Slayers: To the End...
By Hotaru Kimiko Lai
(also known as the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek... )
Disclaimer...
Once more, I don't own Slayers.... they belong to some really awesome people who don't know me... As usual... no monetary profit is made from this for it was written for fun. So yeah, have fun and read and enjoy!!!!
Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warnin g...Warning...
THIS CHAPTER IS A TAD BIT DARKER THAN PAST CHAPTERS...
Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warnin g...Warning...
Chapter 6
A Day in Town... (Version 6.1)
The bottom had fallen out of the world. The apocalypse was close at hand. The pigs on many farms began to mutate as wings appeared. Some of the more adventurous pieces of ham wondered what the wings were for. Others knew, and began the arduous process of learning how to fly.
"I am, just that right now, I don't feel like being too serious. Anyway, here's my question. Do you want to be one of my Chosen Knights??" asked the Lord of Nightmares.
"Huh??"
"It'll be very fun, and you'll get to have cool powers!!!"
"And what if I say no? I mean, I don't even know what I'll do!"
"OK, if you become my knight, I promise, lot's of fun, you won't have to kill your friends because I'm not planning that, you can choose your own uniform, you'll help me play the biggest practical joke on the world and you'll find the love of your life!!! What do you think???" Lina just stared. Stared. Stared. Stared. Stared. The LoN kept on talking anyway.
"I understand that you can't decide right now. After all, it is a pretty important choice. So here. It's the contract. You can read through if you want to. Do you have any other questions?" She handed Lina the contract.
Lina thought hard. She needed to know so many things.
"Are you sure this is not a joke?" asked Lina suspiciously. The Chibi LoN looked at her with her huge sapphire like eyes.
"Would these eyes lie??" she asked, trying to look very cute. Lina raised an eyebrow. "Well, of course I'm serious! And you won't only get very strong. You'll be able to help your friends. For example, you will be able to cure Zelgadis's and Xellos's curse!!! Won't that be fun!?"
"Curse?" asked Lina with alarm. "What curse?"
"What is the phrase again?" asked the little girl, her eyes closed with a puzzled look on her head. Abruptly, that changed into a smile. "Oh yeah!! Sore wa himitsu desu!!! But anyway, Lina, you won't find out unless you accept to be my knight. Details are all in your contract."
"And by when do I have to give you the answer?" asked Lina as she eyed her thick book. Inside, it was full of footnotes and clauses and tiny little print she didn't want to think about at the present moment.
"I'll come tomorrow night, same as tonight. Have your answer by then. And by the way, no talking about this to anyone, or the contract becomes null and void. Page 12, last paragraph, last sentence. Bye Lina!!!"
*****
Lina found herself waking up abruptly. In her hands was the book/contract that the Lord of Nightmares had given her. It was really thick,.. and heavy... and had probably killed lots of trees to get the paper... did I mention heavy? She hid it under her pillow and went back to sleep, seeing that it was still night after looking out the window. And she slept and dreamt... and woke up suddenly. She opened her eyes and blinked owlishly as she tried to focus her eyesight. A pair of worried purple eyes appeared in her face. Well, not just the eyes, but the face also. It doesn't matter, but oh well...
"AAAAAAARGH!!!!!!" she screamed before grabbing the closest thing to her, her pillow and threw it at his head. Suddenly she remembered the book and quickly shoved it under her covers, hopping Xellos hadn't noticed. He hadn't, after all, he did have a pillow stuck to his face.
"Ne, Lina chan, why are you being so mean?" asked Xellos as he put away the pillow.
"May I ask what you are doing in my room???" asked Lina. "Before I fireball you into the middle of next week?"
"Um.. jeje.." said Xellos. "That is a funny thing..."
"I'm not laughing," said Lina, with a raised eyebrow. "I bolted my door last night. How and why did you come in?"
"Um... well, you see... it's a little late, Lina chan," said Xellos with a smile. "And breakfast was served hours ago, and Zelas san was wondering if you were OK, since you didn't come for breakfast. So I phased in and checked on you... We were very worried, you know." At the last comment, he wagged his finger at her in an admonishing way.
"Oh... sorry, Xellos," said Lina as she blushed. "I didn't know..." There was an awkward silence, before Lina's body decided that it had enough. Her stomach growled. Lina blushed and Xellos laughed.
"Come on, Lina," said Xellos as he smiled. "We can have a brunch!"
"Oh...OK," said Lina with a small smile. "But first..."
"Yes?" asked Xellos, with an eager smile on his face for once.
"How about you get out so that I can change, huh?" asked Lina with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh... must I?" asked Xellos, a silly smile plastered on his face once more.
"Xellos..." growled Lina. Xellos laughed and phased out. Lina shook her head and then quickly got dressed and freshened up. 'Silly Mazoku,' she thought with a smile. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her white coat was nice, but it just didn't really remind you of the real Lina Inverse. Of course, Lina was supposed to be dead, but still, it had been one of her favorite outfits. She had worn it for so long,... but after Lina Inverse had died,.... A new identity had been taken up, one of more respect than that of a bandit killer or dragon spooker. Being a researcher meant way more respect, a very calm life full of research and time spent in the invention of new spells and all sorts of wonderful stuff. Of course, the pay wasn't awesome, or anything... but she had lots of bandit money she had stored up over the years. And once she had started to teach, there was a steady amount of income... She stared at herself in the mirror. Perhaps, today she would go shopping, and perhaps...
Anyway, she quickly brushed her hair and went downstairs for brunch with Xellos.
"Where is everybody?" asked Lina as she bit off a piece of mutton and then stuffed a huge stack of pancakes in her mouth.
"Oh... let's see... um..." started Xellos as he took a sip of his delightful and solitary little bit of tea in his tiny little porcelain teacup... "Zelas finished, but she went upstairs to recuperate. And your friend Zelgadis... he went out to buy some things for a journey. Seems he's still searching for a cure..."
