Early Christmas present for all of you.
Just in case I don't update again in 2 days.
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Back in the Red Universe...
Lyos grimaced as the healing spell worked his ears over. It had taken a bit over an hour to get back to Gyria to get to a healer. “Urgh, I think they're still ringing.†It might not have taken as long as it did, but he was having trouble with his balance for some reason. “Still, don't know why I couldn't stand up after that screaming...â€
Nove rolled her eyes as she looked at him from across the room. “Because, you dummy, your sense of balance is located in the liquid in your ears behind your eardrums.†Well, it was more complex than that, seeing as equilibrium was made up the eyes, ears and sense of space working in perfect harmony, but explaining that would have taken a bit more time than Nove wanted to deal with. “Anyway, stay here, I need to go check on some stuff.†She walked past Lyos and patted his knee twice.
As she walked out of the room, she was greeted by Nila, still without her cloak, who held a finger up to her lips and pointed to a room. Looking in, Nove saw Arashi, Ixpellia, Vivio and Einhart all sleeping on one bed and sweat-dropped. “Shouldn't they be on different beds?â€
Nila shrugged and motioned for Nove to follow her. “I do not know. But they are young and a nap will not hurt them.â€
“I suppose not...†Nove conceded, not even bothering to ask where Pokota was, since they dropped him and Nila's torn cloak off at a tailor to get repaired while injuries were being taken care of. Nove frowned and grabbed Nila's shoulder and turned the other redhead to get a good look at her face. “...Oh my god...†Nove's eyes widened as something in her mind clicked.
Nila gave her a flat look. “I am not her, please do not call me her.â€
“You're the reason those bandits freaked out when they saw me!†Nila blinked in surprise as Nove laughed to herself quietly. “Sorry, when I first arrived here there was this group of bandits that showed up and accused me of being someone else and freaked out before I had Vivio blow them up.â€
“Ah,†Nila nodded and went over to a chair to sit down, “I do go bandit hunting once in awhile. My master once told me that bandits are good practice for using magic.â€
“Who is your master?â€
“Ah, I... Cannot tell you, my master wishes to remain a secret.â€
Nove nodded and started walking towards the door. “Anyway, Nila, keep watch on them and don't let them wander off until I get back, okay?†Nila nodded as Nove walked outside.
“Now then...†Nove frowned and wondered why she didn't do this before. “I'm such a stupid idiot.â€
“Not really.†Jail's voice came from her wrist where Jet Edge was wrapped around her arm. “You were focused on one thing, so the obvious answer didn't come to you until it nearly ran you over.â€
Nove nodded and rubbed her eyes. “Mom is going to be so disappointed in me when she hears about this.†That was if she managed to survive the events on this planet, but she didn't want to think about that. “Damn, the Bureau was right to list this planet as a SS class threat, weren't they?â€
“Seems so,†Jail nodded as Nove made her way through the streets, “so what are you going to do next? The safest bet would be to get to this Seiryuun that Lyos offered to take you to before.â€
Uno popped up next to Jail and gave Nove a smirk. “I still say you should get laid if you don't want to die a virgin.â€
Nove blushed and glared at Uno. “Will you STOP bringing that up!?â€
Uno put her hand over her mouth and laughed at Nove's expression. “I'm just looking out for the well being of my baby sister, is that so wrong?â€
“Urgh, I swear, if you were physical I'd smack you for that.†Nove grumbled as Uno laughed at her. “Ah!†Nove's eyes lit up as she finally came upon her target. “Just what I was looking for.†Now all she had to do was get some information and she would be set.
