Xelloss quickly made a check to the Astral Plane, how could he have not noticed a Mazoku nearby? Though he didn't find any traces of such, he quickly returned to the physical plane this time back into his usual priest outfit, and Lina latched her arms around him again.
"Wheres yoouu go?" she asked, tugging on his arm. "Yoousss post to keep wem arm."
The priest sighed, while this was Lina standing beside him, his trip to the Astral Plane confirmed that along with his Soul Touch so someone dressed as her couldn't fool him that easily, she was obviously possessed or under a spell. Must have been a timed spell since his eyes hadn't left her all night. Or…
"Of course." He mentally smacked himself. If it was a more mild spell, it wouldn't have broken her control until she was drunk enough to be vulnerable to such. And she did start to act funny the moment the alcohol really hit her. But that just questioned when it was placed on her, unless… It was on something she was wearing. He eyed her dress for a moment. It was the only new thing on her besides the locket he gave her, and since the princess picked out the dress just before the event, someone could have cursed it. "Lina, we need to get that dress off you."
Lina looked up at him with a mischievous grin. "Ooohhh revdy to go twhere huh?" she nuzzled into his arm with a giggle. "No ween two ruuush."
Xelloss smiled at her, running his gloved fingers through her hair. "You're right, that's why we're stopping this game now…" he lowered his head. "… You can come out wherever you're hiding… Sherra."
The blue haired Mazoku appeared before him with a smirk, crossing her arms. "Guess I didn't cover my tracks fast enough when you made that quick search of the Astral Plane… I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly."
Xelloss lifted his head, amethyst orbs scowling at her. "Remove whatever curse or spell you put on Lina now. She's pledged to me and there's nothing more you can do about it."
"Yes, I must say I'm not surprised she's alive." Sherra waved a hand carelessly. "I merely was sent here to confirm that. But while I was here I just saw an opportunity I couldn't resist, which was playing around with your little Soul Touch here while I tried to find your Pledge Stone… Sadly I couldn't find it."
Xelloss smirked, that was his Lina. He knew she wouldn't just leave it around someplace easy to find, she knew how important that stone was. After all, it meant her life if it was destroyed.
"Though I must say I'm curious… Why don't you take advantage of my spell?" Sherra asked, raising her eyebrow while placing a hand on her hip. "It makes her so willing, and that's what you want isn't it?"
"While it's true I want her willing, it's only if she chooses so." Xelloss chuckled, shaking his head. "Without her temper and personality she is not my Soul Touch, just some cheap whore. You made the mistake of having her FAR too willing, asking even for me to call her a nickname she despises. That's not my Lina." He waved his forefinger. "I refuse to take her by force because it's unnecessary, she will succumb to me on her own terms so she has no scapegoat. She can take her rage out on me all she wants, but will never be able to deny the fact she choose me. I'm still rather angry at Lord Deep Sea for stealing my chance to win that with her choice about The Pledge, judging by her emotions I nearly had her choose on her own." He shrugged his shoulders. "Sadly she will not admit this, as we were hurried into it as she had to take it or face death. So she uses that as her excuse. So that is why I want her to choose me when it comes to being a mate."
Sherra's eyebrows creased. "You really are insane, trickster priest. I swear Lord Dynast is right, your Soul Touch has tainted you."
"Why are you still here, Sherra?" Xelloss asked, trying to ignore Lina still snuggling his arm and pushing closer to him. "You've confirmed what you needed to… And you couldn't possibly be foolish enough to challenge me. Lina is immortal now so you can't threaten her life."
"Quite true, but see I happened to run into someone on the way here…" the blue haired Mazoku said with a wide grin. "She didn't believe me when I mentioned you were with her little sister… And seeing her under this spell will cause a VERY interesting reaction. Nice knowing you, Xelloss." She suddenly vanished.
Xelloss's amethyst eyes went wide, she couldn't possibly mean… "Lina! Pull yourself together now!" he quickly tried to get a decent grip on her to get this damn dress off. If his theory was right, the curse was on the dress.
"Wut's ith all the funny twalk?" Lina groaned, still trying to hug him tightly.
Xelloss sighed, he wasn't going to have a choice here. Gladly everyone in the main hall was passed out as he moved her back inside, and accidentally ripped the right shoulder of the dress when a blade enchanted with Astral Vine found its way to his throat.
"Move and you die." The voice warned.
"My, my… Miss Luna. Imagine that we'd meet again so soon?" Xelloss chuckled, having no need to turn around.
"Just what do you think you're doing with my little sister, Xelloss?" the Knight of Cepheid hissed.
"You seem to misunderstand the situation, she's under a spell or have you not noticed she isn't even paying attention to you being here?" Xelloss sighed, trying to push Lina's arms off him gently. "Care to assist me?"
