Incubus - Prologue
By Madame Meow
Okay first things first. I want to give all inspirational credit to
Elizabeth Smith for her amazing story Incubus, which she STILL hasn't
finished yet, even though there are many fanfic readers who are eagerly
awaiting the next section. But that's okay, cause her work is good
enough that though we greatly mind waiting, we still do. Anyways, I read
Incubus some time ago, but recently I decided to try something different
along the same lines. The most significant difference, of course, is that it
won't be a Zel/Lina fic. *wanders off into an unfocused daze, muttering
about the probability of her ever writing a Zel/Lina fic. Returns from La-la
land with the conclusion that it is highly unlikely* Anyways, it'll also be a
departure from my typical Xel/Lina pairings. ^_^ Valgaav/Lina, here I
come! Oh yeah, and I'm sorry for stealing your title, Elizabeth. If anyone
can think of a better one, I'd be happy to hear it. Ummm, this story takes
place in the regular Slayers world, but various events in the past caused
things in the present to be somewhat different. All standard disclaimers
apply, yadda yadda yadda. Beware of incomprehensible grammar, bad
spelling, and unmarked plot holes. But other than that, enjoy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The unremarkable, unnamed, and distinctly expendable servant
swallowed nervously. He glanced down at his unwieldy burden, and went
over the message he had been instructed to relay to his master. He was a
dead man. There was no doubt about it. He was a reasonably intelligent
servant, which meant that he knew his own expendability, and when his
goose was cooked. He was briefly tempted to dump his delivery in some
dark corner and make a break for it, but the same intelligence that told
him he was a goner also told him he'd be a goner in a huge amount of
pain if he tried to run. No one that he knew of had ever defied the
master and enjoyed the results.
Finally, unable to put off entering the master's throne room any
longer, he pushed the ornately carved topaz doors open a crack. He
didn't want to startle the master. She was rumored to be somewhat
unhinged. Something to do with being constantly surrounded by an
incompatible element, he'd heard. He knew that some of the fortress
servants thought it a shameful thing to prefer flames to the oceans the
master ruled, but no one was about to say that to her face. A fireball was
a lot more painful than a water globe was, that's for sure.
The room was dark when the servant stuck his head through the
door, and at first glance, uninhabited. Just as the servant was heaving a
sigh of relief, however, he caught a glimpse of two gleaming red eyes
watching him from the direction of the seascape window. His heart rate
spiked sharply, and his tongue suddenly felt like so much meat in his
mouth. Now that his eyes had adjusted somewhat to the darkness, he
could see the master's slim silhouette outlined against the navy blue of
the ocean bottom beyond the crystal pane. As his knees started to
tremble, the servant worked at getting words past the lump in his throat.
At last, a squeak several octaves higher than his usual light tenor
emerged.
"D-dolphin-sama? I, um, I have a package and a message delivered
from, ah, your sister."
The servant could practically feel the master go on full alert. The
burning intensity of her gaze swept over him.
"My sister hasn't chosen to acknowledge my existence since the
day I hailed Ruby Eye as lord. Why would she choose to do so now?"
The acidic contempt dripping from her voice would have paralyzed
most creatures. Whether the servant was just already so terrified that he
couldn't possibly get MORE terrified, or whether the knowledge of his
own impending death gave him a mad sort of courage, we'll never know.
Regardless, he cleared his throat.
"W-well, Dolphin-sama, it's all ec-explained in the m-message. If
I...If I could come in?" As if amazed at his own temerity, the servant fell
silent.
A few heartbeats later, a lively chuckle rippled through the room.
"If you insist."
As the words were uttered, the wall lights ignited, revealing a room
that was decorated to the master's tastes. Crimson velvet drapes hung to
either side of the massive crystal window the master stood in front of.
Black marble walls were festooned with paintings that depicted images of
fire, sunsets, sunrises, mountains, and even sometimes people. None of
the servants knew what the people in the paintings meant to the master,
just as no one knew who had done the paintings themselves. Certainly,
no one who lived in the undersea fortress had done them.
The master herself was dressed in a pair of tight black trousers, a
long red sweater with a swirling pattern in black, and black ankle boots.
Her curly auburn hair was held back only by a black headband.
