Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Slayers or any other literature/anime I may or may not reference now or in the future.
I do not profit in a monetary sense from writing fan fiction
Thank you for your kindness and tolerance.
……
(Im)pending, Please Wait.
……
"You're telling me that Seyruun is in danger?" Captain Meleagris of the Seyruun City Guard gobbled, "Preposterous!" The man shook his head, causing the flab dangling off his neck to wobble to and fro.
Lina wanted to wring his neck.
The bald, red-faced, rotund man had prevented Lina and her friends from talking to either Phil or Christopher for nearly an hour. He claimed that, as the Captain of the City Guard, he was responsible for all military affairs in Seyruun.
Unfortunately, his favorite part of his job was burying his head in the sand and ignoring any manner of threat.
"Listen, turkey," Lina growled, "I've told you and Amelia's told you that Seyruun is in danger. Gourry, Zel, Martina, Zangulas, Filia, Milgasia, Val, Marinnie, and Gaav can back our story up. Why won't you listen?" Lina's aura of fury warped the air around her and threatened to burn her friends sitting nearest to her.
The old man clucked his tongue indignantly and hid his beaky nose behind a claw-like hand as though Lina's anger was an offensive odor.
"There is no reason for me to believe you, Ms. Inverse," said Meleagris. "You, Ms. Inverse, are, shall we say, infamous." He chuckled in a self-satisfied manner and ran a beady eye over her assorted friends. "And the people you have to back up your foolish tale do not appear to be particularly credible. Mr. Gourry appears to be quite a moron. Mr. Zelgadis is a shady looking character." He slid his tongue over his lips while he concocted more insults. "The Kingdom of Xoana is known to desire an excuse for military build-up and I know very well that those flying lizards of yours are envious of Seyruun's purity and prosperity. Additionally, one cannot rely on the accounts of children since the young are wretched little liars. Finally, Ms. Inverse, seeing that you rely on a Mazoku to back up your story only demonstrates that your reputation as a less than demure maiden is a well earned one."
The servants would later find a good number of indentions in the table, most of which appeared to be caused by fingers grasping on to the polished oak. It was rather peculiar.
"And why," Lina snarled as Gourry held her back in case she was tempted to rip Meleagris into pieces and barbeque the remains, "Can't you listen to Amelia? She's your princess, right?"
The Captain cast a snobby look at Amelia before turning to talk to Lina.
"Princess Amelia," he intoned as though she couldn't hear him, "Has been traipsing around the countryside with a pack of undesirables. They, like her father, are poor role models for a young girl like her."
Amelia's face darkened in anger.
"What are you trying to say?" Lina's voice was serene.
'Oh, Cepheid,' Filia thought in horror as she backed against the wall, 'Ms. Lina has gone off the deep end…'
Martina and Zangulas began to mumble prayers to Zoamelgustar as they slid their uncomfortable metal chairs away from the corpulent Captain Meleagris.
'Please don't let her blow the palace up,' Amelia implored various higher powers.
'I should start running now if I want a decent chance of getting out of the blast radius,' Zelgadis reasoned.
Vrumugun didn't react. After all, there were still nine clones left.
'Kill him, you have a good excuse.' Phibrizzo urged mentally, 'Blow him up. Strew his guts around and paint the town red with his blood! Torture him! Kill him! Or, if you're going to be mature, light him on fire.'
'I don't take kindly to being called a liar,' Valgaav realized. 'I ought to start counting to one hundred.'
"Would you like to play chess?" Milgasia asked the Devil Dragon King quietly. "Lina and the others have the, um, diplomacy under control."
"You call that control?" Gaav whispered back incredulously. "She might sound calm, but I'm sure she's going to flip out in a manner of seconds."
"Just kidding," Milgasia murmured as he opened the newspaper in search of the daily crossword. "I don't have a chess set handy."
Gaav nearly fell out of his chair. 'Stupid draconic humor…'
'I should send flowers to this guy's funeral…' Gourry decided as a smile spread across Lina's face. 'I wonder if there's anything affordable.'
"What do you mean when you say that Amelia can't be trusted because her father and her friends are 'poor role models'?" Lina reiterated calmly. In the back of her mind she shuddered and scolded herself for sounding like Luna.
"A woman," Meleagris declared, "Belongs at her home. A princess ought to pass her days engaging in dainty pastimes, such as embroidery or gossip. She should not run around the countryside among the lower classes trying to rectify perceived wrongs."
The table made an audible cracking noise. Several audible cracking noises actually.
"A princess," Meleagris continued, oblivious to the irritation that floated in the air, "Should not distress herself with the misfortune of the lower-class. She only needs to marry and bear an heir to continue her husband's lineage."
'If you even insinuate that you expect me to participate in either part of the event that proceeds bearing children, then I will see to it that you and all of your descendants are rendered incapable of taking part in such an act!' Marinnie thought maliciously.
"And how do your," Lina coughed, an odd cough that sounded like several very rude words; "Views relate to our credibility?"
"They just do!" Meleagris replied huffily, "My gut tells me that you are not worth listening to!"
'He's got enough of a gut,' Gaav mused as he drummed his fingers of the armrest of his chair, 'It's no surprise it's talking to him.'
"Now," The Captain said, trying to appear dignified, "I am a very busy man. It is my job to keep Seyruun safe. I have wasted enough time listening to your balderdash. If you will excuse me, I have important matters to attend to."
The man tried to sweep dramatically out of the room, but, in reality, he merely waddled away with a haughty air. He resembled nothing more than a fattened turkey strutting obliviously to the slaughterhouse. As he proceeded down the hallway, he passed a random waitress and gave her a pat on the posterior.
In a great show of mercy, she didn't lop his head off.
No one wondered why an armed waitress was wandering the halls of the Seyruun palace; Divine Intervention saw to that.
"I think that was an example of 'military intelligence'," Zangulas quipped, "And it reminded me why I was a mercenary before I met my darling wife." He kissed said wife for good measure.