"I seem to recall warning you to keep her out of this." Luna snarled.
"And I told you my Mistress was going to assign me a mission involving her." The Mazoku shrugged.
Luna pressed the blade against his neck. "Give me one good reason not to end your existence now."
"Because killing me would only kill her too?" he responded.
Luna smirked. "… Quite true, so in that case…" she suddenly flicked the sword behind her, and a howl came out as Sherra appeared.
"H-how? Damn you!" Sherra snapped, holding her injured shoulder.
Luna flipped her hair with a chuckle. "Do you take me for a fool? I knew you were trying to lure me here to distract me just to attack. I just went along with it so you'd lower your guard."
"Hrpmh. Well played, knight." Sherra hissed, trying to escape back to the Astral Plane.
"That won't work, you think I came here alone?" Luna smirked, waving her hand as a light spell went off.
Xelloss raised an eyebrow, but then his eyes went wide as he heard a familiar voice.
"Anaku soro'mu nazak'u sakriim... Chaotic Disintegrate!"
Bright yellow lights spun in a circle around Sherra, zapping her with its energy as she tried to pull out her sword to deflect the attack, making Dulgofa take most of the damage.
"That spell… Nice to see you've finally been of use, stupid dragon." Xelloss replied with a smug grin.
A blonde woman in a pink and white priestess outfit stepped out from the side, a long orange tail with a pink bow attached sticking out from under the dress placed her hands on her hips and sneered. "Hello to you too, Namagomi."
The Mazoku's eye twitched a bit. "I see old habits don't die, do they Filia?"
It was indeed Filia Ul Copt, she had altered her priestess outfit a bit over the years. She still had a pointed white hat but with a gold and black orb on the tip. Lining of pink and gold were on the outfit, along with large blue orbs now tied into the hat just in front of her ears.
"Xelloss, I believe a little Magical Fusion would be of use here?" Luna mused, extending her hand out.
"I couldn't agree more." Xelloss smirked, reaching out his hand next to hers as they channeled their respective powers, fusing them together and shot it out towards Sherra.
Sherra gasped, plunging her sword into the ground. "Dulgofa... Don't fail me now." She said before the attack merged with the Chaotic Disintegrate, causing a massive explosion.
"Did we get her?" Filia cried, the blast whipping her hair around.
"No…" Xelloss narrowed his eyes. "The sword… Dulgofa took the blast for her. She escape to the Astral Plane, I sense it." He watched as the smoke cleared a larger crater in the floor now. "But it weakened her for now."
"Ummmm… What's going on…?" Lina groaned, her arms loosening.
"Lina-chan, are you ok?" Xelloss blinked and looked down at her.
"WHAT THE HELL HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT CALLING ME THAT?" Lina snapped, firing an Elemika Flame into his face and blowing him off her. "AND WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING SO CLOSE TO ME? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"
Xelloss just chuckled on the ground, rubbing his face. "That's the Lina I love. Glad to have you back."
Lina raised her eyebrow, her cheeks stained pink. "The hell are you blabbering about now fruitcake?"
Filia sweatdropped. "Perhaps the Magical Fusion being so close to her dispelled whatever Sherra charmed her dress with."
Lina spun around. "Filia? When did you get here?"
"She came with me." Luna answered, standing right behind her now.
Lina's eyes went wide, she slowly turned around. "H-hi…. L-Luna…" she turned pale white… And suddenly fainted!
Xelloss teleported over and caught her in time before she hit the ground. "Somehow I knew she'd do that."
Luna just chuckled. "I see pledging to a monster hasn't changed that fact… What that girl said was true, isn't it? She is pledged to you." Her bangs hid her eyes from view. "As if she wasn't in enough trouble…"
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT YOU DAMN NAMAGOMI!" Filia snarled. "You tricked Miss Lina into this! How dare you?"
"Filia... Did it ever occur to you that Mazoku cannot just take souls? A pledge must be willingly you know." Xelloss shrugged his shoulders with a sweatdrop on his head.
"That's why I say it's trickery you piece of filth!" the Golden Dragon snapped, balling her fists. "How dare you try to use a Soul Touch as an excuse?"
"Funny... I don't recall rubbing into your face how yours with Valgaav made you so hesitant." Xelloss waved his forefinger. "I knew very well you were trying to hide it, say does it work for when they're reborn as well? I must wonder what will happen when he becomes an adult and his mommy kisses him in a strange fashion."
"I DON'T LOOK AT HIM THAT WAY RIGHT NOW AND YOU KNOW IT YOU BLASTED NAMAGOMI HOW DARE YOU!" Filia drew her mace and looked ready to kill him, but he vanished before she could. "COME BACK HERE XELLOSS!"