The servant told himself he shouldn't be surprised that the master
had allowed him his request. Everyone knew the master was rather odd,
after all. Even more than her preference for fire over water, or her casual
taste in clothes, Dolphin-sama was the only Mazoku Lord who kept any
humans in her household, of which the servant was one. For varieties
sake, she said. She was certainly the most laid back of the Mazoku Lords,
though at the same time, the most unpredictable, and the most capable
of violent mood swings. It was even whispered, when everyone was sure
that the master was far, far away, that the master was not, in fact, the
original Deep Sea Dolphin. Was not even, in fact, originally a mazoku at
all.
But that wasn't really important now. What was important was that
he hadn't been picked apart into little pieces. At least, not yet.
Hesitantly, he move farther into the room, then knelt in front of the
throne, though the master wasn't in it, placing his burden on the floor in
front of him. Trembling faintly, he launched into his report.
"Dolphin-sama, I bring word from your sister. She stated that the
Gold Dragons have massacred the Ancients. She sided with the Ancients,
but was unable to make a significant difference. Finally realizing the
futility of the fight, she went to the nursery to attempt to save the unborn
young. Unfortunately, she was too late, and all but one egg had been
smashed. This sole survivor of the Ancient Dragon race, she entrusts to
you for safe keeping."
The servant rolled his burden forward, more clearly into the light.
It was a large, greenish egg, covered in various dried fluids from its
smashed siblings. Staring at the egg, the servant awaited a response
from his master.
"Tell me, why did my esteemed sister not bring this news herself?
And why give me the egg, when she is perfectly capable of taking care of
it herself?"
The servant closed his eyes tightly, knowing that if he was going to
die, it was going to be for this piece of information.
"Master, the Ceiphied Knight is not capable of taking care of the
egg. Soon after she relayed her statement to your mazoku messenger,
the Knight died of a wound inflicted by the Gold's. Her death wish was
that you take the egg."
The servant braced himself for the killing blow. But the master did
nothing. Said nothing. Finally, the servant cast a wary glance at his
master. She was staring at him blankly, her face an unreadable mask.
But as he watched, her features seemed to come back to life, and in her
eyes, a terrible rage replaced the blankness that had formerly been there.
Yet even in her rage, the master was curiously calm. She smiled a terribly
serene smile, though her eyes continued to burn.
"You know what happens to the messenger, don't you?"
This wasn't asked in malicious amusement, but with a grave and
solemn curiosity. Near tears, the servant looked at the ground.
"Yes, Dolphin-sama."
"Good bye."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zelas Metallium was idly plotting the world's destruction when she
became aware of her visitor. Looking over to a shadowed corner of her
throne-room, a slim figure stood, waiting for her to notice it.
Recognizing the figure as the newest Mazoku Lord, she frowned. The
flamboyant child (okay, not a child, but to the Beastmaster, she's a hell of
a lot younger) was far more likely to burst into the room with a dramatic
flash of flames than to stand quietly in the corner until noticed. Which
meant that something was wrong.
If it had been any other Mazoku Lord, the Beastmaster wouldn't
have given a damn, but this one was special. When the original Dolphin
had decided, in her incomprehensible way, to step down and give her title
to the human who could destroy her, Zelas had been as shocked and
appalled as the other lords. But when Lina Inverse had done the
unthinkable and Giga Slave-d Deep Sea into oblivion, Zelas had been
forced into the role of reluctant guardian and mentor. It was Zelas who
had struck the exhausted sorceress down as she stood in a daze, staring
at the destruction she had created. It had been Zelas who had taken the
body to the imprisoned Demon King in the north and had it recreated as
a high-class mazoku. It had been Zelas who had shown the confused new
Deep Sea Dolphin the ropes of being a Mazoku Lord (essentially 'do what
you want, and occasionally try to destroy the world'). And in the end, it
had been Zelas who had become the surrogate family for the moody
sorceress-turned-monster. Lina had tried to explain once that a human
never encountered the isolation that was all the Beastmaster had ever
known. Zelas still didn't really understand, but she had enough fondness
in her heart to tolerate the silly youngster when she came to ramble
about her activities and relieve her loneliness.
At least, this is what the Beastmaster told herself. If she had been
just a smidgen more honest, she might have admitted that she had come
to enjoy their encounters more than a little, and had developed a fair
degree of affection for Lina. But she wasn't, she didn't, and there was no
one to force her to, so she pretended she was only mildly concerned
when she waved the silent Lord over to her.
"Lina, what in Ruby-Eye's name is wrong?"
Lina stepped forward, her tiny frame vibrating with tension. As she
came nearer, Zelas could see the anguished grief and rage fairly bursting
from the girl.
"Zelas...Zelas they've killed my sister!"
