Slayers: To the End...
By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek
Disclaimer...
Hi! You guys are so smart you don't need me to repeat the same silly thing over, but well... it's polite to write this down. All credit goes to the wonderful owners of Slayers, who invented such a wide array of cool characters to write about! No monetary profit is intended by writing this little blurb. Enjoy!
Chapter 15
The Gang's all Here! (Well... most of them...)
Amelia looked at the letters in her hands. There was a frown on her usually happy face. There were letters in her hands, from all over the place. Numerous attacks on behalf of the Mazokus were occurring. Not all the targets were human cities, though. Some were Gold Dragon temples. Of course, the Dragon's had retaliated. Why had the Mazokus started to attack? Amelia thought it had to do something with Lina and Xellos, but she wasn't sure. She sighed and wrote orders for relief teams to be sent to attacked cities, or towns who were stuck in between the fight of the two races. She looked at the fireplace.
Lina and Xellos had left about a week ago. They weren't back yet. She was worried about them. Shouldn't their mission be finished already? And she was running low on help! What was she to do? There was only a certain limit of help she could send to the cities and towns. Sure, there were other kingdoms who were also sending relief, but hers were the most experienced of the lot. She had the most competent white mages people had ever known. Seyruun, being the capital of white magic, had had that reputation for a long time, now. But even her mages could get tired. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in." she said tiredly. A servant came in and dropped off a note for her. One long, busy week. Zelgadis was out practicing, getting himself up to snuff by fighting Gourry. She could tell he was worried. Ever since Ms. Lina left... Could it be... did he like Ms. Lina? Her heart ached at that thought. No! She had to stop thinking about that. She had jobs to do. She read the letter and smiled. Good news at last! Ms. Lina always came through! She smiled at the letter that came from Seerin. Help was on the way.
*****
Zelgadis breathed hard. He held his sword in front of him in a ready stance. Gourry watched him from across the field. They two had been sword fighting for almost an hour now. Gourry looked fresh. He, on the other hand, was a little tired. He still had to get used to his human body. One of the things he was learning, was that his stone body had a little more endurance than this one.
The two ran at each other again, sword meeting sword in the air. Turn, swipe, attack, block, parry... He leapt in the air and did a twist to land behind Gourry and once more, the attack was on.
After a while, they took a breather.
"Gourry, you've really improved." said Zel as he wiped the sweat from his human face. It was so neat to feel his human skin once more.
"You aint that shabby either, Zelgadis!" said Gourry. He smiled as he sat down. Silence. Both decided to clean their swords and go see how Amelia was doing. This past week had been very hard on her, they could tell. Sometimes, she didn't eat with them, preferring to eat in her office, where everything was within an arms reach. Everything being, of course, quills, paper, stamps and letters.
"Hey Zel, do you think Amelia will mind when we visit?" asked Gourry as they walked towards Amelia's office. He was still Amelia's guardian, and that had remarkably changed him. He had always taken his duty as Lina's guardian very seriously. Now, Zel could see that same devotion while working for Amelia.
"I don't think so." said Zel. "After all, we hardly ever get to see each other." They knocked on Amelia's office.
"Come in!" said Amelia from inside. Zel and Gourry did so. "Mr. Zelgadis! Mr. Gourry! Hi!" Her face was shining and she looked very excited.
"How are you, Amelia?" asked Gourry.
"Oh, fine!" said Amelia.
"What have you been doing here?" asked Zel, eyeing the huge stacks of paper that looked as if they would fall over any time now...
"Oh, sending out relief stations to many places." said Amelia. "Lots of casualties mean a lot of tired mages. So, I try to send enough so that the mages can share the load."
"Do you have enough?" asked Zelgadis.
"Oh yes!" said Amelia happily. "The cause of justice always have support!" She raised her hand in a victory sign. "Well, and Ms. Lina sent back up!"
"Lina!?" asked Gourry, his eyes lighting up. "She's back?"
"No, sorry..." said Amelia. "I haven't heard from her for a while. Have you heard from Ms. Lina, Mr. Zelgadis?"
"Nope," said Zelgadis, his face sad. "I wonder how she's doing."
There was an awkward silence. Suddenly, Amelia spoke, trying to lighten the mood up.
"Mr. Zelgadis? Could you explain to me who Captain Stonewall is?" Zel got a little red.
"Um... that would be me." he said. "How come?"
"Huh?" asked Gourry. "Why Stonewall?"
"Um... Mr. Zelgadis used to be made out of stone remember?" asked Amelia. "Oh, Mr. Zelgadis! That's a nice nickname! How did you get it? I read it on the letter, saying that they'd like to repay the debt to Ms. Lina and Captain Stonewall and be led under him."
"Well, um..." started Zelgadis.
FLASHBACK
The field looks like a mess. The troop of bandits were no match against Lina, but Lina wasn't here. Truth be told, Lina was doing research on his cure, and he wouldn't let a bunch of silly robbers interrupt her research. It didn't matter to him that the 'bunch of robbers' were very many in number. Why were they attacking? They claimed Seerin used to be their headquarters long time ago, and they, (the descendants) were here to take it back. Or something like that. So, why was HE here? Well, he was training a few young people about the art of fighting and living. Lina called it... the art of robbing bandits of their probably robbed gold so that we can eat more at restaurants. But, these kids wouldn't understand. So, here he was, watching a bunch of robbers come at him with weapons held high. His 'students' were behind him, hiding behind bushes and trees.