"Well, we now know that we can't rely on the Seyruun City Guard to protect the city." Zelgadis said sardonically. The chimera ran a hand through his wiry hair and frowned. "It's a pity. Our job would be so much easier if they cooperated."
"If they won't help, then we don't have to follow their rules," Gourry pointed out. "As long as they don't stop us and as long as we get the job done, everything will be okay, right?"
The waitress crept closer to the doorway, intent on eavesdropping.
"This way will be easier; we get to take matters into our own hands!" Lina grinned eagerly, a tad too eagerly.
"No Dragon Slaves allowed!" Amelia interjected hastily.
"Why not?" Lina complained, "They're really useful. And fun."
"Well, not in the city limits…"
The waitress outside stifled a chuckle.
"Hey, Lina," Gaav said, "Have you ever fought in a city?"
"Yeah, loads of times. Especially during meals."
"Lemme rephrase that. Have you ever had to defend a place from an invasion? And not blow it up?" Gaav laid special emphasis on the second question, much to Lina's irritation.
Lina frowned and considered. She wracked her brain for awhile and made an impressive imitation of Gourry when he tried to remember Shabranigdo's name.
"I haven't blown up a few cities that I've battled in, if that's what you mean. But actually defending a place from more than a few people? No, I don't think so," she replied after a few minutes. "Why?"
"What about the rest of you? Have you ever fought in a large-scale battle, maybe a war, where your life and the lives of your comrades weren't the only ones on the line?" Gaav continued, ignoring the sorceress.
Amelia shook her head slowly. Filia shook her head with a slight frown. Martina shook her head. Zangulas shook his head. Milgasia asked Vrumugun if he knew a four-letter word that was a synonym for destruction. Vrumugun pointed surreptitiously to Lina. Zelgadis pondered for a bit before acknowledging that he had little experience defending a place and protecting multiple lives.
Gourry nodded quietly.
"That's what I thought," Gaav said. "Gourry, d'you know what I'm getting at, talking about defending places and having extra lives on the line?"
"Yeah," Gourry replied, "It's an entirely different sort of battle."
"What do you mean a 'different sort of battle'?" Lina demanded, irked that she wasn't quite sure what was going on.
"When we fought, both sides were fighting to stay alive. It was me versus several of you. The battle was off in a remote location, Dragon's Peak or something like that." Gaav explained.
"Excuse me, but I live there." Milgasia interrupted mildly. Gaav brushed that pesky detail away and continued to talk.
"That fight only involved a handful of participants and it didn't pose much of a threat to any unrelated parties (aside from dragons, but they can take care of themselves). Your side focused on attacking me and healing one another and I focused on trying to kill you, Lina. That was an example of a very simple battle." Gaav paused and drew his brows together in concentration. "Can you tell where I'm going with this? I'm not that good at explaining stuff; I've always been a 'direct demonstration' kind of guy."
"I think I've got a decent idea of what you're trying to say," Lina replied. "Something along the lines of: 'This battle is going to be complicated because there are going to be a lot of people involved' and 'It's really going to suck for the innocent bystanders'. Right?"
"Close enough," Gaav shrugged.
"Well I've saved the world before," Lina declared, "And there were a lot of lives in danger then. Even if the actual fighting didn't immediately threaten other people, the result of the battle did matter to the rest of the world. Isn't that similar to defending a place?"
"No, not really," Gourry answered, "Because there weren't a lot of people around during the fighting."
"So?"
"Well, you didn't have a bunch of people around asking why you weren't protecting them when we were saving the world from, um, whatshisname," a small crinkle appeared between his eyebrows as he tried to recall the name that often escaped him. "That one guy, Shaba-ding-dong." Marinnie's jaw dropped and Gaav snorted very loudly. Gourry continued without paying either of them any mind. "If we were fighting him and there were a bunch of people around, then most of them would get in your face and ask you to save them and forget everyone else."
"People get in the way and make stupid demands when they think they're in danger," Gaav clarified, still smirking. He leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the table, "So you know; I've found that the bigger the attacking force, the stupider the threatened mob becomes. It's good eating."
"If we assume that the danger threatening Seyruun is an invasion, then an army of lesser demons is going to pose more of a problem than just Xelloss once the citizenry is factored in," Zelgadis stated.
"We know Seyruun is in danger," Amelia said, "But, Mr. Zelgadis, it sounds like you think it might not be an invasion."
Zelgadis shook his head, "Xelloss never said that he was planning to invade Seyruun."
"I'm sure it'll be an invasion," Gaav interrupted. "Xelloss won't pass up an opportunity to create fear and chaos if he's going to attack a city this large. His appetite is almost as vast as Lina's."
"What if we make everyone evacuate?" Lina suggested. "Then they wouldn't get in the way and they wouldn't be in danger, right?"
The eavesdropping waitress raised an obscured eyebrow at the sorceress' idea. It wasn't a bad idea, but it wasn't one she had expected Lina to come up with.
"Ms. Lina, that's a bit…" Amelia trailed off.
"Impractical?" Filia offered.
"Thank you, Ms. Filia," Amelia replied as she nodded. "It would be incredibly impractical to evacuate all of Seyruun, especially if we don't want Captain Meleagris to interfere."
"Oh, yeah," Lina muttered. She made several impolite comparisons between the Captain and the end result of the digestive system. Martina clapped her hands over her daughter's ears and shot Lina a reproving glare.
"However, if we could keep Captain Meleagris from noticing, then I think it would be a good idea to evacuate a portion of Seyruun. Hopefully we can get a number of people to safety before the Mazoku attack," Amelia said over Lina's increasingly nasty descriptions of the aging Captain of the Seyruun Guard.
"I'd get the very young, the elderly, and those incapable of fighting out of the city first, since they'd be liabilities more than anything else," Zangulas put forth.
"I think it would be wiser to evacuate the people near the outer wall first," Amelia countered. "Since the holy barrier gets weaker the farther one gets from the center of the city, the citizens living closest to the outer wall are in the most danger. But they're also the easiest to evacuate in case of an emergency."