With that, the diminutive mazoku hurled herself into Zelas's arms
and burst out crying. Zelas stared at her sobbing associate and friend
with the same degree of horror she would bestow upon a cheerful toddler
who was intent on making her its pal. But she couldn't maim the source
of this problem. And what was she supposed to do anyway? She was
getting a wonderful meal out of Lina, but she had the disconcerting urge
to try and sooth the wretched girl. After much inner debate, she finally
just sat stiffly in her throne, letting the Mazoku cry herself out. She was
distinctly relieved when Lina sat up and started to rub her eyes. Finally,
maybe they could be at least PARTIALLY rational about this. She cleared
her throat loudly, so that Lina looked up at her.
"Would you mind telling me what's going on now? Who, by the
wrath of L-sama, would dare to kill the Ceiphied Knight?"
Lina's face hardened into a murderous mask of anger.
"The damn Gold dragons! They've slaughtered almost all the
Ancient Dragons, and when my sister sided against them, they
slaughtered her too!"
Zelas struggled to conceal her surprise. She had not heard of this.
Obviously it was time to give her spies a lesson in motivation. Perhaps
next time she would be more adequately informed. However, now was
not the time for that.
"The Gold Dragons slew Ceiphied's chosen Knight? What a
remarkably stupid thing to do. Somewhat akin to biting the hand that
feeds you. But I thought that you and your sister weren't on good terms.
Why are you so upset?"
Lina looked away, clearly uncomfortable.
"She was my sister, Zelas. And it was her who shunned me, not the
other way around."
Still bewildered, and mildly disgusted at this show of familial
emotion from a fellow mazoku, Zelas hurriedly changed the subject.
"If you say so. But you said almost all the Ancient Dragons. What
happened to the survivors?"
Lina snuffled against Zelas's shoulder. Zelas made a note to
arrange for some new clothes.
"Just one. An egg." Snapping her fingers, Lina produced the large,
muck-covered egg from a handy dandy sub-dimensional pocket.
"Apparently the last of the race. My sister entrusted it to me." Lina lifted
pained ruby eyes to those of her mentor. "It's weird. Like you said, we
haven't been on good terms since I was changed. Why would she give
the egg to me?"
Zelas shrugged.
"How should I know? I'm afraid I'm not much of an expert on
family relations."
Lina pressed her face against Zelas's much abused shoulder.
"I guess so."
Zelas stared at the ceiling, searching for a way out of this awkward
situation. What would she do if this happened to her? Unfortunately,
Zelas came up with a blank. This was so far outside the realm of her
experience, she couldn't even envision it.
When at last Lina lifted her head again, her red eyes had taken on
an oddly bright sheen.
"Zelas? I want to destroy something."
Finally, some familiar ground. Zelas pulled back her lips in a feral
smile, allowing her fangs to show.
"Now that, I can help with."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All things considered, it hadn't been too difficult. Make a few
challenges, threaten a few wars, and nearly all the adult Gold Dragons
turn up for Lina to play with. Zelas turned her loose and let her run wild.
And run wild she did. Zelas could see that Lina was working out all
her grief and rage with liberal doses of destruction. The dragons hadn't
stood a chance. While Luna, Lina's older sister had once been far more
powerful than Lina could have ever hoped to be as a human, even the
Ceiphied Knight did not compare to a full-blown Mazoku Lord. Lina was
having a fine time slicing and dicing the dragons, and getting a lovely
snack from their agony as well.
In the beginning, Lina had attacked the dragons the way she had
always done as a human; blunt, head-on, with the largest, most
destructive spells she had in her arsenal. However, as Lina calmed down
somewhat, she began to experiment with more subtle methods of
torture. Heating air currents to incinerating temperatures, so that when
the dragons attempted to glide on them, their delicate membranous
wings with burned into bare skeletons within seconds. Unleashing clouds
of tiny heat-seeking balls of black magic that were small enough to look
harmless, but upon impact, exploded into twisting energy shrapnel that
could shred a dragon's side in seconds. She even toyed with the
Shamanistic element she was supposed to rule, spreading fine mists of
boiling steam in front of incoming dragons, scalding indiscriminately,
and causing several headlong dives that ended in rather gory landings.
To make a bloody story short, the dragons were soon reduced to so much
raw meat.
Zelas was highly relieved to see that, when her young charge
floated over to her position some distance away, her eyes were dancing
with glee and satisfaction. Nothing like madness and mayhem to chase
away annoying emotions. She was fairly sure that Lina wasn't entirely
over her grief, but Zelas had done what she could do to help. The rest
was up to Lina.
