Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers for the next 3 chapters, but after that
they are so mine! Mwah, ha, ha, ha! Well. . .maybe not.
The city was burning out of control around Lina and the others. Citizens were being pursued through the streets and cut down like cattle.
Lina had a horrible flashback to Cruso. The death and destruction had been just like this. Only now it was on a much larger scale. She glared at Edward defiantly.
Edward stared back at her indifferently. "Well, Inverse? What do you say? Surrender the fragments to me and I'll be merciful." He smiled at Emily evilly. "I may even let your little brat live to see another day."
Lina shook her head. "Emily!"
Emily looked up from where she was trying to help Phil. "Yeah mom?"
Lina smiled at her and gave the thumbs up. "You said you'd stay with me until the end. This may be it. Are you still with me?"
Emily looked doubtfully at the dozens of soldiers behind Edward and Xellos. "I don't know mom. It looks kind of hopeless, you know?"
Lina's smile faded. "Emily. . ."
Emily flashed Lina a confident grin. "But, I've seen worse." She stood and drew her sword while muttering, "Nothing immediately comes to mind, but I'm sure there had to have been something worse than this. . ."
Lina winked at her. "Right! I knew I could count on you!" She turned to Amelia and Phil. "What about you guys? Are you going to sit idly by and allow this injustice to continue?"
Phil smiled painfully as he finished dislodging the arrow from his abdomen. "I'll do my best." He struggled to his feet leaning heavily on Amelia. "It's always been a dream of mine to fight for justice alongside the infamous Lina Inverse and Zelgadis Greywords."
Amelia frowned and pointed at her wicked husband. "Edward! I cannot allow this evil to go on any longer! Plotting world domination and daring to harm our son? Toying with my affections for all these years just to seize power in Seyruun? People who dare to do these things are those people that I call villains! I will never forgive you for this!" She released Phil who promptly fell to the ground groaning in pain. She continued her speech, oblivious to her son's discomfort. "The wholesome and righteous light of justice will shine down upon your wickedness and vanquish you utterly! Although some of us may die slow, gruesome, and extremely agonizing deaths in the upcoming battle against darkness. . ."
The rest of the group began to look each other nervously.
Amelia continued. ". . .you can rest assured that the eternal flame of justice that burns ceaselessly within our hearts will overwhelm you!" She twirled once before striking a dramatic pose and pointing at the villains. "Edward and Xellos, prepare to meet your righteous ends upon the edge of the almighty blade of virtue!"
Edward struggled to stay astride his horse. He muttered, "I should have listened to my father. No kingdom is worth putting up with this. . ."
Xellos leaned heavily on his staff, desperately struggling to fight off a wave of nausea. "Miss Amelia? Are you quite done?" He tried to stand up straight, but instead collapsed into a quivering heap on the ground. He pleaded, "In the name of everything decent, please tell me that you're finished."
Amelia scratched her head. "Uh, yeah, I think that should just about do it." She looked down at Phil and grimaced. "Oops! Sorry!" She kneeled beside him and began to cast a Recovery spell on him.
Phil smiled at Amelia. "That's alright, mother." His voice was full of admiration. "That may have very well been the most incredible speech that I've ever heard!"
Amelia beamed. "Do you really think so?" She leaned towards Phil and whispered, "I was kind of winging it on that one. Usually, I have these things planned out."
Lina blinked a couple times and shook her head. She sounded mystified as she spoke. "That was so hypnotic. Almost like watching. . ."
". . .a horrible accident?" Zelgadis steeped forward next to Lina.
Lina nodded at Zelgadis. "Yeah." She patted her face a couple times trying to shake off the utter horror of Amelia's speech. She grinned at Zelgadis. "Well, are you with us Zel? Despite everything you've been a part of, I don't think you're a monster. You've just made some bad decisions. Everyone does that once in a while."
Zelgadis smiled. "I suppose so. Besides, how can I run away after that. . .poignant speech?" He forced himself to smile at Amelia who was looking at him happily. "I'll fight on to the very end to make up for my failures."
