Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers Legacy ❯ Revelation? Birth of the Messiah! ( Chapter 2 )

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SLAYERS LEGACY
�Revelation? Birth of the Messiah!�
by Michael Hopcroft

I don't own the Slayers. I couldn't afford their bills anyway.

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�Anya Inverse here, and I am, to put it mildly, pissed off. I finally
got back to Mom and Dad, to see my new siblings, and some being whisks
the babies away! He calls himself Zoa, and according to Mom he weilds
the primal force of creation. And he's been able to paralyze the legs of
the greatest sorceress in the history of the world, Lina Inverse. Zoa,
when I catch up to you, you are SO dead!�

Torva Garrak walked along his father's field. This particualr patch of
it lay fallow, to be planted the next season. His job was to make sure
there were no weeds, and that nothing would interfere with the cattle
that grazed here. It was a job to which he was paying no attention. His
mind was somewhere else, on dreams of someday becoming someone
important. He wanted to go out into the world. More than that, he wanted
to change the world.

He took an amulet out of his pocket that he had gotten from a Xoanan
missionary that had been passing through. The Xoanans had come through
telling people it would be wonderful if they were to start worshiping
Dread Zoamelgustar, who spoke through their Queen. Most of the other
people i the community dismissed such talk as nonsense, and while they
treated the foreigners with traditional hospitality few paid much
attention to them. Most people in this part of the world didn't bother
with worshiping gods, light or dark, because the gods didn't care.

When the amulet started to glow, Torva was not taken aback. It was easy
for magic to make things emit light � there was probably just a spell on
the amulet.

But when the voice started in his head, Torva knew something was wrong.

�Torva Garrak,� the voice said, �You are a truly beloved son. You are
the one who will save the world, the one who will save mankind.�

Torva started to stammer. �How... How is that possible? And who are you?
Show yourself!�

�Can't you see me? I am everywhere around you! Torva, my dear one, I
call on you to do my work in this world. You will bring my grace and
mercy to all the world.�

�WHO ARE YOU?� Torva was ready to throw down the amulet in panic, but
his hand would not release its grip.

�Open your heart to me, and open your mind. Feel the power of
creation.�, the voice said. Torva tried to stop it, to close his eyes,
to drop the amulet and run, anything to get away from the madness. But
all too soon the light engulfed him, taking away all conscious thought.

And, although he had the same body, the person who slipped the amulet
back into his pocket was no longer Torva Garrak.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
�This is embarassing.�, Lina said. �Are you sure we have to do this?�
Lina was seated on the bed in her room at the Mace and Teapot, as Gourry
reached for her belt.

�Yes we do, darling.� Gourry said as soothingly as he could manage.
�Since you can't move your legs on your own, you need help with the
process of... er, how do I put this?�

�Elimination. I can't believe I'm so helpless that I need assistance to
use a damn chamberpot.� Lina was fuming as Gourry finished the
unfastening, straigthened her legs, and pulled off Lina's trousers � the
trousers she insisted on wearing despite her condition, even though
Filia had gotten a couple of gowns for her that would have been much
easier to manage.

�You're not helpless, Lina. You're the /least/ helpless person in the
world. And you're lucky, in a way. Most of the people I know with wounds
that paralyze them also lose control of their functions. They would need
a diaper. You don't. We must take what blessings we can in a situation
like this.� Gourry pulled her forward to a position where she was right
over the pot.

�You must be one frustrated jellyfish, Gourry. While I'm in this
condition, it's darn difficult to do anything, er, romantic.�

Gourry smiled. �I'm fine. It was hands off for a month after Anya was
born, remember? You wouldn't be ready for sex yet anyway so soon after
giving birth.� Gourry backed away. �I'm going to leave the rest to you.
Let me know when you're done so I can clean you off.�

�All right. I'm sorry, Gourry. I feel like all this is somehow my fault.�

�Don't blame yourself, Lina. Blame the son of a bitch who stole our
children.� Gourry stepped out of the room and closed the door, breathing
a heavy sigh.

Anya had been standing beside the door. �How is she, Dad?�

�Depressed, still. Like after-birth depression, only ten times worse
because the children are gone. In all our years together, I have never
seen her like this.�

�All the more reason for me not to waste any more time. But I'm having a
really hard time getting a fix on where Zoa might have gone. I'm sure
Mom could track him down if she were coping better. I'm the one who
feels powerless. And I hate it.� Anya hit the wall behind her � not that
it had offended her, but she had to release the neergy somehow.

