By TempestXtreme
Disclaimer: I own only Loriana, Zillas Metallium, Silvira, and Rebecca Angelheart. If you've read any of the Insanity fics written by Lashana and Telca, you'll know that I don't own Lashana, Telca, Tvashtar, or Kadrith – they belong to Lashana and Telca. Their Harem Guys belong to their respective creators.
It was a wonderful, beautiful morning in the palace. Rebecca was the only one up aside from Duncan, since the Immortal was in the habit of waking up at the same time as the Trivadian sorceress. As it was, Rebecca was yawning as she walked into the kitchen, waving at Duncan as she went over to the coffee maker. She did not actually need coffee to wake up, but she had spent the entire night reading through the various spell books in the library, and was planning on practicing some of the spells that she had studied.
She put the coffee maker on and leaned against the counter as if made the coffee. She absentmindedly brushed her dark, straight, earth-brown hair out of her face and smiled at Duncan.
"Morning," she said, still sleepy. "Have a good sleep?"
"Yeah," Duncan replied. "You?"
"Yes," she said, reaching into a cupboard and grabbing a mug. "Coffee?"
"No, thanks," Duncan said. Rebecca shrugged and poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip and couldn't help but smile at the taste. She could see why Lashana and Zelgadis were addicted to coffee; it had a lovely taste to it.
She turned back to Duncan, preparing to talk to him for a little longer, but instead she was greeted by Xellos' grinning face.
"ACK!" she jumped, spilling her coffee on the shirt she used as pyjamas. She glared at the Mazoku testily, not bothered in the least when he continued to grin.
"Have a nice sleep, Rebecca-chan?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," she growled. "And don't call me 'chan' you freak."
He continued to grin. "Then how about-" he began, but he cut himself off, his expression suddenly changing to that of a serious, High Mazoku. Then, without a word, he vanished.
Rebecca and Duncan just stared at the spot where Xellos had been just moments before.
"What do you suppose that was about?" she asked the Immortal.
Duncan shrugged. "Personally, I don't care," he said. "Breakfast?"
Rebecca smiled. "Yes, please," she said. "I'm just going upstairs for a quick shower and a change of clothes. I'll be down in a few minutes."
Duncan smiled at her as she walked out. The two of them were becoming fast friends, since they both shared an interest in ancient weapons and cooking. Duncan belatedly wondered if she would let him examine that sword of hers before he got the ingredients for French toast out of the cupboards and the fridge – he narrowly avoided getting grabbed by the Thing in the back of the fridge and resisted the urge to sing – he didn't want to get a headache so early in the morning.
*-*-*-*-*
Meanwhile, at Wolfpack Island…
"You called, Lord Beastmaster?" Xellos said as he faded into the physical plain in front of his mistress, the Greater Beastmaster Zelas Metallium.
"Yes," she said, leaning forward in her throne and eyeing him. "I trust that all is well with the Chaos Knight?"
Xellos nodded. "Yes, but why wouldn't it be? Her…friends are very protective of her and Telca since their deaths and subsequent return. They also have their Guardians with them, so they're both quite safe. Why do you ask?"
Zelas smiled slightly. "The Lord of Nightmares has created a new Hellmaster," she said. "She calls herself Silvira, and I hear that she intends to visit the Chaos Knight. I want you to make sure that nothing happens to the Chaos Knight – L-sama wouldn't be pleased if her Chosen was injured, especially by a Mazoku."
Xellos bowed. "As you wish, Lord Beastmaster," he said.
"Oh, and Xellos?"
"Hai?"
"Zillas will be joining you. Try to make sure that nothing happens to her – she is the only granddaughter that I know of, after all."
Xellos cringed – he and Zillas might have been blood relatives, but they didn't get along at all. In fact, Zillas hated him with a passion – even more than Fillia Ul Copt hated him. What made it worse was the fact that Zillas was powerful – powerful enough to harm him, the General-Priest of Greater Beastmaster Zelas Metallium!
"As you command, Lord Beastmaster."
Slowly, without saying another word, Xellos faded away.
