Slayers belongs to Kadokawa Shoten.
Faces! Finale!
Chapter 16
Fire and Brimstone
As far as last meals went, Amelia didn't feel this one was that bad. Then again, it's hard to screw up bread and beans. A spartan meal, but it's what they had. As the others went over the plan again, Amelia sat off to the side. She had tried to start a conversation with her sister, or the woman who looked like her sister, or whatever, but Naga had rebuffed her.
She noticed Jeffrey sitting alone as well, sharpening his sword with a whetstone. Her heart went out to him, just like it did for Sylphiel and Adara, but dammit she was a little sick of her heart going out to other people.
She was scared witless too. But nobody gave a damn about that. Her heart ached for the way she and Zelgadis had parted, but she wasn't crying over it. It's just.....
The princess looked up as Sylphiel approached and carefully sat down across from her. "Miss Amelia? Are you okay?"
Amelia looked into Sylphiel's eyes and decided if she was going to say something, this was it. She took a breath.
"I'm in love with Zelgadis," she said simply. "I've always loved him."
Sylphiel cast her eyes downward and nodded slightly. "I know."
Amelia blinked as the shrine maiden continued.
"And I'm sorry," she whispered. "Zelgadis is the best thing that's ever happened to me. If there was any way to keep from hurting you, I would have, but I couldn't give him up."
Amelia nodded. "I know."
Sylphiel took her hand. "I never did thank you for what you did in Lake Town," she said. "You saved us. Our child wouldn't have happened if not for you."
The princess choked back tears.
"And you will ALWAYS have a special place in our lives because of that." Her green eyes met Amelia's. "Miss Amelia, I know you might think I'm a horrible person for....."
"No!" Amelia cried. "Not at all!"
"....asking this," Sylphiel continued. "But when....WHEN....we rescue Zelgadis dear.....and assuming he still wants me..." She wiped her eyes. "Would you stand up with me as maid of honor?"
Amelia leapt up and hugged the shrine maiden. "Of course I will!"
AAAA
Zelgadis took a deep breath and wrapped his hand around the knife hilt once again. He felt the knife begin to power up as if expecting him. Pulling suddenly, he grit his teeth as pain coursed throughout his body.
He continued to pull as the blade's magical properties began to sap his strength again. Finally, with a gasp, he let go and fell to the ground, his back striking the iron bars that separated his cell from Shadow Lina's.
There had to be some way of removing the three daggers that were sapping his powers, but every time he even touched one, their powers took hold of him. It was only a matter of time before Scarrin and Diol came for him. If he didn't act soon, he'd end up a puddle of blue goo.
He slowly rapped the back of his head against the bars behind him and searched his mind for the answer. He didn't notice Shadow Lina reach out and effortlessly pull the dagger from his shoulder.
His eyes shot open, and he turned to her in shock. She held the dagger up. "Like that?" she asked.
Not wasting any time, he turned so she could reach the one in his leg. "Hurry!" he hissed.
Shadow Lina removed that dagger as easily as the other. He turned again so she could get the last one. The moment the knife's tip left his body, he could feel it. His connection to the astral plane returned in full force. He took several deep breaths as the power of the beyond flowed into him.
Without realizing they were closed, he opened his eyes and walked to the door of his cell. Shadow Lina watched, hugging a pair of bunnies to her chest.
"So, are you gonna....." she began as Zelgadis grasped the bars of the cell door with both hands and ripped the door off its hinges.
".... go?" she finished.
Zelgadis tossed the door to the side and stepped out into the hall. He turned as a berserker rushed at him. The chimera caught the reptilian creature as it leapt at him and turned it around. Reaching around, he grasped the creature's head and jerked it to the side with a sickening "SNAP!" The berserker went limp in his arms. Zelgadis reached down to the creature's sword and drew it as another cry rang out from down the hall. Dropping the monster, he twisted around and threw the broadsword end over end.
The berserker saw the flying steel too late and took the blade directly in the chest, flying back almost thirty feet and sliding another twenty.
Zelgadis looked at Shadow Lina and, with one hand, ripped her cell door out of the wall.
"We're leaving."
AAAA
Jinnar looked up as Misa appeared suddenly before him in his private chambers.
"Problems, mon ami," she said simply.
"I have nothing but problems!" he ranted. "You're just going to have to......"
"They're here," she said quietly.
Jinnar mentally stepped back a pace. "Who?" he asked.
"The entire damned rebel army," she hissed impatiently at him. "They're massing near the north wall! I....."
"THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU IDIOT!?" he screamed at her. "MOBILIZE OUR DEFENSES!"
"Lord Jinnar, what about....."
'DO IT!"
She bit back bile and curtsied. "Of course, mon ami. And where will the great General Priest be?"
"I'll be supervising," he said. "From in here." He turned his back to her. "Coordinating our defenses."
Misa said nothing for a moment. Then, "Of course......Lord General." With that, she disappeared.
Jinnar began to sweat.
AAAA
Birdy watched from the left wing of the rebel lines as Beetsk arranged his forces near the north wall. Across a rocky, dry plain that spread out for three hundred meters were Mazoku loyal to Jinnar, waiting to kill them. She knew even now that Filia, Sethra, Mira and Taloon were making their way through a series of tunnels that led under Castle WolfPack's south wall and into the citadel itself. She also knew that from what the Mazoku had told her, there was no way Beetsk's forces could take the north wall.
They were just here to make it look good.
