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 Eight
"Amelia!" cried Zel as her ran to her side. "Are you all right?"
Amelia slowly tried to push herself up off of the ground, but a piercing pain in her left arm sent her back down with a muffled thud "I-I think it's broken," she said through gritted teeth.
Zelgadiss cursed himself under his breath. He should have known that it was too easy to get away the first time. His mistake may cost them dearly. "Do you think you can cast a healing spell on yourself?" he asked concernedly.
"Yeah."
"Good. You do that, and I'll hold them back." He grabbed up a pole that one of the people had dropped and readied himself.
"Mr. Zelgadiss?" asked Amelia softly.
He turned his head to look back at her. "What is it, Amelia?"
"N-Nothing…" Her voice faded into a blush.
Zel gave her a confused look and then turned to focus on the battle at hand. Where's that blasted Vruumugun, he thought. A freeze arrow bursting into the group directly in front of him soon answered that question.
"Freeze Arrow! Freeze Arrow!" yelled out the sorcerer as bolts of blue shot from his hands. "Sorry, got caught up back there."
"Yeah, well, don't let it happen agai-Vruumugun, look out!"
At that moment Zel had noticed a man leaping from atop the roof of a nearby building towards the floating mage, a wicked looking knife in his hands. Vruumugun turned around just in time to see the pouncing attack, but he too knew it was too late for him to dodge. He braced himself for the feel of the cold steel penetrating his body. Just at that instant, though, the very moment before a dagger was plunged into his flesh, a gray mist enveloped him and a breeze later, he was gone, vanished. The knife-wielding slave of Hellmaster's landed hard against the ground, but got up again only to look around in confusion. Zelgadiss would have been sharing a similarly puzzled expression himself had it not been for the fact that he too had disappeared in that same gray mist, along with Amelia and Martina.
***
Close by, a dull vapor grew out from the ground, only to be blown away by an unfelt wind. In its place was something Lina would have rather not seen.
"Miss Lina!" called out Amelia, running towards the redheaded sorceress.
"Amelia? What happened to your arm?" said Lina, noticing the twisted limb hanging at Amelia's side.
"Don't worry about me, Miss Lina. I'll be fine, but…how did we get here?"
"It seems that Phibrizzo finds you of more use down here than up top."
"I thought as much," said Zel in his well-worn melancholic tone. "So what's with the big crystal motif? The decorator put in sick?"
"Nah, it's just what Phibrizzo uses to hold all the souls of the people of Sairaag."
"Oh, is that all?"
Lina allowed herself a little smile at Zel's joke, then questioned Phibrizzo casually. "What is this? Trying to make a deal where it's their lives in exchange for my services?"
"It's more 'bring some innocents into the situation and see what happens', but your idea strikes me equally well."
"Sorry, but I'm not--"
"Oh yes!" said the monster with extra sadistic joy. "You must thank your golem friend for me. In his asking about my wonderful crystal of souls, here, it reminded me of something. A…recent acquisition, if you would." Something in his tone made Lina's blood freeze within her veins. "You may be familiar with him."
Below the perched Phibrizzo the gray haze appeared once more and disappeared just as quickly. Where the mist had been stood a single, solitary man, a tall man with long, bright blond hair, wearing the armor of a swordsman.
A leaden silence fell. A gasp or two would have been heard, but the breath of all had been trapped inside their throats, unable to utter a sound.
"Lina, isn't this that swordsman you were always so fond of?"
Lina stood with her mouth open, her eyes glazed over. Next to her, Sylphiel's breathing grew erratic and rapid.
"Maybe this will help you to remember." Phibrizzo snapped his fingers and the man visibly jerked as if suddenly freed from some unseen bonds. Life came to his eyes, and he spoke just a word, but it was enough.
"Lina?"
Tears began to run down Lina's cheeks. She found she could move once more. There was only one place she wanted to go to, though. She screamed amidst sobs as she ran into the arms of the man. "Gourry!"
No longer able to take it, Sylphiel collapsed to her knees. "Gourry-dear…"
Zelgadiss tried to pull himself free from the young princess clinging to his arm, as he recoiled in disbelief. "I-It can't be."
"Mr. Gourry," whimpered Amelia.
In the end, though, only one voice could be heard within the endless echoes of the great chamber.
