Protector
Chapter: 8
The Morning After the Storm
Next chapter of Protector is here
Lina awoke the next morning feeling better than she had in the past couple of days. She had had a good nights sleep after all the mazuko had let her be. She stood looking at the mirror for a moment before sitting down to comb her hair. She ran the comb through her hair and thought, 'Man I've had quite a couple of days. At first I thought I was going to find Zel and actually been able to talk with him again. But, now that I know Durzan is a mazuko it was probably just a lie to get me to stay with him. Though it would've been nice to have someone around that I can talk to.' Lina finished and put the comb down as she stood from the dresser that had the mirror on top of it. She walked out the door and went downstairs for breakfast. When she got down the first thing her eyes caught was Durzan sitting at a table with his eyes closed but she knew he was all to aware. She sat down at the table he was at and just glared at him. After a moment Durzan smirked slightly while asking, "Have a good sleep?"
"You know I ought to slap you for that," Lina sarcastically replied.
"I would infer that you want a repeat of last night then," Durzan replied playfully as he opened his eyes to look at Lina.
Lina blushed slightly while threatening, "Touch me again and I'll Dragon Slave you back to whatever hell birthed you."
Durzan feigned a yawn and said, "Been there done that. How about the Karratar Mountians? I hear their nice this time of year."
"Why you," Lina shouted as she brought her hand back to hit him. She was about to lunge forward when she heard from behind, "Now, now that'll only entice him."
Lina looked behind her to see a cloaked figure standing in front of their table. Lina scanned over the figure to notice by the voice and body shape that the figure was blatantly female. She sat down at the table and her purple robes showed from under her forest green cloak. She shifted to look at Lina and said, "Well I finally get to meet the infamous Lina Inverse."
"What do you mean infamous," Lina baulked before asking, "And, who the hell are you?"
The woman didn't answer just looked at Durzan and said, "You've got quite a live wire here Durzan."
"Yeah, she can be quite a short fuse if you're not careful," Durzan replied while winking at the woman knowing full well who it was.
Lina fumed for a second before she asked again, "Who the hell are you?"
Before anyone said anything they all heard Xellos reply, "Well it's been a long time since I've seen you around my dear," as he materialized at the table.
The figure looked at Xellos and commented, "Well if it isn't the trickster priest. Zelas send you here for her?"
"Yes, the same reason you sent Durzan over there," Xellos motioned towards the other mazuko he still couldn't figure out.
Lina looked at the figure putting two and two together and said, "So your the other servant of the Knight then."
The figure nodded at Lina and said, "Yes, I'm Illianna the consort to the Knight of Shabarnigdo."
"What do you want know? Isn't it enough that you sent him," Lina motioned at Durzan as well.
"I'm just here checking up on you...that and I need to have a talk with our agent," Illianna said while catching Durzan's eye with a very serious look.
"As you wish," Durzan complied as he nodded and phased out.
Illianna smiled and said, "If you'll excuse me," and phased out after Durzan.
Lina looked at Xellos and said, "What the hell is going on here?"
"I don't know but I'm going to try and find out," as he phased out behind the other two.
Lina's brow creased with anger as she felt greatly ignored. She hand her hands through her hair and the shouted, "Hey waiter get over here!!"
Durzan sat in the astral plain as he waited for Illianna to follow him. She appeared in front of him with her eyes closed and concentrating for a moment before she opened her eyes to look at him. She smiled and asked, "How are you Zelgadis?"
"I'm doing ok.," he replied as he smirked somewhat, "Lina is pissed at me but that's to be expected when I won't tell her what she wants to know."
Illianna chuckled and said, "Well it is to be expected from an Inverse...they are known for their tempers."
"Well at least in Lina's case it does apply. But, why are you here? I didn't think I was doing badly enough to have you and Vladimir checking up on me almost daily." Zelgadis began to get to the point of Illianna's visit.
Illianna smiled and said, "You're doing fine Zelgadis I just made a stop to check on some suspicions I had about Lina."
"And what would those be? I believe I am entitled to know what is going on with my charge," Zelgadis said as he stood to look Illianna straight in the eyes.
"She has come in possession of an item that we need. For now her holding on to it is fine but when the time comes we want to ask you to steal it for us," Illianna assured Zel of what they wanted.
"Well what does this item look like," Zel inquired while turning and checking the area with his mazuko senses.
"It looks to be a ruby shaped to be like a drop...it is about as big as a half of my palm. It's called the Bloodstone," Illianna described the item to Zel.
"Is that all I'd hate to be too far from Lina for too long," Zel said as he changed back into the Durzan disguise.
"Yes, and I'll be leaving now so you have fun Zel...or should I say Durzan," Illianna gave a goodbye as she faded from view.
Durzan nodded and said to himself, "Back to work," as he phased out.
Lina had just finished her large meal and was leaning back in her chair like she usually did. She sighed and patted her stomach right as Xellos reappeared in the chair he had taken before. Lina couldn't help but smirk when she saw he had burn marks on his skin and his hair was quite frazzled. She then asked, "Rough travel through the astral plane there Xellos?"