"Why are we here again?" Will asked her in an exasperated whine.
Thinking back to her conversation with Mira, Birdy drew her sword. "Gotta be somewhere, I guess," she muttered.
She watched as Beetsk gestured for his forces to stop. Large, black serpentine Mazoku that faintly resembled dragons rumbled to a halt. The insect raised his right appendage and brought it down swiftly. The serpentines opened their mouths and let loose with a barrage of black energy.
The astral cannonade flew at the castle and struck the north wall with a fierce explosion. Black and purple smoke consumed the brick and mortar, and Birdy strained to see with the faint light of the setting sun.
When the smoke cleared, the wall was unscratched.
"Nothing!" Will spat.
"We're not here to win," Birdy reminded him.
"We shouldn't be here at all!"
She didn't answer. Instead, she watched as Beetsk signaled for another barrage.
AAA
Filia halted as the tunnel walls around her shook. Dust and pebbles fell from the ceiling, but nothing more dangerous than that.
"What was that?" Sethra asked almost fearfully. She all too well remembered their last incursion into a cave.
Callisto's ears perked up. "Beetsk must have begun his attack. We must hurry."
The tunnel was a tight fit, but wide enough for the group to walk without feeling too claustrophobic. The walls were smooth and straight, having been fashioned rather than formed by nature, their purpose long forgotten.
Along with the dragons and Callisto, four other Mazoku followed them, each of them veterans of the War of the Monster's Fall, each experienced with warfare, which was why Mira had chosen them.
They came to a fork in the tunnel as another tremor shook the tunnel. "We're getting closer," Callisto observed. "The tunnel to the right leads to the main throne room. The one to the left leads to Her Majesty's personal chambers."
"We should split up," Filia ordered.
Mira nodded and pointed to two of the Mazoku, an insectile and a bear-like creature. "You two, with Lady Metallium. Taloon and the rest with me."
Filia, Sethra and Callisto started down the left path, the two Mazoku in tow. The others went right.
The tunnel opened into a larger room with another tunnel beginning on the other side. Sethra took a breath. "It's good to be out of there, even if for only a minute."
"Callisto," Filia began. "What should we do if we encounter Jinnar loyalists?"
"I'll protect you," he said seriously.
Filia sweatdropped. "Well, that really wasn't what I meant, but it's nice to know."
"With all due respect," Sethra said with a mock curtsy to the cat, "Will you purr really loud and bring the castle down or swat at them with your cute little paws?"
The Mazoku chuckled.
Callisto threw her a sidelong look. "If you prefer, I can return to my original form."
"I thought this was your original form," Filia questioned.
The cat shook his head. "No. I prefer this form, but Her Majesty created another for me." He began to glow a pale blue as his body began to reshape itself. Filia braced herself for whatever creature would appear in the place of the cat, a Mazoku she was almost willing to call her friend. When the light died away and Callisto's true form was standing before her, her breath involuntarily caught in her throat.
Silver hair ran straight down his back to the back of his knees, and his eyes were the color of aquamarine. White and grey silk robes covered his body, but it was the face that caught her attention.
It was the face of her beloved Xellos.
"This," Callisto said. "Is the form Her Majesty chose for me."
Sethra caught herself staring and blushed, turning away.
Filia felt her heart start to ache as memories of her mate rushed to the fore.
"We should be moving on," she said quietly.
"Indeed," he said, gesturing with his staff, a sterling silver rod with a blue jewel in the end. "It's time we were off."
AAAA
Misa appeared on the rampart and looked out at the army of Mazoku readying themselves for a charge below. After the cannonade had softened them up all it could, she knew the rebels would try a frontal assault. All she had to do was keep them from getting over the wall.
She sensed the rebels were ready and lifted her fan-staff. "AT ONE HUNDRED YARDS!" she cried to the other loyalists on the wall. "VOLLEY FIRE! PRE-SENT!"
Jinnar should be here, she thought bitterly. She had half a mind to order a retreat just to give the rebels what she knew they really wanted, Jinnar's head on the end of a pike outside the castle wall.
The Mazoku raised their arms, staffs or whatever they used to channel their powers and waited.
Misa heard an insectile cry and watched the mass of Mazoku rebels run and fly toward them. She held her fan-staff over her head and waited for the right moment to swing it downward again.
"FIRE!"
A wall of astral energy flew from the wall at the approaching mass. Mazoku screamed and fell to earth while others simply disappeared as their astral forms were completely annihilated.
The rest continued to charge.
"INDEPENDENT!" she shouted. "FIRE AT WILL!"
The Mazoku on the wall fired as fast as they could as the Mazoku rebels found cover among the rocks and holes gouged into the earth. They began to return fire.
The siege of Castle WolfPack was in full swing.
AAAA
Scarrin was moving out from behind his desk when Diol and a stranger in a dark green cloak walked into his office.
"Diol," he greeted with a cool nod.
"Lord Scarrin," the pudgy scientist returned with a slight bow. "I wanted you to be the first to...." He trailed off as his gaze found something of interest in the window. He grinned brightly."Wonderful!" he cried. "They did it!"
Scarrin turned and looked out the window himself. The cart, Aravan riding escort, was traveling at full tilt toward the main gate. Within a few moments it would be within the outer wall.
And then Lina Inverse and Naga the White Serpent would be in his control.
And Diol would stop bitching endlessly about it.
"Well," Scarrin began. "Shall we go downstairs and meet them?"
