Lina: Wow.
Amelia: Yeah, tell me about it.
Filia: Can this get any more crass?
Zelgadis: Probably.
Xellos: You're one to talk, Filia, it's your fault; this is what the audience wants now!
Duncan: So . . . what am I supposed to say?
Filia (ignoring Duncan): What the hell are you talking about, you evil little twerp?!
Xellos: The fact that you jump me . . . constantly.
Filia: I do not!
Gourry: I like pie.
Author's note: While there is no sex per se in this chapter . . . two of the characters get very, very close. Therefore I insist that you ask your cousin or older sibling for permission, unless you are 18 or older. In which case, I insist that you ask your best friend's dog for permission. I am rating it R for "Rambunctious" and for near-sex happenings.
Extra Note: It's not really rated R. I'm lying. whispers to self Yes, the fools . . . they'll never suspect it now . . .
A soft moan escaped Filia's lips as the person she hated most, the biggest aggravation in her life, bit her neck and pushed her into the wall. Digging her fingernails into Xellos' back, the ex-priestess sunk her fangs into his shoulder in revenge. Mind completely empty of coherent thought, the dragon lost herself in the heat that was building within. His silky hair draped across her naked shoulders, the demon clamped his teeth around the low neckline of her dress, pulling downward.
Through her dress, Xellos' hands caressed up and down the sides of her thighs. Leaning forward even more, he forced the blonde priestess further against the oak boards. Fila's legs twitched as she tried to not wrap them around the foul demon. "Ohhhhh . . ." she whispered. "I hate you, you pile of-" her words cut off as he shifted his fingers more to the front, making her gasp.
The demon gave a low chuckle as his self-proclaimed enemy pulled up at his shirt, trying to remove it from his chest. "You don't seem to hate me that much." Ignoring his comment, the dragon ran her hands under his shirt.
"That's-only," she gasped again as Xellos moved to place his mouth behind her ear, teasing her with his tongue, "b-because you're doing . . . evil things to meeee!" Her last word rose as his hand slipped under her dress, sending shivers through her whole body.
"Hmmmm . . ." he murmured against the nape of her neck. "Recently I learned that evil usually involves hurting people." He moved his other hand under her dress, causing her to cry out and spread her legs. "I don't think you're hurting right now."
A low roar filled the room as a wave of fire struck Xellos' back, throwing them both to the floor. There, in the shadows, loomed a large misshapen monstrosity. Shifting her eyes to the ornate mirror hanging in the far corner, the dragon was surprised to find that she could see the form more clearly there.
"What the-?" Phasing from on top of Filia, the demon priest faced off with the new threat. "Who are you?"
Pushing herself off the floor, the dragon stared at their enemy. "It's a Guardian Spell, Xellos.
"Oh," he said uninterestedly. "We're busy now, go away."
"Xellos! We aren't doing anything!" Pulling her dress back into place, she glared at the pustule of evil. "You seduced me . . . again!"
Spinning to face her, Xellos' jaw dropped. "What the hell are you talking about?! You jumped me! I was just minding my own business when you pulled me on top of you!"
"I did not! You pompous, arrogant, little twerp!" Filia squealed loudly. "I can't believe you! You even argue about this when we're under attack!"
The Guardian raised a claw hesitatingly. "Uh, excuse me?"
"Well, what would you think if a woman ran up to you, then started grabbing at you and kissing and ripping your clothes off?" Xellos turned back to the gargoyle-esque monstrosity.
"Uh," stuttered the demonic figure. "Good? Whee?"
"Xellos! What do you think you're doing! How dare you try to get him to side with you!" Striding up to the vicious-looking shape, Filia pointed back at the priest. "He's always bothering me; at least once a week! He invades my home, makes fun of my baby's name and he's trying to seduce me for his evil plans!"
"Well, that's really a shame, ma'am, but I need to get back to defending-"
Scoffing, Xellos interjected, "Seducing is when you coerce someone, if anything, you're the one seducing me! You jump on me, you kiss me! The only thing I'm not doing is shoving you off!"
"Hardly," a sickened look crossed her face. "What sort of depraved person would be interested in a snake like you?!"
Stomping up to the blonde, Xellos grabbed her shoulders, spinning her to face the large mirror on the east wall. "Why don't you look in the mirror and find out?!"
Almost immediately Filia started to reach for her mace, then her eyes caught something. "Y-you . . ." The dragon's eyes widened as she reached for her shoulder. "You gave me a hickey!" Lifting the spiked iron club, the ex-priestess spun, hoping to catch the fiend off-guard.
"Uh, ma'am?" The Guardian Spell said nervously. "It really looked more like you were the aggressor."
"WHAT?!" Stunned, the blonde let go of her weapon, ignoring its random flight through the room. Disregarding the demon priest for a moment, she rounded on their enemy.
The hideous form nodded encouragingly. "It really seems as though you have a great many deep-seated psychological problems, especially those pertaining to your own racial bigotry, being that your aura is a dragon's and his is a monster's. You might even . . . uh ma'am?"
