"Hey Lina, will we be there soon?" Gourry Gabriev glanced over to the girl walking beside him.
"Quiet, Jellyfish brains. See that building up there?" Lina pointed ahead of them to a large building. "That's the Magic University that Zel teaches at. His house is near it somewhere."
"So in other words, you have no idea where we are either." Gourry summarized. Lina beaned him over the head with her fist. As they argued with each other, their two sons walked behind them quietly, not wanting to interfere. Pickle glanced over at his brother, Slipper.
"Mom's in a good mood, isn't she? Normally, she would have roasted him!" Pickle whispered. A light smile came to Slipper's lips.
"I think it's because she's so happy to be visiting her friends. She hasn't seen them in a while." Slipper was the smaller one of the twin boys, taking after his mother in size. He had auburn hair that flowed about halfway down his back, and tended to get in to his azure eyes. He has a preference for wearing loose tunics and his clothing today was no exception. He wore a light blue tunic along with black leggings and low brown boots. Pickle, on the other hand, was quite tall and wore his long green hair in a single ponytail tied at the base of his neck. His brown eyes were dark enough that some called them black. But that impression never lasted long, as he was always kind and had a good sense of humor. In contrast to his bother's loose tunic, Pickle wore a very light leather armor as well as slate colored pants and black boots which came up halfway to his knee.
"Ah! There it is!" Lina exclaimed, pointing to a house that stood by itself, away from the University. She smiled. She was very much looking forward to seeing her fiends again. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
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Babbit Graywords sighed quietly as her magical experiment collapsed once again.
"There must be something wrong with the new energy…" She mumbled to herself as she looked over the notes she had taken in this study. She was researching a new form of magic, which had yet to be named, and the work was very tiresome. Years ago, her mother had started the research, but had given it up when Babbit was born. Babbit had decided to pick up where her mother had left off, using some of her mothers old notes as reference, while continuing to write her own. The current project she was working on was a spell that would reverse the effects of a dragon slave. She hoped that if she could clean up those craters which decorated their continent, their planet would last a little bit longer. After all, an area which had been destroyed by a Dragon Slave was not good for living in. Sighing again, Babbit left her fathers study and walked up to the kitchen. She could smell something delicious being cooked, but even as she neared the kitchen, there was a pounding on the front door.
"Who in the world would be bothering us at this hour?" She asked herself. It was already getting dark outside, and not many people bothered to come to their house. She walked to the door and opened it.
"Yes? May I help you?"
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They had just barely reached the house when Lina started pounding on the door.
"Hey! Open the door!" She yelled, banging on it loudly.
"Wouldn't it be more polite to knock?" Gourry asked. Lina turned to him, and beaned him on the head again. As they argued, the door opened.
"Yes? May I help you?" the girl who answered the door watched them. As Lina and Gourry stared at her, Pickle could see a tremble of fear on Gourry's face. Gourry fell backwards.
"Rezo!" He screamed, drawing his sword. Lina started chanting something, and Babbit looked annoyed.
"Don't you think it's terribly rude to come pounding on people's houses at this hour and then, when they do open the door, you try to attack them?" She shook her head. "Honestly, some people…" Lina continued at chant, and Gourry stared at Babbit.
"Hey Lina?" He said finally.
"DON'T INTERRUPT ME!" She yelled.
"But Lina, wasn't Rezo a guy? This person has breasts, and I think they're bigger then yours!" He commented. Pickle and Slipper backed away from him. Lina redirected her spell and fried Gourry with it.
"SHUT UP, JELLYFISH!" She yelled, stomping on him.
"Are you people here for a reason, or should I be telling you to get lost?" Babbit inquired. Slipper took the opportunity to explain.
"We're here to visit some of my parents old friends. Maybe you know where they might be. I believe one of them in named Zelgadiss Graywords?" He spoke rather quickly, trying to keep Babbit from getting any more irritated with them. She blinked.
"Your parents are friends of my father?" She asked slowly.
"YOU're Zel's daughter? No wonder!" Lina exclaimed. "Yeah, we're here to visit him."