Gourry gave his daughter a quick hug. �It's rough on all of us, but
we'll get through this. We always have before, and we will now.�

Anya heard a small bell. �The entry? Someone's come in?�

�Filia didn't close the place for business, you know. She probably has
customers.�

�I'm very suspicious of customers at this moment, I'd better see what's
up.� Anya walked down the stairs and into the common room, and was
surprised to see two people there.

One of them was an old-looking man with a cane. Starpped across his back
was a fiddle case, and he was dressed nciely but not extravagantly.
Obviosuly he was not rich. A young girl, about fifteen years old, was
holding onto his arm.

�Grandfather, someone's here.� the girl said softly.

�Really? Who is it, Helga?�

�A girl, about sixteen. Long blonde hair, dressed like a sorceress.�

The old man's face seemed to visibly lighten. �Well, then, that must be
Gourry's daughter! I'm sorry we couldn't meet before! My name is Felis
Gambor, and Helga here is my granddaughter. I am pleased to make your
acquaintance.�

Anya looked at felis a little uneasily. �Charmed, I'm.. sure...� she
stammered. �I don't know if this is...�

Filia chose that moment to walk in from the kitchen. �Felis! Helga!
Welcome! I'm afraid you won't get many tips tonight. We haven't been
getting many other guests since what happened.�

Felis smiled. �Filia dear, if it was money that drove me I wouldn't be a
player. Besides, Gourry and Valgaav have never asked for tips.�

Anya looked at Filia surprised. �I don't understand. Who are these people?�

Filia laughed merrily. �Felis is a fiddler, my dear. He plays at all the
inns in these parts. Sort of on a circuit, as it were. He's also
Val-kun's teacher.�

�Teacher? What did he Teach him? Sorcery? Martial arts?�

�Music, naturally. Felis helped Valgaav train his voice. Don't tell me
he's never sung for you?�

�I've never asked him to,� said Anya. �And we haven't exactly had much
cause to sing.�

�Poor girl. Well, I'll make sure Valgaav joins us tonight. And I'll go
ask Gourry too. It should be a lovely little session.�

�Is my father really in the mood for...� Anya was about to complain,
until she saw Gourry come downstairs.

�Is that Felis?� he asked. �Is he playing here tonight?�

Felis smiled. �I certainly am. Are you up to joining us, young man? I
heard something of what happened, and I know you are in distress, but it
would be a shame to come all this way and not hear that flute of yours.�
Anya could only nod in ackowledgement, remmebering all the times Gourry
had played her to sleep with his wooden travel flute. Her father,
whatever his other mental flaws, had a deft touch with the instrument.

Gourry walked over to Felis and offered his hand. �You know, I think it
would be the best thing for us. Nothing would do more good for our
spriits than a good jam. And Cephied knows I need to let some things
loose that I only can with my flute.�

Filia clapped. �Then it's settled. I'll go tell Valgaav you're here,
Felis. Helga, you two can help yourselves to some bread and sausages.
When I come back, I'll get you some soup from the kitchen.� Helga
reached for her purse, but Filia shook her head. �No, really, it's all
right. You're doing all of us a favor.� Filia then went out to get Valgaav.

Anya was still uneasy. But when, a few minutes later, Valgaav came into
the room, he ran up and grasped Felis' hand. Anya was astonished by the
warmth of his greeting. As the old blind man and the young dragon talked
animatedly like old friends, Anya suddenly felt left out. She could only
hope this was going to be all right.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few hours passed. A small crowd had come to the Mace and Teapot for
dinner service. Anya had never seen the common room as full as this.
There were people at every table � couples, family groups, men and women
sitting alone. Filia, Valgaav and Helga were kept busy getting food to
the tables. Anya had offered to help, but Filia had refused, saying she
had enough people for the job. She was at a round table with her father
and mother.

Although Lina was still eating much the same amount of food she usually
did, it seemed to be without relish. She looked over at Anya and saw
that her food as sitting largely untouched. �Anya, if you don't eat
what's in front of you I will.� she said, but it sounded like an emty
threat.

�I don't know. My appetite...�

�You need food, and lots of it, to power your magic. And you're going to
need your magic, probably sooner than you think. So even if you don't
think you're hungry, eat.�

Anya nodded and picked up a piece of the cut-up chicken in front of her.
It was actually quite good, and she began to dive into her meal. In
between reaching for food, she could see her mother smile. Good, she
thought, Mother was smiling. She was afraid she would never see her
mother smile again.

