Slayers Knightfall: Interlude Three
Naga wasn't quite sure what she had been doing the last few years but she was sure that she needed a drink as she wandered about the mud stained tents and barely holding together hovels that made up this refugee camp that she had found herself residing in.
The last thing she vividly remembered before running into her sister was the sight of Lina Inverse; that most perplexing rival of hers. Naga was about to ambush her with a surprise magical assault and thereby finally win the title "Queen of All Magic" when the flat-chested girl made an entire inlet simply disappear.
Not blown up with a Gaav Flare, Burst Flare, Dragon Slave or any other type of explosive spell, but instead made a several square kilometer inlet simply vanish. It was something the wayward princess had never seen Lina, or anything else for that matter, do, before or since.
It was that day, Naga realized, that she knew that her goal of surpassing Lina was simply unattainable. Despite all of her substantial pride and considerable skill in sorcery, despite Naga's unflinching determination and superior physical assets, despite numerous setbacks and being on the wrong side of one of Lina's Dil Brando spells far too many times, Naga knew that she had been beat.
Not the most pleasant of epiphanies.
Things after that were kinda of a blur for her, a room spinning and happy inducing blur, but the next thing Gracia knew with some amount of clarity was experiencing the most vicious headache she had ever had and had her shoulders wrapped by the arms of her younger sister, Amelia. She had almost not recognized her; she had grown so much during her time away from home. After spending some time with her estranged sister for much of the time she had been there Naga had come to the conclusion that she looked so much like their mother that Naga almost couldn't look at her without her heart breaking.
But she didn't have time for weaknesses like that. Naga had to find a way to surpass Lina and do it in such a way that even the stubborn, flat chested, redhead would have to admit that the White Serpent was her superior in every way and promise to buy her dinner and drinks for all of eternity.
After all, what else in life was there? She couldn't, wouldn't, go back to Seyruun, making Amelia the Crown Princess by default, so she may as well try to make her chosen name known for something else worthwhile. And surpassing Lina Inverse would be the fastest way to do that in her mind.
But how to go about it now that magic was out of the picture?
Naga stood there thinking as she watched the downtrodden and nervous looking people mil about their business. She wasn't quite sure why everyone was acting so down though she might've heard something about a demonic invasion but she wasn't too terribly interested in that.
As long as Seyruun was safe and that there was plenty of treasure to plunder and Lina's to be rivals with, the world was at peace for all she cared. Her father, while an oafish brute in her mind, was more than a capable leader and knew how to take care of his kingdom.
Though she was vaguely aware that she had been traveling with Amelia. Lina, a boorish blonde fellow that Lina seemed to like and a strange stone man that Amelia was obviously in love with for some reason or another. She couldn't be sure of too much during that time but she certainly did get the feeling that Lina was quite put out by her.
"Maybe she was afraid that I'd grown beyond her in the ways of sorcery!" Naga arrogantly stated, heedless of the passerby's giving her strange looks. Despite her proclamation, she knew that wasn't the case.
What was it then? What was it about her that Lina was so upset about?
Naga tried to look down to her feet, convinced that it was something on her that was getting to the short one, but, as usual, her ample breasts got in the way.
Naga, thoroughly satisfied that, yes, her boobs were indeed very large, went on her way, marching purposefully yet completely forgetting what it was she was thinking about not more than a few seconds ago.
Then again, Naga did not need a reason to walk purposefully. In fact, it kept her mind off certain things by focusing her attention on looking superior in every possible way and acting like she had someplace important to go or something important to do. D
Important. Naga was once important. Not in the self-important way but in the actual sense of the word. A lifetime ago; when she was Gracia Ul Naga Seyruun, crown princess of the Holy Kingdom of Seyruun . . .
Oh, yes! Brandy! That was what Naga was going to try and procure. Nice, memory dulling, happiness inducing and yummy in her belly, brandy.
The wayward princess looked around, trying to decipher which among these hundreds of identical looking tents could possibly house a liquor establishment.
"Oooohohohoho!" Naga all of the sudden laughed. "Now I remember what I was supposed to be doing!" Actually, she didn't. But she wasn't about to let something like that stop her.
Suddenly, a strange looking man carrying a jewel studded staff and wearing black priest robes appeared before the ever-befuddled Naga.
"My, it's a lovely day, wouldn't agree, Ms. Naga?" greeted the weirdly jubilant man.
"Fitting that the day should be as lovely as I," agreed Naga. "But enough about me, who are you, who would speak to me with such familiarity?"
"I am Xellos! The Mysterious Priest ™! I am a friend of Lina's and by association, you as well."
"Only fitting that a friend of Lina's would immediately seek the company of her better," approved Naga.
"Y-yes," he shakily replied. "But, in actuality, I sought you out because I believe you can prove quite useful in bringing out Ms. Lina's hidden talents."
Naga couldn't help but scoff at the very idea. "As her most beautiful and talented rival, why should I help you do anything of the sort?
"Because, Ms. Naga, all it would involve is you one-upping Lina right in front of her and her closest companion."
"Hmm," she was intrigued, she had to admit. "Tell me, Mister Xellos; Do you like brandy?"
Zelgadis Greywords, master swordsman and sorcerer was on a quest.
A quest he considered even more important than the matter of the possibility of the Dark Lord's resurrection (he seems to do that every other week anyways). In fact, he even put his all-important journey to find a way to regain his original body back on the backburner for this vital task.
Zelgadis Greywords, chimera and retainer to the Holy Kingdom of Seyruun, was on a quest for coffee; the one thing he could not endure being without for any long amount of time.
He always, sometimes at the expense of what other would call more important provisions, carried an ample supply of the grounds (or beans when forced) with him. Usually enough to last him a month or so, plenty to get him clear-headed to whatever ruin or ancient temple he was off raiding that particular day.
