Chapter Six: Payment

When Lina came to, it was with force. She slammed down, front first, into hard, unforgiving concrete, and she gasped, the impact forcing the wind right out of her. The pain rocked through her body, and for a moment, she blacked out again without control.

The second time she woke up, she felt horrible. Her arms were killing her from where Xellos had gripped them, and when she looked, she could see that the skin was torn and bleeding slowly. She wondered when the hell Xellos's touch became that way, but then realised it was pointless to try: obviously, Xellos could do whatever he wanted with his corporal form.

She coughed, hard, then rolled over on her side, muttering the words to Recovery under her breath. She knew she was alone, for the moment. She couldn't feel Xellos, or anyone else, around her. She wasn't sure why he decided to make himself scarce, but she took advantage of it.

She wasn't prepared for this. All she had of use was her sword (which, she noticed with shock, was lying at her side, even though she had dropped it). Well, of course her spells, but even those could be taken away from her. She was barefoot and in a nightgown. She hadn't even thought to grab anything of use. She didn't even have her headband. Hell, she wasn't even sure she had that paintbrush in her hair anymore.

She groaned, more out of frustration than from pain. She shut her eyes and rolled onto her back, shivering. Wherever the hell she was, it was freezing, but her eyes were blurry and she couldn't make much out yet. She figured, once she had her arms healed, she would be able to figure out just how badly off she was.

When she thought about it, she knew she had no choice. There was no real way to fight back, at least not seriously. She knew that that was how Xellos had planned it in the first place: To catch both her and Gourry unawares so that he could victimize them...sounded alot like him, actually.

But why was he so eager to grab her?

She sighed, a lump forming in her throat. She hadn't meant to hurt Gourry when she blasted him away, but she knew, she KNEW, that Xellos would have killed him if he had come closer. It was better this way, better to face him one on one, woman to...man? Thing? She smiled, the gesture hurting a bit. Thing, definitely.

Once her arms were healed, she opened her eyes and looked at them. Gratefully, she could see better, and could also see that her arms were better. She pushed herself up and finally looked around, seeing what kind of hellhole she was in now.

And there wasn't much to it. It was dark, dimly let by dusty chandeliers that looked older than the dawn of time. The ground beneath her was unadorned and rough stone, and the walls and ceiling were made up of the same. She felt no outside air, no ventilation, no natural light. It was as if the place sucked out any type of reality.

One could go insane if left in here too long...

Slowly, easing the sword from its sheath at her hip, Lina got to her feet, her instincts on hair-trigger. She was wary to cast a spell in this place. It wasn't just the lack of...ANYTHING...around her. It was the inability to ascertain where she was, and what exactly she was dealing with. Firing off random spells may have worked when she was younger, but now, especially when facing Xellos, it seemed...impractical. Foolish, even.

Besides. She felt horribly exposed, and horribly naked. Why call attention to herself?

She looked around, focusing on steadying her breathing. Over the years, when things had calmed down, she and Gourry had finally managed to get serious about training her with a sword. Although she wasn't as skilled as he was (but who was, if you thought about it?), she liked to think that she had improved greatly over time. One of the first things he had taught her was to control her breathing or else she would never mind a true opening for attack.

Gourry...

Lina sighed, lowering her head, clutching onto her sword tight. She really, really hoped that he was okay. She had faith in her daughters, faith that somehow, before it was too late, they would find him. From there, well, she wasn't expecting a rescue, but as long as they stayed safe, she was content.

A sound of rushing air burst out from behind her. Without hesitation, she turned on her heel and swung her sword, hard. The sound breezed by her ear, then sounded again, further behind her, now in the opposite direction. She didn't even blink. She gripped the sword, shouted out, and, as the blade burst to life with a fiery glow once more, she dashed forward, aiming right for where she sensed the source of the sounds stood.

Xellos phased into focus, reached out, and grabbed the blade of the sword, smiling brightly. At least his eyes were closed this time.