"Very well. Please fallow me." She turned around and led them in to the house. After they were comfortably seated in a living room, Babbit left to tell her parents. A short while later, Yeshta came in with cups of tea.
"Hello, Lina! Good to see you!" She greeted them, giving each person a cup of tea. Gourry stared at her. Her blonde hair was longer then his, almost reaching the floor, and was in a single braid. The end of her braid was brown, and became lighter in color closer to her head, becoming a very pale yellow at her head. Her turquoise eyes turned to him.
"Gourry. Great to see ya, bro." She made a face at him. Although they were siblings, they really didn't look alike. Her ears were pointed, and her eyes didn't look human. But there was a reason for that. Like her husband Zelgadiss, she had been turned in to a chimera, but would never reveal what exactly she was made from.
"Where's Zel? He does live here still, right?" Lina asked.
"Yes, he still lives here, but he had to stay at the Magic University late tonight. He's teaching a class that is studying the stars tonight. But don't worry. He'll be back in an hour or so." Yeshta explained. She turned to look at Pickle and Slipper. "So, these are your sons? My, they've grown."
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Babbit sighed, walking back from the market with her arms full of food. When she had told her mother that they had guests, Yeshta had freaked out, especially since they were Lina and Gourry. And so, Babbit had been sent to the market to buy food. There were very few places in the market that were open at this time of night, but fortunately, Babbit had found one. She truly didn't understand why, as she thought the pot of soup at home was plenty, even with guests. But she didn't question her mother. She could hear a happy conversation coming from inside the house, but ignored it and carried the food to the kitchen.
"Hey Babbit. What's all this?" Her brother Froy asked, walking in to the kitchen.
"Food." She glared darkly at him. Although he was two years younger then her, he was still much taller. He had inherited their father's skin, and was a slate blue color, with pale blonde hair that hung in wisps in his face.
"I can see that. Why?"
"Because I was told to buy it." She frowned at him. He raised his hands in a defensive posture.
"All right, you don't have to kill me over it." He left the room, as Babbit continued to stack the food in an orderly fashion. She heard the front door open and close, fallowed by the light footsteps of her father. She heard the footsteps stop at the living room and assumed that Lina and Gourry and trapped him as well. She walked towards the living room to see how things were going, and passed her mother in the hallway.
"You got the food, right?" Yeshta asked nervously and quietly.
"Yes. It's in the kitchen, but I still don't understand…" Babbit stopped her sentence, as her mother had continued walking. "Why we need so much." She finished for herself. Sighing again, she resumed walking. She peeked in to the room before deciding to enter. They were having a lively conversation about someone named Amelia.
"Yeah, she wanted to come, but there were just too many things to do back at Seiruun." Lina was saying.
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Pickle noticed as Babbit slipped in to the room they were in. No one else seemed to notice, as they were too caught up in their conversation. He watched as she walked slowly over to Zelgadiss. He thought she was pretty, but there was something about her that sent shivers down his spine. Most of her hair went up in the same way Zelgadiss's did, with the remainder of it tied back in a ribbon at the nape of her neck, and flowed a little more then halfway down her back, a color that could be called raspberry or burgundy. She had very fine facial features, and skin that was rather pale, which made Pickle think of porcelain. Her ears made a graceful point that was almost elven, and he wondered what exactly she was. She noticed that he was watching him, and turned her sharp emerald eyes to him. He stopped admiring her and shivered. She scared him.
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Babbit watched her cousin shudder and shiver for no apparent reason, and wondered if there was something wrong with him.
"This is your daughter, right?" Lina's question caught her attention.
"Yes, our eldest child." Zelgadiss answered, nodding. Babbit noticed the empty teacup in his hand, and offered to refill it for him. He smiled and handed her the cup. She left the room.
"Not that there's anything wrong with her, but doesn't she remind you of Rezo?" Gourry asked. Zelgadiss glared sharply at him.
"No." He answered coldly. Gourry and Lina glanced at each other. Slipper cleared his throat.
"This may be a foolish question, but who is Rezo?" He glanced around the room, waiting for a response.
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Babbit walked down the dimly lit hallway, carrying the newly refilled teacup. It was rose tea, with a hint of ginger flavoring.
