Wild ARMs: Off on a Tangent

By: Chibi-chan

Part 22: “Shadows of the Night”

*

“Thanks again,” the Guardian of Life, Gourry Gabriev, said to someone inside the small, perpetually-in-need-of-repair house as he was closing the front door. Cradled in his free arm were two stone slabs, runes of two other Guardians. He walked a short distance from the house and gently set the two runes on the ground in front of him. A soft white glow emanated from him as his whispered, “Come out, sister Ge, brother Solus…”

With a flash of light, two seemingly human beings replaced the runes. One was a pale, thin woman dressed in tight red pants and a waistcoat accented with peacock feathers, the other a more healthy-looking man in white robes. The woman looked and Gourry and said, “Hn, Gourry, how nice. Where the hell are we?”

“Ge, don’t be so cold,” the man in robes chided, “It’s been a long time since we last saw him.” The man stepped toward Gourry. “Gourry, what happened? I know you wouldn’t leave Filgaia purposely…”

“Well, Ge, we’re in the Naga Dimension and the head Naga locked me in a box, Solus,” Gourry explained. “It wasn’t even a roomy box either…” he added with a frown.

“Then it sucks to be you,” the woman, Ge, said flatly.

“Ge, I’m warning you…” the man in robes, well, warned.

“Oh, stuff it up your dress, Solus,” Ge told him.

“It’s NOT a dress; they’re ROBES!” Solus corrected angrily.

Gourry blinked twice and asked in complete innocence, “It’s not a dress? But it has ruffles and pink trim…” Ge snickered. Solus scowled. Gourry remained oblivious. “So, could you two tell me about what’s going on with Filgaia now…?”

*

It is no use, boy, just surrender now…

“Get bent. I have more important things to do than hang around with Felicia’s bastard stepsister.”

With you “friends”? Do you really think they care about you? You think anyone would care about you? Then you’re both stubborn and foolish.

“………”

You know the truth. You know that the only reason she stays with you is because you’re the key to her own goals. You know she only tolerated you at your first meeting because of the girl who always runs away. You know the girl only runs away because you scare her off.

“… damn you…”

I also know you know why that… boy joined your little “party”. You mock him, you annoy him, you drive him mad, and yet he stays. He’s only in it for the girl who runs away, but he also knows he can’t have her, so he figures you’d be a suitable… booby prize, shall we say? He only wants to use you and/or get into your pants, just like anyone else who’s ever paid you attention.

“I… I hate you…”

I’m glad.

*

Next morning, in the house of Nicholi Maxwell…

Professor Allison Hazad, whom Nicholi thought he had finally permanently exorcized from his home, burst thought the front door just as the poor man had unlocked said door, nearly sending him to the floor. “It’s too early for this…” he groaned.

“Nicky! I have a job for you!” Allison said brightly, a grin that could only mean trouble plastered on her face.

“For the last time, I’m not interested in you,” Nicholi told her, “And don’t call me ‘Nicky’.”

Allison studied him for a moment. “What? Oh, no, no, it’s not that, Nick,” she said quickly. “I need the Gemini Circuits for my new little toy, and to get them I need someone with your knowledge and special… ‘abilities’.”

“’Abilities’, huh? Sorry, I gave up thievery before James was born,” Nicholi declined.

The guest bedroom door opened at that exact moment and an extremely weary-looking James stepped out. “Good for you. We have any cookies left?”

Not exactly sure how to explain his dubious past, Nicholi just said, “Uh, sure, but they’re not exactly fresh…”

“Cool…” the boy mumbled before walking to the kitchen.

“… well, he looks like hell. What happened?” Allison asked with all the subtlety of a pissed-off anime girl with a mallet.

“It’s a long story, and that’s another reason why I’m not going on whatever ‘mission’ you have in mind for me,” Nicholi told her. He turned his head to face the direction the kitchen door was in. “He’s not sleeping, he hasn’t been eating much (him asking about the cookies surprised me), and he blames himself for what happened.” He sighed and added, “This is one of those times I wish he were a little more like me when I was his age…”

“A sticky-fingered punk with a knack for offending many women with very few words?” Allison ever so helpfully reminded her colleague.

