Chapter 1 - Diamonds
Lina looked at her hand once more, then arranged it on the table. "Twenty- one, I win!" "How the...!" Zelgadis started. "That can't be right. Let me see that... Oh, shoot. Five dollars, you win." The door opened with a sudden in-rush of cold air, and two girls stepped in. One was a little shorter than Zelgadis, had dark blonde shoulder length hair that curved inwards, and red-rimmed glasses. She wore a pair of blue jeans, black shoes, a dark green denim jacket over a white t-shirt, and a long epee in a black leather scabbard hanging at her waist. She looked about twenty-five. Her companion might have come up to Zel's waist if she tried very hard, but probably lower and certainly not higher. Her hair was silver white, reached the floor and tied in two separate bunches with purple ribbons. She wore a dark green smock-type thing with puffy sleeves, that came to the middle of her thighs, and incredibly baggy black pants under brown boots that ended just below her knees. It would have been almost impossible to guess her age, but right now she looked about seventeen. They took a table to the left of the Slayers, drew up two more chairs and ordered sake. Lina collected her five dollars from the other three. "Let's play again!" Amelia stated. "Do we have to?" whined Lina's blond companion, "My head hurts..." "Then go upstairs and lie down, yoghurt brains!" snapped Lina, anxious to play again and get more money. He left, and Amelia shuffled the cards and dealt them. "What stakes are we playing for this time?" Zel asked, coming back to earth with a metaphorical bump. "Fifteen!" cried Lina. "But Miss Lina, that's going from five to fifteen! you're meant to do it slower! that's the rules!" *And we all know what happens when someone breaks the rules in front of Amelia* thought Zel, invisibly shuddering. "Ten!" "Six!" "Eight!" Zel could see a fight starting to break out. "Seven." he announced, "Seven or nothing." "All, right then," sniffed Lina, "Seven." They began to play. The door opened again, and a brightly dressed young man of about twenty-four stepped in. He had short brown hair and wore a light blue headband around it. he was almost entirely covered in a large orange cape, but his white pants and yellow boots were still visible. He had dark tanned skin, and carried a sort of aura that screamed "nothing can upset me, for I am cheerful enough to win double gold in the cheery Olympics". Zel turned his attention back to the game, which (much to Lina's dismay) Amelia was winning fast. He walked over to the girl's table, and sat down without bothering to remove his cloak. "Well! You decided to come on time, Selroni" The short girl addressed him frostily. She had a voice of acid and steel. "My business usually detaines me, Princess Tsastavniak." He said, bowing low. "I know, I know... sit down." "Dr. O'Farrell..." he bowed slightly to the taller of the two girls and sat down. They drank some sake and talked about things; politics, music, the tabloid headlines... nothing special. After about five minutes went by, the door opened and another girl stepped in. She was a little taller than Dr. O'Farrell, and wore a long blue dress and blue high heels. She was pale, and her eyes were very slanted, like an angular almond, and dark green. Her hair was long, reaching her ankles, and white-blonde. She wore a black circlet on her head, presumably made from silk,with a dark sapphire set in the front. Before entering, she stood back, and a purple haired, smiling man slunk jauntily over to the table. Then she stepped in herself. She walked over to Dr. O'Farrell, Princess Tsastavniak and Selroni, and sat down herself. "All here, I see." Unlike her face, which was bitter and slightly aging, her voice was musical and laughing. Zel was instantly enchanted by it, and got the feeling that he was supposed to be. The brightly dressed young man Selroni jumped to his feet and bowed low, lower than he had done to the Princess, and then stood again, smiling so hard it looked as though his face might be divided in half by his lips. "Deldara, Deldara! Voice like the birdsong, bells chime to the sound of your name, Deldara! My love, Deldara!" If Zel was surprised by this sudden outburst of adoration to a strange, middle-aged woman from a cheery youth, the rest of the inn wasn't. Not a soul looked up in the entire inn, and the Bartender kept his nose in the glass he was wiping. Zel looked back to the cards at a sudden "A-ha!" from Lina. He didn't think about the other group again. Behind him, the Princess was addressing