Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Titled ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: David_A._Tatum 
Anime/Manga: Slayers Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Comedy / Fantasy / Romance / | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.22.2003 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.1K | Visits: 577 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Slayers Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Comedy / Fantasy / Romance / | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.22.2003 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.1K | Visits: 577 | Status: Work In Progress
If anyone who does anything related to fanfiction (runs a major
archive\review site, writes it, etc.) and will be attending AnimeUSA
(Nov. 21-23 2003 in N. Virginia (Tyson's Corner, technically -- about
20 minutes from my new home)), please let me know. I'm moderating
the fanfic panel there, and I'm VERY desperate for panelists -- I've
only got two tentatives, and I'd like to have 4 panelists and 4
alternates.
If I can't get at least one more panelist, I'll have to cancel the
panel...
which'd be a shame, because while I've been a panelist myself several
times, this is the first time I've moderated one.
Contact me, if interested, at my (relatively) new e-mail of
desaix@anifics.com
-------------------------
Chapter 5: A Horror, a Meeting, and a Prophesy
...Where Lina and Naga face their worst fear, the Elves are met, and L-Sama reveals her plans.
Gourry frowned. “I don’t like this sword,” he said, stepping over the body of another ogre that he had killed in the latest skirmish.
Lina glanced at him. “Would you rather use my shortsword again? *Fireball!*”
Gourry didn’t even blink as the spell passed inches in front of his face and blasted a berserker that had been about to run him through. “Maybe- at least the balance is right on that one. This sword doesn’t feel right.”
Lina frowned. “That’s odd- Luna’s very good with swords. I wouldn’t expect her to be carrying a defective weapon. HEY, LUNA!”
Luna neatly beheaded the creature she was engaged with and teleported over to Lina’s location. “Yeah, Sis?”
“*Flare Bit!*” Lina cast, taking out several of the wave of ogres that were charging in and scattering the rest. “Gourry’s having some problems with that sword you loaned him. He says the balance doesn’t feel right. Since when do you carry poor weaponry?”
“It’s enchanted to get better the more it’s used,” Luna explained.
Lina glared at her sister. “That doesn’t help us NOW, though, does it?”
Luna shrugged. “Gourry’s good. He’ll deal.”
“*Rah Tilt!*” Zelgadis cast, taking out a brass demon. “We’re almost clear, here. How much further to this village of yours, Gourry?”
Gourry ducked a swipe from some nameless pink poka-dotted claw beast, spun, and neatly bisected the creature. “Hmm... well, if we could get moving now, we might get there by nightfall.”
“*Elmekia Lance!*” Amelia cried, wiping out the last column of attackers. “Well, then, let’s get going.”
The battle over, the company started gathering their dropped supplies and equipment to continue their journey. Sylphiel, inspecting a dropped bag of dried peas for leaks, suddenly looked up. “Ms. Naga?!” she said. Lina turned to look over at her, wondering what was so startling. The shrine maiden blinked. “No, you’re standing right there... that’s funny. I hear someone shouting over there, and it sounds like you,” she explained, pointing.
Martina, standing near her, listened as well. “I think I hear it, too... and it DOES sound a lot like you, Naga. Maybe we should go look?”
“Now it sounds like Ms. Lina’s crying out, as well!” Sylphiel added. “Whoever it is, they’re really in distress.”
A bad feeling creeped up Lina’s spine. Her and Naga? A certain memory of a previous adventure struck her. “Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing. In fact, it’s probably a trick... no need to investigate, really!” Lina spoke rapidly.
“Why, Lina!” Naga cried in a haughty tone. “Are you afraid of seeing someone who sounds like us? Why, I never would be afraid of-”
Lina rushed up, covering Naga’s mouth with her hand. She whispered a few words in the taller girl's ear, causing her eyes to widen.
When Lina removed her hands, Naga just stared at her. Lina nodded. Finally, Naga coughed and said, “Well... maybe you’re right. Maybe we shouldn’t go looking into this. We probably aren’t wanted, after all....”
Xelloss opened an eye in surprise. “Hmm... both Lina and Naga are terrified of this, and the voices sound like them. Is there something you two aren’t telling us?”
“Us?” the two sorceresses chorused.
“Why don’t we go see what this is? I’m curious,” Xelloss said.
“And who made YOU leader?” Lina growled at the mazoku.
“Me? The leader?” Xelloss said. “Well, I guess I could be the leader, if I wanted. After all, I’m the only one who knows what’s going on....”
“You don’t know any more than we do, at this point!” Lina cried. “Gourry’s the only one who knows where this village is. Why shouldn’t we make him leader?”
“Oh, that’s okay, Lina,” Gourry said reassuringly. “Xelloss can be the leader if he wants- I don’t really want to be one.”
“I certainly don’t want that Raw Garbage as MY leader,” Filia said.
“Thank you!” Lina breathed. Maybe they wouldn’t have to investigate these screams after all.
“But I still want to see what’s imitating you and Naga, Lina,” the dragon finished.
Zelgadis shook his head. “Like I said before, if those two agree, I’m sure as hell going to listen. I say we go.”
“But-” Lina said.
“What’cha ‘fraid of, Sis?” Luna asked, smirking.
“Nothing!” Lina exclaimed.
“Then let’s go,” Zelgadis said. “We’ve done enough talking. It’s pretty clear we’ll wind up going, so let’s not waste any time.”
Murmurs of assent and a shuffling of feet indicated that most of the others had decided to join him. Lina and Naga just stared at them, slowly backing away. Hopefully, they could get away before their terrible secret was discovered.
A large hand descended on Lina’s shoulder. “Relax, Lina,” Gourry said. “I’ll protect you from whatever horror it is impersonating you.”
Lina sighed. There was no getting away, now. “It’s not exactly something I need protection against... just promise me you won’t think any less of me when you see her, okay?”
* * * * *
The party arrived to see a rather comical fight between some of the more vicious of Zelas’ beasts and a pair of girls who looked remarkably like Lina and Naga. The Lina look-alike was on her knees, eyes wide and watering while her hands were clapped in front of her, begging in front of a creature which made all of the other girls who could see it cringe.
“Oh, please, Mr. Tentacle Monster, sir, won’t you PLEASE consider pacifism? We really never should fight- there are MANY reasons why it’s better to never fight. Even a horrible, blood-drinking rape-beast like you can see that, can’t you? Wouldn’t things be so much better if your victims were willing, and didn’t fight you? Can’t we talk this out? Please!?”
The Naga look-alike, on the other hand, was just blushing as the other monsters surrounded her. She had a cape on, wrapped tightly around her to conceal herself. One monster reached in and swiped at her, slashing the cape to pieces. The holes revealed an outfit identical to Naga’s own, and the look-alike shrieked. “EEK! Don’t look at me- I feel so embarrassed!” she cried, launching dozens of powerful spells in a wide circle, wiping out many of the creatures around her. “Oh, why am I cursed to wear such a horrid thing?!” she lamented, inspecting her bikini.
The real Lina whimpered. “I was hoping no-one would ever see them again.”
“Who ARE they?” Zelgadis asked, astonished. “They look just like you, but they act....”
“Like our exact opposites? Remember the legendary Shadow Reflector of Shazal Rugandy?” Lina said.
“A mirror which, according to legend, would create a copy of the person reflected in it, with all of their skills and their exact opposite in character,” Vrumagum said. “When Eris was researching ways to make copies of me, she investigated Rugandy’s research. Unfortunately, we were never able to find the mirror itself....”
“That’s because Naga and I shattered it, hoping it would get rid of them,” Lina said firmly, pointing out the two shadow copies.
“Well, whatever their origins, they ARE in trouble,” Amelia said, using her ‘justice’ tone. “*Elmekia Lance!*” she cast, sending a blast of white magic into the crowd of demons surrounding the two girls.
Lina sighed in resignation. “Can’t we just let these two fend for themselves? I mean, really, they’ve done fine for years without anyone rescuing them before, and I’m fairly sure they would have run into just as many adventures as Naga and I have, at least... I’m sure they can take care of themselves, and I REALLY don’t want to have to deal with them again. My shadow copy is almost worse than a... *shudder* slug.”
Gourry was glancing from the real Lina to the shadow Lina and back again. “Um, Lina... I’ve sword to protect you. But... if you are you, and this is your shadow, wouldn’t this make her a part of you? Which means, wouldn’t I be honor bound to protect her, as well?”
