooze and frowning at little squiggly lines on a graph and wondering if they can make their next grant approval. Accountants have tried to bottle dreams, so that they can be sold and taxed adequately. And yes, some magicians have come close to understanding, but only one sorcerer ever got the whole concept, and he died one week after finding out.
The problem is that people are of two camps. One says that dreams are symbolic imagery presented by the mind's subconscious and unconscious beings working as a tag team in the arena of the psyche, mental visions and nothing more. Another group claims that dreams are actually transmissions from another dimension of which we only catch fleeting glimpses, and have even tried to bust through to that world; again, with only one achieving success.
While the world in question exists (dubbed 'the world of dreams' for lack of a flashier moniker, and apparently the original cradle of humanity before they woke up), the world is not the dream. The dreams simply exist in the world like water in a bottle, starting out as raw dreamstuff. Without humans to 'dream', as in the verb, they'd stay that way; instead, they are then shaped into recognizable form each night by human will and imagination. So in a way, BOTH camps are right, and if they'd ever meet and mingle instead of getting into loud, chair-throwing debates, maybe they'd get somewhere.
Although humanity as a whole had no clue, two humans did. One currently was caretaker of the world of dreams, a substitute Nightmare named Xelloss; the other was Lina Inverse, who Xelloss told a few tricks and tips when he was bored one day. Sort of a survivor's guide rather than a comprehensive run-down.
Lina was beginning to wish she had drilled the secretive priest for more information. Theory was fine and good, but putting it into practice was another matter entirely.
"What's with all the penguins?" Gourry asked, stepping aside as a small gaggle of them walked right through the group, discussing whether truth was beauty or beauty was truth and how exactly either of them could be adequately taxed. They disappeared promptly back into the foggy, cottony dreamstuff that abounded here, from which the occasional shark fin or dual story farm house or giraffe floated to the surface... then sank back into dim imagination.
"Don't ask me, I just attract penguins," Lina said. "There's a lot about this place that I don't know. You'd have to ask Xelloss. Maybe there's some highly symbolic meaning to them..."
"I've been here once before," Zelgadis said, frowning at the memory. "It wasn't a fun trip. Although Xelloss seemed to have a lot of fun."
"It's... strange," Chi'Nai said, watching a lamp post that pointed left, forward and up spring up from the dreamstuff next to her. It pointed to streets X, Y, and Z. "I don't have dreams like this..."
"Not surprising," Zelgadis said.
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because....." he started, before recalling that Chi'Nai probably didn't know Chi'Leas's little secret. "Ah... well, it's odd. And you don't look like the sort to have odd dreams. It's only logical."
"What're we looking for in here, anyway?" Gourry asked.
"As near as I can tell, it's a key," Lina said. "A silver key that got lost up here. Source unknown. The map-stone just showed me casting the spell to come here, and had a vaguely weird set of directions for us to follow, but didn't show exactly where it was..."
"There wasn't a key in my vision," Zelgadis warned.
"Well, there's a key on the stone, so a key we'll find," Lina stated. "It's all part and parcel with a good quest. Next thing we'll probably be doing is delivering it to some place called the crack of doom or the pit of despair or the island of chaos... any of you guys see a road?"
The group glanced around the limitless stretches of fog and haze. Stray dreams from human sleepers roamed at the edge of sight, but none of them resembled roads.
"No," Zelgadis denied.
"Damn. We're supposed to come to a fork in the road, and turn left, then follow it to--"
"A fork in the road?" Gourry asked. "What, like a big utensil sticking out of the ground?"
Lina stared at him. "Gourry, I know you're dense, but even you have to know what 'a fork in the road' REALLY means."
"Oh, I do," Gourry smiled. "I was just wondering if you meant that one in particular."
He pointed to a big utensil sticking out of the ground.
"There are going to be a lot of bad puns ahead, aren't there?" Zelgadis asked with a tone of doom. "I just know it."
"Wait a minute. That fork WASN'T there before," Lina said. "Gourry, did you dream that up?"
"Huh?"
"Your imagination and will affect this place," Lina explained. "You think 'hmm, fork' and bammo, you've got a fork."
"Really? Cool!" Gourry said. "I could like it here."
"Anyway... I guess this means we turn left," Lina suggested. The group changed course, although direction was hard to tell with no static landmarks. "Next up, we need to walk until we reach a Y-shaped branch in the--"
"Here you go," Gourry smiled, handing Lina a tree branch of proper design. There was a small bird's nest in it, with some very confused birds.
"...Gourry?"
"Hai?"
"Don't help," Lina begged.
Lina's memorized directions became increasingly strange. Fortunately, following them was easy enough; simply dream up whatever it was you were supposed to find, and off you went. However, it got to a point where the next direction change needed to occur in front of a two headed yellow donkey braying at a volcano erupting chocolate fudge, and try as they might, picturing that was not easy.
Zelgadis was of little use; his donkey was always gray and the volcano had real lava.
"What do you expect? It's a volcano," he explained. "They spit up molten rock. That's what a volcano IS."
Lina herself had an okay time with the volcano, but the donkey never quite had the right number of heads. Whenever she tried to concentrate hard enough to envision the dream, she got frustrated, lost it, and had to start all over. While her unconscious mind was terrific at doing things like this, her conscious mind was refusing to cooperate.
"Aaa!! This is annoying!" Lina complained. "And it's the last direction, too! Now what? Chi'Nai? How about you?"
"I can try," Chi'Nai said.
Silence erupted instead of chocolate. Lina waited patiently for a minute or two, which for her fuse, was akin to a zen meditation.
"What's the holdup?" she asked.
"I.. don't think I can," Chi'Nai said. "I can think of it, but nothing happens. I'm sorry."
Zelgadis shrugged it off. "Nothing to be sorry about, chimeras just can't do it."
"But you got some of it," Chi'Nai pointed out.
"Ah.. I was human once, remember?"
"You're a chimera now, though, not a human. So why can't I dream anything at all?"
Zelgadis switched subjects fast, turning to Gourry. "Gourry, how about you?"
Gourry looked over from the monkey on a unicycle he was distracted by. "Huh? What?"
"Do that thing you do," Lina said. "I hereby give you permission."
Gourry's spine acted up. "Say please," he requested.
"Do it or I'll blast you!" Lina responded.
"Come on, Lina, it's just something polite to say," Gourry said. "Considering you told me not to help you before, I think it's probably a good thing to ask... ne?"
Lina attempted to control her Fist of Death. "Please... dream.. the... donkey and volcano," she said through clenched teeth.