the smiling man. "Xelloss Metallium. Deldara managed to interest you in our business, I suppose." "Yes. Princess, I am not on your side. Nor am I on the side of that which you seek. I am a Mazoku, and I am therefore already bound. All high level Mazoku are like that. Do not expect any support in any other venture you should happen to make if you do not gratify me for those. Expect less from my kind. We are completely Astral beings, and therefore have no real dealings with those on the planes, this or any other." "I see." Replied the Princess. Dr. O'Farrell looked up. "Excuse me, sir, but perhaps you might inform me exactly how much support we can expect from you in this venture?" She spoke with a full Texan accent, soft with leaning vowels. "As much as you need to complete it. But if you fail, I will not help you. I am in this for success, not failure." "Oh, I understand that, Sir." "One thing. So far I have only been introduced to you as Dr. O'Farrel, and Princess Tsastavniak. I assume, as people, you will have first names as well...?" "Yes." The Princess answered her, "The doctor is Sara, and I am Tasha." "And your friend?" Deldara spoke up again, but this time Zel's elven ears didn't hear it. "Ah, yes. We didn't introduce you to him. This is Selroni Verati, world's greatest flatterer and full time charmer. Not that he could flatter or charm a Mazoku, I think." Xelloss laughed. At that moment the door opened, and a seven foot tall figure cloaked and hooded completely in black, with just the lower half of it's face and it's white boots visible stood in the doorway. Xelloss' laughter stopped abruptly, and he launched himself at the door. The door slammed shut instantly, and there was and almighty crash almost straight away after, as Xelloss hit the door in his face. There was a sound of horses' hooves receding quickly into the distance. Xelloss returned to her chair rubbing his nose. "Was that her?" Asked Selroni. "Yes. Unfortunately she must have sensed me, so we shall have to wait for the next town." "How do you know she has sensed you?" Inquired Tasha. "I do not mean to diminish you, Princess, but she is a seven foot tall scythe wielding female clone of one of the most powerful and deranged people to exist in, *ahem*, recent memory, with skills from every type of magic other than nightmare, and the Lost Powers. And although you and your friends are very powerful, I daresay she wouldn't mind just killing you straight away to get you off her back. I have been paid by other people to do their work with them, and I know that she would only run like that if she knew I was here. How do I know? Simple. Mazoku, the demon race, love to feed of bad emotion. We strike the fear of the Ruby-eyed one into most people, and her fear was certainly worthy of Lord Ruby-eye. I might even have her now, if it wasn't for that door. I have been trying to stay relatively non-astral, and the door got in the way. Ah well, let us hope, ne?" "Yes. I think perhaps we should go now, we are attracting attention." announced Deldara. "The mention of the Lost Powers, Mazoku and Shaburanigdo in the same speech is enough, apparently, to wake up even these rummies." "Very well. Next time." Said Xelloss, and faded away. Dr. O'Farrell said goodbye, and left for her inn, which happened to be the same as Selroni's. Selroni took his leave with a "Goodbye, Deldara, Goodbye! Forget me not, until we meet again!" and a deep bow to both the Princess and Deldara, and left. The Princess saddled her little pony and rode to Cepheid-Knows-Where. Deldara flew away through the trees. She would spend the night as a Wolf, one of her favourite forms, in the forest. Being a Psychic gave her a definite advantage over things like where to sleep. Naturally, she wouldn't really turn into a wolf, just convince herself and everything that sees her that she is wolf. It works just as well, apart from the awful back pain you get when you remember that you're a human again. The Slayers finished their game of cards, Amelia winning the seven dollars. "I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed." stated Lina, and left. Amelia hurried after her. Zel, however, stayed behind. After a few minutes, he stood and walked over to the bar. The bartender went over to him. "Is thur anythin' you mun be wantin'?" He mumbled through a set of badly fitting false teeth. "Not a drink, no. I wanted to know, who were those people sitting to the left of us?" "Ah don' roit'ly 'amember, zur. 