We're getting close to the end here, (let the final battle commence! Yeah!) but, as usual, I don't own anything pertaining to Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Enjoy!
29- Breaking and entering… but mostly breaking!
"What are we supposed to do?" Amelia shrieked. "W-we can't just let him go! He'll get really hurt by himself."
"Well, he's not what I'd call helpless." Lina replied. "If it were any other opponent, my money would be on Zel. But… to go and fight someone using the power of the Demon Lord… who knows what will happen to him?"
"…Amelia? …Pokota? …Lina? …Zelgadis? …Gourry? …What is everyone doing awake in the middle of the night…?"
"Gracia!" Amelia embraced her sister violently. "It's Zelgadis! He's gone!"
"He ran off." Lina clarified, showing Naga the note.
"What? But that's impossible!" Naga exclaimed. She looked over the note and then handed it back to Lina. "This is a joke, right?"
"I wish it was." Lina groaned. "I just don't understand that man sometimes!"
"Well, we can't just stand around here! We have to go after him!" Pokota yelled, jumping up. "Let's go! Hurry! He already has a head start!"
"Thank you, Mister Pokota!" Amelia agreed, rushing out into the hallway after him.
"H-hold on a second! At least give us a minute to change clothes!" Lina called back. Amelia and Pokota turned around, looking puzzled.
"You want to do what? Lina, we don't have time for that!"
Lina glared at Pokota, walking back toward her room. "I'm not being vain! I just don't want to show up to fight a Demon Lord in pink pyjamas and slippers! Let me get my talismans, at least."
Amelia looked down sheepishly at her own clothes, and turned back to Pokota. "…perhaps she does have a point. We didn't think we'd be leaving here so abruptly, and in the middle of the night."
"Um, question!" Naga called out to everyone. "I don't really understand what's going on, but apparently we're going off to some sort of battle… So, how much of a chance is there that we won't be coming back from this fight?"
"If we work together? Um… about fifty-fifty?" Lina called back.
"WHAT?"
Lina slipped out of the door, pulling her shoulder armour on. "I'm kidding. Seriously, though, it's not going to be a picnic. This is someone who is likely wielding the power of the Demon Lord and using it for their own nefarious purposes. You want me to give you a percent chance of us winning? I don't even fully know how much power we're up against!"
"But we will have each other." Amelia added, joining them. She clutched the spellbook tightly.
"That's true. We can't give up just because things look bleak. If we had done that in the past, think of how many times over we'd be dead by now!" Gourry added with a smile.
"The idiot has a point." Lina chuckled and elbowed him. "No matter what, we can't give up. We're going to rescue Jetta and give Marielle- whatever she is- what's coming to her!"
"I like the sound of that!" Pokota chimed in.
"Security doesn't seem to be very tight around here…" Pokota murmured, glancing downward. The group had flown to the mansion, and been prepared to have to find some way around the large wall that surrounded the property. However, it appeared as though it was hardly any trouble just to fly over it. A slow drizzle was beginning to fall as they gathered in the courtyard.
"You're right about that… I wonder if they're expecting us. I wouldn't put it past Marielle…" Lina murmured. She landed as carefully as she could with Gourry in tow, trying to at least make them somewhat stealthy. If the security had been any tighter, then it might have been a problem for them, but, strangely enough, considering what had happened earlier, there was no one around.
"Well, she doesn't have Mister Xellos working for her anymore." Amelia pointed out. "Isn't he the one who usually sees these sort of things coming?"
"I suppose…" Lina murmured. "But that's not important. What's most important right now is finding Zelgadis and making sure he's okay."
"Agreed." Amelia nodded. "Where do you think he might have gone? This mansion is such a big place, and I don't even know where we are."
"…can we just get inside for now?" Gourry asked. "I think the rain is starting to pick up."
Lina sighed. "Do you think that it will be locked?"
"No. Why lock the mansion if there's a giant wall around it?" Naga raised an eyebrow.
Lina shook her head and snuck around to the back of the building, approaching the large double doors silently. She reached out and grabbed the knob, turning it to open the door… but it didn't turn.
"What was that about it not being locked?" the sorceress swivelled around to Naga accusingly.
"It was my professional opinion! How was I supposed to know that it was wrong?"
"Because you used to work here!" Lina snapped. She was tired, and irritated by their sudden departure.
"Lina, do you think you can unlock it with that magical thingy that you did when you were getting that jar?" Gourry asked.