Dammit, Lina thought. I really have to think of a new move. He keeps catching the stupid blade.

"Ah, ah, Lina-san," he chided gently. "That isn't a way to greet your host."

"My host?" Lina echoed, a chill running down her spine. Before she could truly conclude what he meant, he was already attacking. She felt the power burst out around him, and although it wasn't strong enough to kill, if she got caught, she was in big trouble.

At first, she was reluctant to release the sword. It was her only surefire weapon and she was also very proud of it. But Xellos decided to make the decision for her, by tightening his hold on the blade, and, without even twitching, snapping the blade into bits.

Lina jerked back, feeling the sudden rush of bloodlust emanating from him. She had never felt anything so sickening in her entire life, but there it was. And it was aimed towards her.

Without thinking, she threw the hilt of the broken sword at Xellos, but it merely bounced off him and clattered harmlessly to the ground. She started backwards, trying to outmaneuver him, but he was too fast, and had many, many years of experience in fighting over her. She managed to get a few steps back before he closed the distance and grabbed her, with one hand, by the throat, dragging her back close to him.

At least his hands weren't painful this time, she thought sourly, gritting her teeth and digging her nails into his arm. It was then, she realised, that he wasn't squeezing, nor was he trying to hurt her. He was just...holding her in place. She could breathe fine. She just couldn't move. The bloodlust she had felt was - mostly - gone.

"Ah, for someone of your age, you sure know how to move fast, Lina-san," Xellos laughed, opening one eye and grinning.

Ah. This wouldn't be an attack on her person. It would be much, much worse. "You're a million times older than me!" she shouted. "I'm not even forty!"

"And yet, you hardly look different," Xellos replied, letting go of her casually. She jumped back, but not too far away, afraid he would grab her again. He made no move to do so, however. Instead, he stood calmly, leaning on his staff, looking her up and down in a creepy kind of way. "You look hardly a day over twenty, the last time I saw you."

Lina rolled her eyes. She knew that wasn't true, but she wasn't going to get into it. Arguing with a Mazoku about age was like trying to teach a squirrel how to do black magic. Even if it was funny to attempt it, it still didn't work.

She tensed, looking around, trying to see if there was some way to get out of the place.

Xellos opened the other eye, so that both were on her. His gaze pierced her. "You won't be able to escape, Lina-san," he said, any trace of mirth gone from his voice. "This entire place is sealed, and you will find that you won't be able to as much as sneeze without my knowing it."

Ah, hell, that confirms it, she thought, suppressing the urge to sigh. She was right, then.

She was on Wolf Pack Island, the stronghold of Greater Beast Zelas Metallium.

"Okay," Lina said, trying to stay calm, despite the fact that her palms were starting to sweat. "Get to it, then. Why am I here? And why are you back? I told you never to come back."

Xellos nodded, taking hold of his staff and holding it with both hands. He started to pace in front of her, and as he did, he swung the staff in slow lazy circles between his hands. "The thing is, Lina-san, that human lives are a game for us. We watch them come and go in the blink of an eye, despite the fact that your kind has entire lifetimes in that short span."

Lina bit her lip, swallowing a caustic remark. He went on.

"There are a few times that the occasional human will come to our attention and end up a curiosity for us, one that we feel we must watch and pay attention to, lest they slip from our fingers. Individuals with power, strength, speed...they interest us."

Lina couldn't help it. She sighed. This was worse than she had expected. She was actually expecting some sort of fight, and while it had started that way, now it had turned into a lecture about things she knew as a teenager. She almost would have preferred the fight.

Xellos stopped, looking at her with a small smile. "Ah, but, perhaps you already knew that," he said cheerfully. "In any case, as you may have guessed, you're one of those humans."

Lina crossed her arms over her chest. She was getting annoyed now, and even a little cold, due to her bare legs and feet. "I guess you're going to tell me why?"

She then felt it again. Another surge of that nauseating bloodlust. She put a hand to her throat, choking a little. She felt as if she was going to be sick.