There was a clash, and everything was covered in smoke. His students gasped.
"Mr. Zelgadis!"
"Teacher!"
"He's dead!"
"Ms. Tirla's gonna kill us!" And of course...
"Aaaaaaagh!!!!! we're all gonna die!"
The smoke cleared. All the fifty some bandits who had tried to breach Zelgadis where on the floor. Zelgadis was standing off to the side, smirking slightly, not even sweating.
"You guys can come out now." he said. "We have a few more to fight."
There were cheers and yells coming from the hidden troops.
"Look! It's the Captain, standing like a stonewall!" said one.
"Um... that's cause he is..." said another one softly. No matter, though. The whole troop ran out to cries of "Captain Stonewall!" and promptly bashed the oncoming bandits with ease. Then the promptly looted the robbers and left them alone. Maybe when they came back to fight, they'd have more gold. Lina was so proud of her students...
END FLASHBACK
"So, why were they afraid in the first place?" asked Amelia. "From how you say it, they knew how
to fight."
"They were scared." said Zel. "First time in the field and all that stuff."
"That's so cool, Mr. Zelgadis!" said Amelia. "Doesn't it make you feel good, knowing that there is a group out there who admires you?"
While Zel did think it was nice, he'd never admit it. After all, wasn't he the cool guy who didn't need anything? Not even adulation from a zealous group of followers? Nah.
All of a sudden, there was a huge ringing noise. Amelia ran to the window, threw open the shutters and peered outside.
"What's happening?" asked Zelgadis.
"That's the enemy bell." said Gourry. "Only rings when trouble is approaching." Being in Seyruun, helping for some time meant that he learned a bit about Seyruun's warning system. Amelia peered at the sky.
"I don't see an ..." she trailed off.
"What's wrong?" asked Zel as he also rushed to the window. Wordlessly, Amelia pointed to the silhouette of a dragon flying towards them. Zel would have panicked,... except that just then, the dragon turned and they could see its profile. Slowly he relaxed.
"Do you think we can trust it?" asked Amelia.
"I think so." said Zel. "I'm pretty sure we can."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Gourry.
Zel pointed at the dragon. "Maybe because the dragon's wearing a huge bow on its tail? Reminds me of Filia, don't you think so?"
"You're right!" said Amelia excitedly as she squinted to see the dragon.
"Since when do Dragons wear ribbons on their tails?" asked Gourry.
"Ever since Filia took to the skies..." muttered Zel.
"Let's go and greet her." said Amelia.
*****
"Hello, Amelia, Zelgadis, Gourry!" said Filia excitedly. "How are you doing?" She was wearing the same thing she always did. A priest's hat, ear muffs, and her typical priestess outfit, in white, gold and pink. Doesn't she look wonderful?
"Oh, we're doing fine!" said Amelia. "Why are you here, Ms. Filia?"
"Don't you remember?" asked Filia. "Lina told us to meet here to plan for the attack of those awful Mazokus! So, where is she?"
"Um... Lina isn't here now." said Zelgadis. "She left one week ago with Xellos to recuperate a manuscript."
"With that nanagomi!!!!!" she screamed. "What is Lina doing, traveling with that Mazoku?"
"Ex-mazoku." said Amelia. "Remember, he's Chaos Knight with Lina also!"
"Oh... yeah..." said Filia, slightly deflated. "Still. One never knows what is going through his mind. He always has a secret agenda. I don't trust him." She looked at them and blinked.
"Um... Zelgadis... you look different!" she said.
"You finally noticed!" said Zel with a smirk.
"He's human now!" said Gourry with a self-satisfied smile.
"Isn't it cool, Ms. Filia?" asked Amelia, all happy and bubbly. "Mr. Xellos and Ms. Lina turned him back into a chimera with their new Chaos magic!"
"Xellos helped?" asked Filia, amazed. "Amazing! Still, I bet he has a hidden plan or purpose for helping Zelgadis."
"Well... Ms Lina and Mr. Xellos aren't here." said Amelia. "I was wondering, could you help us, Ms. Filia?" Filia smiled.
"Sure!" she said. "Besides, working a pottery shop is fun, but during these times, no one buys pottery!" So Amelia led them back inside to talk war plans over. Two minutes after they had entered, a commotion was heard outside the castle, near the gates. Curious, Amelia went to investigate what all the noise was.
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
Amelia winced. She recognized that laugh.
"Of course Princess Amelia knows who I am!" kept on the voice. "I am the fantabulous, wonderful, extraordinarily great and beautiful, Naga! The White Serpent! Biggest rival of the infamous Lina Inverse!" Amelia went out to settle down the commotion.
"Yes, I know her." she said tiredly to the guard. He was one of the newer guards, and of course, had never heard of her long lost sister. "How do you do, Gracia?"
"Naga for now!" said Naga. "I've been fine! How's my rival, Lina?" Amelia sighed.
"Go inside and you'll see Zelgadis, Gourry and Filia. Wait for me and then we'll tell you, OK, sis?" she asked tiredly.
"OK!" she said. "I'll make a detour at the castle's cellars, OK Amelia?"
"Sure..." said Amelia. What a headache. She started to back in, when she heard something else at the gates. Curious, once more, she went to see what was happening.
"Hi Amelia!" said the lady at the gate. Her purplish hair shone in the sun. "Tell this nice guard to get let me in! He doesn't believe that I can cast the Dragon Slave."