"Aww, come on, that didn't even sound like you meant it," Gourry said, disappointed. "Why not use the nice, cute voice you use when you're trying to get a better deal at the market?"
It turned out that while Lina was bad at volcanoes, she was REALLY good at dreaming up gigantic wooden mallets.
The final step in the directions involved hopping up and down once the last vision was dreamed up by a reluctant Gourry.
"And one, and two," Lina counted, hopping madly, "And three and WHAAAA--"
Lina's feet punched through an invisible soap bubble below the hazy fog of dreams, sucking down through non-space, and after a brief yet harrowing touch of the infinite, she landed roughly on... a well mowed lawn, green from summer sunshine.
It took a moment to adjust to the light, but they were no longer in a hazy plain of dreamscape; they were in a suburban plain of dreamscape. Neat little cottages lined the streets in perfect rows, with brightly colored window shades, little mailboxes with cheery red flags, and plenty of huge trees, branches swaying just so in the breeze. None of them seemed to be occupied, although with quaint suburban cottages, it was hard to tell given all the frilly, fluffy curtains... the nearest house seemed to have a light on in the attic, but that was it. The sky over this community was a picturesque shade of, frankly, sky blue, with puffy white clouds and a burning yellow sun that you obviously didn't want to stare too hard at.
"Gourry, stop staring at the sun," Lina ordered. "We need to figure out where the hell we are."
"This has got to be someone's dream," Zelgadis theorized. "Not just the plains of weirdness, but a specific dream world. So who's dream is it? Amelia's? It's sugary enough."
"Hers would have more pretty dresses and pink things and villains to stomp," Lina said. "I know an easy way to find out, though."
Zelgadis thought about it. "You have a spell to see through the walls?"
"COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!!" Lina shouted, projecting with those amazing lungs of hers.
A bucket of water fell on her head.
"Gotcha!" a voice called out from above.
Gourry looked up, distracted from Lina (who was busy stumbling around trying to get the bucket off). In the tree was a hidden tree fort, made of wooden planks and nails, just like the one Gourry and his father tried to make before his dad had to be taken to the hospital for hammer injuries. Every detail was right, from the ill fitting planks to the 'No Adults Allowed!!!!' sign. It even had a young boy in it, grinning down at the group.
"Hello there!" Gourry called out. "Who're you?"
"Timmy," the boy said. "Who're you?"
"Gourry," Gourry said. "Good to meet you. Hey, Lina, do you think this kid could help?"
Lina finally pried the bucket off, and steam rose from her anger mixing with the dream to make heat. "Help? I'll help him into the afterlife, I will! That LITTLE--"
Gourry tugged Lina aside a moment, dropping to a whisper. "Lina, he's a kid. Kids play around like that and don't mean anything by it, no need to spook him. Trust me, I know kids -- I've had to baby sit each of my cousins."
Lina grumped, and folded her arms. "Fine! You deal with him. I don't do kids."
The boy peered down curiously at the group, then shifted... one moment kneeling in his treehouse, the next standing in front of Lina and Gourry, examining them. They examined him right back.
He was young enough, maybe ten years old, with sandy blonde hair and ordinary kid-type clothes.... perhaps a little outdated, but nothing you wouldn't find in a second hand store. Like any juvenile neighborhood menace, he had a token slingshot in the rear pocket of his overalls, and plenty of freckles.
"Are you here to play with me tonight?" Timmy asked. "It's early for people to come visit, but I guess you guys sleep days. Some people do that if they work at night. What do you do for a living?"
"Oh, we save the world and stuff," Gourry said. "I'm a swordsman and Lina's a sorceress. Zelgadis does magic too, and Chi'Nai there... uh.. well, she's very interesting in a bunch of ways I can't remember, I bet. We're adventurers on a big quest."
"Wow!!" Timmy exclaimed, impressed by the direct job descriptions. "Are we going to go on an adventure when we play tonight too?"
"Kid, we're not here to play," Lina interrupted. "We're looking for a silver key, about this and this big and this and this long. Have you seen it around here? Maybe hidden in a cave of doom or guarded by a fire breathing monster or something? That's the way this sort of thing w--"
Timmy pulled a silver key out of his shirt, attached to a matching necklace. "You mean this?"
Primal instincts took over.
"Gimmie!" Lina shouted, and charged the kid, hands grasping.
A red brick wall sprang out of the ground, Lina neatly crashing into it face first with a meaty THUD. Timmy peeked over the wall, looking down at her, as she slowly slid to the ground.
"I can't give it to you," he explained. "I need to keep it very safe and don't give it to nobody. It's mine to keep."
Zelgadis decided to take a more reasonable approach. "We could pay you for it," he bargained.
"I can make as much money as I want," Timmy said, setting a piggy bank on top of the brick wall. "This is all a dream and I can do make it do what I want. I know that, I'm a smart boy."
"A-HA!" Gourry said, a flash of realization hitting him like a ping pong ball. "What if we played with you? Then would you give us the key?"
"Ummmmm... I shouldn't," Timmy said. "I really shouldn't. I was told to keep it safe..."
"Any game you want is okay with us," Gourry naively stated.
Timmy's iron will wobbled like jelly.
"I know one game we could play, then I'd think about maybe giving it to you," Timmy said, thinking it over.
"We'll do it!"
Lina popped up from the lawn to comment. "Gourry, don't just agree to do something without finding out what it is!"
"Aww, come on, Lina, he's a good kid," Gourry smiled. "What could go wrong?"
ow observe... a row of sun-shiny houses and green topped trees, of singing birds and pleasant days. And floating out of a nearby window, the sounds of a family finishing up breakfast...
"Mom, I'm gonna go out with oniichan and play some stickball!"
A young, healthy mother glanced over from her station washing dishes in the kitchen. A little strained, she smiled over at the boy. "Make sure you're back in time for lunch, dear!" she said through a clenched jaw.
"Ano, is this my toast?" the father asked, examining his browned bread cautiously. Some crumbs had fallen on his tie. "I thought mine had jam on it..."
The older brother, wearing trendy teen clothing, sets down his slice of half eaten toast in distaste. "I grabbed yours by accident," he admitted. "Ugh. That's it. I'm going out. Later."
"Are you gonna show me how to hit home runs, oniichan?" Timmy asked.
"I don't wanna," his older brother frowned. "I'm gonna be busy."
"Awww, pleeeeeeeease?"
"Why not ask your 'sister'?" the brother suggested, heavy on the sarcasm.