Then, just as suddenly, it was gone.

"You see, Lina-san," Xellos went on, as if nothing had ever happened. He even resumed his pacing. "Several decades ago-"

"I'm not that old!" she shrieked, her pride getting the better of her. "No matter what you say next, I AM NOT THAT OLD."

Xellos turned to her, startled, then he laughed. It was a familiar laugh, the one he had used on their travels together, when all he seemed to be was a strange but jovial priest that you couldn't quite trust. "Fair enough, Lina-san," he agreed. He opened his mouth, but she overrode him, already tired of his games.

"I can guess what this is about," she snapped. "I'm hardly as naive as I used to be, when I followed you blindly into things I shouldn't have gotten involved in. This has everything to do with Phibrizzo, and what happened during the fight between him and me. And the Giga Slave."

Xellos smiled, but his eye twitched.

She smiled back. It wasn't a nice gesture. "Of course it is," she said. "Because I screwed it up. He had killed me, and the Lord of Nightmares took me over. It manifested on this world, gained a physical body, and even though it killed Phibrizzo with no noble cause, the fact that it came, on this world, not only messed up the physical balance, but, in killing Phibrizzo, the Astral balance as well. And even though it went back to the Sea of Chaos, because I came back, it's still off. Something is still off. Right?"

Xellos's smile was gone. His expression was dark, sinister. "You know too much for your own good," he hissed out. And there it was in the air again. That horrible, hateful bloodlust.

Lina shook her head, her own smile vanishing. "No," she said softly, her eyes dark. "I've been thinking about it lately."

It was true. For some reason, even though she had no idea why, despite her usual daily routines, in her spare time, she often found her thoughts back in Sairaag, in the heart of the city, standing alone against one of the Five Retainers. The more she thought about it, the more none of it made any sense.

It was true, when the souls of the dead pierced her heart and caused it to burst, that she had died, and the chaos ran out of control. But the actual spell itself, seeing as how it was a spell to bring the Lord of Nightmares into the physical world, had still worked. It worked as it should have; only Phibrizzo hadn't known that, and he attacked. And no one likes to be attacked for no reason, so it attacked back, and killed him.

But as for the rest...she had managed to piece it together over the years, with help from her friends and Gourry. The only things she remembered was how cold everything went, and how all she could see was golden light, and then...and then...

But her friends had other things to add. Like how, with her dying thoughts, Lina not only managed to summon the Lord of Nightmares into the world, thus actually casting a complete Giga Slave, but she had wanted it to save Gourry's life. It WAS true, the thought about saving Gourry. Embarrassing, but true. However, Phibrizzo attacked first, and, well, it got sidetracked.

In the end, because of that, it had to return to the Sea of Chaos. But Gourry, stupid, loving, selfless Gourry, actually chased after it, and managed to summon Lina's soul back from the void as well. Or had it been that way? Was it Gourry who had sent her back? Or had it been...it?

Either way, the balance was still off. When the thing that called forth nothingness into existence is sent back to nothingness but ends up returning to existence...it was all confusing, but it was plain to see the imbalance.

"So I'm here to die," Lina concluded calmly. Her voice was steady, but her entire body trembled. She knew she had been dealing with things way over her head back then, and knew that someday, she would pay. She just didn't think it would be this soon..."It took you several years to find the means, but now, I'm here to die." She smiled weakly, looking up at him, trying not to choke on the bloodlust surging from him. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Xellos stood there, silent. It was almost as if he was trying to calm himself down. His eyes burned into hers, so strongly that she wondered if she would still see them if she shut her eyes.

"Well, Xellos," she said, her voice suddenly thick with anger. She tensed, getting into fighting stance. "You know me. Despite the fact that I'm at a serious disadvantage, with no weapons, no amplifiers, and no back up, I'm still not going down without a fight. You know that, right?"

