Disclaimer: We do not own Slayers, and we're not making any money off of this.
SPECIAL NOTES: This fanfic is written by Nathan J. Urbansic, a good friend of mine who does not have an FF.net account of his own and is currently unable to possess one. Hence I am posting this as a proxy with full permission from the true author.
Please still feel free to review, but keep in mind that all compliments go to Nate. Thanks minna. Enjoy!
ALSO: This is set in a universe parallel with the NEXT storyline. However, a few subtle differences occur, and slightly different choices are made. This just goes to show you that it really is the little things in life that create who we are... And what we become.
SLAYERS NiXT:
Nobody's Perfect
Chapter Five
They were jolted as they hit a rock.
"Ow!" said Martina as she bumped her head against the wooden side of the cart. "Lina! Why must I, a royal princess, ride in this hay wagon?"
"Because it's the best way to get to the center of town unnoticed, Martina," replied the diminutive sorceress. "Now be quiet before anyone catches on." The great irony in this being that Lina had her head poked out of the hay and was looking around, along with everyone else in the cart.
Amelia noticed a deep, troubled expression on Sylphiel's face. "What is it?"
"This isn't a new city," Sylphiel explained. "The buildings, the people, they're exactly the same. It's as if the entire city has been regenerated!"
"What did you say?" asked Lina.
"Follow me." And with that Sylphiel jumped out of the cart and ran off down an alley. All followed. Soon she had lead them to a small grassy hill in the middle of the city. She approached a tree at it's top. "Please, look at this."
"What is it?"
She knelt down next to the tree and reached out to softly touch small grooves in the bark. "When I was a little girl these marks were carved on the tree every year to show how I was growing. This tree must have been destroyed in the battle, and here it is, back again."
"So, this is proof that the city's been completely restored." Lina sighed. This had to be a bad sign.
"Impossible," said the nearby golem. "The city was destroyed when we fought Copy Rezo. But then how could--"
"Sylphiel," a soft voice just beyond the tree interrupted him. Lina, Amelia, and Zel were struck silent, overcome by shock.
"It can't be," Sylphiel said to herself in disbelief, standing up. "It can't be." Slowly, she turned to face the source of the voice. "Father?"
"Sylphiel," said the only parent she had ever known.
Tears came to Sylphiel's eyes as she ran into his arms. "Oh father! Father!" For a moment, she stood shedding tears of joy into this man's shoulder. "You're alright. I was sure when it happened that--"
Sylphiel's father, Eruk, shifted restlessly, "Well, about that…"
"Sorry to interrupt the touching reunion," said the ever-tactful redhead, "but could you please explain just what's going on here? Why is this city back to the way it was?"
"Miss Lina Inverse!" said Eruk as he first noticed her. "Yes, yes, of course I can explain." He pushed himself away from Sylphiel, but she still clung to his arm.
"This ought to be good," said Lina as she leaned up against the lone tree.
He paused for a second to collect his thoughts, "The truth is neither I nor anyone in this city is alive."
"I thought as much."
"Lord Phibrizzo has used his powers to restore the city. It is a city of people granted temporary life."
"Temporary life!" exclaimed Amelia, "You mean…"
He nodded. "Yes, I and all of the people here are presently sleeping in the underworld."
"It can't be," said Sylphiel, looking up at her father, longing for it to be but a lie.
Slowly he took her hand from his arm and placed it to his chest.
Sylphiel's face contorted with horror as she realized the dreadful truth "Your heart. It isn't beating." Eruk nodded. Sylphiel eyes turned distant as she rested her head against Eruk's shoulder, overcome by pain and shock.
"Just what was Phibrizzo's point in doing all this?" asked Zel.
"Sadly, I don't even know that myself," he began. "We weren't created to answer that question. We can only tell you the information Lord Phibrizzo allows us to have. I realize how pathetic an excuse that must seem, but…"
"Damn that contemptible little…!"
"For us," Eruk continued, unnoticing of Zel's outburst, "Lord Phibrizzo is our creator. He allows us some degree of free will, but in the end, we cannot oppose him."
"Then I'll ask another question," stated Lina. "Where is Phibrizzo now?"
Sylphiel's father lightened up some. "Now that I can answer. He is in the center of this city, in the temple of Lord Phibrizzo."
"Alright, then that's where we're going." She started off towards the menacing dome with Zel and Martina in tow. At the bottom of the hill she turned around and yelled back, "Hey, Sylphiel! You coming or aren't you?"
Sylphiel suddenly jolted back to her senses, life returning to her eyes. She pulled her head from her father's shoulder to look up at that face she knew so well, asking an unspoken question. He gazed comfortingly down at her and smiled, nodding slightly. She smiled back and, holding in tears, took one last look at the only person she's ever really known and loved.
"Well?" called out Lina.
"Yes, I'm coming!" Sylphiel replied, and, with that, was running down the hill to join her companions. Together, they went to face Hellmaster Phibrizzo.
* * *
…or that would have been the case had they actually been able to get in.
"I don't see an entrance anywhere," said Amelia as she landed next to Lina. "I levitated up there to check it out from above but I didn't see an entrance there, either."
"So what do we do now?" asked Zel.