Edward sighed in frustration and massaged his temples. "Um, excuse me?"
Lina called out to Edward, "Hold on a sec, ugly! I'm trying to rally the troops over here!"
Edward twitched.
Lina pointed at the enemy. "Alright then! Is everyone ready?!"
"Right!" Zelgadis and the others readied themselves for the fight.
Lina smiled. "Okay then! Go get 'em guys!" She quickly turned to leave.
"Wait a second!" Zelgadis grabbed the back of Lina's cloak as she tried to make her exit.
Lina grinned at the chimera sheepishly. "What? Is there a problem Zel?"
Zelgadis sighed. "You expect us to fight this battle ourselves? It wouldn't exactly be easy even if you helped us."
Emily glared at Lina. "Yeah mom! You're not even going to fight? This whole battle is pretty much your fault you know!"
Amelia nodded. "That's right Miss Lina! What you're doing is terribly unjust!"
Lina sighed. "I'm sorry, guys." She pointed at Phibrizzo's temple. "I've got to get the last fragment. There's not much time left."
Emily nodded. "That's right. I'll hold them off until you get back."
Zelgadis stared at Emily with his mouth hanging open. "Hold them off?" He pointed at Xellos.
Xellos was stuffing balls of cotton in his ears. He wasn't going to endure another justice speech. He noticed Zelgadis pointing at him and smiled while waving. "Hi! Were you saying something to me?"
Zelgadis ignored him. "This is a demon among demons! You don't just hold this guy off!"
Emily ignored Zelgadis and hugged Lina. "Just promise me that you won't leave without saying goodbye, okay? "
Lina smiled sadly as she returned her daughter's embrace. "I'll try. Stay safe Emily."
Zelgadis looked back and forth between Emily and Lina. Apparently he had missed something "Goodbye? Lina, what's going on?"
Lina turned to leave again. "Emily will explain it to you. Zel, give me the fragments."
Zelgadis reluctantly handed over the bag.
Lina looked at her friends for what might be the last time. Wordlessly, she turned and ran off towards the temple.
Emily turned to face the enemy and pointed her sword at Xellos. "Alright! Now we're ready to fight!"
Xellos noticed that Edward had dozed off while waiting for them to finish talking. He sighed and poked him with the end of his staff. "Hey, wake up."
Edward shook his head wearily. "Are they finally ready?" He smiled as he saw them waiting for his attack. "At last!" He waved his men forward. "Charge! Show no mercy!"
About a hundred soldiers ran past Xellos and Edward toward the much smaller group of defenders.
Edward smirked. "This should be amusing. Brief, but amusing nonetheless. Don't you think so?"
Xellos didn't answer him. He watched Lina run towards the temple with a troubled expression on his face. Lina Inverse, running away from combat? Something wasn't right. He turned to Edward and smiled. "I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I've just recalled some pressing business I must attend to."
Edward looked down at him surprised. "You're leaving?"
Xellos bowed. "You needn't worry. I'll return momentarily. Ciao!" The next instant he was gone.
Emily assumed a defensive stance beside Zelgadis as the soldiers bore down upon them. "So what's our strategy?"
Zelgadis raised his sword. "It's a little late to be planning strategy at this point, but. . ." He looked around briefly. ". . .I'd suggest taking refuge in that alley. If they can't all get to us at once, we might have a chance."
Emily was already running before Zelgadis finished speaking. She called over her shoulder. "Phil! Amelia! Come on!"
They quickly darted into a nearby alley with the soldiers close behind.
Emily stopped for a moment and looked around wide-eyed. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"
The alley was a dead end with a wall of flame blocking the other end and quickly advancing towards them. Several windows lined the narrow passage. Just out of reach, they were perfectly positioned for use by Edward's archers.
"What the hell kind of idea was this?!" Emily threw her arms up in frustration. "You've practically led us into a death trap Zelgadis! Are you some kind of tactical idiot?! Why didn't you just kill me and be done with it?!"