“She isn’t a part of me, Gourry, any more than your reflection in the mirror is a part of you.”
Gourry scratched his head. “Are you sure?”
Zelgadis was watching the two shadows fend off the attacking demons in their own way- through startling amounts of begging and incredible shyness. “Odd... these beasts of Zelas’ didn’t even get distracted by Amelia’s attack.”
“They’re sex-demons,” Xelloss noted. “Zelas, being more or less female, doesn’t really like using them, but it seems she’s calling out everything in her disposal. They’re attracted to these two shadows by their innate innocence.” He glanced at them with certain skills gained from his mazoku origins. “Odd... somehow, they’re more innocent than either Lina or Naga... but neither of them are virgins. Our Lina and Naga are, though....”
“HEY!” Lina cried, her face turning red. “HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!?”
“Please, Mr. Tentacle Demon, sir, haven’t you ever heard of the phrase ‘make love, not war?’” the shadow of Lina begged through her very feminine tears. “I live by that philosophy, and really think you should consider it...”
“We might want to keep them away from poor Sylphiel, though. I think they just might be quite attracted to her,” Xelloss added. “Amelia, too, for that matter- though I think she’s a lot safer now than she would have been before she met you, Lina.”
The original Lina nearly tore out her hair. “Can we PLEASE just leave? I don’t think it will do either us or them any good to get involved!”
“They could be useful, Sis,” Luna noted.
“You just want to annoy me, don’t you, big Sis?” Lina growled. “All right, then. If we’re going to rescue those two, we’ll do it MY way. *Darkness beyond twilight...*”
Vrumagum frowned. “That’s a Dragon Slave, isn’t it? Won’t that kill the people we’re trying to rescue?”
“Um... were you paying ANY attention to how your copies faired against Lina?” Amelia asked. “I mean, didn’t you notice when she wiped out entire villages just to kill you, alone?”
“Besides,” Zelgadis added. “I don’t think Lina really cares what happens to them.”
“And it isn’t like Ms. Lina treats her friends all that nice, either,” Sylphiel added. “I’ve seen her blow my dear Gourry up with many a spell just because he said something silly.”
“*All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed...*” Lina intoned.
“Um, shouldn’t we be getting outside of the blast radius?” Filia suggested.
“Yes, that probably would be a good idea...” Zelgadis agreed.
“*DRAGON SLAVE!*”
“Too late,” Xelloss noted.
* * * * *
“I don’t THINK they were killed by the blast,” Sylphiel, using her scepter to receive some divine sight, said. “But the spirits seem to be saying they’re flying away from here much too fast for us to catch up.”
Lina dusted her hands. “Well, I saved them, as promised. Can we move on, now?”
Amelia, her hands glowing over her sister with healing energy, said, “Um... some of us aren’t fit to travel at the moment. Give us a little while, and Gracia-”
“Naga!” the girl in question spat out through clenched teeth and shut eyes. Her leg was sprained, but even worse she had a CUT on her leg. A very bloody cut... she couldn’t stand blood.
“Er, Naga,” Amelia corrected herself, “should be able to keep up with us.”
Vrumagum was stitching up his hat, which had several holes burnt into it. A few of the travelers who had not seen him without his chapeau couldn’t help but stare, noticing for the first time that he was bald.
“Really, Lina... that WAS overkill. You could have wiped out most of those sex demons with a simple flare bit, they’re so low-powered,” Xelloss pointed out.
“Lina was probably offended by their very nature,” Filia suggested. “Surely any female would want their destruction so much they’d be willing to perform a bit of overkill....”
“Nah. Sis always acts this way,” Luna noted.
Gourry was a little dazed from the blast, still, but nodded in agreement. “Yeah... she’s wiped out entire kingdoms, before.”
“She’s wiped out MY kingdom, before!” Martina snapped, a little of her old anger at the sorceress showing.
Filia sighed. “Well, I have to admit that’s probably true.”
Finally recovered from her injuries, Naga stood up. Noticing this, Zelgadis coughed to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, people... I think we’d better get going. I, for one, don’t want to have to travel much longer, and would like to make it to Gourry’s elven village before nightfall.”
“Right. This way!” Gourry said, pointing at an impassible line of trees, before falling unconscious with a concussion.
“Um... I think Gourry still needs a little recovery time,” Amelia said.
* * * * *
“Over this rock,” Gourry said, motioning to a rather large natural wall along the side of the road. “Is the only path to the village. There’ll be a tunnel, too, but once we’re past that we’ll be inside.”
Martina looked at the wall uncertainly. “Um, how do we get over that ‘rock?’”
Gourry shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why I haven’t been back home since I left.”
“That’s stupid- why make an exit and not have an entrance?” Zangulus said.
“I suspect the wall was a primitive elven construct,” Xelloss said. “They were known for being very good at making very silly devices. Oh, and we COULD just fly over the wall.”
Gourry blinked, smacking his hand with his fist. “Oh, yeah- I can do that now, can’t I?”
“Yeah, you can, Gourry,” Lina said, rolling her eyes. Grabbing Martina by the arm, she cast, “*Raywing!*”
The company flew over the wall, Vrumagum carrying Zangulus and Gourry barely able to handle himself, again coming to a crash landing after reaching the other side.
“We’ve really got to teach you how to land, Gourry,” Lina said sadly, using a minor healing technique to repair a cut on his forehead.
Amelia frowned as the party reorganized itself. “Say... since we’re going to an elven village, does anyone here know anything about elves? I mean, beyond that they’ve got pointed ears and the other obvious physical characteristics. I’ve never met one, before....”
Xelloss sighed. “I doubt anyone here has, except myself. The last well-known elven village was abandoned a few hundred years ago. Most of the surviving elves have gone into the seclusion of hidden villages and secret cities. I’m a bit surprised Gourry was permitted to LEAVE from an Elven village, myself.”
“I’ve met a few elves, and so has Naga,” Lina said, still applying magic to Gourry. “But that was several thousands of years ago, actually.”
Luna blinked. “Lina, I’m your OLDER sister, and I sure ain’t several thousand years old.”
Lina shook her head dismissively. “Remember me mentioning Rowdy grabbed me to take me to the past?”
Luna nodded. “Ah... so you helped him save the elves?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m quite familiar with the legend of Joyrock’s fall,” Xelloss said. “It’s considered one of the most pathetic of ways for a mazoku of his rank to have fallen. But Elves have changed a lot since then... and probably have changed even more since that village was abandoned. But I believe my information is more current than yours.” He paused for dramatic effect. “An elf will always specialize what skills he has to one field- often though not always involving technology or magic- but they are rarely capable of using those skills effectively. They can build an ultimate war machine that’ll only attack the person who turns it on, or design a spell which will blast an opponent to smithereens yet will also do even more damage to themselves in the process. They usually fail to grasp certain concepts, and have a... flighty... memory, but are capable of brilliant flashes of inspiration from time to time. Usually, however, they have no peer when it comes to the trade they specialize in- an elven mage is usually ten times more powerful in his primary school than a comparable human, an elven swordsman as good or better than the most elite of humans. Outside of their trade, however... don’t expect much from them. They're a race of idiot savants. Well, not all of them- the farmers are actually pretty normal farmers, and often are skilled in more than one area. Farming is a lower-class role for elves, but most of their politicians come from that field.”
Lina waved her unoccupied hand, thinking how the elven blood in Gourry had frequently shown through when he opened his mouth. “Yeah, but I knew all that already. Does anyone know anything that most people DON’T already know?”
Gourry blinked. “Um, Lina, I know a lot about elves. I was raised with them, after all.”
Lina finished her healing spell. “Well, yeah... maybe you do. But I think Amelia wanted to know something about their magical abilities, which I doubt you paid much attention to.”
Gourry scratched his head. “Maybe not...”
The twelve warriors started marching down the path. As they walked, Amelia looked at Gourry curiously. “When did you leave the Elven village, anyway?”
“Well, I’m not sure, exactly. Sylphiel, how long ago did we meet?”
“Oh, about five years ago, Gourry, dear,” Sylphiel said.
“Five years ago, then. I worked for Sylphiel’s town for a while as I tried to make enough money to get myself a set of armor- all I had when I left the village was my sword and my tunic- then I went adventuring again. I met Lina not too long after....”