"What do you expect?" asked Lina after taking a huge draught of freshly squeezed orange juice with a bit of sugar. "I've spent forever looking for his silly cure, and I haven't been able to find it..." Lina ate quietly as she pensively stared out the window. Xellos frowned slightly. He was also on the moon as he stared at a picture of a cluster of grapes on an antique golden bowl with figures of wine presses. He was thinking about what he had heard the other day. It was weird. Normally, the scrolls that Zelas had him look were very ancient and adhered to the standard code for prophecies. Zelas was such a stickler for rules and regulations after all... how perplexing.
Lina thought. She thought very hard. It was just so puzzling. The mention of Zelgadis had brought back memories of the dream from the other night. A heavy weight settled on her shoulders. Outside, she saw the puffy white clouds against a blue sky. She could see Zel in one of the clouds... what would Zel want...? OK, that was a redundant question. Zelgadis would want his cure, she knew. And what about Xellos...? A cure for Xellos? What curse could they be talking about. The Lord of Nightmares knew many things, but this was too weird. She wanted to know... but then again, she wasn't going to just ask Xellos, "Hey, Xellos! I know you have a curse, could you tell me what it is?" No way, that would not happen. So, what to do. She was in such a thoughtful mood that she stopped eating.
"Hey, Xel," she said absentmindedly. "Thanks for the food. It was good. I'm going to do some research, so don't call me for supper." With that, she left and went up to her room to get her stuff. Xellos just stared at her. That was amazing, she had just left and the food wasn't finished. Now, what was he going to do with the excess food???....... He started to put it away for supper. Perhaps Zel would like to eat it, as if.... Halfway through cleaning the table up, he felt the presence of his master.
"Yes, Juuo-sama?" he asked. The little girl looked at him and smiled.
"I have a little job for you." she said with a glint in her eyes.
*****
Lina eyed the cloth in her hands critically. It was a very nice cloth... only problem... pale pink cloth with embroidered roses was just not her thing. So she put the bolt on the growing pile of fabric on her left.
"I told you, I want some sturdy cloth that doesn't look like it's material for a porcelain doll!" she told the shopkeeper. He smiled suddenly and went to the back of the room and came out a few seconds later with a second bolt of cloth. Lina stared at it and began to finger it. It was sturdy, that was for sure. Not only that, but also semi-thick. And it was a dark red, almost maroonish in color. And no embroidered flowers or fruits. She placed it on her right. Now she had cloth for her tunic and pants and trademark yellow band. Now, to find cloth for a cape.
"Anything else, miss?" asked the shopkeeper. He looked down at the sketch of the clothes she wanted, along with the color and measurements. It looked disturbingly familiar. Like the outfit the sorceress Lina Inverse had worn two years ago, before dying.
"Yes, I'd like to make a cape that would fit these shoulder guards." said Lina/Tirla. From her tote bag, which held the huge contract and her prophecies, she took out a pair of shoulder guards, each with a gem the size of her fist embedded in each surrounded by gold trim. "Do you have any cloth that sort of looks,...majestic and dark.... something black with gold or dark red..." said Lina, her eyes shining with delight as she thought about how she wanted the cape to look like. The shopkeeper thought for a while and then nodded. He had some cloth that had just recently come from a shipment from Mipross Island. He went inside his little storage room and came out with a black material and handed it almost reverently to Lina. She felt the cloth, amazed at how sturdy it felt, and yet... how light and soft... And scattered on one side of the cloth were ancient elfin runes.
"Where did you get this cloth?" she asked with amazement, as her eyes read the runes.
"From Mipross Island, miss." said the owner proudly. He could tell that the cloth had been special and could tell that the young lady really liked the cloth. "It was a special shipment for limited time only. Very special cloth. It's woven by the elves themselves. The design is made by hand also."
"I'll take this one also," said Lina after reading the runes, a smile on her face after reading the runes.
"A wonderful choice, miss..."
"Oh, sorry. My name's Tirla. And could you make me a shoulder bag with this material also? About the size of this one." said Lina as she put away her shoulder guards and started to sketch a rough drawing of the cape. The storekeeper once again took some measurements and promised her that the clothes would be ready for the next day, along with her bag. After all, the design was in itself a very simple one. So with a smile, Tirla paid one fourth of the money and left with a smile on her face. Next stop, the library across town.
As she walked, she wished that this town had magic transporter mechanisms. In Seerin, her neighbor had patented one and as a result, travel was so much faster. But oh well, life was life... not everybody could be as lucky as she was to live in Seerin.
Once she reached the library, she asked the librarian where they kept the copies of scrolls with prophecies.
"Sorry, miss," said the lady. "Only authorized personnel and Level 13 researchers and above are allowed in there."
"But I am!" said Tirla. The librarian looked her over and raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, miss," she said again. "But I'll need to see your identification." Tirla grumbled as she fished into her bag for her ID papers. She had passed the test in Seerin with flying colors, and was beyond a level 13 researchers.
"Here it is," said Tirla as she drew out a small card. On the corner was a picture of a smiling Tirla, her fingers in a victory sign. It said her name, (Tirla Inverse), and degree she had gotten while during her two years in Seerin. Not only that, but it named the teachers who had tried her, naming many famous researchers and heads of institute. And at the bottom, it said, "This document doth prove that the Honorable Miss Tirla Celina Inverse, has obtained an official researchers degree from us, the International Guild of Sorcery and Research. She is now a main participant of the Sorcery Researchers Guild, location Seerin, and is entitled to teach sorcery as well as research." The librarian was shocked to say the least.
"You can go in," she said as she absentmindedly gave back her papers. "Left corridor, second door to the right. Here's your pass." Lina smiled and thanked her as she put her papers away. She never liked showing her papers. They had written so much for her. Oh well, at least it let her research the scrolls and
read the contract in peace.