In fact, at the thoughtfulness of Mil, the wagon that he and Amelia had been sent off with to the Vale of Shadows had been well stocked with three burlap sacks of coffee grounds: nearly half a years supply. And all of it was now gone, lost to the elements or some now very jacked up beasts.
Lost for eternity.
Zelgadis Greywords, former follower of his grandfather, the Great Sage Rezo and one of the three who helped to defeat him, very rarely shed tears over even the most heartbreaking and soul crushing of experiences.
To him, the loss of that caffeinated boon was one of those rare occasions.
Zelgadis Greywords, confidant and lover to the Crown Princess of Seyruun and friend and sometimes partner to the most powerful practitioner of magic in the known world and the former Swordsman of Light, was on a quest for coffee.
Woe to any who dare impeded him.
The world was a headache induced blur to Zel that morning, as it was every morning after he ran out of the scant amount of coffee grounds he stole away before being needlessly chased into the Vale by a hideous Shade Beast that had meant no harm all along him and Amelia.
Practically the first thing he did once Valgaav had dragged him, Amelia, Lina and Gourry through the Astral Plane and back to the Mil's headquarters, was search the multiple mess halls for the precious brown liquid.
No dice.
The very depressed and grumpy chimera stumbled about the smelly camp, and bumping into people and tent poles most of the morning did little to improve his mood. Surely somebody had some coffee grounds? Hell, even the raw beans still in their hard fruit encasings would be preferable to nothing. It was a camp swelling to close to twenty thousand people; Zel wasn't about to give up just yet.
He would've asked Amelia to use her royal influence to scrounge some but she and Naga had been catching up and now she was over at Mil's tent, trying to convince the dragon to organize a party to check up on Seyruun. Though, technically, he could use his influence as a retainer to Seyruun, he never got used to that kind of power. He was a loner, a survivor; he made his own way with little to no help from others.
Unless it was from Amelia, of course: He could allow himself that much now, these days.
Zel had his hood up, despite his being known among the residents that he conversed with the likes of Milgasia, the Elder Golden Dragon and Zellas the Greater Beast. He was feeling strangely paranoid, which accompanied his general foggy headedness and occasional but jarring hallucinations of multitudes of miniature Lina's and Gourry's fighting over the mining rights to his body.
After having his foot entangled in yet another hemp rope tied down to a tent stake, Zel was fast coming to the conclusion that wrecking havoc on a Lina-esque scale would be the only thing to relieve his ever mounting stress. But he saw something that miraculously, if albeit briefly, took his mind off of his misery: a guitar.
On closer inspection, it was revealed to be a very old instrument, roughly used in its long life and caked in the mud of travels probably just as long. Still, it seemed like it was still playable as all of its strings were still attached and unfrayed.
Zel picked the guitar up and immediately admired the way it felt in his arms. It was much like the one he left in Seyruun, when he and Amelia started off on their journey to discover a cure for his condition once and for all.
The chimera took a strum and despite the out of tune notes, a small smile crept along his face. He had forgotten how much he missed his old instrument.
"Like that, do ya?" An older gent appeared from the tent from next to the guitar was found.
"It's not in the greatest condition but with a little bit of tuning it could sing again," the man went on.
"How much do you want for it?" Zel knew a sales pitch when he heard one.
"Just a few gold pieces," it was overpriced by about two gold pieces and half a silver but Zel paid the price anyways without complaint. It wasn't as if he was lacking for money these days.
Zel found a suitably vacant area and sat himself in between a decent sized handcart and a tent. It was a tight squeeze but not so much it hindered his playing, and played he did. It didn't take him long to get back into the swing of playing after only half a year or so of not.
Soon, he lost himself in the notes, now oblivious to his caffeine headache and general moodiness; just softly singing about his beloved coffee beans . . . well until a certain red-headed sorceress decided to poke her small, slightly pushed up nose into his business.
"Oh, fer corn's sake!" Lina yelled maybe a little too loudly for Zel's sensitive ears. "Zel? What's gotten into you?"
"Not coffee, coffee, coffee beans, that's for sure," Zel weakly muttered, once again reminded of he gaping void in his heart. Then he strummed a few notes of his song, hoping to drive the sorceress nuisance away.
Lina arched an eyebrow and her lips twisted into an incredulous frown just before a just as perplexed looking Gourry asked "How long have you been without coffee? And when did you pick up guitar?"
"Oh, a few days, months, years . . . I can't really tell anymore," said the forlorn chimera, feeling as miserable as a leper with AIDS. "I've been playing forever, but carrying around a guitar is kinda cumbersome as an adventurer."
Lina rolled her eyes a bit at that.
"Well, good luck with that. Hey, while I'm here, could you show me where the mage training grounds are?"
The mage training grounds, eh? That was one of the places that Zel hadn't searched yet. Sorcerers needed coffee for all of their long nights researching arcane knowledge and practicing spells. Not a bad place to continue.
Zel pointed slowly and purposefully, his headache was preventing him form moving much faster, yet he could still strum a few notes without hurting too much. And strum away he did. "There you must go."
"Um, thanks," Lina slowly said. "Have Amelia pull a few strings to get you a few bags of coffee, okay? Heck, you may even want to play for coffee if you ever feel like tuning that piece of junk!"
"Bag's of coffee," smiled Zel in bittersweet remembrance of the bags he had lost. But no! There was no point in mourning the fallen! Not when it would distract him in the long run!
Zel twanged on his guitar, a heavy and slow riff, meant to fill the short Zephillian and tall Elemekian with ominous dread. Maybe they would leave him alone if he played hard enough?
No dice. Back to talking, I guess. But playing for coffee? Not a bad idea, assuming anybody in this gods forsaken hellhole has any.
"Amelia is hanging out with Mil, trying to convince the dragon to help her get her or a party into Seyruun. I think she dragged Gracia with her, leaving me with little company but for the coffee, coffee, coffee beans dancing in my head. Problem is that they won't stop dancing. I find that to be distracting."