After a couple more chickens, Anya saw Filia walk up to the front of the
common room. �Everyone,� she said, �Thank you for coming to the Mace and
Teapot, and I hope you are enjoying your food. We have some
entertainment this evening � Felis Gambor has come to visit and to play
for us.� The assembled diners applauded. Hegla walked over to wher her
grandfather was sitting and guided him to the front. �He's come a long
way to be with us,� Filia continued, �so please tip generously.�

Felis took a bow. �You are too kind. Where is my stool?�

�Here, Grandfather.� Helga led Felis to the stool that had been set up
for him, and he took a seat. With practised ease he unpacked his fiddle
and tuned it, which took surprsiingly little time.

Felis smiled at where the tought the audience was. �I am very pleased
tonight that two very dear friends of mine are here and have volunteered
to join me. One is an old friend you know very well, the other a man I
have met only once but whose wisdom shines through his playing. Valgaav,
Gourry, can you come up here?�

Gourry kissed Lina on the cheek. �That's my cue, dear. Wish me luck.� he
unpacked his flute and walked up to the front. Valgaav was already there.

�On three.� Felis said, and started tapping his foot. On the third tap,
he placed his bow to the strings of his fiddle and played a long, sweet
note. He then launched into a lively folk dance. Gourry caught the cue
and began playing an impromptu counterpoint with his flute. Anya
couldn't believe that the two had only met once before. Their harmony,
timing and expression were perfect.

They moved seamlessly from one number to another, from lvevly jigs and
reels to soft, sorrowful melodies. Anya's heart was leaping at the
sounds. She looked over to her mother, and saw tears welling down her
face. Yet she was smiling. Anya knew they were tears of joy.

After all the heartache, after all the terrible things that had
happened, there was still hope, love and joy in the world. Anya could
feel it in every note.

Then she heard something else. /�The hills are green with clover, the
clover wet with dew, my face is wet with teardrops � my lover, where are
you?�/

It was the smoothest, richest tenor voice Anya had ever heard in her
life. And she had heard the finest singers in all the Realms, from
traveling bards to the fine musicians of the court of Seyruun. The song
continued, a plantive hymn to the permannence of love between people
separated by long distance. Anya almost could not bear the thought of
looking up and seeing who the singer was, because part of her knew.

But look up she did. And there, standing next to her father singing
eloquently and passioantely, was Valgaav.

Anya was ready to weep. The song was reaching her very heart, and the
dragon boy who had shared her jounrey seemed more human than she had
ever seen him.

At that moment she knew how she truly felt about him. It didn't matter
anymore that he would outlive her by hundreds of years. All she knew was
that she never wanted to let go of that voice, that song, that heart.

Anya felt her mother's hand clutch hers. As she looked across to her,
Lina was smiling.

�I know,� said Lina cently. �That's partly how it happened to me too.
You have my blessing, Anya. Gourry's too, I'm sure.�

Anya was speechless, all the more so because she wanted to let every
note of that wonderful song find a home in her soul.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the jam finally finished, the diners filed out. Almost all of them
dropped coins into Felis' hat. Anya wheleed Lina over to them, and Lina
reached into her purse.

Then, thinking better of it, she dropped the whole purse into the hat.

Felis seemed to be puzzled. �You seem oddly generous, dropping your
entire purse full of silver.�

�It's not silver, Felis, it's /gold/. My thanks to you for giving me my
life back.�

Gourry smiled. He knew they had a lot more money than that, but he also
knew it was rare for Lina to be that extremely generous. He knelt down
to kiss her on the lips. �We were something, weren't we?� he said.

�You don't know the half of it.� Lina laughed. �I may be stuck in this
chair, but I'm not going to give up on life now.�

Anya turned her attention to Valgaav, who was sipping some herbal tea, a
blend designed to be soothing to the throat. 'Val, you were incredible!
Why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?�

�Why didn't you ask? You must have been afraid I was going to serenade
you from underneath your window or something.� Valgaav noticed Anya's
blush. �Sorry. I...�

�No, it's all right. And a serenade would have been nice. Where did you
get a voice like that?�

�Part of it's natural. But part of it is training. You should thank the
old man. He taught me everything I know about the technique of singing.
How to use the diaphragm, how to control my breath, everything.�

Felis interjected �That young man was a very difficult pupil. At first
he didn't want to listen to a word I said. He even asked me what a
fiddler could possibly knoiw about singing. But I knew, and he learned.
His was not the path of the player, but anyone benefits from havign a
touch of music in their soul.�

�I see,� Anya said.