Lina blinked. "…you mean the magical lock? But I don't see one on this door…" she looked around, trying her best to find any sign of a magical lock on the door, but didn't find one.
"But didn't you say that Marielle told you there were lots of magical locks around here?" Gourry continued.
Stopping for a moment, Lina thought about it. "Well, she did say that magical locks were a normal fixture… perhaps… there's something more to this door…"
The sorceress ran her finger over the door, searching for some sort of pattern- some sort of energy pathway that might indicate there was some way to magically open the lock. She found nothing. It was too dark to see anything.
"I need a lighting spell." she murmured, mouthing the words and materialising a ball of light in her hand. "I think there's something attached to the knob-"
"You mean this?" Gourry pushed his way toward the door. "There's something weird about the way the doorknob attaches to the door. Did you notice?"
"He's right." Pokota flew around and landed on Gourry's arm, next to the door. "I didn't notice it because it was so dark, but when you point it out… there is something there."
Lina pushed Gourry and Pokota aside. "I know! I saw, I saw! …that's it!" Placing both hands around the outside of the doorknob, she channelled the same magic into it that she had channelled into the door that concealed the jar. A network of glowing lights across the door lit up and the knob gave a soft click. Lina reached out and turned it…
…the door creaked as it gave way, revealing a small entryway behind it.
"Bingo! We're in!" Lina declared triumphantly.
"Don't we need to be looking for Zelgadis?" Gourry spoke up.
"My thoughts exactly." Amelia replied, walking into the house in front of everyone.
"O-Okay, then! Just follow Amelia, everyone!" Naga called, rushing in after them.
Their shoes clacked against the tile floor as the group walked down the hallway, and they looked around warily for any sign that someone might be around.
Pokota was a bit concerned. "…I don't see anyone. No servants… no guards…"
"…no Zelgadis…" Amelia added.
"I'm scared about what Marielle said earlier… about getting lost in the mansion, and never being found." Lina frowned. "To be honest, we could be walking right into a trap. I don't want to-"
"Lina! Quiet! Do you hear that?"
Everyone paused. "Gourry? What do you mean-?"
The sound of footsteps could be heard from down the hall. Faint voices echoed from the direction, sounding as though they were arguing. Naga stepped forward as if to pursue them, but Lina grabbed her arm. "Careful, Naga." she whispered softly. "We don't know who's down there."
"Whoever it is, they don't sound very happy." Pokota observed.
Lina put a finger to her lips and tiptoed down the hallway, toward a corner, around which the voices seemed to be coming from. She listened intently, searching for meaning in the hushed voices.
"But please- you've got to listen to me- I can't leave this place! I just-"
"I'm not asking you to leave. That's not my goal."
"But please- you've got to do something about Marielle!"
"What do you think I'm doing?"
"You're going about it the wrong way!"
"Then what is the right way?"
"…I don't know if there is one… it's complicated…"
"I know it's complicated! That's why I'm here!"
"…but… but…"
Lina decided that now might be a good time to step in. "Hey! Hold on a moment! Zelgadis!"
Zelgadis turned around in astonishment, completely unprepared to see Lina or any of his other friends there. "L-Lina? Amelia? Everyone? What in the world are you doing here?" he demanded angrily. Jetta took a step back in trepidation at the chimera's outburst.
Amelia tackled him with just as much anger. "How dare you do this? How could you just leave like that? After all we've been through, how could you just leave a note and go off seeking your own doom?"
"It was for your good- and the good of finally finishing off this nightmare that we've been having-"
"Don't you dare speak of good- mine or anyone else's!" Amelia scolded. "What about your own good?"
"Amelia, you know exactly what is going to-"
"No!"
Lina and the others couldn't help but take another step back. An angry Amelia was one thing, but this Amelia was beyond livid- though with good reason.
"If you're wondering why we're all out here at this hour of the night, it's because of your irresponsibility! I know you were trying to help us out, but you could have at least waited until morning! That was our plan, after all!"
"Amelia's right, you know." Lina glared at Zelgadis. She figured that they wouldn't mind it if she intruded into the conversation just a little. "Trying to be the hero was not a good idea. I know you feel pressed for time right now, but you should have at least told us about your little plan before taking off."
"But-" Zelgadis protested, though he was cut off again.
"Do you have any idea how worried we were when we discovered your note?" Pokota yelled.
"For a second there, I thought you might really be gone!" Lina added.
