Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers and Val was not fried by the candle.
Take: Liar.
Taka: It's not like Xellos cares if he loses a leg or two from warming up does he?
Ral: Imagine...The heat creeping all over the egg...the clear substance taking form..now whitish and hardening...
Meg: Stop!!
I figured since the plot's moving too slowly for some, I decided to speed things up by a few chapters.
Vael: Er nope, not possible..I think "... but doesn't every monster love being human every once in a while? xD. Let's just say she wanted to drink real badly and was having withdrawal symptoms extremely similar to that of being drunk. Yeah. And you used 'Anglo'! Cool! I'm a fan of lesser-known words with easy meanings haha. Like bedlam. Thanks a lot for the review!
Setfiregirl: (Syerrah)It was a sudden thought, really. I didn't really plan for that until a sudden inspiration of sorts while typing. Or maybe I had the idea stashed somewhere and forgot about it... (Angela) Don't worry (or worry, depending on, er, how much of the nice ones you are), no one's going to marry in Amorteria except maybe for some nobles. -coughAmeliacough- just kidding. Thanks for the continued reviews!
"REALLY?? This is Dragon Cuisine?!" Lina went all starry-eyed at the noble she was talking to across the table.
A figure in white and black approached them with another dish on his tray.
"Yes my dear - Lord Emel loves his mother very much you see, Lynnette."
"Angel! What are you doing here?? And more importantly is this really really Dragon meat!?"
Angel laid the food before her and poured a generous amount of sauce all over it.
"I'm a servant of Lord Emel! And of course, this is a meal of the finest dragon meat..."
Zelgadis sweatdropped from afar as he watched. You're not asking anything about Amelia at all...
The song ended, he bowed to the lady he was dancing with and thanked her despite not having found a single clue about Amelia. He looked to see if Filia was having any luck.
"WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN YOU NAMAGOMI!!"
"Nothing at all onerous really, Filia, but I was just wondering so about your mace..."
"Shut UP!!"
"Filly dear, it's not a custom here to shout at your husband-to-be..."
"I - you - ARGHH!!"
Zelgadis shook his head and sighed. No good, huh...
Oh Amelia..If I'd known, I'd never have let you go. Who knows what evil she is in now...
With effort, he turned to look at Gourry who was, just like Lina, 'patrolling' the food stands.
"Hey you, lady!"
"'Hey you'?!"
"Yeah, you with the squid tentacle. Have you seen Amelia?"
"What??"
"Isn't that a squid tentacle on your plate?"
"I meant who's Amelia?!"
"And we ALL have squid tentacles on our plates!!" yelled the line of women at the food stall.
"You don't need to shout, it's okay if you haven't seen Amelia.. I mean, I haven't too, and Lina will be mad and all, but-"
Zelgadis hung his head low as he walked around the edges of the dance floor.
Something moved between the shadows of the dark pillars.
What was that?? he thought as he swung his head.
"Hey Gourry," Lina nodded her head at the pillars.
Gourry caught sight of a black figure running across the wall. He nodded back.
"Oh Filia..." Xellos sang in his most dangerously sweet voice, tapping on her shoulder.
"WHAT, you - huh?"
Xellos phased away, leaving a clear view of the dark figure bouncing up and down.
Did I just - ?
"Can I really do this, Angel-san?"
"Of course Amelia dear! You've trained very hard for this, no?"
"Un! What about you, Rain-san?"
"Uh, please don't call me that.."
"But Witch-san just sounds so...evil!"
"Well then, why don't we call her RainWitch-san then?"
"Ahh! Good idea, Angel-san!"
"No, actually I.."
Amelia hugged the pillar closest to her under the veil of the shadows and got ready to climb up, coconut tree-style.
"Good luck, Amelia-san!" Angel waved with a smile.
"Thank you Angel-san! I will do my best and shine the light of Justice into the hearts and souls of every noble and make them worthy of their title!"
Amelia lost her grip on the pillar, having used her right hand to ball up into a fist for added determination effect, and fell.
"Amelia-san! Are you okay??"
The Slayers all moved to the centre of the floor, hiding amongst the dancing couples while waiting for the sighted dark figure to make a move. Meanwhile, Xellos promptly disappeared without the notice of anyone.
"Okay everyone, be careful. We don't know what spells the kidnapper can use or if she's a monster. Keep close and keep -"
"Citizens of Amorteria!!"
All the people in the room looked up to see Amelia in her white robe with her cape fluttering about in a just and dramatic fashion swinging on the main chandelier, which wasn't really just since the nobles didn't enjoy having to turn their heads as she swung about. Furthermore, her cape kept getting stuck in her face and she looked like she was about to fall from the great height.
"I - whoa - call you the Citizens and not the - nobles because you do not deserve your titles as of - the moment!!"
There were various mutterings, but most of them concerned the asking of just who was the little girl.
"What's Amelia doing there? Isn't she kidnapped?"
"Wait, Xellos did say something about her appearing here to make an appearance about preaching or something.."
"You ask who I am? You, citizens of Upper Amorteria, should be asking who yourselves are! I, Amelia, Princess of Seiruun, will shine light on the cruel misdeeds that you have done!"
Everyone sweatdropped, noticing her obvious mistake.
"Lord Emel!" Amelia shouted with all the justice she could, hanging desperately from a swinging chandelier.
And instantly everyone turned their heads towards Lord Emel, who turned out to be a wizened old man with a curly moustache and a small goatee, stroking the urn of his dead mother's ashes. He didn't look very sharp, or for that matter, sane.