AAA
Two more berserkers leapt out of the shadows at them, and again, without effort, Zelgadis broke them like a pair of wooden dolls. Shadow Lina, carrying a dozen bunnies in a sack she fashioned out of her cape, could only note that the chimera's mood had vastly improved.
"Mister Zelgadis," she began, "Where can we go? You can't just kill berserkers all day."
Zelgadis rooted through the bodies and took the belt off one of them. "We'll make our way up to the main level," he said. "Then you'll leave, and I'll go after Scarrin."
"Isn't that dangerous?" she asked.
"For him it sure as hell is," he told her. "Now....."
Before he could finish, the red kunoichi leapt at him from behind. Taken off guard, Zelgadis still recovered quickly. He felt the woman's katana scrape across his stone skin, leaving it undamaged. Gritting his teeth, he snagged her right wrist with the speed of a striking cobra. He raised her off the ground and jerked his wrist. The kunoichi's wrist snapped, but the only sound she made was a barely audible hiss.
He stared into her eyes for a moment. Then, with a "Che!" he tossed her aside. The ninja's back struck the wall, and she fell to the floor unconscious.
The way up was ahead, he thought. He found a staircase behind an old chimera vat and led Shadow Lina up.
AAAA
The sun was just setting as the cart thundered through the main gate. The black knight, Aravan, rode just behind it, his sword drawn.
Scarrin's fortress was surrounded by a circular wall with guard towers every hundred feet. The black brick and mortar had stood its ground for centuries. From there, Scarrin's army could fend off any attack.
"Close the gate!" he roared. "They're just behind us!" He quickly dismounted and made his way to the stairs up the rampart.
Two of Scarrin's toadies, men, carried shackles toward the cart. The driver said nothing, just stared ahead from beneath his hat. Aravan, meanwhile, had reached the top of the rampart.
A party of men and berserkers already on horseback were riding through the gate to face whatever threat Aravan and the cart had been retreating from.
"They in here?" one of the men asked, pointing at the tarp that covered the wagon.
The driver nodded once.
Aravan was nearly to the gate tower that controlled the functioning of the gates.
The men pulled the tarp off.
Lina smiled back at them. "Hey, how's it go'in?" she asked. "FLARE ARROW!"
The fire dart went clear through the first man, launching him back ten yards. The other man went for his sword, but Jeffrey, from the driver's seat, threw off the hat and drew Razor Blade. With a quick backhand slash, the would-be knight caught the man in the stomach, leaving him to stumble away.
The men and berserkers in the courtyard jumped back a pace as the rest of the Slayers and Flaming Heroes emerged from the cart and hopped out.
"BURST RONDO!" Amelia cried, letting loose a barrage of tiny fireballs at the ramparts. The berserkers didn't even flinch, but a man was caught flatfooted and screamed as he fell backwards over the wall.
"GOURRY!" Lina shouted at the gate. "CLOSE IT QUICK!"
One of the berserkers at the gate tower figured it out and drew his mace. Gourry, in Aravan's armor, dispatched him in two strikes, one for the mace and the other for the creature's neck.
His third strike cut the ropes holding the gate open, and the wood and iron barricade came screaming down. The party that had just left was trapped outside.
By now, however, the element of surprise had been used up.
Sylphiel ducked as a flare arrow hit the cart wheel in front of her. Naga flinched as the cart's wood panel side suddenly turned to ice.
"This cart's got about a minute of life left in it!" she shouted to Lina.
Adara nocked an arrow and aimed up at the top of the tower. With a silent prayer to the gods of Zarak Tor, she let fly. A moment later a sorcerer came falling down.
"There's a guard shack next to the main entrance," Vanya told them.
Lina nodded. "Sounds good." She cupped her hands and faced the wall where Gourry was taking on another ten berserkers. "Gourry! GOURRY!"
The blonde paused and turned to acknowledge her. His reward was a rap on the head from a berserker club.
"STOP FOOLING AROUND OVER THERE! WE'RE ROLLING!"
She saw him nod and turned back to the others. "Okay, time to go," she told them. Naga, Amelia and Adara listened as they shot back at the sorcerers and archers on the walls. "Amelia, Naga, you stay here and give us some cover. The rest of us will go to the guard shack, then Adara and I will cover the two of you." The two Seyruuns nodded. "Vanya, Jeffrey, stick close to Sylphiel. On three! One.....two.....THREE!"
AAAA
The last slivers of red light disappeared over the horizon as the Mazoku on the wall of Castle WolfPack brought another rebel demon down from the sky. With the walls enchanted, aerial attacks above a certain altitude wouldn't work, and rebel Mazoku were forced to fly in low in an effort to get a shot in. So far without success.
Birdy and WIll ducked their heads as another barrage came from the castle wall. A Mazoku had dived into their crater with them and fired back, green balls of electricity evaporating against the side of the wall, but some managed to get through. Whether or not they hit anything was anyone's guess.
"Why don't they just pound the castle from the air!?" Will yelled in her ear.
The Mazoku, something that looked like a cross between a crab and a slug, fired a few more shots and turned to him. "The enchantment keeps high altitude attacks at bay. Our Mazoku can't get close enough. They're being slaughtered too high up!"
Birdy rolled onto her back and blinked at what she saw in the sky. A red orb circled a silver orb of equal side in the skies above them. She knew it wasn't theirs and prepared a laser breath spell.
The Mazoku saw this and grabbed her shoulder. "No!" it hissed. "It's a defender."
