DISCALIMER: I still do not own The Slayers...
Thank you Cyberimp6, Flam3gurl, Raywing, and Scarletstar20, for your kind words.
You know how I feel.
Wouldn't the rest of you like to? Well too bad...
Cover Page up on my myspace, LINK on my profile page.
Welcome Back...
- Nicci Rockdad
Chapter Two
Three Week's Later…
Xelloss entered the shop calmly, gently turning the sign from declaring OPEN, in proud gold print, to CLOSED with speed only he possessed.
Xelloss was a monster.
The monster as far as most dragons and the few humans who had seen him and lived to tell of it were concerned.
He smiled softly, drumming his fingers on his staff merrily as he waited for his presence to be noticed.
He was feeling far more than just merry mind you, for today, he was here to what a monster such as him did best.
Hunt, and kill.
The old shopkeeper turned around and jumped with a start.
"Oy!" He cried, holding his chest with a wince. "I didn't hear you come in. You gave me a death of a scare young man."
Xelloss beamed at him cheerily, rubbing the back of his head in mock apology. "Oh dear. So very sorry about that. Sneaking up on people is a specialty of mine, I'm afraid."
"That's an odd thing to specialize in." The shopkeeper muttered darkly, pulling himself up straight as he eyed the man's strange but expensive garb. Another noble? Heh... Must be my getting lucky in my old age…
"So what can I get for ya today, My Lord?" He asked, grinning toothily. "Gems? Curses? We have practically everything a dashing Nobleman such as yourself could ever need."
Xelloss smirked coolly, he very much doubted that.
However, he was certain now that the old fool did have what he had come for.
"Oh?" Xelloss replied easily, arching his brows with a grin. "Well it just so happens that I was informed that you have come into possession of some very rare talismans."
The shopkeeper narrowed his gaze, his smirk widening. "That I do. Ones that are made of demon's blood, but I'm sure you knew that."
"Those are the ones." Xelloss agreed amiably, drumming his fingers on his staff, his grin widening. "May I see them?"
He gave a grin and a nod, ducking down and gathering them from his secret compartment. "I should warn you though, My Lord. Some other Lords were here earlier this month and they purchased the other two..."
He looked up at those closed lids cautiously, as they seemed to examine the two remaining talismans displayed on the cloth. He licked his lips nervously as they lingered even longer on the broken one, before whipping up to meet him.
"Hmm..." Xelloss commented lightly. "That's a shame."
The shopkeeper couldn't figure out why this guy kept his eyes closed like that, it was starting to make him more nervous by the second.
He needed to hurry this up, and now.
"I'll ask six-hundred gold. No more, no less, My Lord." He spoke up quickly, wrapping them back up as he did so. "That's the best deal you're gonna get in these parts."
Xelloss smiled coolly, opening his eyes, reveling in the horrified gasp the shopkeeper made.
"Oh dear..." He murmured as he faded away, his voice still in the room with the terrified shop owner. "I'm afraid, old man; we have a difference in currency..."
"You see..." He spoke up from behind him. "With your kind, I deal only in blood."
The old man gasped, but before he could move any further he let out a cry, blood spurting from his mouth with a gurgling cough.
Xelloss smirked calmly, pulling his hand out of the old mans back and reforming it, not a drop of blood on him as his prey fell to the floor in agony.
"You know the worst part about that wound." Xelloss stated causally, releasing his eyes for the time being. "Is that it's nearly a clean cut, through and through. Painful yes, but not lethal… not for a few more hours anyway."
The shop keeper let out a gurgled response and Xelloss smiled calmly, ignoring it entirely as he went on. "You see, I really do need those other two talismans, and unfortunately, I don't really have a lot of time. So, tell me where they are, and I can make sure you don't either."
He opened his eyes once more, foreign amethyst shard boring down into terrified hazel.
"So? What do you say?"
The shopkeeper swallowed, and replied with a forced whisper. "He... he said... he need... needed them..."
The old man let out a cry of agony, each word and breath torture on the hole beneath his rib cage.
Xelloss' smile never shifted but those eyes sparkled even more.
"An engagement!" He snarled, just to be out and done with it. "He said he needed them for..."
He was cut off in a startled cry, as Xelloss stabbed him through once more, a far greater wound this time.
That was all he needed to know. There was only one "Lady's" hand chaos would put those into, thank L-Sama she couldn't use them.
Smiling and humming a happy tune, he exited the blood soaked shop, and as an after thought turned the sign back to OPEN.
It would be far more amusing that way, although he doubted the next customers in could appreciate his humor.
Awe, he had time, he'd stay and watch from that cafe across the street.
Yes, some tea sounded rather nice.
O O O
To the unwitting eye, the Saillune streets appeared completely normal, but Xelloss knew better.
They were just subtle changes, little quirks here and there, but they were evidence that something was rotten in the city of Saillune.
Something, which by the looks of it, must have been festering for a while.
Normally this would be something Xelloss and his Mistress would have loved to see happen to the Holy City, but there was one thing that troubled Xelloss more than anything else.
They had killed the ice cream shop.
Oh sure, mazoku everywhere would laugh at him for that but there was one thing this screamed rather loudly in his mind.
The children here weren't children anymore… and that troubled him very much.