"We had to rush to get here, just to make sure you hadn't gone running headfirst into battle without us!" Naga added.
"But-"
"We're your friends and we've got your back. You don't have to go off on your own. We'll understand if you want to help us, but we should all be in it together." Lina continued.
"Miss Lina is right!" Amelia added. "After all this time, how could you go running off again?"
"Would you guys just be quiet and listen to me for one second?" Zelgadis demanded. "I didn't come here to fight Marielle alone!"
"No." Lina raised an eyebrow. "You came to make yourself a martyr to help us out in our fight."
"That's not it either!" Zelgadis groaned. "If I were coming here to fight her, I'd have told you guys. My mission right now wasn't to fight anyone."
The group was quiet for a moment.
"…you weren't going to fight?"
"…Lina…" Zelgadis sighed in irritation. "Of course not. I'm here because there's something about Marielle that we never realised!"
"What do you mean?" Pokota asked.
"I figured that, with what I'd figured out, then we could prevent this fight altogether. That's what I came here trying to do- not to fight, but to prevent a fight."
"You still should have told us... Even if we were asleep..." Lina murmured.
"So what did you find out?" Pokota asked.
"I finally figured out what Marielle is really-"
"What I am really what?"
The hallway went silent. Jetta's face turned deathly pale, and she turned slowly. "S-sister dearest... I thought that you were asleep..."
Marielle stared at Jetta with an icy glare. "As I thought that you were."
"I...I... I had to greet the guests..." Jetta stammered.
"Yes; these guests, whom I specifically told never to set foot in my mansion again. How hospitable of you, dear sister..."
"M-Marielle..." Jetta choked.
"It is of no matter. You all must leave. I will escort you out-"
"Now hold on just a second!" Lina yelled. "We're not going anywhere! There's something fishy going on here, and we're not leaving until it's resolved. We've stood by and watched for far too long!"
Zelgadis took a step forward, staring down Marielle with a stern expression. "Don't think we'll have any doubts about fighting you. You may look like a little girl, but you're not."
Marielle raised an eyebrow. "Fine, then. I shall, in that case, have no reservations about destroying you." She pointed to Zelgadis. "It's a pity that someone like you would have to rely on Xellos' power to keep you intact. Let us see if I can get rid of that silly spell, shall we?"
With little more than a tilt of her head, a spiralling vortex of chaotic magic engulfed the chimera, causing him to fall to his knees, clutching his head in pain.
"ZELGADIS!" Amelia shrieked, rushing to his side. The chaos magic struck her too, and she screamed in pain, but clung to Zelgadis nonetheless.
"Amelia! Zel!" Lina screamed. "Marielle, what did you-"
"I negated the effects of Xellos' spell, of course! I outrank him!"
Lina clenched her teeth angrily. "I think that's a stretch! FIREBALL!"
Marielle countered the Fireball with a dark energy ball of her own, which created an enormous explosion. The walls around them shook, and the force of the blast radiated in all directions, tearing through walls and sending people and furniture flying.
"Lina!" Through the explosion, Gourry managed to grab her hand. He yelled out through the smoke and debris. "What's the plan?"
Lina coughed, and yelled back. "Defeat her!"
"That's not very specific!"
"It's the official plan until I can come up with something better!" Lina spat. She fell into another coughing fit, and then added "Use the replica Sword of Light! It worked against the ghost of Shabranigdo- maybe it'll work against Marielle! I don't want to use a Dragon Slave, since I'm not sure what effects it will have, but I'll back you up with my magic as much as possible!"
Gourry gave a nod, and let go of Lina's hand, pulling out the replica sword that he'd been given by Pokota.
"Light come forth!"
The blade of the sword burst to life, slashing through the thick dust and debris blown around by the explosion. Gourry couldn't see Marielle through the dust, so he had to rely on his other senses to guide him. Finally, he determined the location of his target, and struck.
His breath caught in his throat as a small but strong pair of hands grabbed him by his wrists, stopping his sword. Marielle stood beneath him, glaring up at him.
"I am sorry, are you lost?" she murmured darkly. "That sword you are holding looks a little out-of-place here. You ought to put it away."
"ELMIKIA LANCE!"
Lina and Pokota shot an attack at the two- one that wouldn't physically harm Gourry, but it's effects on Marielle were yet to be determined.
The girl let go of the swordsman and jumped back a few feet, looking slightly confused.