"How does this barrier affect Mazoku?" Gourry asked the Devil Dragon King.
Gaav shrugged and pulled a can of beer out of his pocket before replying. "Since I'm bound to a human soul, I'm not an accurate judge. But I feel like I have a head cold from the amount of Cepheid's power concentrated in the castle."
"When we fought Kanzeil and Mazenda we were either dragged into a pocket dimension at the start or outside of Seyruun City limits," Zelgadis recalled. "They said it was to keep us from running, but it might've been because they were handicapped in the city."
"Both," Gaav grunted through a sip of beer.
"So we know that Mazoku suffer some adverse effects from Seyruun's holy barrier, we know that we want as few people around as possible, and we know that Captain Meleagris is a lousy—." Martina glared at Lina. "Never mind," Lina amended, "We know that we don't want him to interfere. So we'll evacuate the people in the outer edge of the city first. Right?"
'Cepheid,' the waitress thought as Lina's friends agreed with her summarizing. 'She's not the little kid I remember…'
"The important thing we don't know is where the attack will come from," Lina continued standing and pacing across the smooth stone floor. "Therefore, I suggest that some of us patrol the city while the others organize an evacuation."
"I'll help organize the evacuation," Amelia volunteered.
"Zangulas-darling and I will help too," Martina added.
"Right, Amelia, Martina, and Zangulas will be in charge of evacuating the most vulnerable citizens," Lina agreed, stopping at the head of the long table. "See if you can get Phil and Christopher to help out, okay Amelia?"
"I'm sure Daddy will be happy to help," Amelia beamed. "Oh, I can't wait to see Daddy again!"
"Right… as for patrols—"
"I am already patrolling the area near the northernmost gate," Vrumugun said before Lina finished her sentence. "You just need groups to patrol the eastern, western, and southern parts of the city."
"Am I the only one who thinks it's creepy that Mr. Clone can be in two places at once?" Gaav wondered.
"There are nine more of me," Vrumugun corrected. "So I am in ten places at once. I am the ultimate multi-tasker."
"I think it's creepier that he can call himself 'the ultimate multi-tasker' in a monotone," Filia muttered to herself as she eyed a large vase perched on the window sill. Surely Amelia's family would want that ugly thing replaced…
"We need three groups to patrol the city," Lina stated over the discussion, slamming her palms onto the oaken table in case she didn't have everyone's attention. "Gourry and I will be one group, Filia and Milgasia will be another group, and… that leaves Zel and Gaav."
"You only need to patrol the western and southern parts of the city," Gaav pointed out, "Zelas won't send her minions through Zephilia. It's an old agreement she has with the Knight of Cepheid." Lina twitched violently at the mention of her older sister.
'Zelas won't send her minions near Zephilia,' the waitress agreed, 'She's too attached to her wine to break our promise.'
"Wait, I nearly forgot. Someone needs to watch Ms. Marinnie and Mr. Val," Amelia piped in. "They're both younger than ten, so they need adult supervision."
"Why?" Marinnie demanded, "I can take care of myself!"
"That may be the case," Amelia replied from the swaying chandelier, "But it doesn't change the law. In Seyruun, it is a crime to leave a child under the age of ten unsupervised. Supervision by someone over the age of eighteen is required."
"Okay, so we need a babysitter and two patrols," Lina recapped as Amelia hopped off of the chandelier and onto the table. "Shall we play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets stuck with babysitting duty?"
Gourry, Gaav, Filia, and Milgasia nodded.
"Right, rock-paper-scissors it is," Lina grinned, "And Zel, you aren't allowed to opt out." Lina smirked at her friend. The chimera grumbled in response.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors," they chanted. "SHOOT!"
"You all picked paper," Amelia remarked as she sat down in the wrought iron chair. "That's unusual."
"Um…" Lina glanced at the five other hands. "Zel is already a rock! Zel loses!"
"HEY!" Zelgadis protested as the others smacked his stony hand.
"Zel is stuck babysitting," Lina confirmed. "Gourry, Gaav, and I will be one patrol and Filia and Milgasia will be the other patrol. My group will patrol the western part of Seyruun while Filia and Milgasia will patrol the southern area. Got it?"
General murmurs of consent drowned out Zelgadis' irritated grumble.
'Lina has it under control, she doesn't need my help,' The waitress told herself, noting a wave of regret.
She sighed and walked away from the doorway with a smile. As she reached the end of the hallway she walked into a timid-looking maid.
"I-I'm sorry," the girl stammered, trying to brush imaginary wrinkles out of her crisp red and white uniform.
"No problem," the woman replied with a smile. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"Um… um…" the girl stuttered, "C-could I ask you to do me a f-favor? C-can you take this coffee to Captain M-Meleagris? I-I would… b-but I'm scared of, of him…"
"Sure thing," the waitress said kindly, removing the cup from the maid's hands. "I'll be happy to." The maid thanked her, scampered away, and tumbled off of a balcony.
The waitress looked at the coffee critically; it wasn't very high-quality coffee. She wouldn't give it to her customers. Of course, Meleagris wasn't a customer, he was an obstacle.
She rooted around in her apron pocket for a small envelope. Carefully, she emptied the powdery contents of the envelope into Captain Meleagris' coffee.
'It's the least I can do,' Luna mused when she placed the cup in front of Meleagris.
……………………
Vrumugun met the other two several blocks away from the North Gate. They nodded and walked to the nearest bar.
"You know what's going on?" Vrumugun inquired.
"Yes," Vrumugun and Vrumugun replied.
"She's in here," Vrumugun told Vrumugun and Vrumugun. The three copies filed into the bar, removing their hoods and squinting in the dim light.
The bar looked like many bars in many kingdoms. It was dingy, smelly, poorly lit, and there were a number of drunken men slumped over the long wooden counter. A grizzled bartender stood sullenly behind his counter, polishing greasy tankards with a filthy rag and occasionally refilling a customer's empty ale mug. A single woman sat in the bar, imbibing more ale than all of the other patrons combined.