"Um... just let her in." said Amelia to the guard. "She's Sylphiel, a priestess."
"Oh, Amelia! How are you doing?" she asked excitedly. "Is Gourry here?"
"Um yeah..." said Amelia. "He's inside. Go ahead. I'll catch up with you guys." So with that, Sylphiel skipped into the castle. Amelia was left with the guard.
"Um... princess..." said the guard. "If I may, you have very weird friends."
"You don't even know the rest of it." said Amelia. She sighed and went back inside.
*****
"OK!" said Amelia. "Order in the court!" They were sitting around a huge table. Amelia stood up to make herself heard.
"What court?" asked Gourry. He was sitting beside Amelia, as her guardian. Sylphiel was sitting beside him.
"No, not a real court!" said Amelia. "It's just a figure of speech."
"How many figures does speech have?" asked Gourry, a little confused.
"Oh, Mr. Gourry! I'll explain it for you." said Sylphiel excitedly.
"So, why are we here?" asked Zelgadis. He was sitting beside Amelia. Filia was on his other side. And Naga sat beside Filia and Sylphiel. And that completes our circle.
"Oh, Mr. Zelgadis!" said Amelia. She got stars in her eyes. "That's an excellent question!" Zel sweated.
"We're here to discuss the nanagomi!" said Filia vehemently.
"What about Mr. Xellos?" asked Amelia.
"But Xellos isn't here!" said Gourry.
"Exactly!" said Filia. "He's stolen away Lina for his evil, no good purposes!"
"He did?!?" asked Gourry. "That's awful! Amelia, you have to excuse me to find Lina and save her!"
Amelia felt like crying. So far, only Naga hadn't said anything, and that was because she was chugging another bottle of an alcoholic beverage she found in the cellars.
"No, Mr. Gourry." said Amelia. "Ms Lina isn't kidnapped by Xellos."
"Oh," said Gourry. He sat down.
"Don't you remember that he and Lina left on a mission for the Lord of Nightmares?" she asked.
Filia, Sylphiel and Naga gasped. Of course, Naga's was more of a hiccup.
"Oh yeah!" said Gourry.
"OK! We're here to discuss the current situation between Mazoku and Ryuzoku!" shouted Amelia.
Everyone shut up.
"Amelia's right." said Zelgadis. "So, listen up." Amelia got very happy.
"OK," she said. "Filia, what can you tell us about this?"
"All I know," she said. "is that the Gold Dragons think the prophecy has come to pass and are setting up stages."
"What does that mean?" asked Gourry.
"Well," said Filia. "We, the Gold Dragons, unlike the Mazoku, are keepers of prophecy. One of our prophecies talks about the beginning of the end of the world. Supposedly, when Chaos calls her two, the Mazoku will strengthen dramatically and unstability will ensue. It is up to us, the Gold Dragons to maintain the peace and balance of L-sama's world." There was a pause. "At least, that's what we were taught."
"How accurate is this reading?" asked Zelgadis. Something smelled... fishy.
"Very accurate!" said Filia. "Why, it's the head Dragon, leader of the Gold Dragons, who read it and deciphered it!"
"How can Chaos choosing two Knights unbalance the power so much?" asked Zel.
"I always wondered that too!" said Filia. "But now, it all makes sense to me! One of the Chaos Knights is Xellos, a nanagomi! I bet he uses his power to benefit the Mazokus. That is why we must get rid of him."
"Don't be so quick to judge, Ms. Filia." said Sylphiel.
"You don't even know who he is!" said Filia. "By the way, who are you?" Amelia slapped her head.
"I totally forgot! We have to introduce ourselves!" she said. "Gourry, you start!"
"I'm Gourry." he said. Silence. "Gourry Gabriev."
"OK," said Amelia. "Sylphiel, you're next!"
"I'm Sylphiel Nels Lahda. I'm a shrine priestess."
"I'm NAGA!!! The White Serpent!" *hiccup* "I'm Lina's greatest arch rival!" She sat down.
"I'm Filia Ull Copt. I'm a Golden Dragon and a priestess."
"I'm Zelgadis Greyweirs."
"That's you, Mr. Zelgadis?" asked Sylphiel. "Wow! You're finally human!"
"I'm glad for you." said Filia.
"Um... who did you think I was?" asked Zel.
"Well, I thought you were Amelia's fiancee or the prince of Seyruun. You look so dashing, Mr. Zelgadis!" said Sylphiel. Amelia and Zelgadis blushed.
"And I'm Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun!" said Amelia, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Princess of Seyruun."
"OK, now that we know who we are, let's get down to business." said Zelgadis. "Why don't we let Amelia speak to tell us how everything is so far." He added this when he saw Filia about to open her mouth.
"Thanks Zel!" said Amelia. "OK, so... we all agree, that we are bystanders in a dispute between the Gold Dragons and the Mazoku. We don't know why the Mazoku started to attack. The Gold Dragons counterattack. We, the humans, get hurt in the process."
"What are you doing about it, so far?" asked Sylphiel, all worried.
"Well," said Amelia. "We, the city of Seyruun, have received many notes and letters asking for relief. As upholders of justice, we have sent out many of our white mages. As a result, we are low on personnel, but! We have received a letter promising more than half a city's worth of white mages."
"Where did that many come from?" asked Filia, quite curious.
"From Seerin." said Amelia. "And the bonus,... they are not only white mages, but black mages also! It's an offensive and defensive packet in one!"