Zelas smiled to herself. This new Hellmaster might prove to be a powerful ally…or a powerful enemy. Either way, it didn't matter. The last Hellmaster had attempted to destroy the world and had failed – then again, Phibrizio wasn't known for his intelligence…
With a mere thought, Zelas summoned one of her many demon wolves. In moments, a midnight-black wolf with silver streaks lining its body appeared from the astral plain, her dark red eyes regarding her mistress without emotion. The wolf transformed into an attractive, tan-olive skinned 18-year-old girl with light, icy-blue eyes and waist-length silver-streaked black hair. The expression on her face was one of seriousness. She was, for all intents and purposes, a High Mazoku – the only other servant under Zelas that ranked higher than her was Xellos. She was also the second-most-powerful demon wolf on the island – again, only Xellos could outmatch her. She was dressed in a dark blue tank top, cream-white pants with a silver overskirt, Demon Blood Talismans, black knee-high boots, and violet elbow-length fingerless gloves.
"You summoned me, Lady Zelas?" she asked, bowing from the waist.
"Ah, Loriana," Zelas said, smiling. "Yes. I have a mission for you, my dear."
Loriana looked at her mistress patiently, waiting for her instructions.
"I want you to keep tabs on my son and granddaughter," Zelas said. "I trust Xellos, but my granddaughter is a free spirit. While I don't doubt her loyalty to me, I want to avoid a fight between her and Xellos. The last thing we need is the Hellmaster thinking that I'm a weak leader who can't control her own servants."
"At once, Lady Zelas," Loriana said, bowing again. "What shall I do if Zillas does start a fight with Xellos?"
"Stop it, of course," Zelas said mildly. "Just…try not to hurt Zillas too much. If she wanted to, she could easily abandon me – her human side gives her that choice. It would be different if she were a full-blooded Mazoku, but she isn't, so we have to make sure that she remains loyal."
Loriana nodded and stepped back, fading away.
"I hate it when she shows off like that…" Zelas said.
She poured herself another drink and downed it.
*-*-*
"NAMAGOMI!" Rebecca screamed at the top of her lungs, having just been glomped by Xellos – and she had just gotten out of the shower too. "FIREBALL!"
"Arigato!" Xellos grinned as the spell slammed into his chest. He wriggled around happily just as Lashana stormed out of her room.
"What the hell is going on here?!?" she demanded, right before seeing a crispy Xellos. She looked from the fruitcake to the sorceress and blinked. "Oh. Never mind then. G'morning Becca!"
"What was that!?" Tvashtar ran out of his room, weapon in hand. He stopped when he saw Xellos, Rebecca, and Lashana. "Oh. Good morning, Lady Rebecca."
Rebecca blinked. "Morning, Tvashtar," she replied, waving absentmindedly. "And please don't call me 'Lady' Rebecca! It makes me sound old!"
"But you are old!"
Rebecca sighed. "Telca, do me a favour and be quiet!" she said, turning to glare at the burgundy-haired (and grinning) sorceress testily.
"What? It's not my fault that you're over seven-hundred years old!" Telca grinned.
Tvashtar blinked. "She's over seven-hundred years old?" he asked, looking at her. "But she doesn't look a day over twenty-five!"
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "I'm Trivadian," she explained. "We live for five thousand years and don't age over twenty-five. I guess that there's never been a Trivadian Chaos Knight, since you've obviously never heard of my race of humans."
Lashana rolled her eyes. "I need coffee," she said, stepping over Xellos and heading downstairs.
"Zel's already up!" Rebecca warned her. "I saw him on my way up here!"
The next thing she heard was the sound of Lashana's footsteps quickening, followed closely by a crash, which was immediately followed by a cry of, "I'm cooking!"
Rebecca sighed and looked at Telca. "I pity you, really. I can leave, but you have to live in this insanity."
"You get used to it." Telca shrugged and walked downstairs. "Lashana!!!! We just had that window repaired last week!"
*-*-*-*
An hour laterZillas appeared near the outskirts of the forest, and looked around. The new Hellmaster hadn't arrived yet, but Xellos was here – as usual. She just hoped that he wouldn't bother her too much today; she wasn't in the mood to Ra-Tilt him. Sighing, she teleported into the palace…
…And right into the middle of World War III.
"Whoa!!" she teleported out of the way of a stale muffin and reappeared a few feet in the air.
"Geez, and I thought that eating with Lina and the others was chaotic!" she said, staring down at the group that was warring over what appeared to be a ton of French toast, bacon, and eggs.
