The Hound of Dragon's Peak
Eyes in the Mist
One night you may see it, the creature of the mountain. The glowing eyes in the mist should tip you off. It appears on moonlit nights when the moon glows yellow, casting an eerie pale over the valley. You may crunch on bones on the path, then turn to find them gone; you may see blood spattering rocks, oozing from the cracks. Then turn to find it gone. It appears on the tree path, slinking by in the dark. The eerie howl can be heard in the towns, sending shivers down the people's arms. The howl, hollow, echoing, and high-pitched, tells of when somebody meets the creature, and it often turns into a woman's shriek, and then the next moring, the body is found, ripped limb from limb, with glowing yellow marks around the cuts, and the eyes, totally white as snow.
Lina Inverse read the book with a scared look. The creature of the mountain? What kind of a book was Xelloss reading? How to Creep Out People With Scary Stories? Lina looked. How to Creep Out People With Scary Stories. Oh, brother. Lina put her head in her hand. As if ghosts existed, anyway. Everybody knew there was no such thing as ghosts, except maybe a certain mazoku's brain right now. Xelloss had been acting strangely ever since they found him lying in the snow, half frozen to death, even for a mazoku, coughing up mazoku "blood" and moaning. It had been Zelgadis' idea, strangely, to take Xelloss in and nurse him back to health. For some odd reason Zelgadis had taken pity on Xelloss, and Lina, who at first questioned the wisdom of that, agreed now, because not only was Xelloss acting different than usual. Xelloss was helping out around Seyruun's castle. That's where they were staying. Prince Phil was an endless source of amusement to the Trickster Priest, for one thing. Xelloss could crack up Prince Phil like nobody's business and Prince Phil's eccentricities provided a ground for pranks and tricks on Phil. Xelloss was keeping Prince Phil happy. Amelia found Xelloss in the library one snowing night, reading. A Brief History of Ryuuzoku. Apparently Xelloss liked to read, in fact, the books would often come up missing one day and turn up in odd places the next. Such as in Zel's hood. Or on top of Amelia's crown during an ambassador's visit. The chores would often be done by the time everybody woke up, and things like that had been happening for the 7 months Xelloss had been there. Only thing was.Xelloss wasn't getting any better. Or worse. "Oh, so you like my new book?" came a rather cute voice from above Lina's head. Lina looked up to stare straight into Xelloss' smiling face. "Don't you ever quit that?!" Lina burst out. "Smiling all the time GETS ON PEOPLE'S NERVES!" "And so?" Xelloss shrugged as Lina stood up. Xelloss gently took the book from Lina's hands. "Do you like it? Found it covered in cobwebs at the bottom of the HORROR section in the castle library." "It's really freaky," Lina admitted. "I read the Mountain Creature part." "Oh, that?" Xelloss waved a hand. "Quite interesting. I believe it, you see, the creature's real." "WHAT?! Xelloss, you've really gone nuts THIS time. Even mazoku know ghosts don't exist." "So the ghosts want people to think, Lina." "That's it!! You've officially gone crazy!! Come on," Lina growled, grabbing hold of Xelloss' hand. "You're going outside for some fresh air." Lina pulled Xelloss down the stairs and out into Seyruun, where people waved at Lina. Lina bought Xelloss a hat and a sun-brewed tea, while a nice spring breeze fragranced by the many flowers in the vendor's stalls blew. Walking beside Xelloss, Lina commented. "Now come on, you crazy priest. Who could believe in ghosts on a day like this?" Lina smiled, punching the mazoku in the arm. "Xelloss, this is great day! Feel the sun!" Lina stretched out her arms, turning her face up to the sunlight. "I'm soooooooooo happy!" ".ugh." "Spoilsport." "No, the tea." Xelloss pointed. The tea had turned olive green, and was dripping over the glass in an oily, smelly mess. "AAAAAAA!" Lina yelled, grabbing the tea and throwing the cup to the ground. "What did that?!" "I have no idea!" Xelloss was shaking. Then he lost consciousness and fell to the ground with a THUD. "XELLOSS!" Lina knelt by the mazoku's side while people gathered around. Lina shook Xelloss. "Wake up! Oh you stupid mazoku, wake up." Lina laid her head on Xelloss' chest. A shadow came over the town, and people's hair whipped in the wind of dragon's wings as a lithe golden dragon landed in the space created for it by the mob. Then, it transformed. A white-gloved hand came down on Lina's head. "Miss Lina?" Lina looked up. "Filia!!" "What's wrong with Namagomi?" Filia said in a halting voice. "I don't know!! Xelloss' tea went weird and the he fainted!!" Lina grabbed onto Xelloss' cape. "Filia, help!" "Why should I? I came here to see you, Miss Lina. I couldn't care less what happens to Namagomi." Lina decked Filia. "Stupid dragon!! You have no idea!! XELLOSS IS OUR FRIEND NOW!! HELP HIM OR I'LL DRAGON SLAVE YOU TO SAIRAAG!!" Filia looked up with tears in her pretty blue eyes. "Fine. Obviously he's tricked or corrupted you to seeing something worthwhile in him. I'll help him, but I'll also make you see he's just Namagomi." "Shut up, Filia." Lina turned away, fuming. Filia took some of her tears on her finger and stuck it into Xelloss' mouth. The mazoku convulsed and opened purple eyes to see Filia. "Oooooooooh, dear." Xelloss stood up. "Last thing I need is mace in face. See ya." Xelloss disappeared. Lina turned around. "Thanks, Filia." "Nnnnnnnnn." "What do you want?" "Val's disappeared!" Filia burst out crying. "Val flew to Dragon's Peak last night and never came back!!" "Val? Oh, VALGAAV!" "Val, now. Miss Lina, please help me find him.that's what I came to ask! I. I love him, Miss Lina. If anything happened to him I'd absolutely go crazy!!" Lina grabbed Filia's hand. "Come on. Meeting."