"So?" she asked. "It's not on our side."
The slug/crab hissed again. "It is not on ANYONE'S side. It's waiting to see which way the battle goes. Or waiting for something to attack it so it can plead justifiable circumstances later."
Birdy blinked again, then rolled back onto her stomach and sat back on her haunches, readying herself for a charge.
"Birdy?!" Will asked stunned. "What are you doing?!"
"Going to that wall!" she announced. "I have a plan!"
"Are you nuts?!"
"Just cover me!"
The slug/crab nodded and prepared to fire again.
"One," Birdy said. "Two......THREE!"
AAAA
Lina ducked into the alcove as a flare arrow struck the door above her head. She turned back and let loose a couple of fireballs in random directions, giving Naga, Amelia and Gourry time to run across the courtyard.
She watched the cart explode from a fireball spell as Gourry ran past it. Adara's bow rang out two more times, but it was hard to tell through the smoke if she actually hit anything.
Another minor spell struck the wall.
"Why don't they just level the place?" Naga asked.
"They don't want to damage the castle," Vanya told her. "It's more than a building. Scarrin's got research in there."
"He's in there," Sylphiel whispered, looking at the front door of the castle, only a few meters away. "Zelgadis dear is in there. I can feel it."
"That's good enough for me," Lina declared. "Naga, Amelia, you two, Adara and Gourry keep those things off us. We're going to get Zel."
"Why us again?" Amelia asked, somewhat hurt.
"Because you're the best one for the job," Lina said quickly. With that, she grabbed Sylphiel and started for the door.
Naga shook her head. "Sometimes I hate being the best."
Amelia cupped her hands around her mouth. "ONLY THE JUST WILL PASS!" she called out. The berserkers responded with a hail of arrows. Amelia ducked. "I think they're angry."
AAAA
The ground around her was erupting from magic blasts by the time Birdie made it to a small alcove in the wall of Castle WolfPack. She flatted her back against the wall and peered out.The Mazoku on the wall were either ignoring her or couldn't see her anymore. Looking up, she saw the defender floating just above the castle, not willing to take part in the battle unless attacked.
Well, Birdy was about to fix that.
Opening her mouth, she charged a Laser Breath and fired!
The blast zipped past the orb, missing it by a good yard. She fired again, closer this time. The blue flash of light came close, but didn't actually strike the sphere.
Above her, the defender searched for the source of the magic attacks. It couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but it could tell from which side it had been fired. That was enough for it.
The red ball zipped downward toward the ramparts. By the time the loyalists realized what it was about to do, the orb was already within the Mazoku's shield of fire.
The grey ball intercepted a few close shots, but the majority were caught off guard when the red ball began to strafe the top of the wall. Flashes of red came too fast to count as parts of the rampart exploded. Mazoku screamed and burst into flames as the orbs flew past.
Birdy laughed and cheered as the defender rose into the sky and prepared for another pass.
AAA
The first chamber they entered was both huge and ornate. White marble covered the walls, floor and ceiling, and two sets of staircases circled around the wall leading to the second floor. Mirrors and pieces of art hung from the walls.
It reminded Lina a little too much of the imaginary castle Rezo had used to awaken Shabranigdo. It gave her the shivers.
Jeffrey whistled. "Look at this place," he breathed.
"Which way, Sylphiel? Vanya asked.
The shrine maiden pointed up.
"Okay, let's....." Lina began, but stopped as something moved nearby.
Vanya saw it too. In a flash, a shuriken left her hand and flew like an arrow into a dark corner of the room. A few seconds later, the red kunoichi stepped out, the dart held casually in the fingers of her left hand.
"Great," Lina muttered. "We don't have time for this."
"Go!"
The three women blinked as Jeffrey stepped forward and raised his sword. "I'll take this one. The rest of you go ahead."
"Jeffrey, this isn't some berserker," Lina began.
"Don't worry, Miss Lina," he said with a smug smile. "See? Her right hand is injured. She's batting lefty! I can take her."
The kunoichi drew her katana with her left hand, her right hanging limply at her side.
"You guys have the real mission," he said. "Now go on."
Lina nodded and took Sylphiel's hand, leading her toward the stairs. Vanya waited a moment and looked down at Jeffrey.
"If she's anything like me, she'll go for the quick kill," she told him seriously.
He nodded. "Don't worry. You taught me to do the same."
She gave him an approving nod and rushed toward the stairs. Jeffrey stepped forward. He and the ninja began to circle one another. The copii's cold eyes stared at him over the veil.
As Vanya caught up to Lina and Sylphiel, she turned to the women and asked. "Should I have told him I'm ambidextrous?"
Sylphiel cringed sympathetically, but Lina shrugged and said, "He wouldn't have known what it meant."
AAA
"I think we've gone too far up," Shadow Lina remarked as they came to another fork in the stairway. One set continued up a spiral staircase. Another broke off and went down again.
Zelgadis thought for a few moments, then nodded. "I think you're right. This is some kind of escape stairwell. There are probably hidden doors all over the tower."
"So now what?" she asked.
The chimera looked up and down, then up again. "You head down," he finally said. "I'm going to the top."
"But why?!" the shadow squeaked.
"I want Scarrin," he growled. "And if he's anywhere, he's in a room at the top of the tower. Because he's just that damn vain and melodramatic."
She took a step onto the downward staircase. "Are you going to be okay alone?" she asked meekly.