TWANG . . .
Zel shot a stretched out, cockeyed stare that he hoped would weird out Lina enough for her to leave as he said, "What do you think?"
STRUMSTRUMSTRUMSTRUMSTRUM . . . STRUM.
"I think you're going just as crazy as Naga was, go get yourself some booze, it might help your headache at the least," Lina drew herself back. She was finally backing off.
"Tell Lantz that I transferred the round of drinks he owes me to you," offered Gourry. That was nice of him. But Zel wanted caffeine, not alcohol. There is a difference.
Gourry continued, earning a slap from one of the slippers that Lina kept handy in one of her pockets. Zel was far beyond paying attention to those two by then. Zel slowly crept his way out of his ruined sanctuary and strode with a single-minded purpose: he would find coffee . . . or die trying.
But, unfortunately, an unwanted appearance from an unwanted Mysterious Priest™ delayed Zel's search.
"What do you want, Xellos?" Zel couldn't even find it in him to be angry by that point.
"Why, Mr. Zelgadis! Fancy meeting you this fine day!"
"Fancy my ass, why don't you cut the bullshit and just tell me which way you want my puppet strings pulled. It might just save us both the hassle. And don't try to play dumb. We all know the only way we find ourselves talking to you is when we are part of your schemes."
"You're no fun . . . ," Xellos moped. "But, you are right, I do have a task for you though you may find it a bit more mundane than the usual stuff you get from me."
"Just one thing though," Zel demanded, tone indicating that he if he was denied the Priest would find his staff crammed sideways through a bit of anatomy that he would soon wish has not recreated as part of his human disguise.
"Anything for you, Mr. Greywords," Xellos flourished that with a creepy smile.
Zel grabbed the demon by the collar and gave him such an intense look that even he involuntarily gulped.
"You will give me coffee," rasped the chimera.
"N-no problem," Xellos agreed, wanting very much to be away from there all of the sudden. "All you have to do is go to Mr. Milgasia and volunteer for any special missions for the upcoming assault. He'll have something that you'll be perfect for, I'm sure."
"Is that all? What is it you are hiding? Why would I be perfect?"
"Do you want you're coffee or would you prefer to be the resident demon's lunch buffet? It makes little difference to me."
"Fine, I'll do it," Zel relented, he couldn't resist, not with his goal in sight.
"Excellent! That which you seek is just beyond the general training grounds but before the livestock pins, there you shall find what you seek."
"You'd better be serious because if so then you've just earned my grudging appreciation."
"Have I ever told a lie?"
"No, but then again, you've never told the entire truth either."
"True, but let's just say that this time I have no reason to deny your wish," Xellos grinned. "Good day, Mr. Zelgadis." And with that the demon vanished, to cause whatever mischief he still had in store for the day, Zel supposed.
Despite his grievances against Xellos, Zel had to admit that he has yet to get them killed and, more often than not, lead them to their goals faster than they would have on their own. Still, it irked him to be in that one's debt, especially after his not so thinly veiled reference of when it was revealed that the demon knew all long how to change his body back into that of a human's.
He made his way towards the training grounds; following the same path Lina and Gourry took, feeling a load better already.
When he passed the Mage proving grounds, he was dimly aware of a battle taking place there. He heard an Arc Brass spell go off and felt sorry for whoever was on the receiving end of that but his attention was truly elsewhere.
Finally, he made it to the place Xellos described, halfway between the animal pens and the training grounds but all he could see were a few people wandering about their business and the stirring of resting animals from between the fence cracks.
Zel swung around, his heart racing. Was he betrayed!? Would Xellos feel the wrath of a splintered spectral rectum!?
Oh wait: there is a table with by a fire with a kettle going. Ooooh! That smell!
Like a weary wanderer with his goal in sight, Zelgadis Greywords whimpered a joyous prayer of gratitude and relief. He nearly stumbled more than once as he scrambled to his (not anyone else's as far as he was concerned) beloved coffee, knocking more than one stunned passerby aside and started a braying, bah, moo fest next door.
To the eyes of the man manning the brewing coffee, it seemed as if a monster of his nightmares had decided to escape his head and wreck havoc on his waking life. Or maybe it was the hallucinations brought about by his own caffeine deprivation?
The monster suddenly stopped, standing rigidly straight, with a steel mug pulled from seemingly nowhere, an expression of the most sincere longing the man had ever seen before or since.
"Good day, kind Sir," the strange stone-man greeted, his polite and mildly cultured voice taking him off guard.
"Uhm, good day?" Hallucination or not, he had no reason to not to return the greeting.
"Might I enquire upon the nature of what is brewing inside your kettle so black?" the stone monster continued.
"The purest Lyzielle Roast I could find," the man explained. "And please don't ask what I did to get it; I have a family you know."
"My dear Sir, might you have enough in that kettle so black to share with a poor, coffee deprived soul?"
"I've brewed enough for at least ten men for the time being, of course you may have some." After all, it might be interesting to share a cup of Joe with a figment of one's imagination.
The strangest thing happened then; the monster quite literally and embarrassingly "squeed". Much like a preteen schoolgirl might when he favorite author released the latest novel in her favorite "Sparkle" Vampire Romance series.
At last, Zelgadis Greywords, clear-headed, body and mind invigorated, felt at peace with the world at large. Demonic pestilence and Dark Lord's resurrection aside, he hadn't felt this good about his life in ages.
But still . . . he wondered how Xellos' plotting would get in the way of that but for now he had coffee and all was good.
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"Surely there is something you can do?" Beseeched Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun to the Elder of the Golden Dragons. She was inside the main tent of the three "Leaders", so to speak, of the resistance. It was a warm and comfortable place with fluffy pillows, pleasantly relaxing incense, and a near constant supply of tea. She had spent much of the previous day catching up with her older sister but now it was back to doing her duty as a Princess of Seyruun.