“And now,” a new voice interrupted. “You’ve returned, Mr. Gabriev. But you’ve brought visitors with you- which, as you should have remembered, is a BIG no-no!”
Gourry’s face lit up. “I didn’t have much choice, Mr. Gabriev,” he replied, laughing.
“Gourry!” the other voice said, its owner emerging from the trees. The man looked surprisingly like Gourry, only shorter and with pointed ears. “Long time, no see!”
“I couldn’t figure out how to get back home after I left, brother,” Gourry replied. “Not until I found a way around the rock.”
“Oh! So THAT’S why no-one who leaves the village ever comes back.”
Everyone in the party was looking from Gourry to the other person, noticing the similarities. “Say, Gourry,” Lina said. “Who is your, uh, friend?”
“My BROTHER,” he corrected. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Vawry, my older brother.”
“Half-brother,” Vawry noted, noticing several people looking at his ears oddly. “Same Dad, but my mom was a full-blooded elf. She died, though.”
“Vawry, my friends and I need to hide out for a bit, and a couple of them need to get married. The village won’t have any problem with that, will they?”
Vawry, however, was looking from Lina to Naga oddly. “You two look familiar. Kinda like a picture I once saw in one of our history books.” He shrugged. “Oh, well. I think, as long as they swear on the secrecy stone not to keep our existence a secret, there shouldn’t be any problem. You WILL vouch for them, though, right?”
Gourry hesitated, looking at Lina. “You promise not to wipe the village out, right?”
Lina’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?” Gourry, surprisingly, didn’t waver. “Okay, okay... I promise not to use any magical attacks until we leave the village unless someone else attacks me, first.”
“Yeah, Vawry, I’ll vouch for them,” he said immediately after she answered.
Vawry stared at Lina. “Are you sure she’s safe?”
Gourry nodded. “I’m her protector. She’s nice, it’s just that she’s also destructive, manipulative, violent, easily upset, sort of perverse...”
Lina stamped her foot, wishing she could fireball him. “Hey, I’m standing right here!”
* * * * *
Their entrance into the elven village was something of an event for the townspeople, but otherwise went fairly smoothly. With Gourry’s voucher and a simple vow of secrecy on some magical talisman (which Xelloss eyed suspiciously, and later in the privacy of their rooms announcing it had the usual elven defect of short-sightedness. It only forced a person to keep the village a secret while they were still in the village) there were no legal difficulties. Preparations were already being set up for Amelia and Zelgadis wedding, and more of Gourry’s cluelessness was explained.
There word ‘fiance’ had never been used in the village, as elves never waited before getting married (usually, a couple could just walk into the village hall, talk to a priest or priestess, and they’d be married in an instant. Amelia insisted on a bit more fanfare than the typical elven wedding demanded, however), so when Amelia announced that Zelgadis was her fiance, a number of people verbally wondered how a pickle was able to walk and talk. Also, the history of the Mazoku wars was not taught in schools- in fact, except for stories about the village’s founding, history wasn’t taught in the town at all.
This lead Lina, upon discovering this fact, to take the awe-inspiring step of apologizing to Gourry for SOME of the punishment she had doled out for his ignorance. Not for all of it, though- the stuff he’d lived through he really should have remembered, in her mind.
As the wedding dress was still being made and the arrangements were being taken care of by Vawry (under very explicit instructions from Amelia), the twelve members of the party gathered at the Gabriev estate to meet Gourry’s family and to relax for a brief moment.
“Gourry, my boy!” An older version of the swordsman said, encircling him in a powerful hug when he came into the door. “I was wondering when you’d stop by, after I heard that you finally made it back to the village.”
“We had a few things to do first, dad, and I’ll have to head off to the town hall to witness the wedding of a couple of my friends soon, but I’m here right now.”
“Well, son, why don’t you introduce me to your friends, then?”
“Okay,” Gourry said. “I’ll start with Xelloss. He’s a mazoku- apparently, one of the most powerful ones ever- but he's REALLY old. Over a thousand years! Sometimes he does some really evil things. Don’t hold that against him, though- he’s rather polite about it all, and can’t help himself.”
“Hello!” Xelloss said, waving cheerfully.
“This is Zelgadis. He’s a little upset about his appearance, and likes to pretend he’s this darkly mysterious villain-type. Really, though, he’s just a nice guy who fights good.”
Zelgadis sweatdropped. “Um, hi.”
“This is Amelia. She and Zelgadis are about to get married. She’s really into justice and stuff like that.”
“Hi! Thanks for helping us out, here!”
“Zangulus, over there, used to want to prove himself the better swordsman than me. He’s gotten married, however, and can’t usually find the time to get away from his wife.”
Zangulus blinked. “I wouldn’t quite put it that way... but I AM something of her slave, nowadays....”
“And this is Martina, his wife. She’s a little weird, and often annoying, and... well, really, I don’t know why we let her follow us around, except we know she’ll come chasing us whether we want her to or not.”
“Excuse me, Gourry, but-” Martina began, trying to correct a few things.
Gourry was on a roll, however, and was not paying any attention to her. “Next to her is Filia. Filia’s a dragon, but she doesn’t look like it very much.” He lowered his voice, though everyone else could hear him. “If you see a tail lying around, don’t try and find out where it goes, she doesn’t like that.”
“Um, hello, Mr. Gabriev,” Filia said hesitantly, blushing slightly.
“That’s Sylphiel. She helped me to adjust to life outside the village at first. She’s nice.”
“Hello, Mr. Gabriev,” Sylphiel said confidently, trying to win the elder man’s approval.
“This is Vrumagum. We killed him a few times during one of our adventures.”
“It wasn’t really ME you were killing- just a copy...”
“That’s Naga. She’s Amelia’s sister, but she’s been missing for years. I don’t really know much about her.”
“OOOH HO HO HO HO HO HO!”
“Oh, yeah- she has a dangerous laugh, too,” Gourry said, wincing.
“OOOH HO HO HO HO HO HO!” Naga demonstrated again.
“See?” Gourry sighed. “Next to her is Luna. She’s almost as good with a sword as I am.”
“Hey,” Luna waved.
Lina braced herself for whatever description Gourry was going to give about her.
“And this is her sister, Lina Inverse.” Gourry considered her briefly. “She’s perhaps the most dangerous person who ever lived. She’s destroyed several Mazoku of various power levels, and would probably be able to destroy the whole world if she got mad enough.” He paused. “I’ve promised to protect her for the rest of my life. And, for some reason, I’ve been able to sense when she’s in danger recently... I think maybe we exchanged parts of our souls or something when we were in that big ball of chaos thingy.”
Everyone looked somewhat startled at that- even Luna and Xelloss. "Gourry?" Lina said, startled. The idea never occurred to her, but now that she thought about it...
Xelloss was shocked as well. "How did you... uh... heh." Lina looked at him suspiciously, but he just waved her off. "Anyway, that's not important right now. We need somewhere we can talk in private for the moment, while we wait for the wedding preparations to be complete."
"Right," Lina said, nodding. "Gourry?"
"Dad?" Gourry queried.
The elder Gabriev, totally unphased by everything he just heard, nodded and waved to the room on his left. "Sure, sure. No skin off my nose- use the whole house as you like. Make yourselves at home and all that. Excuse me, I've got to go out to the farm...."
"Your dad's a farmer?" Sylphiel asked Gourry, watching his father depart as everyone settled down in the room.
"I thought he was a swordsman like me," Gourry said thoughtfully, scratching his head. "He taught me how to fight, after all. Well, him and grandma... though, it has been a while since I've been back home, though. Maybe he retired."
"As fascinating as Gourry's family may be," Lina grumbled, "I would like to start talking about what our next step will be. I mean, are we going to have to search for and destroy Dolphin, Dynast, and Zelas to get peace? And if so, how in all the hells ever imagined are we going to do that?"
"We can't possibly beat them alone," Filia replied unhappily. "Unless you think you can cast multiple Giga Slaves in a short span of time, Lina."