"Gourry, hand me that crystal." Lina pointed to a large blue crystal near the swordsman's knee.
"Sure . . . this one?" The blonde man picked up a small green gem right next to the sapphire one.
Glancing over her shoulder, the redhead tried to get a clear look at the stone in her friend's hand. "Uh . . . no, the blue one next to it."
The air split into a deafening howl as a bright flash lit the sky. The force from the blast threw both of the adventurers to the ground. "What the-?" the tiny sorceress yelled over the roar. "The guys! Come on, Gourry!"
Getting back on his feet, the blond swordsman rushed after his ward. "Right behind you, Lina!"
Rushing up the dirt path, the duo turned to stare at a figure sprinting through the forest. "Don't worry Princess, I'll save you!" The timber of his voice carried over the echoing noise.
Leaning in towards her friend, Lina whispered, "Jeez, talk about lousy dialogue."
Skidding to a stop, the three stared at the wreckage that was a cottage mere moments before. A sharp golden glow and the sound of teleportation tore their vision away from the rubble.
"Good work Filia, we're sure to find the ancient and fragile secrets now." Floating in mid-air, Xellos glared down at the sheepish looking dragon.
Sighing, the sorceress shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? Well," she said, shoulders shrugging. "Looks like this place is a bust, let's round up Zel and Amelia and get-" The redhead's eyes widened as she remembered where the other two were. "Shit."
Duncan, realizing as well, ran up to the rubble and started digging frantically. "Princess! Can you hear me?! Princess Amelia!" Throwing boards and loose stone behind him, he tried to find the entrance to the cellar.
"M-Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia shifted under his body, staring between his limbs at the fallen debris.
"I think we're okay." Straightening, the chimera looked around at their surroundings. "I don't see any major damage to the cellar. Lucky for us Rezo was a believer in the 'firm foundation' idea." Zelgadis' lip twisted slightly. "It seems that fate is out to make a fool of me."
Looking back over her shoulder, the young girl tried to force the wonderful memory of him laying on top of her away for the moment. Stretching her muscles, she asked, "Couldn't we use a dual 'Budei Wind' to force the debris away? Or do you think the cellar will collapse from that?"
The blue-eyed man frowned thoughtfully at the idea. "I'd rather save that for a last resort. There's no telling exactly what caused the collapse. If something heavy fell onto the house, I wouldn't want it having the chance to accelerate from falling before hitting us again."
Nodding, Amelia walked over to the stairway that led upstairs. Pushing on the bottom of the trap door that led upstairs she called back, "It seems pretty solid. I think you might be right about the 'something heavy'." Jumping back down to the floor she glanced over at the man who had disappeared a year ago.
It was impossible for him not to sense that her indigo eyes were on him. They'd better dig us out of here . . . FAST. Sitting cross-legged, Zelgadis gave another heavy sigh. "I see that you've become quite popular while I was gone."
Following his example, the princess found a clear spot on the floor, and brought her knees to her chest. "What do you mean?"
"Duncan," he said, shrugging. "And I imagine many other suitors as well. I'm happy for you."
"I guess . . ." A slight shimmering began in the young girl's eyes. "I've never given much thought to it." He's doing it again. Why, why does he do this?
Several minutes passed, with only the sound of shifting debris and falling dust filling the room. In the shadows, a slim but powerful figure watched, eyes glowing a dim red.
"Well," Lina yelled. "It's your fault!" Pointing at the dragon and demon, the sorceress bared her fangs. "Go get them!"
Adjusting her dress to hide the bruise on her neck, Filia murmured quietly, "I can't, there's too much debris. I can't phase with so much solid material in the way. Not to mention I don't know where they are. I could appear inside the stone foundation."
Sighing, the redhead turned to Xellos. "Well, what about you? You don't have any of those restrictions, right?"
Nodding his purple head, the priest smiled and said. "Oh, but don't you think it would do Amelia good to get to spend some quality time with Zelgadis?"
From a short distance away, Duncan listened to the conversation intently. 'Quality time'? What does he mean? Why aren't they more worried about them? "Shouldn't we concern ourselves about getting them out first?" He resisted the urge to flinch as three sets of eyes suddenly bored into him. I don't understand, why is everyone but Mr. Gabriev and Mr. Greywords upset by my presence?
Snorting derisively, Lina turned back to Xellos. "They're tougher than this. They're fine. And," she finished loudly, "they'll be out of there in a few seconds, RIGHT?!"
Chuckling, the demon turned from the angry girl, facing the structure. As he summoned the meager amount of energy he needed to cross space he felt a strange vibration come from the structure. "Oh no . . ."
"Oh CEPHEID!" cried the blonde dragon. "It's a 'Halcyon Field'." Paling, she dropped to her knees.
"A what?" Scratching her head, Lina murmured. "I've never heard of that spell before."