She was an interesting woman, and not just because she was chugging enough alcohol to knock out a Mazoku. Her skin was as smooth and pale as magnolia blossoms and she made sure to show it off. Her curvaceous figure was barely contained by her little, tight, black leather outfit. Her cheeks were tinged with a rosy hue and her luxurious hair flowed down her back like an ebony waterfall. Her long-lashed, blue eyes focused intently on her tankard. For a moment, she looked like a goddess meditating on her next course of action.
Then Naga lifted her mug and slopped the majority of her ale onto the countertop. Cursing, she pounded the tankard on the counter and demanded a free refill.
"She's drunk." Vrumugun, Vrumugun, and Vrumugun stated; three pairs of cold blue eyes staring at the scantily clad sorceress. "She's very drunk."
"I'm not drunk," the woman corrected, proving that she heard them. "I've just had a lot of alcohol. There's a difference."
"If you say so," the three men sighed. "Are your mental capabilities impaired?"
"Naga the White Serpent's mental prowess is never impaired!" She leapt up to laugh and the three men clapped their hands over their ears as the other people in the bar fled. The bartender continued to pour ale into the woman's mug, quietly praying to lose his hearing in the next few minutes.
"Please don't laugh," Vrumugun pleaded.
"It's bad enough hearing it through one pair of ears," Vrumugun continued for Vrumugun.
"But hearing that laugh through three pairs of ears is excruciating," Vrumugun finished for the other two.
'Of course, it could be worse,' the three clone men thought, 'At least the other ten aren't here.'
"If I want to laugh, then I will laugh," Naga sniffed. "They say: 'Laugh and the world laughs with you', don't they? I laugh to make the world a happier place for when I wish to conquer it." To prove her point, she laughed again.
"Yes, yes," Vrumugun mumbled. "By the way, Lina Inverse hates your laugh. From the sound of things, she's rather traumatized by the sound."
"She's just jealous," the well-endowed woman proclaimed. She walked unsteadily through the bar as she continued. "So how is Lina? The last I heard, she was off saving the world with Amelia and a few others people. Is she still as flat as a board?"
"She's trying to protect Seyruun right now," Vrumugun and Vrumugun informed Naga. "And we're going to patrol the northern section of the city."
"Why?"
"Because we don't know where the Mazoku are planning to attack from."
"Mazoku? There are Mazoku involved?" Naga frowned and twirled a strand of her dark hair around a finger. "That makes things much more complicated. I might have to charge extra for my help…"
"You don't have to help," said Vrumugun. "We only told you because we thought you might like to protect your kingdom." They walked a few steps away from the White Serpent and stood by the doorway, silhouetted by the sunlight. "You know, your sister and father are in a great deal of danger. You ought to protect your family this time."
"You'll never be popular with the ladies if you're so sneaky," Naga grumped as she followed the three clone men into the sun and along the cobblestone road.
"I'm unpopular if I'm pushy and I'm unpopular if I'm sneaky," the three Vrumugun clones said as they pulled their discount-bin cloaks' hoods over their bald pates. "I just can't win, can I?"
……………………
The reunion between Amelia and her father consisted of several minutes of bone-crunching bear hugs. Martina and Zangulas winced when Christopher had the misfortune of wandering into the room.
"I think that was my ribcage…" Christopher gasped as his niece and his older brother squashed him in a hug.
Finally the three members of the Seyruun royal family broke apart. Amelia cast a Recovery spell on her uncle's bruised ribs while Phil began to tell her about his latest journey. After listening to Prince Phil expound on his efforts to educate underprivileged peasants in the way of pacifism for half a minute, Martina felt an overwhelming urge to interrupt.
"Excuse me, but, while hearing how you helped those ignorant people is wonderful, aren't there more important things to talk about?" The Queen of Xoana demanded.
Christopher cast a grateful look at her.
Martina smiled, "For example, why don't I tell you about the Cult of Zoamelgustar that I'm forming? We have a meeting this Thursday at twilight." Christopher maintained his poise despite his desire to introduce his skull to a nearby wall.
'Sometimes I wish I didn't know so many obsessive people,' the Second Prince thought as Phil began to rant about forming cults. 'But, while my life might be less stressful without Justice-freaks and oyster-worshippers, I don't think my life would be as interesting.'
"The reason why I'm refraining from telling you about the next Church of Zoamelgustar meeting/fundraiser/Post-Traumatic-Lina-Inverse-Encounter therapy group is because now is not the time," Martina said serenely over Phil's speech.
"That's right!" Amelia affirmed from atop an end table. "I'm glad to hear how successful you were, Daddy; but you'll have to wait until later to tell me all about it! Right now Evil threatens our fair city! An army of soulless shadows plans to lay siege to our land and crush the light of hope and love in our peoples' hearts. A cloud of darkness is coming to cover the sun-like Justice of Seyruun and rain sorrow and pain upon us! If we do not act today then there is no hope of preserving a tomorrow."
Phil gently lifted his daughter off of the table and placed her in front of him.
"Now, Amelia," said her father, "What is this cloud of darkness that spreads towards us and places our Justice-filled tomorrow in horrible danger?"
"Mazoku," Zangulas answered before Amelia and her father could continue using fancy metaphors. "They're going to invade Seyruun."
"Exactly!" Amelia yelled, pointing at the King of Xoana. "But Captain Meleagris refuses to believe us. He hath ignored our tale and disregarded the trouble that looms around us! But even if we don't have the support of the City Guard, it is still our duty to protect our people, is it not? We must keep our city and her citizens safe from those who have sold their souls to darkness. We cannot allow the venom of evil to be inflicted upon the hearts of our kingdom!"
"Verily!" Phil exclaimed enthusiastically. "Do you have a plan?"
"Ms. Lina thought that we should evacuate some of our most vulnerable citizens," Amelia explained. "But it will be incredibly difficult without your help, Daddy."
