Synopsis: (Because those little blurbs they allow you to catch people's
attention are way too short)
A decade and a half after Slayers Try, a great war between the Mazoku
and the humans has broken out. But thanks to an innovative new magic
developed by none other than the illustrious Lina Inverse, it seems as
though the humans might be victorious once and for all! The monsters' ranks
have been decimated, their spirit crushed, and even the Mazoku Lords have
turned their backs on the hopeless war. But if everything is going right,
what is this new threat that sweeps across the land? And why has Lina
received an unexpected visit from her arch enemy, who happens to be an old
traveling companion.?
Warning: There ends up being a lot of L/X insinuation, even though I didn't really mean for it to be that way. My personal belief is that Xelloss is a monster to the core and is incapable of feeling love. But that doesn't mean Lina can't have a crush on him! Anyway, I support A/Z, F/V, and depending on my mood L/G or G/S or L/X.
Disclaimer: The Slayers were invented by Hajime Kanzaka, I believe. In any case, they weren't invented by me. I own pretty much nothing in this story and it is a purely non-profit endeavor. No harm was meant by anything written in this story.
Authors Note: (It's long, but it was important to me) This story was originally written as an interactive adventure story for my little sister. Meaning, I came up with the plot and controlled all the characters except for Lina. My sis took over for Lina early on in the story and controlled all of her actions, as well as wrote most of the text concerning her. This makes for very interesting plot development, since you can never account for whatever unpredictable things your co-writer might do, and you often have to think your way out of things. However, it also makes for hard-to-read storylines and lots of inside jokes. Since I thought this plot was pretty decent and might have a chance of interesting other Slayers fans, I had the idea of posting it here, in a reworked version. So, as an experiment, I am going through the story and rewriting parts that I think are confusing, adding in details that were simply assumed by us, taking out pointless inside jokes, and generally trying to improve the overall readability. The style is still somewhat jerky and probably too wordy. If I think it necessary, I will go back and rework it again. If you read this story and have any sort of feelings about it, good or bad, I'd love to hear them. Although I write for my own pleasure, feedback always makes an artist feel extra motivated. And please, don't be afraid to give me negative feedback. I am not here to boost my ego. I'm here because I like sharing my stories with people. If I get some hints on how to become a better writer, well then I get that much more out of the experience. After all, if my works were flawless, I'd be making money of my stories right now. But I'm not. So please feel free to criticize anything I write, especially since this particular story stands a good chance of containing extra problems due to the way it was written. However, I ask you to keep your reviews free of flaming. Keeping your criticisms constructive and polite will make things much easier for everyone. Thanks for your time!
Prologue
Lina stumbled through the passageway, cluttered with chunks of stone and debris. Some type of small rodent scurried over her foot and vanished through a crevice in the wall. Cautiously, Lina peered into the room that opened up in front of her. It was grandly built, with a high ceiling and moth eaten tapestries on the walls. And it was full of old furniture, broken glass, and animals' nests. This had better not be another stupid dead end, she thought bitterly.
For the last three years, Lina had been searching for a way to counter the monsters' vicious attacks, without any luck. And while she spent her time exploring old ruins and hidden valleys, she knew that her friends at home were fighting for their lives.and losing. More than anything she wanted to give up the search for a great weapon or a powerful spell and join her fellow men at the frontline. But Amelia had begged her to take this on, and Lina could not refuse her old friend.
The moment Lina had heard the news of Prince Philionel's death in the battle of Barrow Hill, she had set a course for Seyruun. And when, upon arriving, Amelia had enlisted her aid and offered her the position of Court Sorceress, Lina could not find it in her heart to decline. After all, ever since the uprising of the monster race two years previous, Seyruun had taken many heavy blows and suffered many serious losses. And Lina Inverse did not abandon friends in need! And besides, ever since Gourry had left, Lina had felt a distinct lack of meaning in her life. The blond swordsman had felt that, without the sword of Light, he would no longer be able to fight against the kind of magic Lina often found herself up against, and would become little more than a burden to her. He had said that a bodyguard who constantly need to be protected and rescued by the person he was supposed to be protecting was a poor bodyguard indeed. So he had left to find a job where he could be of some use. And since his departure, robbing bandits had never been the same.