"A 'Halcyon Field'," began the demon, "is a spell from the monster race. It prevents teleporting. It's original purpose was to keep dragons capable of phasing from escaping demon armies, but it works on anyone." Lowering his head, he remembered when he himself had used such a spell to force a dragon clan to charge him, not letting them retreat. "Calm down Filia," he whispered gently, not letting anyone else hear it, "it's not surrounding you; you're safe."
Lina ran over to the collapsed dragon. "Xel, break it!" Kneeling, she took the ex-priestess' hand.
Nodding, the demon brought his hands together, a dark shadow growing between them.
The tall nobleman stared at the unfolding scene. She's so frightened by it. She's . . . a dragon?! Taking a uncertain step back, Duncan tried to stay as quiet as possible. No, that can't be it, she must be worried about Amelia and Mr. Greywords. There's no way a dragon would be traveling with a group of humans.
"Mr. Zelgadis! Behind you!" The indigo-haired girl leapt forward, "Vis-Fan Rank!" A light burst into existence around her hands.
On instinct, the chimera rolled to the side, hand going to his sword. As he came up with blade drawn he saw the princess' fist connect with a shadowy figure. "Amelia! Get back!"
Allowing a small sigh as she fell back to his side, Zelgadis fixed his eyes on the intruder, who had already recovered from the princess' blow. "Who are you?"
As the heavily cloaked figure stepped into the light, the chimera's eyes narrowed. "I asked you a question."
Spindly hands shifted the cloak aside. "Who do you think I am?" Its raspy voice carried a sickly-sounding chuckle. Slowly, long needle-like blades began to protrude from the stranger's palms.
Amelia took a half-step closer to Zelgadis. "What do we do?" she whispered. "If Mr. Xellos isn't here already, he and the others must be held up." Fixing her eyes on the threat, the tiny shrine maiden frowned. "And in this close quarters we can't use any big spells."
A nod was the blue-skinned man's only response to her. Shifting his sword to one hand, he readied the other for casting. "I think," he said to the skeletal figure, "that you're here to kill one of us."
Another snake-skin laugh floated from the featureless face. "Brilliant. I'm heartened to see Rezo's bloodline hasn't thinned too badly." A light formed in its right hand. "Lord Dynast believes that Xellos is taking too long."
An inhumanly wide grin became visible underneath its cowl. "With the barrier I've placed over the area, none of your friends will be able to interfere."
The chimera moved in front of the girl. "Fine, kill me then. Leave her be."
Z-Zelgadis? Amelia couldn't help but stare at him, shocked as she was from this sudden shift in his behavior. Why can't he act like this more often? Shaking her head, she cleared the thought. Later . . . if there is a later.
Another deranged cackle came from the hooded form. "Hmmm . . . as much fun as it will be killing you . . ." Moving with a blinding speed, the demon surged forward and clamped its hand around Amelia's neck. "It will be more fun forcing you to watch me kill your friend first." Tightening its grip, the monster forced several of the needle points to just barely pierce the princess' throat.
The chimera lurched forward, trying to grab the figure's hand. "Amelia!" he yelled as thin tendrils of blood started to drip down onto her shirt.
Laughing, the monster moved back with each lunge of the swordsman, each retreat driving the needles deeper into the girl's throat. A whistling sound escaped from her mouth as droplets of blood began to bead on her lips. Twitching the priestess tried to keep her hands from going to her throat, for fear that the struggle would end her life.
Stopping suddenly, Zelgadis threw his sword to the ground, his cobalt eyes burning with an inhuman hate.
"Oh," laughed the fiend, "giving up already? Then allow me to-"
"Source of all Souls, which dwells in the Eternal and the Infinite . . ."
"Amelia," whispered Xellos. His normally pale face seemed to have taken on the pall of death. Clenching his hands even tighter, the demon continued to draw black energy from his being. "Damn you," he growled, "break!"
"Xellos," asked the redheaded sorceress. "What's going on? You can still sense them, right?"
For a moment he ignored the words of his friend, as well as the stares from the other two, instead concentrating on the forces he was controlling. Then, with a animalistic snarl, he spoke. "She's dying."
Looking up from the ground, Filia stared at the priest. Xellos, her mind reached out, please save her. Bile rose in her throat as she caught his dark and violent expression. Dimly, in the corner of her mind, she realized that it wasn't just for their trapped friends that she wanted the spell to break, it was for the demon as well. H-he does care about other people . . .
A second of silence drifted by, then was shattered by a wordless howl as the priest drove the black energy downward. Eyes ablaze, Xellos took the energy within him to his maximum, and beyond. His howl crescendoed, "BREAK, DAMN YOU!"
"Everlasting Flame of Blue." Bringing his hands together, the sorcerer formed the energy into a tight blue sphere.
"What do you think that will do? I can kill her before you can finish casting it!" Another insane cackle, and the monster readied itself to end the girl's life in the very instant Zelgadis finished his spell.
"Let the Power hidden within my Soul be called forth, here and now, from the Infinite." Locking eyes, and wills, with his adversary, the chimera let a grim smile play across his face. This is the only chance I have. If this doesn't work, she'll be killed.