Zelgadis shot her a venomous glance as he parried a strike from the first of the soldiers. "Believe me, I'm seriously considering it."
Emily glared at him and turned to fight another soldier. "Oh, bite me!"
Amelia tried to use her considerable diplomatic skills to diffuse the situation. "Come on guys! Don't fight!" She smiled. "After all, we're all on the side of justice, right?"
Zelgadis and Emily yelled at Amelia simultaneously. "You stay out of this!"
Amelia sighed and meekly spoke. "Alright. . ." She looked up and grimaced. "Oh dear. Phil, help me!"
Phil looked up and gasped.
Mother and son cast their spells at the same time. "Windy Shield!" The shield of wind formed by their spell deflected several arrows.
Emily risked a quick look. "I knew it! Archers in the windows!" She snarled at Zelgadis. "This is all your fault, you know. First you get my dad killed and now you've gotten us boxed in with no chance of escape! What's your problem?!" She deflected a cut and decapitated a soldier. Another immediately took his place.
Zelgadis breathed deeply trying desperately to control his temper. "I'm sorry okay?"
A soldier's sword bounced off Zelgadis's arm. He paid for his attack with his life.
Emily snorted. "Sorry for what?"
Zelgadis tried to smile at Emily. "Oh, you know. Sorry that Gourry's dead. Sorry that I associated with Xellos for all those years. Sorry that I saved you from Vance."
Emily twitched. "What?"
Zelgadis snorted. "You heard me you thickheaded idiot! You're more ill tempered and stubborn than Lina at her worst!"
Phil looked up from where he was maintaining the shield. "Come on guys. Let's not resort to name calling okay?"
Emily ignored Phil. "You take that back, you morose stone faced moron!"
"Make me!"
Edward watched the conflict with a look of surprise on his face. These two were obviously highly skilled with the sword. They were practically ignoring his soldiers and still managing to kill them quite easily. He glanced around briefly and grumbled, "Where is that damn priest?"
Amelia and Phil were starting to get tired. Maintaining the wind barrier around them was quickly draining their magical reserves. Something had to be done and quickly.
Amelia sighed wearily. "Please stop. You're both acting like children."
Phil nodded in agreement. "That's right. Can't you agree to kill each other later, when we're not in mortal danger?"
Zelgadis and Emily glanced at each other as they continued to fight Edward's troops.
Emily muttered, "Fine by me."
Zelgadis snorted. "Whatever."
Amelia sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."
Lina tripped over some rubble and fell to the ground. "Ow, that hurt." She looked around the room struggling to get her bearings. It had been twenty-nine years since she had been here after all. She whined, "Oh, where is the damn thing? It should be around here somewhere."
The sound of a small rock falling nearby startled her.
Lina cautiously stood up and dusted herself off. "Hello? Is someone there?"
There was no response.
Lina shrugged. Raising her hand she cast a spell. "Lighting!" A small orb of light formed in her hand illuminating the ruins. That was a lot better. Raising the light over her head she looked around the room again.
It was circular and much larger then she had originally thought. Branching off from the main chamber numerous passages led deeper into the structure. A very large and ominous looking pit filled most of the room.
Lina nodded. "I remember that. I'll bet this is where I'll find it." She carefully walked through the rubble and to the edge of the chasm. Looking down she saw only blackness. It was down there. She was sure of it.
The sound of a quiet footstep broke the oppressive silence.
Lina whirled around holding the light up. "Who's there?!" Her heart was hammering in her chest. It was bad enough being here, but now she was hearing things. Suppressing a shudder, she turned back to the edge and sighed nervously. Destiny awaited her.
Lina dropped the light into the pit. It was swallowed almost immediately by the darkness. "Okay. Here I go." She closed her eyes and stepped off the edge. She felt the wind against her skin and roaring in her ears as she fell. She considered, ever so briefly, not casting a levitation spell. She was doomed anyway. Why fight it any more? Maybe she could be with Gourry this way. . .