'Oo wur they?" Zel struggled to remember any details about them. "There was a Doctor... and a Princess... And others. They were talking to a demon." He managed. As soon as the words left his lips, he was suddenly surprised at himself; He never remembered hearing that there was a Doctor, or a Princess, and certainly not that they were talking to a demon. The bartender, however, understood him. A dark look flickered across his face, and he lowered his voice. "Yurr torkin' 'bout them 'unt'ers, yew are. Yurr, they bin comin' t' moi bar fur nigh on a week, naow. They bin 'untin' furr a diamon', so far as oi know, Roight 'till las' week. They come 'ere wi' some new peopl', an' they draws up thi' chair. An' Oi sez to moisel', "Look a' 'em, Lucian," Oi sez, "cuz if they dun' be doin' bad, Then Oi'm a bot'le o' sherry." Tha' young ma' wid th' oran' cloak, e' come an' sit daown, an' 'e sez: "Oi' do 'ave yurr diamon', Xelloss Me'allium." An' 'e reaches innoo 'is cloak an' pulls out wot may roightly be th' mos' bigges' diamon' Oi do ever see in moi loife." Zel couldn't help thinking that it was probably the only diamond the man had ever seen in his life, but he took the point. "An' 'e shoves it t'ward th' demon, 'oo takes i' and sticks i' inoo 'is bag." Zel raised an eyebrow. "And what are they hunting now?" "A youn' woma', if Oi do roightly kno'." "Has she ever come here? Do you know what she looks like?" "Aye, tha' Oi do. She on'y ever cum in 'ere once with 'er 'ood off, so I looks at 'er well. She be 'bout seven fee' tall, brown eyes, pale ski', an' pur'le 'air. 'En't no normal 'air, oither. I' goes up." "How do you mean?" "Loike this." the barman traced his finger around his own head. "What was she wearing?" "Red tuni', red leggin's, an' woite boo's. She cum up 'a me, an' she sez: "Are they 'ere?" Oi knows wha' she be meanin', an' Oi tells 'er no. She asks furr a bot'le o' vodka, an' a bag'o' horse feed. Oi gives i' to 'er, an' she goes. Thass all, Zur."He was starting to be wary of this hooded young man, and didn't like the way he was asking so many questions. "Do you know why they're looking for her?" "Oi don' roightly kno', zur." Zel got the hint. "Thank you." He put a dollar on the surface, and left. That night, he started dreaming again.
***
In the next town, a tall young woman dressed in a red tunic with brown eyes and purple hair checked into an inn, had her horse stabled, and went into her room. There she removed her black hood and cloak, and threw it on the bed. She stood for a while with her back to the door, breathing hard, and then sank slowly to the floor. She put her arms around her legs, and her head on her knees. "They're hunting me, still, they're still hunting me, dear Cepheid, they're still after me..." Her fingers wound into her hair. "There was a demon with them! a high level one! Oh gods, how did they get a demon to follow me..." There was a knock at the door. She screamed and sprang away from it as if a snake had come through it. "Miss?" It was just Jerry, the bartender's helper. She opened the door slowly. "Sorry to disturb you, Miss, but Mrs. Whipstick said to ask if you wanted anything." She inhaled deeply a couple of times, and then smiled brightly. "Yes. Vodka, If you have any. Thank you." He ran off, and returned quickly with her vodka. She drank the entire half bottle in a matter of three hours, and then fell asleep almost immediately. The next morning however, she was able to enjoy herself. She had a bath, washed her hair and went downstairs. After breakfast she had her scythe sharpened, and bought some chocolate-nut ice cream, before setting off again. She liked to stay on the move. It made her more inconspicuous. If she stayed in one place, people could remember what she looked like better. The cloak helped. Along with the scythe and pale skin she looked like Death from the old pagan myths. Only those who saw her without it would speak to her without shaking audibly. She had heard rumours, even, that Death was indeed visiting the earth. Nobody was really sure, though. Ah, well. she would never meet them again, so what did it matter. As she reached the edge of the town, Jerry called to her. "Miss, *pant pant* chased you all the way here *pant pant pant* Mrs. Whipstick said to give you this. *pant pant pant.....*" he handed her a bottle of vodka and a bag of horse feed. She accepted them, and smiled cheerily. "Ta, Jerry." She was about to turn and ride away, then remembered something. "Sorry about this. Security, you know." She snapped her fingers, and Jerry blinked one or two times. "Here, who are you?" "Never you mind." She told him. Then she trotted away.