So it was that Lina had become Court Sorceress and begun researching new spells with which to defend the kingdom against the monsters, who had mounted a surprisingly strong and sudden campaign against the humans, supposedly led by Dynast Grausherra himself. So it was that she had become a symbol of hope to the badly outnumbered people of Seyruun, and so it was that she had come to stand beside Amelia at her coronation, as well as her wedding to Prince Marthorne of a neighboring kingdom. The marriage had been Prince Phil's dying wish, as Marthorne ruled over a rich and prosperous kingdom and was able to lend many good soldiers to the cause.
Amelia had been hesitant at first, but it was clear that Marthorne was quite taken with her and he offered her much needed comfort and protection in these trying times. Lina knew her royal friend had still been entertaining hopes that Zelgadis, who, after spending 10 months with her in Seyruun after the battle against Darkstar, had gone off again to seek his cure, would one day return. But nothing had been heard from the wayward chimera since his disappearance five years ago. And eventually Amelia had let it go and gotten on with her life.
Now Lina found herself serving her queen by searching the known world (and some of the unknown) for something she wasn't even sure existed. After all, perhaps there was no way to turn the tide. Lately it seemed as though Zelas Metallium and Dynast Grausherra had banded together and set out to wage an all out war against humanity, for whatever incomprehensible reason. Frustrated by the feelings of doubt which ate at her heart, Lina lashed out at the collection of priceless junk heaped in every corner of the room. Wildly she swung her walking stick at a number of boxes and chests piled against one wall; they fell to the ground, scattering and breaking open with several loud crashes. Treasure spilled everywhere and a dust cloud was sent spraying into the air. Lina coughed and waved a hand to clear the air in front of her face. When the dust finally settled, Lina noticed a strange object had rolled up to her feet. It was an uncut gem, still encased in a hunk of rock. And from it, Lina could feel a strange aura radiating. Even before she bent to pick it up, the court sorceress knew she had found what she had been looking for.
Warning: There ends up being a lot of L/X insinuation, even though I didn't really mean for it to be that way. My personal belief is that Xelloss is a monster to the core and is incapable of feeling love. But that doesn't mean Lina can't have a crush on him! Anyway, I support A/Z, F/V, and depending on my mood L/G or G/S or L/X.
Disclaimer: The Slayers were invented by Hajime Kanzaka, I believe. In any case, they weren't invented by me. I own pretty much nothing in this story and it is a purely non-profit endeavor. No harm was meant by anything written in this story.
Authors Note: (It's long, but it was important to me) This story was originally written as an interactive adventure story for my little sister. Meaning, I came up with the plot and controlled all the characters except for Lina. My sis took over for Lina early on in the story and controlled all of her actions, as well as wrote most of the text concerning her. This makes for very interesting plot development, since you can never account for whatever unpredictable things your co-writer might do, and you often have to think your way out of things. However, it also makes for hard-to-read storylines and lots of inside jokes. Since I thought this plot was pretty decent and might have a chance of interesting other Slayers fans, I had the idea of posting it here, in a reworked version. So, as an experiment, I am going through the story and rewriting parts that I think are confusing, adding in details that were simply assumed by us, taking out pointless inside jokes, and generally trying to improve the overall readability. The style is still somewhat jerky and probably too wordy. If I think it necessary, I will go back and rework it again. If you read this story and have any sort of feelings about it, good or bad, I'd love to hear them. Although I write for my own pleasure, feedback always makes an artist feel extra motivated. And please, don't be afraid to give me negative feedback. I am not here to boost my ego. I'm here because I like sharing my stories with people. If I get some hints on how to become a better writer, well then I get that much more out of the experience. After all, if my works were flawless, I'd be making money of my stories right now. But I'm not. So please feel free to criticize anything I write, especially since this particular story stands a good chance of containing extra problems due to the way it was written. However, I ask you to keep your reviews free of flaming. Keeping your criticisms constructive and polite will make things much easier for everyone. Thanks for your time!