Lina smirked. "The only thing we can do. We make one ourselves! Damu Brasu!" A red ball of energy shot out from Lina's hands towards the dome, only to fizzle into nothing on contact.
Zel grinned inwardly at the combination of Lina's overconfidence and the failure of the spell. "Looks like there's a shield protecting it."
"Then we blast the stupid shield apart!" yelled Lina, glaring at Zelgadiss. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…"
Suddenly a dark entry opened up in the side.
"Miss Lina!" said Amelia.
"Heh, looks like he's giving us a break and decided to let us in."
"Yeah, well, I don't need his charity!" shouted Lina, her pride injured by the mere thought that someone like Phibrizzo would show pity for her. "Let's go make him regret letting us in." She said the last bit with extra sadism. The next instant she was charging the entrance. "Just remember, I get him first!" Just before Lina could disappear into the darkness within, though, the doorway suddenly closed and our heroine managed to make a good, and rather deep, impression in the side of the massive structure.
"Miss Lina!" cried out Amelia.
"Lina," said Sylphiel worriedly as she ran over to slightly flatter Miss Inverse. "Do you want me to cast a healing spell?"
"No, I'm okay," said Lina as she recovered from her intimate encounter with the wall.
By this point Martina was nearly doubled-over in laughter.
"Seems Phibrizzo's not as nice as we thought," asserted Zel.
"What was your first impression?" asked Lina sarcastically.
Martina burst out laughing, pointing at the wall, "Don't you mean your impression, Lina?" Zelgadiss bopped her on the head with his fist and, since his fist is stone after all, knocked her out cold.
Paying the unconscious princess no mind, Zelgadiss continued, "We may have to try it your way after all, Lina."
"Miss Lina, look!" said Amelia. Lina looked over to see that in the same place where the doorway had been before was, well, another doorway. "Do you think it may let us in this time?"
"You're free to try it, Amelia. It'll just close up again, though."
Amelia slowly approached the shadowy entrance. "It looks okay, Miss Lina."
"Then go on in."
Amelia hesitantly reached out towards the darkness. Her hand slipped past the threshold and into the unknown within. Cautiously she pulled her hand back out, wanting to make sure that it was, indeed, still in one piece. It was.
"Oh, sure, it works now, but let's see what happens when you actually try to go in," said Lina cockily.
Amelia paused a moment and, with her mind made up, resolutely stepped into the darkness, and with that, she was gone.
"She's in, Lina," observed Zel.
"I can see that!" yelled Lina indignantly. "I'm not blind you know. But something still doesn't feel right about this."
"You're just upset that Amelia got in and you didn't." Lina glared at him spitefully. "Suit yourself," said Zel, as he was the next to enter foreboding passageway.
"Shouldn't we follow them, Lina," asked Sylphiel.
Lina opened her mouth to respond when--.
"miss lina!"
"What, Lina?"
"Huh?" said Lina, rather confused. "That wasn't me."
"Lina! Over there!" In the distance was the form of someone flying rapidly towards them."
"miss Lina! Miss Lina!"
As the person drew closer it became quite clear who it was.
"Amelia?! I thought you had gone in!"
"So did I, but as soon as I went in I turned up on the other side altogether," said Amelia as she landed next to the redheaded sorceress.
Sylphiel gasped. "Lina! What about Mr. Zelgadiss?"
Amelia tensed, "You mean Mr. Zelgadiss went in, too?"
Lina responded only by staring intently into the dark passage.
"Maybe he came out on the other side, as well," offered Amelia optimistically.
Unfortunately, though, this was not what happened. For at that time, quite unbeknownst to our heroes, a similar black doorway opened up in the side of the building, only far, far above their heads. A moment later, out stepped a familiar blue-ish golem. It really is such a shame that he was made of stone.
Suddenly the three at the bottom heard something that caught their attention, something which warranted the phrase "heads up".
"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The yell ended abruptly with a loud thud in the center of a newly formed crater nearby.
"M-Mr. Zelgadiss?" said Amelia, peaking into the depression.
"Ow," was all that crater-boy could think of to summarize the pain that he was now feeling.
Amelia slid down to go help Zel up. Lina and Sylphiel, however, remained motionless, as they were still somewhat overcome by the sheer magnificence and grace by which Zel had made his entrance.
Recovering, Lina cheered, "Way to go, Zel! That had to be an 8.5 at least!"
"Very funny," said Zel flatly.
"What? I'm just trying to support ya, Zelly-boy!"
Zelgadiss sighed as he finally climbed out of his personal hole in the ground. "It seems that Phibrizzo must be warping the space inside. So what now?"
"Now…" Lina said contemplatively. Maybe with the Ragna Blade I could… she thought. Looking around to see that a small group of revived villagers had gathered not too far away, though, she changed her mind. "Now we leave."
"What!?" exclaimed Amelia, "But why?"
"Never mind, never mind. Come on, let's go. Oh, and Zel, take care of Martina, will ya?"
Zelgadiss grumbled, "Yeah, yeah." He grabbed up one of Martina's legs and dragged her as he followed Lina and Sylphiel.
Amelia chased after, sputtering, "But…but…"
End of chapter five. To be continued...