***
Lina looked at her hand once more, then arranged it on the table. "Twenty- one, I win!" "How the...!" Zelgadis started. "That can't be right. Let me see that... Oh, shoot. Five dollars, you win." The door opened with a sudden in-rush of cold air, and two girls stepped in. One was a little shorter than Zelgadis, had dark blonde shoulder length hair that curved inwards, and red-rimmed glasses. She wore a pair of blue jeans, black shoes, a dark green denim jacket over a white t-shirt, and a long epee in a black leather scabbard hanging at her waist. She looked about twenty-five. Her companion might have come up to Zel's waist if she tried very hard, but probably lower and certainly not higher. Her hair was silver white, reached the floor and tied in two separate bunches with purple ribbons. She wore a dark green smock-type thing with puffy sleeves, that came to the middle of her thighs, and incredibly baggy black pants under brown boots that ended just below her knees. It would have been almost impossible to guess her age, but right now she looked about seventeen. They took a table to the left of the Slayers, drew up two more chairs and ordered sake. Lina collected her five dollars from the other three. "Let's play again!" Amelia stated. "Do we have to?" whined Lina's blond companion, "My head hurts..." "Then go upstairs and lie down, yoghurt brains!" snapped Lina, anxious to play again and get more money. He left, and Amelia shuffled the cards and dealt them. "What stakes are we playing for this time?" Zel asked, coming back to earth with a metaphorical bump. "Fifteen!" cried Lina. "But Miss Lina, that's going from five to fifteen! you're meant to do it slower! that's the rules!" *And we all know what happens when someone breaks the rules in front of Amelia* thought Zel, invisibly shuddering. "Ten!" "Six!" "Eight!" Zel could see a fight starting to break out. "Seven." he announced, "Seven or nothing." "All, right then," sniffed Lina, "Seven." They began to play. The door opened again, and a brightly dressed young man of about twenty-four stepped in. He had short brown hair and wore a light blue headband around it. he was almost entirely covered in a large orange cape, but his white pants and yellow boots were still visible. He had dark tanned skin, and carried a sort of aura that screamed "nothing can upset me, for I am cheerful enough to win double gold in the cheery Olympics". Zel turned his attention back to the game, which (much to Lina's dismay) Amelia was winning fast. He walked over to the girl's table, and sat down without bothering to remove his cloak. "Well! You decided to come on time, Selroni" The short girl addressed him frostily. She had a voice of acid and steel. "My business usually detaines me, Princess Tsastavniak." He said, bowing low. "I know, I know... sit down." "Dr. O'Farrell..." he bowed slightly to the taller of the two girls and sat down. They drank some sake and talked about things; politics, music, the tabloid headlines... nothing special. After about five minutes went by, the door opened and another girl stepped in. She was a little taller than Dr. O'Farrell, and wore a long blue dress and blue high heels. She was pale, and her eyes were very slanted, like an angular almond, and dark green. Her hair was long, reaching her ankles, and white-blonde. She wore a black circlet on her head, presumably made from silk,with a dark sapphire set in the front. Before entering, she stood back, and a purple haired, smiling man slunk jauntily over to the table. Then she stepped in herself. She walked over to Dr. O'Farrell, Princess Tsastavniak and Selroni, and sat down herself. "All here, I see." Unlike her face, which was bitter and slightly aging, her voice was musical and laughing. Zel was instantly enchanted by it, and got the feeling that he was supposed to be. The brightly dressed young man Selroni jumped to his feet and bowed low, lower than he had done to the Princess, and then stood again, smiling so hard it looked as though his face might be divided in half by his lips. "Deldara, Deldara! Voice like the birdsong, bells chime to the sound of your name, Deldara! My love, Deldara!" If Zel was surprised by this sudden outburst of adoration to a strange, middle-aged woman from a cheery youth, the rest of the inn wasn't. Not a soul looked up in the entire inn, and the Bartender kept his nose in the glass he was wiping. Zel looked back to the cards at a sudden "A-ha!" from Lina. He didn't think about the other group again. Behind him, the Princess was addressing the smiling