Babbit… She heard a voice whisper. She turned around sharply, nearly spilling the tea.
"Who said that?" She asked out loud, expecting a Mazoku to appear. She waited a long moment, but no one appeared. She started back down the hall.
Babbit… She heard the voice again. It was a very pleasant voice, but it had an eerie air about it.
"Xellos? Is that you?" She asked, looking around. The trickster priest had played pranks on her before, but he would usually appear and claim credit for the tricks. There was no response. "I'm going to kill you if it is you, Xellos." She said, sounding bold.
Babbit… The voice whispered for a third time. A pain stabbed through her head. Lend me your body… The voice spoke quietly, as Babbit dropped the teacup. It shattered on the floor, creating a puddle near her feet. She fell to her knees in pain, and knew that this was definitely not one of Xellos's tricks. He wouldn't do this. She shuddered violently, trying to resist the voice. She tried to tell it that this was her body, but it wouldn't give up. Finally, Babbit felt herself lose control. The voice had her now. She chuckled, and stood up. She dusted off her clothes and walked to the living room.
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In the living room, Zelgadiss was wondering if something had happened to Babbit. But he supposed that Yeshta had pressed her in to kitchen work. After all, cooking for both Lina and Gourry was not an easy task. Suddenly, Babbit appeared in the doorway of the living room. Zel looked at her for a moment. There was something different about her. Her eyes had a very strange look in them. But she smiled and walked over to him.
"My Zelgadiss… How noble you have become." She said as she took his face in her hands. The entire room was silent.
"You shouldn't address your father by his first name." Gourry scolded. "It's not polite, and besides…" Gourry never got a chance to finish his sentence, because Babbit turned her gaze to him, and with a fierce expression and glowing eyes, blasted him back against the wall. Her expression was calm again, and she turned back to Zelgadiss.
"My Zelgadiss…" She whispered again, stroking his hair.
"Babbit. What are you doing?" He asked slowly. She laughed lightly, with a sound that made him think of music.
"Don't you recognize me?" She breathed into his ear. This was extremely unsettling for him. He stood up abruptly, knocking Babbit back a few steps.
"Xellos, if this is one of your tricks, I swear I will rip your head off and give it to Filia!" He yelled, holding Babbit by the collar of her shirt.
"Oh dear, isn't this awkward. Did I do something to you, Zelgadiss?" Xellos appeared to the left side of Zel. Babbit turned her head to Xellos as Zel let go of her.
"So, you must be this Xellos fellow I keep hearing about." She studied him for a moment. "Ah yes. A Mazoku, correct?"
"Why yes I am. And who might you be, hmm? That body doesn't suit you at all." Xellos opened one of his eyes to gaze upon Babbit. Babbit smiled broadly.
"I don't believe that I shall tell you at this moment in time." She patted him on the head. "Now run along and play like a nice Mazoku." Xellos opened his other eye, and inspected Babbit with both eyes.
"Ah, I see. You're Hellmaster Phibrizzo if I'm not mistaken, which I never am." He smiled smugly.
"Is that all the intelligence of a Mazoku?" She scoffed.
"Oh, you thought I was telling the truth? How pitiful." He closed his eyes again. "The real truth…"
"Is what?" Lina growled.
"That is a secret." Xellos was met with a fireball for his efforts. Babbit smiled broadly.
"Well, I believe I'll be going now. Thank you, Lina, for roasting him. I'm looking foreword to the day we can meet again. Perhaps then we can also settle the score, hm?" Babbit said, and vanished. The rest of the people in the room stared.
"I didn't know she could do that." Pickle commented.
"She can't." Zel said quietly. Xellos stood up.
"Well, then, I'd better be going now too." He smiled again, and disappeared. Yeshta walked in to the room.
"Hello, everyone." She smiled. Everyone stared at her. "Did I miss something?"
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Babbit floated above the holy tree Flagoon in the kingdom of Sairaag. Her eyes surveyed the large crater which had once been a city. Flagoon itself was in a sorry state as well. Most of its branches had long since withered, with no apparent reason. She landed on the ground and began casting a very long spell.
