SLAYERS: WARPED

Nayru: My, my... I haven't updated in so long!

Xiao: Do it now! Do it NOW!

Nayru: Yes... update time!

Chapter 5: Slave For The Dragon

"L-sama, such a sad day..." Amelia sighed sadly. The moment the restaurant had been cleaned up, they'd rushed out, half-dragging a distraught Alin and not speaking to either Kinsei or Elijah. They'd put the children in an adjoining room in the inn, and locked themselves in their room. Zelgadis was glaring at the wall, dead-eyed, Lina was in a corner, thinking concentratedly, Gourry was sitting by the door to the teenagers' room, Filia was in a chair in the corner, sipping anxiously at a cup of tea, and Amelia was staring out the window, as it was starting to rain. Alin's sobbing picked up, like a great wind had come, and the entire group heard him heave it out, as Elijah and Kinsei mumbled what could have been consoling words, but were too indistinct through the wall. The sobs died down after a minute, and the entire group heard;

"See, Alin, the little puppet likes you! Look, Alin, puppet!" Chocolate sounded as chipper as always. Alin's sobbing picked up again.

"We should be in there with him, I think." Gourry mumbled, sounding flustered.

"Gourry, you /never/ think." Lina snarled snidely. The rest of the group turned to look at her, slightly shocked. "There's something funny with those brats, I know it! That girl had something about her, this weird air, I just gotta wonder about her. And since someone named Zelgadis kidnapped her"

"He LOOKED like me, Lina." Zel interrupted. "That was what I looked like before the transformation. If some alter ego of me kidnapped that cosplay boy's girlfriend, I bet he's got a damn good reason why!" Zel's voice had taken a harsh tone, and as he rose, the others could see his body tense up. "I want to speak to one of them."

"Which one" Lina quickly retorted. Zel pursed his lips, thinking.

"Kinsei looks pretty fragile. Let's go with her. She'll break fastest."

"Oh, no, Zelgadis!" Amelia cried, frightened. Her wail was ultimately ignored.

"Let's do it." Filia sighed, obviously objecting in tone, but not wanting to argue.

Far away, Xelloss was busily scanning the ground from thirty feet overhead to look for any signs of Rei or Zelgadis. He noticed a trail, one dragged, one of large footprints. The drag trail was obviously dabbled in congealing blood. He frowned, and flew faster. The drag became footprints, smaller, and finally led him to a large field of rocks, with two people standing in front of it. Xelloss hovered a safe ten feet above them and five feet behind them, close enough to hear, but far enough to run away. Rei was breathing heavily, and it seemed Zelgadis was allowing her to catch her breath, until...

THWAP! Rei crumpled to the ground, as his fist hit the side of her face.

"You ruined my plan, you idiot. Congratulations, they know who you are. They don't know where we are, so I don't have to punish you yet." He pulled her up by her shoulders. "But, you did prove yourself by sword. Therefore, I'll teach you a spell that I will need you to use eventually..." He smirked. "You are going to help me destroy Belen."

"Belen" Xelloss whispered to himself, making a mental note.

"Wh-why...? What's in Be... Bel..." Xelloss could hear suppressed sobs under Rei's stuttering.

"Belen, you hellion. Within its walls lives a midwife, and in a few years, this midwife will move her practice to Sailune, and develop into a fertility clinic for the childless. Without that clinic, you would never have existed." Zelgadis smirked. Rei's eyes widened, and she whimpered, staring at her feet. "Hence, without the midwife..."

"... Don't make me do this." She looked up at him with teary eyes. He hit her again, but this time, she didn't flinch.

"Do as I say." He took a sheet of paper from nowhere, and scrawled something on it. "Read this to yourself, but not out loud." He instructed her calmly, his voice even, sounding eeriely more like a teacher than a madman. "Memorize it. Then, meditate all your power to your center..." Xelloss felt something quake within his heart, as Rei closed her eyes.

"What is this power..." Xelloss whispered to himself. "L-Lina's soul is in her..." He gasped, suddenly remembering, and then jumped, realizing what she was about to do. "No, no..."

"Say the spell." Zelgadis instructed her coolly. Rei's voice suddenly took an eerie, deep tone, as she began to intone;

"Darkness beyond twilight... "

"No, Rei, no..." Xelloss whispered. At this point, Zelgadis turned around, smirking evilly.

"Crimson beyond blood that flows..." Rei continued to chant.

"Don't let her do this, Zelgadis..." Xelloss urged. Zelgadis shook his head nastily.

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power flows..."

"You know what damage it will do to her..." Xelloss growled, backing away further.

"I pledge myself to conquer..."

"REI! STOP IT!" Xelloss called.

"All the foes who stand..."

"STOP IT, YOU'LL KILL YOURSELF!"

"Before the might power..."

"You're taking the soul that isn't yours..."

"Bestowed in my unworthy hands..."

"Xelloss, there's nothing you can do now." Zelgadis finally chuckled. "She's the Dragon's slave now."

"DRAGON SLAVE!"

Amelia jumped, as thunder struck far away. Bright light shone from nearly ten miles away. "Wow..." She whispered. She turned around, to try and speak to the others, but they were too deep in conversation about what to ask Kinsei when the opportunity rose.

TO BE CONTINUED... (maybe later tonight, I dunno.)