"You have no need to worry," Phil grinned. "I shall help however I can!"
"As will I," Christopher smiled.
"That's wonderful!" Amelia beamed, "I'm so glad you understand." Amelia and Phil embraced one another again. And several more times for good measure. And a few more times.
"We should find a safe haven for the evacuees," Christopher stated calmly after Amelia and her father's thirty-seventh hug.
Phil grinned and looked around the various soldiers standing nearby, "Jeffery!" He bellowed. A frail young man jumped, spun around, and saluted to Phil. "I need you to return to your home."
"Eh?" The young man gasped, "But why?"
'That voice, could it be? Mr. Xelloss?!' Amelia gasped inwardly the moment the young man spoke. 'No, wait… my Justice Sense tells me that that soldier isn't a Mazoku. Huh, maybe it's just the same voice actor.'
"It's not that you aren't an excellent soldier," Christopher explained as he noticed a hooded woman hefting a war hammer in a corner of the chamber. "Rather the opposite. We need you to escort a number of refugees to your family's estate and protect them until the threat of the demonic attack passes."
"I can stay here and fight the demonic menace!" Jeffery proclaimed, waving his flimsy rapier in clumsy circles. "I can defeat it with a single blow!"
"I'm sure you could," Christopher lied with a placating voice. "But it would be more heroic if you were to protect the evacuees as they journeyed to the sanctuary of your estate."
"Then I shall defend them like a valiant hero! I shall take my vorpal blade in hand and kill any creature of evil that threatens those I escort!" Jeffery declared. He saluted Prince Phil before dashing clumsily away. The hooded woman, satisfied with Christopher's words, disappeared after her son.
"Thanks Chris," said Phil with a smile, "You really saved me there."
"It was no problem," Christopher demurred. "I'd do the same any day for you, brother."
"Who was that creepy lady?" Zangulas wondered. "And was that pantyhose on her head?
"That was just a passing pedestrian, nothing to worry about," Phil explained flippantly. He clapped his large hands together and grinned at the others. "We now have a safe haven for our citizens to go to, now we must direct them to migrate there! Come on, Amelia!"
"Right, Daddy!"
The Crown Prince of Seyruun rushed out of the room, closely followed by his daughter. Martina, Zangulas, and Christopher looked at one another while the dust settled.
"So," Christopher began, "I'm glad to see that Your Majesties have returned. I was worried that we had offended you last time since you left so suddenly."
"Oh, we just found out where Lina and Gourry were going," Martina explained. "And we had to catch them before they escaped again."
"Apparently you were successful," Christopher observed.
"Indeed," said Zangulas.
"Well, I thank you for giving us forewarning concerning this impending attack on Seyruun," Christopher murmured politely. He strolled away from them and over to the closest window from where he admired the bustling city below. "We are indebted to you," he announced, "The thought of the catastrophe that would've befallen us if we had been taken unaware is horrible."
"We were happy to help," Martina smiled, "The Monstrous Zoamelgustar will protect Xoana's allies!" She pumped her fist into the air dramatically.
'Zoamelgustar?' Christopher wondered, trying to recall anything by the name of 'Zoamelgustar'. 'Oh, it's that peculiar oyster-thing.'
"I'm glad to have the protection of Zoamelgustar," Christopher lied diplomatically, "It is a great boon to Seyruun."
"Of course, of course!" Martina agreed joyfully.
"Thank you," Christopher continued. "Now, I don't intend to be rude; but I need you both to return to Xoana."
"Why?" Martina's mood hovered between confusion and fury with Christopher's suggestion. "Why should we leave? We've only just caught up with Lina. If we return to Xoana, then Lina will leave us behind again. I'm sick of being left behind!"
Christopher gazed evenly at her as he chose his words, "Your Majesties of Xoana. Your people need you far more than the city of Seyruun. If you die, then your kingdom will lose its way and crumble. Your priority should be your people; the city of Seyruun cannot ask you to sacrifice yourselves."
"Xoana needs Seyruun," Zangulas parried. "Without Seyruun, then the balance among the kingdoms will fall apart and Xoana will crumble along with the rest."
Christopher sighed. They really wanted to help defend Seyruun. But he couldn't let them risk their lives and…
"What about your daughter?"
"What about Marinnie?" A flicker of fear passed across Martina's face as she countered Christopher's question with a question of her own.
Christopher sighed again and returned to the window. He struggled between his natural tendency towards diplomacy and reason and an overwhelming desire to shout and spill his emotion onto the obstinate rulers of Xoana.
"My son, Alfred, has been dead for over five years," Christopher said clearly, slowly, and almost calmly. "Five years is longer than eternity if one wakes up every morning knowing that they are alive while their child is not. I thought that, after a few years, my sorrow over Alfred's death would become a dull throbbing pain. I have never made a more foolish prediction. The worst physical torture imaginable cannot compare to the pain of losing a child."
Christopher felt the corners of his eyes burning and a painful lump in his throat made it hard to breathe, let alone speak. He hadn't really spoken about Alfred's death to anyone; perhaps he shared an occasional word or two with Phil, but aside from that he kept his mourning private. He didn't want to continue, the painful look of dread on Martina's face made him squeamish about finishing his thought.
But he couldn't end abruptly. He had to finish.
"What, Lady Martina, would you do if your daughter died?"
She flinched as though she had been stabbed by his words. Her face drained of color and, trembling, she wilted into her husband's arms.
"I'm sorry," Christopher whispered hoarsely, "I don't want to be cruel. But I don't want anyone else to suffer as I have suffered. That is the only reason why asked what you would do if you lost your daughter."
"If, if my Marinnie died, I, I would march right down to Hell to get her back," Martina declared shakily. She paused, and when she spoke again her voice was far stronger and determined. "I would rescue Marinnie's soul if she died; I would march right into Hell and force the Hellmaster to return my daughter. If he refused to give her back, why then I'd fight him armed only with my faith in Zoamelgustar and my love for my daughter… and I wouldn't need Lord Zoamelgustar to defeat the Hellmaster."