"How dare you prohibit the entrance of your fellow townspeople into the lovely town of Amorteria? They have as equal a right to this public town as any other human being - to do this is the most cruel act of injustice!"
Amelia wobbled, then slowly crawled back atop the chandelier.
"Huh?"
"Ah! Can't you feel the bursting amount of love that everyone could share, if only we were to keep an open heart? Everyone, listen! If we -"
"...Ame...LIA!!"
Amelia stiffened. "That voice.. Lina-san..?"
"Amelia-san!" Filia shouted. "Please get down from there right now! It's dangerous!"
"Filia-san! But, I can use Raywing-"
"It's not that!" Zelgadis yelled. "Amelia, you're in danger from the monsters! Come down right now!"
"Zelgadis-san... What do you mean?"
"It means this."
Angel appeared in mid-air beside Amelia, holding a dagger to her neck, causing the nobles (save Emel) to gasp and attempt to escape, only to find that the doors were locked an shut tight.
"Angel! What are you doing?! Who are you?"
"Aren't you happy to see me, Lina? You're the one that's been looking for me all this while, after all..."
"So it IS you. You're that monster!" Filia shouted.
"Oh please, m'dear, don't associate me with such creatures. You'll find that I am..far more unique."
Lina grit her teeth. Damn Xellos.
"Amelia! Run away now!" Zelgadis yelled. "DAMU BRAS!"
"I don't think so!" Angel and Amelia seemed to shift slightly further away, despite not having moved. At the same time, the dagger lengthened and curled around Amelia's neck. The nobles screamed as the spell hit the chandelier and crashed into the ground.
Gourry shielded Lina from the exploding crystals with his sword. "We'll get you some time so cast a big spell okay?"
Lina nodded and signalled for Filia and Zelgadis to cover her.
Zelgadis cast a Windy Shield against the raining shards of crystal. Filia reached out for her mace - to find that it wasn't there.
"What the - XELLOS!!"
Somewhere behind Filia and everyone else, a grinning mazoku giggled while holding on to a mace.
"Return it NOW!!"
Xellos said nothing but phased into the light to face Angel.
"Forget him Filia! Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond -"
"I didn't mean THAT big spell!!" Gourry yelled.
"Lina, don't!" Amelia shouted from her awkward position, holding on to the curled dagger around her neck. A drop of blood rolled down her neck as the dagger flexed and tightened. "Amelia!" Zelgadis shouted in concern.
"Are you sure, Lina? This won't be the first time you killed the inhabitants of a town." Xellos mused.
The nobles in the room that had not yet fainted inched away from Lina in fear. Lina lowered her hands and clenched her fists.
"ARGH! Damn it! Fine!! FIREBALL!"
The door was blast open and the nobles immediately emptied from the hall in seconds. Unconscious nobles and servants lay forgotten.
"Aw. How sad." Angel waved his free hand and instantly the decorative plants in the vicinity twisted, warped, and shot themselves at the Slayers.
"XELLOS! RETURN ME MY -"
Xellos phased behind Filia and tapped her on the back of her head with the end of the mace. Filia's eyes widened, then closed, and she slumped on the floor.
"..mace..."
"Xellos! You didn't have to do that!" Lina yelled as she struggled with the house plants that were now trying to strangle her. The other Slayers found themselves in the same situation. Xellos just continued smiling without saying anything. He turned back to face Angel.
"It seems that Lord Dynast's information was incorrect. Indeed, you're not a mazoku...would you perhaps be fom beyond the barrier?"
Angel's facial features rearranged themselves to form a smirk. He didn't look so appealing now.
"What barrier?"
"Ah, I see. Well then.."
Xellos opened his eyes for a flash of a moment and disappeared, only to reappear again with Amelia in his arms.
"You - !"
"Um. Thanks...Xellos-san.." Amelia blinked as she was let down onto the floor slowly.
"Please be careful next time, ne? And do take care of Filia-san for me."
Amelia nodded as she dragged Filia into a corner.
"Well then Lina, I'll leave the rest to you! You don't have to hold back now!"
And Xellos disappeared again, smiling.
"All right!" Lina pulled herself from the plants and set the rest aflame, positioning her palms together once more.
"There's no need to cast the Giga Slave at some cheap elemental like you! Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows.."
The rest of the Slayers made a mad dash for the exit while doing their best to carry a Golden Dragon. Filia suddenly awoke, hearing the faint voices of the chant.
"...let the foes who stand..."
"Oh no. Not again!!" Filia said as the resulting explosion surfaced. But instead of washing the town of Amorteria away into sands, only little more than the mansion itself was destroyed. The building collapsed and sent a strong wave of rocks everywhere.
"What's...going on?" Filia wondered aloud as a battered Lina climbed weakly out of the rubble, while a figure cloaked in white held on to Angel, who was coughing up blood.
"..you..bastard...that wasn't dragon cuisine at all!!"
Filia sighed a breath of relief.
"I have acquired the mace, Mistress."
Zelas paid no heed and continued chugging from her bottle of wine.
"...and also knocked Filia unconscious."
Her hand paused as she raised the bottle to her lips, and her ruby lips tautened into a smile, showing several sharp teeth. Then she continued her drink.
"You know what to do when the gold questions."
"Hai, Zelas-sama."
Xellos stood up and handed the mace to Zelas, who tested its weight and swung it at the wall without warning.
Xellos did not so much as blink as the resultant explosion sent hot dust blowing past him.
"It should work," Zelas announced, and let the mace fall and roll to a stop beside the wall which now sported cracks and dents that extended to every part of the room, each spike for each dent.
Xellos lifted his head and smiled.