Hello, and welcome! I've had this fanfiction in the works for a while now, and I'm very excited to share it with you. This story is not within my previous continuity and therefore has no relation to any of my previous fanfictions. So whether you've read some of my stories before or are a new friend, you're welcome to pick up the story with no required knowledge, save for the events of the Slayers anime, particularly REVOLUTION, as that is the season around which this is mostly based. As always, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!
1- Crimes Against Chicken Wings
A cold wind blew through the courtyard. Abandoned buildings in the dead of winter were the last place one could expect to find warmth, but this castle's current inhabitants weren't worried about the cold.
The visitor, on the other hand, seemed very worried about the cold.
It wasn't that the boy's coat wasn't thick enough, but the rain had waterlogged it and the weight was dragging him down. A long ponytail of blond hair was plastered to his back, and he had a bag slung over one shoulder. His most precious cargo was not in the bag, though, but cradled in his arms. He bowed, pressing his nose to the frigid stone floor.
"Please…" he murmured. "…I beg of you. You've got to help me."
The two figures glanced at one another. The one on the right was a tall beastman, but the second was a tiny animal, and he was perched on the table next to his companion.
"What is this favor, anyway?" the small animal asked.
"Th-th-th-" The boy's teeth chattered as he spoke. "-this…" He set the sword he was carrying onto the floor and pushed it forward. "…I need you to make a copy of this."
"That's…" the small animal breathed.
"It's the legendary Sword of Light." The beastman finished the sentence for him.
The little animal jumped off the table and scurried over to the sword, examining it closely. "Where did you get this?" he asked the boy.
"I won't lie. I stole it." the boy answered. "It was in the wrong hands. I had to. If they kept it, th-then…"
"But then why do you want a copy? What makes you think we can even do that?" the Beastman approached his companion and the boy, picking up the sword and examining it as well.
"Aren't you the ones… who possess knowledge from the magical city of Sairaag? Please, oh please, the people I stole the sword from are out to get me. If they find me, they'll kill me. I don't want to give them the real thing back, but if I don't… you understand?"
"But to make a copy of a magical sword like this? That's a tall order." The little animal jumped onto his companion's shoulder.
"I'll pay you!" The blond boy pulled out a bag of gold coins. His fingers were numb and he had a hard time unlacing the bag. It split open and the coins scattered out onto the floor. "I'm sorry. I heard you were collecting money for some kind of medical research. It's no object- you can have all of this."
The small animal narrowed his eyes. "Did you steal this too?"
"Does that matter?"
"Please give us a moment to talk this over."
The boy nodded, beginning to collect the coins from the floor. The beastman and the tiny animal stepped away, arguing as they moved.
"You're the Black Magic expert, prince. Can you make a copy of that?"
"I can try. I just don't like the idea of accepting stolen money."
"The boy said it was in the wrong hands, didn't he? What do you think the original owners would have done with it? We'll take the money and use it to fund medical research to help many people."
"But stealing is stealing."
"If you don't do this favor for him, that boy might die. He's no more than a child. Can't be more than fifteen or sixteen. Would you wish that for anyone?"
The little animal turned away with a sigh. He jumped off his companion's shoulder and hopped over to where the boy was tying up the bag of coins again.
"Listen, kid. I'm going to do what I can to help you. I'll accept the money, but only half at first. I'll take the other half after you present the fake sword to those people who're chasing you. That way I have some- kid? Kid?"
The boy had passed out. Whether it was from the cold or fatigue, the beastman and the little animal weren't sure. The beastman took the boy somewhere safe and warmer for the time being, while the animal began examining the Sword of Light.
He had a job to do, and the sooner he got it done, the better
"Would it be bad manners to take food off Gourry's plate while he's in the washroom? Part of me wants to say yes…" Lina murmured to herself, tossing a glance toward the empty seat next to her. "…and an even bigger part of me wants to say no."
Before the former part of her conscience could drown out the latter with sympathy for her companion, she snatched up all of the chicken wings and moved them to her side of the table. A slight twinge of remorse caused her to pick one- the smallest, of course- and return it to Gourry's plate, but the rest she began eating right away.
This particular tavern was too quiet, at least as far as taverns went, but Lina had read about it in a food journal and couldn't pass up the opportunity for their delicious home cooking. What had begun as a party platter meant to feed a group of twelve had been reduced to nothing more than crumbs and residual smudges of mashed potatoes and gravy, all thanks to Lina and Gourry's appetites.
I wonder what's on the dessert menu, Lina mused, gnawing on her spoils. I read that this place has a great bread pudding, complete with the best caramel sauce this side of-
"Excuse me."