"I- I see," Christopher stammered, taken aback by her passion.
"So whether you like it or not, we of Xoana will be staying to help Seyruun," Zangulas concluded. With that decided, the King and Queen of Xoana swept out of the chamber and after Amelia and her father.
Christopher watched them go, slightly awestruck. He began to follow them, stopped, and looked once more out the window.
"The city is so alive today," he whispered reverently.
He couldn't allow it to die.
……………………
Filia paced along the top of the wall near the South Gate, from her twitching tail to her clenched fists, her body language screamed. Milgasia sat nearby and stared dreamily across the picturesque countryside. Filia halted her pacing abruptly and turned to her placid uncle.
"Why are you so calm?"
Milgasia looked up at her and raised an eyebrow at her question.
"It's just, you don't seem to be flustered at all." Filia tugged at her cloak hem fretfully. "Nothing seems to bother you."
"Would you care to go into more detail?" Milgasia inquired calmly. "I don't think I understand what you're basing your statements off of."
"You didn't show any terror or anger when Xelloss told us to that he killed those two Mazoku because he wanted us to stay away from Seyruun… you, you just listened." Filia brushed her hair out of her eyes nervously. "When Ms. Lina was about to turn that old human into a living bonfire, you were the only one (aside from that peculiar clone fellow) who didn't seem fazed. In fact, I heard you asking The Devil Dragon King if he wanted to play chess! You were joking when Lina was on the edge of going ballistic!" Filia caught her breath and held it for a few seconds while she calmed down. "I don't understand how you can stay so calm in the face of danger. I'm a bit envious."
"I've never seen the point of panicking," Milgasia replied. "It doesn't accomplish anything and most of the time there's nothing to worry about."
"Doesn't an angry Ms. Lina count as something to worry about?"
"Yes," Milgasia admitted, "But there was no reason for worry earlier today. You see, Filia, even though Ms. Inverse was angry, I was pretty sure she wouldn't light that fellow on fire. Lina Inverse has enough common sense to know that there's a time and a place for turning people into living torches."
"Lina has common sense," Filia muttered, "Will the wonders ever cease?"
"Now, if Ms. Inverse were to meet Captain Meleagris later today in a dark alley, the time and place wouldn't be an issue any longer. I'm sure someone would end up with the unpleasant duty of cleaning up his crispy corpse."
"I see…" Filia muttered, trying to disassociate the idea of Captain Meleagris' burnt remains with an image of a roasted turkey. She shook her head and picked a new topic of discussion. "So, why were you so calm when Xelloss said he didn't want us to come to Seyruun?"
"Because, if he wanted to kill us," Milgasia said, confusing Filia by emphasizing the word 'if'. "It would've been too late to escape or fight. Getting angry or fearful would have nourished him, so the wisest course of action was to wait and accept whatever fate came as gracefully as possible."
"Oh." Filia sat down next to the older Golden Dragon and clasped her hands in her lap. "So if Xelloss appeared suddenly, ready to kill us, would you just sit there and accept it as fate?"
"Possibly," Milgasia replied. "But there's no point in worrying about that. Xelloss won't come to kill us. He'll go after Lina and Gourry."
"What makes you say that? Are we not worth the trouble?"
"No, it's not that we aren't a nuisance for Xelloss," Milgasia answered blandly, "But Lina Inverse is infinitely more…" he trailed off, unable to come up with an appropriate word to describe the sorceress.
"I understand." Filia poured three cups of tea, handed one to Milgasia, left one on the wall next to her, and wrapped her hands around the last. "There's something about Lina that can't be put into words but can be blamed for every bit of trouble, luck, and adventure she attracts."
Milgasia nodded and sipped his tea.
"Well," Filia mused, "I'm not like you, Uncle Milgasia. I don't think I can calmly look at danger and accept any outcome. I don't think I'd let Xelloss kill me without calling him a few names first."
"That's alright; the world needs a few reckless, brave souls. There are too many old, patient men like me."
"I'm not very reckless and I'm not particularly brave," Filia sighed. "Lina and her friends are the reckless ones."
"You're one of her friends, aren't you?"
"Well, I hope so," said Filia. She paused and then smiled slightly. "Yes, yes I am one of Lina Inverse's friends."
"I'm glad," Milgasia remarked. "You should know that you're very brave, Filia. I dare say Ms. Inverse spooks quite a few dragons."
The two dragons shared a chuckle as they waited and watched.
……………………
'This room needs an interior decorator,' Marinnie decided as her stocking feet slid over the polished stone floor. 'The floor is cool and fun, so it can stay. But the granite walls are getting boring pretty quickly.' The Hellmaster slipped back to the table, clambered back into the chair, and got to work putting her impractical shoes on again. 'I bet a nice crystal would do wonders for this room's atmosphere. Especially if it had a few dead people in it… yes, that would make this room into a home.'
"For the record," Zelgadis said to the two youngsters seated before him. "I don't like children."
"Oh yeah?" Marinnie challenged, "Well I don't like you."
"That's fine," Zelgadis shrugged. "I'm not asking you to like me. I'm asking you to be quiet and behave."
"I'll behave as soon as she stops touching me," Val offered, scooting away from Marinnie's fight with her second shoe.
"I'm not touching you!" Marinnie countered like many young children from every alternate universe in existence. Zelgadis felt a headache coming on.
"You are too." Val scooted further away and crossed his arms.
"I am not!" Angrily, Marinnie jabbed her finger into his arm.
"You are too!" Val's wings flared out and threatened to knock into the ugly vase that Filia disapproved of. "You're poking me!"
"But I'm not touching you," Marinnie smirked triumphantly. "My electron field is being repelled by your electron field. I'm really not touching you."
"Is that how you see it?" Val demanded. "Then take this!" He shoved Marinnie and she fell out of her chair with a yelp. "You fell out of your chair on your own, I didn't touch you."