He nodded. "Go."
"Okay, Mister Zelgadis. If you say so. Ganbatte." With that, she started downward.
Zelgadis looked up the staircase and growled. "As long as I'm alone, Scarrin," he muttered. "You can't hurt anyone else."
AAA
A panel in the wall opened, and Filia stepped out almost regally, but still cautiously. The others followed. Though not the throne room, Xelas' personal chambers had a throne in the corner for when she entertained "personal guests". The entire room, which was huge, was decorated almost like a hunting lodge. Heads of great beasts, the majority of them dragons, hung on the wall. A bed at the far end had posts made of dead tree limbs, like an ornate lean-to.
"So this is where the most powerful Mazoku in the world sleeps," Sethra remarked.
At the sound of her voice, two giant wolves suddenly jumped up from behind the Mazoku's bed where they were quietly napping and rushed forward. They stopped a yard from the dragons and began growling.
"Don't worry!" Sethra announced. "I know what to do!" Rolling up her sleeves, she reached into a fold in her dress and removed a glowing sphere.
She waved the orb at the two wolves. "See it?" she asked. Suddenly, she turned and threw the ball into another chamber. "Go get it! Fetch! Fetch, doggies!"
The wolves barred their teeth and growled louder.
Sethra turned to Filia and their Mazoku guards. "Okay, I'm now all out of ideas."
The wolves howled at them and tensed to strike. Suddenly, a strange sound came....
Almost like a rattle, only softer.
The wolves' ears perked up, and they turned to the sound with great interest.
Callisto was standing next to two large silver dishes, both empty, holding a bag of kibble over his head. He shook the bag again. "Who wants num nums?" he called out.
The wolves whimpered and dashed to the dishes. Sitting down on their hind legs, they wagged their tails while Callisto filled their bowls.
"Some guard dogs," Filia commented, hands on her hips.
Callisto shrugged. "This is stuff is probably tastier than the two of you anyway." He pointed at the label. "See? Made from REAL people."
"Let's just go," FIlia growled.
AAA
Jeffrey parried another slash, then another before spinning away. His sword was raised a second later, trying desperately to keep his guard up. The copii was good, he'd give it that.
Real good, if you wanted to be honest about it.
Okay, Jeffrey was losing.
The copii had steadily pushed him up the staircase, and now he had just backed up against the rail.
The kunoichi struck at him like a snake, jabbing the tip of her katana at Jeffrey's face like a fencer. The boy ducked left and right, knowing he couldn't go back.
On instinct, he slashed outward suddenly. The kunoichi didn't bat an eye. Instead, she grabbed hold of Jeffrey's throat and squeezed. The boy began to choke.
He blinked as a drop of blood appeared on her cheek and dribbled down her face. The kunoichi touched her face in shock.
"See?" Jeffrey gasped out to himself. "She's only human."
The copii reacted with rage, brutally backhanding the would-be knight. Jeffrey went limp as the force of the blow stunned him. Before he could hit the floor, she gave him a hard shove, and Jeffrey went flying over the rail.
In the back of his mind he knew he was falling. Then he heard, rather than felt, himself hit the ground. He heard a few sickening cracks and felt the pain.
Opening his eyes, he saw the ninja flip over the rail and land nimbly on her feet. She started toward him. Grimacing in pain, he reached out blindly with his hand, hoping Razor Blade had landed nearby.
The woman stood over him, regarding him critically. She raised the katana over her head and paused, waiting for him to cringe or beg.
Jeffrey stared up at her with contempt.
But he did NOT cringe.
The copii gave him a "Hmmph!" as if he had somehow disappointed her and prepared to bring the sword down. Suddenly, her body jerked. She coughed, and the veil covering her mouth turned red with blood. Looking down, she saw the tip of a sword protruding from her stomach.
She looked at Jeffrey again, for the first time with fear. Then, as quietly as she had lived, she fell first to her knees, then to her side.
Revealing his rescuer.
"You shouldn't bully Lord Jeffrey," Shadow Lina breathed hauntingly.
"Lina," he gasped.
Shadow Lina sniffled. "Oh, Lord Jeffrey!" With that, she tossed herself on him.
"AAAAAUUUGGGHHHH! RIBS! RIBS!"
AAA
The doors to Scarrin's office creaked open, and the three women walked in. The desk sat in the center of the room, and was bare otherwise. Lina shivered. The place felt like a tomb.
"Nobody's here," Sylphiel said. "But the stairs don't go any higher."
"Hey," Lina called quietly. "Over here."
Sylphiel and Vanya walked to where the sorceress was standing, right next to a set of footprints in the dust.
Footprints that walked right into a bookshelf.
"Trick door?" Vanya asked. "Sounds like him."
"But how do we open it?" Sylphiel asked.
"Usually there's a switch built into the wall," Lina said, running her fingers around the edges of the bookshelf.
Sylphiel reached past her and pulled on a book titled, "The Secret Room." There was a click, and a part of the bookcase swung open. Vanya and Lina looked at her.
She shrugged and blushed. "It was the only one that didn't have dust on it."
"Lighting!" Lina cast, and a ball of light obediently formed in her hand. Reaching out with it, she stepped into the room. She found a few seconds later that the spell wasn't necessary. All the light they needed came from lamps spaced around the large room.
It wasn't so much an office as it was a trophy room, a place to relax and gloat to oneself. It was comfortable, equipped with chairs, a fireplace and a small liquor cabinet. A staircase on the opposite side of the room led up. And the trophies...