The young lady in a proper dress lowered the book she was reading, distracted. "Yes? Did someone call? I'm the sister, right?"
"She just sits in her room and reads," Timmy complained.
"Reading is good for your mind," the sister recited, and resumed her perusal.
Timmy grabbed his bat and mitt, and bounded over to the door. "I'll see you outside, oniichan! Ka-san! I'll be back for lunch!"
"And don't get any grass stains on your shirt! Your poor mother has such trouble washing those out," Lina noted.
Timmy flashed her a happy little smile, and skipped out into the grassy dreamscape.
The whole group waited until he was out of earshot.
"'What could go wrong?'" Lina mocked, lobbing the dish she was washing at Gourry. "Gee, I don't know. What COULD go wrong, Gourry? Maybe that he'd want us to play HOUSE? And that since we're not waking up, he's not going to let us STOP?!"
"Yee!" Gourry yelped, ducking the flying flatware. "Ne, Lina, ease up! I'm sure he'll give us that key sooner or later..."
"Don't make me call the local guard and report a domestic dispute," Zelgadis warned. "I'm the one who has to hang out with the brat all day. If anybody has a right to complain, it'd be me."
"He seems like a nice boy," Chi'Nai said, turning a page.
"You don't have to play game after game with him," Zel said. "You just get to read in that nice room he gave you."
"I don't understand why everybody sees reading as something negative," Chi'Nai pondered. "It expands your mind and--"
"--keeps you away from the terror from a thousand nightmares, too," Zel finished.
"Kids, kids! No arguing at the table," Gourry said.
Zel flinched. "Don't make me hurt you, Gourry."
"I mean it," Gourry warned. "Look, arguing and stuff isn't gonna help either, right? Chi'Nai-san, maybe you should go out with Zel and see if you two can get that key from him. Talk him out of it and stuff."
"What I wouldn't give to know how he has such tight control over the world of dreams," Lina sighed, having a seat, in her dejectedly soapy and soaked housedress. "I've tried to grab the key away three times, and walked away with a pretty nasty headache each time..."
"I'm sure he'll give it over when he feels it'd be safe with us," Gourry said. "Just give it time, ne?"
"Time. Okay, fine. Time I can do. Now if you'll EXCUSE me, I have laundry and shopping and a thousand and one chores to do," Lina grumbled. "I swear, domestic housewifey life is not my scene..."
"Oh, that's okay," Gourry smiled. "I'm not real domestic either. I kept breaking stuff when I helped mom clean the house. I'm sure when we get married, we'll just keep adventuring and stuff!"
A lead pause hung over the room like a coffin slab.
"Time to go," Zelgadis quickly said, finishing whatever toast he was holding, grabbing Chi'Nai's wrist and getting the hell out of there before the scene got ugly.
TOCK!
The ball went far and fast out of sight, catching on fire and burning a brilliant white as it exited the atmosphere.
Zelgadis had to admit, he was impressed.
"...but that's cheating," Timmy said, as the ball arced around, mysteriously reformed itself and flew right back into his outstretched hand. "I mean, I can imagine it going as fast as I want, but that doesn't mean I can hit it that fast, right? Every time I try playing stickball and making stuff as normal as I can, I can't hit real far."
"Funny..." Zelgadis said, ponderous. "You'd think a kid would have as much fun as he could ever want in the world of dreams."
"Naw, it's boring," Timmy said. "It was exciting for the first few years, but now it's just boring. Nobody's here unless they go to sleep. How are you guys staying asleep this long, by the way?"
"At any rate," Zel said, quickly getting off that subject, "You really should give us that key so we can, ah, wake up and get on with things."
Timmy looked curiously at him. "You mean you aren't having fun here?"
"You said it yourself, didn't you?" Zelgadis asked. "It's boring. I mean, you KNOW I'm not really your big brother. It's like hitting one of those escape velocity fastballs..."
"I know, but...." Timmy said, disheartened a notch. "I mean... I can't imagine having a brother. I can imagine having my house and my town, but those are just things; if I imagined having a person, it'd just be like a puppet. But you aren't a puppet! People aren't, they're people. And that's what makes it fun, even if it's not real... it was really lonely here before I realized dreaming people could see me."
Zelgadis glanced around the 'neighborhood', particularly at the stately Tim Manor. Very empty, very desolate... sure, it was full of colorful flowers and brightly colored green grass, with a few butterflies and birds, but no real life. Presumably Lina and Gourry were in that house, mind you, and...
He squinted. He could swear there was a light in the house attic, too, but there wasn't really; just an optical illusion.
"How long have you been here?" Chi'Nai asked, eyes not raising from her book.
"I don't know," Timmy said. "A long time... I mean, years. I think it's been years. I can't tell. You guys aren't gonna leave right away, are you? I like having people here more than a night, and even if it's just a game, I mean..."
"Look, kid, I'll be straight with you..." Zelgadis said, dropping any mental pretense of talking to a small child. "That key's really, really important."
"I know," Timmy said.
"If we don't get it, then a lot of people could get hurt. No more dreamers, ever, you see? And we need it SOON, because we don't know how long it'll take to get the rest of these things... it's a quest, right? Like in storybooks?"
"I know storybooks," Timmy smiled. "My auntie reads me them a lot."
"Auntie?"
"I've got a few dreamers who know how to come by. I mean, they remember it instead of forgetting," Timmy explained. "And they like to come by. My auntie's really nice to me. I mean, she isn't my auntie, but... you know, you know? And she reads me stories. My uncle doesn't like doing that, he just says everything's a secret."
"Uncles and aunts and grandparents and so on, eh?" Zelgadis asked.
"...most of them, yeah," Timmy agreed.
"Interesting. Anyway, about this key--"
Chi'Nai closed her book. "Did one of those people tell you about that key?"
"...uhhh..." Timmy mumbled.
"It'd make logical sense," Chi'Nai said, getting to her feet. "Someone had to tell you to keep it safe, like you said when we first showed up. You picked up on that too, right, Zelgadis?"
"Ah..." Zel said, thinking back. "Yes," he lied.
"I'll make you a deal, Timmy-san," Chi'Nai said. "If you tell who told you about the key, I'll show you how to hit that ball very far with your stick. Is that fair?"
"Since when can you play stickball?" Zelgadis asked.
"Since when could you?" Chi'Nai returned.
"Didn't you see me smacking that thing around not five minutes ago?"
"Yes. You don't seem to be able to play it either," Chi'Nai stated.
With a hint of a smile.
