One of Those Usual Arguments…

One of Those Usual Arguments…

I am sitting beside my group of comrades in the middle of a desolate desert. Across from me stands Zelgadis, looking as serious and depressive as ever. Well, who can blame the guy? His stone skin, lavender wire for hair, and menacing eyes are enough to send most people running for the hills. His beige cape flutters gently in the slight breeze I feel along my back, a small relief to the blistering heat of the desert plains.

Filia stands to my left; long, flowing, sparkling golden hair framing her annoyed facial expression. She is wearing earrings larger than the size of an adult's fist, resembling strange types of ornamental balls. They hide the mark of what she truly is --- large, pointed ears --- a Golden Dragon in human form, known for their golden scales and supposedly godly ways. A large sapphire jewel decorates the front of her outfit, clasping her cloak around her neck. Her gloved fists tremble in extreme anger at the object of her annoyance: Xelloss.

Xelloss stands to my right, bright smile lighting up his face, as usual. He is quite a strange being. After all, who would go around calling themselves the "Mysterious Priest?" His straight, purple, limp hair falls just short of his shoulders. His long black cloak is clasped in the front by three ruby-red jewels. His black silken pants flutter smoothly in the breeze. His ever-closed eyes conceal his own dark secret --- slit catlike pupils embedded within amethyst jewels for eyes --- the mark of a Demon, a creature of darkness. He carries around a crooked staff, blood red globe adorning the top. His reasons for tagging along with my group of followers are unknown; after all, his favorite response to most personal questions is "That is a secret." He continues his stare down with his natural enemy, the relatively young dragon girl (she is, in actuality, about 300 years old; quite young for a dragon), smiling that irritatingly cheerful smile she despises so much. I listen in on their frequent arguments. What on EARTH could be bothering them this time?

"I SAID, you Demon filth, that we must travel towards the mountains in the north!" exclaims Filia.

"Oh? I say we head towards the flatlands to the west!" shouts Xelloss right back at her, still sounding remarkably cheerful in comparison.

"NO!"

"…No? But, my dear, traveling westward will get us to the temple much more quickly."

"HMPF! I don't care what you say!" I sigh as Filia then bursts into a passionate speech about how holy dragons are always more righteous than the demonic race of evil. "As a priestess of the Fire Dragon King, there is no way I can agree with you, piece of garbage Demon, regardless of the situation! There is always the large chance that you could be leading the whole group straight to our deaths, so trusting you is OUT OF THE QUESTION!" She smirks at the being that had murdered thousands of her kind in a war one thousand years ago (1012 years ago, to be exact), quite proud of herself for standing up to the demon of all Demons.

I watch as Xelloss sneers at Filia for a split second before quickly slapping his smiling face back on. ^_^ Before he can say a word, however, Filia continues to speak:

"Hmpf! You Demons really ARE nothing. You simply serve a decrepit Dark Lord and that's the end of it! If your 'mistress' doesn't say so, then you are POWERLESS."

I sigh again. Great…Now Xelloss is gonna try and get her as angry as possible, just to spite her.

The obviously angry demon suddenly smirks as something behind the dragon catches his eye. He opens his jewel-like, unreflective eyes that pierce the soul, smiling sadistically at Filia. He wags the 'no-no' finger at her, still smiling in a similar manner. "My, my, Filia, your tail seems to be showing!"

Of course. Filia's dragon tail often appears when she feels angry. Filia hasn't been trained too much in human transformations, and is inexperienced when it comes to holding her form for too long. The dragon reacts in her usual way and bashes Xelloss over the head with her heavy mace.

I hide my face in my hands with embarrassment. I guess it's time to break it up. I grin widely and jump up from my seated position. I take a deep breath and prepare to scream at the bickering opposites.

"SHUT UP, YOU TWO! I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE! YOU BOTH FIGHT LIKE A MARRIED COUPLE!" After being ignored, I figure there is only one way to stop them. Threats. I begin to chant the words for my most powerful black magic spell: the Dragon Slave.

"Darkness beyond twilight;

Crimson beyond blood that flows;

Buried in the flow of time.