(–)
“So,†the Duchess turned around to glare at Duclis, “you took Zuuma and several minor demons, among other things, to deal with some interlopers, but you come back here, completely defeated?â€
“I admit, it's not my best showing.†Duclis conceded to the young Duchess. “The Knight of the Aqua Lord is better than I thought, not to mention that one of them has the Sword of Light.â€
The Duchess frowned as she processed that information. “The legendary sword that slew the Demon Beast Zannafar hundreds of years ago and freed Mipross Island from a Mazoku's curse, that Sword of Light?†Duclis nodded and she sighed before pointing her fan at Duclis, “and this is why we gather intelligence before rushing off into battle. Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me?â€
“The bandit killer,†Zumma, who was leaning against a nearby wall with his arms crossed, spoke up, “is with them.â€
“The bandit killer?†The Duchess raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Oh please. She died years ago, it's probably someone who looks like her in the stories and using her reputation to appear scarier than she really is.†Both Zuuma and Duclis looked at her, shock on their faces. “Don't give me that look,†she huffed, “the bandit killer disappears when facing Hellmaster Phibrizzo, then somehow reappears to drive off Dark Star and disappears again, only to reappear to fight off a piece of Shabranigdo?†Putting her hands on her hips, she walked away from them. “Do you take me for a fool?â€
“Where are you heading?†Duclis tilted his head in confusion.
“North, I plan on dealing with these interlopers personally with the new magic tanks.†She turned and scoffed at the two of them. “Since you two are so incompetent, I might as well do it.â€
After the Duchess was gone, Zuuma stepped away from the wall. “When she puts it like that, it does seem unbelievable that woman is the Bandit Killer...†His eyes narrowed as his body trembled, “but I know what I saw, I know who I saw. Even if her hair is a little different, she is still the same person who did that to me.â€
“Don't you have your other business to attend to?†Duclis asked as he walked out of the room.
“I have it taken care of,†Zuuma looked up as Melphis dropped in from the ceiling. “Speaking of taken care of...â€
“Those...†Melphis panted hard, “humans are more dangerous than I thought.†The bird-like Mazoku looked up as Zuuma put a hand on its shoulder. “I should have no trouble with them the next time though.â€
“Of course not.†Zuuma nodded to the creature. “Tell me something, does your master know that you survived?â€
“I have yet to report to him, why?†Melphis wondered why it seemed like Zuuma was grinning at him. The Mazoku's eyes widened as it saw Zuuma pull an item out from his pocket. “That... You can't.â€
“He can't,†Duclis intoned from behind the Mazoku, “but I am, and I will.â€
The last thing Melphis felt was an energy blade stab him from behind. “Maaaassstttteeeerrrr Gram!†It screeched as Duclis slashed up, cutting the body and forcing the Mazoku's energy to start spilling out.
“Hurry it up, will you?†Duclis frowned at Zuuma as the pendant went to work. “I don't know where you got a pendant to do that.â€
As the Mazoku's essence was absorbed by the pendant, Zuuma just grinned behind his mask. “Amazing what being a rich businessman on the side can uncover when you hire people to dig around ancient battlefields.â€
Duclis nodded and walked away, leaving Melphis to be absorbed by that pendant. He never would have thought that an ancient holy relic from a thousand years ago was still able to work. 'Still...' This would give them quite the advantage in what was to come.
(–)
“Master?†Pawra looked at Gram, who frowned suddenly. “What's wrong?†Her tail twitched behind her.
“Nothing,†Gram shook his head, “just thought I felt something unusual is all.†Looking through his crystal ball, he grinned as he saw his pet project destroy yet another settlement. “I wonder,†Gram chuckled as he watched the titanic mountain golem go to work, “how much further will you go, dear?â€
Pawra blinked as her master suddenly disappeared. “Mraw?†Shrugging, the catgirl Mazoku walked over towards the window before curling up in a sunbeam and taking a nap.
(–)
“Is this all you can do?†Gram grinned as he materialized behind Corona. The girl turned to glare at him. “Oh my my...†He chuckled as he looked at her. “I can't even tell you're wearing the Zennefa Armor.â€
Corona's eyes flashed red and her white hair fluttered in the non-existent wind. “Did you come to talk, or die? I can probably kill you now.†She narrowed her eyes and held out Brunzel as Gram laughed at her. “Well?â€
“Perhaps you can,†Gram nodded as her personal golem, Balmung, walked up behind her, “but that's not why I'm here. Surely you would love to have another Zannafar, wouldn't you?â€
Corona crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. “I have Zanny, why do I need another one?â€
Gram shrugged and turned to leave. “Fine, but your friends are going to leave you. Already they're moving to find a way home without you.†A smirk crossed his face when he felt Corona's interest spiking. “Surely you wouldn't want to let them... Leave without paying you back for what happened to your friend, right?â€
“But you...†Corona started before Gram whirled on her, glaring as a powerful aura surrounded him.