Lina's eyes flew open. "Levitation!" Her decent slowed considerably. Another few seconds and she would have struck the bottom of the pit. What would happen if she had been killed while the Lord of Nightmares resided within her? Better not to find out.
The spell wore off and Lina gently landed on the floor. She looked up and gasped.
The ruined remains of crystal that had contained the long dead inhabitants of Sairaag were scattered across the floor. Still tenaciously standing in the center of the chamber, Phibrizzo's throne loomed on its rocky pedestal. There was a figure seated there.
Lina blurted out a name. "Hellmaster?!"
The figure shifted in the darkness and chuckled. "My, my. Are you a little spooked Lina? I can understand why. All these lovely memories." He stood and walked down the stairs until he was only a few feet away from Lina.
Lina caught a flash of purple hair in the darkness. She whispered, "Xellos?"
Next Chapter: Lina vs. Xellos for the fate of the world! The Slayers vs. Edward in the name of justice. . .or maybe just vengeance.
Notes: This was an easy chapter to write. I knew exactly where the story was going at this point and got this one done in 45 minutes. Never mind the 3 rewrites. I hope nobody thinks that I am playing the Slayers/Edward conflict too comically. Lina/Xellos is going to be fairly dark and I wanted to have something to contrast with that. Don't worry. It's not going to be fun and games for the others, just not as dark as Lina's path.
CT, thanks for the review. I hope I answered all your questions satisfactorily. I probably talked your ear off, but that's what happens when you ask a question.
Matakishi that was exactly what I thought at the end of Next. I thought it was kind of odd for Lina to escape with no consequences in the last episode. After all, she was messing around with some pretty powerful forces.
Something's been bugging me. Stara, are you still reading? Your comments were very helpful early on, but you haven't written anything for a while now. Did I alienate you somehow?
Did I mention that the story was done? Did I mention that I'm not going to put it all up at once? You can thank CT for that. ;) You can expect about 2 chapters a week. It should all be posted by next Friday.
The city was burning out of control around Lina and the others. Citizens were being pursued through the streets and cut down like cattle.
Lina had a horrible flashback to Cruso. The death and destruction had been just like this. Only now it was on a much larger scale. She glared at Edward defiantly.
Edward stared back at her indifferently. "Well, Inverse? What do you say? Surrender the fragments to me and I'll be merciful." He smiled at Emily evilly. "I may even let your little brat live to see another day."
Lina shook her head. "Emily!"
Emily looked up from where she was trying to help Phil. "Yeah mom?"
Lina smiled at her and gave the thumbs up. "You said you'd stay with me until the end. This may be it. Are you still with me?"
Emily looked doubtfully at the dozens of soldiers behind Edward and Xellos. "I don't know mom. It looks kind of hopeless, you know?"
Lina's smile faded. "Emily. . ."
Emily flashed Lina a confident grin. "But, I've seen worse." She stood and drew her sword while muttering, "Nothing immediately comes to mind, but I'm sure there had to have been something worse than this. . ."
Lina winked at her. "Right! I knew I could count on you!" She turned to Amelia and Phil. "What about you guys? Are you going to sit idly by and allow this injustice to continue?"
Phil smiled painfully as he finished dislodging the arrow from his abdomen. "I'll do my best." He struggled to his feet leaning heavily on Amelia. "It's always been a dream of mine to fight for justice alongside the infamous Lina Inverse and Zelgadis Greywords."
Amelia frowned and pointed at her wicked husband. "Edward! I cannot allow this evil to go on any longer! Plotting world domination and daring to harm our son? Toying with my affections for all these years just to seize power in Seyruun? People who dare to do these things are those people that I call villains! I will never forgive you for this!" She released Phil who promptly fell to the ground groaning in pain. She continued her speech, oblivious to her son's discomfort. "The wholesome and righteous light of justice will shine down upon your wickedness and vanquish you utterly! Although some of us may die slow, gruesome, and extremely agonizing deaths in the upcoming battle against darkness. . ."