"Dragon's Peak?" Zelgadis said, in a den in the castle. Amelia was next to him, while Amelia's little daughter played around Gourry's feet. Her name was Dahlia, and she was the daughter of Martina and Zangulus, who had died last year in an unfortunate siege to Xoana. Amelia took Dahlia in and was rearing the little princess. "Dragon's Peak," Filia repeated. "It's rumored to be a dangerous place, but Val went to get in touch with Milgazia, and never came back! All the dragons left abrubltly after that thing with Gaav and Phibrizzo. I need your guys' help, please?" "Why the old gang?" Gourry asked, confused. "You are the only people I trust," sobbed Filia. Everybody looked to Lina. "Fine, Filia. We'll help." Lina stood up. "Everybody go change back into your traveling clothes." "What about Dahlia?" Amelia asked. "The nannys can take care of Dahlia," Zel said. "Our first priority is finding Val right now." "Right! It's the just thing to do!"
They set off from Seyruun trying to cheer Filia up. "We'll get Val back," Lina said, smiling. A figure on top of the gate shook his head. "Dragon's Peak? Oh, dear no." Xelloss sighed. "The creature." They were in deep trouble!
Eyes in the Mist
One night you may see it, the creature of the mountain. The glowing eyes in the mist should tip you off. It appears on moonlit nights when the moon glows yellow, casting an eerie pale over the valley. You may crunch on bones on the path, then turn to find them gone; you may see blood spattering rocks, oozing from the cracks. Then turn to find it gone. It appears on the tree path, slinking by in the dark. The eerie howl can be heard in the towns, sending shivers down the people's arms. The howl, hollow, echoing, and high-pitched, tells of when somebody meets the creature, and it often turns into a woman's shriek, and then the next moring, the body is found, ripped limb from limb, with glowing yellow marks around the cuts, and the eyes, totally white as snow.
Lina Inverse read the book with a scared look. The creature of the mountain? What kind of a book was Xelloss reading? How to Creep Out People With Scary Stories? Lina looked. How to Creep Out People With Scary Stories. Oh, brother. Lina put her head in her hand. As if ghosts existed, anyway. Everybody knew there was no such thing as ghosts, except maybe a certain mazoku's brain right now. Xelloss had been acting strangely ever since they found him lying in the snow, half frozen to death, even for a mazoku, coughing up mazoku "blood" and moaning. It had been Zelgadis' idea, strangely, to take Xelloss in and nurse him back to health. For some odd reason Zelgadis had taken pity on Xelloss, and Lina, who at first questioned the wisdom of that, agreed now, because not only was Xelloss acting different than usual. Xelloss was helping out around Seyruun's castle. That's where they were staying. Prince Phil was an endless source of amusement to the Trickster Priest, for one thing. Xelloss could crack up Prince Phil like nobody's business and Prince Phil's eccentricities provided a ground for pranks and tricks on Phil. Xelloss was keeping Prince Phil happy. Amelia found Xelloss in the library one snowing night, reading. A Brief History of Ryuuzoku. Apparently Xelloss liked to read, in fact, the books would often come up missing one day and turn up in odd places the next. Such as in Zel's hood. Or on top of Amelia's crown during an ambassador's visit. The chores would often be done by the time everybody woke up, and things like that had been happening for the 7 months Xelloss had been there. Only thing was.Xelloss wasn't getting any better. Or worse. "Oh, so you like my new book?" came a rather cute voice from above Lina's head. Lina looked up to stare straight into Xelloss' smiling face. "Don't you ever quit that?!" Lina burst out. "Smiling all the time GETS ON PEOPLE'S NERVES!" "And so?" Xelloss shrugged as Lina stood up. Xelloss gently took the book from Lina's hands. "Do you like it? Found it covered in cobwebs at the bottom of the HORROR section in the castle library." "It's really freaky," Lina admitted. "I read the Mountain Creature