Feeling much more at ease, Zelas asked a question that had
occurred to her while she waited for Lina to purge herself.
"So, Lina, what are you going to do with the egg?"
Lina's face turned thoughtful.
"I hadn't really thought about it, actually. To be honest, I really
wouldn't know what to do with a dragon egg. I'm still trying to get my
feet as a Lord, I haven't time to be a babysitter."
Zelas nodded. She had suspected as much. But she had more than
enough time on her hands, and she had come up with a simply wonderful
idea.
"Why don't you let me take care of the thing? That way you won't
have to bother yourself with it until your more settled in."
Lina shot an amused, and slightly suspicious look at her mentor.
"What are you planning, Zelas? I'd like to honor my sister's request
if at all possible, and that means keeping the thing alive, and more or
less in one piece."
Zelas waved her hand dismissingly.
"Don't be silly, I fully intent to keep it alive. But I've been meaning
to do some experiments with mazoku/other fusions, and it strikes me
that this might be the perfect opportunity."
Lina mulled this over for a few minutes, but at last she shrugged.
"Well, Luna would have most likely preferred that he not be turned
into a monster, but there really isn't much point in keeping him pure.
After all, he's the last of his race. No mating prospects anywhere. Do as
you like, as long as you don't abuse him TOO much."
Zelas laughed. No worries about that. She had plans for this baby
dragon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zelas looked over the status report that her General Priest, Xelloss,
had handed to her. They had a wonderful working relationship. He was
extremely intelligent and powerful. When she had an idea or project she
wanted carried out, he used all the resources at his command to make it
happen. Plus he was great in bed.
At the moment, he was acting as her chief lab technician. When
she said she would be doing experiments, she really meant that Xelloss
would do the experiments, while she supervised. He had just finished
examining her new toy.
"As you can see, Zelas-sama, the dragon fetus is still largely
undeveloped, though it's obvious that it will be a male. There is still
plenty of time to implement a fusion with any demon type you care to
choose."
Zelas clicked her nails against the arm of her throne.
"I see. Given the natural aging rates of both dragons and demons,
how long would you estimate it would be before the thing hatched? And
what would its age rate be after that?"
Xelloss was silent for a moment.
"I believe, Zelas-sama, that the dragon-demon would hatch in
approximately five years. After that, however, his aging rate is
impossible to determine without observing how well the fusion
succeeds."
Zelas nodded thoughtfully. Xelloss grinned engagingly, bursting
with curiosity.
"Zelas-sama, what are you going to do with the result of the
fusion?"
Zelas smiled indulgently at her servant. He made life so much
more interesting. She wanted that for her young friend.
"It has come to my attention, Xelloss, that Dolphin has yet to
choose a General or a Priest. Either she doesn't know how to go about it,
or it's simply slipped her mind. But I think that a half dragon, half demon
servant would be simply perfect for her. Having retained so much of her
human taint, a creature that is not wholly mazoku would suit her
personality."
Xelloss was so surprised, he actually opened his eyes.
"Truly Zelas-sama? But what if the fusion is unsuccessful?"
Zelas shot her servant a dangerous look.
"But it isn't going to be unsuccessful, is it Xelloss? I'd be very
unhappy to have my surprise spoiled if it was..."
He cleared his throat nervously, his eyes hastily closing.
"No, no, you're quite right. It isn't going to be unsuccessful.
Everything will turn out perfectly."
Zelas's lips curved in satisfaction.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down."
"Have you decided, Zelas-sama, what kind of demon you will merge
the dragon with?"
"I believe so. The creature's dragon side should take care of the
intelligence and loyalty factor, as well as magic capabilities. We can
devote the demon half to something that will keep Dolphin happily
entertained. And I know just the thing."
"You don't mean...?"
Zelas laughed, delighted at the wonderful gift the dragon child
would make when it grew to maturity.
"Yes Xelloss. Merge the dragon with an incubus."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I know that in parts, Lina was highly OOC. But she can't be
exactly the same as she was as a human. She's a mazoku lord now.
Things like that change a person. Also, I wanted to make her slightly
exaggerated, to emphasize her emotional distress. She'll be back to almost
normal by the next chapter. But if you really and truly mind, you can always
go read something else... Again, thanks to Elizabeth Smith for the
inspiration, and I hope you get your next chapter out soon. Read and
Review, or email me at madame_meow@hotmail.com.