Lina sighed. "I'm a bit stronger than I was when I first used that spell in combat... but even now, with the magic amplifiers Xelloss gave me- now weakened by the destruction of Dark Star- it'll completely drain me. If we also had the Sword of Light, still, I might be able to use it as a focus to cast two of them before completely exhausting my magic. Ragna Blade, my next most powerful spell, I might be able to cast three times in quick succession. However, the Ragna Blade alone wasn't enough to do more than severely damage Gaav." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I think it's a safe bet that I'll only be able to handle one of them on my own. And only if I someone capable of covering me long enough to cast whatever I'm going to cast."
Xelloss nodded. In a dangerously serious tone, he said, "I might be able to take on one of the others, with Luna's and Filia's help, but it'd be a risky thing. Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia might be enough to cover Lina long enough to cast anything she'd want, but it would be difficult. Still, I doubt the rest of you, combined, have enough power to stop even the weakest of the high Mazoku lords. And we are lacking in allies with the power to aid us at the moment- the race of Golden Dragons almost wiped itself out, and as far as I know the remaining survivors are in hiding. Filia's the only one Zelas was able to identify, though I believe Milgazia and a few of the other guardians of the Claire Bible are still around. At least, I didn't see them in that battle against Valgaav. The Black Dragons are weaker then the Gold were and wouldn't help us even if they could- the only races they will ever protect are other dragons, and even with Filia present they might attack us because they just don't like humans. And I won't even go into how weak the Red and Green dragon races have become..."
"Only two forces are powerful enough, in truth, to fight successfully against the Mazoku lords," Vrumagum said, entering the discussion. "One is the fragments of Ceiphied. The other is Shabradnigo. Luna, you're the knight of Ceiphied- would they help us?"
Luna shook her head. "Nope. Shabby would, though."
Everyone stared at her in shock- even Xelloss. "What are you talking about?" the mazoku priest gasped.
"Hey, if we freed just a fragment of him, I think the twelve of us could control him. 'specially since sis killed a part of him, before," Luna noted. "He wouldn't help us willingly, mind, but he'd help. We'd take him to one of the fragments of Ceiphied, and we'd have a bargaining chip in securing their aid. The utter destruction of Mazoku power would be a big added incentive, I would think."
"Uh, sis," Lina said hesitantly in the silence that followed. "A few small problems with that. One, we don't have a fragment of 'Shabby' to 'control.'"
"I know where one is... I'd need you to help free him, though," Xelloss supplied, helpfully. "And you wouldn't have to worry, because he'd be too weakened to resist- he'd have to return to the human body which he's been trapped in.
Lina sweatdropped. The Mazoku knew where a piece of Shabradnigo was, and they weren't freeing him? That sounded suspicious... unless the Mazoku no longer wanted Shabradnigo to rule them. Which theoretically was impossible, but then again so was Xellos' very existence at that moment- the concept of a mazoku disobeying its master was mind-boggling in itself, since according to all theory on mazoku biology that would be a negation of its own existence. That Xelloss was in open conflict with Zelas didn't seem... logical. Though there was that whole Lord of Nightmares element... but then again Xelloss was obviously made in part from Zelas, so that much of his existence should be in question. Instead, though, he seemed just as powerful as before.
No time for puzzling that one out, though. "Uh, right," the sorceress replied. "Beyond that, though... wouldn't we be angering Ceiphied if we freed Shabradnigo? Which, I would think, would probably mean he wouldn't bother helping us after all, and might just do the Mazoku's job for them."
Luna chucked, as if in on a joke the others didn't know. (She was, in fact, as every Ceiphied Knight knew a certain something about Shabradnigo that made them all so... amused, that they just couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces no matter what they did, or what happened to them. Most people assumed the smile was a requirement for being selected to the job- few realized that most Knights of Ceiphied were unusually serious people who just couldn't hold in the laughter of a secret they were forbidden to tell). "I don't think Ceiphied would mind, if we could keep Shabby pacified."
Zangulus hesitantly suggested, "That might work, but I'd feel a lot better if we had a plan B. You know, find some force which just might be strong enough to help us even if we unintentionally start something like the Koama war. And even if we don't, the more force we'd have the better. I think I know of a few good mercenaries who, while not on par with Gourry or myself, could adequately handle Brass Demons and some lesser mazoku, at least."
Zelgadis nodded. "Good idea. We should definitely do both... but it would require that we split into two forces. One to capture Shabradnigo and gather Ceiphied's fragments together, and the other to collect an army."
Lina hesitated. "Naga, if I wrote down a list of the people we met on our adventures I thought could help us, do you think you could find them?"
Naga laughed. "Oh, ho ho ho ho ho! Why, of course, Lina!"
Lina cringed. "Er, right. Look, if we split into two groups, Filia and I should be in the one to get Shabradnigo. We're the main targets of Zelas's attacks, I think, and it would be a good idea for our recruiters to be as unobstructed as possible. Naga and Zelgadis should go in the other one, though, because I know a lot of people who might be able to help and between those two they've met them all." She paused. "Gourry's memory isn't really reliable enough, and besides I'm pretty sure he'd want to stick with me."
Xelloss nodded. "Then we're doing this? Well, I'd better join you, Lina- I'm probably a target as well, now. And we'll need Luna to talk to Shabradnigo and Ceiphied for us- they won't listen to you or me."
Lina nodded. "Okay... one more person on our team, then. Amelia, I assume you want to stay with Zel?"
Amelia blushed. "Well, he'll be my husband by then, so..."
Lina just nodded. "Right. I doubt Zangulus and Martina would want to be split up for the same reason-"
"Well, actually-" Zangulus started, before his loving wife kicked him in the shin.
"And I doubt Martina will let Vrumagum join us. I guess that leaves you, Sylphiel."
The shrine maiden mentioned smiled slightly. "I'd be honored, Lina."
"Well, we've got a plan now. Good," Xelloss cheered, clapping his hands enthusiastically. "Anyone have anything else to add?"
"I do," came an ethereal voice from the center of the room. It resolved itself around a growing ball of gold light, sprinkled with black, until it formed an image... vaguely resembling a glowing golden-haired Lina Inverse. "Greetings, Children."
Luna and Xelloss both gasped and knelt down, bowing deeply. After a moment, most of the rest of the room realized that this was the Lord of Nightmares herself, and began bowing and kneeling themselves.
Two of those present, however, did not. Gourry, because he was too busy trying to puzzle out why there were two Linas in the room, and Lina herself, because she was, well, too mesmerized.
Pausing to smile at Lina, the Lord of Nightmares said, "I hope you don't mind my taking your form for this message. I... am unable to create my own, any more. I long for it, I beg for it, but...."
Lina coughed, uncertain how to reply to the most powerful being in the entire universe when it apologized to her. Considering her reputation, Lina was expecting the Lord of Nightmares to kill them all right and left... then again, the god HAD spared her life last time she was supposed to destroy her... even if she remembered nothing from that incident. "Uh, no problem."
"A prophesy is about to be made," The Lord of Nightmares said, appearing unusually benevolent. "Chaos demands I not know how all of this will play out, and I suspect some of you will find yourselves not liking the missions I send you on- most of you likely will not survive the experience. All in all, this should be fun."
Gourry scratched his head. "I... don't get it."
"I've called you all here to complete this prophesy," the deity answered. "For I have a personal interest in it."
"I dunno if I like predestined journeys," Gourry said. "I don't think I'll do it, even if you do look like Lina."
Lina's eyes bugged out. "GOURRY! Do you KNOW who you're saying no to?"
He scratched his head. "Isn't she the thing that tried to force you into that big ball of payoff?"
Zelgadis sweatdropped. "That was chaos, not... payoff. That's the second time you've made that mistake."
Lina stared at Gourry aghast. "You called the Lord of Nightmares a BALL OF PAYOFF?!"
"I love you all, my children," the Lord of Nightmares said, smirking at their antics. "I feed on the chaos you build together. But if you refuse this mission, I shall destroy you."
Gourry frowned. "That's not nice."
"Uh, Gourry," Lina began, a little worried. "She already spared us once when she was supposed to kill us. Let's not push our luck. Besides, if we can keep her on our side, maybe we'll have better luck when those Mazoku attack us again."
"When will we hear this prophesy, Mother of All?" Xelloss asked humbly.
"Soon," the seemingly all-powerful being replied. "I'd tell you who will give it, but that would put order in the chaos. In fact, good bye."
With that, she vanished... leaving the band of twelve even more confused then when she first arrived.