"Good thing I already ate," she muttered. She floated down, being careful not to get caught up in the chaos below her. "Knight-sama? Um… KNIGHT-SAMA!!!"
Lashana yelped and glanced up from where she had just managed to get a plate of food from the group. "Zillas? What are you doing here?" she asked. Zillas floated down and landed next to her.
"Just came to tell you," she started, "that is, if L-sama hasn't already. There's a new Hellmaster, she's coming to say hello sometime today."
Tvashtar, who had just managed to get out of the crowd with his own plate of food, stopped and stared at Zillas.
"Who are you?" he asked. "Are you a friend of Lashana's?"
Zillas grinned at him. "Er, I wouldn't say 'friend', but I've been here once before. My name's Zillas Metallium," she said. "Who're you?"
Tvashtar blinked. "'Metallium'?" he asked. "As in…"
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" Xellos grinned as he teleported in and gave Zillas a quick peck on the cheek.
Zillas went red with rage and slammed her fist into his face. "NAMAGOMI!" she screamed. "RA-TILT!"
Now that Xellos was safely twitching on the floor, Zillas looked at Tvashtar. "Before you ask: yes, Xellos is my father, and no, I'm not like him and yes, I hate his guts."
"I can see that," Tvashtar replied, looking at her warily. "I didn't think a Mazoku could use anti-evil magicks…"
"She's half-Human," Lashana said, taking a bite out of her French toast. "By the way, that's Tvashtar, my Guardian."
"Yup! And the Human side is my better side! Oh, and good to meet you, Tvashtar!" Zillas grinned. "Hey, where're your two friends? Rebecca and Telca?"
"They're trying to get some food," Lashana replied, seconds before Rebecca and Telca came out of the fray, each of them holding a plate of food. Telca blinked at Zillas.
"Oh, hi," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"New Hellmaster in town," Lashana shrugged. "Zillas came to tell us."
"Hiya Rebecca!" Zillas grinned. "How are you doing?"
Rebecca smiled. "Fine, thanks. How are you doing, Zillas?"
"Same old, same old," Zillas replied, waving a hand dismissively. She paused. "Knight-sama? Do you sense anything odd? I think somebody is watching us from the astral plain."
Rebecca paused and made a few gestures in the air with her free hand, summoning a triangular glyph in mid air. It was glowing a bright blue.
"Yes, we are being watched," she said. "This glyph allows me to detect astral presences in the area around us. Blue means we're being watched…"
Lashana and Telca looked at each other. This could be trouble.
"It's too early!" Telca said. Kadrith walked up to them, a plate of food in his hands.
"Too early for what?" he asked.
"Somebody is watching us from the astral plain," Rebecca said. "Oh, by the way, Kadrith. This is Zillas. Zillas, this is Kadrith, Telca's Guardian."
Kadrith looked at Zillas. "Good to meet you," he said. "Why are we being watched now?"
"Because I was ordered to watch you by Lady Zelas."
The voice seemed to come from nowhere, and seconds later Loriana appeared in front of them. All of the guys in the kitchen stopped and stared at her. She was, after all, attractive in her human form. She ignored their stares and turned her attention to Lashana.
"Chaos Knight, I am Loriana," she said, bowing from the waist. "It is an honour to meet you."
Lashana blinked. "Uh, right," she said, a little stunned. "Nice to meet you too. Just call me Lashana…"
"If that is your-" Loriana began, but Xellos interrupted her.
"My, my," he said, "If it isn't Loriana. Did Lord Beastmaster let you off the island?"
Loriana glared up at him. "I was ordered to make sure you didn't embarrass Lady Zelas when the new Hellmaster arrives," she said. "Knowing you, that would have been too easy a task for you to accomplish!"
Zillas snickered, but was cut off by Loriana's glare. "What?" she asked.
"My orders included you," she snapped. "The way you and your father fight all the time I'm surprised that Lady Zelas hasn't punished you herself!"
Zillas was about to snap back a rather colourful reply, but a new – and rather feminine – voice stopped her.
"Did I come at a bad time?"
Everybody in the kitchen turned at the sound of the voice. There, just inside the frame of the patio doors, stood a tall woman with auburn hair that fell down to her shoulders in waves, elliptical blue eyes, and an attractive face. She was dressed in a sleeveless black top, black pants, black knee-high boots, and elbow-length black gloves. Her gaze was unusually calm, and her aura shone with a power that almost overwhelmed their senses – Lashana, Zillas, Xellos, Loriana, Telca, and Rebecca's especially.