By Madame Meow
Okay first things first. I want to give all inspirational credit to
Elizabeth Smith for her amazing story Incubus, which she STILL hasn't
finished yet, even though there are many fanfic readers who are eagerly
awaiting the next section. But that's okay, cause her work is good
enough that though we greatly mind waiting, we still do. Anyways, I read
Incubus some time ago, but recently I decided to try something different
along the same lines. The most significant difference, of course, is that it
won't be a Zel/Lina fic. *wanders off into an unfocused daze, muttering
about the probability of her ever writing a Zel/Lina fic. Returns from La-la
land with the conclusion that it is highly unlikely* Anyways, it'll also be a
departure from my typical Xel/Lina pairings. ^_^ Valgaav/Lina, here I
come! Oh yeah, and I'm sorry for stealing your title, Elizabeth. If anyone
can think of a better one, I'd be happy to hear it. Ummm, this story takes
place in the regular Slayers world, but various events in the past caused
things in the present to be somewhat different. All standard disclaimers
apply, yadda yadda yadda. Beware of incomprehensible grammar, bad
spelling, and unmarked plot holes. But other than that, enjoy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The unremarkable, unnamed, and distinctly expendable servant
swallowed nervously. He glanced down at his unwieldy burden, and went
over the message he had been instructed to relay to his master. He was a
dead man. There was no doubt about it. He was a reasonably intelligent
servant, which meant that he knew his own expendability, and when his
goose was cooked. He was briefly tempted to dump his delivery in some
dark corner and make a break for it, but the same intelligence that told
him he was a goner also told him he'd be a goner in a huge amount of
pain if he tried to run. No one that he knew of had ever defied the
master and enjoyed the results.
Finally, unable to put off entering the master's throne room any
longer, he pushed the ornately carved topaz doors open a crack. He
didn't want to startle the master. She was rumored to be somewhat
unhinged. Something to do with being constantly surrounded by an
incompatible element, he'd heard. He knew that some of the fortress
servants thought it a shameful thing to prefer flames to the oceans the
master ruled, but no one was about to say that to her face. A fireball was
a lot more painful than a water globe was, that's for sure.
The room was dark when the servant stuck his head through the
door, and at first glance, uninhabited. Just as the servant was heaving a
sigh of relief, however, he caught a glimpse of two gleaming red eyes
watching him from the direction of the seascape window. His heart rate
spiked sharply, and his tongue suddenly felt like so much meat in his
mouth. Now that his eyes had adjusted somewhat to the darkness, he
could see the master's slim silhouette outlined against the navy blue of
the ocean bottom beyond the crystal pane. As his knees started to
tremble, the servant worked at getting words past the lump in his throat.
At last, a squeak several octaves higher than his usual light tenor
emerged.
"D-dolphin-sama? I, um, I have a package and a message delivered
from, ah, your sister."
The servant could practically feel the master go on full alert. The
burning intensity of her gaze swept over him.
"My sister hasn't chosen to acknowledge my existence since the
day I hailed Ruby Eye as lord. Why would she choose to do so now?"
The acidic contempt dripping from her voice would have paralyzed
most creatures. Whether the servant was just already so terrified that he
couldn't possibly get MORE terrified, or whether the knowledge of his
own impending death gave him a mad sort of courage, we'll never know.
Regardless, he cleared his throat.
"W-well, Dolphin-sama, it's all ec-explained in the m-message. If
I...If I could come in?" As if amazed at his own temerity, the servant fell
silent.
A few heartbeats later, a lively chuckle rippled through the room.
"If you insist."
As the words were uttered, the wall lights ignited, revealing a room
that was decorated to the master's tastes. Crimson velvet drapes hung to
either side of the massive crystal window the master stood in front of.
Black marble walls were festooned with paintings that depicted images of
fire, sunsets, sunrises, mountains, and even sometimes people. None of
the servants knew what the people in the paintings meant to the master,
just as no one knew who had done the paintings themselves. Certainly,
no one who lived in the undersea fortress had done them.
The master herself was dressed in a pair of tight black trousers, a
long red sweater with a swirling pattern in black, and black ankle boots.
Her curly auburn hair was held back only by a black headband.