The rest of the group began to look each other nervously.
Amelia continued. ". . .you can rest assured that the eternal flame of justice that burns ceaselessly within our hearts will overwhelm you!" She twirled once before striking a dramatic pose and pointing at the villains. "Edward and Xellos, prepare to meet your righteous ends upon the edge of the almighty blade of virtue!"
Edward struggled to stay astride his horse. He muttered, "I should have listened to my father. No kingdom is worth putting up with this. . ."
Xellos leaned heavily on his staff, desperately struggling to fight off a wave of nausea. "Miss Amelia? Are you quite done?" He tried to stand up straight, but instead collapsed into a quivering heap on the ground. He pleaded, "In the name of everything decent, please tell me that you're finished."
Amelia scratched her head. "Uh, yeah, I think that should just about do it." She looked down at Phil and grimaced. "Oops! Sorry!" She kneeled beside him and began to cast a Recovery spell on him.
Phil smiled at Amelia. "That's alright, mother." His voice was full of admiration. "That may have very well been the most incredible speech that I've ever heard!"
Amelia beamed. "Do you really think so?" She leaned towards Phil and whispered, "I was kind of winging it on that one. Usually, I have these things planned out."
Lina blinked a couple times and shook her head. She sounded mystified as she spoke. "That was so hypnotic. Almost like watching. . ."
". . .a horrible accident?" Zelgadis steeped forward next to Lina.
Lina nodded at Zelgadis. "Yeah." She patted her face a couple times trying to shake off the utter horror of Amelia's speech. She grinned at Zelgadis. "Well, are you with us Zel? Despite everything you've been a part of, I don't think you're a monster. You've just made some bad decisions. Everyone does that once in a while."
Zelgadis smiled. "I suppose so. Besides, how can I run away after that. . .poignant speech?" He forced himself to smile at Amelia who was looking at him happily. "I'll fight on to the very end to make up for my failures."
Edward sighed in frustration and massaged his temples. "Um, excuse me?"
Lina called out to Edward, "Hold on a sec, ugly! I'm trying to rally the troops over here!"
Edward twitched.
Lina pointed at the enemy. "Alright then! Is everyone ready?!"
"Right!" Zelgadis and the others readied themselves for the fight.
Lina smiled. "Okay then! Go get 'em guys!" She quickly turned to leave.
"Wait a second!" Zelgadis grabbed the back of Lina's cloak as she tried to make her exit.
Lina grinned at the chimera sheepishly. "What? Is there a problem Zel?"
Zelgadis sighed. "You expect us to fight this battle ourselves? It wouldn't exactly be easy even if you helped us."
Emily glared at Lina. "Yeah mom! You're not even going to fight? This whole battle is pretty much your fault you know!"
Amelia nodded. "That's right Miss Lina! What you're doing is terribly unjust!"
Lina sighed. "I'm sorry, guys." She pointed at Phibrizzo's temple. "I've got to get the last fragment. There's not much time left."
Emily nodded. "That's right. I'll hold them off until you get back."
Zelgadis stared at Emily with his mouth hanging open. "Hold them off?" He pointed at Xellos.
Xellos was stuffing balls of cotton in his ears. He wasn't going to endure another justice speech. He noticed Zelgadis pointing at him and smiled while waving. "Hi! Were you saying something to me?"
Zelgadis ignored him. "This is a demon among demons! You don't just hold this guy off!"
Emily ignored Zelgadis and hugged Lina. "Just promise me that you won't leave without saying goodbye, okay? "
Lina smiled sadly as she returned her daughter's embrace. "I'll try. Stay safe Emily."
Zelgadis looked back and forth between Emily and Lina. Apparently he had missed something "Goodbye? Lina, what's going on?"
Lina turned to leave again. "Emily will explain it to you. Zel, give me the fragments."
Zelgadis reluctantly handed over the bag.
