Okay, a while back, I’d fought a high-ranking demon named Hellmaster Fibrizo. During said fight, I’d lost control of a spell, which resulted in me temporarily merging with chaos itself. And by “chaos itself,” I of course mean the source of all existence, the golden Lord of Nightmares. In the end, it had returned whence it came and I’d returned to my senses, but...
Yeah, the prophecy Galdorba spoke of? Basically suited me to a T. The phrasing itself seemed highly subject to interpretation, but I couldn’t really argue it didn’t apply to me. It would’ve been easy enough to play dumb and say “dunno what you’re talking about,” but I doubted these robed guys would fall for that bit.
I’d put it together by now that Galdorba and his friends were a totally different faction from our Luzilte pursuers. I still didn’t know who they were working for, mind you. But I did know they’d taken some so-called prophecy as gospel truth, and now they had a mind to kill me in the interest of peace, justice, and all that jazz.
They’d first attacked us in that city overnight—but they’d underestimated us and we’d lived to tell the tale. Then, after learning that the Kingdom of Luzilte was also after us, they’d apparently gotten the idea to use that against us. I guess they figured that all would be well if the knights ended up taking us out. But after following us for a while, they saw their Plan A going up in flames thanks to a single dancing golem. They must have lost patience and joined the fray then.
But even with all that in mind, they were being way too reckless!
“I’ve hit a nerve, have I?” Galdorba said after some silence. He’d seemed to be gauging my reaction.
“Nissy Lina? Raise havoc?” Ran asked, her eyes carefully fixed on our opponent.
I would have liked to deny that part, but... “Given that I’ve got both the knights of Luzilte and these mysterious robed guys after me... I’d say I’ve been there, done that, wouldn’t you?” From a certain point of view, I’d already fulfilled the prophecy. “Although, to be fair, I’d say you guys started it, and I’m just fighting back. If you’d leave me alone—or even help me get back home—we could resolve this all peacefully.”
“Laughable,” Galdorba scoffed in response to my proposal. “A prophecy cannot be denied. I suppose given the destruction you’ve already wrought, the prophecy has technically come true—but can we truly be certain that this is the end of it? Can you guarantee you’ll raise no further havoc? No. If we let you go now and the chaos spreads, it will be too late. In the interest of caution, it’s most logical to eliminate you now.”
“Personally, I feel like making mountains out of prophecy molehills is the real source of havoc here.”
“One way or another, the destruction will cease once you’re dead.”
“Enough, Galdorba,” Regenell spoke up, sounding like he’d lost his temper. Too bad. I’d really been hoping to stretch things out a little longer. “No amount of talking will change what we have to do here.”
“He has a point,” agreed their female companion. She walked over to Galdorba and removed her robe and mask, revealing herself to be a twentysomething woman with long black hair and symmetrical—too symmetrical—features that made her look more like a living doll than a human being. “The nonsense can wait until after we’ve fulfilled our purpose.”
“You dare call the prophecy nonsense?! What arrogance, Nelfic!” Galdorba blustered.
“I’m not calling the prophecy nonsense,” the woman, Nelfic, said as she turned toward me. “What’s nonsense is conversing with the person we’re here to kill!” Then, with a howl, she began barreling toward me!
“Right!” Regenell likewise began advancing.
Gourry and Ran stepped in front of me, and I whipped up an incantation lickety-split. I pointed a finger to heaven and whispered the words of power. A ball of light appeared at my fingertip... then burst!
What I’d conjured was a Lighting spell. It was designed to provide illumination in the dark, but with a few quick alterations—that is, zeroing out its duration in exchange for maximum brightness—I had myself a handy-dandy blinding spell! Gourry and Ran were currently standing with their backs to me, but our approaching opponents were practically staring right at it when it went off.
“Geh!”
“Ack!”
Right on cue, Nelfic and Regenell both reeled back!
This trick worked best at night. It could really blind someone whose eyes had adjusted to the dark, but against the midday sun, it was more of a momentary dazzling. Good thing that was all we needed! The instant our opponents flinched, Gourry went after Regenell, and Ran after Nelfic!
The flash momentarily stopped Nelfic in her tracks, allowing Ran to run right up to her and thrust out her staff. Womp! It struck Nelfic square in the center of her chest!
“Guh!” Nelfic, who hadn’t so much as yelped when Gourry hit her in the same spot with his hilt, now let out a cry and stumbled a few steps back. Perhaps Ran’s was no ordinary strike. She might have used her wind magic to add a little extra oomph to the blow.
“You! What is that staff?!” the woman screamed. Judging from how shaken she seemed, that one must’ve really hurt.
“Nyee hee hee!” Ran grinned at the question and twirled her staff around as she replied, “It came from the heart of a tree that’s feasted on magic a thousand and five hundred years, and it lives as part of that tree! It’s known as...”
Huh, that reminded me of something. Our own world had once been host to a large tree that grew by feeding on miasma, and which had produced a sword from its heart. Swords and staffs were different, of course, but was Ran’s weapon something functionally similar?
She raised the staff in her right hand high over her head and proclaimed for all to hear: “The Cool Stick!”
“That’s a terrible name!” Nelfic’s gut reaction was surprisingly in tune with my own.
At least give it a badass name or something!
“Don’t make fun of the Cool Stick!” Ran howled as she darted forward.
“I’m not mocking your weapon! It’s your taste I take issue with!” Nelfic cried—and I have to say I agreed with her on this one.
After that, Nelfic broke into a run as well. Ran thrust out with her staff again, but Nelfic dodged it this time. At least at first. Ran channeled her extended thrust into a follow-up sweep. And instead of Nelfic dodging, a set of black claws appeared from under her red robe to deflect the staff! Was it a clawed gauntlet of some kind? That must have been what had repelled Gourry earlier.
Before it could get tangled up in the claws, Ran withdrew the staff (I really don’t want to call it a stick; it was a proper staff, if a roughly hewn one), then struck, swiped, and thrust in rapid succession. She was probably using the wind that wreathed her to enhance her speed and power, but it was astonishing to see her move like that while using a spell capable of wrecking you with one wrong move. Nelfic managed to avoid the attacks somehow or other, but she was steadily being pushed back until...
“Graaah!” Nelfic howled, and at her summons, a ball of light appeared behind Ran!
Attacking from her blind spot?! Or is she ignoring Ran to target me now?!
Before I could discern the answer... Crash! Almost as if she could see behind her, Ran unceremoniously lashed out with her staff and smashed through the ball of light!
Nelfic ignored this and took a step forward. Her claws met Ran’s staff with a clang... and then her long black hair hardened, transforming into giant claws that streaked at Ran from both sides!