"That was a joke, wasn't it?" Zelgadis asked, surprised. "How'd you manage to crack a joke?"
Chi'Nai looked at Zelgadis oddly for a moment, but returned to the more important part of the discussion, turning back to Timmy. "How about it, sir? Is it a deal?"
"I like being called 'sir'," Timmy said, brightening. "Weeeelll.... I guess it can't hurt to say. Ne, ne, hit the ball for me! I wanna see how far you can!"
"Okay," Chi'Nai said, taking hold of the stick. She picked up the ball, and lobbed it at Zelgadis, who almost didn't catch it. "Pitch it over here," she requested.
Zelgadis sized up Chi'Nai's odd stance. The girl had clearly never played this stupid game before and was just expecting to swing and hit. Best get it over with showing her hard reality, he figured..... he wound up, really winding like a watch, and threw the hardest pitch he could right past--
TOCK!
The ball zipped neatly out of sight.
"See, it not only involves your concentration and reflexes, but also in how you prepare to use them physically," Chi'Nai immediately went into explaining. "Physically, you need to keep a grip on the stick that'll let you move it in an instant to wherever the ball comes in. Without that grip, even the fastest mental processes won't get you anywhere..."
"Wow!" Timmy chirped. "Tell me more, oneechan!"
Zelgadis just... stared.
Meanwhile, back at home sweet home, the kitchen was a mess.
"Baka baka baka!!" Lina shouted, tossing another cup. "Whoever said we were gonna get married?! Don't assume things like that!"
"But.. I mean, I just figured..."
"You think I WANT to prance around in an apron and a dress like this for a living?!"
"Ano na! I thought I said I wasn't expecting--"
"I'm young! I have all my life ahead of me! I'm not going to have that sort of decision made for me!"
"But--"
"And if YOU--"
In an instant, Gourry was in front of Lina, using some of his newly found skills at manipulating the world of dreams to get around that constant flow of cutlery and china.
"Can I say something? Please?" he almost begged.
Lina blinked a few times in surprise, but lowered her intensity a degree. "Fine, speak."
"Okay. I thought we had an understanding or something," Gourry said. "That's how you said it, at least."
"We do! We just--"
"I don't understand the understanding, then," Gourry continued. "I know I'm not a bright guy, but it's an important thing to get right, yeah? I mean, I don't want to make you upset, Lina. Not just because you throw stuff at me. So what's the understanding? In small words."
Lina chewed her teeth at the idea of explaining this to Gourry. "It's... okay, look, Gourry... here's how it is. You see......."
Gourry waited patiently.
"I'm thinking!" Lina stated quickly.
"You don't know either, do you?" Gourry asked, and was rewarded with a bonk on the head.
"Of COURSE I do!"
"Okay, then in big words, just say it out loud," Gourry said, coming back up with a small bump on his head. "Not even trying to get me to understand it, just say whatever it is."
"It's simple! We..... I.... OKAY! Fine! I don't know either! You happy now?!"
And Gourry was grinning big and dumb.
"Yeah!" he said. "Boy, that's a load off my mind. See? It means it's not just me being dumb. We're both idiots!"
Three minutes later, Gourry continued, this time with an ice pack held against his cheek.
"See," he muffled through the swelling, "If NEITHER of us know, that means there isn't an understanding. Which means we can figure it out for real this time and get it right. Right?"
Lina sulked a little. She was angry at him, sure, but a part that wouldn't admit it was also angry at herself for her behavior, glancing at that ice pack now and then... "Figure what out, Gourry?"
"Well.. figure out how things are, I mean!" Gourry said. "I've already said I think I love you."
She had to resist very hard to not blush even a little. "You THINK you do?"
"Even auntie couldn't really explain what love was, Lina. I mean, I know now that she IS Love, I mean, in a weird kinda way, but even then she just sort of knows without being able to explain it in words. So I figure, if I THINK I'm in it, then I have to at least be on the right track. That works, right?"
"Uh... now I'm having trouble understanding YOU," Lina admitted. "What're you yammering about?"
"I don't understand me either sometimes, but that's okay," Gourry said, not the least bit disheartened. "How about this... how do you feel about me?"
"Ah.. about you?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, you're...." Lina started. "You're.. a nice guy."
"Thanks!... but how do you feel about me?"
"You're good in a fight..." Lina fished around. "And, um... you make me laugh. Sometimes without actually meaning to. Usually, in fact. And sometimes you get me really mad. And... jeez, Gourry, help me out here. What're you asking?"
"It seems simple to me," Gourry shrugged. "Direct and stuff. I love you. Do you love me?"
This time Lina's face couldn't hold back a blast of red hue.
"Wh-what?!"
"Do you?" Gourry asked. "I mean, I could swear that way back when, after our last big adventure, you whispered to me that--"
"But I-- I mean-- Gourry! I--"
"Although it's almost like once you got that out of your system, you just didn't wanna bring it up again," Gourry said, musing to himself. "I mean, we never talked about it again..."
Lina controlled her breathing, with difficulty. "Gourry... look. It's not that I don't like you. I mean, yeah, I like you a lot, sure. And we've had some good times, and... and I've tried to be nicer to you lately, ne? Aside from, um, throwing things at you and... well, jeez! Let's be straight here, I mean, how can I tell if I really love you? I've got el zippo experience with that stuff, much less with you! We haven't even kissed or gone on a date or anything, right? Our lifestyle doesn't exactly hand out vacation days for that sort of thing, and mauling bad guys doesn't count as dating, either! How can I tell? For real?"
Gourry nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess that's a good point... we've always been kinda busy..."
Lina nodded in agreement.
The clock ticked quietly on the kitchen wall.
"Good that we've realized that, right?" Lina asked.
"Oh, yes, very good," Gourry agreed.
The faucet dripped over unfinished dirty dishes.
Crumbs hardened.
Lina looked Gourry up and down.
"So.. I guess this means we're not really going to have much of an understanding until we get a chance to explore that sort of thing," Lina added. "Then we can figure out exactly what's going on. I think."
"Looks like it," Gourry agreed.
Lina grabbed Gourry.
Timmy skipped down the baseline, and hopped onto the white square.
"Woohoo! I got to first base!" he cheered.
"See? It's easy," Chi'Nai said. "You just need to have a good control and understanding of how it all works. Enough studying and practice and you'll do well in a real game."
Zelgadis grumped from the sidelines. "I could've taught him that."
"Except that you don't have good control either, Zelgadis," Chi'Nai said, tossing the ball up and down a few times. "It takes rigorous mental discipline to achieve at physical activity. That's how I learned martial arts and archery and bowling and bonkers and football, for instance..."
