It's three years after the end of Slayers Try, and things have gone on pretty normally for Lina and Gourry since then -- without any new world-saving adventures, anyway. Until now . . . Lina is reunited with old friends and meets a variety of new people with different motives and abilities as she becomes entangled in the Monsters' plot to actually destroy the world themselves this time!

At twenty-one years old, is Lina going to finally start showing signs of slowing down, of becoming less impetuous? Don't bet your ass on it, but she's definitely learned some new tricks! Meanwhile, Gourry seems to content to stay by her side forever, like he'd once said he'd like to. But is a powerful memory really that easily left behind? And then there's Zelgadis, who seems to have become resigned to the way things are, but he can't even begin to guess at the surprises that Fate has in store for him. Amelia's changed a lot as well, taking on a lot of responsibilities for her kingdom, although there's no way her passion for virtue and justice will ever diminish! More of your favorite Slayers characters return in a story about living, loving, and growing up in a world of adventure, fun, and the pursuit of dreams -- bringing to mind Lina's words, that the future is like a beautiful flower that has yet to unfurl.

Meet new characters as well -- the beautiful, stately Trayna, who wields a deadly scythe and carries a past fraught with mystery; the temperamentally-challenged Ivy, whose mixed bloods lend her powers most couldn't even dream of; and Derec, the innocent gate guard who has no idea what he's in for when he decides to follow his heart, and that means joining up with Lina and company!

This is no one-shot. Settle in for the long ride! Check back for frequent updates!

Episode 01: New Places, Old Faces

To make a long story short, three years later, Lina Inverse was exactly the same.

It was true that she hadn't saved the world, cast the Giga Slave, or seen Amelia or Zelgadis lately, but Lina didn't worry about these things anyway until they showed up in her life. Saved a lot of stress that way. All she had to worry about was food, treasure, and finding Gourry a new sword. They hadn't come up with a suitable replacement for the Sword of Light yet, as Gourry was being picky about it. Then again, Lina would've preferred the Sword of Light too. Too bad about that.

Outside of the barrier, the world was humongous, and there was so much to explore. Although magic-users were rare in the greater world, Lina of course being one of a kind anyway, there were still a few powerful folks who liked to make trouble, and there was always a surfeit of bandits to punish in a style that would make Amelia proud (or in some cases, actually protest . . . but that was only when they'd actually said or done something to merit a Dragon Slave in the face, really).

Too bad there was no magic in the world that could save her from all the flat jokes. At age 21, she'd gotten as tall and as full-figured as she guessed she was ever going to get. Lina, toweling her hair dry after her bath, took the time to study her reflection in the mirror over the basin. Clever red eyes under a shock of long, lustrously curly red hair looked back at her, set in a cute face above a femininely petite and winsomely slender body. Nothing to complain about there. So what if she wasn't as well-endowed as certain dark-haired princesses she'd known; she had plenty of good attributes. So why was she wondering if Gourry ever thought she was cute?

Lina shook her head, turning away to start pulling on her clothes. Red leggings, tunic, yellow bra band and briefs, gray boots, black headband. She left off her sword belt, gloves, and cape with its shoulder epaulettes since they were just going to breakfast downstairs. Getting interrupted during a meal was hardly an unheard-of occurrence, but hopefully fate wouldn't toy with her that way today. Oh, the many, many delicious meals that had been ruined thanks to people coming through walls, the ceiling collapsing, or some idiot showing up at the wrong place at the wrong time and deciding to piss Lina off, with rather explosive results.

After breakfast, they were going to check out the city's museum. It was incredibly famous and held countless records of magical artifacts, enchanted weapons, and spells long lost to most sorcerous organizations. It had taken them weeks to get here, way down at the southern tip of the continent, and it was colder here than she liked even in the middle of summer, but she was practically drooling with anticipation of the museum's opening this morning. Or at least she would be after she was done drooling over the idea of breakfast.

She headed downstairs, pausing before the last few steps to note the sounds of dishes clattering and food being scarfed down. Ahh, Gourry was awake already. A smile quirked her lips as she entered the room and plopped down next to her traveling companion and self-titled protector. "Good morning, Lina," Gourry said amiably, or at least that was what he said after Lina translated it from mouth-full-ese.