“You still think that I killed your friend? Are you a fool? It was them! Had they been willing to turn over the information I was after, your friend would still be alive right now and you would have been able to live in peace.†His aura disappeared and he faded from sight. “Of course, if you don't care about your friend's death, then I have no more need for you.â€
Corona took a step forward before clutching at her head and groaning. Images flashed through her mind of Rio being there, smiling at her, encouraging her on, helping her gain confidence in fighting arts even though Rio was much better than she was before the final images of Rio, with a hole in her stomach falling over a cliff and walking up to her and falling apart. “Wait... WAIT! COME BACK!â€
“Yes?†Gram smirked as he formed right in front of her. “Did you have a change of heart?â€
Corona panted as she fell to her knees. “Please... That other armor...â€
â€What are you doing? You have me!â€
Corona turned her head to glare at the Zannafar, who suddenly found itself backing off several steps. “Quiet, Zanny...â€
Gram chuckled and held up his hand, above it, another silver breastplate appeared in the air. “This is another completed Zannafar Armor. I wish to see what you can do with this one. Maybe with the two Zannafar, a Zennefa and your golems you could kill me, after you take care of your former friends.â€
“What friends?†Corona's voice became soft as she held a hand up to touch the armor. “Friends don't let friends die. Friends don't let friends get captured. And friends...†Corona snapped her head up, “don't abandon friends!†She screamed, her eyes blazing with power as she worked over the Zannafar Armor to do her bidding.
Gram disappeared, grinning to himself the whole time. “Of course, little girl.†If he was right about her, he wouldn't need his master's previous toys, he could just bring this girl to his master and she could do what was needed.
(–)
Back in Gyria...
Nove nodded at the salesman, an older, fairly robust man who looked to be pretty fit despite his large belly. “Thank you for seeing me.â€
The man smiled at her. “No problem, miss. So, how can I help you today?â€
Nove jerked a thumb at the automobile she was standing next to. “I don't know much about these new things, but I would like to know more.â€
The man nodded as he and Nove went over to the hood of a truck. “Now then, what is it you wish to know?â€
“Well...†Nove clapped her hands together. “How do these things start? Do you need a crank or something?â€
The man laughed and motioned for her to follow him to the cab. “A crank? That's silly. I know this technology is new and all that, but it's really simple.†He opened the door and revealed the inside, causing Nove to blink as she took it in. “As you can see, this is a two-seater, but anyway, you just take a key, like this,†he pulled a random key out of his pocket, “and you put it into this slot here.â€
“I.. See...†Nove frowned and blinked as she saw something that looked like an arm brace or a pressure cuff to measure blood pressure. “What's that?â€
“Ah! A little secret of these things we sell to wizards.†The man winked at her. “This is a magic cuff, it allows the wizard to use his or her own magic to make the truck, that's what this is called, go faster than it can normally.â€
“Normally?†Nove raised an eyebrow as the man pointed to some glass in front of the wheel.