If the tavern had been any louder, Lina wouldn't even have been able to hear the woman's voice. She turned to look up and noticed a young woman, perhaps around Gourry's age, staring at her pensively. Lina made eye contact as if to encourage the woman to speak more, but she stayed quiet.
"…can I help you?" Lina asked finally.
"I-I'm sorry!" The woman gave a quick bow and then brushed her dark hair out of her face. "My name is Meg, and I represent Inspector Maximilian de Morrigan, of the Ruvinigald Kingdom. I'm here to speak to… uh… Lina Inverse…"
"Ruvinigald?" Lina frowned. "What does the Ruvinigald Kingdom want with me this time?"
"This time? I'm afraid I don't understand. My orders were only to-"
"Hey, Lina! Who's this?"
Meg turned around and found herself standing directly in front of a tall swordsman. Her eyes flew up to his face and she screamed, jumping backwards a few steps and knocking over a chair. She tripped and almost fell over, but Gourry swooped in and caught her.
"Whoa! Are you alright, Miss? I didn't mean to startle you, I just-"
By this time, the whole restaurant was watching to see what had just happened. Gourry still had Meg in his arms and was looking over her to make sure she wasn't injured.
"O-oh no! I'm so, so sorry!" She looked as though she were going to cry. "I didn't mean to scream. You spooked me, appearing all of a sudden like that."
Gourry let go of Meg, allowing her to steady herself against the table while he picked up the chair she'd knocked over. Lina stood up and waved her hands toward the rest of the patrons.
"Alright, go back to your dinners. There's nothing to see here."
Gourry sat down in his spot and invited Meg to sit down across the table from him. "Who did you say you were again?"
"My name is Meg. I'm so dreadfully sorry about all that commotion- I don't know what got into me."
"It's fine, no problem." Lina waved a hand dismissively. "Just keep talking. Didn't you say you were from the Ruvinigald Kingdom? What do you want with me?"
"W-well…" Meg stammered. "Inspector Morrigan said that it was imperative that we locate you, Miss Lina, and-"
"You're not trying to arrest me, are you?" Lina stood up again, slapping one hand on the table. "If you think that's what's going to happen, you've got another thing coming! I'm going to resist arrest to the best of my-"
"Miss Lina, please! What are you talking about?" Meg interrupted. "W-we have no intention of arresting you…"
There was a pause. Lina noticed Meg squirming in her seat, and then that the outburst had drawn the attention of the restaurant patrons once again.
"…I… don't like being the center of attention…" Meg murmured quietly.
Lina quickly put on an innocent act. "Ha-haha, don't worry everybody. We're just having some fun. This is all a long-running joke, right guys? Hahaha!"
Gourry gave a sigh and rolled his eyes, and Lina elbowed him in response. She sat down, making sure that everyone had turned back to their own tables again. "So, if you're not here to arrest me, what are you here for?"
"W-we… have a job for you." Meg replied, wringing her hands. "Er, I mean, a job offer for you. What I mean to say is, we need your help.
"My help?"
"Inspector Morrigan wants to meet with you. He's in the city now, working a job at border control."
"So that's how he found us, huh? He heard that we had entered Dils through this particular gate?"
"Please, Miss Lina. It's urgent that we receive your help with this. If you could meet us at the border office tomorrow morning, we would be so appreciative." Meg stood up and rummaged through her bag to find something in particular. "Here. Read through this before you come. It should make things a little more clear."
Lina took the folder from Meg, placing it on the table beside her plate. "Okay, I suppose that's fine. But just because I've agreed to meet doesn't mean I've agreed to the job. I only work for a good price, you know."
"We understand. Thank you for your time."
Gourry watched Meg leave, but Lina had already cracked open the file folder and was browsing the data.
"An arrest warrant?" Lina spoke, pulling out her spectacles to examine the fine print. "Are they asking me to catch a criminal or something?"
"What's it say?" Gourry asked, leaning over her shoulder.
"It's an arrest warrant on the grounds of-" Lina's finger traced down the page until she reached the spot where the offences were listed. There was only one written down, but it caught Lina off-guard. Her mouth hung open for a few seconds, staring in horror at the words on the page.
Gourry blinked confusedly. "Crimes against humanity? What does that mean?"
"Crimes against humanity is the Sorcerers' Guild's way of referring to the unethical, illegal experimentation on human test subjects." Lina looked up at her companion with a grave expression. "That's an offense punishable by death, Gourry."
"Who's the criminal?"
"Some Ruvinigald noble… Lady Adelaide, it says. Never heard of her."
"This profile on her says that she's only eighteen years old."
Lina snapped to attention, grabbing the paper Gourry had taken from her. "What? Are you kidding me? They'd never… they'd never give the death penalty to someone so young."