The trophies came in six glass cases two meters tall and lined against the right wall. All but one contained a skeleton, some human, others not.
"What is this place?" Sylphiel asked in a haunted whisper. "It's....It's...." She bit her lip and choked down a sob.
Lina walked over to the nearest trophy case. The skeleton inside looked like it belonged to a werewolf. At about chest level was a small brass plate. She read the name.
"Horus Danvil," she said quietly.
Vanya was at the next one, the skeleton looked larger, but still human in shape. "Emiharat Neomi."
"Barsht Karka," Lina said, reading the third one.
"Peleus Djo," Vanya growled the next.
"Afra Ghis," Lina sighed the fifth.
They turned to Sylphiel, standing next to the last and empty case.
"Sylphiel?" Vanya asked. "Sister?"
Sylphiel stood there, here face pale and a small tear running down her cheek. She finally swallowed and read the plate. "Zelgadis Greywords."
Vanya shook her head. "That son of a bitch," she growled.
"At least he's not in it," Lina remarked, slapping Sylphiel's shoulder. "Which means he's still alive!"
While she said this, Vanya walked over to fireplace and pulled the coal shovel from its stand. She went to the first case and screamed as she swung with her full strength! The glass shattered, and the skeleton fell to the floor.
She did the same for the other four, but stopped when she got to the empty case. She handed the shovel to Sylphiel.
The shrine maiden took an unsteady breath and tensed. With the most wrathful scream the demure shrine maiden could muster, she swung the shovel at the case Scarrin wanted to intern her lover's skeleton after completing whatever sick plan he had in store for him.
The case exploded in a shower of glass. Sylphiel dropped the shovel and fell to her knees.
"The problem with chimeras," a voice suddenly announced from behind them. "Is that they're so difficult to create."
The three women turned and saw Diol standing at the hidden door. At his side was a human figure wearing a brown robe with a hood hiding its face.
The mad scientist smiled as he circled the room toward the staircase. The women merely watched. "If you don't use the exact correct mixtures, you get a pitiful creature that falls apart within a few days." He paused and smiled. "But when you get it right...." He nodded in appreciation of his own work. "You create a life. In a way, it's like being a god."
"You don't create life," Sylphiel whispered barely loud enough to hear. "You take people's lives and twist them into forms you choose for them for purposes you choose for them." She looked at him hatefully. "You're not a god, you're a monster! A sick, twisted man who uses a science that could be of so much benefit to others and perverts it in the name of his own ambitions!"
"I SUPPOSE you could see it that way," Diol growled. "But it doesn't matter. Because in the end, I end up getting what I want. The chance to create ART!"
"Like that sick chimera you wanted to make out of me?" Lina asked, cracking her knuckles. "I may not know art, but I know crap when I see it."
"You're wrong, slimeball," Vanya informed him. "You're not going to get what you want. Because I'm going to kill you first. You and Scarrin and whatever other sick experiments you have working for you."
"Ah, the original Miss Greysword," he said. "We've made good use of the hair we found in your room." He tossed a look at the brown-robed figure. "Who would have guessed you'd be replaced so easily, hmm?"
"You think that copii of me scares me?" Vanya asked with contempt. "I killed one already, and Jeffrey's downstairs killing another one as we speak. They're FLAWED!"
Diol offered her a smile. "We'll see." With that, he turned and started up the staircase.
The kunoichi shook her head and started after him. "Don't turn your back on me, you freak!" she called out.
Before she made it halfway, the robed figure was there. Spinning around, it slammed the back of its fist into Vanya's face! Spinning again, it hit her with both palms and sent her flying across the room!
She hit the wall and fell to the ground.
"FIREBALL!" Lina cried, launching a spell across the room. It struck the figure dead on and dissipated into nothingness.
"Elf blood!" Sylphiel cried.
Vanya rose to her feet and drew her sword.
The figure stood before them and removed its hood. The women gasped.
Zelgadis Greywords stood before them.
AAA
The steps finally stopped at an iron door. Checking the knob, Zelgadis found it was locked. Growling he pulled the knob with a quick jerk and heard the hinges groan as they bent. A second later, the door crashed inward.
Stepping inside, he drew the sword he took from the berserker. The room was full of....
Nothing.
It was empty. Mammoth, but empty. It reminded him of the stadium in Copii Rezo's stronghold, the place he used to test spells, and realized that this was probably the same thing.
A door was at the other end, but between him and that door stood Scarrin.
"So," the tiger chimera said. "We've come to the climax."
Zelgadis sheathed his sword. "You have a Rezo complex," he said. "You know that, right? Zero tried to imitate him. You just want to be him."
"Rezo was just a foolish mortal who couldn't see the forest for the trees," growled back. "Had he approached me another way, I may have actually helped him regain his sight."
"Yeah, I believe that," Zelgadis told him. "So," he continued. "You gonna fight or just stand there and let me kill you?"
The tiger chimera smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."
AAAA
Jinnar was pacing in his chambers. Things were not going as he thought they would at all. The rebels were never supposed to make it to the walls of Castle WolfPack. Xelas was never to know there had even been a rebellion, and now he wasn't sure how he'd be able to keep it from her.
And he couldn't find his trump card, either. That dragon wench, Amara, was nowhere to be found!
"Think, Jinnar, think!" he chastised himself. "There's got to be a way out of this!"