*****
Xellos looked up from his job. It was beyond him why Zelas-san had wanted him to move all her wine casks around. But this could be so fun! He pointed towards a cask and moved it with his mind across the room to a little cart that had a few more barrels. These he then transported to another of Zelas's cellars. She had quite a few, all linked subterraneously. It was so extensive, that it took more space than the actual town. Xellos smiled and thought. Not for long though. All of a sudden, he found out that he couldn't move anymore.
"What the..." he asked himself before he disappeared.
Meanwhile...
Lina was having a relatively fun time reading through the contract. It was very clear but also very detailed at the same time. On her notebook were a bunch of scrawled notes in her angular handwriting, designed to look like unreadable hieroglyphics to the untrained eye. (In other words, she had very bad penmanship...) Lina sighed and rubbed her eyes. Reading for so long all that tiny print really gave her a major headache. But she had to keep on. She knew what she was doing... now... to only concentrate... Her eyes dropped little by little, and her head nodded slightly. Her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake, but at the end, she lost the battle, and her eyes closed.
She was jolted wide awake by a loud blast that sounded outside the room. She jumped up and ran to the window to see what was happening... she was surprised to see that the streets were all bright with flames. There were people screaming and running all over the place, trying to fight the fire or run away from it... She ran to her desk and stuffed all her papers into her bag and ran out the door. She caught the librarian who was running past her.
"What happened?" she asked, her eyes wide with worry.
"I don't know!" said the librarian, waving her arms around, and definitely looking like anything except for the calm librarian she was supposed to be. "All of a sudden, there were bright flashes of light and fire filled the place!" With that, she broke away and ran for the door. Lina nodded grimly and cast a Diem Wing as she flew outside. Once on the street, she threw Freeze Arrows and water spells into the fire, trying to stifle it. Her watchful eyes were peeled for any innocent passerby caught in the fire.
Out of the left corner of her eye, she saw a little girl on the roof of a house, holding on to a doll and crying her eyes out. Around her were bright orange flames that threatened to engulf her. Lina sprinted towards the girl, trying to get there in time. She thought she'd make it... until she realized that somebody had blocked her path to the little girl. That somebody was a tall youth, with jet black hair and quicksilver eyes. Malicious fangs could be seen coming out of his smirking mouth. He wore a pair of loose black pants and a black satin shirt. Over that was a silver vest and a silver sash was bound about his waist, were a sword blade was hung. The most amazing thing about him, though, was that he had a paid or silver furred ears coming from his head and a silver tail, like that of a fox. And he was floating in the air.
"Well met, Ms. Inverse," he said with a smirk. "So nice to know that you could make it here, in time for your death!"
"What?" asked Lina as she tried to get around him to reach the girl. "Darn it! Let me through!" she shouted. A ball of energy formed into her hands. "Fire Ball!!!" The other person nimbly floated out of the way.
"Where was I?" asked the person again. But Lina's eyes were on the little girl. All of a sudden, she saw a slight bluish blur where the girl had been. She smiled as she saw Zelgadis land some meters from the house and put the girl down. She turned her attention back to the one talking to her.
"Now, that I have more time,..." she started.
"Yes," he interrupted. "As I was saying, my name is Megrim. And I'm one of the commanders under Madabar. My mission is quite simple. It would be quite nice of you if you and Mr. Zelgadis would come and quietly DIE!!!" With that, he launched two balls of silver flame, one at each one. Lina jumped out of the way and saw it hit the house behind her. Fortunately, no one was there at the present moment. The house erupted immediately into flames.
"Hey watch where you throw those things!" shouted Lina as her arms formed a Flare Arrow and let go. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, since it was always nice to know why people wanted you dead. Zelgadis took his sword and ran an Astral Vine through it. He ran towards Megrim and through a Digger Bolt at him. Calculating where he would move to, Zel blurred and nicked of part of the other's hair. Megrim ducked a second later, just to get hit in the face by the Freeze Arrow Lina had thrown to follow up her Flare Arrow. Zelgadis flipped in the air and landed beside Lina. After the smoke cleared, they saw Megrim coughing as he stood up.
"You two are a good team..." he said slowly as he coughed. He reached into a pocket in his pants and took out a scroll.
"If you want to see that friend of yours... what's his name? Xellos... before he dies, I would advise you to go here in one week. Remember, don't play with us, Inverse. One false move and Seerin is next." With that, he disappeared after tossing to her the scroll. Lina looked at it numbly and picked it up. Her eyes were devoid of expression. Thoughts swirled through her tired brain as the fires raged on around her. With a start, she realized that there was still work to be done and for a few seconds, some light flickered in her dampened eyes.
"Come on, Zel." she said. "We've got work to do. Let's put out the fire."
"Are you OK?, Lina?" asked Zel as he took a hold of her shoulder. Her eyes stared at the horizon, as her arms robotically did the incantations for the water spells.
"I'll be fine." she said, her eyes glimmering like bloody diamonds. Someone was going to suffer for this. And they had better leave Seerin alone, or else...
Later that afternoon, the two finally met at Zelas's house. Fortunately for them, the fire hadn't reached all the parts of the town, and had just burned downtown part. Lina wiped her face with her hand, trying to dry the sweat of her face as the dust and ashes stuck to her. Her hair was a mess and her face was full of ash smudges. Her white coat had turned black from all the soot. Zelgadis didn't have to worry about his hair, but his clothes were drenched from perspiration, and weren't the spotless beige they usually were.
"Hey, Lina said Zel.
"Yeah, Zel?"
"Do you know where the Beastmaster is?"
"I could care less," she said, tired and cross and just plain impatient. "Ill worry about it later. For now, all I want is a shower and some fresh clothes. I'll deal with her later." With that, she entered the house with a tired step in her walk, her shoulders drooping. It was sort of ironic, thought Zel. Zelas's house looked so neat and perfect, so unlike its surroundings, so unlike the house owner...
