Chapter 8
Prove My Love
And then what happened?
It seems I've carved myself an attentive audience. An audience that won't let me go until I've finished this story good and proper.
I've certainly put my foot in it now.....
Ha! Just kidding! If my willing audience is eager for more then more you all shall have!
It's just as well that I have such undivided attention. Stories last a lifetime and will only die if no one is around to pass them on to future generations. So I hope you're listening carefully so you can pass this story on to your children.
If you do have children that is.
Ha! Gotcha again!
But then again, perhaps it is best that I do pass this story onto you all for my memory is fading day by day. And I would like to recount these events of Saillune whilst I can still recall them.
No matter how horrific those events were.
Yes, not all stories have happy endings. But even they must be told so the unfortunate pitfalls described can never be repeated.
And yes there are happy endings but they don't come easy.
After all, life wasn't meant to be easy.....
Nevertheless, all the players had gathered in Saillune. Players that would shape the city's destiny forever. The evil warlord Thyruss was slowly and cleverly utilising his plan to overthrow Crown Prince Philionel. In his way stood five obstacles: Amelia, Naga, Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis. Five unwitting but still quite dangerous obstacles. But Thyruss was one step ahead of the game: his spies were everywhere, watching everything and letting nothing escape their vigilant gaze. Plus, he had the Trickster Priest, Xelloss Metallium, in an alliance. But little did he know, the mazoku had plans of his own......
What was about to happen was going to rock the foundations of the Saillune government and leave no one of the players untouched - not even the newly discovered romantics of Sylphiel and Aldebrand.
But at the present time, Philionel wasn't worried about any kind of threat to his kingdom.
Instead, he had other things, of greater importance, on his mind.....
In the early hours of the morning, as the first rays of sunshine came creeping over the horizon, Xelloss Metallium strode out of Thyruss' fortress. He strode out into the cold early morning air, heading for the stone circle.
Slowly he made his way to his destination, his senses on the alert, waiting for any signs of any one following him. Even though no one was awake in this early stage of the day, he couldn't really afford to take any chances.
Indeed, he simply couldn't allow to have his allies catch on to his true intentions.
Eventually, he arrived to his destination. Then, without wasting a moment longer, he immediately advanced to the great stone obelisk that stood at the head of the circle. This is what he had come to see. This was the one thing that made Thyruss convinced of certain victory.
The Trickster Priest knelt down to examine the dark stone. He had often heard the warlord mention this obelisk whenever he was required to make a decision. Henceforth, if this rock was of such importance, then it would explain why he thought victory was within easy reach. Opening his eyes, he searched for a clue, a sign that would explain Thyruss' confidence. And hopefully reveal what he was truly up to.
It didn't take him long to find such answers.
There, craved into the face of the obelisk, was a set of words. Words that looked like they had been carved there from a long-forgotten age:
And the day will come
When fire shall rain form the skies
A powerful, unstoppable force shall come
And the thirst for revenge shall rise
The age of the weak would then be done
And their deluded followers shall be swept away along with their lies
The Trickster Priest stepped back, shocked by what he had just read.
It was plain to see that Thyruss was taking this prophecy quite seriously. But what were these words trying to describe? The fall of Saillune? Or some other sinister event?
Having roamed this earth for well over a thousand years, Xelloss had certainly had his fair share of prophecies. Indeed, they all came true no matter what. Whether it be through acts of accident or intention, no one could escape the fate that destiny had prepared them. No matter how ambiguous the prophecies may seem, they are something truly not to be taken lightly.
So was it inevitable that Saillune must collapse?
Xelloss sighed, before getting to his feet. Thyruss obviously has a lot of faith in that prophecy so he must be anticipating something extraordinary. And as result, Xelloss must be on his gaurd.
He may have some answers but not all his questions have been answered yet...
Besides, he must be getting back now. He must get back before anyone suspects that he disappeared.
And then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
But little did he know that he was being watched the whole time.
From a well concealed position in the rocks, Anastacia watched the mazoku with an intrigued eye. This was interesting. It would appear she was correct to have her suspicions on Xelloss....
Lina strode out of her bedroom to greet the morning. She entered the adjoining lounge, stretched her muscles and grinned. Having emerged from the hours of sleep she managed to reap, she looked well refreshed and happy.
The first thing she noticed was the morning sun that crept through the window.