“Normally this can go, at most, as fast as a horse at top speed. However, with that magic cuff, you can go double that speed, depending on how much magic you're willing to give up.â€
“I... See.†Nove nodded slowly and looked down at the pedals. “So, what do those two things do? And what's with those weird things?â€
“Those are pedals, you use the long one to accelerate and the short one to brake.†Nove nodded in response, “as for those things, why they're what allows magical power to flow through this whole truck. The reason you need a key is so the magic flow can go unimpeded.â€
“I... See...†Nove frowned. “These things use magic, but how does that work for someone who doesn't have magic?â€
“Ah!' The man laughed and reached down to pull on a lever, causing the hood to pop up. “Come, I'll show you.â€
As the man walked towards the hood, Nove's frown was deepening. 'This is way too coincidental, something's not right here.' As she walked around front to look at the truck's engine, her suspicions only deepened. “Are these moving parts?†The man nodded at her. “But how do they keep from grinding or locking up?â€
“Magic.†The man winked at her. “See, all vehicles use this new magic engine, it draws upon magical energy to move, power itself up and everything else. It's a wonder that they came out as fast as they have. But they're expensive right now.â€
“I see...†Nove scratched her chin, “but if they run on magic, wouldn't it be hard for wizards to fight with a bunch of these running around?â€
“Not at all.†The man shook his head, before tilting it to the side as Nove leaned in to take a closer look at the engine. “Why, engines like these consume so little magic that a first year magic student would only have trouble casting something like a Flare Bit, which is so worthless of a spell no one uses it except to start small fires.â€
The man had to admit, the redhead was very pleasing to look at, especially from behind.
Nove pushed herself back and raised an eyebrow at him. “Sounds like you were a wizard at one point yourself.â€
“Guilty,†the man nodded as he gestured for Nove to step back so he could close the hood, “was an adventurer in my younger days. Only knew the basics and got into a fight that nearly got me killed. Ended up quitting and settling down here after that. Lucky for me, I've been able to live a decent life like this.â€
“I see...†Nove's voice sounded a bit on the timid side, which was unusual for her, “so, how much is this?†She winced when she heard the price, “holy damn! I could probably buy a mansion for that price!â€
The man shrugged, “probably, but we do offer rental services.â€
“Do you mind if I look under the truck?â€
The man shook his head and grinned as Nove got to her knees and slid forward before flipping over and looking at the underside of the truck. 'This makes no sense at all, how? How is this possible?'
After a few moments, she slid out from under the truck and blinked as the man offered her a hand up. “Is there anything else I can do for you?†The man smiled as Nove nodded at him.
“Yes, how does the engine keep powered if there's no magic around it?â€
The man held up a finger and grinned at her. “There's magic runes engraved into the engine and moving parts. It keeps it from locking up and powers it up at the same time.â€
“I see... So the key makes it so magic flows to the engine and powers the runes?†The man nodded at Nove's assertion.
“Yes! That's it exactly! The runes are rather ingenious! Someone made it so that they generate magic when in use, but absorb magic when not in use.†He shrugged at her disbelieving look. “Don't ask me, that's how it works.â€
Nove was silent for a few moments. “Thank you, do you mind if I look around?â€
“Of course not.†Nove nodded and walked off, leaving the man to grin as he stared at her retreating form. “Damn, if only I was twenty years younger.â€
Nove twitched as her cyborg hearing picked that up. “Shit,†she grumbled, “does everyone have to ogle my ass or something?â€
“Well, I don't know why not...†Uno spoke up and grinned at her. “Sein was always telling me how much she enjoyed groping your rear and breasts.â€
Nove slapped herself in the face. “Sein gropes little girls who haven't reached puberty yet, if there were more guys around, she'd probably grope their asses and crotches too.â€
“Nove...†Jail popped up, looking seriously at her. “Are you thinking what I'm thinking?â€
“That these cars are way too similar to the cars we have on Mid-Childa?†Nove frowned as she looked at several more trucks and cars. “Yeah, this can't be a coincidence. Someone had to have been in our universe and came here and built these things. But the only one who could have done so is Mr. Zelgadis and I don't think he'd do this,†nor did she think he had enough skill to do this without years of training.
