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The Forbidden Labyrinth: It's safe to say that rows upon rows of vicious guards were not the sight that Alielle, Fatora, and Parnasse hoped to see when they knocked on the gates of Creteria. They were even less enthusiastic about the many pointy objects that those guards leveled at them as soon as it was convenient. In Qawool's bedroom, Qawool rests from her awful fright and explains just what it is that she saw that frightened her so: A white Bugrom. Nanami asks what's going on and Makoto ponders. Finally, he announces that he thinks that there must be a hole of some kind leading from El-Hazard to this world. While that sinks in, the lights turn on, delighting all three of them especially Qawool, who begins to rub her cheek against Makoto's hand, embarrassing the boy and annoying Nanami. Nanami then asks something that's been bothering her. Just how did Qawool come to be so afraid of bugs, anyway. Qawool doesn't know. She's been afraid of bugs since birth. Makoto mentions that the emperor seems to have taken ill and asks Nanami if she knows anything about it. She does, of course. It's heartache and she's partly responsible. Not that she admits this to Makoto. In his bedroom, Emperor Dall sits alone in the dark, an unreadable look on his shadowed face. A glass of wine slips from his fingers and shatters on the floor. At the gates to the city, the guards throw Fatora, Alielle, and Parnasse to the ground... inside the city. They are given a strict warning: No one is allowed to leave the city. Fatora is a bit humiliated by the rough treatment, but at least now the three are inside. Alielle then sees something that strikes her motionless with awe. She gets Fatora's attention and the two stare up at the huge Cretarian palace, towering high above the city. When the two of them finally look away, they notice that Parnasse has disappeared. Parnasse, as it happens, has been wandering around the city on his own. He sees many steel pipes and the occasional miserable-looking man, but he can't find what he's really looking for: Babes! Finally though, he sees one, only it's not a babe. It's an old hag. Parnasse is seriously bummed. And it only gets worse when his irate sister finally catches up with him and grabs him by the collar. Fatora and Alielle question the old woman, hoping that she can help them locate Shayla-Shayla. Unfortunately, their descriptions of the woman make her out to be some kind of ill-tempered, red-headed, fire-breathing monster and the woman recoils in terror. Their conversation is interrupted by a contingent of soldiers who come marching down the street that they are on. The townspeople wisely clear the way, but Fatora is entranced by the red-armored soldier leading the way. The soldier, Gilda, pauses a moment, opening her visor to give Fatora a deadly glare. Fatora, for her part, gazes back, mouth twitching into a smirk. Once the soldiers move on, a nervous Alielle asks Fatora if they can get out of there now. Fatora refuses, noting that Gilda is just her type. Fatora plans to stay. Indefinitely. Alielle and Parnasse are not happy. In Gilda's quarters, she stares at the battle-hardened face gazing back at her from the mirror and asks herself if this is truly what she has become. She opens her closet and a picture falls into view. The picture is of herself and Dall Narcis, standing side-by-side and dressed in the clothes of nobility. Gilda gazes at the picture and vows that, after all this time, she will not let the plan fail. She puts the picture back and walks to the window to gaze over the gray city of Creteria. Near the base of the palace, Fatora, Alielle, and Parnasse are clinging to the sheer cliffs leading up to the castle. None of them are happy with their current predicament, but Fatora is bound and determined to enter the castle. The haze of fog around them clears somewhat and Parnasse notices a railway, not far below them. It could be a way in! Parnasse easily makes his way down, but Fatora slips, and almost falls when she makes the same attempt! Fortunately, Alielle is able to grab her wrist, but then her own grip slips, and the two plummet! Luckily, a hanging cage chooses that moment to trundle along the rail, and the two land on that instead of falling to their deaths. The two cling to the cage for dear life and beg Parnasse to save them. Parnasse has his own problems, though, as he is fleeing the giant roller that is carrying the cage along the railway. Parnasse finally slips, and falls down to join Fatora and Alielle below. The two are curious how the boy intends to save them, when he's put himself into the same predicament they are in. Then, the three suddenly realize that this misfortune may actually have been a stroke of luck! The cage is carrying them straight toward the castle! The three decide to sit back and enjoy the ride. Their enjoyment comes to a sudden end, when they notice that their ride is heading straight toward some kind of violent, crushing machine. Evidently, the cage they're on is