"Yes...," Xellos let out with a puff of black smoke coming with his reply. "As much I love the feel of the astral barriers it annoys me that I can get through to know what they are planning."
Lina's brow furrowed at this bit of information, 'If their working this hard to keep Xellos from hearing their plans and conversations then something really is going on.' She looked to the side as Durzan reappeared in his chair and went back to sitting there with his eyes closed like nothing had ever happened. "Look whose back...and acting like we didn't notice he was gone for about twenty minutes," Lina began hoping to try and get any information she could out of Durzan.
Durzan opened one eye at Lina and said, "You know you'll have to do better than that to get any information out of me," as he smirked at her.
Lina glared at him and then looked away. Durzan, had he not known better, would've thought Lina had given up. But, that telltale glint in her eyes before she looked away told Durzan that Lina was thinking of something. Though he knew something was up he couldn't let anyone know that he knew Lina that well. If he did the cat might be yanked out of the bag by Xellos on who he was. Before he could think of anything to say Lina had already grabbed his arm and was dragging him up the stairs. "What do you think you're doing," Durzan asked as he resisted Lina's pulling.
Lina looked at him over her shoulder and with an evil smirk gave a jerk that throw Durzan off his feet. She then quickly dragged him into her room and locked the door. She stayed leaned against the door with a sinister looking smile on her face as she announced, "Ok, were either do this the easy way or the hard way. You tell me what I want to know peacefully or I bring it out of you."
"Do your worst," Durzan said standing across from her defiantly crossing his arms over his chest.
"I warned you," Lina said as she cleared her throat.
Before Durzan realized what she had planned Lina had begun to sing a, 'Life is beautiful,' song that Amelia had created one day on one of their long hikes. He collapsed to the ground while covering his ears. He could feel the negative effects of the positive emotions taking over his body. He tried to phase out but found that he couldn't move or even concentrate with his mazuko senses. He looked at Lina to see her with a look of sadistic glee in her eyes while she continued to sing verse after verse of the accursed song. "What....what do....you want....to...know," Durzan managed to say in-between the waves of pain.
Lina didn't stop singing and soon there came a knock on her door with Amelia calling out, "Miss Lina I didn't know you like my song."
Lina unlocked the door and let Amelia in while not missing a beat. When Amelia got in she saw Durzan on the ground wracked in pain and realized why Lina was singing the song. She looked at Lina and Lina gave her a wink to join in. So Amelia began to sing as well. Lina then quit while Amelia kept going on with the song. She walked over to the powerless Durzan and asked, "Why are you following me?"
"I...told...you I've been....sent...to protect....you," Durzan forced still holding his ears in pain.
"Why are the mazuko divided," Lina continued her interrogation.
"Because....you destroyed...Hellmaster...and Gaav... Now those...mazuko that...were under....them...have stayed...loyal to...their dead....masters...instead of...Shabarnigdo," Durzan continued to answer hoping that the torture to stop if he answered.
"Why did the Knight of Shabarnigdo send you here," Lina continued as she watched Durzan.
Durzan could feel his control slipping because of the extreme pain that grew as the song continued. He steeled himself as best he could before answering, "Like I said....to protect you..."
"There has to be another reason other than that," Lina continued as she saw Durzan's hair flash lavender but soon came back to his blonde. 'That's the second time that's happened...seems the Durzan we see is just a disguise, but who is he,' Lina wondered as she waited.
Durzan didn't want to answer but he saw no other way out. Before he was going to talk he heard Mortis in the back of his mind, 'Master, awaken me and I can help you.' Durzan nodded and said, "Mortis...awaken...and help...your master."
Lina's eyes widened when she saw the sword at Durzan's side begin to glow with energy. 'What how can that sword be doing this without Durzan being able to concentrate,' she mentally squawked as a blood red barrier formed around Durzan. "What the hell is going on?"
Durzan dropped his hands from his ears and breathed heavily now that the barrier blocked the sound of the singing. He stood shakily after a moment and said, "Nice try Lina but you'll have to do a bit better to get everything out of me."
Lina glared at him and replied, "It was working so far and it would've had you not thought of that sword."
Durzan smirked, "The information I gave you were things that were unimportant if you knew or not."
Lina glared at him and then ran towards him shouting, "I'll get what I want out of you or die trying," as she formed a flare arrow in her hands.
Durzan shook his head and sighed, "This gets you no where."
"I don't care," Lina shouted with frustration as her flare arrow hit the barrier and did absolutely nothing to it.
Durzan looked at Lina seriously and said, "Stop wasting your power against me. The storm isn't totally over so save your strength for the next fight. And, don't worry I'm here to protect you...that is my only functions and that is what I'm going to do," Durzan finished with a caring look in his eyes before phasing out of the room.
Lina stared at the spot Durzan used to be for a moment before letting out a growl of frustration and punched the wall. She left a small dent but she was still angry. She turned to gaze at Amelia who took the cue to quickly leave the room. As Amelia shut the door she heard a loud crash that was Lina taking out her frustration on the room. She headed down to get something to eat while wondering, 'Does Mister Durzan care for Miss Lina. That look he gave he looked her was that of almost love...I don't understand.'
Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from The Slayers do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.
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