1 THE GIFT OF THE MAZOUKU - A SLAYERS STORY

1.1 Chapter 9 - The New Sword

O for a life of sensations rather than of thoughts!

- John Keats

Filia woke up instantly. Seeing Xelloss, alive and standing in her room, she did a most amazing thing. The Dragon jumped out of bed, wrapped her arms around the man, and cried, " Oh Xelloss, I'm so glad to see you! You're alive!"

Xelloss fainted.

Lina and Zelgadiss were the first to storm into Filia's room, followed shortly by Gourry and Amelia.

Filia, looking a bit flustered, was standing near the foot of her bed holding a limp, purple-haired man in her arms.

"Did you kill him?" asked Amelia tearfully.

Gourry rushed to her side and lifted Xelloss onto her bed. Zelgadiss applied a healing spell to his forehead. Xelloss's eyes fluttered open.

"No, no ! He just suddenly appeared in my room and, and passed out!" Filia explained, leaving out certain details.

So that's how you remember it, Dragon?

Val-chan began to cry. Gourry scooped him up and distracted him with a toy.

"GA-WEE!"

Lina sidled up to the bed, crossed her arms and looked over the Mazouku, "You don't look so hot, Xelloss, ole buddy. Want to tell us what happened?"

Xelloss sat up. His hair looked shaggier than usual; his smile fainter.

"I'm your friend?" chuckling slightly, "Well, I lost my staff and.and.the rest's a-a.."

"Xelloss at a loss for words. That's a first," Zel remarked dryly.

Filia had recovered enough to remember her weapon's loss, "What about MY MACE?!"

"Filia, CAN-IT!" snapped Lina, "Xelloss, what does 'losing your staff' mean to you- and I want the truth, and no secrets."

silence

Lina sighed, "How about we make a deal? Trade secrets, you and I?"

"Ooooo, do I get to pick the questions?"

"Only one. Okay?"

"Shoot!"

"I already asked, your staff is more than walking stick. What happens to you without it?"

Xelloss furrowed his brow slightly before answering.

"Ahhh, I will be out of direct communication with my boss, but other than I don't actually know how my powers will be affected. And Filia-chan, your mace was destroyed too, I'm afraid. My turn!"

Lina, flinched, "Shoot."

"I already asked, you called me 'friend'. Did you mean it?"

"Yeah, sure. Just don't get all sappy on me."

I'm going to need a friend, thank you, Lina. aloud, Xelloss said in a goofy voice, "Oh Lina, I'm sooo touched!"

".touched by brain disease.fruitcake.." grumbled the Chimera.

Lina continued, "Well Filia, I'm glad you talked us into staying- 'course the unending food supply clinched it. looks like our Mazouku friend is going to be needing our help as well or we would have missed Xelloss's return."

"We were really worried, Mr. Xelloss. The party wasn't the same without you." Amelia said.

"You had a party without me? I'm hurt, Filia!" whined the Mazouku.

"We saved a of piece of cake. You can have it!" and Amelia skipped out, tripping over the carpet, and returned with the cake (decorated with green frosting and a pink heart-shape outline with the letters 'VAL' printed in icing in the center.) In the meantime, Filia had pulled a teapot and cup out of the air and poured some tea for Xelloss.

Zelgadiss snickered, "She named him VAL-EN-TINE."

"Mr. Xelloss, you are looking rather green."

* * * *

They were ready to go. Final 'good-byes' and 'good-lucks' were said.

"We'll stop by to check up on Val soon! Gourry! Give Val-chan back his toy!" added Lina.

Gourry handed the baby a handle with two red balls attached.

"GA-WEE!" Val chortled.

"So Lina! Where do we go first?" asked Gourry.

"I think we should get you a sword!"

"Yeah!"

Zelgadiss took this opportunity to sneak off, but Lina stopped him. "Zel, where do you think you're going? " she demanded, glaring angrily.

"I'm going to find.I've got some business.I'm.oh well.I'll come along geese, I've got to get a life. I'm the heartless sorcerer swordsman.who's also Lina's sideshow freak and anchor in any storm, .," mumbled the Chimera. He was so caught up in his own dark thoughts, he didn't see that Lina had stopped in front of him.

AHCHHH

"Getoffofme, now!" Lina screamed at the heavy man crushing her.

Zel blushed eight shades of red and crawled off to the side, muttering more, "My brain goes then what else? And does anyone notice?"

Meanwhile, Xelloss was floating near Gourry's face, disarming smile in place. "I think I can do something about your sword."

"What are you saying, Mr. Xelloss? It would unjust of you to tease poor Mr. Gourry!" admonished Amelia.

"This," and Xelloss pulled out a beautiful, long sword from his leather shoulder bag.

"That's my SWORD OF LIGHT!"