*****
They sat down together for supper. Just the two of them, for no one else was in the house. It was almost romantic, what with candles and rich china, except for the fact that their faces were serious, and they were busily concentrating on eating. Zel had the pot of coffee next to him, but Lina had most of the dishes near her. As it was, she wasn't eating much, and Zel was worried. It was silent, before Zel decided that he had to break the silence, or suffocate in it.
"So, Lina," he said. He took a sip of coffee. It was almond and vanilla. "Did you find Zelas?"
"No," she said. She stared at a piece of meat cleaved on her fork. "I found a note for us on my door. Said she went out with Xellos to take care of a few things. No mention of when she'd be back."
"OK," said Zel. "Sounds suspicious."
"Very," said Lina. "By the way, Zel... where were you this morning?"
"I went out to buy provisions and supplies for the horses. Tried to go to the library to see scrolls, but the librarian wouldn't let me." said Zel calmly. I was in a store when I felt strong magic on the other part of town. I ran as quick as I could. I'm supposed to pick the supplies tomorrow. How was your day?"
"It was fine," said Lina "I did some shopping. I'll pick up my things tomorrow. Then I went to the library." Quiet again. Zel took another sip of his coffee. It was really quite good.
"Lina?" asked Zel.
"Yes?"
"What did the note say?" More silence.
"It has directions to go to Wolf Pack Island." said Lina, her eyes focusing on an unknown object in the distance. "We have one week. Or else, their next target will be Seerin." Zel tried to control his anger. Those.... those.... he wouldn't think about it. But something had to bed one!
"I'm not letting that happen," continued Lina, her hand gripping her fork tightly. "Never..."
"You've got my back up." said Zel. "I don't fancy seeing the people there hurt."
"Then it's settled!" said Lina, fire flickering for three seconds in her eyes. "We'll leave for Seerin tomorrow to warn them. Then, we'll fly to Wolf Pack Island and see if they really have Xellos with them." Zel nodded.
*****
That night after supper, Lina dreamt. She was in the exact same field as before. But this time, there was a road in front of her made of yellow topazes. Lina walked along it. Soon, a huge tent came into view. It was a type of circus tent, made of different patches of cloth. There were all green though, albeit, each one was a different shade. A forest green one here, attached to an olive green, next to a fluorescent one. It was quite a sight. Lina could hear some partying going on inside. She gripped tightly her bag that had appeared with her, carrying all her notes and the contract. She burst into the circus tent, and found herself in a small room. There was a fireplace on one wall, and a desk made of dark mahogany wood. There was a figure sitting in the chair. Lina recognized the magic signature.
"Greetings, Lord of Nightmares," she said as she sat down on the chair opposite of the LoN. Lord of Nightmares looked up. She had changed again. Golden eyes stared at her behind golden bangs. Her pale skin formed a bright contrast against the midnight black clothes she wore.
"Greetings, favored on of Chaos." she said solemnly. "May I have your answer?"
"I have a few questions." said Lina. LoN nodded. "How long will I expect to live?"
"For a long time." said LoN simply.
"What will I be allowed to do?" asked Lina.
"You will be able to ensure the safety of your loved ones to a certain extent." said LoN. "I say certain extent, for chaos cannot be predicted."
"Will I see my friends die?" asked Lina bluntly.
"Die, depends what you mean by that, or how you mean it." answered the deity. "If you mean, murdered by your hands because of my orders...not likely. Die in the battle you are about to fight against, there is a possibility. Or die of old age before you die of old age.... quite likely, if they survive what is coming." Lina nodded. She took out a sheaf of papers called a book from inside her bag.
"Do you have a quill?" she asked. One appeared beside her hand. "Thank you." She dipped it into the ink and lifted it up. Her eyes focused on the tip. Her mind flew as she imagined all her friends, smiling and happy. She would make sure they would stay that way.
'Xellos, Zelgadis, all of you.... this... I do for you.' Her eyes followed her pen as she touched the end to the paper. Black lines followed the movement of her pen, as the ink flew smoothly.
I, Tirla Celina Inverse, do pledge myself to Chaos, and accept the title and rank of Chaos Knight, under the guidance of the Lord of Nightmares. Signed: T. Lina Inverse.
So quick, so short, yet anything but trivial.
"Here you go," said Lina as she looked up. To her surprise, she saw tears falling from LoN's eyes.
"Thank you, favored one among the mortals," said girl dressed in gold and black. "I know how much that meant to you, the giving up of everything into Chaos's hands. I will do my best, to be worthy of your following." Lina blinked back her tears.
"And likewise, Lord of Nightmares." she said.
"Swearing in will be in five days." said the deity as she stood up, papers in hand. "Until then, Child
of Chaos, farewell." And Lina bowed slightly to her before the dream world disappeared and sank into a state of rest and comfort, known as sleep.
The next day, both of them packed up their belongings. Zel picked up his things, Lina picked up her clothes and put them on. She looked at herself in the mirror. Lina Inverse was back. She took the black band she usually wore, magic imbued into it, and put it on her forehead, covering the diamond shaped mark of Chaos. No wonder Luna kept her bangs down. They hid the mark quite well.
The two got on their horses and left town, making a beeline for Seerin. First part of their mission, would be to warn the villagers.
End of chapter 6
Author's notes...
Greetings to all of you! Here's the next installment of Slayers: to the End... hope you all enjoyed it, although it was considerably darker than the other chapters. Thank you for all of your comments. It was very fun talking to some of you on the MSN!!! Thank you also for all your encouragement! They lift me up so much! So, I decided to start adding the seriousness into the mix. But don't worry, I love humor too much to not put it in!
Jeje... sorry it took so long for the chapter to come out... I've been drowning in homework again. (You would think I'd learn how to swim in homework...)
Once again, thank you to all of you faithful readers! Comments and Criticisms extremely welcome!!! (so are reviews!)
Until next time!!!
Hotaru
Otherwise known as the....*drumroll, please*
Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek
(SCOG looks really weird...)