Lina looked at her friends for what might be the last time. Wordlessly, she turned and ran off towards the temple.
Emily turned to face the enemy and pointed her sword at Xellos. "Alright! Now we're ready to fight!"
Xellos noticed that Edward had dozed off while waiting for them to finish talking. He sighed and poked him with the end of his staff. "Hey, wake up."
Edward shook his head wearily. "Are they finally ready?" He smiled as he saw them waiting for his attack. "At last!" He waved his men forward. "Charge! Show no mercy!"
About a hundred soldiers ran past Xellos and Edward toward the much smaller group of defenders.
Edward smirked. "This should be amusing. Brief, but amusing nonetheless. Don't you think so?"
Xellos didn't answer him. He watched Lina run towards the temple with a troubled expression on his face. Lina Inverse, running away from combat? Something wasn't right. He turned to Edward and smiled. "I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I've just recalled some pressing business I must attend to."
Edward looked down at him surprised. "You're leaving?"
Xellos bowed. "You needn't worry. I'll return momentarily. Ciao!" The next instant he was gone.
Emily assumed a defensive stance beside Zelgadis as the soldiers bore down upon them. "So what's our strategy?"
Zelgadis raised his sword. "It's a little late to be planning strategy at this point, but. . ." He looked around briefly. ". . .I'd suggest taking refuge in that alley. If they can't all get to us at once, we might have a chance."
Emily was already running before Zelgadis finished speaking. She called over her shoulder. "Phil! Amelia! Come on!"
They quickly darted into a nearby alley with the soldiers close behind.
Emily stopped for a moment and looked around wide-eyed. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"
The alley was a dead end with a wall of flame blocking the other end and quickly advancing towards them. Several windows lined the narrow passage. Just out of reach, they were perfectly positioned for use by Edward's archers.
"What the hell kind of idea was this?!" Emily threw her arms up in frustration. "You've practically led us into a death trap Zelgadis! Are you some kind of tactical idiot?! Why didn't you just kill me and be done with it?!"
Zelgadis shot her a venomous glance as he parried a strike from the first of the soldiers. "Believe me, I'm seriously considering it."
Emily glared at him and turned to fight another soldier. "Oh, bite me!"
Amelia tried to use her considerable diplomatic skills to diffuse the situation. "Come on guys! Don't fight!" She smiled. "After all, we're all on the side of justice, right?"
Zelgadis and Emily yelled at Amelia simultaneously. "You stay out of this!"
Amelia sighed and meekly spoke. "Alright. . ." She looked up and grimaced. "Oh dear. Phil, help me!"
Phil looked up and gasped.
Mother and son cast their spells at the same time. "Windy Shield!" The shield of wind formed by their spell deflected several arrows.
Emily risked a quick look. "I knew it! Archers in the windows!" She snarled at Zelgadis. "This is all your fault, you know. First you get my dad killed and now you've gotten us boxed in with no chance of escape! What's your problem?!" She deflected a cut and decapitated a soldier. Another immediately took his place.
Zelgadis breathed deeply trying desperately to control his temper. "I'm sorry okay?"
A soldier's sword bounced off Zelgadis's arm. He paid for his attack with his life.
Emily snorted. "Sorry for what?"
Zelgadis tried to smile at Emily. "Oh, you know. Sorry that Gourry's dead. Sorry that I associated with Xellos for all those years. Sorry that I saved you from Vance."
Emily twitched. "What?"
Zelgadis snorted. "You heard me you thickheaded idiot! You're more ill tempered and stubborn than Lina at her worst!"
Phil looked up from where he was maintaining the shield. "Come on guys. Let's not resort to name calling okay?"
Emily ignored Phil. "You take that back, you morose stone faced moron!"
"Make me!"
Edward watched the conflict with a look of surprise on his face. These two were obviously highly skilled with the sword. They were practically ignoring his soldiers and still managing to kill them quite easily. He glanced around briefly and grumbled, "Where is that damn priest?"