Xelloss grinned happily and handed over the sword. Gourry swung, and thrust and danced around.

"Great, Xelloss, now we'll have the Overworlders on our asses!"

"Not at all, Lina. It's not your old sword, Gourry, but very close. You lost your sword during the encounter with Hellmaster, although you had your hands full of.I mean.full 'helping' Lina and may have been too distracted to remember."

A huge smile spread across the tall blonde's placid face. Lina had been busy chasing down Zel but.

"I heard that SLIP! And wipe that silly grin off your face!"

"FIREBALL!!

Gourry blocked the spell with his new sword. Xelloss dove behind a boulder a second too late and singed his sleeve. Gourry offered him a hand up, "Oi, Xelloss, I remember, you gave me back my sword, right?"

"Ah yes, I did. But while it was in my possession I had it carefully examined. This is a near-duplicate I had made."

"What does that mean, 'near-duplicate'?" asked Lina.

"So suspicious, Lina!" The blade is stronger and doesn't need a key device to change blades--and it is tuned to my Astral signature."

".And that means."

"That the new Sword of Light can't kill Xelloss," finished Zelgadiss.

"Bin-go! But otherwise it's the same."

Gourry slapped Xelloss on the back, sending the shorter man into a tree. "Thanks, Xelloss! This feels great!"

"LOOK OUT!"

"INCOMING!"

Demons of horrendous shapes and sizes crashed into Lina's 'fireball' clearing.

"Looks like a good chance to test out your new sword, Gourry!

"Right, Lina! HIKARI YO!"

"Gourry that looked pretty impressive!" shouted Lina.

"Yeah, watch this!"

He swept away five demons and seven more on the back swing. This was a more powerful weapon, and he could handle it with ease.

Lina crossed her arms and watched the gallant swordsman decimate the oncoming hoard.

Xelloss stepped back into the shadows the instant the demons appeared. One creature sought him out, however. The fat, gray, octopus- like creature wrapped a tentacle around Xelloss's neck and tightened. The purple-haired Mazouku placed a gloved hand on the other's soft chest and sent a glowing pulse through his victim. The dead octopus-demon silently oozed to the forest floor.

"Humm, well it's nice to know that that still works," whispered Xelloss.

"I found you. Now DIE!" bellowed a giant beast demon, sending a shaft of Astral lightening sizzling through Xelloss's chest. His eyes flew open in shock, then he collapsed upon the octopus-sludge. A fan of purple hair splayed feather-like across the dead demon.

Zelgadiss and Amelia had been holding together a protection field.

"Stay here!" ordered Zel.

The shaman focused his attention upon the gigantic monster. Reciting an incantation caused a glow to pulse from his palms. He drew his hands together and directed his attack with a shout.

"RA-TILT!!!!"

The Astral spell shot from his hands and penetrated the giant demon. He watched, stunned as the force vaporized the demon and cleared a path of vegetation until it blasted a crater into a mountain five miles away.

"I did that? smile Where did all that energy come from? No, no now I'm hallucinating!"

And the battle was over as suddenly as it began.

Amelia ran to the Chimera's side.

"Are you al right, Mr. Zelgadiss?"

Zel nodded, "Better check on Xelloss though."

Shaman and princess ran to the spot, still smoking from Zel's attack. Luckily he'd missed the Mazouku whose unmoving form Amelia was tending.

"Whoa! I could've sworn those were black Astral healing tendrils mixed with her white magic spells coming from her hands just now!" Zel thought.

Zel shook his head, No, couldn't have been. Amelia's capable of only white magic. I KNOW that. Gods! There goes my mind again. I AM going nuts, I know it! I used to be in control. What's happening to me?

"Mr. Xelloss isn't moving. Can you get him off this putrid mess?" asked Amelia.

"Love to.ahhh, sure."

Zelgadiss pulled up the unconscious Mazouku, slung an arm around his waist and yanked Xelloss's over his shoulder. He was surprised how lightweight Xelloss felt as he drug him back into the clearing.

Cough, cough

"Well, well, I didn't know you cared, Zelly-kun!" whispered Xelloss.

Zel blushed, "I don't!" and dropped the demon.

Amelia continued to minister to the suffering Xelloss, while Zelgadiss greeted Gourry. "Looks like a pretty nice sword, Gourry! Want to spar?"

"Sure! Want to see how this gadget works first?"

The two swordsmen admired the new sword, then spared like two ordinary teenaged boys: felling trees, jumping over demon parts, and kicking up dust.

Lina watched the 'guys' while the smoke from the battle settled. She sensed another person human, no sorcery powersapproaching from the same direction as the demon hoard. Amelia and Xelloss, now standing, moved beside and a little behind Lina.

"Now what's next?" asked Lina.