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"This is getting us nowhere!" Zelgadiss slammed his hand down on the kitchen table. For almost an hour (after eating dinner, of course) they had been sitting and debating what had happened to Babbit and where she might have gone. Yeshta reached across the table and gently put her hand on his.
"Do you have any better ideas?" She asked softly. He pulled his hand away and stood up. Pickle raised his hand.
"We could go look for her." He suggested. Lina sighed.
"Look Pickle, even if we knew where to start looking, I don't think we could find her before she moved again." She paused.
"Like trying to catch a fish in an empty bucket, right Lina?" Gourry smiled. The rest of the room stared at him.
"Dork." Yeshta muttered. There was a knock from the door.
"I'll get it." Froy rose to his feet and left the room. A few moments later, he came back, fallowed by two people.
"We have more guests." He said in a flat tone. He went back to where he had been sitting, and one of the people stepped foreword.
"Hello, everyone!" The cheerful gold dragon known as Filia came in the room. "You'll never guess who I ran in to on my way here."
"Have a seat. I'll get you some tea." Yeshta stood up, and turned to the teakettle. The second person watched her.
"What kind would you like?" She glanced back at them.
"I'll have green tea." The second person said. Yeshta looked at him in surprise.
"Valgarv?" She asked, recognizing the voice. He stepped foreword in to the light, with an unnerving smile on his face.
"I ran in to him, and thought it would be wonderful if we could all see each other again." Filia explained. Yeshta handed Valgarv a cup of tea.
"What kind do you want, Filia?" Yeshta asked.
"Ginger, please. So, how have all you been doing?" Filia asked.
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"So, you're the great Rezo." A voice behind Babbit said, interrupting her spell. The spell itself was nearly complete, with only a few more details to take care of. She turned to see whom this voice belonged to. It was a man with blue hair that stood up in strange directions.
"And you are?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Valgarv."
"And?"
"No one else could teleport themselves, so they asked me to find you."
"Then I suppose you'll be trying to take me back."
"Not yet. I watched you cast part of that spell, and I'm curious as to what you're going to do with it."
"Suppose I'm not going to tell you?"
"I didn't ask."
"Is that so." She looked thoughtful. "Then now what?"
"You're going to tell me what that spell is going to do."
"Really?" She laughed. "Why would I do that?"
"That body is a woman's." Valgarv answered, seeming amused, looking at her with a very strange look in his eyes. It seemed to be threatening, in a mild sort of manner. Her face paled.
"You wouldn't."
"Wouldn't I?" He stepped closer to her.
"NO!" She screamed, and blasted a spell at him. But he teleported before the spell could reach him, and it struck the dirt. She looked around frantically. Valgarv was nowhere in sight. She gasped for air for a few moments, then turned back to her spell. She truly hoped he was gone.
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"Possessed by Rezo?!!" Zelgadiss screamed, slamming his fist in to the kitchen table, which promptly collapsed.
"It seems that way." Valgarv agreed. He had just returned from searching for Babbit, and had explained everything to the best of his ability. She seemed to be casting some sort of terrible spell is Sairaag, and had met Valgarv with hostility. Yeshta tried to calm Zelgadiss down, but he didn't hear her words. He paced around the room, swearing at Rezo.
"Should I take you there so you can see for yourself?" Valgarv asked. Zel grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"You'd better!" He yelled. Valgarv took the whole group of people and teleported them to Sairaag.
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Babbit was taking care of the few minor details in the spell and was on the last one when she heard an outraged cry from behind her. She turned around to see a very hostile looking group of people, the same ones who had been the guests at home, with two new additions. One of them was Valgarv, who looked very pleased with himself, and the other was Filia, the gold dragon priestess that had occasionally visited before. Almost all of them had a weapon of some variety drawn, including Pickle and Slipper. She sighed.
"Are you so intent on destroying my work?!" Her voice was a high cry.
"What exactly is your "work"? Destroying the planet? Or, perhaps it's letting Shabernigdo loose on the world again?" Zelgadiss demanded in a cold voice. Babbit flinched.
"My Zelgadiss," She started to say, but was cut off by him.