PS...Um...sorry...I...jeje...burnt all the cookies... *sniff, sniff* ^.^;;
By Hotaru Kimiko Lai
(also known as the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek... )
Disclaimer...
Once more, I don't own Slayers.... they belong to some really awesome people who don't know me... As usual... no monetary profit is made from this for it was written for fun. So yeah, have fun and read and enjoy!!!!
Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warnin g...Warning...
THIS CHAPTER IS A TAD BIT DARKER THAN PAST CHAPTERS...
Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warnin g...Warning...
Chapter 6
A Day in Town... (Version 6.1)
The bottom had fallen out of the world. The apocalypse was close at hand. The pigs on many farms began to mutate as wings appeared. Some of the more adventurous pieces of ham wondered what the wings were for. Others knew, and began the arduous process of learning how to fly.
"I am, just that right now, I don't feel like being too serious. Anyway, here's my question. Do you want to be one of my Chosen Knights??" asked the Lord of Nightmares.
"Huh??"
"It'll be very fun, and you'll get to have cool powers!!!"
"And what if I say no? I mean, I don't even know what I'll do!"
"OK, if you become my knight, I promise, lot's of fun, you won't have to kill your friends because I'm not planning that, you can choose your own uniform, you'll help me play the biggest practical joke on the world and you'll find the love of your life!!! What do you think???" Lina just stared. Stared. Stared. Stared. Stared. The LoN kept on talking anyway.
"I understand that you can't decide right now. After all, it is a pretty important choice. So here. It's the contract. You can read through if you want to. Do you have any other questions?" She handed Lina the contract.
Lina thought hard. She needed to know so many things.
"Are you sure this is not a joke?" asked Lina suspiciously. The Chibi LoN looked at her with her huge sapphire like eyes.
"Would these eyes lie??" she asked, trying to look very cute. Lina raised an eyebrow. "Well, of course I'm serious! And you won't only get very strong. You'll be able to help your friends. For example, you will be able to cure Zelgadis's and Xellos's curse!!! Won't that be fun!?"
"Curse?" asked Lina with alarm. "What curse?"
"What is the phrase again?" asked the little girl, her eyes closed with a puzzled look on her head. Abruptly, that changed into a smile. "Oh yeah!! Sore wa himitsu desu!!! But anyway, Lina, you won't find out unless you accept to be my knight. Details are all in your contract."
"And by when do I have to give you the answer?" asked Lina as she eyed her thick book. Inside, it was full of footnotes and clauses and tiny little print she didn't want to think about at the present moment.
"I'll come tomorrow night, same as tonight. Have your answer by then. And by the way, no talking about this to anyone, or the contract becomes null and void. Page 12, last paragraph, last sentence. Bye Lina!!!"
*****
Lina found herself waking up abruptly. In her hands was the book/contract that the Lord of Nightmares had given her. It was really thick,.. and heavy... and had probably killed lots of trees to get the paper... did I mention heavy? She hid it under her pillow and went back to sleep, seeing that it was still night after looking out the window. And she slept and dreamt... and woke up suddenly. She opened her eyes and blinked owlishly as she tried to focus her eyesight. A pair of worried purple eyes appeared in her face. Well, not just the eyes, but the face also. It doesn't matter, but oh well...
"AAAAAAARGH!!!!!!" she screamed before grabbing the closest thing to her, her pillow and threw it at his head. Suddenly she remembered the book and quickly shoved it under her covers, hopping Xellos hadn't noticed. He hadn't, after all, he did have a pillow stuck to his face.
"Ne, Lina chan, why are you being so mean?" asked Xellos as he put away the pillow.
"May I ask what you are doing in my room???" asked Lina. "Before I fireball you into the middle of next week?"
"Um.. jeje.." said Xellos. "That is a funny thing..."
"I'm not laughing," said Lina, with a raised eyebrow. "I bolted my door last night. How and why did you come in?"
"Um... well, you see... it's a little late, Lina chan," said Xellos with a smile. "And breakfast was served hours ago, and Zelas san was wondering if you were OK, since you didn't come for breakfast. So I phased in and checked on you... We were very worried, you know." At the last comment, he wagged his finger at her in an admonishing way.
"Oh... sorry, Xellos," said Lina as she blushed. "I didn't know..." There was an awkward silence, before Lina's body decided that it had enough. Her stomach growled. Lina blushed and Xellos laughed.
"Come on, Lina," said Xellos as he smiled. "We can have a brunch!"
"Oh...OK," said Lina with a small smile. "But first..."
"Yes?" asked Xellos, with an eager smile on his face for once.
"How about you get out so that I can change, huh?" asked Lina with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh... must I?" asked Xellos, a silly smile plastered on his face once more.
"Xellos..." growled Lina. Xellos laughed and phased out. Lina shook her head and then quickly got dressed and freshened up. 'Silly Mazoku,' she thought with a smile. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her white coat was nice, but it just didn't really remind you of the real Lina Inverse. Of course, Lina was supposed to be dead, but still, it had been one of her favorite outfits. She had worn it for so long,... but after Lina Inverse had died,.... A new identity had been taken up, one of more respect than that of a bandit killer or dragon spooker. Being a researcher meant way more respect, a very calm life full of research and time spent in the invention of new spells and all sorts of wonderful stuff. Of course, the pay wasn't awesome, or anything... but she had lots of bandit money she had stored up over the years. And once she had started to teach, there was a steady amount of income... She stared at herself in the mirror. Perhaps, today she would go shopping, and perhaps...
Anyway, she quickly brushed her hair and went downstairs for brunch with Xellos.
"Where is everybody?" asked Lina as she bit off a piece of mutton and then stuffed a huge stack of pancakes in her mouth.
"Oh... let's see... um..." started Xellos as he took a sip of his delightful and solitary little bit of tea in his tiny little porcelain teacup... "Zelas finished, but she went upstairs to recuperate. And your friend Zelgadis... he went out to buy some things for a journey. Seems he's still searching for a cure..."