“Yes, it doesn't make much sense to me either.†Jail looked around as Nove moved towards what seemed to be a hybrid between a car and a pickup. “Are you going to do what I think you're going to do? And with a station wagon?â€
“Doc, I'm a former terrorist, you taught me to do what I'm about to do.†Jail chuckled as Nove took a breath and closed her eyes. â€Hey! Nila, are you there?â€
“Nove? Why are you contacting me?â€
“Is Pokota there?â€
“Yes, but what does...â€
“Is Lyos okay?â€
“Yes, but why are you...â€
“Grab everyone and meet me in front of the healer's.â€
“Nove, what are you doing?â€
“Don't ask questions, just do it and be prepared to move.â€
Nila was silent for several moments before sending a reply. â€I hope you know what you're doing.â€
“Trust me, just get ready.â€
“Very well. How long do you need?â€
“I'll be there as soon as possible.†Nove cut the connection before jumping into the station wagon that was parked next to the street.
“Ah! Miss!†The man ran up to her and smiled. “Is that the one you want?â€
Nove walked over to him and smiled as she slinked up next to his body, pressing herself against him. “Yeah, it is... And... I'm sorry for what I'm about to do.â€
The man was gulping, he hadn't thought that the girl in front of him was a harlot, but damn if she didn't have a gorgeous body, he wouldn't mind some time with her. “And that is..?â€
“This.†The next thing the man knew, Nove's hands slammed onto either side of his head, causing him to black out and fall to the ground in a heap. “Sorry about that.†Nove muttered as she got into the car and grabbed the wires. “If this is anything like the trucks back on Mid-Childa...†Nove muttered as she went to work with the wires, pulling a few out and after a few moments of fiddling with them. “Okay, I just hot wired a car the same way I'd do back on Mid-Childa, something is really weird.â€
“You know, the longer you stay here the longer someone can stop you.†Uno pointed out as Nove slammed the door shut and slapped the magic cuff onto her arm. “But you don't...â€
“I don't think it needs specific magic, my I.S. still gives off a magical signal, just not a common one, you know.†Nove countered as she put the station wagon into drive and took off, leaving the salesman knocked out.
(–)
Pokota, his ears sewn back together, frowned as he waited on Nila's head. “What are we waiting for?†Nila didn't have her cloak as it had been, as she had feared, totally unfixable.
Vivio was rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Still sleepy.†Even if she was a clone of Olivie, she still was young and needed sleep.
Ixpellia rubbed her eyes to get the sleep out of them. “I am surprised how...†She stopped talking as a car pulled up. “What the?â€
“Nove?†Lyos opened the passenger side door as Nove motioned for them to get in. “What's...â€
“I stole this station wagon and I think the guards are chasing me and we need to get out of here now!†Nove hissed with urgency. “Unless you want to be left behind, get in and be quiet!â€
It took all of twenty seconds to get everyone inside. Vivio and Einhart took the back seat with Arashi sitting between them while Ixpellia and Nila hopped into the trunk area and sat down with Pokota still on Nila's head while Lyos got into the passenger side seat.
A moment later the car was peeling out of Gyria and heading South.
“Do you know where you're going?†Lyos asked her.
“South! I already found out that a road leads from here through Kalmaart and into Saillune before ending in the Coastal Alliance States, that's where you and Pokota were going, right?â€
“Well, yes, but...†Lyos trailed off as Nove shook her head. “What's wrong?â€
“All of our problems started when we ran into that Mazoku before we met you. If it was just one run-in, that would be one thing, but then he kept focusing on us and the attacks of that guy that beast man and that ninja guy are happening too often. I want to stop this so we can work on finding Corona and then getting back home.â€
“You think they're in the Coastal Alliance?†Pokota leaned in close as he listened in on the conversation. “But that's crazy! There's lots of places here on the continent.â€
“Well, crazy or not, it's what I think.†Nove sighed as she drove down the road. “All you guys get some rest,†she undid the magic cuff and put it down, “I can go at least three days before I need sleep.â€
“Don't push yourself.†Lyos grumbled as he settled down before blinking as Nove squeezed his hand. “What?â€
“I need you to stay awake when it gets dark. I need someone who can watch to make sure we don't hit anything while I focus on the road.â€
Lyos raised an eyebrow and nodded, sure, it was hours from sunset, but she made a point. “Mind if I sleep until then?â€
“Sure.â€