Lashana was the first to speak. "Are you...the new Hellmaster?" she asked.
The woman nodded. "My name is Silvira Dilliach, Knight-sama," she said. "It's an honour and a pleasure to meet you."
"You attract the strangest people, Elfy," Telca said.
"Oh shut up," Lashana replied. She looked at Silvira again. "Do you want anything?" she asked. Silvira appeared shocked.
"I couldn't impose on you-" she began, but Xellos cut her off by simply teleporting so that he was right in front of her face, grinning.
"Hello there," he said. "I'm Xellos the Mysterious Priest."
WHAM!
Xellos became one with the wall – Silvira had thrown him clear across the room!
Zillas looked from Silvira, to Xellos, then to Silvira again. "I like her!" she said, grinning. "Hi! I'm Zillas, good to meet you!"
Silvira blinked at her. "Uh, hi," she said. "Good to meet you too, Zillas…"
"And don't worry about 'imposing' on Knight-sama. She's a really nice person, she won't mind if you grab a bite to eat while you're here," Zillas said. "Oh, have you met Rebecca?"
Silvira looked at Rebecca and nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Rebecca," she said.
"Come on! I'll introduce you to the others!" Zillas said, grabbing Silvira's hand and teleporting her over to the throb of males that had stood there staring at her.
Rebecca glanced at Lashana. "O-kay, that was…interesting," she said. "Silvira seems nice, though."
"Uh huh," Lashana replied. "She does. Telca, what do you make of Silvira?"
"Where'd that Loriana person go?" Telca asked, looking around.
Sure enough, Loriana had vanished.
*-*-*-*
At Wolfpack Island
"What do you mean he got right into her face!?!" Zelas said. "That's a sure-fire way to get blasted!"
"That's probably why he did it," Loriana replied, shrugging. "Besides…she didn't blast him, she threw him across the kitchen. He was embedded into the wall."
Zelas moaned and took a long, hard drink of her brandy. "How was Zillas behaving?"
"She seems to have become friends with Silvira."
Zelas did a spit take. "She what!?" she yelled. "How?!"
"She's your granddaughter," Loriana said. "You tell me."
Zelas tossed the glass away and grabbed the brandy bottle. "You can go," she said, taking a long swig from the bottle.
Loriana bowed and left the room, leaving Zelas to get drunk.
*-*-*-*
The day passed quickly enough. Silvira chatted with Lashana and her friends, and discovered the wonders of technology.
"I have got to get one of these for my lair," she remarked, looking at the huge TV/DVD/Surround Sound system combo.
"Won't the heat destroy it?" Zillas asked.
"No, I don't live in Hell, just nearby," Silvira smiled. "You're welcome to visit anytime you want."
"Thanks!" Zillas said, grinning. "I'll do that!"
Silvira grinned and looked outside. It was getting dark, and she had some things to do. She stood up and smiled at everybody.
"Thank you for your hospitality," she said. "I must leave now, I need to prepare my lair."
Lashana smiled and stood up, glancing at her Bonded when he entered the room. He had spent literally the entire day in the Danger Room, so he hadn't met Silvira yet.
"Silvira, this is my Soul-Bonded, Blackwargreymon," she said. "Black, this is Silvira, the new Hellmaster."
Black stopped and stared at them both. "You're joking, right?"
"No, I am the new Hellmaster," Silvira said, smiling at him. "Pleased to meet you."
"Yeah, nice to meet you too…" Black said, going over to stand next to Lashana. {Why is the new Hellmaster in the palace?}
{Chill, hun, she's just visiting. She's about to leave anyway. And she's much nicer than Phibby.}
{If you say so.}
Silvira looked at the two of them curiously, smiled, and vanished.
"I like her!" Zillas said. "Well, bye guys!"
Zillas vanished as well, leaving them alone.
"Are we going to order out?" Rebecca asked, standing up.
"Sure why not?" Telca replied grinning. They went to the kitchen…where Xellos was busy cooking…something. He looked at them and grinned.
"Haggis?" he asked, holding up the pot.
"FIREBALL!!!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The End