Nicholi glared at her. “Not like that. I mean, yeah, I wasn’t exactly an angel, but I usually recovered quickly after getting out of a particularly bad situation. I’ve always been a survivor…”

Allison “khhk”ed. “That’s one way to put a positive spin on being an insensitive, thoughtless, unfeeling jerk.”

The man did not glare at her this time. He sighed and replied, “If there’s a such thing as karma, it’s really kicking me in the ass now… I worry about him enough under regular circumstances, Allie, but now…”

“Now that everything seems to be falling apart around me, it’s more of a strain, right?” James said upon reentering the front room. “Please, don’t worry, I’ll be all right, really…”

Allison “tsk”ed. “Now really, young man, eavesdropping isn’t polite,” she chided.

“It’s hard not to do; you speak really loud,” the boy replied.

“He’s got you there, Allie,” Nicholi said with a smirk.

Allison narrowed her eyes. “Hmph, I’d say he’s more like you than you think, Nick,” she said. Her mood suddenly picked up, a clear sign that an idea had come to her. “Well, my dear colleague, I do believe your… ‘charming’ son said he would be fine, so you’re free to help me with my prototype! Come along now, Nicky! Khhk khhk khhk!” She then dragged a slightly dumbfounded Nicholi with her out the front door before he could protest.

“… and Dad says I have weird friends,” James thought aloud, equally dumbstruck as his father.

*

Elsewhere, in a dungeon…

“Little girl” form Calamity was engaged in a staring contest with her captive on the other side of the bars. This was no normal staring contest, however; this was a battle of wills, and neither were backing down. Hanpan casually strolled up to the captor (well, as casually as one can feel comfortable doing in a dungeon) and asked, “Still refusing to eat or talk further, is she?” Calamity, not taking her eyes off the girl, nodded slowly. “Strong-willed, isn’t she?” Calamity nodded again. “You’re a fluffy little bunny, aren’t you?” Calamity started to nod, but realized what Hanpan said and swatted at him. She missed, but that wasn’t really the point. “Just checking to see if you were paying attention,” Hanpan said.

The man turned his attention to the girl in the cell. “Angry you’re trapped here? Worried about your friends? I can’t do anything about the first part, but I can tell you something about the condition of your friends,” he told her. The girl just kept her eyes locked on Calamity and said nothing. “I didn’t get to see Ceilidh’s son, James, but I can tell you that, I’m sorry to say, Cecil wasn’t looking too well last I saw him. My guess would be he exhausted himself, but I wouldn’t know for sure. Elmina was faring better, and I’d say, assuming they made it out of the black hole OK, that she’s taking good care of him,” he continued, leaving out certain details about his involvement.

“… so, they’re alive?” Laine asked, now wavering under Calamity’s relentless stare.

“I’d like to think so,” Hanpan told her.

The girl turned her eyes to Hanpan. “… thank you…”

“You’re welcome. Ta ta,” the man said before leaving.

Calamity followed him out. “What do you think you’re doing; giving her false hopes like that?! Ceilidh’s boy may still be alive but the others are…”

“I made it out. Zeik made it out. They could have too,” Hanpan told her. “Besides, shattered hope causes greater despair than no hope at all. Believe me, I know this. Think of it as helping things along for you.” He walked away without another word.

“Man, he’s got serious issues, that guy…” Calamity muttered.

*

In another dimension, with voyeuristic intention… Whoops, wrong story. Anyway, in the Naga Dimension, a brave (*giggle*snicker*) party of Elmina, Zel, Xelloss, and Lina trudged their way back through the Forest Prison. Well, Elmina, Zel, and Lina trudged. Xelloss was happily riding piggyback on Zelgadiss, and after 1,000 years of being stuck with the guy, Zel had learned to be more picky about choosing his battles. Only if the constant annoyance starting getting “touchy-feely” would he have to hurt him. “You think it was wise to leave Gourry and Amelia at your house?” Elmina asked.

“No, but we need Gourry in as good a condition as possible for this to work and I… I’d like someone to look after him,” the luckless man said. No one was buying that last part, but before anyone could comment, Xelloss and Zelgadiss hit an invisible barrier Elmina and Lina passed through easily. “… ow. I was hoping this wouldn’t happen,” Zel muttered.