"What do you expect?" asked Lina after taking a huge draught of freshly squeezed orange juice with a bit of sugar. "I've spent forever looking for his silly cure, and I haven't been able to find it..." Lina ate quietly as she pensively stared out the window. Xellos frowned slightly. He was also on the moon as he stared at a picture of a cluster of grapes on an antique golden bowl with figures of wine presses. He was thinking about what he had heard the other day. It was weird. Normally, the scrolls that Zelas had him look were very ancient and adhered to the standard code for prophecies. Zelas was such a stickler for rules and regulations after all... how perplexing.
Lina thought. She thought very hard. It was just so puzzling. The mention of Zelgadis had brought back memories of the dream from the other night. A heavy weight settled on her shoulders. Outside, she saw the puffy white clouds against a blue sky. She could see Zel in one of the clouds... what would Zel want...? OK, that was a redundant question. Zelgadis would want his cure, she knew. And what about Xellos...? A cure for Xellos? What curse could they be talking about. The Lord of Nightmares knew many things, but this was too weird. She wanted to know... but then again, she wasn't going to just ask Xellos, "Hey, Xellos! I know you have a curse, could you tell me what it is?" No way, that would not happen. So, what to do. She was in such a thoughtful mood that she stopped eating.
"Hey, Xel," she said absentmindedly. "Thanks for the food. It was good. I'm going to do some research, so don't call me for supper." With that, she left and went up to her room to get her stuff. Xellos just stared at her. That was amazing, she had just left and the food wasn't finished. Now, what was he going to do with the excess food???....... He started to put it away for supper. Perhaps Zel would like to eat it, as if.... Halfway through cleaning the table up, he felt the presence of his master.
"Yes, Juuo-sama?" he asked. The little girl looked at him and smiled.
"I have a little job for you." she said with a glint in her eyes.
*****
Lina eyed the cloth in her hands critically. It was a very nice cloth... only problem... pale pink cloth with embroidered roses was just not her thing. So she put the bolt on the growing pile of fabric on her left.
"I told you, I want some sturdy cloth that doesn't look like it's material for a porcelain doll!" she told the shopkeeper. He smiled suddenly and went to the back of the room and came out a few seconds later with a second bolt of cloth. Lina stared at it and began to finger it. It was sturdy, that was for sure. Not only that, but also semi-thick. And it was a dark red, almost maroonish in color. And no embroidered flowers or fruits. She placed it on her right. Now she had cloth for her tunic and pants and trademark yellow band. Now, to find cloth for a cape.
"Anything else, miss?" asked the shopkeeper. He looked down at the sketch of the clothes she wanted, along with the color and measurements. It looked disturbingly familiar. Like the outfit the sorceress Lina Inverse had worn two years ago, before dying.
"Yes, I'd like to make a cape that would fit these shoulder guards." said Lina/Tirla. From her tote bag, which held the huge contract and her prophecies, she took out a pair of shoulder guards, each with a gem the size of her fist embedded in each surrounded by gold trim. "Do you have any cloth that sort of looks,...majestic and dark.... something black with gold or dark red..." said Lina, her eyes shining with delight as she thought about how she wanted the cape to look like. The shopkeeper thought for a while and then nodded. He had some cloth that had just recently come from a shipment from Mipross Island. He went inside his little storage room and came out with a black material and handed it almost reverently to Lina. She felt the cloth, amazed at how sturdy it felt, and yet... how light and soft... And scattered on one side of the cloth were ancient elfin runes.
"Where did you get this cloth?" she asked with amazement, as her eyes read the runes.
"From Mipross Island, miss." said the owner proudly. He could tell that the cloth had been special and could tell that the young lady really liked the cloth. "It was a special shipment for limited time only. Very special cloth. It's woven by the elves themselves. The design is made by hand also."
"I'll take this one also," said Lina after reading the runes, a smile on her face after reading the runes.
"A wonderful choice, miss..."
"Oh, sorry. My name's Tirla. And could you make me a shoulder bag with this material also? About the size of this one." said Lina as she put away her shoulder guards and started to sketch a rough drawing of the cape. The storekeeper once again took some measurements and promised her that the clothes would be ready for the next day, along with her bag. After all, the design was in itself a very simple one. So with a smile, Tirla paid one fourth of the money and left with a smile on her face. Next stop, the library across town.
As she walked, she wished that this town had magic transporter mechanisms. In Seerin, her neighbor had patented one and as a result, travel was so much faster. But oh well, life was life... not everybody could be as lucky as she was to live in Seerin.
Once she reached the library, she asked the librarian where they kept the copies of scrolls with prophecies.
"Sorry, miss," said the lady. "Only authorized personnel and Level 13 researchers and above are allowed in there."
"But I am!" said Tirla. The librarian looked her over and raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, miss," she said again. "But I'll need to see your identification." Tirla grumbled as she fished into her bag for her ID papers. She had passed the test in Seerin with flying colors, and was beyond a level 13 researchers.
"Here it is," said Tirla as she drew out a small card. On the corner was a picture of a smiling Tirla, her fingers in a victory sign. It said her name, (Tirla Inverse), and degree she had gotten while during her two years in Seerin. Not only that, but it named the teachers who had tried her, naming many famous researchers and heads of institute. And at the bottom, it said, "This document doth prove that the Honorable Miss Tirla Celina Inverse, has obtained an official researchers degree from us, the International Guild of Sorcery and Research. She is now a main participant of the Sorcery Researchers Guild, location Seerin, and is entitled to teach sorcery as well as research." The librarian was shocked to say the least.
"You can go in," she said as she absentmindedly gave back her papers. "Left corridor, second door to the right. Here's your pass." Lina smiled and thanked her as she put her papers away. She never liked showing her papers. They had written so much for her. Oh well, at least it let her research the scrolls and
read the contract in peace.