man. "Xelloss Metallium. Deldara managed to interest you in our business, I suppose." "Yes. Princess, I am not on your side. Nor am I on the side of that which you seek. I am a Mazoku, and I am therefore already bound. All high level Mazoku are like that. Do not expect any support in any other venture you should happen to make if you do not gratify me for those. Expect less from my kind. We are completely Astral beings, and therefore have no real dealings with those on the planes, this or any other." "I see." Replied the Princess. Dr. O'Farrell looked up. "Excuse me, sir, but perhaps you might inform me exactly how much support we can expect from you in this venture?" She spoke with a full Texan accent, soft with leaning vowels. "As much as you need to complete it. But if you fail, I will not help you. I am in this for success, not failure." "Oh, I understand that, Sir." "One thing. So far I have only been introduced to you as Dr. O'Farrel, and Princess Tsastavniak. I assume, as people, you will have first names as well...?" "Yes." The Princess answered her, "The doctor is Sara, and I am Tasha." "And your friend?" Deldara spoke up again, but this time Zel's elven ears didn't hear it. "Ah, yes. We didn't introduce you to him. This is Selroni Verati, world's greatest flatterer and full time charmer. Not that he could flatter or charm a Mazoku, I think." Xelloss laughed. At that moment the door opened, and a seven foot tall figure cloaked and hooded completely in black, with just the lower half of it's face and it's white boots visible stood in the doorway. Xelloss' laughter stopped abruptly, and he launched himself at the door. The door slammed shut instantly, and there was and almighty crash almost straight away after, as Xelloss hit the door in his face. There was a sound of horses' hooves receding quickly into the distance. Xelloss returned to her chair rubbing his nose. "Was that her?" Asked Selroni. "Yes. Unfortunately she must have sensed me, so we shall have to wait for the next town." "How do you know she has sensed you?" Inquired Tasha. "I do not mean to diminish you, Princess, but she is a seven foot tall scythe wielding female clone of one of the most powerful and deranged people to exist in, *ahem*, recent memory, with skills from every type of magic other than nightmare, and the Lost Powers. And although you and your friends are very powerful, I daresay she wouldn't mind just killing you straight away to get you off her back. I have been paid by other people to do their work with them, and I know that she would only run like that if she knew I was here. How do I know? Simple. Mazoku, the demon race, love to feed of bad emotion. We strike the fear of the Ruby-eyed one into most people, and her fear was certainly worthy of Lord Ruby-eye. I might even have her now, if it wasn't for that door. I have been trying to stay relatively non-astral, and the door got in the way. Ah well, let us hope, ne?" "Yes. I think perhaps we should go now, we are attracting attention." announced Deldara. "The mention of the Lost Powers, Mazoku and Shaburanigdo in the same speech is enough, apparently, to wake up even these rummies." "Very well. Next time." Said Xelloss, and faded away. Dr. O'Farrell said goodbye, and left for her inn, which happened to be the same as Selroni's. Selroni took his leave with a "Goodbye, Deldara, Goodbye! Forget me not, until we meet again!" and a deep bow to both the Princess and Deldara, and left. The Princess saddled her little pony and rode to Cepheid-Knows-Where. Deldara flew away through the trees. She would spend the night as a Wolf, one of her favourite forms, in the forest. Being a Psychic gave her a definite advantage over things like where to sleep. Naturally, she wouldn't really turn into a wolf, just convince herself and everything that sees her that she is wolf. It works just as well, apart from the awful back pain you get when you remember that you're a human again. The Slayers finished their game of cards, Amelia winning the seven dollars. "I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed." stated Lina, and left. Amelia hurried after her. Zel, however, stayed behind. After a few minutes, he stood and walked over to the bar. The bartender went over to him. "Is thur anythin' you mun be wantin'?" He mumbled through a set of badly fitting false teeth. "Not a drink, no. I wanted to know, who were those people sitting to the left of us?" "Ah don' roit'ly 'amember, zur. 