-------------------------
A/N: You'll notice that this has a somewhat different version from the original draft, and that I've moved the prophesy out of this chapter. I dunno when I'll put it in, now, but it'll be coming soon... and then the main plot will start moving.
archive\review site, writes it, etc.) and will be attending AnimeUSA
(Nov. 21-23 2003 in N. Virginia (Tyson's Corner, technically -- about
20 minutes from my new home)), please let me know. I'm moderating
the fanfic panel there, and I'm VERY desperate for panelists -- I've
only got two tentatives, and I'd like to have 4 panelists and 4
alternates.
If I can't get at least one more panelist, I'll have to cancel the
panel...
which'd be a shame, because while I've been a panelist myself several
times, this is the first time I've moderated one.
Contact me, if interested, at my (relatively) new e-mail of
desaix@anifics.com
-------------------------
Chapter 5: A Horror, a Meeting, and a Prophesy
...Where Lina and Naga face their worst fear, the Elves are met, and L-Sama reveals her plans.
Gourry frowned. “I don’t like this sword,” he said, stepping over the body of another ogre that he had killed in the latest skirmish.
Lina glanced at him. “Would you rather use my shortsword again? *Fireball!*”
Gourry didn’t even blink as the spell passed inches in front of his face and blasted a berserker that had been about to run him through. “Maybe- at least the balance is right on that one. This sword doesn’t feel right.”
Lina frowned. “That’s odd- Luna’s very good with swords. I wouldn’t expect her to be carrying a defective weapon. HEY, LUNA!”
Luna neatly beheaded the creature she was engaged with and teleported over to Lina’s location. “Yeah, Sis?”
“*Flare Bit!*” Lina cast, taking out several of the wave of ogres that were charging in and scattering the rest. “Gourry’s having some problems with that sword you loaned him. He says the balance doesn’t feel right. Since when do you carry poor weaponry?”
“It’s enchanted to get better the more it’s used,” Luna explained.
Lina glared at her sister. “That doesn’t help us NOW, though, does it?”
Luna shrugged. “Gourry’s good. He’ll deal.”
“*Rah Tilt!*” Zelgadis cast, taking out a brass demon. “We’re almost clear, here. How much further to this village of yours, Gourry?”
Gourry ducked a swipe from some nameless pink poka-dotted claw beast, spun, and neatly bisected the creature. “Hmm... well, if we could get moving now, we might get there by nightfall.”
“*Elmekia Lance!*” Amelia cried, wiping out the last column of attackers. “Well, then, let’s get going.”
The battle over, the company started gathering their dropped supplies and equipment to continue their journey. Sylphiel, inspecting a dropped bag of dried peas for leaks, suddenly looked up. “Ms. Naga?!” she said. Lina turned to look over at her, wondering what was so startling. The shrine maiden blinked. “No, you’re standing right there... that’s funny. I hear someone shouting over there, and it sounds like you,” she explained, pointing.
Martina, standing near her, listened as well. “I think I hear it, too... and it DOES sound a lot like you, Naga. Maybe we should go look?”
“Now it sounds like Ms. Lina’s crying out, as well!” Sylphiel added. “Whoever it is, they’re really in distress.”
A bad feeling creeped up Lina’s spine. Her and Naga? A certain memory of a previous adventure struck her. “Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing. In fact, it’s probably a trick... no need to investigate, really!” Lina spoke rapidly.
“Why, Lina!” Naga cried in a haughty tone. “Are you afraid of seeing someone who sounds like us? Why, I never would be afraid of-”
Lina rushed up, covering Naga’s mouth with her hand. She whispered a few words in the taller girl's ear, causing her eyes to widen.
When Lina removed her hands, Naga just stared at her. Lina nodded. Finally, Naga coughed and said, “Well... maybe you’re right. Maybe we shouldn’t go looking into this. We probably aren’t wanted, after all....”
Xelloss opened an eye in surprise. “Hmm... both Lina and Naga are terrified of this, and the voices sound like them. Is there something you two aren’t telling us?”
“Us?” the two sorceresses chorused.
“Why don’t we go see what this is? I’m curious,” Xelloss said.
“And who made YOU leader?” Lina growled at the mazoku.
“Me? The leader?” Xelloss said. “Well, I guess I could be the leader, if I wanted. After all, I’m the only one who knows what’s going on....”
“You don’t know any more than we do, at this point!” Lina cried. “Gourry’s the only one who knows where this village is. Why shouldn’t we make him leader?”
“Oh, that’s okay, Lina,” Gourry said reassuringly. “Xelloss can be the leader if he wants- I don’t really want to be one.”
“I certainly don’t want that Raw Garbage as MY leader,” Filia said.
“Thank you!” Lina breathed. Maybe they wouldn’t have to investigate these screams after all.
“But I still want to see what’s imitating you and Naga, Lina,” the dragon finished.
Zelgadis shook his head. “Like I said before, if those two agree, I’m sure as hell going to listen. I say we go.”
“But-” Lina said.
“What’cha ‘fraid of, Sis?” Luna asked, smirking.
“Nothing!” Lina exclaimed.
“Then let’s go,” Zelgadis said. “We’ve done enough talking. It’s pretty clear we’ll wind up going, so let’s not waste any time.”
Murmurs of assent and a shuffling of feet indicated that most of the others had decided to join him. Lina and Naga just stared at them, slowly backing away. Hopefully, they could get away before their terrible secret was discovered.
A large hand descended on Lina’s shoulder. “Relax, Lina,” Gourry said. “I’ll protect you from whatever horror it is impersonating you.”
Lina sighed. There was no getting away, now. “It’s not exactly something I need protection against... just promise me you won’t think any less of me when you see her, okay?”
* * * * *
The party arrived to see a rather comical fight between some of the more vicious of Zelas’ beasts and a pair of girls who looked remarkably like Lina and Naga. The Lina look-alike was on her knees, eyes wide and watering while her hands were clapped in front of her, begging in front of a creature which made all of the other girls who could see it cringe.
“Oh, please, Mr. Tentacle Monster, sir, won’t you PLEASE consider pacifism? We really never should fight- there are MANY reasons why it’s better to never fight. Even a horrible, blood-drinking rape-beast like you can see that, can’t you? Wouldn’t things be so much better if your victims were willing, and didn’t fight you? Can’t we talk this out? Please!?”
The Naga look-alike, on the other hand, was just blushing as the other monsters surrounded her. She had a cape on, wrapped tightly around her to conceal herself. One monster reached in and swiped at her, slashing the cape to pieces. The holes revealed an outfit identical to Naga’s own, and the look-alike shrieked. “EEK! Don’t look at me- I feel so embarrassed!” she cried, launching dozens of powerful spells in a wide circle, wiping out many of the creatures around her. “Oh, why am I cursed to wear such a horrid thing?!” she lamented, inspecting her bikini.
The real Lina whimpered. “I was hoping no-one would ever see them again.”
“Who ARE they?” Zelgadis asked, astonished. “They look just like you, but they act....”
“Like our exact opposites? Remember the legendary Shadow Reflector of Shazal Rugandy?” Lina said.
“A mirror which, according to legend, would create a copy of the person reflected in it, with all of their skills and their exact opposite in character,” Vrumagum said. “When Eris was researching ways to make copies of me, she investigated Rugandy’s research. Unfortunately, we were never able to find the mirror itself....”
“That’s because Naga and I shattered it, hoping it would get rid of them,” Lina said firmly, pointing out the two shadow copies.
“Well, whatever their origins, they ARE in trouble,” Amelia said, using her ‘justice’ tone. “*Elmekia Lance!*” she cast, sending a blast of white magic into the crowd of demons surrounding the two girls.
Lina sighed in resignation. “Can’t we just let these two fend for themselves? I mean, really, they’ve done fine for years without anyone rescuing them before, and I’m fairly sure they would have run into just as many adventures as Naga and I have, at least... I’m sure they can take care of themselves, and I REALLY don’t want to have to deal with them again. My shadow copy is almost worse than a... *shudder* slug.”
Gourry was glancing from the real Lina to the shadow Lina and back again. “Um, Lina... I’ve sword to protect you. But... if you are you, and this is your shadow, wouldn’t this make her a part of you? Which means, wouldn’t I be honor bound to protect her, as well?”
“She isn’t a part of me, Gourry, any more than your reflection in the mirror is a part of you.”