"Don't call me yours!" He yelled. Her eyes looked pained, and in a very quiet voice, she asked, "Do you hate me so much?"
"Yes! You ruined my life! You turned me in to a monster!"
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Yeshta glanced from her husband to her daughter, unsure of what to do. It had been a very long time since she had heard Zelgadiss refer to himself as a monster. Perhaps the memories of Rezo were resurfacing, renewing his anger. She wondered to herself for the first time in her memory if Zelgadiss had control over himself. She also wondered if he could remember that the body Rezo was possessing was their daughter. All in all, things looked pretty bad.
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"A monster. Is that how you feel about yourself?" She asked, staring at the ground. She brought her gaze up to meet Zelgadiss in the eyes. "I implore you, let me finish with my work here, and then we can discuss this, please!"
"NO!" He raised his sword high in the air, and with a bestial scream, lunged at her. She easily dodged out of the way, and pushed him foreword, causing him to stumble, and landed on his face. She chanted something very quickly as he rose to his feet again. He lunged again, catching her arm with the side of the blade, before falling foreword again. More quick chanting from Babbit caused the diagram that she had spent a very long time drawing to glow.
"What the hell is that thing?!!" Zelgadiss lifted Babbit by the collar of her shirt. She started laughing. The laughter seemed almost overjoyed.
"Wait, and you shall see, my Zelgadiss!" She laughed again, as a large amount of energy poured out of the diagram. Everything was engulfed in a warm light, and everyone lost consciousness.
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Babbit moaned softly, blinking her eyes and sitting up slowly. She looked around her surroundings slowly. The city which had been a crater before was now a grassy field, and the holy tree was flourishing once again.
"Thank you for the use of your body." The voice said. She turned to see a man who looked much like herself standing near her. He was almost transparent.
"You… Are Rezo?" She asked, not believing what she was seeing.
"Yes." He knelt down beside her and cast a healing spell on the wound which garnished her left arm.
"Why did you choose me?" She asked.
"You have a very large amount of magical energy, which was required for this task." He finished the healing spell. "And… Thank you for your eyes." He leaned foreword, meeting her lips with his. Babbit had never been kissed by a ghost before. It felt as thought there was a soft mist touching her. Breaking the kiss, he backed away, standing up.
"Thank you…" He smiled and disappeared.
"Wait!" She cried after him. But he was gone. She glanced around her surroundings once again, and noticed everyone, lying on the ground, unconscious. But they were waking up.
"What happened?" Gourry asked, sitting up. "I thought we were in Sairaag!"
"Hm. So that's that the spell did." Valgarv said in a dull tone and disappeared. Babbit had a lot of explaining to do.
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"I think… That Rezo wanted to make up for destroying Sairaag." Babbit said slowly. They had been teleported home after everyone was conscious. She was immediately pressed in to questions about what exactly had happened.
"But it was Kopi Rezo that destroyed Sairaag, not the real one." Lina pointed out.
"In a way, Rezo felt responsible for that, because Kopi Rezo was created from him." She paused and stared at her father. "I could see his mind while he possessed me."
"And?" Pickle prodded.
"And he truly doesn't want you to hate yourself, father." She stood, and walked over to him. "He wants what's best for you." She whispered. She turned to the others. "All in all, he just wanted to fix something he had done wrong."
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"Thanks for the visit!" "Come again sometime!" "Thanks for the food!" The farewells flew in the air between Babbit's family and the others who were leaving. She waved goodbye one last time, and went back in their house. More specifically, she went in to her room, shutting the door behind herself.
"How was it?" Rezo asked, appearing beside her. A smile twitched over her face.
"You're starting to remind me of a Mazoku." She commented. "I would say that they have a pretty good grasp of what happened, and Father isn't quite so angry with you."
"That is good." He smiled, and turned away from her.
"You'll stop by again, right?" She asked, sitting down at the desk which filled a corner of her room.
"Of course." He said, and vanished. She smiled and turned to the notebook containing her notes on magic. She took a quill and began writing very descriptive notes of the spell that had been cast at Sairaag. Her "Dragon Slave Recovery Spell" was finally complete.
The end