The servant told himself he shouldn't be surprised that the master
had allowed him his request. Everyone knew the master was rather odd,
after all. Even more than her preference for fire over water, or her casual
taste in clothes, Dolphin-sama was the only Mazoku Lord who kept any
humans in her household, of which the servant was one. For varieties
sake, she said. She was certainly the most laid back of the Mazoku Lords,
though at the same time, the most unpredictable, and the most capable
of violent mood swings. It was even whispered, when everyone was sure
that the master was far, far away, that the master was not, in fact, the
original Deep Sea Dolphin. Was not even, in fact, originally a mazoku at
all.
But that wasn't really important now. What was important was that
he hadn't been picked apart into little pieces. At least, not yet.
Hesitantly, he move farther into the room, then knelt in front of the
throne, though the master wasn't in it, placing his burden on the floor in
front of him. Trembling faintly, he launched into his report.
"Dolphin-sama, I bring word from your sister. She stated that the
Gold Dragons have massacred the Ancients. She sided with the Ancients,
but was unable to make a significant difference. Finally realizing the
futility of the fight, she went to the nursery to attempt to save the unborn
young. Unfortunately, she was too late, and all but one egg had been
smashed. This sole survivor of the Ancient Dragon race, she entrusts to
you for safe keeping."
The servant rolled his burden forward, more clearly into the light.
It was a large, greenish egg, covered in various dried fluids from its
smashed siblings. Staring at the egg, the servant awaited a response
from his master.
"Tell me, why did my esteemed sister not bring this news herself?
And why give me the egg, when she is perfectly capable of taking care of
it herself?"
The servant closed his eyes tightly, knowing that if he was going to
die, it was going to be for this piece of information.
"Master, the Ceiphied Knight is not capable of taking care of the
egg. Soon after she relayed her statement to your mazoku messenger,
the Knight died of a wound inflicted by the Gold's. Her death wish was
that you take the egg."
The servant braced himself for the killing blow. But the master did
nothing. Said nothing. Finally, the servant cast a wary glance at his
master. She was staring at him blankly, her face an unreadable mask.
But as he watched, her features seemed to come back to life, and in her
eyes, a terrible rage replaced the blankness that had formerly been there.
Yet even in her rage, the master was curiously calm. She smiled a terribly
serene smile, though her eyes continued to burn.
"You know what happens to the messenger, don't you?"
This wasn't asked in malicious amusement, but with a grave and
solemn curiosity. Near tears, the servant looked at the ground.
"Yes, Dolphin-sama."
"Good bye."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zelas Metallium was idly plotting the world's destruction when she
became aware of her visitor. Looking over to a shadowed corner of her
throne-room, a slim figure stood, waiting for her to notice it.
Recognizing the figure as the newest Mazoku Lord, she frowned. The
flamboyant child (okay, not a child, but to the Beastmaster, she's a hell of
a lot younger) was far more likely to burst into the room with a dramatic
flash of flames than to stand quietly in the corner until noticed. Which
meant that something was wrong.
If it had been any other Mazoku Lord, the Beastmaster wouldn't
have given a damn, but this one was special. When the original Dolphin
had decided, in her incomprehensible way, to step down and give her title
to the human who could destroy her, Zelas had been as shocked and
appalled as the other lords. But when Lina Inverse had done the
unthinkable and Giga Slave-d Deep Sea into oblivion, Zelas had been
forced into the role of reluctant guardian and mentor. It was Zelas who
had struck the exhausted sorceress down as she stood in a daze, staring
at the destruction she had created. It had been Zelas who had taken the
body to the imprisoned Demon King in the north and had it recreated as
a high-class mazoku. It had been Zelas who had shown the confused new
Deep Sea Dolphin the ropes of being a Mazoku Lord (essentially 'do what
you want, and occasionally try to destroy the world'). And in the end, it
had been Zelas who had become the surrogate family for the moody
sorceress-turned-monster. Lina had tried to explain once that a human
never encountered the isolation that was all the Beastmaster had ever
known. Zelas still didn't really understand, but she had enough fondness
in her heart to tolerate the silly youngster when she came to ramble
about her activities and relieve her loneliness.
At least, this is what the Beastmaster told herself. If she had been
just a smidgen more honest, she might have admitted that she had come
to enjoy their encounters more than a little, and had developed a fair
degree of affection for Lina. But she wasn't, she didn't, and there was no
one to force her to, so she pretended she was only mildly concerned
when she waved the silent Lord over to her.
"Lina, what in Ruby-Eye's name is wrong?"
Lina stepped forward, her tiny frame vibrating with tension. As she
came nearer, Zelas could see the anguished grief and rage fairly bursting
from the girl.
"Zelas...Zelas they've killed my sister!"