The second thing she noticed was that the sun in question illuminated the fact that the lounge itself was still a mess following the scuffle last night. But the sorceress didn't look too bothered. Making a mess like this wasn't anything out of the ordinary.....
Especially if one lived the life she did!
The next thing she noticed was that the armchair, the one situated in front of the fireplace, was empty.
Lina's gaze hardened. If her memory served her correctly, Zelgadis and Amelia spent the better part of the night both in that chair. Thus it was a curiosity as to why the chair in question would be vacant.
Obviously, they must've gotten up early. But to do what.....?
Just then, the lounge room echoed with the excruciating noise that was Gourry yawning. Lina blinked as the swordsman entered the room, stretching his muscles from sleep and making enough noise to wake the dead!
Gourry, then noticed the sorceress and grinned
"Morning, Lina!" he greeted.
"Hey Gourry" she replied.
"Sleep well?" he said conversationally.
"Yeah" she shrugged.
"Hey, did you ever find out who that guy who attacked us last night was?"
The sorceress paused, before delivering her answer:
"I can't say. But what we know so far is that he was an assassin."
"But.....who would want to kill you Lina?"
"Lot's of people" The sorceress replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Gourry blinked - before wisely choosing to change the subject..
"So how about we grab some breakfast?"
"Excellent suggestion!" Lina beamed. "I bet Phil has a marvellous meal already prepared for us!"
"You think so?"
"Hey I know these rich people - They live large!"
"But what if he doesn't?"
"Well, I guess we go raid his kitchen then!" Lina chuckled
Suddenly, the door to the lounge was flung open. And there, in the open doorway, stood Amelia. She was breathing fast and her facial expression was a mixture of exhaustion and disbelief.
"Lina!" she cried. "You're not gonna believe this!"
"Good morning. How are you? Did you sleep well?" Lina replied in her usual manner.
But the princess didn't pay any attention to the sorceress' sarcasm. She ran up to her fellow adventurers to deliver her news:
"It's about Gracia....."
"Yeah?" Lina inquired, her face suddenly interested. If this concerned Naga then something's bound to go horribly, horribly wrong.
"I woke up this morning and I went to see Daddy. He then told me he was going with Gracia to...... "
As Lina listened to Amelia's story, her face grew more and more disbelieving.
"You gotta be joking....."
Naga felt ridiculous.
Her feet felt tight, crammed and sore. Her legs felt restricted and under extreme difficulty to make any type of movement. And her arms were no better off. She felt confined, unable to move as easily as she was used to and utterly embarrassed.
Jeez, wearing some extravagant frock for last night's dinner was bad enough. But to wear another expensive outfit the next day was simply too much! None of these stupid outfits had the flexibility that her familiar leather offered and were a nightmare to move in.
Honestly, she's faced many obstacles in her time: Feckless employers, legions of mazoku, armies of dragons, family feuds of the absurd kind, an enchanted mirror that contained a power too horrible to comprehend and even a mad scientist who dared clone her ten times!
But none of them were anything like suffering through the hell that was this!
The raven-haired sorceress was making her way through one of the many hallways of the Saillune palace accompanied by her father, Philionel. However, considering Naga was having lots of difficulty with this outfit, such a journey wasn't easy.
Phil, on the other hand, had the widest grin on his face. Any one could see that he was proud of his daughter - even if it made him oblivious to how much her clothes were causing her so much ill-comfort.
"Just think Gracia" the Crown prince was saying. "You're next in line! You're a princess!"
Naga raised an eyebrow. Princess? Hey, she was liking the sounds of this!
"And when I die" Phil went on. "You shall be my successor and you will be the ruler of Saillune!"
The sorceress didn't reply. Instead she was fantasising about the prospects of being in charge of Saillune. She would be a princess! She would have a magnificent pad! She would be living in royalty! She would have loads of money and countless underlings ready to attend to her every whim!
Any shock from being appointed Phil's successor had now gone. What mattered was that she was going to be living it easy from now on!
Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all!
"And this is why" Philionel continued. "I'm taking you to meet some visitors to Saillune. They are all dignitaries from various aristocratic circles who have come to this palace on missions of diplomacy."
Instantly, Naga's fantasy came to a grinding halt. She turned to face her father with a puzzled expression.
"Dignitaries?" she inquired. "Diplomacy?"