"What evidence do they have to substantiate the arrest?"
"Let's see…" Lina glanced back down at the document. "…there's not enough here. Suspicious behavior is all that's listed. That's not enough for an arrest warrant- why is this even filled out?"
"It's not dated or signed. Maybe they're looking to get more evidence first." Gourry pointed out.
"That must be it. They need more evidence, so they're going to ask me to snoop around for them." Lina groaned and leaned back in her chair. "Lucky me."
"Are you sure you want to get involved in all this? Sounds dangerous."
"We've dealt with these types before." Lina waved one hand dismissively. "Halcyform, Gioconda… come to think of it, I wonder if this is at all connected to Gioconda. She was Ruvinigald nobility too, after all."
"Gioconda… Gioconda…" Gourry spoke the name a few times . "Wasn't she… the old hag who proposed to me in the middle of a swordfight?" He shuddered. "That's up there among the strangest things opponents have said to me during battle."
"Oh?" Lina sat up. "What are some of the others?"
Gourry glanced around uneasily and then lowered his voice. "I'll tell you later, when we're not in a public place."
"Fine, fine." Lina sighed and placed the papers neatly back into the folder. "We can talk about this later. Flag down the waiter, will you? I think it's about time we ordered dessert. I hear this place has a great bread pudding- your favorite."
"Oh boy!" Gourry exclaimed excitedly. "I'll call the waiter over just as soon as I finish my-" His eyes fell down to his plate which, before he'd left the table, had been filled with food. "-…Lina, what happened to all of my chicken wings?"
"I, uh, thought you were finished." Lina shrugged with an innocent smile. "Sorry?"
"When I say 'I'll be right back' while pointing to my plate, what does that imply?"
"These things are up for interpretation, you know?"
"LIIIIINAAAAAAA-"
Dils had really stepped up its border control in the recent years, considering how the political turmoil in the Alliance of Coastal States had been affecting the states' border with Ralteague. Having Taforashia suddenly rejoin as an independent country had changed the way that some of the coastal states did business, and not everyone was happy with it. There were a lot of treaties to be made and decisions about where Taforashia's exports, particularly its coveted lumber, were going to end up was a major subject of contention among politicians. Lina and Gourry had made a point to stay out of it, but sometimes there were major international changes that even they couldn't avoid.
"Have a seat in the lobby. Inspector Morrigan will see you shortly." The secretary at the desk directed Lina and Gourry to some chairs where they sat down. Gourry was tired and in somewhat of a daze, giving the man a wave and a pleasant smile, but Lina was unhappy with the whole thing.
"…he was the one to ask us to visit. Why should we have to wait? I swear, I can't stand the Ruvinigald people-"
"Miss Lina Inverse?"
Lina stopped mid-sentence and twirled around. A young man with a dark, bushy moustache approached her with a welcoming gesture. She looked him over, examining his face and how he was dressed, and immediately assumed him to be Inspector Morrigan. It surprised Lina how young he was. She'd been expecting some old codger, but this man couldn't have been far past her own age. What a shame- he might've been handsome if it hadn't been for the small animal that had seemingly crawled onto his face and died there.
"Inspector Morrigan?" Lina asked.
"What a pleasure to meet you!" Morrigan grabbed her hand and shook it up and down many more times than Lina thought necessary. "It's an honor to meet the sorceress who helped to defeat the demon beast Zanaffar. My mentor, Inspector Freion, has spoken so highly of you."
"Is that… so?" Lina murmured incredulously, hoping that he would let go of her hand sometime soon. His palms were sweaty- ick! "I'm glad to hear it. Now, about this job-"
"Yes! Please, step into the office here where we can talk privately. Bring your- um," He glanced over at Gourry.
"Bodyguard." Lina provided.
"Thank you. Bring your bodyguard."
Lina and Gourry followed the man down a short hallway. Gourry bent down to complain to Lina, his mouth drawn into a pout.
"I helped defeat the Zanifeer too, y'know. What about my Sword of Light?"
"It was Pokota's replica." Lina replied. "But, yeah. I guess you were important."
"You guess?"
"Oh, Miss Lina! Mister Gabriev- I'm so glad you could make it!"
Lina recognized the voice from the previous day. Meg was sitting behind the desk, but her head was hidden behind a stack of papers. The office was small, and the two chairs that Morrigan directed them to were even smaller. Lina, with her petite frame, was able to sit comfortably, but Gourry barely squeezed into the seat and had to fold up his legs against the desk. Lina pulled out the folder of papers that they'd given her and handed them back to Morrigan.
"Have you read through the information?" the inspector asked, taking the folder and leafing through it to make sure that all the papers were still there.