"There are always options, Lina-san," he answered. His lips twisted into a facade of a smile, and she felt a chill. She knew, she just knew, that the options he would offer were worse than going down fighting. They always were.

"Okay, Xellos," she replied. "Let's say I humour you and listen to what you have to offer me. If I actually chose one of the options, that's it? You won't go after my family, you won't use whatever it is to gain control of the world, or hurt my friends?"

Xellos looked at her in disbelief. "You act as if you've never met a Mazoku before," he answered bluntly.

Lina sighed. "Ah, I figured. So even if I agree to whatever terms you're offering, there's no guarantee that it'll end up better than it is now, anyways."

"Of course."

"So why bother even offering?" she snapped, his bland answers grating her last nerve.

"Because you and I both know that your death would be a horrible waste," was his explanation. He held out a hand, one eye shutting. "Even Juuo-sama agrees, and she loathes you and everything to do with you."

So then. That only meant that whatever options she had were far worse than death. For her, and for her family. Hell, probably for the world.

"Okay, Xellos," Lina said finally, easing out of her stance. She sighed. "I'm curious. What are the options?"

Xellos opened his eye again. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"They're my options, aren't they?" she snapped. "I SHOULD know them, right?"

He shrugged. "Fair enough, Lina-san. You have two options. Both are preferable, but it really IS one or the other. No third option. Sorry."

He didn't sound sorry. She wanted to bitch-slap him into the next millennium. Instead, she stood there, glowering at him.

"The first one I know you'll say no to, but I think is the best one, for both myself and for you," he began, holding up one finger. "You die, at my hand, and become a Mazoku, and serve Juuo-sama."

Lina snorted, the derisive sound filling the hollow room. It was the only thing she needed to say.

Xellos nodded, his smile widening. "Remember, Lina-san: It's one or the other. Don't be so quick to dismiss it yet."

"The second one, Xellos," she growled.

"Ah yes, the second one," he held up another finger. "The second one is more complicated, and more dangerous, but would solve everyone's problems: Cast the Giga Slave, let us kill you, and allow yourself to be consumed by the spell and return to the Sea of Chaos."

Lina felt her blood turn to ice.

Xellos laughed, watching the colour drain from her face. "I told you that you would prefer the first one!" he sang out. "And of course, in the process, this world would be consumed by the spell, but, hey, all's fair in war, isn't it?"

"I don't think that's how the cliché goes," she said weakly.

She had to admit, it was perfect. They had her completely nailed. Either way, she would be at their mercy, and either way, they would get what they wanted.

Another chill went up her spine, her mind coming to a conclusion. There was a third option. One that he would never go for. One that she would rather use as a last resort, but would solve everyone's problems neatly and tidily. But not yet...not yet.

"So those are my options," she said hollowly.

"Indeed."

"And you decided to do this, this late in my life, now, instead of right after, when I came back, why?"

Xellos shrugged, smiling blandly once more. The air was thick with his murderous miasma. "We didn't have the strength until now. After all, you've been killing us left and right. We needed the time to not only get our losses back, as well as think of a plan that would completely and utterly leave you at our mercy."

Lina smiled sadly. "And that you have," she admitted.

Xellos nodded. "I'm a merciful Mazoku, Lina-san," he said suddenly. Lina almost snorted again, but she held it in check. "I'm willing to give you time to think it over."

"How long? A minute?"

Xellos pulled a face. "I'd like to think I'm fairer than that. An hour, of course."

Lina sighed. So, a minute to him, but an hour to her. "Of course," she echoed.

"So, thus, you have an hour to decide. Remember, don't try anything stupid, and you don't have a third option." Xellos's eyes sparked. "One or the other, Lina-san. Choose wisely."

In a rush of air, he vanished.

Lina sank to the ground covering her face with her hands. She didn't cry, but she wanted to, desperately. Instead, she breathed, in and out, trying to stop her shaking.

An hour. That was all she had.

And one she didn't need. She already had her answer. The real question was, how could she put it into motion?