The two children began to bicker over the mechanics of Val shoving Marinnie out of her chair and who was to blame and the true reason behind the chicken crossing the road.
Zelgadis' head throbbed.
"You look like you could use some coffee," a female voice observed. She handed the chimera a mug before he could reply.
"Thank you," Zelgadis sighed gratefully before realizing that he couldn't enjoy the dark liquid without taking his mask off. The two children ceased quarrelling to stare at the woman.
"Take the mask off," the waitress ordered. "I won't be scared, I've seen much worse." The beautiful sword in her hand encouraged Zelgadis to comply with her demand. "Do you mind if I sit?" She inquired as she seated herself across the table from Zelgadis. "Why, thank you for being so polite."
"Y-you're…" Marinnie gasped, gawking at the waitress. The Princess of Xoana was trembling visibly.
"Who are you?" Val asked, his amber eyes narrowed in suspicion. Marinnie slapped a hand across the Ancient Dragon's mouth with more force than was really necessary.
"We're going to play over there," she declared, pointing to the corner farthest from the waitress. "We'll be quiet. Just ignore us, okay?" Unwittingly ignoring the laws of physics, Phibrizzo lugged the startled Ancient Dragon across the room. Zelgadis spared them a raised brow before turning to examine the waitress.
She wasn't very tall; Zelgadis placed her at only a few inches taller than Lina. However, although he tried to ignore such things, Zelgadis could see that she was more... curvaceous than the fiery sorceress would ever be. Her hair was tidy and dark, and her bangs completely obscured her eyes. Something about the way she carried herself, the way she smirked, and the mild Zephilian accent reminded the chimera of Lina Inverse. It was strange.
She chuckled, "Aren't children cute?"
"Not in the slightest."
"I used to say that all the time, especially about my baby sister."
"Oh?" Zelgadis mumbled. He examined the deep indentions on the oaken table and the delicate fissures beside his mug. Amelia must've been furious.
"But now I wish I hadn't been so harsh on my little sister. Now I wish I had been a better sister when she was small." The woman brushed her hair out of her face and, for a second, her unnervingly pale eyes stared directly at Zelgadis. "My sister has grown up; she's changed so much I hardly recognize her."
"Why are you telling me this?" Zelgadis asked as he finished the last of the coffee.
"No reason really," she admitted, "You're right there and I feel like talking about my sister. Maybe it's 'cause you seem like you could learn something."
"What could I learn?"
"The people you care about have a habit of growing up when you aren't looking. So instead of wanting something you can't have, try appreciating what you have. You must protect what you do have." She smirked and leaned back in her chair. "If the rumors I've heard are accurate, then that's the lesson you should learn, Zel."
Metal screeched against stone as Zelgadis shoved his chair away from the dented table and drew his sword defensively. The woman was startling.
"Take it easy," she ordered as she disarmed him quickly. "I'm not here to fight with you. Honestly, I'm here to help you out a bit."
"Oh?" His eyes darted over to his sword nervously. 'Maybe I can get to it before she can…'
"Yup, I'm offering to watch those adorable children in the corner while you go and fight along side your friends. I promise I won't eat them or anything like that, I'm not a monster. What do you say?" She cocked her head to the side and stared at him, waiting for him to agree to her offer.
Zelgadis kept glancing towards his sword.
She sighed impatiently and motioned towards his blade, "If I let you get your sword will you agree?"
"Very well," Zelgadis replied reluctantly.
"Grand," she smiled as she tossed the double-sided sword over to the chimera. "I'll watch those sweethearts and you can go find Lina and the others."
"Wait-" Zelgadis protested as the waitress steered him forcefully out of the door. "Who are you? Why should I trust you?"
"I'm an honorable lady, a chivalrous knight," she replied calmly. "The name is Inverse. Luna Inverse." With that she booted the chimera out of the room and slid the bolt across the door.
Zelgadis gaped at the door, "You're Lina's sister? I've been chatting with one of the few things Lina Inverse is terrified of?"
"Yup," said the muffled voice from the other side of the door. "By the way, Dilgear says 'hi'. Now get going, you have to hurry if you want to catch up with Lina and the others." Luna's voice offered little room for argument, and, if Lina hadn't been exaggerating in the few stories Zelgadis had heard, any argument would've been pointless and painful.
Zelgadis ran through the halls of the Seyruun Palace.
Luna turned to the two children left in her care.
"Well then," she smiled at the frightened Marinnie and stubborn Val. "I'll see you later. I have to get back to Zephilia before my lunch break is over."
"Aren't you supposed to be supervising us?" Val asked. "It's Seyruun law."
"Don't argue," Phibrizzo hissed, "Let her go away. Let her go far away."
"I know the law," said Luna as she unbolted the door to see how far away Zelgadis was. "And I know I'm not breaking the law by leaving you cuties alone. Princess, you're what? Several millennia old? That's a good deal over ten."
Phibrizzo stared at the Knight of Cepheid with a mixture of terror and eager curiosity.
"And, is it Valgaav?" Val nodded in response to Luna's query. She nodded back and continued, "You're only about a century short of a millennium, right?"
"That's right," Val answered, "If you're counting from when I was first born."
"Well, you're both over ten and that's what matters."
"Our ages aren't common knowledge," Val pointed out, "So it seems like you're breaking Seyruun law."
"I'm a citizen of Zephilia," Luna said, rolling her hidden eyes. "No one can complain if I'm not familiar with recent Seyruun legislature. Be careful, Val. Take care Phibs."
She opened a door in the air and stepped back into Zephilia, trusting that Lina would take care of the rest.
……………………
Lina kicked a loosened cobblestone along the Seyruun street, occasionally shoving unsuspecting tourists out of the way so she didn't lose track of her stone. Gourry followed after her, although he stopped frequently to help the unfortunate tourists up. Gaav trailed a short distance behind them, intent on observing every building on the street.