*****
Xellos looked up from his job. It was beyond him why Zelas-san had wanted him to move all her wine casks around. But this could be so fun! He pointed towards a cask and moved it with his mind across the room to a little cart that had a few more barrels. These he then transported to another of Zelas's cellars. She had quite a few, all linked subterraneously. It was so extensive, that it took more space than the actual town. Xellos smiled and thought. Not for long though. All of a sudden, he found out that he couldn't move anymore.
"What the..." he asked himself before he disappeared.
Meanwhile...
Lina was having a relatively fun time reading through the contract. It was very clear but also very detailed at the same time. On her notebook were a bunch of scrawled notes in her angular handwriting, designed to look like unreadable hieroglyphics to the untrained eye. (In other words, she had very bad penmanship...) Lina sighed and rubbed her eyes. Reading for so long all that tiny print really gave her a major headache. But she had to keep on. She knew what she was doing... now... to only concentrate... Her eyes dropped little by little, and her head nodded slightly. Her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake, but at the end, she lost the battle, and her eyes closed.
She was jolted wide awake by a loud blast that sounded outside the room. She jumped up and ran to the window to see what was happening... she was surprised to see that the streets were all bright with flames. There were people screaming and running all over the place, trying to fight the fire or run away from it... She ran to her desk and stuffed all her papers into her bag and ran out the door. She caught the librarian who was running past her.
"What happened?" she asked, her eyes wide with worry.
"I don't know!" said the librarian, waving her arms around, and definitely looking like anything except for the calm librarian she was supposed to be. "All of a sudden, there were bright flashes of light and fire filled the place!" With that, she broke away and ran for the door. Lina nodded grimly and cast a Diem Wing as she flew outside. Once on the street, she threw Freeze Arrows and water spells into the fire, trying to stifle it. Her watchful eyes were peeled for any innocent passerby caught in the fire.
Out of the left corner of her eye, she saw a little girl on the roof of a house, holding on to a doll and crying her eyes out. Around her were bright orange flames that threatened to engulf her. Lina sprinted towards the girl, trying to get there in time. She thought she'd make it... until she realized that somebody had blocked her path to the little girl. That somebody was a tall youth, with jet black hair and quicksilver eyes. Malicious fangs could be seen coming out of his smirking mouth. He wore a pair of loose black pants and a black satin shirt. Over that was a silver vest and a silver sash was bound about his waist, were a sword blade was hung. The most amazing thing about him, though, was that he had a paid or silver furred ears coming from his head and a silver tail, like that of a fox. And he was floating in the air.
"Well met, Ms. Inverse," he said with a smirk. "So nice to know that you could make it here, in time for your death!"
"What?" asked Lina as she tried to get around him to reach the girl. "Darn it! Let me through!" she shouted. A ball of energy formed into her hands. "Fire Ball!!!" The other person nimbly floated out of the way.
"Where was I?" asked the person again. But Lina's eyes were on the little girl. All of a sudden, she saw a slight bluish blur where the girl had been. She smiled as she saw Zelgadis land some meters from the house and put the girl down. She turned her attention back to the one talking to her.
"Now, that I have more time,..." she started.
"Yes," he interrupted. "As I was saying, my name is Megrim. And I'm one of the commanders under Madabar. My mission is quite simple. It would be quite nice of you if you and Mr. Zelgadis would come and quietly DIE!!!" With that, he launched two balls of silver flame, one at each one. Lina jumped out of the way and saw it hit the house behind her. Fortunately, no one was there at the present moment. The house erupted immediately into flames.
"Hey watch where you throw those things!" shouted Lina as her arms formed a Flare Arrow and let go. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, since it was always nice to know why people wanted you dead. Zelgadis took his sword and ran an Astral Vine through it. He ran towards Megrim and through a Digger Bolt at him. Calculating where he would move to, Zel blurred and nicked of part of the other's hair. Megrim ducked a second later, just to get hit in the face by the Freeze Arrow Lina had thrown to follow up her Flare Arrow. Zelgadis flipped in the air and landed beside Lina. After the smoke cleared, they saw Megrim coughing as he stood up.
"You two are a good team..." he said slowly as he coughed. He reached into a pocket in his pants and took out a scroll.
"If you want to see that friend of yours... what's his name? Xellos... before he dies, I would advise you to go here in one week. Remember, don't play with us, Inverse. One false move and Seerin is next." With that, he disappeared after tossing to her the scroll. Lina looked at it numbly and picked it up. Her eyes were devoid of expression. Thoughts swirled through her tired brain as the fires raged on around her. With a start, she realized that there was still work to be done and for a few seconds, some light flickered in her dampened eyes.
"Come on, Zel." she said. "We've got work to do. Let's put out the fire."
"Are you OK?, Lina?" asked Zel as he took a hold of her shoulder. Her eyes stared at the horizon, as her arms robotically did the incantations for the water spells.
"I'll be fine." she said, her eyes glimmering like bloody diamonds. Someone was going to suffer for this. And they had better leave Seerin alone, or else...
Later that afternoon, the two finally met at Zelas's house. Fortunately for them, the fire hadn't reached all the parts of the town, and had just burned downtown part. Lina wiped her face with her hand, trying to dry the sweat of her face as the dust and ashes stuck to her. Her hair was a mess and her face was full of ash smudges. Her white coat had turned black from all the soot. Zelgadis didn't have to worry about his hair, but his clothes were drenched from perspiration, and weren't the spotless beige they usually were.
"Hey, Lina said Zel.
"Yeah, Zel?"
"Do you know where the Beastmaster is?"
"I could care less," she said, tired and cross and just plain impatient. "Ill worry about it later. For now, all I want is a shower and some fresh clothes. I'll deal with her later." With that, she entered the house with a tired step in her walk, her shoulders drooping. It was sort of ironic, thought Zel. Zelas's house looked so neat and perfect, so unlike its surroundings, so unlike the house owner...