one scheduled to be recycled... The three desperately leap to safety, just before the cage passes between the crushing jaws. Well, safety being a relative term, since the three are now clinging by their fingertips to a narrow ledge. Fatora seems optimistic about their situation, though. The three somehow find a way into the castle and they end up in an armory. Parnasse helps himself to some equipment. He also comes upon a strange, glowing light, but before he can examine it, Fatora and Alielle irritably ask him to hurry up and join them. Some soldiers are wandering around and they have strict orders to kill any intruders that they find. Parnasse, playing with his new sword, chooses that moment to accidentally knock a row of pikes to the floor. Fortunately, Fatora catches them all and the guards walk by, none the wiser. Parnasse sighs in relief... and then his sword knocks down another row of pikes. This time, the guards are alerted and the three flee for their lives. A guard catches up to the armored Parnasse and swings at him. To Fatora's horror, Parnasse is cut in two at the waist! At least, that's how it seems. Actually, Parnasse was not the only one in the armor. Short as he was, he was only in the top half, while Alielle was manning the legs. The two scramble out of the now-ruined armor, much to the shock of the guards and continue to flee. They make it out of the armory and slam it in the guards' face, bracing it shut with a sword for good measure. With a triumphant cry, the three continue on their way through the palace. The three throw open a door and gaze in astonishment at what appears to be a harem! The room is pure heaven for the three girl-chasers and they walk reverently in. Alielle notes that it seems as though every beautiful woman in the country must be gathered in that very room. Parnasse is a big hit and the women flock to lavish attention on the cute little boy. Fatora has bigger fish on her agenda, though. She isn't going to rest, until she's found Gilda. She approaches an exit to the room, her intuition telling her that Gilda is right on the other side! Well, there are guards on the other side, all right, but none of them are Gilda. Fatora, Alielle, and Parnasse flee once more for their lives and are inadvertently given a hand by the women in the room, who refuse to let the guards enter. Some guards report to Gilda, announcing that a man has been seen wandering around unescorted. Gilda is surprised and irritated that the guards did not capture him. She commands them not to fail her again. Elsewhere in the castle, Fatora watches a contingent of guards pass by and prepares to flee again. This time, though, she is held back by Alielle and Parnasse, who complain that they're too hungry to run another step. Fatora, at first, is stern with them, but gives in when her own stomach begins to rumble. Now, the only question is, where do they find food? Parnasse's nose has the answer, as he smells a very familiar smell. It smells like Nanami's food! The three make their move, but Fatora quickly outstrips the exhausted Alielle and Parnasse. The two siblings finally collapse, just outside of Nanami's restaurant. They find renewed strength when they suddenly realize that that Nanami's-cooking-like smell they've been smelling really is Nanami's cooking! Nanami greets them and the two finally realize that they are safe. Fatora, as it turns out, did not go that way at all. Instead, she managed to actually find what she was looking for: Gilda, escorted by a pair of guards! She notices that Parnasse and Alielle have vanished, but isn't about to give up now, not when she's this close. She silently follows... She could not have chosen a better moment to strike. Gilda's destination is the shower room and Fatora finds the woman stark naked as she cleans the grime of a hard day's work from her body. As Gilda towels herself off, Fatora makes her move, reaching out to get herself a handful of the beautiful captain of the guard. Gilda is less than impressed. With her training, she is easily able to detect and grab Fatora long before she has a chance to grope her. She pins the princess's arm behind her back. Fatora demands that she release her and Gilda, assuming that Fatora was Makoto, announces that she knew he was near, but didn't expect this kind of behavior from even him! As they struggle, Gilda's hand grabs onto Fatora's chest and she's surprised to find something there she in't expecting! She demands to know how it is that Makoto is a woman. Fatora, interested in the mention of another familiar name, asks if Makoto is really here. Gilda is now certain that Fatora and Makoto are conspirators of some kind, and throws Fatora against the wall. She promises to extract the truth from Fatora, even if she has to wring it out of her. At Nanami's restuarant, Alielle and Parnasse eat their fill, and finally feel civilized again. Makoto notes that their presence indicates that everyone else at the palace was probably sent to this world, as well. Makoto theorizes that dimensional travel