In thy great name I pledge myself to darkness!

Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!

Drago---"

I grin and reseat myself, having already gotten the desired reaction: silence. Works every time. I pull out my small bag of snacks, feeling a wave of hunger wash over me. Shoveling a few pieces of stale bread into my mouth, I think over the past events of the day. The stale flavor feels horrible on my tongue, feeling crusty and disgusting. No water available makes it even worse.

I look up after finishing my food, hearing footsteps begin to walk toward me. Xelloss.

"Yes, Xelloss, what do you want?" I demand of him, not particularly wishing to speak to his cheerful face at the moment. Besides, he is not usually the type to speak to when you feel stressed out --- despite appearances, he is an evil Demon, after all.

"Ah, nothing much, Miss Lina," he (or rather, it? Demons don't exactly have genders) says cheerfully. He speaks to me more respectfully than the rest. Perhaps it is because of my skills as a sorceress? Or maybe his Mistress, the Greater Beast, wants him to get on my good side? Either way, there is no way I am going to fall for his tricks too easily.

"What do you mean, 'nothing much?' 'Nothing much' to you could mean chopping your own head off and handing it to you on a platter," I snap back at him. "I don't appreciate you using us as pawns in your little games, Xelloss. How many times are you going to do so until you're satisfied?"

That irritatingly cheerful smile again. ^_^ "Ah, you've figured that much out?"

I immediately grab him in a headlock and scream into his ear. "OF COURSE I'VE FIGURED THAT MUCH OUT, YOU DEMON HALF-WIT! WHY ELSE DO YOU APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR AT THE ABSOLUTE WORST TIMES?!"

Xelloss sighs contentedly. "Miss Lina, did I ever tell you how much I enjoy your beatings?" he says, still with his ever-present smile. ^_^

I groan. So that was what he was after.

Demons feed on and gain strength from a human's negative emotions. Pain, fear, sadness, depression --- all are exquisite delicacies for Demons. Some of their favorite past times includes causing these negative feelings. Likewise, positive feelings of any sort tend to make them feel a bit sick, including happiness and love. Of course, it is more than difficult to feel such emotions around him.

"IS THAT ALL YOU TAKE ME FOR, XELLOSS?!?! AN EXCELLENT MEAL TO SATISFY YOUR DEMON HUNGER?!?!" I shout at him, effectively blowing his hair back from the force of the sound waves.

Xelloss's smile never falters throughout this whole thing. ^_^ "Ah, Miss Lina, that may very well be one reason I stay with such an entertaining group, right?"

I silently fume, still holding the cheerful Demon in a headlock. Muttering a few choice words under my breath, I finally release him. He stands up and brushes himself off, grinning widely, of course. ^_^ This is when I take my chance:

"DRAGON SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE!!!"

The spell hits Xelloss dead-on, but I know it will not do anything to hurt him. In fact, in a few more seconds, he will probably jump back up, good as ne---

"Ah, that felt good! Thank you, Miss Lina, for that generous amount of pain! ^_^" Another smile and he jumps back up, a little bit blackened from the blast, it seems, but nonetheless perfectly fine, since he is immune to all black magicks and physical attacks.

I groan in irritation. I realize that Xelloss will not leave the group anytime soon. I also realize that he could betray us at any time to suit his own needs. He had once told me that he would gladly kill me for something he wants. Excellent way to make you feel safe, isn't it?

I brush my fiery red hair over my shoulder and stand up. "Alright, everyone, let's get going. I want some food, so let's get to a town by sundown!"

My name is Lina Inverse, Sorceress Supreme, the Bandit Killer. I am a gorgeous red-haired vixen (Xelloss's comments brought to you by the Xell-O-Meter: Gorgeous vixen? ^_^ Not from what I see.), skilled in black, shamanistic, and nightmare magicks alike. Demons fear me, (Xelloss's comment: I don't. ^_^) humans admire me, dragons turn to me for help. I am renowned for my skills from around the globe…I am, ultimately, unmatched and undefeatable.*