"Gourry! Now!" Lina yelled.
He nodded and gripped the hilt of the sword. Not thinking twice, he jumped toward the girl and attacked with all of his power. Gourry gritted his teeth in the normal gruesome anticipation of bloodshed, but... there was none. Gourry, Lina, Pokota, and Naga stared blankly.
"Sh-she... she's nothing but a doll!" Naga exclaimed.
It was obvious, now that the side of her face and her shoulder had been sliced away, revealing, not a living creature, but a simple doll.
Marielle smiled a lopsided grin that looked a bit odd, considering that half of her face was gone. "Surprise, surprise."
Lina took a step back. All this time, I thought that she was some sort of flesh-and-blood copy... but that's not the case at all! She's nothing more than a doll- and a very good one at that! I'm not surprised that she fooled us... after all, Ozzel had us fooled when we first met her... but still...
A dark red, pulsing magical energy exuded from the doll and filled the void where Gourry had cut away.
She laughed coldly. "You're all so foolish, you know."
"FIREBALL!" "FREEZE ARROW!" "DUG HAUT!"
Lina, Naga, and Pokota wasted no time in attacking, but a barrier around Marielle deflected the attacks and reduced the earthen spires to rubble. Whiplike energy shot out from the shield, trapping the three of them in its grip. Lina cursed under her breath as she struggled to get free. She should have known that something like this would happen. Where in the world were Amelia, Zelgadis, and Jetta?
Unfazed, Gourry spun around and sliced through the energy with his sword, cutting his friends free. Marielle seemed somewhat surprised by this, but quickly regained her composure, jumping back a few steps.
"I ought not to have expected less of the legendary Sword of Light- replica or not. But the sword alone won't save you- you can be sure of THAT!"
The whips shot out and clutched Gourry by the wrists, nearly wrenching the sword from his hands.
"Let go of him!" Lina yelled, jumping toward them, but the whips wrapped themselves around her arms and around her neck, choking her into silence.
"Lina!" Gourry yelled, trying to get to her, but he was held firmly in place.
"Do not worry so." Marielle comforted. "At least you and your beloved will die together."
"FREEZE AR-" Naga and Pokota attempted to launch a joint attack from behind, but Marielle trapped them in the middle of it, without even turning around.
Lina was fighting to breathe, and cringed, seeing Marielle's lopsided smirk again. She tried her best to choke out a spell, but it was useless, as she had to fight just to get any air at all.
I was right... she is using Shabranigdo's power- the Sword of Light is the only thing that can reach her... but poor Gourry can't move as long as she has him in her grip... Come on, Amelia and Zel... Where are you?
"MARIELLE, STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"
The loud voice stopped the girl in her tracks, making the barrier and the whiplike extensions dissipate. Lina fell to the ground, gasping to fill her lungs, and Gourry scrambled to her side, trying to make sure she was okay.
"Jetta, what are you doing?" Marielle frowned angrily.
The young woman stood on top of a pile of rubble, breathing heavily as though she'd been running a long way. She held up a lone jar, holding it out threateningly, as though she was about to drop it.
"Lina, is that...?" Gourry whispered.
"Yeah... It is."
"This... this has gone far enough!" Jetta panted. "I thought you were my sister... but... y-you are nothing but a... a... a monster!"
Marielle gave Jetta a sceptical look. "Come now, Jetta..." she murmured calmly. "...just put down the jar..."
"NO! I will not! I'm done with this! This is not what I wanted! This is not what I wished for! All these years that I have been lied to... I JUST WANT THIS NIGHTMARE TO BE OVER!"
"JETTA, DON'T DO IT!" Lina saw what was about to happen, and tried to stop it, but it was already too late. Jetta took the jar and tossed it to the ground, smashing it into tiny pieces. Both Jetta and Marielle screamed as they were engulfed in a cloud of magical energy.
"Wh-what's happening?" Gourry murmured, pulling Lina closer.
Lina grimaced in dismay at the scene before them."That jar was the connection for Shabranigdo's power to be transferred from Jetta to Marielle... and now that it's been severed, the power of the Demon King will return to Jetta... and we'll have to destroy her."
(A/N: Okay, okay, I didn't forget about Amelia and Zel! Their scenario will be explained in the next chapter, I promise! Oh, and you see the shiny new cover image? Yeah! XD ...it's shinier in real life, but my scanner seems to hate coloured pencil with a passion for some reason…)