"So, looks like you have that covered." said Filia. She had taken out her tea things and was drinking some tea. "What else?"
"Food." said Zelgadis. "During wars, food supplies always dwindle."
"It's not a war, though." said Amelia.
"It could very easily escalate into a war." said Zelgadis coolly. "We must be ready for any emergency."
"Ok,..." said Amelia. "Well... I haven't thought about that... I don't know what to do."
"I suggest you build up supplies and impose a week/month of slight fasting in honor of our fallen comrades, or something like that. All you have to do is rally the people behind you with a speech of justice and all that. That way, you have extra food. If the war turns out good, then, you reward with an abundance." said Zel simply.
"That's such a good idea!" said Amelia. She wrote it down in her small notebook. "OK! What's next?"
"Filia's prophecy." said Zel.
"Yes..." said Gourry. "Does it mean that Xellos is a bad guy?"
"Yes!" said Filia.
"No!" said Amelia and Zelgadis together. They looked at each other and blushed.
"How do you know?" asked Filia.
"I have my reasons," said Zelgadis. "Depends what you think Xellos will do. If you think he'll kidnap Lina and turn her into a Mazoku, I don't think so. Does he have a secret plan? Yes, I think so."
"OK," said Gourry. "I trust in Zelgadis." He relaxed.
"How can you just leave it like that?" asked Filia.
"I trust in Lina!" said Naga. "She may be flat-chested, and small, and with a bad temper, but only I am worth being a rival to her. This Xellos you speak of, he is only a trifle in comparison with me!" She sat down.
"Who's she?" asked Gourry, as he ogled at her. Sylphiel tried to gently force him to look elsewhere.
"Who am I?" asked Naga. She stood up, holding on to her chair. "I am..."
"She was at Lina and Xellos's induction meeting." said Amelia.
"I journeyed with her even before you met her!" she said. "We went to Mipross Island, and visited the hot springs! And found treasure. And saw a magic show where they served lots of wine." She giggled (sorry, laughed uproariously) and sat down, immediately downing another chug of wine. Amelia sighed.
"Someone shut her up..." whispered Zel as he winced from her extremely loud and annoying laugh. Naga then promptly fell asleep, snoring just as loud. Amelia winced, called for some attendants and had her dragged/taken away.
"Now, we can talk about normal things." said Zel.
"So, what are we going to do?" asked Gourry.
"That's a good question!" said Amelia. "I don't know."
"Oh, my." said Sylphiel. "What are we to do, then?"
"Well, I can't stay here in Seyruun," said Zelgadis. "I have a troop to lead."
"Yes! That's true!" said Amelia. "Mr. Zelgadis is leading a small defense force on parts where fights go on."
"That includes Dragons, Filia." said Zelgadis. "We don't really want to fight, but I've been thinking. If you think you can fight wherever and whenever, we can too."
"I understand," said Filia. "What can I do?"
"Well, I will be busy writing out letters and establishing chains of command. I need Gourry with
me, though. So, I can't do much. Could you train priests here along with Sylphiel. That would help a lot." said Amelia, getting extremely business like.
"Train them what, Ms. Amelia?" asked Sylphiel.
"Simple things. Cure and shields will be nice. We don't quite need magic on the level of Resurrect
or something similar." said Amelia.
"OK," said Sylphiel. "No problem."
"OK, that's about it!" said Amelia. "Meeting is adjourned."
With that, the people left the room, and went to their guest rooms where they could rest. They'd have another meeting later. Only Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis were left.
"So, what else?" asked Amelia. She looked very worn out.
"It's a good idea to give them all something to do." said Zelgadis. "That way, they'll be busy preparing, and not bickering. What will Naga do?"
"Naga's my sister, Gracia." said Amelia. Zel and Gourry looked at her surprised. "Really! Can't you tell? Anyway, she's royalty also, even though she ran away. Maybe while I travel and send help and organize, Naga can take care of the kingdom." Zel could just imagine Seyruun after Naga took over.
"How about... we let her be a figure head?" asked Zelgadis. "She doesn't know too much about ruling a city... leave her with an advisor. You can make up a story about how Naga returned to help her people stand firm during the war. Something inspiring like that."
"That's a good idea!" said Amelia. She hugged him. "I don't know what I'd do with out you, Mr. Zelgadis!" He blushed.
"But, you have to stop her from drinking and looking like that." said Gourry. "Not many people will follow a Princess who looks... different."
"No problem, I'll just convince Gracia to comply!" said Amelia. And they left the room.
AUTHOR'S NOTES...
Well, this is about it. It's a little short, gomen nasai... I got a bit stuck...jeje... sorry... more about Lina and Xellos in the next chapter. I have it mostly done...(Ok, about half way done)... So, well, what do you think? (Sorry it took some time. I had it written out, but I rewrote it cause I didn't like it...) If you think it's awful, tell me! I need input here! Please help! So, all begging put aside, thanks for all the cool reviews! And for reading this thing! It really makes me happy and makes my day thinking that somewhere in this world,... people are reading... ah... it touches my heart... ^^ So, see ya around! Read and Review, Comment and Criticize, and all that... it is more than welcome.
So, take care!
Thank you, my wonderful reviewers!!!!!!
Hotaru Kimiko Lai
Quotes...
"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
"In a world of water who can tell when the goldfish weep." -Madeleine L'Engle
"Women are meant to be loved, not understood." -Oscar Wilde
By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek
Disclaimer...