Before he contemplate on his choices further, an orb of light appeared before him. Peering into it, he saw Pixy Misa's face. "Misa! What is it?! I'm busy planning our counterattack!"
Misa sneered, but the expression of disgust turned to mild desperation as another explosion rocked the wall behind her. "The battle does not go well, mon ami," she told him straightly. "We're going to have to retreat and regroup at....."
The orb suddenly went blank.
He thought for a moment then broadcasted his own send to the throne room. "What's happening out there?" he asked the guards on duty.
The orb that coalesced in the throne room saw nothing. He turned it and saw two dead Mazoku lying on the ground. Suddenly, a dark-haired woman with an eye patch appeared. She raised her hands at him.
"DEIMOS ARROW!"
The send broke.
Jinnar stood there, too stunned to accept what he had just saw.
Dragons had taken the throne room.
"I have to get out of here," he whispered. He started for the door. Perhaps Dynast would accept him into his service, allow him to form a "resistance" to eventually retake WolfPack Island.
Yes, he was liking this idea. He'd return even more powerful, and take his dearly departed overlord's place as Dark Lord of the south.
Reaching the door, he threw it open and immediately stumbled back three steps. Filia, Callisto and a mixture of dragons and Mazoku entered.
"LORD Jinnar," Callisto greeted with a grand bow. "You have no idea how delighted I am to see you!"
"Callisto," Jinnar breathed. "You traitorous....."
The cat-demon shook his head and clucked. "Oh, you really don't want to bandy that word about just now."
Jinnar kept backing up until he struck another figure. Turning, he saw that same one-eyed dragon as the one in the send. He was trapped!
"What are you going to do?" he asked them.
"Not up to me," Callisto said with an evil grin. "It's up to our leader." He nodded in Filia's direction.
"HER!? THAT DRAGON SLUT'S SISTER?!"
"Where is she?!" Filia snapped suddenly. Finally seeing the Mazoku responsible for so much, the kidnapping of her sister, the death of Xellos, she was out of patience.
Jinnar stood taller. "She's safe," he said. "Depending on what you do."
"Show her to us," Callisto suggested.
"No," Jinnar said defiantly. "Order your forces to surrender."
"Why don't I just kill you and order your forces to surrender, myself?" Callisto asked.
Jinnar's defiance cracked. "You wouldn't," he said.
Before Callisto could reply, the door to his right opened, and a Mazoku with a steel staff walked in.
Jinnar grinned. "Perfect timing," he said. "For once....." He waited as Iffy came to a stop before them. "Iffy, be a good girl and kill the traitors for me!"
Iffy turned to Callisto. "Lord Callisto," she said. "I'm happy to see the ocean broke your fall. I'm so glad you weren't hurt!"
Jinnar face-faulted.
"I hope you understand the pressures I was under," she said with a bow.
"I'm sure we can afford a little forgiveness," Callisto said graciously.
Iffy bowed again. "Thank you, Lord Callisto." She turned to Jinnar and smiled. "See, Lord God General Priest Jinnar Sir?" she asked. "I CAN scheme! I told you I could!"
Jinnar turned dead white.
The ditz turned to Filia. "Ma'am," she began with a sharp salute. "Welcome to Castle WolfPack! Home of the Whopper! I think your sister is waiting for you in Her Majesty's garden!"
"Thank you, Ms. Iffy," Filia said, just a bit puzzled.
"No problem, Ma'am." She turned and gave Jinnar a cute wave as she walked away. "Bye bye..... Lord God General.....Oh, whatever!"
The door closed behind her. Eyes turned to Jinnar.
The Mazoku licked his lips. "Well....I suppose.... I mean....."
Filia shook her head. "All this because of a craven little thing like you," she whispered. All the hate she had held back up until now began to surface, consuming her. "You little coward."
She raised her head regally. It was almost over, but Filia Metallium would give one more order as the Golden Lady.
"Callisto," she said quietly. "Kill this Mazoku for me."
Almost casually, Callisto stepped forward, his staff glowing a silvery-white.
"NO!" Jinnar screamed. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I'M JINNAR METALLIUM! GENERAL PRIEST! SLAYER OF XELLOS! YOU CA...."
The silver light of Callisto's staff tore effortlessly through the Mazoku's astral essence. Like a cloud of steam on a cold day, Jinnar dissolved into nothingness.
He died nothing like he lived: quietly.
"Where is the garden?" Filia asked quietly.
"Down the hall," Callisto told her. "Third door on the left."
The dragon nodded. "Lord Callisto," she said. "Please secure the castle and tell our forces to stand down, then please join me there." She turned and walked through the door.
"Filia," Callisto called. The dragon turned to him. "Thank you."
She nodded. "Thank me by helping me convince your queen to let us live."
AAAA
"Zel?" Lina asked in a haunted whisper.
The chimera standing before them was bald, but definitely had Zelgadis' face. That face, however, was glistening, and it took them a moment to realize it was because the stone portions of him were literally melting slowly off his body. He stared at them, through them, as if he saw them, but didn't comprehend them.
"That's not Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel said assuredly.
"No, it's not," Vanya agreed. She raised her sword. "You two, after the slimeball. I'll keep this one occupied."
"Vanya!" Sylphiel gasped. "You can't...."
The kunoichi offered her a smile. "No, Sister, you're wrong. I'm the only one who can. I've trained five years for EXACTLY this."
Sylphiel didn't know what to say.