"Exactly" Phil replied with a nod. "You see, Saillune is currently facing some difficulties with it's trading partners and this has resulted in a dispute amongst the trading merchants that journey through Saillune every day. Thus, Saillune is facing certain disaster with it's trade routes in disarray. Henceforth, we are going to meet some representatives from the key factions in this fiasco so we negotiate to bring an end to it."
"Hold on" Naga said. "We're going to settle this problem through negotiations?!"
Being of a mercenary nature, this was something new to Naga: Her experience from consistently being on the road has taught her that there was only one way to settle a dispute:
Getting paid to blow something off the face of the earth!
"Of course!" Philionel grinned. "Such skills are vital when it comes to ruling a kingdom! It isn't just living it rich you know! There's real work involved. And it's important that you know what to do so I know the future of Saillune is in good hands."
Phil chuckled at this. But the raven-haired sorceress didn't share such sentiments. Her expression grew increasingly worried. Not just living rich?
There's WORK involved?!?!?
It was there and then that Naga's idea of being a princess fell to the floor and shattered to a thousand pieces. All of a sudden the idea of being in charge of Saillune didn't sound so crash hot.
Just then, the two members of the Saillune ruling family arrived to their destination: the door that led to the palace drawing room.
The Crown prince turned to his daughter. "Are you ready?"
Naga drew a deep breath before nodding.
Satisfied with this response, Phil pushed open the door....
....to reveal a table. The table was made from an expensive wood finish that had been polished to make it shine and it came with five matching chairs.
And also in the room were three men. Three men who stood in a line, awaiting the Crown prince and whom were dressed in expensive clothes and bore arrogant expressions - obvious signs that these guys were in positions that commanded respect.
The first one was short and fat. He had a mop of brown hair and a fanciful moustache. He was bloated in appearance and his eyes flashed with greed.
The second was tall, thin and clean shaven. His black hair was cropped short and his eyes were dark to match. He also bore a piercing gaze that reeked of both shiftiness and menace.
The third had handsome features set in amongst a well-trimmed goatee. Unlike the other two, this one had a more kindly expression. He seemed more so the receptive kind.
Now that these three dignitaries were all in Philionel's presence, they bowed, acknowledging his authority. They also cast an inquisitive gaze at Naga.
The raven-haired sorceress' expression hardened. She could feel their gaze upon her. And she knew exactly what they were thinking of her - even though they had only just met:
Contempt.
Man, this succession job seems more difficult than what she first thought.....
"Welcome gentlemen!" Phil grinned. "And may I present my daughter, Gracia, whom I have invited to this talk as a guest and an observer."
Without bothering to wait for a response, the Crown Prince immediately set about introducing Naga to each of the guests in turn.
"This" he said, of the first one. "Is Sir Gordon. He is here representing the Merchants Guild in a discussion over trade relations in Saillune."
"Pleasure" replied the fat man - in a greeting that was anything but enthusiastic.
"Merchant's Guild eh?" Naga grinned. "I heard you make a lot of money!"
"That's right"
"Ah!" the sorceress chuckled. "Then that might explain this!"
And before anyone could stop her, she shot her finger out and prodded the merchant's stomach.
Unfortunately for Naga her instincts, built out of mercenary habits and being a consistent traveller, had taken control of this rather unfamiliar situation. Indeed, such habits are not adequate in matters of diplomacy!
Philionel, along with the other guests, blinked in astonishment at Naga's unorthodox behaviour. But Phil immediately took control. After all, he owned in a position of command and one where he consistently faced countless assassins every day - Thus he could sense trouble as soon as he saw it.
Acting quickly, and eager to retain the good name of Saillune, Phil quickly bustled Naga away from Sir Gordon and to the next guest: the tall man with the piercing gaze.
"And this," Phil said. "Is Sir Victor. He is from the neighbouring kingdom of Karis - a key trading partner with Saillune."
"Pleasure aim shawl" Victor replied, his voice bearing a very rich accent.
Naga didn't reply. Instead she unleashed her trademark laugh:
"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"
This, in turn sent shock waves of astonishment through the dignitaries - Sir. Victor in particular.
"Did I say something fun-knee?" he inquired.
But this only made the sorceress laugh more - only now more loudly than before.
"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"
Unfortunately, Naga had little experience dealing with aristocratic types. Therefore, she found it difficult to take Sir Victors' accent seriously.
Shaken by his daughters behaviour, but still maintaining a cool head Phil took action. He quickly introduced Naga to the third and final dignitary.
