Note: I don't own Slayers, and never will no matter how hard I wish…
Please forgive the shortness of this chapter, consider it more of a prequel, and I'll try to ensure the others have more substance.
Eternal
Xelloss lowered his staff. The pain flowing in waves off the priestess before him was not as sweet as he would have imagined. In fact, it left a very bitter aftertaste to the point of nearly making him sick.
"You should not have provoked this fight."
The woman laying on the ground gasped for breath past the pain. Her lungs gurgled with the blood beginning to fill them. More blood pooled on the ground beneath her. It stained her long white hair a flaming red.
"You are Xelloss the Detested," she gasped again and coughed blood. "I could not ignore you or what you have done."
She coughed more and closed her eyes. The pain was beginning to fade.
Something about the woman would not let him walk away, even though she had minutes at best. When she opened her eyes and looked at him, there was fire still burning brightly in them. Xelloss couldn't help but feel he'd somehow made a horrible mistake by striking her down so quickly. It was the first time that he'd ever seen her, and she immediately attacked him.
"What is your name?" Xelloss kneeled down next to her.
The woman attempted to scoff his question, but simply ended up provoking another coughing fit. Xelloss just continued to watch her closely and ponder the oddity of the situation.
He was not expecting it when she finally answered. "Rose," she closed her eyes, "Orleine."
Moments later her heart faltered, and she exhaled her final breath. Xelloss leaned back on his heels. He'd killed hundreds of thousands, and fewer than a dozen he'd actually cared to remember their names. However, for reasons he still could not understand he would remember this one.
Unable to make any further sense out of the situation he rose. He had business to finish attending to for his Lord Beastmaster. Just before he left he hesitated. Turning back to the corpse he set it aflame with magic. Almost instantly it was reduced to ash. Again for reasons he could not understand it would have been wrong to leave her broken body to the scavengers and bugs.