Zellas sat to the side, napping so it would seem, still in the form of a beautiful wolf. The only thing different about her since she first met her was the nubs of wings growing on the demon's furry shoulders. Amelia wondered how such a gorgeous creature could be such an evil being.
"It is impossible," Milgasia said, denying Amelia's request once again. "Even Valgaav would be hard pressed to enter Seyruun City without being detected, among all the kingdoms in the world, that is the one the forces of evil wanted the most destroyed."
"He's right, little princess," agreed Val, who always seemed to treat her and Zel much nicer than Lina, which she was secretly grateful for, but there was a still a hint of sarcasm when he called he "princess". "Dolphin has gathered all of her minions and her minion's minions unto her and no small part of them is currently occupying your kingdom. I wouldn't risk having any of us captured and tortured into telling them about this place."
"I know that, but-!"
"The best way to help Seyruun, as much as this galls me to say it, is to stick with our plan," said Zellas, who had a wear eye open, eyebrow cocked. "Dolphin and the others will soon know the same humiliation they wrought upon me."
"I would have a much easier time following your plan if I only knew what that was!" Amelia's frustration over not knowing how her father fared was reaching the boiling over point. Surely there was something she could do?
A comforting hand found the Princess' shoulder, Milgasia looked as sympathetic as he ever had. Amelia briefly wondered if Mil had acted the same with Lina would she had ran off like she did those months ago.
"Have faith in your kingdom, Little Princess," Mil said, unlike Val, he calling her that didn't sound the least bit derisive. "Sometimes the hardest thing we can do when our loved ones are in danger is to just have faith in them and pray that they will be all right."
Amelia sagged a little. "I feel like I am abandoning them."
"Seyruun is favored by Sylpheed, they will persevere. King Philionel will not allow his kingdom to be destroyed in such a fashion."
"I wish I was able to use Holy Spells like the High Priests and Priestesses of ancient times," Amelia forlornly said. "I feel like such a failure to my kingdom."
"Hmm . . . perhaps . . . perhaps there is a way to at least make that wish come true," Mil pursed his lips, not at all confidant in what he was telling her.
"Holy Spells?" Amelia parroted, not quite sure that she believed what she was hearing. "But they have been sealed for over a thousand years. It's impossible for even the strongest priest or priestess to use them in this land because of the Demon Seal."
"But suppose the Seal had been weakened," Mil explained. "It isn't an impossible idea as your contemporary played no small part in the destruction of no less than three of the five retainers of the Dark Lord."
"Thank you, so much, for reminding me," Valgaav growled. "But he has a point; the Seal's power should be nearly nonexistent by now."
All eyes turned towards the only remaining retainer in the room.
Zellas looked slightly annoyed and gave out an exasperated sigh.
"Fine, you got me. I guess there is no point in hiding it now; the Seal has indeed been more or less demolished, Holy Spells are now officially on sale at your nearest local Angel, which is to say, no where. Sorry, princess, but it looks like hopes have been dashed before they could even fully take form."
"No way . . . ," Amelia was on the verge of tears for her perceived lack of power to do anything to help her beloved kingdom.
"Surely, those in Heaven know that the Seal is gone," Mil mused. "And surely the Gods must be planning something to help quell this crisis yet we have seen nothing outwardly that that is the case."
"You surely are not suggesting-."
"No! No, Princess. Never that. I am simply saying that if they do indeed know that the Seal is gone, and I cannot imagine it otherwise, that they are working behind the scenes to our advantage. Never would the Gods abandon us in our time of need. Especially as how this time mirrors that of a thousand years ago."
"The War of the Dark Lord's Resurrection," Amelia gravely said. "It feels like I am living through the Apocalypse itself."
"It may not be the same as in Seyruun Scripture but if you lose heart it may as well be the end of the world to you. You will find a way to serve your kingdom, of that I have no doubt."
Amelia felt reenergized at that bit of encouragement though she was still nervous almost to the point of panicking over her father.
A sudden image of Lina, lying on the ground popped into her mind. Amelia, the High Priestess of Seyruun knew a prophecy when she got one and so she concentrated on that image.
"Amelia?" Mil asked, looking puzzled.
"I'll be right back," Amelia mumbled, leaving the confused trio back to their planning. She focused on Lina's prone form in her mind, recognizing the place she was lying as just outside the Mage's Training Grounds. The vision was clear and vibrant; whatever was happening to Lina was either happening right now or in the very near future. The center of view was fast focusing on Lina's lower belly.
. . . Her womb! Amelia realized, now knowing the situation was a lot worse than she initially feared.
She steadily walked towards the Grounds for what felt like forever. She couldn't move much faster than a steady trot for fear of disrupting the vision.
"Ms. Lina!" cried Amelia, finally spying in the physical world what she saw in her mind's eye. "Don't worry, I'll cast resurrection on you!"
"R-resurrection?' Lina shakily asked. "I don't need resurrection."
"Maybe you don't but-!" Amelia took a quick calming breath but her anger was getting the better of her. "Arrgh! How could you of all people be so stupid! You could lose the baby!"
That seemed to shut Lina up. Her face went a deathly pale and a fear Amelia had never seen before in those defiant crimson eyes shook her to the core.
Amelia finished chanting and cast her spell. She opened her eyes now that she was finished concentrating only to see a red stain spreading on Lina's trousers, causing her to gasp. "Oh no! She's bleeding!"
"Cast it again!" Between Gourry's uncharacteristic outburst and the shock of Lina's in-progress miscarriage, Amelia could only stutter, "I-I dunno if it'll-!"
"Do it!" the shout caused the poor, frightened princess to jump and then she was shoved out of the way by a smallish, nerdy looking man that she had never seen before.
"Move aside!" the stranger ordered, but he already moved Amelia aside for her.
"N-, Duncan!" a redheaded woman started, somebody else the princess did not know.