Much to her disappointment, Lina's rock skidded below a fish vendor's cart where it sat barely out of reach. Try as she might, her pebble eluded her grasp. She spent five minutes on her knees twisting her arm and stretching her fingers. Gourry and Gaav caught up with her and waited until she was convinced that the retrieval of the cobblestone was a lost cause.
"It looks like it's going to rain," Gourry mentioned as he stared critically at the wispy clouds drifting in the piercing blue sky.
Lina grunted and dragged her arm out from below the fish vendor's cart.
"I don't think it'll rain," said Gaav as he looked at the sparse clouds. "It doesn't look like rain."
Gourry made a neutral sound and continued to look doubtfully at the clouds.
"So," Lina said as she brushed dust off of her knees, "What took you guys so long?"
"Um…" Gourry muttered.
"I was enjoying the architecture here in Seyruun," Gaav replied. "It's boring. All the buildings look the same to me."
"That's why they put signs up in front of stores, inns, and restaurants," Lina explained confidently. "Well, let's get back to patrolling." She spun around and began to walk down the street.
"Wait! Ms. Lina, wait!" A familiar voice halted her progress and Lina scanned the street for the speaker.
"Sylphiel!" The sorceress exclaimed brightly when the shrine maiden tapped her on the shoulder. "It's been a while! What have you been up to?"
"Oh, this and that," Sylphiel responded vaguely as she glanced at the blond swordsman standing next to Lina. "Hello, Gourry-dear. It's good to see you again."
"Um, hi," Gourry greeted weakly. "Yeah, it's good to see you too." He grinned at her before Lina began to talk again.
Lina began to regale Sylphiel with tales of her adventures since the defeat of Phibrizzo. Gourry, who had been there but didn't need to remember, and Gaav, who had heard a slightly less embellished version of events several weeks ago, tuned Lina out for a bit.
"Why does that girl call you 'Gourry-dear'?" Gaav asked. He had a fairly good idea, but he wanted Gourry's explanation.
Gourry shrugged, "That's just what Sylphiel does."
"Oh really?" 'Are you really that stupid?'
"Yeah, it's kind of weird but it's what she does. She's a really good cook." Gourry fiddled with his breastplate for a minute or two, refusing to meet Gaav's eyes. "So why were you looking at buildings?"
"'Cause it's weird to see how much Seyruun has changed since when it was built."
"You were here when Seyruun was built?" Gourry's eyes were wide with wonder.
"Yeah…"
"Huh." Gourry turned away and muttered, "You must be really, really, really old."
Gaav decided not to take offense at the swordsman's observation. As far as humans could see, it was true.
"Do you know a lot about Seyruun then? Do you know about that holey barrier everyone was talking about earlier? Why bother making a barrier if it isn't secure?"
"That's a HOLY barrier. Holy as in the 'Power of Good'. That's why it affects Mazoku."
"Oh, like the magic Filia uses."
"Right."
"So what's with that barrier? How's it made?"
"Are you ready for a mangled history lesson?" Gaav asked, dreading the prospect of trying to recall all the details in proper order.
"No," Gourry admitted cheerfully. "But I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Go ahead."
Lina's voice rose slightly over their conversation as she ranted about pigs and penguins and puppets and some unknown pervert who put her in a dress. Sylphiel managed to insert appropriate expressions whenever Lina paused for breath.
"Okay… let's see, the city is laid out like a hexagram," Gaav said slowly.
"And that's the magic symbol for balance, right? Lina told me that much." Gourry enjoyed the look of surprise on the Devil Dragon's face; it wasn't every day that Gourry was able to astound someone with his memory. "I'm wondering what would happen if part of the walls making the hexagram got broken and then rebuilt."
"Once the seal gets broken, then it's useless. It's kind of like a beer can with a hole on the bottom." 'Speaking of beer cans…'
"Wait, didn't you say that the barrier didn't have holes?" Gourry glanced around nervously.
"The barrier isn't broken," Gaav corrected, "It doesn't have holes."
"But," Gourry protested as he strained his brain, there was something very important just beyond him. "But Lina blew up that part of the wall when she blew that floating rock up that time when she pretended to be dead to surprise that one guy. Does that mean that the barrier does have holes?"
Gaav stared, first at Gourry and then at the wall nearby.
Now that the blond mentioned it, a large portion of the wall did look different from the rest. The buildings, although very similar in style to those in the rest of the city, looked newer. The cobblestones in the street were arranged in a different pattern than the streets back by the palace. The portion of Seyruun that they stood in had been built much more recently than the rest of the city.
Gaav inhaled slowly. An acrid scent hid a layer below all the other smells of the city. It was an odor that Gaav was far too familiar with.
"Say, Ms. Lina," Sylphiel interrupted as Lina recalled how Jiras had, idiotically, packed a bomb full of fireworks. "I have something very important that I must talk to you about."
'Please don't ask about Gourry,' Lina prayed, 'Please give me more time to come up with a better answer.'
"Ah, sure, what do you want to talk about?" Lina forced her cheeks into a smile. It was a painfully fake smile.
Sylphiel opened her mouth to speak.
A soft sound, like glass shattering in another room, rippled through the air.
Then the screaming started from the next street over.
They turned.
And Hell broke loose.
……………………
Author's Note to the Generous Reader: Thank you for reading my longest chapter yet. I'm sorry if it was too long. I think the action will begin to move more quickly now.
Um… if you were wondering, the frail knight named Jeffery is from one of the Slayers movies and his Japanese voice actor is the same as Xelloss, which confuses me to no end. Sometimes I wonder if Jeffery is really Xelloss… then would that mean that the crazy mother is Zelas?
As for Luna's remark that "Dilgear says 'hi'", in case you've forgotten, Dilgear is that green wolf-troll hybrid from the first arc of the first season. In one of the later episodes of Next, during the intermission, there is a screenshot of Luna Inverse and what appears to be Dilgear. …
I apologize for any out of character behavior and I hope to be able to write more soon.
Thank you, I appreciate the kindness you've shown to me.