With that, the diminutive mazoku hurled herself into Zelas's arms
and burst out crying. Zelas stared at her sobbing associate and friend
with the same degree of horror she would bestow upon a cheerful toddler
who was intent on making her its pal. But she couldn't maim the source
of this problem. And what was she supposed to do anyway? She was
getting a wonderful meal out of Lina, but she had the disconcerting urge
to try and sooth the wretched girl. After much inner debate, she finally
just sat stiffly in her throne, letting the Mazoku cry herself out. She was
distinctly relieved when Lina sat up and started to rub her eyes. Finally,
maybe they could be at least PARTIALLY rational about this. She cleared
her throat loudly, so that Lina looked up at her.
"Would you mind telling me what's going on now? Who, by the
wrath of L-sama, would dare to kill the Ceiphied Knight?"
Lina's face hardened into a murderous mask of anger.
"The damn Gold dragons! They've slaughtered almost all the
Ancient Dragons, and when my sister sided against them, they
slaughtered her too!"
Zelas struggled to conceal her surprise. She had not heard of this.
Obviously it was time to give her spies a lesson in motivation. Perhaps
next time she would be more adequately informed. However, now was
not the time for that.
"The Gold Dragons slew Ceiphied's chosen Knight? What a
remarkably stupid thing to do. Somewhat akin to biting the hand that
feeds you. But I thought that you and your sister weren't on good terms.
Why are you so upset?"
Lina looked away, clearly uncomfortable.
"She was my sister, Zelas. And it was her who shunned me, not the
other way around."
Still bewildered, and mildly disgusted at this show of familial
emotion from a fellow mazoku, Zelas hurriedly changed the subject.
"If you say so. But you said almost all the Ancient Dragons. What
happened to the survivors?"
Lina snuffled against Zelas's shoulder. Zelas made a note to
arrange for some new clothes.
"Just one. An egg." Snapping her fingers, Lina produced the large,
muck-covered egg from a handy dandy sub-dimensional pocket.
"Apparently the last of the race. My sister entrusted it to me." Lina lifted
pained ruby eyes to those of her mentor. "It's weird. Like you said, we
haven't been on good terms since I was changed. Why would she give
the egg to me?"
Zelas shrugged.
"How should I know? I'm afraid I'm not much of an expert on
family relations."
Lina pressed her face against Zelas's much abused shoulder.
"I guess so."
Zelas stared at the ceiling, searching for a way out of this awkward
situation. What would she do if this happened to her? Unfortunately,
Zelas came up with a blank. This was so far outside the realm of her
experience, she couldn't even envision it.
When at last Lina lifted her head again, her red eyes had taken on
an oddly bright sheen.
"Zelas? I want to destroy something."
Finally, some familiar ground. Zelas pulled back her lips in a feral
smile, allowing her fangs to show.
"Now that, I can help with."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All things considered, it hadn't been too difficult. Make a few
challenges, threaten a few wars, and nearly all the adult Gold Dragons
turn up for Lina to play with. Zelas turned her loose and let her run wild.
And run wild she did. Zelas could see that Lina was working out all
her grief and rage with liberal doses of destruction. The dragons hadn't
stood a chance. While Luna, Lina's older sister had once been far more
powerful than Lina could have ever hoped to be as a human, even the
Ceiphied Knight did not compare to a full-blown Mazoku Lord. Lina was
having a fine time slicing and dicing the dragons, and getting a lovely
snack from their agony as well.
In the beginning, Lina had attacked the dragons the way she had
always done as a human; blunt, head-on, with the largest, most
destructive spells she had in her arsenal. However, as Lina calmed down
somewhat, she began to experiment with more subtle methods of
torture. Heating air currents to incinerating temperatures, so that when
the dragons attempted to glide on them, their delicate membranous
wings with burned into bare skeletons within seconds. Unleashing clouds
of tiny heat-seeking balls of black magic that were small enough to look
harmless, but upon impact, exploded into twisting energy shrapnel that
could shred a dragon's side in seconds. She even toyed with the
Shamanistic element she was supposed to rule, spreading fine mists of
boiling steam in front of incoming dragons, scalding indiscriminately,
and causing several headlong dives that ended in rather gory landings.
To make a bloody story short, the dragons were soon reduced to so much
raw meat.
Zelas was highly relieved to see that, when her young charge
floated over to her position some distance away, her eyes were dancing
with glee and satisfaction. Nothing like madness and mayhem to chase
away annoying emotions. She was fairly sure that Lina wasn't entirely
over her grief, but Zelas had done what she could do to help. The rest
was up to Lina.