Hi! You guys are so smart you don't need me to repeat the same silly thing over, but well... it's polite to write this down. All credit goes to the wonderful owners of Slayers, who invented such a wide array of cool characters to write about! No monetary profit is intended by writing this little blurb. Enjoy!
Chapter 15
The Gang's all Here! (Well... most of them...)
Amelia looked at the letters in her hands. There was a frown on her usually happy face. There were letters in her hands, from all over the place. Numerous attacks on behalf of the Mazokus were occurring. Not all the targets were human cities, though. Some were Gold Dragon temples. Of course, the Dragon's had retaliated. Why had the Mazokus started to attack? Amelia thought it had to do something with Lina and Xellos, but she wasn't sure. She sighed and wrote orders for relief teams to be sent to attacked cities, or towns who were stuck in between the fight of the two races. She looked at the fireplace.
Lina and Xellos had left about a week ago. They weren't back yet. She was worried about them. Shouldn't their mission be finished already? And she was running low on help! What was she to do? There was only a certain limit of help she could send to the cities and towns. Sure, there were other kingdoms who were also sending relief, but hers were the most experienced of the lot. She had the most competent white mages people had ever known. Seyruun, being the capital of white magic, had had that reputation for a long time, now. But even her mages could get tired. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in." she said tiredly. A servant came in and dropped off a note for her. One long, busy week. Zelgadis was out practicing, getting himself up to snuff by fighting Gourry. She could tell he was worried. Ever since Ms. Lina left... Could it be... did he like Ms. Lina? Her heart ached at that thought. No! She had to stop thinking about that. She had jobs to do. She read the letter and smiled. Good news at last! Ms. Lina always came through! She smiled at the letter that came from Seerin. Help was on the way.
*****
Zelgadis breathed hard. He held his sword in front of him in a ready stance. Gourry watched him from across the field. They two had been sword fighting for almost an hour now. Gourry looked fresh. He, on the other hand, was a little tired. He still had to get used to his human body. One of the things he was learning, was that his stone body had a little more endurance than this one.
The two ran at each other again, sword meeting sword in the air. Turn, swipe, attack, block, parry... He leapt in the air and did a twist to land behind Gourry and once more, the attack was on.
After a while, they took a breather.
"Gourry, you've really improved." said Zel as he wiped the sweat from his human face. It was so neat to feel his human skin once more.
"You aint that shabby either, Zelgadis!" said Gourry. He smiled as he sat down. Silence. Both decided to clean their swords and go see how Amelia was doing. This past week had been very hard on her, they could tell. Sometimes, she didn't eat with them, preferring to eat in her office, where everything was within an arms reach. Everything being, of course, quills, paper, stamps and letters.
"Hey Zel, do you think Amelia will mind when we visit?" asked Gourry as they walked towards Amelia's office. He was still Amelia's guardian, and that had remarkably changed him. He had always taken his duty as Lina's guardian very seriously. Now, Zel could see that same devotion while working for Amelia.
"I don't think so." said Zel. "After all, we hardly ever get to see each other." They knocked on Amelia's office.
"Come in!" said Amelia from inside. Zel and Gourry did so. "Mr. Zelgadis! Mr. Gourry! Hi!" Her face was shining and she looked very excited.
"How are you, Amelia?" asked Gourry.
"Oh, fine!" said Amelia.
"What have you been doing here?" asked Zel, eyeing the huge stacks of paper that looked as if they would fall over any time now...
"Oh, sending out relief stations to many places." said Amelia. "Lots of casualties mean a lot of tired mages. So, I try to send enough so that the mages can share the load."
"Do you have enough?" asked Zelgadis.
"Oh yes!" said Amelia happily. "The cause of justice always have support!" She raised her hand in a victory sign. "Well, and Ms. Lina sent back up!"
"Lina!?" asked Gourry, his eyes lighting up. "She's back?"
"No, sorry..." said Amelia. "I haven't heard from her for a while. Have you heard from Ms. Lina, Mr. Zelgadis?"
"Nope," said Zelgadis, his face sad. "I wonder how she's doing."
There was an awkward silence. Suddenly, Amelia spoke, trying to lighten the mood up.
"Mr. Zelgadis? Could you explain to me who Captain Stonewall is?" Zel got a little red.
"Um... that would be me." he said. "How come?"
"Huh?" asked Gourry. "Why Stonewall?"
"Um... Mr. Zelgadis used to be made out of stone remember?" asked Amelia. "Oh, Mr. Zelgadis! That's a nice nickname! How did you get it? I read it on the letter, saying that they'd like to repay the debt to Ms. Lina and Captain Stonewall and be led under him."
"Well, um..." started Zelgadis.
FLASHBACK
The field looks like a mess. The troop of bandits were no match against Lina, but Lina wasn't here. Truth be told, Lina was doing research on his cure, and he wouldn't let a bunch of silly robbers interrupt her research. It didn't matter to him that the 'bunch of robbers' were very many in number. Why were they attacking? They claimed Seerin used to be their headquarters long time ago, and they, (the descendants) were here to take it back. Or something like that. So, why was HE here? Well, he was training a few young people about the art of fighting and living. Lina called it... the art of robbing bandits of their probably robbed gold so that we can eat more at restaurants. But, these kids wouldn't understand. So, here he was, watching a bunch of robbers come at him with weapons held high. His 'students' were behind him, hiding behind bushes and trees.