must only be able to occur when the timing is perfect, and a large amount of energy is present. The mention of a large amount of energy reminds Alielle that they saw Shayla's fire while outside the city. She also suddenly remembers that they've forgotten all about Fatora! The princess in question is currently imprisoned in a hanging cage, in a dungeon-looking part of the castle. She rants angrily about her ill treatment, but no one seems to be listening. In Dall Narcis's quarters, the sickly emperor sits up in bed and ponders his heavenly maiden. Then he begins to laugh and laugh and laugh... The Vuloptuous Trap: Fatora is escorted to a steel-plated cell room, where she is uncomfortably seated in a metal chair. Her comfort level is further decreased by a pair of armored guards, who slam her face against the table in front of her and hold her there while Gilda enters the room. Gilda tells them to let Fatora up and begins to question her. She finds the concept that Fatora is the second princess of Roshtaria to be simply laughable, as is the suggestion that she "fell from heaven" in the way that Makoto and his friends claim to have arrived. All in all, Gilda is sick and tired of outsiders wandering into Creteria. It ends, now. Gilda unsheathes her sword and swings it at Fatora's face, stopping just shy of her cheek. She asks Fatora what she's really there for. Elsewhere in the castle, Alielle wanders freely, searching for Fatora. Parnasse wants to search, too, but is waylaid by Qawool, who insists that he stay behind to help Makoto with his research. Parnasse is bummed by the prospect and looks for a way to weasel out of it. The sophisticated plan he comes up with involves making a break for it but Qawool isn't going to let him go so easily. She grabs him by the collar and drags him off to his sad fate. In his room, Makoto lies on his bed and thinks about Qawool. He wonders why the crystal-bearing artifact reacted to her the way that it did. Nanami interrupts his reverie, presenting him with a lunch to help him keep up his strength. When Makoto doesn't even bother to respond to it, she becomes slightly irritated. Makoto apologizes and starts to eat. Nanami gets to the heart of the matter and reminds Makoto of the conversation that they had before coming to this world... The one where they were talking almost like a married couple. To Nanami's dismay, Makoto doesn't even remember. Even worse, she finds that she's quickly lost Makoto's attention and the boy is staring off into space, lost in his own thoughts. She grabs his head and turns it to look at her. Meanwhile, Parnasse, having found another excuse not to study with Makoto, guides Qawool to the armory where he found that strange light. Qawool is curious and wonders if it might have something to do with Makoto's work. Parnasse takes advantage of Qawool's inattention to try to make another break for it, but the girl grabs him again. This time, she looks quite serious and tells him that it's very important that he show her the light that he found. Parnasse agrees and the two of them enter the armory. In the kitchen, Nanami takes out her frustration in regards to Makoto's absent-mindedness on a pile of helpless dishes, scrubbing them to a mirror shine. She's also irritated at Qawool for not being around to help in the kitchen. In her annoyance, she stumbles over a basket of potatoes and starts to fall, her newly cleaned dishes tumbling to the floor! Fortunately, a pair of hands steadies hers before the dishes leave her grip. It's Makoto! He's come to apologize for being so absent when Nanami came to see him earlier. Blushing, Nanami accepts his apology. Makoto sticks around to work in the kitchen and a flustered Nanami tries to find a way to bring up their earlier conversation again. Her attempts are thwarted by Qawool, who bursts into the room with big news. Parnasse has found something important! Nanami watches with a dissatisfied look as Makoto and Qawool sit and talk. Qawool explains the light that Parnasse found and Makoto notes that the armory is located directly above the main energy furnace for the castle. Makoto believes that the furnace may hold the key to how they were transported to Creteria. Makoto tells Nanami that he's stepping out for a bit and leaves before the distressed girl can respond. Her distress turns to depression and she sullenly returns to her work in the kitchen. Qawool is in much higher spirits, as she dons her waitress apron. They might soon be able to go home! Nanami is terse with her, though, and Qawool asks if she's offended her, somehow. Nanami claims not, but in her tightly reined anger, accidentally drops a dish to the floor, shattering it. In the control room to the Spring of Life, a guard detects some creatures deep within the generators for the castle. He reports this to his superior, and he orders his men to close in on them. Once they arrive, they close off the exit and then shut down the generator, giving the creatures a chance to show themselves. The guard warns his men to be careful as it's