"And this is Sir Brian, a representative from the neighbouring kingdom of Viruk"
He then pulled the sorceress closer to issue a rather urgent whisper:
"And try to maintain a more friendly atmosphere okay?!"
Naga nodded, before returning to face Sir Brian.
"Aha!" she grinned, indicating to his beard. "I see you've got a rabbit attached to your face! Don't worry, a razor will take care of it easily!"
Upon hearing Naga's latest blunder, Philionel slapped his forehead. How is it possible that this meeting could go so wrong?!
Thankfully, Sir Gordon came to the Crown prince's rescue:
"Your highness?" he inquired. "So far, we haven't uttered a word in relation to settle this trading dispute. Instead we've suffered from your daughter's behaviour."
"You're right." Philionel said. Quickly he took control:
"Gentlemen?" he said, in a commanding voice. "Shall we get down to business?"
The dignitaries all nodded in consent. Then all three of them, along with Naga and Phil all took their seat at the table.
"Right" Phil said. "Shall we begin? I for one would like to see this meeting take place, so we can all put an end to this dispute and reassume trade to Saillune."
"Hear, Hear!" Sir Victor proclaimed.
But sadly, Naga still couldn't take his accent seriously: "OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"
Phil sighed. This was going to be one long meeting.....
Meanwhile, many miles from the chaos in the Saillune palace, Thyruss was brooding in his fortress.
And he wasn't happy.
He had just received word that Innotenti had failed in his attempt to get rid of Lina Inverse and her companions. And the assassin was gone for good.....
Thyruss cursed under his breath. Masterminding a revolution with only a handful of combatants wasn't an easy task. Thus, he had to hold on to whatever he had at any cost. He wasn't in any kind of position to lose them!
There's no telling how much of a setback the loss of Innotenti would create!
What made the situation even worse is that he now had a good idea as to how dangerous Lina Inverse truly was. If she was powerful enough to bring about the end of Innotenti, truly a master of assassins, then Thyruss must proceed with his invasion plan at a much slower pace - and with the most careful of steps.....
But this wasn't good for his plan - he was now restricted to operating at a much slower rate then he originally planned! Worse still, losing Innotenti's elite assassination skills meant he would have to fight harder in his revolution and to achieve his goal!
Indeed, it seems he's greatly underestimated the danger that Lina Inverse posed. A mistake that would soon prove to be fatal.....
Just then Thyruss' thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. He looked up to see Valentina enter the room.
The warlord grinned at his love - But no amount of mouth movements could conceal the frustration that blazed in his eyes.
Valentina smiled seductively at Thyruss before crossing the floor and placing a loving arm on his shoulder.
"Any news?" she inquired, in a sexy tone of voice.
"Innotenti's dead" Thyruss replied bluntly.
Valentina stopped dead in her tracks. She blinked in disbelief.
"What....what are you talking about?" Valentina demanded. "That's impossible!"
"I only wish it were." The warlord sighed. "But what this means is that we're now facing a setback! I needed Innotenti! He was the only one who had the skills to remove any key threats!"
"Obviously, we should now take a cautious approach." Valentina reasoned. "This Lina Inverse could be a greater threat than we first realised."
Thyruss didn't reply. Instead he just slammed his hands onto the desk and shook his head. The loss of Innotenti was indeed a cruel blow to his part.
Upon seeing her beloved in such a way, Valentina smiled a sly smile. She then crossed the floor and laid a gentle hand upon his back.
"Oh come now" she purred. "Why should such a sorceress pose as such a problem? What use is sorcery against your strength of arms?"
Thyruss blinked.
"If anything" Valentina whispered. "I believe you can do it."
The warlord grinned a wolfish grin, as hope began pumping through his veins.
"Yes" he grinned. "Yes! We must continue with our revolution! We must make sure the loss of Innotenti must not be vain! What is important is that while we suffer losses, we must not give up! I am going to see this through to the end!"
The woman smiled, at her lover's invigorated determination. Yes, this is the way it should be....
"Valentina?" Thyruss said. "We must proceed to the next phase of our plan. I think it's time we summoned one of our agents in Saillune....."
Then, in hushed tones, he began to explain his plan.....
But little did Thyruss know, was that his plan was being delivered to another set of ears.....