Feeling much more at ease, Zelas asked a question that had
occurred to her while she waited for Lina to purge herself.
"So, Lina, what are you going to do with the egg?"
Lina's face turned thoughtful.
"I hadn't really thought about it, actually. To be honest, I really
wouldn't know what to do with a dragon egg. I'm still trying to get my
feet as a Lord, I haven't time to be a babysitter."
Zelas nodded. She had suspected as much. But she had more than
enough time on her hands, and she had come up with a simply wonderful
idea.
"Why don't you let me take care of the thing? That way you won't
have to bother yourself with it until your more settled in."
Lina shot an amused, and slightly suspicious look at her mentor.
"What are you planning, Zelas? I'd like to honor my sister's request
if at all possible, and that means keeping the thing alive, and more or
less in one piece."
Zelas waved her hand dismissingly.
"Don't be silly, I fully intent to keep it alive. But I've been meaning
to do some experiments with mazoku/other fusions, and it strikes me
that this might be the perfect opportunity."
Lina mulled this over for a few minutes, but at last she shrugged.
"Well, Luna would have most likely preferred that he not be turned
into a monster, but there really isn't much point in keeping him pure.
After all, he's the last of his race. No mating prospects anywhere. Do as
you like, as long as you don't abuse him TOO much."
Zelas laughed. No worries about that. She had plans for this baby
dragon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zelas looked over the status report that her General Priest, Xelloss,
had handed to her. They had a wonderful working relationship. He was
extremely intelligent and powerful. When she had an idea or project she
wanted carried out, he used all the resources at his command to make it
happen. Plus he was great in bed.
At the moment, he was acting as her chief lab technician. When
she said she would be doing experiments, she really meant that Xelloss
would do the experiments, while she supervised. He had just finished
examining her new toy.
"As you can see, Zelas-sama, the dragon fetus is still largely
undeveloped, though it's obvious that it will be a male. There is still
plenty of time to implement a fusion with any demon type you care to
choose."
Zelas clicked her nails against the arm of her throne.
"I see. Given the natural aging rates of both dragons and demons,
how long would you estimate it would be before the thing hatched? And
what would its age rate be after that?"
Xelloss was silent for a moment.
"I believe, Zelas-sama, that the dragon-demon would hatch in
approximately five years. After that, however, his aging rate is
impossible to determine without observing how well the fusion
succeeds."
Zelas nodded thoughtfully. Xelloss grinned engagingly, bursting
with curiosity.
"Zelas-sama, what are you going to do with the result of the
fusion?"
Zelas smiled indulgently at her servant. He made life so much
more interesting. She wanted that for her young friend.
"It has come to my attention, Xelloss, that Dolphin has yet to
choose a General or a Priest. Either she doesn't know how to go about it,
or it's simply slipped her mind. But I think that a half dragon, half demon
servant would be simply perfect for her. Having retained so much of her
human taint, a creature that is not wholly mazoku would suit her
personality."
Xelloss was so surprised, he actually opened his eyes.
"Truly Zelas-sama? But what if the fusion is unsuccessful?"
Zelas shot her servant a dangerous look.
"But it isn't going to be unsuccessful, is it Xelloss? I'd be very
unhappy to have my surprise spoiled if it was..."
He cleared his throat nervously, his eyes hastily closing.
"No, no, you're quite right. It isn't going to be unsuccessful.
Everything will turn out perfectly."
Zelas's lips curved in satisfaction.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down."
"Have you decided, Zelas-sama, what kind of demon you will merge
the dragon with?"
"I believe so. The creature's dragon side should take care of the
intelligence and loyalty factor, as well as magic capabilities. We can
devote the demon half to something that will keep Dolphin happily
entertained. And I know just the thing."
"You don't mean...?"
Zelas laughed, delighted at the wonderful gift the dragon child
would make when it grew to maturity.
"Yes Xelloss. Merge the dragon with an incubus."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I know that in parts, Lina was highly OOC. But she can't be
exactly the same as she was as a human. She's a mazoku lord now.
Things like that change a person. Also, I wanted to make her slightly
exaggerated, to emphasize her emotional distress. She'll be back to almost
normal by the next chapter. But if you really and truly mind, you can always
go read something else... Again, thanks to Elizabeth Smith for the
inspiration, and I hope you get your next chapter out soon. Read and
Review, or email me at madame_meow@hotmail.com.