"I suppose it would be the only thing you're good at controlling," Zelgadis realized.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Zel said. "'kay, Timmy. I'll pitch a few to you, and--"
"Can I talk to you for a minute, Zelgadis?" Chi'Nai asked, putting a hand on his shoulder before he could get away. "Timmy-san, why not dream up a pitcher and practice? Remember what I taught you about clearing your mind before swinging and try to focus on the angle of the stick."
"Right, oneechan!!" Timmy cheered, imagining up a large, cartoony pitcher.
Zelgadis wasn't alarmed. He gave Chi'Nai a questioning look, as she led him off to the side, out of earshot.
"Why do you keep doing that?" she asked, requesting fact.
"Doing what?"
"Saying something about me then covering it up. It's a clear psychological impulse to want to talk about something while trying to avoid talking about something."
"Oh, now you're going to say you have a degree in psychology as well?" Zelgadis asked, crossing his arms.
"And arm crossing is usually a sign of defensiveness," Chi'Nai pointed out.
Zel promptly uncrossed his arms and glanced aside.
"So is looking away," she added.
"You want to know? Fine," Zelgadis said, sick of it. "Your father told me the chimeras have been dead for years inside. All your emotions and personality, all your chaos... it got drained from being resurrected magically every time you die. Unpleasant but true. Happy now? Not that I suppose you can be happy, technically..."
"Oh, that. I already knew."
"And if... what?"
"I knew," Chi'Nai said, without any smug satisfaction whatsoever. "Father told me a hundred years ago in one of his feverish rants. It's a shame he's held onto his emotions that long, they're only causing him pain."
"You KNEW?"
"Were you expecting this to be a shock to me?" Chi'Nai said. "This is simply what the chimera have become. We've lost our humanity, but we push on regardless. There is no cure to be found. The few who had emotions reawakened, such as Chi'Bi, only had problems dealing with them. So why should I mourn something I can no longer use properly and can't even remember having? Perhaps you think less of me. Is that it?"
"Of course not," Zelgadis scoffed.
"I don't want mine reawakened," Chi'Nai stated, looking away from Zelgadis. "I have had.. impulses of them, from time to time. But those were frightening impulses in that I was totally unfamiliar with them. Why should I invite trouble? They're best left buried. So I control them, keeping discipline. And thus, feel no loss for something I don't want. I've noticed you attempting to do the same, but you have no control. Your temper and frustration shows quite frequently."
"I'm a rational person," Zelgadis protested. "Just because I have a run of bad luck from now and then doesn't mean I have no 'control.'"
"I could aid you in enhancing that control, as I did with Timmy," Chi'Nai suggested. "Then you would be better able to remove your emotions, like me."
Zelgadis flinched at the idea.
True, sometimes he let his feelings get out of hand... he still had a black mark on his record for letting that other Lina trick him into an obvious trap, so long ago. And when push came to shove, he could do what had to be done without thinking too hard about how dangerous or frightening or stupid it might be. But... something didn't click here.
"Like you?" Zelgadis asked. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"Why?" Chi'Nai asked. Neither hurt nor confused, simply asking.
"At least I've got 'em when I want 'em," Zelgadis shrugged. "You don't. You're really... simple. Boring. You know that, right? Given how much you seem to know about all this, at least you should know that."
Chi'Nai also flinched... but to a much lesser degree. Something in her was upset about Zelgadis's insult. "I'd like to think that I posses knowledge and skills which--"
"Those don't count," Zel said. "You know, your father gave me the job of trying to awaken you. All of you. I've honestly got no clue how I can do that, but I'm gonna try. Sorry if that conflicts with what's apparently your take on life."
"Father's quite old, Zelgadis. He's hanging onto something he'd be better off letting go of--"
Zel snipped Chi'Nai off with a wave of his hand.
"You can't convince me you're right," he said simply, brushing past Chi'Nai. "So let's not waste energy on this. Issue closed."
Chi'Nai turned as Zel walked right on by, heading over to play catch with Timmy. A brief flush went through her, one of those impulses... she shut it down fast. It was happening more often when she talked to him, this unfamiliar person in a familiar form... but she was right about how she should be. She had to be right.
fter a lot of base runs and pop flies, stickball started to grow a bit boring. Dinner was around the corner anyway, so the 'kids' packed it up, and headed back to the house, where they were surprised to find 'mom' and 'dad' necking.
Zelgadis, not sure what to make of this, just stood at the doorway to the kitchen/dining room and.. stared. Now, granted, he had seen a number of unusual things recently. Quite a few of them were induced by magical water and involved plenty of surreal symbolism. Those things, though, he could handle; they at least had some sort of explanation he couldn't see. This didn't.
Given the level of hair mussing, they had been at it for a while now, too. And given his knowledge of Lina's behavior, the smartest, most intelligent thing he could possibly do would be to turn around and quietly sneak away before she notices him--
"Wow!" Timmy said, peeking out from behind Chi'Nai.
Sure, it was only one syllable, but it was enough to turn the situation into a nuclear explosion.
Lina jerked upright and looked with unbounded horror at the group, her face traveling straight up the list of red hues and landing firmly in Tomato. Gourry's eyes just sort of rolled around in his head, a dumb yet blissful expression on his face even as Lina dropped him like a poisonous snake.
"Z-Zel!? Chi-- Tim-- uh-- What're-- wha-- I-- this isn't-- wh-- G-- AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!" Lina explained, running around in a little circle before zooming out of the room at half the speed of sound.
"That's an unusual reaction," Chi'Nai said, without a hint of confusion.
"Not if you know these people," Zelgadis said, walking over to check Gourry. Maybe he wasn't unconscious, but the end results were pretty similar; blank, vapid look, and a huge idiot grin. Zel bapped his cheeks a little, gave up, and propped him against the table. "I think we'd better leave Lina be for a little while. In fact, I think getting at least a mile away would be wise. She tends to blow up anybody who embarrasses her."
"I told you emotions were more trouble than they're worth," Chi'Nai reminded.
A clamor of footsteps went along the ceiling.
"Hey, she's upstairs, isn't she?" Timmy asked.
"Probably finding the farthest point from this location," Zel said.
"Uh.. oh. She's not going to go into the attic, is she?"
Zelgadis looked at Timmy. A brief recognition of the word 'attic' hit him.. a light he saw earlier... "Attic? What's in the--"
Naturally, the next sound heard was a very impressive explosion. BOOM.