Had the warlord bothered to check, he would've found Xelloss hiding underneath the table. The Trickster Priest had been there ever since Valentina came into the room and he had been listening to Thyruss' intentions with undivided attention.
Xel opened his eyes. The more he heard of this information, the more it was proving to be of vital importance. So much so, he must take action.....
Following breakfast, Zelgadis and Amelia picked their way through the mess from the scuffle the night before.
"Whoever that guy was" the princess said. "He certainly put up a good fight"
"You seem surprised." The chimera noted.
"Huh?"
"Come now, how many assassins have come looking for you and your father?"
Upon hearing this, Amelia's facial expression grew grim.
"Yes, but they were all try-hards. None of them were nothing like that guy who burst in on us, last night."
"Obviously he must be a professional" Zelagdis said, as he paused, and stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner.
"Think about it" he went on. "If that guy was more of a challenge then any other assassin whom you've previously faced then he must be acting on an extraordinary rate of efficency. And, judging by his movements, he acted as if he had done this type of thing many times before."
"You think so?" Amelia blinked, astonished by the chimera's assessment.
Zel nodded.
"But what worries me" he said. "Is that if he was a professional, then someone must've paid him to get of us.
"The only question is who...."
"Maybe he was after Lina?" the princess suggested.
"It's possible." Zel said. "But then again, our man knew exactly here to go. So, whoever paid that assassin....."
"....must be residing somewhere in Saillune." Amelia finished.
"Therefore we must remain on our guard...."
A long and painful silence followed - Much to Amelia's frustration. She didn't like these silences. And neither did she enjoy discussions that descend into a morbid tone.
She then walked over to the chimera, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and leant in until both their bodies were touching. To this, Zelgadis' face went as bright as a ripe tomato.
"No matter what happens" she said gently. "You'll protect me, right?"
Considering the amount of situations that Amelia keeps thrusting him into, one would think Zel would've gotten used to it by now. But, it would seem that nothing could eradicate the embarrasment that Zelgadis had for this type of situations. Eventually, he swallowed:
"Count.... on it" he said. "I've no intention of....losing you....yet"
Amelia giggled at the awakwardness of his response. But at least the answer provided was a satisfactory one.
Then, she leaned up off the chimera and she cleared her throat:
"So what are you going to do today?"
"Huh?" Zel replied, unsurprisingly taken aback.
"I don't know about you" Amelia grinned. "But I think I might go and visit Konstantin again"
At the mention of the craftsman, Zelgadis' face hardened.
"Whatever suits you."
However, it didn't take long for Amelia to hit on what Zel was thinking.
"Do you really distrust him that much?
"Dammit Zel, if you keep up such an attitude, you'll never get anywhere! If you keep mistrusting nearly everyone you meet, you'll never have anyone to call a friend!"
Zel said nothing.
The princess sighed.
"Well, no matter what you may think, I'm going. With or without you."
"You're leaving the palace?" Zel said in alrm. "Even when there's someone running around who wants us dead?"
"Why should that be a problem?"
Zel hesitated with his answer - but even as he did so, another large blush made it's way across his face.
"...I....I just don't want any harm to come of you"
"Don't worry!" the princess smiled. "Never underestimate the power of Justice!"
And with a chuckle, she left the room.
This, in turn, left Zel alone with his thoughts. Chuckling softly to himself, he returned to the task of cleaning the mess that polluted the room.
But it wasn't long before he received a visitor.
"I just knew I'd find you here."
Immediately, the chimera froze. His gaze hardened and his muscles began twitching.
Slowly, he turned to face the speaker, but he already knew who it was. After all, he could spot that voice a mile away.
Even if it was a voice he didn't really want to hear.
"Xelloss" the chimera growled.
"The one and only!" the mazoku grinned. He was leaning against the wall, with his arms folded and his staff (also leaning against the wall) in easy reach.
"What do you want?"
"I was wondering, are you, in any way, curious about that assassin who struck last night?"
Zel stopped dead in his tracks.
"How....how do you know about that?"
"That's a secret!" Xelloss grinned, opening one eye in a wink and waggling his finger.
Zel growled his frustration. He should've known.....
Sensibly, he turned away from the mazoku.
"Go away Xelloss" the chimera snarled. "I don't have time for your nonsense!"
"What's the matter?" the Trickster Priest retorted. "Don't you want to know about the great diaster that's coming to Saillune?"
Zel paused. Slowly he turned around.
"What great disaster?"
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