Amelia and Phil were starting to get tired. Maintaining the wind barrier around them was quickly draining their magical reserves. Something had to be done and quickly.
Amelia sighed wearily. "Please stop. You're both acting like children."
Phil nodded in agreement. "That's right. Can't you agree to kill each other later, when we're not in mortal danger?"
Zelgadis and Emily glanced at each other as they continued to fight Edward's troops.
Emily muttered, "Fine by me."
Zelgadis snorted. "Whatever."
Amelia sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."
Lina tripped over some rubble and fell to the ground. "Ow, that hurt." She looked around the room struggling to get her bearings. It had been twenty-nine years since she had been here after all. She whined, "Oh, where is the damn thing? It should be around here somewhere."
The sound of a small rock falling nearby startled her.
Lina cautiously stood up and dusted herself off. "Hello? Is someone there?"
There was no response.
Lina shrugged. Raising her hand she cast a spell. "Lighting!" A small orb of light formed in her hand illuminating the ruins. That was a lot better. Raising the light over her head she looked around the room again.
It was circular and much larger then she had originally thought. Branching off from the main chamber numerous passages led deeper into the structure. A very large and ominous looking pit filled most of the room.
Lina nodded. "I remember that. I'll bet this is where I'll find it." She carefully walked through the rubble and to the edge of the chasm. Looking down she saw only blackness. It was down there. She was sure of it.
The sound of a quiet footstep broke the oppressive silence.
Lina whirled around holding the light up. "Who's there?!" Her heart was hammering in her chest. It was bad enough being here, but now she was hearing things. Suppressing a shudder, she turned back to the edge and sighed nervously. Destiny awaited her.
Lina dropped the light into the pit. It was swallowed almost immediately by the darkness. "Okay. Here I go." She closed her eyes and stepped off the edge. She felt the wind against her skin and roaring in her ears as she fell. She considered, ever so briefly, not casting a levitation spell. She was doomed anyway. Why fight it any more? Maybe she could be with Gourry this way. . .
Lina's eyes flew open. "Levitation!" Her decent slowed considerably. Another few seconds and she would have struck the bottom of the pit. What would happen if she had been killed while the Lord of Nightmares resided within her? Better not to find out.
The spell wore off and Lina gently landed on the floor. She looked up and gasped.
The ruined remains of crystal that had contained the long dead inhabitants of Sairaag were scattered across the floor. Still tenaciously standing in the center of the chamber, Phibrizzo's throne loomed on its rocky pedestal. There was a figure seated there.
Lina blurted out a name. "Hellmaster?!"
The figure shifted in the darkness and chuckled. "My, my. Are you a little spooked Lina? I can understand why. All these lovely memories." He stood and walked down the stairs until he was only a few feet away from Lina.
Lina caught a flash of purple hair in the darkness. She whispered, "Xellos?"
Next Chapter: Lina vs. Xellos for the fate of the world! The Slayers vs. Edward in the name of justice. . .or maybe just vengeance.
Notes: This was an easy chapter to write. I knew exactly where the story was going at this point and got this one done in 45 minutes. Never mind the 3 rewrites. I hope nobody thinks that I am playing the Slayers/Edward conflict too comically. Lina/Xellos is going to be fairly dark and I wanted to have something to contrast with that. Don't worry. It's not going to be fun and games for the others, just not as dark as Lina's path.
CT, thanks for the review. I hope I answered all your questions satisfactorily. I probably talked your ear off, but that's what happens when you ask a question.
Matakishi that was exactly what I thought at the end of Next. I thought it was kind of odd for Lina to escape with no consequences in the last episode. After all, she was messing around with some pretty powerful forces.
Something's been bugging me. Stara, are you still reading? Your comments were very helpful early on, but you haven't written anything for a while now. Did I alienate you somehow?
Did I mention that the story was done? Did I mention that I'm not going to put it all up at once? You can thank CT for that. ;) You can expect about 2 chapters a week. It should all be posted by next Friday.