"Luna would never forgive me if I let this happen!"
"Whatever you're planning on doing, do it!" Gourry practically screamed.
Luna? Did that man know Lina's sister? Did Lina know this man? Amelia had so many questions but she was prevented from asking any of them by Duncan's very surprising chanting.
"על ידי החסד שניתן לי על ידי האב, Sylpheed, תן הקטנה להיות spared ואת אמא להתרפא."
"A Holy Spell!?" Amelia was shocked. "Who, no, what are you? Holy Magic has been lost on this continent for over a thousand years! Not even the most pious of Priests have been able to use it!"
"Guess the cats out of the bag now," Duncan sighed. "I swear Inverse, you are nothing but a constant source of consternation."
"I try, Nehel," Lina weakly said, but she looked a roughly a million times better and more at ease than she did a few seconds ago to Amelia's relief.
"Nehel?" Amelia quizzically asked. "Isn't that the name of an Arc Angel . . .? Oh, wow." Never in her life did she think that she would meet an Angel. She wasn't quite sure how to act or what to say.
"Hello, High Priestess of Seyruun," Nehel greeted. "It's not often even someone of your importance to the Church gets to meet someone like me."
"Uh . . . yes," Amelia wasn't quite sure how to take that, not
a new feeling for today, that was for sure. "Thank you for healing
Lina. I wouldn't had known what to do if she
had . . .," She
could not bring herself to finish that sentence. Amelia quickly
composed herself and went on, changing the subject, "Was it you,
Your Holiness, that bade me come here?"
"No, it was not," Nehel flatly denied. "That would be the work of one of my subordinates, the Powers Armisial and Camael."
"It was I, Armisial, who bade you come," confessed the woman Angel. "It is my providence to protect the unborn from needless death." Her vision made all the more sense now.
"It was pointless in the end, but I suppose it could not have been helped." Nehel shrugged. "Anyways, Lina, once you feel you have recovered enough, meet us all in Milgasia's tent. While I care little for you as a person your presence is still required to win this war."
"Fine, though I must admit you are not as much as a douche bag as I first thought you were," Lina said, the venom in her voice barely held back. "I know that we got off on the wrong foot up in the Realm of the Dead, but let's say we make a fresh start?" She seemed genuine in her call for a truce; maybe almost losing her baby shook her more than Amelia had thought.
"Though I doubt my opinion of you will change all that much, I am bound to accept your heartfelt request." The Arc Angel offered Lina his hand and she surprisingly took it without much hesitation.
"You know, we have a card game planned for tonight. Wanna join in? You two Powers are invited as well." Now that definitely was not like Lina, thought Amelia. Was it shock? Resurrection and the Holy Spell should've taken care of that.
"Offer is appreciated," started Armisial.
"But gambling isn't really are bag," finished Camael.
"Your loss," Lina shrugged with more than a hint of indifference.
"Mostly watch you mortals running around with your heads cut off," Nehel inexplicably said to which Lina gave a sour look.
"Nothing apparent about it," Again Nehel said out of the blue.
And once more! "Not bloody likely." Amelia was seriously starting to think that something was just a tad off about the Angel but Lina put it in her usual perspective.
"Arrgh! I'm through with you guys!" Mind reading perhaps? Amelia couldn't think of a scarier place than the inner workings of the short sorceress. "Gourry, let's go find us a tent. I think we need to talk a bit about what I did."
"Yeah, I think you do," Gourry's tone was full of disappointment; so much that even Amelia cringed.
Lina turned to face her. "Amelia, I wanted to talk to you and try to set thing right with you and Zel but, well stuff happened obviously, but know that I never meant to hurt either of you."
Amelia, feeling a tad embarrassed embraced the woman she though of as a sister, not at all feeling any anger of any sort towards her. "I know you didn't Lina," she sniffed. "I just don't understand why you did what you did. I'll come visit you with Zelgadis later, if you feel up to it."
"Of course I do. I think I learned my lesson about taking things for granted. Tell Zel to bring his guitar; I have a feeling that some Zephillians are going to expect a concert once word gets around that I'm back. Oh! And get him some coffee would you? He's weirding the crap out of us." With that the sorceress and the swordsman left Amelia, who was feeling happy, confused, scared, giddy and apprehensive all at once.
Where did Zelgadis get a guitar? How long have Angels been living amongst the refugees? Where was she going to find some coffee? She was overjoyed that Lina's child would be fine, though that feeling was tempered by the knowledge of how it got in danger to begin with. Sooner, much sooner than later, Lina would have to realize that she holds more than just her life in her hands. Hopefully, Mr. Gourry will set her straight.
But for now, now Amelia has a chance to learn Holy Magic. Not even Golden Dragons, the agents of the gods on earth could teach it. That was the sole providence of Angels, and now there were no less than three of them in this very refugee camp!
Amelia's pulse quickened. Maybe she would have the power to save her kingdom after all. She would talk to the Angels and have them teach to her Holy Spells and then nothing would be able to stop her.
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I really need a drink, thought Gourry Gabriev as he walked forlornly down the mud soaked path in between a row of tents. Head bowed and eyes barely paying attention to where he was going, it was not one his better days that he could remember; it was raining, starting literally the minute after he and Lina had their argument.
She's probably thinking how suitably clichéd this weather is.
Gourry could read Lina like a book, not that he has read many books mind you. He wasn't a man of great knowledge of any sort but how to fight. He was trained from a very early age in the art of swordplay, the intricacies of small group tactics and how to, well, effectively advance in the opposite direction when things got too hairy. Heck, he even learned the not to subtle craft of barroom brawling in his earlier mercenary days though he didn't like to use that craft unless absolutely necessary as he enjoyed the art of fair and controlled swordplay though most of the opponents he fought these days tended to cheat and use dirty tricks.