'Oo wur they?" Zel struggled to remember any details about them. "There was a Doctor... and a Princess... And others. They were talking to a demon." He managed. As soon as the words left his lips, he was suddenly surprised at himself; He never remembered hearing that there was a Doctor, or a Princess, and certainly not that they were talking to a demon. The bartender, however, understood him. A dark look flickered across his face, and he lowered his voice. "Yurr torkin' 'bout them 'unt'ers, yew are. Yurr, they bin comin' t' moi bar fur nigh on a week, naow. They bin 'untin' furr a diamon', so far as oi know, Roight 'till las' week. They come 'ere wi' some new peopl', an' they draws up thi' chair. An' Oi sez to moisel', "Look a' 'em, Lucian," Oi sez, "cuz if they dun' be doin' bad, Then Oi'm a bot'le o' sherry." Tha' young ma' wid th' oran' cloak, e' come an' sit daown, an' 'e sez: "Oi' do 'ave yurr diamon', Xelloss Me'allium." An' 'e reaches innoo 'is cloak an' pulls out wot may roightly be th' mos' bigges' diamon' Oi do ever see in moi loife." Zel couldn't help thinking that it was probably the only diamond the man had ever seen in his life, but he took the point. "An' 'e shoves it t'ward th' demon, 'oo takes i' and sticks i' inoo 'is bag." Zel raised an eyebrow. "And what are they hunting now?" "A youn' woma', if Oi do roightly kno'." "Has she ever come here? Do you know what she looks like?" "Aye, tha' Oi do. She on'y ever cum in 'ere once with 'er 'ood off, so I looks at 'er well. She be 'bout seven fee' tall, brown eyes, pale ski', an' pur'le 'air. 'En't no normal 'air, oither. I' goes up." "How do you mean?" "Loike this." the barman traced his finger around his own head. "What was she wearing?" "Red tuni', red leggin's, an' woite boo's. She cum up 'a me, an' she sez: "Are they 'ere?" Oi knows wha' she be meanin', an' Oi tells 'er no. She asks furr a bot'le o' vodka, an' a bag'o' horse feed. Oi gives i' to 'er, an' she goes. Thass all, Zur."He was starting to be wary of this hooded young man, and didn't like the way he was asking so many questions. "Do you know why they're looking for her?" "Oi don' roightly kno', zur." Zel got the hint. "Thank you." He put a dollar on the surface, and left. That night, he started dreaming again.
***
In the next town, a tall young woman dressed in a red tunic with brown eyes and purple hair checked into an inn, had her horse stabled, and went into her room. There she removed her black hood and cloak, and threw it on the bed. She stood for a while with her back to the door, breathing hard, and then sank slowly to the floor. She put her arms around her legs, and her head on her knees. "They're hunting me, still, they're still hunting me, dear Cepheid, they're still after me..." Her fingers wound into her hair. "There was a demon with them! a high level one! Oh gods, how did they get a demon to follow me..." There was a knock at the door. She screamed and sprang away from it as if a snake had come through it. "Miss?" It was just Jerry, the bartender's helper. She opened the door slowly. "Sorry to disturb you, Miss, but Mrs. Whipstick said to ask if you wanted anything." She inhaled deeply a couple of times, and then smiled brightly. "Yes. Vodka, If you have any. Thank you." He ran off, and returned quickly with her vodka. She drank the entire half bottle in a matter of three hours, and then fell asleep almost immediately. The next morning however, she was able to enjoy herself. She had a bath, washed her hair and went downstairs. After breakfast she had her scythe sharpened, and bought some chocolate-nut ice cream, before setting off again. She liked to stay on the move. It made her more inconspicuous. If she stayed in one place, people could remember what she looked like better. The cloak helped. Along with the scythe and pale skin she looked like Death from the old pagan myths. Only those who saw her without it would speak to her without shaking audibly. She had heard rumours, even, that Death was indeed visiting the earth. Nobody was really sure, though. Ah, well. she would never meet them again, so what did it matter. As she reached the edge of the town, Jerry called to her. "Miss, *pant pant* chased you all the way here *pant pant pant* Mrs. Whipstick said to give you this. *pant pant pant.....*" he handed her a bottle of vodka and a bag of horse feed. She accepted them, and smiled cheerily. "Ta, Jerry." She was about to turn and ride away, then remembered something. "Sorry about this. Security, you know." She snapped her fingers, and Jerry blinked one or two times. "Here, who are you?" "Never you mind." She told him. Then she trotted away.
***