There was a clash, and everything was covered in smoke. His students gasped.
"Mr. Zelgadis!"
"Teacher!"
"He's dead!"
"Ms. Tirla's gonna kill us!" And of course...
"Aaaaaaagh!!!!! we're all gonna die!"
The smoke cleared. All the fifty some bandits who had tried to breach Zelgadis where on the floor. Zelgadis was standing off to the side, smirking slightly, not even sweating.
"You guys can come out now." he said. "We have a few more to fight."
There were cheers and yells coming from the hidden troops.
"Look! It's the Captain, standing like a stonewall!" said one.
"Um... that's cause he is..." said another one softly. No matter, though. The whole troop ran out to cries of "Captain Stonewall!" and promptly bashed the oncoming bandits with ease. Then the promptly looted the robbers and left them alone. Maybe when they came back to fight, they'd have more gold. Lina was so proud of her students...
END FLASHBACK
"So, why were they afraid in the first place?" asked Amelia. "From how you say it, they knew how
to fight."
"They were scared." said Zel. "First time in the field and all that stuff."
"That's so cool, Mr. Zelgadis!" said Amelia. "Doesn't it make you feel good, knowing that there is a group out there who admires you?"
While Zel did think it was nice, he'd never admit it. After all, wasn't he the cool guy who didn't need anything? Not even adulation from a zealous group of followers? Nah.
All of a sudden, there was a huge ringing noise. Amelia ran to the window, threw open the shutters and peered outside.
"What's happening?" asked Zelgadis.
"That's the enemy bell." said Gourry. "Only rings when trouble is approaching." Being in Seyruun, helping for some time meant that he learned a bit about Seyruun's warning system. Amelia peered at the sky.
"I don't see an ..." she trailed off.
"What's wrong?" asked Zel as he also rushed to the window. Wordlessly, Amelia pointed to the silhouette of a dragon flying towards them. Zel would have panicked,... except that just then, the dragon turned and they could see its profile. Slowly he relaxed.
"Do you think we can trust it?" asked Amelia.
"I think so." said Zel. "I'm pretty sure we can."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Gourry.
Zel pointed at the dragon. "Maybe because the dragon's wearing a huge bow on its tail? Reminds me of Filia, don't you think so?"
"You're right!" said Amelia excitedly as she squinted to see the dragon.
"Since when do Dragons wear ribbons on their tails?" asked Gourry.
"Ever since Filia took to the skies..." muttered Zel.
"Let's go and greet her." said Amelia.
*****
"Hello, Amelia, Zelgadis, Gourry!" said Filia excitedly. "How are you doing?" She was wearing the same thing she always did. A priest's hat, ear muffs, and her typical priestess outfit, in white, gold and pink. Doesn't she look wonderful?
"Oh, we're doing fine!" said Amelia. "Why are you here, Ms. Filia?"
"Don't you remember?" asked Filia. "Lina told us to meet here to plan for the attack of those awful Mazokus! So, where is she?"
"Um... Lina isn't here now." said Zelgadis. "She left one week ago with Xellos to recuperate a manuscript."
"With that nanagomi!!!!!" she screamed. "What is Lina doing, traveling with that Mazoku?"
"Ex-mazoku." said Amelia. "Remember, he's Chaos Knight with Lina also!"
"Oh... yeah..." said Filia, slightly deflated. "Still. One never knows what is going through his mind. He always has a secret agenda. I don't trust him." She looked at them and blinked.
"Um... Zelgadis... you look different!" she said.
"You finally noticed!" said Zel with a smirk.
"He's human now!" said Gourry with a self-satisfied smile.
"Isn't it cool, Ms. Filia?" asked Amelia, all happy and bubbly. "Mr. Xellos and Ms. Lina turned him back into a chimera with their new Chaos magic!"
"Xellos helped?" asked Filia, amazed. "Amazing! Still, I bet he has a hidden plan or purpose for helping Zelgadis."
"Well... Ms Lina and Mr. Xellos aren't here." said Amelia. "I was wondering, could you help us, Ms. Filia?" Filia smiled.
"Sure!" she said. "Besides, working a pottery shop is fun, but during these times, no one buys pottery!" So Amelia led them back inside to talk war plans over. Two minutes after they had entered, a commotion was heard outside the castle, near the gates. Curious, Amelia went to investigate what all the noise was.
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
Amelia winced. She recognized that laugh.
"Of course Princess Amelia knows who I am!" kept on the voice. "I am the fantabulous, wonderful, extraordinarily great and beautiful, Naga! The White Serpent! Biggest rival of the infamous Lina Inverse!" Amelia went out to settle down the commotion.
"Yes, I know her." she said tiredly to the guard. He was one of the newer guards, and of course, had never heard of her long lost sister. "How do you do, Gracia?"
"Naga for now!" said Naga. "I've been fine! How's my rival, Lina?" Amelia sighed.
"Go inside and you'll see Zelgadis, Gourry and Filia. Wait for me and then we'll tell you, OK, sis?" she asked tiredly.
"OK!" she said. "I'll make a detour at the castle's cellars, OK Amelia?"
"Sure..." said Amelia. What a headache. She started to back in, when she heard something else at the gates. Curious, once more, she went to see what was happening.
"Hi Amelia!" said the lady at the gate. Her purplish hair shone in the sun. "Tell this nice guard to get let me in! He doesn't believe that I can cast the Dragon Slave."