*****
They sat down together for supper. Just the two of them, for no one else was in the house. It was almost romantic, what with candles and rich china, except for the fact that their faces were serious, and they were busily concentrating on eating. Zel had the pot of coffee next to him, but Lina had most of the dishes near her. As it was, she wasn't eating much, and Zel was worried. It was silent, before Zel decided that he had to break the silence, or suffocate in it.
"So, Lina," he said. He took a sip of coffee. It was almond and vanilla. "Did you find Zelas?"
"No," she said. She stared at a piece of meat cleaved on her fork. "I found a note for us on my door. Said she went out with Xellos to take care of a few things. No mention of when she'd be back."
"OK," said Zel. "Sounds suspicious."
"Very," said Lina. "By the way, Zel... where were you this morning?"
"I went out to buy provisions and supplies for the horses. Tried to go to the library to see scrolls, but the librarian wouldn't let me." said Zel calmly. I was in a store when I felt strong magic on the other part of town. I ran as quick as I could. I'm supposed to pick the supplies tomorrow. How was your day?"
"It was fine," said Lina "I did some shopping. I'll pick up my things tomorrow. Then I went to the library." Quiet again. Zel took another sip of his coffee. It was really quite good.
"Lina?" asked Zel.
"Yes?"
"What did the note say?" More silence.
"It has directions to go to Wolf Pack Island." said Lina, her eyes focusing on an unknown object in the distance. "We have one week. Or else, their next target will be Seerin." Zel tried to control his anger. Those.... those.... he wouldn't think about it. But something had to bed one!
"I'm not letting that happen," continued Lina, her hand gripping her fork tightly. "Never..."
"You've got my back up." said Zel. "I don't fancy seeing the people there hurt."
"Then it's settled!" said Lina, fire flickering for three seconds in her eyes. "We'll leave for Seerin tomorrow to warn them. Then, we'll fly to Wolf Pack Island and see if they really have Xellos with them." Zel nodded.
*****
That night after supper, Lina dreamt. She was in the exact same field as before. But this time, there was a road in front of her made of yellow topazes. Lina walked along it. Soon, a huge tent came into view. It was a type of circus tent, made of different patches of cloth. There were all green though, albeit, each one was a different shade. A forest green one here, attached to an olive green, next to a fluorescent one. It was quite a sight. Lina could hear some partying going on inside. She gripped tightly her bag that had appeared with her, carrying all her notes and the contract. She burst into the circus tent, and found herself in a small room. There was a fireplace on one wall, and a desk made of dark mahogany wood. There was a figure sitting in the chair. Lina recognized the magic signature.
"Greetings, Lord of Nightmares," she said as she sat down on the chair opposite of the LoN. Lord of Nightmares looked up. She had changed again. Golden eyes stared at her behind golden bangs. Her pale skin formed a bright contrast against the midnight black clothes she wore.
"Greetings, favored on of Chaos." she said solemnly. "May I have your answer?"
"I have a few questions." said Lina. LoN nodded. "How long will I expect to live?"
"For a long time." said LoN simply.
"What will I be allowed to do?" asked Lina.
"You will be able to ensure the safety of your loved ones to a certain extent." said LoN. "I say certain extent, for chaos cannot be predicted."
"Will I see my friends die?" asked Lina bluntly.
"Die, depends what you mean by that, or how you mean it." answered the deity. "If you mean, murdered by your hands because of my orders...not likely. Die in the battle you are about to fight against, there is a possibility. Or die of old age before you die of old age.... quite likely, if they survive what is coming." Lina nodded. She took out a sheaf of papers called a book from inside her bag.
"Do you have a quill?" she asked. One appeared beside her hand. "Thank you." She dipped it into the ink and lifted it up. Her eyes focused on the tip. Her mind flew as she imagined all her friends, smiling and happy. She would make sure they would stay that way.
'Xellos, Zelgadis, all of you.... this... I do for you.' Her eyes followed her pen as she touched the end to the paper. Black lines followed the movement of her pen, as the ink flew smoothly.
I, Tirla Celina Inverse, do pledge myself to Chaos, and accept the title and rank of Chaos Knight, under the guidance of the Lord of Nightmares. Signed: T. Lina Inverse.
So quick, so short, yet anything but trivial.
"Here you go," said Lina as she looked up. To her surprise, she saw tears falling from LoN's eyes.
"Thank you, favored one among the mortals," said girl dressed in gold and black. "I know how much that meant to you, the giving up of everything into Chaos's hands. I will do my best, to be worthy of your following." Lina blinked back her tears.
"And likewise, Lord of Nightmares." she said.
"Swearing in will be in five days." said the deity as she stood up, papers in hand. "Until then, Child
of Chaos, farewell." And Lina bowed slightly to her before the dream world disappeared and sank into a state of rest and comfort, known as sleep.
The next day, both of them packed up their belongings. Zel picked up his things, Lina picked up her clothes and put them on. She looked at herself in the mirror. Lina Inverse was back. She took the black band she usually wore, magic imbued into it, and put it on her forehead, covering the diamond shaped mark of Chaos. No wonder Luna kept her bangs down. They hid the mark quite well.
The two got on their horses and left town, making a beeline for Seerin. First part of their mission, would be to warn the villagers.
End of chapter 6
Author's notes...
Greetings to all of you! Here's the next installment of Slayers: to the End... hope you all enjoyed it, although it was considerably darker than the other chapters. Thank you for all of your comments. It was very fun talking to some of you on the MSN!!! Thank you also for all your encouragement! They lift me up so much! So, I decided to start adding the seriousness into the mix. But don't worry, I love humor too much to not put it in!
Jeje... sorry it took so long for the chapter to come out... I've been drowning in homework again. (You would think I'd learn how to swim in homework...)
Once again, thank you to all of you faithful readers! Comments and Criticisms extremely welcome!!! (so are reviews!)
Until next time!!!
Hotaru
Otherwise known as the....*drumroll, please*
Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek
(SCOG looks really weird...)
PS...Um...sorry...I...jeje...burnt all the cookies... *sniff, sniff* ^.^;;