"Yes." Lina nodded. "My bodyguard and I went over all the details last night and discussed it. I assume you want us to dig up some information on this Lady Adelaide that you're bent on arresting?"
"That's right." Morrigan placed the folder on top of a pile of papers, and the pile swayed back and forth, almost toppling over in the process. Meg reached out and skillfully steadied it, but the inspector didn't acknowledge her. "We have good reason to believe that Lady Adelaide has been carrying out illegal and unethical experiments, and, as she is a Ruvinigald citizen, it is our duty to investigate and prosecute her."
"Yeah, I got that from the papers." Lina replied. "But why do you need me? What have I got to do with it?"
"We believe that Lady Adelaide's activity is in some way related to her mother's experiments. Since you were present during the struggle with Marquess Gioconda, we believed that you might have inside information as to-"
"Wait, wait, wait." Lina waved her hands around, accidentally knocking Gourry in the face in the process. She apologized, and he frowned and rubbed his cheek in response. "Are you telling me that Lady Adelaide is Gioconda's daughter? I didn't even know Gioconda had a daughter."
"Oh? You didn't know? I suppose it's not common knowledge. Their relationship was never publicized, and it's been over five years since Lady Adelaide was removed from the Marquess' custody."
"The woman had four husbands." Gourry muttered. "I'm surprised there aren't more kids."
"Lady Adelaide was born several months after the death of Marchioness Gioconda's second husband-" Meg began speaking, but Morrigan interrupted her.
"Marquess, Marquess. How many times do I have to tell you, Meg?"
"S-sorry, sir." Meg's shoulders hunched over and she looked down at the desk. "My mistake."
"Marquess Gioconda insisted upon taking the normally masculine title during her lifetime and I refuse to be haunted by that woman's ghost just for not respecting her wishes." Morrigan sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"Normally I'd respect a woman like that." Lina chuckled to herself. "Y'know, if she weren't completely insane and all."
"Anyway, as we were saying, Lady Adelaide is the daughter of Marquess Gioconda and her second husband- whose name I forget because I can't remember any of those husbands' names- but the girl grew up under the guidance of the Marquess' third husband, as they married when Adelaide was only three years old, and he died when she was nine."
"They were only married for six years?" Gourry spoke up.
"It was actually March-er-Marquess Gioconda's longest marriage." Meg replied. "She was married to her fourth husband for a little over a year, and only married to her second husband for about eight months."
"Eight months." Lina breathed. "Only eight months before she murdered him?"
"Now, now, we have no proof of that." Morrigan interrupted. "We can't talk murder unless we have evidence to substantiate-"
"She confessed to me." Gourry interrupted. "I heard her loud and clear."
"This conversation is getting out of hand." Morrigan brought his fist down on the table, nearly knocking the papers over again. Meg caught them just as she'd done before, but not without an annoyed glance toward the inspector. "The fact is, once Marquess Gioconda died, her estate was seized by the Ruvinigald government as evidence in the Zanaffar case. Despite her lack of connection to her mother over the last five years, Lady Adelaide demanded that she be allowed to inherit her mother's estate with no government interference. She has been fighting for control of the Gioconda estate, and we have reason to believe that it is because of her connection with Marquess Gioconda's illegal experimentation- which, might I add, is still happen. We have concrete evidence that illegal human experimentation is happening in connection with the Gioconda estate."
"Still happening?" Lina spluttered. "B-but that's impossible! Gioconda died and her accomplice went into hiding! Their experiments can't still be going on."
"Lord Duclis was not the only one working with Marquess Gioconda on the Zanaffar project." Morrigan explained. "Correspondences found with the Marquess' belongings show that her experimentation was funded by a mysterious individual using the pen name 'Abaddon.' Apparently he was the one backing the whole project and therefore had power over the whole thing."
"We don't necessarily know that Abaddon is a man." Meg cut in. "Abaddon could easily be a woman, or something else entirely."
Morrigan nodded. "Whatever the identity of this individual, we believe that Abaddon is still in contact with Lady Adelaide and is pressing her to continue with the work that she and her mother began earlier. The Zanaffar armor was only the beginning, if the correspondences from Abaddon are to be believed, and we have to put a stop to this project before any more innocent lives are affected."
"I see." Lina crossed her arms and nodded her head. Gourry saw her brain switch gears into business-mode, and he scooted his chair a short distance away from hers. "So, what you're saying is, we get enough evidence to arrest and prosecute Lady Adelaide, then once we have her we can find out who Abaddon is and get them too. And for all this, you want my help."
"Are you up to the task?" Morrigan asked. "Lives could be at stake."
Lina's eyes gleamed as she spoke.
"Yes… for the right price, of course."
(Updates will be weekly on Fridays. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!)