"Um... just let her in." said Amelia to the guard. "She's Sylphiel, a priestess."
"Oh, Amelia! How are you doing?" she asked excitedly. "Is Gourry here?"
"Um yeah..." said Amelia. "He's inside. Go ahead. I'll catch up with you guys." So with that, Sylphiel skipped into the castle. Amelia was left with the guard.
"Um... princess..." said the guard. "If I may, you have very weird friends."
"You don't even know the rest of it." said Amelia. She sighed and went back inside.
*****
"OK!" said Amelia. "Order in the court!" They were sitting around a huge table. Amelia stood up to make herself heard.
"What court?" asked Gourry. He was sitting beside Amelia, as her guardian. Sylphiel was sitting beside him.
"No, not a real court!" said Amelia. "It's just a figure of speech."
"How many figures does speech have?" asked Gourry, a little confused.
"Oh, Mr. Gourry! I'll explain it for you." said Sylphiel excitedly.
"So, why are we here?" asked Zelgadis. He was sitting beside Amelia. Filia was on his other side. And Naga sat beside Filia and Sylphiel. And that completes our circle.
"Oh, Mr. Zelgadis!" said Amelia. She got stars in her eyes. "That's an excellent question!" Zel sweated.
"We're here to discuss the nanagomi!" said Filia vehemently.
"What about Mr. Xellos?" asked Amelia.
"But Xellos isn't here!" said Gourry.
"Exactly!" said Filia. "He's stolen away Lina for his evil, no good purposes!"
"He did?!?" asked Gourry. "That's awful! Amelia, you have to excuse me to find Lina and save her!"
Amelia felt like crying. So far, only Naga hadn't said anything, and that was because she was chugging another bottle of an alcoholic beverage she found in the cellars.
"No, Mr. Gourry." said Amelia. "Ms Lina isn't kidnapped by Xellos."
"Oh," said Gourry. He sat down.
"Don't you remember that he and Lina left on a mission for the Lord of Nightmares?" she asked.
Filia, Sylphiel and Naga gasped. Of course, Naga's was more of a hiccup.
"Oh yeah!" said Gourry.
"OK! We're here to discuss the current situation between Mazoku and Ryuzoku!" shouted Amelia.
Everyone shut up.
"Amelia's right." said Zelgadis. "So, listen up." Amelia got very happy.
"OK," she said. "Filia, what can you tell us about this?"
"All I know," she said. "is that the Gold Dragons think the prophecy has come to pass and are setting up stages."
"What does that mean?" asked Gourry.
"Well," said Filia. "We, the Gold Dragons, unlike the Mazoku, are keepers of prophecy. One of our prophecies talks about the beginning of the end of the world. Supposedly, when Chaos calls her two, the Mazoku will strengthen dramatically and unstability will ensue. It is up to us, the Gold Dragons to maintain the peace and balance of L-sama's world." There was a pause. "At least, that's what we were taught."
"How accurate is this reading?" asked Zelgadis. Something smelled... fishy.
"Very accurate!" said Filia. "Why, it's the head Dragon, leader of the Gold Dragons, who read it and deciphered it!"
"How can Chaos choosing two Knights unbalance the power so much?" asked Zel.
"I always wondered that too!" said Filia. "But now, it all makes sense to me! One of the Chaos Knights is Xellos, a nanagomi! I bet he uses his power to benefit the Mazokus. That is why we must get rid of him."
"Don't be so quick to judge, Ms. Filia." said Sylphiel.
"You don't even know who he is!" said Filia. "By the way, who are you?" Amelia slapped her head.
"I totally forgot! We have to introduce ourselves!" she said. "Gourry, you start!"
"I'm Gourry." he said. Silence. "Gourry Gabriev."
"OK," said Amelia. "Sylphiel, you're next!"
"I'm Sylphiel Nels Lahda. I'm a shrine priestess."
"I'm NAGA!!! The White Serpent!" *hiccup* "I'm Lina's greatest arch rival!" She sat down.
"I'm Filia Ull Copt. I'm a Golden Dragon and a priestess."
"I'm Zelgadis Greyweirs."
"That's you, Mr. Zelgadis?" asked Sylphiel. "Wow! You're finally human!"
"I'm glad for you." said Filia.
"Um... who did you think I was?" asked Zel.
"Well, I thought you were Amelia's fiancee or the prince of Seyruun. You look so dashing, Mr. Zelgadis!" said Sylphiel. Amelia and Zelgadis blushed.
"And I'm Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun!" said Amelia, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Princess of Seyruun."
"OK, now that we know who we are, let's get down to business." said Zelgadis. "Why don't we let Amelia speak to tell us how everything is so far." He added this when he saw Filia about to open her mouth.
"Thanks Zel!" said Amelia. "OK, so... we all agree, that we are bystanders in a dispute between the Gold Dragons and the Mazoku. We don't know why the Mazoku started to attack. The Gold Dragons counterattack. We, the humans, get hurt in the process."
"What are you doing about it, so far?" asked Sylphiel, all worried.
"Well," said Amelia. "We, the city of Seyruun, have received many notes and letters asking for relief. As upholders of justice, we have sent out many of our white mages. As a result, we are low on personnel, but! We have received a letter promising more than half a city's worth of white mages."
"Where did that many come from?" asked Filia, quite curious.
"From Seerin." said Amelia. "And the bonus,... they are not only white mages, but black mages also! It's an offensive and defensive packet in one!"
