Sorry this one had to be so short. I know it doesn't warrant its own email,
but AOL wouldn't let me do it any other way. ^_^ Thanks guys.
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The interior of the place had the nice, homey feel that permeate
all elderly couple's houses, with nice pretty trinkets from across the
countryside propped up on tables and interesting tapestries hanging on the
walls. Sunshine flowed uninhibited through the drapeless window to cast a
cheerful glow on all those gathered. The soup was delicious and the ocha
was hot, making it one of the more enjoyable little havens any of them
could remember in recent memory.
It was not, Lina reflected, an appropriate place to be relating
such a dark story.
"Branhof arrived two days ago," Albreus was saying, eyeing them all
over the soft steam that issued from his bowl of soup. "He came to us with
a mountain of Orihalcon and tried to buy our flock."
"A mountain of Orihalcon?" Lina repeated. "For some stupid sheep?!"
"We would never let someone try to bribe us away from our duty to
our woolly brethren!" Albreus asserted, pounding a fist onto the table.
"That would be like selling our souls!"
"Now, dear," Rosa calmed. "You have to remember these are
outsiders. Where did you say you were from?"
"Zefielia," Lina said, slurping down a spoonful of soup.
"See?" Rosa said flatly, as if that explained it all.
"Ah, you're right. I'm sorry." Albreus mopped sweat from his
forehead. "It's just that we here in Shepherd Country take our shepherding
very seriously."
"I can imagine."
"Regardless!" Albreus called out, to get everyone's attention back
on him. "Regardless, we sent him and his evil Orihalcon away, but it looks
like he's returned." He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know how he got
that deed, but the owner would never sell us out like that."
"Yeah, okay. What I'm wondering about, though, is this." Lina
pointed to the sheet of parchment that had fallen into Albreus's hands with
such perfect timing.
"What about it? Looks pretty straightforward to me." That was
Gourry, who was leaning over to get a good look at it. "'Expedition led by
Varince Daryl into the Caves of Chaos for an unknown magical artifact.
Three hundred rubies to all who volunteer, plus any treasure you find.'
Ne?"
Lina snatched it from him and began looking it over herself. "But
what the hell is this guy trying to find that he's willing to give up all
others treasures for? That must be one hell of a magical artifact."
"Well, we can't turn out a chance for quicker transportation back
to Seiruun," Raleic chimed in.
"And you've never been able to pass up a chance at some extra
money, either," Gourry told her, in case by some lapse in memory she'd
forget and thereby refuse the whole deal.
"Hai, hai," she breathed. "Well, according to the map scribbled on
here, we'll have to hurry to make it before the set out."
"Arigatou, Lina Inverse," Albreus praised, clasping her hands
within his own. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"
"Jeez," Lina groaned, snatching her hands back. "Can you lend us
that carriage of yours to take us here?"
"Of course," Rosa said. "Hold on, it's in the shed on the side of
the house."
As she waddled out, Gourry mused, "That's funny, I didn't see any
shed."
"Some people keep theirs underground," Lina explained. "But only
when there's something really dangerous in there. I guess these old guys
are just weird."
"You're so judgmental, little girl," Raleic admonished. "I found
them to be extremely sweet and inviting. In fact, I felt their company was
much more rewarding than yours!"
"Well, what can you expect from someone who thinks she can take
over the world from her position as royal postal worker?" Lina issued with
a flat tone as she, too, went out the door, and immediately screamed at the
top of her lungs.
"It seems she finally realized how powerful I am," Raleic gloated,
thrusting her chest forward. "She may be slow, but at least she respects
power when she figures it out."
Gourry and Halgon were already outside by this point, however, and
missed that last paragraph of dialogue due to their surprise at seeing an
eight foot long dragon latched onto the front of a typical horse carriage.
"Na-nani?!" Gourry shouted, drawing his sword. "What the hell is
that?!"
"This is Danna-chan, our baby dragon." Rosa beamed, stroking a hand
along the thing's silver neck. Danna looked over at them, bared its fangs,
and gave a rough little scream.
"Wow," Raleic said, popping her head out of the door. "That's a
pretty impressive horse."
"That thing looks like it wants to eat us," Halgon complained,
rubbing his hands together nervously. "I don't trust things that are always
hungry."
"Except you, he means," Gourry hastened to amend, and was swatted
across the face with a fist for his efforts.
"I've handled dragons before," Lina said, glancing back over her
shoulder. "It won't be a problem."
"But you were the one that screamed!"
"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to see something like this around a
bunch of sheep!" If there was one thing Lina hated, it was having her
moments of weakness vocalized.
"Very understandable," Rosa said with a wrinkly smile. "Albreus
keeps telling me how odd it is to keep her around, but I just couldn't
stand to abandon her..."
"That's why I love you, sweetheart," Albreus announced as he
followed them outside. "Your kindness towards all those less fortunate."
"Oh, how sweet," Raleic cooed with her fists bunched under her chin
and her eyes wide and filled with unshed tears of romantic envy. "This just
shows that there is no statute of limitations on true love!"
"How much less fortunate could anyone get from a sheep-herder?"
Lina grumbled, her reaction substantially different from her
comrade-by-necessity, as she climbed up onto the carriage. "You guys
ready?"
As the other three scrambled up behind her and the team of them
rode off at the brutally fast speed of baby dragons on a mission, the elder
man turned to his wife and clasped her hands.
"If they can pull this off," he said with his usual smile, wrinkled
but charming, "we might still have some land for our children to inherit."
"L-sama bless them," Rosa replied, without knowing that she could
not have cast a more tragic curse on their would-be saviors.