Yeah, he knew how to fight, probably more than anybody else when in came to non-magical combat. But he also knew Lina just as well.
Or so he thought.
For the life of him he could not figure out why Lina did what she did. How could she have put their child in such needless danger? The fight was pointless and Neleh or Noodle or whatever his name was, was out for blood; or at the very least humiliation, which she, and their baby, could endure. Gourry wasn't adverse to the notion that Lina needed to be knocked down a peg or peg every so often but the Angel didn't know that Lina was pregnant, as he didn't seem to be pulling any punches. Lina, obviously, did know and she still, for the sake of her own foolish pride, went through with it.
It was completely unfathomable to the swordsman. She should had known it wasn't just her in the fight but someone completely and utterly helpless being carried along for the ride.
Like Eva, my dead sister . . ., but this time it is my child, which only makes it all the more unforgivable.
Gourry sighed, wondering how many times he told her "Sometimes you just have to take it like a man, no matter how boiling hot your blood gets." Of course, she'd always dryly reply that she wasn't a man . . . Could've fooled him half the time.
Gourry growled; and unsheathed his powerful weapon, the Blast Sword, capable of cutting down even a high-ranking demon but completely useless in regard to his immediate need. This predicament wasn't something he could just take a sword to and hack away like he was used to. He kicked at the muddy dirt in frustration, sending some of it spraying the outside of a tent . . . as well as somebody standing next to that tent.
And this is why I try to keep drama to a minimum . . .
"Gee, thanks, big guy," Lantz sarcastically quipped as he wipe mud of his face.
"Sorry, Lantz, didn't see you," Gourry mumbled and he sheaved the Blast Blade for fear of causing a bigger accident. He glanced at Lantz indifferently; he really didn't feel like dealing with anybody just then. In fact, he was already missing Lina; though he didn't know quite exactly what he would do if he saw her right then either.
Hug her, yell at her, stare blankly into space, hell if I know.
"What's wrong?" Lantz asked, quickly picking up on the normally unflappable Gourry's mood. "Did you and Lina fight over the blue pig jerky again? I know the stuff is good but it isn't worth-."
"Lantz," Gourry sharply cut him off. "Not right now."
The bearded man was taken aback at this. Since when does Gourry tell anyone to shut it? Usually, he was being told to shut it by his woman. And if Gourry got told to shut up by a girl, where did that leave Lantz?
"Aw don't be like that," Lantz pleaded. "Come on, let's get some booze, get your mind off whatever Lina did."
Gourry didn't argue, beer may not be the answer but he was too mentally and emotionally exhausted to even try to think of one.
Eventually, the pair made their way to the pub tent they were at not more than an hour earlier. They sat themselves at the bar. Gourry sat staring at nothing but seeing a lot; mostly his life of the last four years. He was vaguely glad to see that Lina hadn't decided to drown her own troubles away if only for the sake of their child. Then again, she was a bit more proactive in finding ways to vent her frustrations. He wouldn't be surprised to see that a mountain range or two had been wiped off the face of the map via a Dragon Slave barrage come morning.
"You know," Lantz slyly suggested. "A beer or two would patch things up between you and me on account of you kicking mud in my face."
"Just take them off what you owe me. Lina has all our money." Gourry softly but quickly explained in a tone that said, "don't push it".
"Yikes."
"So what'll it be?" the bartender asked. An old Zephillian man by the looks and sound of him.
"What do you have?" Gourry asked.
"Depends on what your problem is," the old man said, picking up on Gourry's mood.
"Have anything that'll erase the last hour in a single shot?"
"Whoa, bro! Was it really that bad?" Lantz asked. Gourry ignored him.
"How about a glass of two hundred year old Zephire?" the barkeep suggested. "Its my homeland's best kept secret. Ultra-concentrated and kept in an oak barrel for as long as yer willing to pay for it. It'll knock yer socks off and a bit o' yer brain with em."
"Sounds good," Gourry accepted a glass and gulped it down without a second's hesitation. It took him quite a bit longer to pull himself back onto his seat.
"Ha!" the barkeep guffawed and slapped his leg. "Not even the locals drain an entire glass at once, boy! But it seems to have done you some good."
"Are you okay, bro?" Lantz asked, wondering if he would have to make a mad dash to the hospital tent.
"Huh? Wha jusht hapemed?" Gourry was having difficulty remembering his own name, much less what happened even a few minutes ago.
I guess the stuff works.
"I think I'll have a glass too," Lantz ordered, admiring the effects it had on his bro.
"Feel much like talking yet? You'll probably feel better if you do."
"Ushing my owd advibce for Lina againtsh me, are ya Lantsh? Fine, whateva. It all started whensh-."
"Hold on, hold on!" Lantz interrupted. "I can barely understand you. Let me first imbibe my universal translator here," he tipped his glass of Zephire and drained it down his hatch. It took him a few minutes longer than Gourry to find his way back to his stool.
"That's better. Now we can talk to each other," Lantz rubbed his throat in admiration of the exotic booze.
"Right, where was I?" Gourry took a mug of beer, pleasantly pleased that he couldn't taste much of anything anymore.
"It all started when . . .," Lantz reminded.
"Oh yeah, thanks man. It all started four years ago when I was running away from home, living the life of a sword for hire, wondering what I was gong to do with the Sword of Light."
"What do you mean "what to do" with it? I'd kill for a weapon like that!"
"Yeah, well, let's just say it was the cause of my worst day ever. Anyways, so there I was, minding my own business and trying to throw my sword into the sea when some fisherman goes and stops me, saying something about me being 2nd rate if I treated my weapon like that. He then has the gall to tell me to go find something worth using your sword for."
"Guys got balls, though it does remind me of someone," said Lantz.
"Yeah, I wasn't too surprised when I learned he was Lina's dad."
"Got to meet your father in law before you met the girl, weird. Usually it's the other way around."
"You're drunk."