"So, looks like you have that covered." said Filia. She had taken out her tea things and was drinking some tea. "What else?"
"Food." said Zelgadis. "During wars, food supplies always dwindle."
"It's not a war, though." said Amelia.
"It could very easily escalate into a war." said Zelgadis coolly. "We must be ready for any emergency."
"Ok,..." said Amelia. "Well... I haven't thought about that... I don't know what to do."
"I suggest you build up supplies and impose a week/month of slight fasting in honor of our fallen comrades, or something like that. All you have to do is rally the people behind you with a speech of justice and all that. That way, you have extra food. If the war turns out good, then, you reward with an abundance." said Zel simply.
"That's such a good idea!" said Amelia. She wrote it down in her small notebook. "OK! What's next?"
"Filia's prophecy." said Zel.
"Yes..." said Gourry. "Does it mean that Xellos is a bad guy?"
"Yes!" said Filia.
"No!" said Amelia and Zelgadis together. They looked at each other and blushed.
"How do you know?" asked Filia.
"I have my reasons," said Zelgadis. "Depends what you think Xellos will do. If you think he'll kidnap Lina and turn her into a Mazoku, I don't think so. Does he have a secret plan? Yes, I think so."
"OK," said Gourry. "I trust in Zelgadis." He relaxed.
"How can you just leave it like that?" asked Filia.
"I trust in Lina!" said Naga. "She may be flat-chested, and small, and with a bad temper, but only I am worth being a rival to her. This Xellos you speak of, he is only a trifle in comparison with me!" She sat down.
"Who's she?" asked Gourry, as he ogled at her. Sylphiel tried to gently force him to look elsewhere.
"Who am I?" asked Naga. She stood up, holding on to her chair. "I am..."
"She was at Lina and Xellos's induction meeting." said Amelia.
"I journeyed with her even before you met her!" she said. "We went to Mipross Island, and visited the hot springs! And found treasure. And saw a magic show where they served lots of wine." She giggled (sorry, laughed uproariously) and sat down, immediately downing another chug of wine. Amelia sighed.
"Someone shut her up..." whispered Zel as he winced from her extremely loud and annoying laugh. Naga then promptly fell asleep, snoring just as loud. Amelia winced, called for some attendants and had her dragged/taken away.
"Now, we can talk about normal things." said Zel.
"So, what are we going to do?" asked Gourry.
"That's a good question!" said Amelia. "I don't know."
"Oh, my." said Sylphiel. "What are we to do, then?"
"Well, I can't stay here in Seyruun," said Zelgadis. "I have a troop to lead."
"Yes! That's true!" said Amelia. "Mr. Zelgadis is leading a small defense force on parts where fights go on."
"That includes Dragons, Filia." said Zelgadis. "We don't really want to fight, but I've been thinking. If you think you can fight wherever and whenever, we can too."
"I understand," said Filia. "What can I do?"
"Well, I will be busy writing out letters and establishing chains of command. I need Gourry with
me, though. So, I can't do much. Could you train priests here along with Sylphiel. That would help a lot." said Amelia, getting extremely business like.
"Train them what, Ms. Amelia?" asked Sylphiel.
"Simple things. Cure and shields will be nice. We don't quite need magic on the level of Resurrect
or something similar." said Amelia.
"OK," said Sylphiel. "No problem."
"OK, that's about it!" said Amelia. "Meeting is adjourned."
With that, the people left the room, and went to their guest rooms where they could rest. They'd have another meeting later. Only Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis were left.
"So, what else?" asked Amelia. She looked very worn out.
"It's a good idea to give them all something to do." said Zelgadis. "That way, they'll be busy preparing, and not bickering. What will Naga do?"
"Naga's my sister, Gracia." said Amelia. Zel and Gourry looked at her surprised. "Really! Can't you tell? Anyway, she's royalty also, even though she ran away. Maybe while I travel and send help and organize, Naga can take care of the kingdom." Zel could just imagine Seyruun after Naga took over.
"How about... we let her be a figure head?" asked Zelgadis. "She doesn't know too much about ruling a city... leave her with an advisor. You can make up a story about how Naga returned to help her people stand firm during the war. Something inspiring like that."
"That's a good idea!" said Amelia. She hugged him. "I don't know what I'd do with out you, Mr. Zelgadis!" He blushed.
"But, you have to stop her from drinking and looking like that." said Gourry. "Not many people will follow a Princess who looks... different."
"No problem, I'll just convince Gracia to comply!" said Amelia. And they left the room.
AUTHOR'S NOTES...
Well, this is about it. It's a little short, gomen nasai... I got a bit stuck...jeje... sorry... more about Lina and Xellos in the next chapter. I have it mostly done...(Ok, about half way done)... So, well, what do you think? (Sorry it took some time. I had it written out, but I rewrote it cause I didn't like it...) If you think it's awful, tell me! I need input here! Please help! So, all begging put aside, thanks for all the cool reviews! And for reading this thing! It really makes me happy and makes my day thinking that somewhere in this world,... people are reading... ah... it touches my heart... ^^ So, see ya around! Read and Review, Comment and Criticize, and all that... it is more than welcome.
So, take care!
Thank you, my wonderful reviewers!!!!!!
Hotaru Kimiko Lai
Quotes...
"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
"In a world of water who can tell when the goldfish weep." -Madeleine L'Engle
"Women are meant to be loved, not understood." -Oscar Wilde