part." "Oh, that?" Xelloss waved a hand. "Quite interesting. I believe it, you see, the creature's real." "WHAT?! Xelloss, you've really gone nuts THIS time. Even mazoku know ghosts don't exist." "So the ghosts want people to think, Lina." "That's it!! You've officially gone crazy!! Come on," Lina growled, grabbing hold of Xelloss' hand. "You're going outside for some fresh air." Lina pulled Xelloss down the stairs and out into Seyruun, where people waved at Lina. Lina bought Xelloss a hat and a sun-brewed tea, while a nice spring breeze fragranced by the many flowers in the vendor's stalls blew. Walking beside Xelloss, Lina commented. "Now come on, you crazy priest. Who could believe in ghosts on a day like this?" Lina smiled, punching the mazoku in the arm. "Xelloss, this is great day! Feel the sun!" Lina stretched out her arms, turning her face up to the sunlight. "I'm soooooooooo happy!" ".ugh." "Spoilsport." "No, the tea." Xelloss pointed. The tea had turned olive green, and was dripping over the glass in an oily, smelly mess. "AAAAAAA!" Lina yelled, grabbing the tea and throwing the cup to the ground. "What did that?!" "I have no idea!" Xelloss was shaking. Then he lost consciousness and fell to the ground with a THUD. "XELLOSS!" Lina knelt by the mazoku's side while people gathered around. Lina shook Xelloss. "Wake up! Oh you stupid mazoku, wake up." Lina laid her head on Xelloss' chest. A shadow came over the town, and people's hair whipped in the wind of dragon's wings as a lithe golden dragon landed in the space created for it by the mob. Then, it transformed. A white-gloved hand came down on Lina's head. "Miss Lina?" Lina looked up. "Filia!!" "What's wrong with Namagomi?" Filia said in a halting voice. "I don't know!! Xelloss' tea went weird and the he fainted!!" Lina grabbed onto Xelloss' cape. "Filia, help!" "Why should I? I came here to see you, Miss Lina. I couldn't care less what happens to Namagomi." Lina decked Filia. "Stupid dragon!! You have no idea!! XELLOSS IS OUR FRIEND NOW!! HELP HIM OR I'LL DRAGON SLAVE YOU TO SAIRAAG!!" Filia looked up with tears in her pretty blue eyes. "Fine. Obviously he's tricked or corrupted you to seeing something worthwhile in him. I'll help him, but I'll also make you see he's just Namagomi." "Shut up, Filia." Lina turned away, fuming. Filia took some of her tears on her finger and stuck it into Xelloss' mouth. The mazoku convulsed and opened purple eyes to see Filia. "Oooooooooh, dear." Xelloss stood up. "Last thing I need is mace in face. See ya." Xelloss disappeared. Lina turned around. "Thanks, Filia." "Nnnnnnnnn." "What do you want?" "Val's disappeared!" Filia burst out crying. "Val flew to Dragon's Peak last night and never came back!!" "Val? Oh, VALGAAV!" "Val, now. Miss Lina, please help me find him.that's what I came to ask! I. I love him, Miss Lina. If anything happened to him I'd absolutely go crazy!!" Lina grabbed Filia's hand. "Come on. Meeting."
"Dragon's Peak?" Zelgadis said, in a den in the castle. Amelia was next to him, while Amelia's little daughter played around Gourry's feet. Her name was Dahlia, and she was the daughter of Martina and Zangulus, who had died last year in an unfortunate siege to Xoana. Amelia took Dahlia in and was rearing the little princess. "Dragon's Peak," Filia repeated. "It's rumored to be a dangerous place, but Val went to get in touch with Milgazia, and never came back! All the dragons left abrubltly after that thing with Gaav and Phibrizzo. I need your guys' help, please?" "Why the old gang?" Gourry asked, confused. "You are the only people I trust," sobbed Filia. Everybody looked to Lina. "Fine, Filia. We'll help." Lina stood up. "Everybody go change back into your traveling clothes." "What about Dahlia?" Amelia asked. "The nannys can take care of Dahlia," Zel said. "Our first priority is finding Val right now." "Right! It's the just thing to do!"
They set off from Seyruun trying to cheer Filia up. "We'll get Val back," Lina said, smiling. A figure on top of the gate shook his head. "Dragon's Peak? Oh, dear no." Xelloss sighed. "The creature." They were in deep trouble!