"Me? I'm not the one who's telling their life story."
"You said talking would help!"
"Sounds like yer just trying to kill time along with your liver!"
"I'm getting to the point, just bear with it," Gourry said, slowly coming to the realization that he was telling his story like Lina would; with every inconsequential detail and spinning it to make her sound good.
"So, after the little adventure with that guy, I run into Lina, who was being chased by a bunch of typical, reeking bandits. I was thinking she needed my help so I crashed the party and killed them all as quick as you blink. Once the dust settled Lina comes up to me and looks at me with these big awestruck eyes and breathless expression."
"Whoa, love at first sight, eh?"
"Nah," Gourry smiled, stifling a laugh, though he was now wondering if that was indeed what it was for Lina. "The first thing I say to her was "Great, she's just a kid"."
Lantz couldn't stop giggling at that. He was dimly aware, in his drunken stupor that he was acting like a giddy schoolgirl. But somewhere in the darkest, deepest recesses of his pickled mind, he somehow had it figured out that it was okay to act like a schoolgirl as it would only attract schoolgirls to him. And that . . . that could only be a good thing.
"Yeah, I know right? But even if she wasn't what I was expected she did have something to offer me."
"What?! That soon?"
"No, you idiot! She gave me a reason to wield my sword. She was headed towards some big city all by herself and looked like she needed a bodyguard so I offered myself as her guardian."
"From what I hear, Miss Inverse is quite the lass with a fine voice for song," said the bartender as he slid Gourry another mug of beer. "She may not be the most gorgeous of girls but her heart is all Zephillian."
"If Zephillian means being a thick, selfish dunderhead then that's her alright," Gourry sighed and gulped down some more beer. "But, you know? I used to see her stubborn pride as an asset. It used to mean she'd never give up no matter what, not that it kept her out of trouble, but that's what I was there for."
"Yeah!" Lantz agreed, though he missed the last few sentences.
They talked more of Lina and the constant trouble she always found for them, soon it was well into the evening, and both men where still no where close to sober and Lantz was nowhere close to paying off his gambling debt to Gourry. People came and left, but not as many as would a normal town's pub would've; people were just far too nervous to drink much, which was saying something.
An hour after the last customer left a chill breeze wafted in as the tent's flap let in a vision in a skimpy black leather bikini through. She headed Gourry's way with a stupidly arrogant smirk on her fair features.
"Close enough, I suppose," the bartender mumbled, catching on to how upset Gourry really was with Lina. "She may had done ye wrong, Laddie, but surely the two of ye have gone through enough in yer time together to make it work out?"
Gourry knew the answer in his heart but he also knew that it wasn't going to be easy. It never was with her, but then again, maybe that was why he kept coming back for more: For the challenge of taming that redheaded shrew. He could only hope that she had learned some kind of lesson out of all of this.
Gourry turned around in his seat in preparation to leave but two very large spherical chest protrusions impeded his path.
"Hello, big boy," purred Amelia's older sister, Nama or something. "Having Lina troubles, I hear?"
"Not that its any of your business," Gourry slurred, not liking the vibes he was getting off the far-too-close-for-comfort-woman a single bit.
"Oh, don't be like that," Naga sat herself on the stool next to Gourry, leaned over the bar so that everyone would get an eyeful for her cleavage. "I've had more than my share of Lina problems as well. Maybe we could help each other?"
"I have Lina troubles too!" Lantz shouted as he scrambled from his seat to the stool next to Naga where he then propped his strategically placed head on an elbow, admiring the view.
"That small sorceress does tend to leave problems bigger than what she should be capable of. It makes me wonder if there isn't a way to knock her down a peg or two?"
"Why would we want to do that?" Gourry suspiciously asked, trying not to let his eyes wander.
"Well its obvious that she cares for little but herself and always manages to leave her so called companions cleaning up whatever mess she made while she gets off scot-free! Think of it as karma, of fate balancing out!"
"I dunno," Gourry was fast deciding that it might be time to find another bar. "Lina's probably already feeling pretty low about herself." Which begged the question, "Why wasn't he with her?".
"The perfect opportunity then!" the woman clapped, startling Gourry more than that would warrant if he had been sober.
"Listen, whatever you are planning, I don't want any part of it."
"I do!" slurred Lantz, hoisting his fist in the air.
"You don't know all that I have to offer," she leaned in close and closed her eyes, placing her lips on his.
Gourry was too stunned, too drunk to immediately break away from her and he knew that delay doomed him as he saw Lina poke her head through the tent's door flap. Gourry's eyes went wide but his liquored up reflexes still proved too slow.
"Hey, it's Lina!" Lantz greeted a little too happily for the situation.
Gourry internally sighed, resigning himself to whatever spell Lina thought good enough punishment.
"FIRE BALL!" came the cry, and Gourry's surroundings and senses screamed red and orange and flames destroyed the tent as easily as a match to dried birch bark. He decided that it wasn't terribly comfortable anymore inside that bar so he stumbled outside, relatively unharmed, as his sword managed to absorb much of the magic, protecting him.
"Where are you going, Blondie?" that underdressed woman asked as the swordsman made his way outside.
"Outside, duh. It was getting too hot in there," Fire and canvas didn't react well together after all.
"D-drunken . . . BASTARD!" Lina's accusation sobered up Gourry faster than a cold shower and a pot of coffee ever could hope to.
"Lina! I don't know where this lady came from and I-!"
"Shut the Nine Hells up, Gourry!" Gourry had never heard her this angry with him before. Usually that tone was reserved for people that she deemed unforgivable.
She went on, "I just spent the better part of the night mustering the courage and swallowing enough of my pride to apologize to you and what do I find? You swapping spit with the one person I never, ever, could forgive you doing that with! I'd rather you make out with Xellos! And he'd probably enjoy it more than that underdressed whore!"
"You never did understand fashion, did you, Lina?" Naga! That was her name!