Followed by a scream; a distinctly Lina-like scream.
Dishes fell off the table, and the furniture shifted around a lot -- Zel lost his balance and fell over, while Chi'Nai adapted and kept upright.
Not one to ask things like 'What was that?' or 'Is everybody okay?', Zelgadis was on his feet and dashing upstairs at nearly the speed of thought. No sense in pretending to be in reality when you can get what you need in an instant in the world of dreams, after all. He ditched his Big Brother garb along the way and gotten the dream of his sword ready, approaching the previously locked hatchway leading up into the attic...
He stopped, and forced himself to approach the folding ladder cautiously. He peeked up without making his presence known, just incase something was large and mean and dangerous which he'd be better off killing quietly without it realizing he was around.
Nothing.
Literally nothing, not even an attic. The roof had been torn away completely, leaving behind the odd broken bit of wood and a few dustclouds stirring in the wind. And of course, a dramatic token to illustrate an important point; Lina's silly dream-apron was left behind. Without the rest of her inside it.
Zelgadis looked down to the upstairs hallway just as Timmy and Chi'Nai were rushing upstairs. "Nothing up here," he explained. "And Lina's gone too."
"Uhoh," Timmy said, a pale wash flooding his face. "I think that means he got out."
"'He?'" Zelgadis growled. "Why didn't you tell us there was a 'He' up here before?!"
"Didn't think anybody would go in the attic," Timmy said. "It's dark and scary up there, after all."
Zel considered barking again, but no. That would probably make sense to a kid. He mentally kicked himself for not exploring the house more when they got here... and for not exploring what the situation was, period.
No.. no sense in mounting frustrations. Zelgadis climbed down. Get to business.
"Let's get to the important thing first," he said. "Is Lina in the house? Probably not, but we need to make sure. Chi'nai, check the right side of the hall, Timmy, the left."
A few moments later, it was confirmed.
"She's gone," Chi'Nai stated.
"He probably took her," Timmy said quietly. "I bet he'd do that. She wasn't very good at dreaming and he was, he could do it.."
"I think it's high time I sat you down, kid, and got you to spill your guts about this place," Zel said, advancing. "About whatever it is you're vaguely talking about, about how you got here, how you got the key... and now, how we're going to find Lina."
Gourry was happy.
Gourry was happy.
Gourry was happy.
Gourry was--
*SPLASH*
wet?
He sputtered, and sat up, blinking a few times as his glazed eyes got used to the light again. "Whrrr?" he asked. "Li.. uh... guys. Hi. What's going on?"
"We're about to find out," Zelgadis said, tossing the bucket aside -- it vanished back into the dreamstuff.
Gourry looked around the kitchen, and spotted Timmy, sitting on a kitchen chair and looking a little bit guilty. Apparently, the others were looking at him and expecting him to talk.
"I just wanted to play games," Timmy apologized. "I didn't think anything bad would happen. None of the other dreamers went into the attic, so I figured..."
"What was up there?" Zelgadis interrogated.
"My grandfather," Timmy said. "He's a powerful sorcerer. He sent me with magic to the dreamplace a long time ago so I could find the key and bring it back to him. But I wasn't supposed to give it to him, so I stayed here and kept it safe. He came after me, and tried to take it away, so I trapped him in the attic... it was really hard, he was good at dreaming too."
Zelgadis nodded. "So, when Lina opened the door--"
"Lina?" Gourry asked, catching onto one of the few words he had followed.
"She must've let him out," Timmy said. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it was important to tell you about him. I was just going to play with you until you woke up and not give you the key..."
"Where's Lina?" Gourry asked Zelgadis. "What's going on here? Did I fall asleep or something?"
"More or less," Zelgadis said, with a dash of sarcasm. "Lina got kidnapped again. We--"
"WHAT?!" Gourry gaped. "We've got to rescue her!"
"I'm aware of that, Gourry. Now we just have to find out--"
Gourry fetched his Sword of Light from wherever he was keeping it in his memory, and shifted back into his armor. "Which way did they go?!"
"It's not that easy!" Timmy said. "Grandpa studied dreams really hard. He only sent me to get the key at first because he was worried he'd die if he touched it... I'm an orphan, and he always used me for his dangerous magic. I thought I could stand up to him now that I had power from here, but... but when he came himself and I had to fight him, I could barely trap him! I don't know if I can do it again, and... and..."
Gourry's people instincts took over. He forced some calm over himself, and rested a reassuring hand on Timmy's shoulder.
"Don't worry," he said, smiling. "We'll stop your grandfather. I know you're scared of him. You and Chi'Nai can stay here while your big brother and I go save mom, okay?"
"You're not really my family," Timmy said, in a small voice, on the verge of tears. He paused. "I want to go home. I don't like this place anymore."
"We'll take you back with us once we finish this," Gourry promised. "You've got my word. Zel? C'mon, let's go."
The swordsman turned, and moved right out of the kitchen, and out of the house, traveling at a fair clip. Zelgadis started a protest, but wasn't able to get it out before he had left... he cast a glance at Chi'Nai, who acknowledged with a nod that she'd stay put, and he went off.
Zelgadis pushed the rusty screen door aside, and let it clatter shut after him, jogging along to keep up with Gourry.
"Gourry, what do you think you're doing?" Zelgadis asked. "We've got no idea where this guy is. Plus, none of us are as strong as Timmy is at dreaming... magic and swords don't work here. We'll be creamed at this rate."
"We won't be creamed," Gourry said, with absolution as firm as rock.
"And what's this, telling him he won't have to help us? We could use his help. He'd be a great weapon against this guy--"
"He's scared," Gourry said. "I'm not going to make a scared little kid do something he doesn't have to do."
"Do you want to save Lina or not?"
Gourry glared at Zelgadis with unusual fire. Zel almost missed a step.
"I'll take that as a yes," Zel interpreted. "What's with you today? And what were you doing with Lina back there?"
"I think we can find this guy if we concentrate," Gourry said. "I understand that. I think. See, I can make stuff happen in this world if I think about it, and so can Timmy, right? So if we think that we find him, then we find him. I'm right, right? I NEED to be right about this and not stupid about it, it's important..."
"That's.. how it works, yes," Zel said. "I'll give it a try."
Zelgadis cleared his mind. No easy task, considering the wham-pow-bam speed of events lately, much less what those events were... clear that, clear that. Focus on the image of finding where Lina is, and going there. He put all his energy into that need to find her. Everything.
Nothing happened.