"Zel's waiting," Vanya whispered. "Go find him."
Sylphiel nodded and took Lina's hand. "Come, Miss Lina," she said. "My sister has this under control."
The two ran up the stairs after Diol.
Vanya turned to the copii. "Okay, asshole," she said quietly. "Do something."
It did.
The copii-chimera somersaulted toward her! Vanya brought her sword up, but couldn't stop the stone man's feet from striking her chest! Vanya flew back again as the chimera back flipped and landed on his feet.
Vanya spun to her feet just as the copii-chimera was on her. Offering an overhand slash, Vanya watched the chimera cross his arms over his head and deflect the blow with the rock skin of his forearms. He followed this with a head butt to her nose.
The kunoichi stumbled backward, but recovered fast, catching the copii off-guard with two quick slashes across the face.
The creature stopped as blue sand dribbled from the wound, but not for long. The cuts closed themselves within seconds.
"Damn," Vanya muttered.
In less than a second, the chimera was on her again, slamming the palm of his hand into her face. She hit the ground and rolled right just as the creature's knee struck the ground where she had landed. Rising to her feet, she growled and slashed at him again.
The copii used its chimera speed to dodge, and instead of an enemy, Vanya's slashes went straight through a statue and a bookshelf.
Another slash, and her blade was in his hand. She watched stunned as the chimera whipped the sword away and heard it clang to a stop near the far wall.
She gasped as the creature's fist buried itself in her stomach. Doubling over, she felt him grab her hair and give a yank so sharp, she flew off her feet!
Landing on the other side of the room, she rolled just in time to see the chimera land on top of her.
She quickly drew her dagger and jabbed at the thing's eye, the quickest path to the brain and therefore the fastest road to victory. The copii's hand caught her knife by the hilt a hair's breath from his eye. He squeezed sharply, and Vanya felt the fingers in her left hand break like stale pretzels.
Gritting her teeth, she watched it tear the knife away from her crushed digits and raise its fist.
The first punch was like being hit with an anvil. Fireworks went off in her head. She opened her eyes just in time for the second punch.
And a third.
And a fourth.
Her blurred vision could see blood on the creature's hand, and her brain almost absent-mindedly noted that it was hers.
Her right hand reached out and felt something not far away.
A fifth punch, and she couldn't see out of her right eye anymore. Her brain noted that the thing in her right hand was familiar.
A sixth punch and she felt blood running down the back of her throat from a shattered nose.
Her mind, for no apparent reason, flashed back to her memories of Zelgadis.
A seventh punch, and she couldn't see at all.
Her mind produced images. She and Zelgadis fishing.
An eighth punch. She was having trouble breathing.
Zelgadis needing her help. Zelgadis needing to be protected, rescued from a fate worse than death.
An image of the creature attacking her popped into her head, a creature looking at her with her brother's aquamarine eyes.
A ninth punch, and her hand squeezed around the object.
Zelgadis NEEDED her!
A tenth......
"STONE CLEAVE!"
The Ishii Ryu katana sprang to life in her hand and whipped upward. She felt a hint of resistance as the blade struck something. She heard something strike the stone floor to her left and felt something heavy resting against her body.
But there were no more punches.
She dropped the katana and tried to breathe.
"Rest," she wheezed to the dead creature lying on top of her. "Rest now."
"Just rest....."
AAAA
Lina caught sight of Diol's shadow just ahead of them. "There he is!" she huffed, putting on speed.
As Sylphiel followed, something to her left caught her eye, and she stopped. "Ms. Lina!"
Lina either didn't hear her or didn't care. She went on after Diol.
Sylphiel blinked and cast a lighting spell. There! The thing that caught her eye. There was a doorknob in the wall.
Reaching out, she turned it.
AAA
Diol dashed out the door of the fortress roof. He kicked himself for being run into a corner. He had assumed his Zelgadis copii would dispatch all three of them quickly. He didn't think the women would split up.
He looked over the edge and saw the battle still going on below, with arcs of magic fire shooting back and forth. It looked like fireflies.
"GOT YOU!"
He turned and saw Lina standing in the doorway, cracking her knuckles. "Oh, you little bitch," she chuckled. "You have no idea how much fun this is going to be for me."
"Lina," he began. "Let's talk! We can do great things together!"
"Oh, I'm going to do great things with you," Lina said with a grin. "Well.... YOU probably won't think they're so hot, but....." She shrugged and smiled.
Diol covered his face with his hands. "Not the face!" he cried. "NOT THE FACE!"
Nothing happened.
Parting his fingers, he tentatively looked out and found the sorceress...... sleeping?
It was true! Lina Inverse was lying on the floor, snoring like a baby.
"Huh?" was all Diol could muster.
"Oh, she's not hurt," a voice called out from around him.
He turned and saw nothing.
Well, there was an albatross sitting on the door, but that was it. Suddenly, the large bird hopped down from its perch and began to reform itself, its feathers disappearing as it grew into the shape of a man with a hat and eyepatch. He walked with a cane and was dressed all in white.
Diol swallowed nervously.
"Professor Diol," the Wind Dragon King greeted. "I've been trying to make an appointment with you for months!"
AAA
Author's Notes:
To ChibiKaz -
I plan to have this wrapped up in one more chapter which I plan to work on over the next few weeks. "Mothers and Sons" will be a longer chapter, and it will be the finale to "Finale."
To Tenchiken10 -
Thanks for the input. I changed the rating like you suggested.