“Huh? What’s the matter?” Elmina asked, stepping back to their side of the barrier.

“Not human enough to pass through this end,” Zel said. “The other end’s seal is weaker because they really don’t give a damn if any monsters escape through there,” he added, wishing he could turn his head around 180 degrees so he could glare at Xelloss, who was still latched onto him.

“Well, if Zed can get out by huddling close to me…” Elmina began. She hadn’t gotten the “e” in “me” out before she found herself being glomped by the Illusion Spirit. “I had to say something, didn’t I?”

Lina was facing the other way and pretending to be very interested in a squirrel climbing up a tree. “Say what? I didn’t hear anything…”

Xelloss grinned and said, “Well, there’s only one way to make sure you’re correct!”

“Lovely…” Elmina grumbled.

*

An undisclosed amount of time later, outside the Curan Abbey…

“You’re sure this is the place?” Elmina asked Xelloss.

“Positive,” the Illusion Spirit confirmed as he looked over the place. “Heh, it hasn’t changed at all…”

*

And do I need to talk about the nuns, boy?

“No nuns! NO NUNS! Nuns scary! NUNS SCARY!”

*

“Get us in the library, Xelloss! Quickly!”

“Lina! Don’t fireball the nuns! That’s not right!”

“But they’ve got ruler-chucks and aren’t afraid to use ‘em!”

“Would you all be quiet? This seal requires concentration to break!”

“Well, SO~O~RRY if the pissed-off nuns are charging at us!”

“They wouldn’t be pissed off if you hadn’t flambéd a student!”

“Well, you heard what he said about me! I had to!”

“You people make my head hurt…”

“Got it!” *Fwish!*

*

In a room in the Sealed Library…

“This book,” Xelloss said, taking a book off the shelf next to him. He muttered something, the book opened, and all went white…

*

De La Metalica, home to the Guardian of Illusion, Zelas Metallium. It is a dark maze of twists and turns, with dangerous monsters, stairs that disregard reality, and puzzles that go beyond all comprehension. Needless to say, most of the party was not having a good time. I say most because Xelloss had disappeared once they were in the book.

“I just don’t get it… ‘Knowledge and treasure go hand in hand?’ I get the bookcase/chest connection, but what are we looking for in the text?!” Zelgadiss complained, frustrated by the poor execution of the puzzle.

“Ah, hell with it, I’m just gonna open random chests and see what happens,” Lina said, marching to the treasure chest room.

“Maybe kicking them will help…” Elmina added, following Lina.

Zel grumbled to himself, “Where the hell is that fruit when you need him…?”

*

Later…

“If only I could never see another door again… ‘Go either left or right, for we shall never meet’…” Elmina muttered to no one in particular.

“Do the books have to be that strong?!” Zel said in disbelief. “I mean, ‘knowledge is power’, but this is absurd!”

“If this stupid maze doesn’t end soon, I’m going back, rune or no,” Lina declared.

Her wish was granted. Shortly after saying that, the many stairs they were climbing up/down/whatever ended and there was a perfectly normal floor with a very large mystical symbol painted on it. As soon as they had walked about halfway across it, a partially obscured woman wearing very little and holding a drink appeared before them and Xelloss finally reappeared and knelt before the woman. “Rise, my child. You have done well to bring a human here,” the woman said.

Xelloss rose and said, “Yes, my mistress. Thank you, my mistress.”

Lina and Zel were too weirded out by seeing Xelloss listen to anyone to speak. Elmina, however, was free to speak. “Pardon me if I seem rude, but there is a reason we’re here…” she started.

“You require my assistance to revive the Innocent One. I know; my loyal servant has told me of your plight. Yes, I shall help you, since you will be helping me. You see, this book has become quite tiresome and I yearn to be free of it,” the woman, Guardian of Illusion, explained. “Let us go. I wish to see what has become of Filgaia in my absence…”

*

“I swear on the honor of the Maxwell family I will not leave you again! I swear it!”

*

End Chapter 22

Chibi’s notes:

Shee… nothing to say here.

Rudy: Hooray! *WHAM!* Ow.