He kept it up for a minute more, before giving up. "It's no good," Zelgadis said. "Either this guy's blocking us, or I just can't get it focused enough. We'd need some really, really strong willpower to make it happ--"
Gourry closed his eyes.
The world turned around a single point in space, revolving inside out and around again...
The world was foggy and nasty. Lina felt shredded.
Her eyes opened slowly, and assessed the situation...
Oh.
She was kidnapped.
At least it was a familiar situation. Had all the usual trimmings; some way of restricting her hands so she couldn't easily cast magic, something to sit on and/or dangle from, a cackling madman and a hideout. You know where you stand with a proper kidnapping. And more importantly, Lina had no intentions of standing where she was told to stand. Might as well milk it for all it was worth...
"Hello!" she said cheerfully to her kidnapper, because that's not what a victim would say. "Nice place. Do you do your own decoration?"
She had to admit, it wasn't that interesting of a decor. A basic black void, with silvery gridlines running vertical, horizontal... forming a cube mesh that stretched in all directions. Small pulses of light raced along it in funny patterns Lina couldn't identify; she was never very good at math.
And her kidnapper... a basic looking mad sorcerer in robes and a pointy hat. Long beard, fluffy eyebrows, the works. He seemed oddly calm for a mad sorcerer, however. Almost like a sleepwalker, looking at her without looking at her.
"No, I did not," he said, in a monotone voice. "My master made this place."
"And you are...?"
"Timmy's grandfather. No doubt you have met the boy," he said. "But aside from that, I am nothing but a tool for my master to obtain the key of order, name and identity trivial. My task is all. It is a task I have been... delayed on. But no longer. I will use you to force Timmy to obey me and give me the key. I will hurt you until he gives it to me."
"Ah, now we're back in the plot," Lina realized. "So what is the key, exactly?"
"The most important thing in the world."
"One of those things, you mean?"
"No," he said. "It is the most important thing in the world."
"You realize you're making the classic villain mistake of telling the heroine everything, right?" Lina asked. This was the sort of way she relaxed when in a situation like this. "No style whatsoever, either. Now I'm going to have to escape and kill you."
"You cannot escape," he said. "I have ordered this dream strong enough to easily resist your human willpower. There is no willpower imagined that is strong enough to break into this area of the dreaming, either. Your mistress cannot overcome the Order either."
"So if you're so big and bad, why not just take the key away from Timmy instead of going through all this trouble?" Lina asked.
The old man said nothing.
"You can't, can ya?" Lina smirked. "Boy, you're just revealing everything, aren't you? As villains go, you're pretty unoriginal. So why can't you just muscle Timmy into line?"
"He is protected by Chaos, as you are," the old man said, a tiny hint of anger starting to enter his voice. "But it doesn't matter. I am strong! I will finish my master's bidding and gain a place in the Order. It has taken a long time, but time is meaningless in a purely ordered world, as he has shown me--"
BE SILENT.
A voice shunted out of the silvery gridlines, running horizontally through Lina's mind like a constant wind, sending her spinning.
YOU SPEAK TOO MUCH. DID I NOT BURN CHAOS FROM YOU, HUMAN? THE NEEDLESS NEED TO BE DRAMATIC AND ALIVE WITH RANDOM BEHAVIORS?
"Y-Yes!" the sorcerer said.
THEN BE SILENT AS YOU SHOULD BE.
Lina stayed quiet too. The temperature in the 'room' felt like it had dropped to zero. This newcomer was not the sort of bad guy she could goad, taunt or insult... she knew that on hunch, and it was a hunch she could believe.
She stayed perfectly still, feeling this strange presence study her...
SO, YOU ARE LINA INVERSE, KNIGHT OF CHAOS. It said. THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD BE A TRUE HINDRANCE TO MY PLANS. I SEE NO REASON TO REMAIN CONCERNED. YOU HAVE NO PARTS TO MY ALTAR OF ORDER, WHEREAS YOUR SISTERS ALREADY HAVE RECOVERED THREE.
"Sisters?" Lina asked, unable to resist asking. But the being ignored her question.
NO. YOUR "LORD OF NIGHTMARES" HAS NOT PICKED WELL, HER CHAOS AGAIN LEADING TO HER INEVITABLE DOWNFALL TO ORDER. PERHAPS NOW SHE'LL FINALLY LEARN THIS LESSON. AS WILL YOU.
"She claims she will escape," the old sorcerer stated, quietly.
SHE WILL NOT. ORDER CRUSHES CHAOS. THERE IS NO CHAOS STRONG ENOUGH TO REACH THIS POCKET I HAVE MADE.
...and hit a wall, a wall of very hard matter, bouncing back to where they came from.
Zel and Gourry were tossed aside, landing on the soft grass of Timmy's lawn. Zel's breathing resumed, once he forced himself into it.
"What happened?" Zelgadis asked. "It felt like it was working, and..."
Gourry was already on his feet, concentrating furiously. "Something stopped me!" he seethed. "I felt it..."
"Felt what?"
But Gourry's mind was already racing to find Lina, pouring every ounce of emotion he could into it. He needed to find her. For so many reasons, even ones he still didn't understand or know a lot about, tangled up into one big strange ball he couldn't sort out -- but gave up on trying to sort it out, and just pushed on anyway. Accepting that he might never completely figure it all out and just going with it.
In one burst of feeling, of chaotically confused but determined need and wanting, he PUSHED--
And the two of them slammed through a wall of lines, shattering some kind of grid as they rolled to a halt on the non-floor of a void.
Everybody was surprised to see them.
"How is this possible?!" Timmy's grandfather asked, shocked.
Gourry quickly imagined Lina free from.. whatever she was trapped by, some unseen and unacknowledged thought. Lina dropped to the floor as well, ready to move--
The sorcerer threw up his hands, warping gravity around each of his enemies, spinning them about. "It doesn't matter! I will destroy you all--"
Gourry had his sword out, confronting the sorcerer. "Let Lina go!"
"Ah... Gourry?" Lina said, tapping his shoulder. "I'm let-gone already. And that guy's not important."
"He's not?" Gourry asked. Whatever drive he was wrapped in before started to crumble in front of his usual confusion. "Uh.. then what now?"
YOU DIE.
As if on cue, the wind rolled through the area again, blasted from the being that shared this same geometric space. The sorcerer was unfortunately (or fortunately) blasted far out of sight, fading from existence as he shot into the distance -- Zelgadis was knocked aside, but grabbed hold of one of the grid lines to keep from being blown away. Gourry grabbed onto Lina, who was also hanging on for dear life.