"Gourry! Oh, Gourry!" cried Lina Inverse, shedding tear after tear onto his chest.
Slowly he brought his arms up to wrap them around the poor girl, drawing her close. Again, he spoke. "Lina."
Lina raised her head, to look once more into the eyes of the man she loved, her soul was nearly shattered when she did. The life that had been in those eyes but a moment before was gone, leaving behind only the same cold, empty eyes as she had seen on that day, when she had taken his life. A strong hand grabbed hold of her neck and hoisted her into the air. She gasped and struggled for air, but to no avail.
"Lina!" yelled Zel.
Amelia screamed.
Sylphiel gasped, bringing her hands up to her mouth.
Martina clung tightly to Zangulus' cape.
Lina heard none of it, though. With no air, the world around her gradually began to darken. Sounds faded into nothing, and feeling seemed to all but disappear. Soon, she knew, she would pass out, and after that…
(Un)fortunately for Lina, this was not to be her fate. With a single heave Gourry threw the young girl across the room. She landed solidly against the wall and fell limply to the ground.
"Lina!" cried Sylphiel as she found her legs and ran towards the heap that was her friend. She knelt down next to Lina and immediately called upon her powers of magic to heal her.
Zel, breaking free of Amelia's hold, joined Sylphiel at Lina's side. Amelia, without Zelgadiss to uphold her, fell to her knees, her mind a blur. Soon, with the combined efforts of Zel and Sylphiel, Lina regained consciousness.
Phibrizzo laughed cruelly. "Remember, Lina, he's mine now."
With everything that had happened up till now, there had always been a part of Lina that held some control. That part just snapped.
Lina stood and took a step, and then another, and then another. Both Sylphiel and Zelgadiss could read in her eyes what she had planned.
"Lina, stop!"
"You mustn't, Lina!"
The sorceress wasn't slowed even a second by the two in her way. With an unexpected strength, she shoved them both aside as if they were mere dolls. Finally she stood alone before Hellmaster Phibrizzo and the resurrected Gourry.
"Ah, I see you're finally ready to cast the Giga Slave."
For some reason, the mention of the Giga Slave sparked Amelia back to her senses. "What? Miss Lina?"
Lina would not justify him with a response of any kind, save: "Darkness beyond blackest pitch, deeper than the deepest night."
Amelia slowly stood. "The Giga Slave? Miss Lina, you can't!" Even with all that Phibrizzo had done, she knew that the laws of justice she held so dear could never allow Lina to risk the entire world, all for the sake of revenge.
"Lord of Darkness, who shines like gold upon the Sea of Chaos, I call upon thee, swear myself to thee!" The air grew heavy as a terrible power gathered.
Amelia looked towards Zel and Sylphiel for support, but they were frozen to where they stood. Unlike her, they knew that this was no longer the Lina they had come to know. All the principles and all the morals that she had been raised upon screamed at her to do something to stop Lina. In the heat of the moment, she could only think of one way. "Miss Lina! Noooo!"
"Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess! Giga-oof!" Amelia had run head on into Lina, tackling her to the ground.
"Amelia, get off of me," said Lina in a tone that threatened death.
"Miss Lina!" cried out the girl on top of her. "You can't, Miss Lina! It isn't worth it! The whole world! It isn't worth it!"
For a tense moment that seemed like an eternity the two stared into each other's eyes. One wanted only death and revenge; the other simply wanted to save the world…and her friend. For now, at least that life was saved.
"Thanks, Amelia," said the now subdued Lina.
"NOOOO!" roared Phibrizzo; his cry of anger and hatred shook the walls. With what one would call slight of hand, he produced several tiny, golden orbs. "You!" He screamed at Amelia. "I was so close! You dare to get in way?!"
Amelia took a step back, trembling under the full brunt of Hellmaster's rage. A weak cry escaped her lips. It was then that Phibrizzo crushed one of the orbs between his fingers, shattering it into a rain of glimmering dust. Amelia screamed a most horrible scream and collapsed. She never knew such pain existed. It was as if the very hands of the damned clawed at her soul, tearing it away from her.
"Amelia!" Zel knelt by her side, holding her.
She struggled to speak beyond the blinding pain. "It just hurts…a…..lit..tle…."
She fell lifeless into Zelgadiss' arms.
End of chapter eight. To be concluded...