Gourry scratched his head. “Are you sure?”
Zelgadis was watching the two shadows fend off the attacking demons in their own way- through startling amounts of begging and incredible shyness. “Odd... these beasts of Zelas’ didn’t even get distracted by Amelia’s attack.”
“They’re sex-demons,” Xelloss noted. “Zelas, being more or less female, doesn’t really like using them, but it seems she’s calling out everything in her disposal. They’re attracted to these two shadows by their innate innocence.” He glanced at them with certain skills gained from his mazoku origins. “Odd... somehow, they’re more innocent than either Lina or Naga... but neither of them are virgins. Our Lina and Naga are, though....”
“HEY!” Lina cried, her face turning red. “HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!?”
“Please, Mr. Tentacle Demon, sir, haven’t you ever heard of the phrase ‘make love, not war?’” the shadow of Lina begged through her very feminine tears. “I live by that philosophy, and really think you should consider it...”
“We might want to keep them away from poor Sylphiel, though. I think they just might be quite attracted to her,” Xelloss added. “Amelia, too, for that matter- though I think she’s a lot safer now than she would have been before she met you, Lina.”
The original Lina nearly tore out her hair. “Can we PLEASE just leave? I don’t think it will do either us or them any good to get involved!”
“They could be useful, Sis,” Luna noted.
“You just want to annoy me, don’t you, big Sis?” Lina growled. “All right, then. If we’re going to rescue those two, we’ll do it MY way. *Darkness beyond twilight...*”
Vrumagum frowned. “That’s a Dragon Slave, isn’t it? Won’t that kill the people we’re trying to rescue?”
“Um... were you paying ANY attention to how your copies faired against Lina?” Amelia asked. “I mean, didn’t you notice when she wiped out entire villages just to kill you, alone?”
“Besides,” Zelgadis added. “I don’t think Lina really cares what happens to them.”
“And it isn’t like Ms. Lina treats her friends all that nice, either,” Sylphiel added. “I’ve seen her blow my dear Gourry up with many a spell just because he said something silly.”
“*All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed...*” Lina intoned.
“Um, shouldn’t we be getting outside of the blast radius?” Filia suggested.
“Yes, that probably would be a good idea...” Zelgadis agreed.
“*DRAGON SLAVE!*”
“Too late,” Xelloss noted.
* * * * *
“I don’t THINK they were killed by the blast,” Sylphiel, using her scepter to receive some divine sight, said. “But the spirits seem to be saying they’re flying away from here much too fast for us to catch up.”
Lina dusted her hands. “Well, I saved them, as promised. Can we move on, now?”
Amelia, her hands glowing over her sister with healing energy, said, “Um... some of us aren’t fit to travel at the moment. Give us a little while, and Gracia-”
“Naga!” the girl in question spat out through clenched teeth and shut eyes. Her leg was sprained, but even worse she had a CUT on her leg. A very bloody cut... she couldn’t stand blood.
“Er, Naga,” Amelia corrected herself, “should be able to keep up with us.”
Vrumagum was stitching up his hat, which had several holes burnt into it. A few of the travelers who had not seen him without his chapeau couldn’t help but stare, noticing for the first time that he was bald.
“Really, Lina... that WAS overkill. You could have wiped out most of those sex demons with a simple flare bit, they’re so low-powered,” Xelloss pointed out.
“Lina was probably offended by their very nature,” Filia suggested. “Surely any female would want their destruction so much they’d be willing to perform a bit of overkill....”
“Nah. Sis always acts this way,” Luna noted.
Gourry was a little dazed from the blast, still, but nodded in agreement. “Yeah... she’s wiped out entire kingdoms, before.”
“She’s wiped out MY kingdom, before!” Martina snapped, a little of her old anger at the sorceress showing.
Filia sighed. “Well, I have to admit that’s probably true.”
Finally recovered from her injuries, Naga stood up. Noticing this, Zelgadis coughed to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, people... I think we’d better get going. I, for one, don’t want to have to travel much longer, and would like to make it to Gourry’s elven village before nightfall.”
“Right. This way!” Gourry said, pointing at an impassible line of trees, before falling unconscious with a concussion.
“Um... I think Gourry still needs a little recovery time,” Amelia said.
* * * * *
“Over this rock,” Gourry said, motioning to a rather large natural wall along the side of the road. “Is the only path to the village. There’ll be a tunnel, too, but once we’re past that we’ll be inside.”
Martina looked at the wall uncertainly. “Um, how do we get over that ‘rock?’”
Gourry shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why I haven’t been back home since I left.”
“That’s stupid- why make an exit and not have an entrance?” Zangulus said.
“I suspect the wall was a primitive elven construct,” Xelloss said. “They were known for being very good at making very silly devices. Oh, and we COULD just fly over the wall.”
Gourry blinked, smacking his hand with his fist. “Oh, yeah- I can do that now, can’t I?”
“Yeah, you can, Gourry,” Lina said, rolling her eyes. Grabbing Martina by the arm, she cast, “*Raywing!*”
The company flew over the wall, Vrumagum carrying Zangulus and Gourry barely able to handle himself, again coming to a crash landing after reaching the other side.
“We’ve really got to teach you how to land, Gourry,” Lina said sadly, using a minor healing technique to repair a cut on his forehead.
Amelia frowned as the party reorganized itself. “Say... since we’re going to an elven village, does anyone here know anything about elves? I mean, beyond that they’ve got pointed ears and the other obvious physical characteristics. I’ve never met one, before....”
Xelloss sighed. “I doubt anyone here has, except myself. The last well-known elven village was abandoned a few hundred years ago. Most of the surviving elves have gone into the seclusion of hidden villages and secret cities. I’m a bit surprised Gourry was permitted to LEAVE from an Elven village, myself.”
“I’ve met a few elves, and so has Naga,” Lina said, still applying magic to Gourry. “But that was several thousands of years ago, actually.”
Luna blinked. “Lina, I’m your OLDER sister, and I sure ain’t several thousand years old.”
Lina shook her head dismissively. “Remember me mentioning Rowdy grabbed me to take me to the past?”
Luna nodded. “Ah... so you helped him save the elves?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m quite familiar with the legend of Joyrock’s fall,” Xelloss said. “It’s considered one of the most pathetic of ways for a mazoku of his rank to have fallen. But Elves have changed a lot since then... and probably have changed even more since that village was abandoned. But I believe my information is more current than yours.” He paused for dramatic effect. “An elf will always specialize what skills he has to one field- often though not always involving technology or magic- but they are rarely capable of using those skills effectively. They can build an ultimate war machine that’ll only attack the person who turns it on, or design a spell which will blast an opponent to smithereens yet will also do even more damage to themselves in the process. They usually fail to grasp certain concepts, and have a... flighty... memory, but are capable of brilliant flashes of inspiration from time to time. Usually, however, they have no peer when it comes to the trade they specialize in- an elven mage is usually ten times more powerful in his primary school than a comparable human, an elven swordsman as good or better than the most elite of humans. Outside of their trade, however... don’t expect much from them. They're a race of idiot savants. Well, not all of them- the farmers are actually pretty normal farmers, and often are skilled in more than one area. Farming is a lower-class role for elves, but most of their politicians come from that field.”
Lina waved her unoccupied hand, thinking how the elven blood in Gourry had frequently shown through when he opened his mouth. “Yeah, but I knew all that already. Does anyone know anything that most people DON’T already know?”
Gourry blinked. “Um, Lina, I know a lot about elves. I was raised with them, after all.”
Lina finished her healing spell. “Well, yeah... maybe you do. But I think Amelia wanted to know something about their magical abilities, which I doubt you paid much attention to.”
Gourry scratched his head. “Maybe not...”
The twelve warriors started marching down the path. As they walked, Amelia looked at Gourry curiously. “When did you leave the Elven village, anyway?”
“Well, I’m not sure, exactly. Sylphiel, how long ago did we meet?”
“Oh, about five years ago, Gourry, dear,” Sylphiel said.
“Five years ago, then. I worked for Sylphiel’s town for a while as I tried to make enough money to get myself a set of armor- all I had when I left the village was my sword and my tunic- then I went adventuring again. I met Lina not too long after....”
“And now,” a new voice interrupted. “You’ve returned, Mr. Gabriev. But you’ve brought visitors with you- which, as you should have remembered, is a BIG no-no!”