"Find any gold, Naga?" Lina asked, confusing everybody within earshot.
"Huh?"
DIL BRANDO!" Lina's spell blew the strange woman to parts unknown much to Gourry's slight relief. Made Lina would calm down a little now?
"Lina, I-."
"Nope," she cut him off. "I'm sorry, Gourry. I may had done something unforgivable but you turning around and doing the same is . . .is, well, beyond what I had expected from you." Lina's tone was cool. As if she couldn't believe what it was that she was saying. Gourry couldn't believe it either.
"Well," she said, as cool as a cucumber. "See ya around," she quickly did an about face and Gourry's world shattered beneath his feet.
It was some time before he found the will to move from the same spot Lina had left him in. And even then he had absolutely no idea where to go.
A man appeared from nowhere all of the sudden and it took a moment or two for Gourry to recognize him as Xellos.
"By the looks of you I would say that you have had a rough evening, Mr. Gourry?"
Gourry looked at the demon a moment, trying to gauge his intentions.
"What do you want?" he finally asked, voice betraying no emotion. After all? How could one have emotion when your heart was ripped out?
"Not so much me, but you," Xellos cryptically explained. "I may not have an answer for you, Master Swordsman but I may have something that will at least take your mind off of certain things."
"What is it?"
"A mission; one that will probably prove to be the key to this war and one that only you and your abilities can ensure its success."
Abilities.
Gourry was good at mainly only two things; one was his unparalleled swordsmanship. The other being his knowledge of the creature known as Lina Inverse; both two core pieces of his soul.
But what good was the later now?
Gourry accepted the mission Xellos offered, now, once again, a lone mercenary out to find a reason to wield his sword.
Any reason at all.
Tom the Mighty's Mighty Notes!
And here it is! My single longest piece of Slayers lore ever concocted! For this interlude I tried using every core member of he Slayers group to cohesively tie chapters 31-32 and 33 together. Whether or not I was successful is up to the critiques of the readers.
There are some rough spot yet, I know but hopefully by the time chapter 34 of Knightfall rolls out they will be smoothed out.
Anyways . . . Here is a question to any who is able and willing to answer.
I've been looking a while for the one-shot manga Slayers: The Road of the Ring (Kanzaka's Lord of the Rings parody) in English but every copy I find is in Spanish and the few download links for the English scanlation happens to be broken. I've spoken to the original translator but he no longer has his English version anymore to both our consternation so I was wondering if anyone else has any leads to where I might find it?
Bonus!
Slayers Says!
Lina: Did you really have to revisit two of my most painful moments? It really makes me think you have a thing for making us suffer so.
Tom: Well, yeah, I kinda do. Mr. Kanzaka left a lot of emotional vulnerabilities in you guys when he finished off the main novel series so I decided to take advantage of them for my own and others entertainment.
Lina: I think I'll just go kill myself now. As you reader seem to enjoy the suffering and anguish so much.
Tom: That'a girl.
Valgaav: Speaking of entertainment, when are you going to fully feature me again? Everyone knows and loves the single best part of Slayers: Try, me; Valgaav the Depressable.
Tom: Oh hush, you'll get yours in the next series, for know you were just a glorified plot advancer and vehicle to get Lina to the Vale of Shadows.
Val: So cruel . . .
Tom: Oh, you like it.
Gourry: But why me? Why do I have to suffer so? I'm the dumb, happy, good guy invulnerable to real pain and was finally revealed to be Lina's emotional rock in the last main series novel!
Tom: Ah, but rocks can be broken my empty-headed fancier of magic blades and redheads.
Zel: You sure made me seem ridiculous.
Tom: Yes.
Amelia: You sure made me seem . . . well, uh, me, but without the randomness.
Tom: Yes. But then again, you're current emotional state wouldn't allow you to flip out over melodrama and other such frivolouslness.
Naga: You sure made me seem like a hussy.
Tom: I'm not even going to dignify that with a real answer. Instead, all I shall say to you in response is these synonyms that I have found that describe your fashion sense. Ahem: Disclosure, to make known, divulging, to make public, let slip, tell, unconceal, broadcast, publicize, circulate, disseminate, uncloak, unveil, uncover, release, leak, give away, give out, let drop, exhibit, lay bare, unearth and expose.
Zellas: I do hope you aren't going to do to me in the next series what I know you are planning to do to me.
Tom: Yes.
Zellas: That isn't very reassuring.
Tom: Yes.
Lina: We're all pretty much screwed in one way or another aren't we?
Tom: What do you think?
Xellos: I think I want to burn all that I own.
Zellas: But you own nothing.
Xellos: Problem solved!
Val: I can't believe that I share half of your bloodline.
Xellos: I can't believe you wear white baggy pants and a black headband along with a sleeveless vest! Your fashion sense is almost as bad as the Knight of the Aqualords'.
Lyos: Who's got bad fashion sense, Paige Boy haircut man?
Xellos: Oh dear.
Riksfalto: Don't I cut off your arm?
Lyos: Uh . . .
Riksfalto: With ridiculous ease?
Lyos: Shut up!
Lina: You shut up you annoying brat!
Lyos: You shut up! Who asked you?
Zel: I'm not in the series you are in but shut up!
Lyos; What!?
Amelia: I'm inexplicably in the series you are in and I also say shut up!
Hueruka: Shut up! Or my creepy sleeveless priestess robes shall swallow you whole!
Shizuri: Maybe I can make him think he is a cucca? Thad' shut him up.
Lina: Or maybe a stick? He is about as thick as one. And besides, cucca's make noise.
Gourry: Um, guys?
Lina: What is it infidel?
Gourry: Ouch. I don't think that guy is going to be making noise anytime soon.
Riksfalto: Oh my . . .
Shizuri: The brat hung himself.
Amelia: Huh.
Lina: Well, okay then.
Milgasia: I feel so lonely.