the creatures' breeding season and they could be especially dangerous. As soon as the words leave his mouth, dozens of red eyes begin to appear within the depths of the generator... In the hive of the white Bugrom, Jinnai continues to stuff his face. A carelessly thrown dish activates the dimensional transporter,and the Ruler of the Universe shows his face once again. The entity expresses his surprise at just how... fat Jinnai has become. And fat he is, all of his clothes are bursting at the seams and even his extra chins have extra chins. It's the result of days on end being allowed to do nothing but eat and sleep. Groucho / Katsuo, for his part, hasn't gained an ounce, much to Jinnai's jealousy. The Ruler of the Universe demands to know what's become of Shayla-Shayla. Jinnai is quick to boast that she's been thrown to her doom. The entity is not impressed and demands that Shayla be rescued at once. Inside the pit, Shayla has managed to sustain herself, barely, but is still on the verge of starvation. Then, the eggs around her start to glow. She wonders if she's seeing things and then she really does see something: a thin strand of some kind of substance drops down and dangles in front of her. It's a rescue line, sent by a very unwilling Jinnai! The two trade insults for a moment before an impatient Jinnai tells her to hurry up, already. He's trying to rescue her! Blandly, Shayla grabs the line and rips it in two. It's clearly too weak to hold her and she calls Jinnai a moron for thinking otherwise. Jinnai triumphantly turns to the Ruler of the Universe and tells him that that's that. Clearly, he won't be able to rescue the girl. He's not getting off that easily, though. The entity points out another, thicker rope that they can use. Jinnai starts to protest again, but Groucho / Katsuo is already helpfully lowering it into the pit. Jinnai whacks his lackey for his incompetence. Below, Shayla wonders what Jinnai is up to. Up above, Jinnai suffers a deep, moral dilemma. He just can't stand the thought of rescuing the insufferable woman. The Ruler of the Universe convinces him otherwise, tempting him with the promise of becoming the ruler of the universe himself, something that they need Shayla's power to accomplish. In the pit, while Shayla waits for Jinnai to make up his mind, the eggs begin to hatch! Jinnai looks for reassurance from the entity that he can really make good on his deal, but the entity merely asks Jinnai to trust him. While Jinnai thinks on this, Shayla races up the rope out of the pit, with dozens of newly hatched Bugrom-creatures on her tail! Meanwhile, in another part of the Bugrom-creatures' cave, a feminine figure awakens and begins to stretch... Shayla fries them with her fire, while Jinnai speculates that they must have thrown Shayla into the pit so that she could warm the eggs. Shayla takes a moment to stare at Jinnai's obese body. She begins to rant, furious that Jinnai's been eating so well, while she's been starving. Jinnai protests that he had no choice in the matter, but it doesn't look as though he's going to be spared from Shayla's wrath. After Jinnai recovers from his torching, he turns to the old man in the dimensional transporter for advice, but he's long gone. Suddenly, a pair of shapely legs come to his attention. They're attached to a rather shapely body, which, in turn, is topped with a light-green-haired head that rather resembles Queen Diva's. The woman confirms that her name is Diva. Realizing that it's not actually the Diva that he knows, Jinnai is unnerved when the woman approaches and places her hands on his cheeks. She's staring at him in a very worrisome manner. She wraps herself around Jinnai in a very amorous embrace. Groucho / Katsuo explains what the woman apparently has in mind, and Jinnai is embarrassed. He pulls himself free and hides behind Groucho / Katsuo. This time, Diva touches Groucho / Katsuo's face and is apparently dissatisfied, as she knocks the Bugrom aside to return to her original target. As Diva approaches, Shayla stands to the side, amused by the whole spectacle. Jinnai begs her for help, but she chooses instead to grab the dimensional transporter and make a break for it. Unfortunately for her, she's stopped by a wall of Bugrom-creatures. Back at the soap opera in progress, Jinnai turns away from the amorous queen to observe Shayla flash-frying the creatures. When he turns back to Diva, though, he's just in time to dodge her as she lunges at him with a mouthful of suddenly sharp fangs! She manages to get a piece of his shirt and as he backs away, he finally realizes the truth. He was, indeed, being fattened up to be this woman's meal! He makes a run for it or, at least, a good, quick waddle. Shayla burns a path for them all, while the Ruler of the Universe laughs maniacally from the device at her side. Once they're gone, the Bugrom-creature Queen drops the illusion she'd been maintaining, revealing that her true form is that of a larger version of the others of her kind, with an enormous egg-laying abdomen. |