Gourry’s face lit up. “I didn’t have much choice, Mr. Gabriev,” he replied, laughing.
“Gourry!” the other voice said, its owner emerging from the trees. The man looked surprisingly like Gourry, only shorter and with pointed ears. “Long time, no see!”
“I couldn’t figure out how to get back home after I left, brother,” Gourry replied. “Not until I found a way around the rock.”
“Oh! So THAT’S why no-one who leaves the village ever comes back.”
Everyone in the party was looking from Gourry to the other person, noticing the similarities. “Say, Gourry,” Lina said. “Who is your, uh, friend?”
“My BROTHER,” he corrected. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Vawry, my older brother.”
“Half-brother,” Vawry noted, noticing several people looking at his ears oddly. “Same Dad, but my mom was a full-blooded elf. She died, though.”
“Vawry, my friends and I need to hide out for a bit, and a couple of them need to get married. The village won’t have any problem with that, will they?”
Vawry, however, was looking from Lina to Naga oddly. “You two look familiar. Kinda like a picture I once saw in one of our history books.” He shrugged. “Oh, well. I think, as long as they swear on the secrecy stone not to keep our existence a secret, there shouldn’t be any problem. You WILL vouch for them, though, right?”
Gourry hesitated, looking at Lina. “You promise not to wipe the village out, right?”
Lina’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?” Gourry, surprisingly, didn’t waver. “Okay, okay... I promise not to use any magical attacks until we leave the village unless someone else attacks me, first.”
“Yeah, Vawry, I’ll vouch for them,” he said immediately after she answered.
Vawry stared at Lina. “Are you sure she’s safe?”
Gourry nodded. “I’m her protector. She’s nice, it’s just that she’s also destructive, manipulative, violent, easily upset, sort of perverse...”
Lina stamped her foot, wishing she could fireball him. “Hey, I’m standing right here!”
* * * * *
Their entrance into the elven village was something of an event for the townspeople, but otherwise went fairly smoothly. With Gourry’s voucher and a simple vow of secrecy on some magical talisman (which Xelloss eyed suspiciously, and later in the privacy of their rooms announcing it had the usual elven defect of short-sightedness. It only forced a person to keep the village a secret while they were still in the village) there were no legal difficulties. Preparations were already being set up for Amelia and Zelgadis wedding, and more of Gourry’s cluelessness was explained.
There word ‘fiance’ had never been used in the village, as elves never waited before getting married (usually, a couple could just walk into the village hall, talk to a priest or priestess, and they’d be married in an instant. Amelia insisted on a bit more fanfare than the typical elven wedding demanded, however), so when Amelia announced that Zelgadis was her fiance, a number of people verbally wondered how a pickle was able to walk and talk. Also, the history of the Mazoku wars was not taught in schools- in fact, except for stories about the village’s founding, history wasn’t taught in the town at all.
This lead Lina, upon discovering this fact, to take the awe-inspiring step of apologizing to Gourry for SOME of the punishment she had doled out for his ignorance. Not for all of it, though- the stuff he’d lived through he really should have remembered, in her mind.
As the wedding dress was still being made and the arrangements were being taken care of by Vawry (under very explicit instructions from Amelia), the twelve members of the party gathered at the Gabriev estate to meet Gourry’s family and to relax for a brief moment.
“Gourry, my boy!” An older version of the swordsman said, encircling him in a powerful hug when he came into the door. “I was wondering when you’d stop by, after I heard that you finally made it back to the village.”
“We had a few things to do first, dad, and I’ll have to head off to the town hall to witness the wedding of a couple of my friends soon, but I’m here right now.”
“Well, son, why don’t you introduce me to your friends, then?”
“Okay,” Gourry said. “I’ll start with Xelloss. He’s a mazoku- apparently, one of the most powerful ones ever- but he's REALLY old. Over a thousand years! Sometimes he does some really evil things. Don’t hold that against him, though- he’s rather polite about it all, and can’t help himself.”
“Hello!” Xelloss said, waving cheerfully.
“This is Zelgadis. He’s a little upset about his appearance, and likes to pretend he’s this darkly mysterious villain-type. Really, though, he’s just a nice guy who fights good.”
Zelgadis sweatdropped. “Um, hi.”
“This is Amelia. She and Zelgadis are about to get married. She’s really into justice and stuff like that.”
“Hi! Thanks for helping us out, here!”
“Zangulus, over there, used to want to prove himself the better swordsman than me. He’s gotten married, however, and can’t usually find the time to get away from his wife.”
Zangulus blinked. “I wouldn’t quite put it that way... but I AM something of her slave, nowadays....”
“And this is Martina, his wife. She’s a little weird, and often annoying, and... well, really, I don’t know why we let her follow us around, except we know she’ll come chasing us whether we want her to or not.”
“Excuse me, Gourry, but-” Martina began, trying to correct a few things.
Gourry was on a roll, however, and was not paying any attention to her. “Next to her is Filia. Filia’s a dragon, but she doesn’t look like it very much.” He lowered his voice, though everyone else could hear him. “If you see a tail lying around, don’t try and find out where it goes, she doesn’t like that.”
“Um, hello, Mr. Gabriev,” Filia said hesitantly, blushing slightly.
“That’s Sylphiel. She helped me to adjust to life outside the village at first. She’s nice.”
“Hello, Mr. Gabriev,” Sylphiel said confidently, trying to win the elder man’s approval.
“This is Vrumagum. We killed him a few times during one of our adventures.”
“It wasn’t really ME you were killing- just a copy...”
“That’s Naga. She’s Amelia’s sister, but she’s been missing for years. I don’t really know much about her.”
“OOOH HO HO HO HO HO HO!”
“Oh, yeah- she has a dangerous laugh, too,” Gourry said, wincing.
“OOOH HO HO HO HO HO HO!” Naga demonstrated again.
“See?” Gourry sighed. “Next to her is Luna. She’s almost as good with a sword as I am.”
“Hey,” Luna waved.
Lina braced herself for whatever description Gourry was going to give about her.
“And this is her sister, Lina Inverse.” Gourry considered her briefly. “She’s perhaps the most dangerous person who ever lived. She’s destroyed several Mazoku of various power levels, and would probably be able to destroy the whole world if she got mad enough.” He paused. “I’ve promised to protect her for the rest of my life. And, for some reason, I’ve been able to sense when she’s in danger recently... I think maybe we exchanged parts of our souls or something when we were in that big ball of chaos thingy.”
Everyone looked somewhat startled at that- even Luna and Xelloss. "Gourry?" Lina said, startled. The idea never occurred to her, but now that she thought about it...
Xelloss was shocked as well. "How did you... uh... heh." Lina looked at him suspiciously, but he just waved her off. "Anyway, that's not important right now. We need somewhere we can talk in private for the moment, while we wait for the wedding preparations to be complete."
"Right," Lina said, nodding. "Gourry?"
"Dad?" Gourry queried.
The elder Gabriev, totally unphased by everything he just heard, nodded and waved to the room on his left. "Sure, sure. No skin off my nose- use the whole house as you like. Make yourselves at home and all that. Excuse me, I've got to go out to the farm...."
"Your dad's a farmer?" Sylphiel asked Gourry, watching his father depart as everyone settled down in the room.
"I thought he was a swordsman like me," Gourry said thoughtfully, scratching his head. "He taught me how to fight, after all. Well, him and grandma... though, it has been a while since I've been back home, though. Maybe he retired."
"As fascinating as Gourry's family may be," Lina grumbled, "I would like to start talking about what our next step will be. I mean, are we going to have to search for and destroy Dolphin, Dynast, and Zelas to get peace? And if so, how in all the hells ever imagined are we going to do that?"
"We can't possibly beat them alone," Filia replied unhappily. "Unless you think you can cast multiple Giga Slaves in a short span of time, Lina."
Lina sighed. "I'm a bit stronger than I was when I first used that spell in combat... but even now, with the magic amplifiers Xelloss gave me- now weakened by the destruction of Dark Star- it'll completely drain me. If we also had the Sword of Light, still, I might be able to use it as a focus to cast two of them before completely exhausting my magic. Ragna Blade, my next most powerful spell, I might be able to cast three times in quick succession. However, the Ragna Blade alone wasn't enough to do more than severely damage Gaav." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I think it's a safe bet that I'll only be able to handle one of them on my own. And only if I someone capable of covering me long enough to cast whatever I'm going to cast."