"Hey! Don't grab me like that!!" Lina instinctively yelled, kicking at Gourry.
THIS IS TOO MUCH RANDOMNESS. THERE ARE TOO MANY UNCONTROLLED ELEMENTS. I WILL STOP IT HERE. THERE IS NO NEED TO OPPOSE YOU AT THE END OF EVERYTHING IF I DESTROY YOU NOW, KNIGHT OF CHAOS.
"Who the hell is that guy!?" Zelgadis shouted, over the roaring gale. "Lina, do something!"
"Like what?!" Lina shouted back.
"You're the Knight of the Lord of Nightmares, not me! Think of something!"
The first idea that popped into her head was a stupid one, but Lina did it anyway.
Her golden wings unfolded, at her mental summons. The brilliant hue and shine of them was something to behold, at least when you weren't about to be blown into oblivion and thus concentrating on other things.
"It's a start," Lina said. "Now then, maybe if...... ah.. where'd the wind go?"
Zelgadis looked up, noticing he was no longer being tugged around. He got to his feet, feeling only a gentle breeze...
"You're blocking it with those wings... I think..." he said, unbelieving.
A TRIVIAL EFFORT, the voice said. I WILL STOP IT NOW.
Very little happened.
"Well?" Lina asked.
YOU WILL DIE.
Zelgadis fidgeted a little, not seeing any sudden death coming.
"Oh, I get it," Lina said. "That guy said I was protected by chaos. I guess I just had to summon that protection. Man, for a large, mysterious force with a cool voice, you're pretty impotent!"
...IT DOES NOT MATTER, the voice said. ONE METHOD IS AS GOOD AS ANOTHER. YOUR SISTERS WILL DEAL WITH YOU. I HAVE ALREADY SET THEM IN MOTION. NONE OF IT MATTERS. I WILL WIN IN THE END.
Even the tiny breeze died, as the thing went away, to... wherever it went.
"What now?" Zelgadis asked.
"What now? Oh, that's easy. We go back, get the stupid key from Timmy, and get out of here," Lina said.
"And that... thing?"
"It's gone, isn't it? Problem solved."
"We don't even know what it was!!"
"No, but I'm sure someone will tell us eventually," Lina said, unconcerned. "Relax, Zel! You'd think you'd have learned this stuff from all the other quests we've been on. Now, let's... ah, where's Gourry?"
"You're standing over him."
Lina blinked, and stepped back... uncovering Gourry, who had a goofy smile and a little bit of blood coming out of his nose. Quite unconscious.
"What...?"
"I think he could see right up your dress," Zelgadis coughed.
"Ah... I see," Lina said, flushing up to a tomato level hue again.
Back at the ranch, Timmy fidgeted.
"He's going to hurt them," he said, shaking with nervousness. "He's going to be very bad to them. I thought I stopped grandpa... why couldn't I, Chi'Nai-oneesan?"
"You weren't smart enough to realize the danger," Chi'Nai said factually.
Which only sent Timmy into a crying jag.
A hint of nervousness crept through Chi'Nai's mind. She was trying to discuss the matter rationally with Timmy, but he was being very irrational... very emotional. She had no honest idea what to do about it, but wanted to be able to do something... she didn't particularly like making the young boy cry. But it wasn't something she understood.
Would father have understood? He hung onto his emotions like a dying man to life, but clearly they only made him erratic and random. Those were bad things. What would he do for this boy? Probably offer him a sweet and tell a joke. That wouldn't work. Would it? Chi'Nai didn't have any sweets and didn't know any jokes.
Zelgadis would probably know what to do about this, she thought. He always seemed to know what to do. She liked that about him. Chi'Nai thought about it more, as she drifted off into sleep, sleep inside the world of dreams.
Timmy looked up as Chi'Nai slowly sank to the floor, dozing. He glanced around worriedly.
"Shhh," a voice said in his ear. "It's Okay. I Just Let Her Sleep."
"You?" Timmy asked.
The little girl made herself visible to him, a young girl with golden curls. She wasn't dressed very neatly, with mismatching socks and everything.
"You Did A Very Good Job," she said, smiling softly to him. "Thanks. I Knew You Would Protect The Key From Those Who Could Hurt Me."
"But I couldn't! He got out! He--"
"Your Friends Stopped Him," the girl said. "You Helped Them. You Should Go Home Now, Back To Your World. You Can Trust Them With The Key Now."
"...it's over?" Timmy asked. "Grandpa, and..."
"It's Over," she said. "I'm Sorry For The Trouble. I Have To Return Home Now Too. Thank You, Timmy."
Timmy smiled at her, relieved, and thankful for the praise. He slumped a little, no longer so stressed.
The girl vanished just as Chi'Nai woke up. Chi'Nai didn't seemed the least bit concerned, as if she hadn't noticed going to bed in the first place.
After returning 'home', Lina and company got their gear together, ready to leave the world of dreams. Lina, for one, was quite pleased to be back in her usual adventuring duds and NOT in some silly dress...
She hadn't mentioned the little incident to Gourry. In fact, they hadn't talked much about anything like.. that. Far too busy questing. Maybe later, once they could settle down..
"So!" Lina said, concentrating on the present. "On we go. Timmy, got the key?"
"Right here!" Timmy said, smiling big.
"Zel, Gourry, your swords and goodies?"
"All packed," Zelgadis stated.
"Chi'Nai, do you have the sixteen elephants and packet of dental floss?"
"Y... what?"
"Just being silly," Lina said, with a hint of whimsy. "I think this quest is going well! Now, let's get back to Sailoon and check in with the group before finding the next part of the big whatsimajigger..."
Lina chanted the Giga's Dream spell, opening a glowing blue gateway back to the waking world.
"All together, now!" she said, stepping through the gateway and into a smoking crater.
Gourry landed on top of her. The others were thoughtful enough to look before they leapt, and simply climbed down from the gateway, which was inexplicably hanging over the edge of a giant hole in the ground.
"Off!" Lina ordered, pushing Gourry aside. "What happened? I cast the spell right..."
When she stood up, she realized what was going on.
Sailoon City was missing, presumed destroyed. For several miles around, instead of seeing a bustling metropolis with thousands and thousands of citizens and the shining walls of Sailoon Palace, all she saw was a giant crater of scorched earth, blackened and burned. Oddly, the trees around the strike zone were pretty unharmed, and the sky was a cheerful blue with puffy white clouds.
"......." Lina said.
"I don't understand. Isn't there supposed to be a city here?" Chi'Nai asked, stating the obvious.