�And I don't. I was born like this, blind. Everything I know about the
world has come through my ears. So naturally I took to music. These
young men can make music from their hearts and souls. I play for my
supper, but they play for something finer. /Love/, my dear girl. The
finest thing in creation.� he got up. �Come, Helga. We must get to town.�

�I can let you have a room here,� Filia said. �I have one to spare.�

Felis shook his head. �I have already used enough of your hospitality.
Besdies, the elder has asked me to stay the night in his house, and you
don't refuse the elder.�

Helga gathered to up contents of the hat and took Felis' arm. �Thank you
for everything. Miss ul Copt. I hope we will see you next time we pass
through.�

�The pleasure was all mine.� Filia gave Felis and helga quick hugs.
�Have a safe journey.�

------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few miles down the road, Helga could see the lights of the town of
Harma. �Just a little farther, Grandfather.� she said. �The Elder is
waiting for us.�

�It will be very good to speak with him again. Oh, the stories he must
be able to tell.� Felis noticed Helga had stopped. �What is ti, Helga?�

�Someone is coming.� she said.

A young man walked up to them. �Hello there, travelers. You are well met
indeed.�

�Helga, who is this man?�, Felis asked.

�A young man, Brown hair, a beard, well muscled. He looks like he has
done much labor.�

�I sense soemthing wrong. Let's move on.�

�Now, please bear with me.� the young man said. �I am here on divine
purpose.�

Helga looked at him oddly. �Divine?�

�I am the Messiah of Mercy. I have come to take away the suffering of
the world. Suffering like yours, old man.�

Felis shrugged. �Tell me something, Helga dear � am I suffering?�

The young man smiled benevolently. �You cannot see. The world was meant
to be seen, my friend. Surely you wish for that.�

Helga tugged on Felis' arm. �That's enough. We have to be going.�

The young man turned to Helga and suddenly, as she looked into his eyes,
she found she could no longer oppose him. �I am the bringer of mercy.
Let me relieve your grandfather of his suffering. You will let me do that?�

�Of course.� Helga said. For a moment it seemed like everything was all
right in the world, and she had visions of her beloved grandfarther
finally seeing her face, seeing the world for the first time.

As she came out of the reverie, she noticed that the young man had left.
She also felt the lack of a weight on her arm. She looked at where her
grandfather had been standing...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
�I'm going to try a dviniation in the morning.�, Lina said as she sipped
her herb tea. �Try and get some sort of idea where Zoa might be.�

Anya was happy that Lina was finally taking some initiative. �Good,
Mother. And then I'll go over there and separate him from everything
that keeps him alive.�

�Oh no you won't, not without some serious preparation. You're going to
be taking on a being whose power rivals that of Shabranigdo himself. Go
into that half-cocked and being dead will be the /least/ of your worries.�

Anya sat down heavily. She knew her mother was right, but she had to do
something.

There was a knock on the front door of the inn. Valgaav stood up to
answer it. As he opened the door, he saw Helga � panting, panicked and
alone. �Helga, what's wrong? Where's Felis?�

Helga stammered. �I... I... Oh Cephied...�

�Where is he?�

�Grandfather's dead! He's dead and it's my fault! I don't want to live
anymore!� Helga collapsed in a fit of weeping, her legs no longer able
to support her.

Filia walked over and cupped Helga's head in her hands. �Calm down,
dear. Let me see what happened.� A golden glow surrounded both of them
for a moment, then subsided. �So that's what happened. It's just awful.
You're spending the night here, Helga. And I'm going to get you
something to help you sleep. Can you show her to a room, Valgaav?�

�Of course.� Valgaav replied. He helped Helga to her feet and led her
away, still weeping.

Filia walked up to Lina and Gourry, with a grim look on her face. �They
met a man on the road who called himself the Messiah of Mercy. Helga
thought he was going to give her grandfather sight.�

�What did he do instead?�, Lina asked.

�Ended the old man's life as if it was blowing out a candle. Poor Helga
didn't even notice what was happening until ti was too late. It was
painless, though...�

Anya stood up. �Who the Hell cares if it was painless? He's /dead/! And
he didn't do anything to deserve to die! Messiah of Mercy? Messiah of
Murder is more like it!� She then looked at Lina, sitting in the
wheelchair, and blanched. �Cephied! If he thought the old man was
suffering because he was blind, what is he going to think when he sees
/you/, Mother? If he comes here, he'll kill you like he killed the old
fiddler!�

TO BE CONTINUED