Prologue
Lina stumbled through the passageway, cluttered with chunks of stone and debris. Some type of small rodent scurried over her foot and vanished through a crevice in the wall. Cautiously, Lina peered into the room that opened up in front of her. It was grandly built, with a high ceiling and moth eaten tapestries on the walls. And it was full of old furniture, broken glass, and animals' nests. This had better not be another stupid dead end, she thought bitterly.
For the last three years, Lina had been searching for a way to counter the monsters' vicious attacks, without any luck. And while she spent her time exploring old ruins and hidden valleys, she knew that her friends at home were fighting for their lives.and losing. More than anything she wanted to give up the search for a great weapon or a powerful spell and join her fellow men at the frontline. But Amelia had begged her to take this on, and Lina could not refuse her old friend.
The moment Lina had heard the news of Prince Philionel's death in the battle of Barrow Hill, she had set a course for Seyruun. And when, upon arriving, Amelia had enlisted her aid and offered her the position of Court Sorceress, Lina could not find it in her heart to decline. After all, ever since the uprising of the monster race two years previous, Seyruun had taken many heavy blows and suffered many serious losses. And Lina Inverse did not abandon friends in need! And besides, ever since Gourry had left, Lina had felt a distinct lack of meaning in her life. The blond swordsman had felt that, without the sword of Light, he would no longer be able to fight against the kind of magic Lina often found herself up against, and would become little more than a burden to her. He had said that a bodyguard who constantly need to be protected and rescued by the person he was supposed to be protecting was a poor bodyguard indeed. So he had left to find a job where he could be of some use. And since his departure, robbing bandits had never been the same.
So it was that Lina had become Court Sorceress and begun researching new spells with which to defend the kingdom against the monsters, who had mounted a surprisingly strong and sudden campaign against the humans, supposedly led by Dynast Grausherra himself. So it was that she had become a symbol of hope to the badly outnumbered people of Seyruun, and so it was that she had come to stand beside Amelia at her coronation, as well as her wedding to Prince Marthorne of a neighboring kingdom. The marriage had been Prince Phil's dying wish, as Marthorne ruled over a rich and prosperous kingdom and was able to lend many good soldiers to the cause.
Amelia had been hesitant at first, but it was clear that Marthorne was quite taken with her and he offered her much needed comfort and protection in these trying times. Lina knew her royal friend had still been entertaining hopes that Zelgadis, who, after spending 10 months with her in Seyruun after the battle against Darkstar, had gone off again to seek his cure, would one day return. But nothing had been heard from the wayward chimera since his disappearance five years ago. And eventually Amelia had let it go and gotten on with her life.
Now Lina found herself serving her queen by searching the known world (and some of the unknown) for something she wasn't even sure existed. After all, perhaps there was no way to turn the tide. Lately it seemed as though Zelas Metallium and Dynast Grausherra had banded together and set out to wage an all out war against humanity, for whatever incomprehensible reason. Frustrated by the feelings of doubt which ate at her heart, Lina lashed out at the collection of priceless junk heaped in every corner of the room. Wildly she swung her walking stick at a number of boxes and chests piled against one wall; they fell to the ground, scattering and breaking open with several loud crashes. Treasure spilled everywhere and a dust cloud was sent spraying into the air. Lina coughed and waved a hand to clear the air in front of her face. When the dust finally settled, Lina noticed a strange object had rolled up to her feet. It was an uncut gem, still encased in a hunk of rock. And from it, Lina could feel a strange aura radiating. Even before she bent to pick it up, the court sorceress knew she had found what she had been looking for.