Something evil had crept its way into Saillune, and if it wasn't him, he couldn't say that he liked that.
No, he couldn't say he liked that at all.
"It tastes strange, doesn't it?" A cool voice spoke up calmly. "Like aged asiago, or buttermilk."
Xelloss smiled cheerfully turning to face the familiar voice. "Yes. Something like that, I suppose."
"Dira." He greeted the elder appearing one.
She gave a light bow, her ankle-length periwinkle hair brushing the ground, her matching eyes and kimono unflinching.
"Dara." He greeted the childish one.
Dara giggled and gave a curtsy with her matching garment, her short, periwinkle hair and eyes bounding with her smile.
"Dira!" She cried, tugging on her partner's hair. "I miss the ice cream shop."
Dira smiled coolly, ruffling her partner's hair but never taking her eyes off Xelloss. "I bet the Beastmaster here does too. Don't you Xelloss?"
Xelloss smiled in amusement. "Oh the familiarity is fine for today, Dara. And yes, no where else had soft-serve quite like it, world renown, you know?"
Dara giggled happily. "Master Xelloss is always so funny, isn't he?"
Dira smiled loftily. "Painfully."
"Why thank you, Dara." Xelloss stated happily, kneeling down to meet her level. "So tell me, why are you and Miss Dira here?"
Dara grinned, and looked up at Dara who smiled tightly as Xelloss rose back to his feet.
"To make sure your love for your little toys doesn't effect your judgment again." Dira replied calmly.
"Lord Beastmaster didn't think it would." Dara explained happily. "But Dolphin-sama did, so she sent us. She figured since you liked us you wouldn't kill us right away."
Xelloss smiled at that. "Oh? So I like you, do I?"
Dira met his gaze calmly, images of their past flashing across his memory, all evoked by that one look.
"You did." She stated casually. "Until you found more exotic robes to chase."
Xelloss gave a shrug. "I like to play games, humans are better at accommodating my needs."
Dira said nothing to this and Xelloss smiled back at her silence, not bothering to elaborate.
"I want ice cream." Dara pouted, tugging on Dira's hair. "Can we go over to Zephelia real fast? They have good ice cream too."
Dira tore her periwinkle gaze from those closed lids and smiled down at her partner.
"You're right, let's give Xelloss a chance to end this himself, then we can all go home."
"Good luck, Master Xelloss!" Dara cried, holding Dira's hand as they faded away, waving happily with the other.
"Thank you, Dara." He replied easily, waving back and opening his eyes to meet Dira's now expressionless gaze. "Be seeing you, Dira."
Then they were gone, and he was alone once more.
He closed his eyes tiredly. This was worse than he'd feared. Luckily, it was only Amelia's welfare he had to be concerned with, and to be quite honest, as long as nothing could be traced back to him, he wasn't all that concerned.
What do I want to be here today, a solider or a noble? He asked himself calmly, eyeing the palace before him, it gates bizarrely closed to the public, not that that was a problem for him. Which has higher ranking in this new Saillune, should I be seen?
The gate before him gave a great groan and it began to rise, a quick look beyond the bars told him why.
It was Amelia... but like the rest of Saillune, she'd changed.
Soft, and willowy. Red painted lips and a long black gown that laced up her neck. Soft black slippers on her feet and one red talisman, clasped threateningly to her neck.
All thoughts of this being a simple mission vanished from his mind.
"Why, Master Xelloss." Amelia spoke up a pleased tone, stopping before him and looking up at him calmly. "How good to see you again."
The tone and confidence were polite yet foreign. Just like the city it was barely noticeable, except in her soft voice, he could hear the death of the child that had once been there.
It wasn't maturity, it was something else, and it appeared to an epidemic.
"Miss Amelia." He replied tactfully, giving a small bow, her tone all but demanding it. "It is good to see you again as well."
"I see you have one of the talismans, I gave Miss Lina." He stated casually, as though just making conversation. "Have you seen Miss Lina recently, then?"
"No." She replied, shaking her ebony locks gracefully, a hint of sadness creeping into that strange tone. "Not for sometime now, and I have news to share with her."
"Oh?" Xelloss asked in feigned curiosity.
"I am getting married." She replied pleasantly. "Very soon, actually."
"Congratulations." He replied easily, motioning towards the castle. "Say, why don't I come in a meet your fiancé and we'll see what we can do about finding Miss Lina, together?"
Amelia smiled cryptically. "Oh. No need to worry about that. I have reason to believe that she'll find her way here soon enough."
Xelloss tilted his head, masking his worry with bemusement. "Oh? How so, Miss Amelia?"
Amelia smiled peacefully. "Oh, that's nothing for you to worry about, Mr. Xelloss. Why don't you stay with us until she arrives though? We can catch up on old times."
Xelloss grinned, rubbing the back of his head with mock nervousness. "Oh? Are you sure I wouldn't be intruding?"
"Not at all." She replied, turning and leading the way, her walk matching her tone. "You can join Lord Dade and myself for dinner tonight. I've told him all about you."
She turned back to appraise him calmly, the wind blowing her words to him.
"He's been dying to meet you... all of you."
O O O
Now presenting: Evil Amelia and the Dolphin sisters… first time in Technicolor.
Still with me?
See you on Monday then.