Xelloss nodded. In a dangerously serious tone, he said, "I might be able to take on one of the others, with Luna's and Filia's help, but it'd be a risky thing. Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia might be enough to cover Lina long enough to cast anything she'd want, but it would be difficult. Still, I doubt the rest of you, combined, have enough power to stop even the weakest of the high Mazoku lords. And we are lacking in allies with the power to aid us at the moment- the race of Golden Dragons almost wiped itself out, and as far as I know the remaining survivors are in hiding. Filia's the only one Zelas was able to identify, though I believe Milgazia and a few of the other guardians of the Claire Bible are still around. At least, I didn't see them in that battle against Valgaav. The Black Dragons are weaker then the Gold were and wouldn't help us even if they could- the only races they will ever protect are other dragons, and even with Filia present they might attack us because they just don't like humans. And I won't even go into how weak the Red and Green dragon races have become..."
"Only two forces are powerful enough, in truth, to fight successfully against the Mazoku lords," Vrumagum said, entering the discussion. "One is the fragments of Ceiphied. The other is Shabradnigo. Luna, you're the knight of Ceiphied- would they help us?"
Luna shook her head. "Nope. Shabby would, though."
Everyone stared at her in shock- even Xelloss. "What are you talking about?" the mazoku priest gasped.
"Hey, if we freed just a fragment of him, I think the twelve of us could control him. 'specially since sis killed a part of him, before," Luna noted. "He wouldn't help us willingly, mind, but he'd help. We'd take him to one of the fragments of Ceiphied, and we'd have a bargaining chip in securing their aid. The utter destruction of Mazoku power would be a big added incentive, I would think."
"Uh, sis," Lina said hesitantly in the silence that followed. "A few small problems with that. One, we don't have a fragment of 'Shabby' to 'control.'"
"I know where one is... I'd need you to help free him, though," Xelloss supplied, helpfully. "And you wouldn't have to worry, because he'd be too weakened to resist- he'd have to return to the human body which he's been trapped in.
Lina sweatdropped. The Mazoku knew where a piece of Shabradnigo was, and they weren't freeing him? That sounded suspicious... unless the Mazoku no longer wanted Shabradnigo to rule them. Which theoretically was impossible, but then again so was Xellos' very existence at that moment- the concept of a mazoku disobeying its master was mind-boggling in itself, since according to all theory on mazoku biology that would be a negation of its own existence. That Xelloss was in open conflict with Zelas didn't seem... logical. Though there was that whole Lord of Nightmares element... but then again Xelloss was obviously made in part from Zelas, so that much of his existence should be in question. Instead, though, he seemed just as powerful as before.
No time for puzzling that one out, though. "Uh, right," the sorceress replied. "Beyond that, though... wouldn't we be angering Ceiphied if we freed Shabradnigo? Which, I would think, would probably mean he wouldn't bother helping us after all, and might just do the Mazoku's job for them."
Luna chucked, as if in on a joke the others didn't know. (She was, in fact, as every Ceiphied Knight knew a certain something about Shabradnigo that made them all so... amused, that they just couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces no matter what they did, or what happened to them. Most people assumed the smile was a requirement for being selected to the job- few realized that most Knights of Ceiphied were unusually serious people who just couldn't hold in the laughter of a secret they were forbidden to tell). "I don't think Ceiphied would mind, if we could keep Shabby pacified."
Zangulus hesitantly suggested, "That might work, but I'd feel a lot better if we had a plan B. You know, find some force which just might be strong enough to help us even if we unintentionally start something like the Koama war. And even if we don't, the more force we'd have the better. I think I know of a few good mercenaries who, while not on par with Gourry or myself, could adequately handle Brass Demons and some lesser mazoku, at least."
Zelgadis nodded. "Good idea. We should definitely do both... but it would require that we split into two forces. One to capture Shabradnigo and gather Ceiphied's fragments together, and the other to collect an army."
Lina hesitated. "Naga, if I wrote down a list of the people we met on our adventures I thought could help us, do you think you could find them?"
Naga laughed. "Oh, ho ho ho ho ho! Why, of course, Lina!"
Lina cringed. "Er, right. Look, if we split into two groups, Filia and I should be in the one to get Shabradnigo. We're the main targets of Zelas's attacks, I think, and it would be a good idea for our recruiters to be as unobstructed as possible. Naga and Zelgadis should go in the other one, though, because I know a lot of people who might be able to help and between those two they've met them all." She paused. "Gourry's memory isn't really reliable enough, and besides I'm pretty sure he'd want to stick with me."
Xelloss nodded. "Then we're doing this? Well, I'd better join you, Lina- I'm probably a target as well, now. And we'll need Luna to talk to Shabradnigo and Ceiphied for us- they won't listen to you or me."
Lina nodded. "Okay... one more person on our team, then. Amelia, I assume you want to stay with Zel?"
Amelia blushed. "Well, he'll be my husband by then, so..."
Lina just nodded. "Right. I doubt Zangulus and Martina would want to be split up for the same reason-"
"Well, actually-" Zangulus started, before his loving wife kicked him in the shin.
"And I doubt Martina will let Vrumagum join us. I guess that leaves you, Sylphiel."
The shrine maiden mentioned smiled slightly. "I'd be honored, Lina."
"Well, we've got a plan now. Good," Xelloss cheered, clapping his hands enthusiastically. "Anyone have anything else to add?"
"I do," came an ethereal voice from the center of the room. It resolved itself around a growing ball of gold light, sprinkled with black, until it formed an image... vaguely resembling a glowing golden-haired Lina Inverse. "Greetings, Children."
Luna and Xelloss both gasped and knelt down, bowing deeply. After a moment, most of the rest of the room realized that this was the Lord of Nightmares herself, and began bowing and kneeling themselves.
Two of those present, however, did not. Gourry, because he was too busy trying to puzzle out why there were two Linas in the room, and Lina herself, because she was, well, too mesmerized.
Pausing to smile at Lina, the Lord of Nightmares said, "I hope you don't mind my taking your form for this message. I... am unable to create my own, any more. I long for it, I beg for it, but...."
Lina coughed, uncertain how to reply to the most powerful being in the entire universe when it apologized to her. Considering her reputation, Lina was expecting the Lord of Nightmares to kill them all right and left... then again, the god HAD spared her life last time she was supposed to destroy her... even if she remembered nothing from that incident. "Uh, no problem."
"A prophesy is about to be made," The Lord of Nightmares said, appearing unusually benevolent. "Chaos demands I not know how all of this will play out, and I suspect some of you will find yourselves not liking the missions I send you on- most of you likely will not survive the experience. All in all, this should be fun."
Gourry scratched his head. "I... don't get it."
"I've called you all here to complete this prophesy," the deity answered. "For I have a personal interest in it."
"I dunno if I like predestined journeys," Gourry said. "I don't think I'll do it, even if you do look like Lina."
Lina's eyes bugged out. "GOURRY! Do you KNOW who you're saying no to?"
He scratched his head. "Isn't she the thing that tried to force you into that big ball of payoff?"
Zelgadis sweatdropped. "That was chaos, not... payoff. That's the second time you've made that mistake."
Lina stared at Gourry aghast. "You called the Lord of Nightmares a BALL OF PAYOFF?!"
"I love you all, my children," the Lord of Nightmares said, smirking at their antics. "I feed on the chaos you build together. But if you refuse this mission, I shall destroy you."
Gourry frowned. "That's not nice."
"Uh, Gourry," Lina began, a little worried. "She already spared us once when she was supposed to kill us. Let's not push our luck. Besides, if we can keep her on our side, maybe we'll have better luck when those Mazoku attack us again."
"When will we hear this prophesy, Mother of All?" Xelloss asked humbly.
"Soon," the seemingly all-powerful being replied. "I'd tell you who will give it, but that would put order in the chaos. In fact, good bye."
With that, she vanished... leaving the band of twelve even more confused then when she first arrived.
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A/N: You'll notice that this has a somewhat different version from the original draft, and that I've moved the prophesy out of this chapter. I dunno when I'll put it in, now, but it'll be coming soon... and then the main plot will start moving.