"Innkeeper! Get me another order of whatever he'd had so far and everything he's got coming too!" Lina yelled, eyeing Gourry's food hungrily. Bacon, omelets, grapefruit, sausage, boiled eggs, toast, cinnamon oatmeal, pancakes . . . Gourry started edging his food away from her. She quickly swiped some toast. "Boy, am I starving!"

"I'm gonna be the one who's starving if you eat all my food," Gourry complained. Lina ignored him, taking some bacon too. Luckily the cook was speedy and Gourry was saved from further thievery as Lina set into her morning's meal. It was awhile before either one spoke again, though they were plenty noisy. "Ahh . . . That hit the spot," Gourry sighed contentedly once he was done. "I'm ready to face the world again."

Lina glanced over at her blonde bodyguard briefly. "Hard to do without a sword, ain't it?" she remarked, finishing off a ham and cheese omelet.

Gourry blinked at her with blue eyes that tended to border on vacant. He wore a light blue shirt and trousers tucked into dark blue boots, his usual dark blue armor absent at the moment. "I have a sword," he objected. "I just don't like it."

"Yeah, so you refuse to use it unless you have to," Lina grumbled. "Leaving me to do all the work. Like with those wild trolls the other day. And the bandits the week before that. And that crazy pretend-magician a month earlier with the big ugly mechanical golem thing . . ."

"I'm still useful!" Gourry said cheerily. "Remember those ice-orcs? I got rid of those all my myself. You were too busy swimming around."

"I was stuck under the ice!" Lina exclaimed, leaning forward and grinding a fist into the top of his head. "You coulda gotten me out before I was half-drowned, you know! Augh, you jellyfish brain."

Gourry rubbed his head puzzledly as she sat back, then smiled at her. Lina rolled her eyes. You couldn't stay mad at him. Besides, he was still useful, even without the Sword of Light . . . sometimes. Occasionally. He made a good decoy. And, well, he was stubborn as hell and never gave up. She could count on him. For simple tasks, anyway.

Plus, having someone around who ate as much as she did made her look not so bad. Mmm, food. Her thoughts were distracted away by the last few plates of her morning meal.

"The museum opens in half an hour," Lina said, finally done. She crossed her arms behind her head and studied the stack of empty plates with a glow of contentment. "We'll see if there are any records of powerful swords there. Then see what we can do about stealing -- I mean . . . um . . . becoming their caretakers." She smiled brightly for the benefit of anyone who had overheard her, eyes sliding to the side.

"Stealing what?" came a familiar darkly-toned voice.

Lina nearly tipped over backward in her chair, grabbing the edge of the table to steady herself just in time. Upside-down, she stared at Zelgadis. "Zel! What are you doing here?"

"Zelgadis!" Gourry said, seeing who had spoken.

Of medium height for a guy, which put him considerably above Lina but below Gourry, Zelgadis possessed blue eyes, silvery blue hair, and stony skin he normally covered up with a cowl topping his off-white tunic and trousers. About six years ago, shortly before Lina met him, his body had been replaced with a magical creation, and he had been looking for a cure ever since. Lina wasn't sure if he'd always had a grim bent or if that had happened after he'd been turned chimera, but Zelgadis always tried to be serious, and rarely smiled. Even now in the presence of two old friends, his mouth only held the hint of a curve. As far as Lina could tell, he seemed relatively unchanged since they had last seen one another.

"Same thing as you, I suspect," Zelgadis said, folding himself into a chair on the other side of Lina. "Investigating the famous Ruinana Museum. I see you made it just in time for their annual opening."

"Oh yeah," Lina said with relish, having righted herself. "The good ol' Lina luck is still holding out strong. I take it you're still looking for a way to turn your body back to normal, huh?"

Surprisingly, Zel shrugged. "It would be nice, but at this point a pleasant surprise, not my objective. I don't think any magic exists in this world that can restore something that has been lost. Not that mere humans could grasp, anyway."

"You mean you're giving up?" said Gourry. "Then what are you here for?"

Zelgadis was silent for a moment before he spoke. "To see what I can find."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lina wanted to know. He just shrugged. Her eyebrows lowered, and the fiery redhead said, "You're worse than Xellos sometimes."

"It's been a thankfully long time since I've seen that Monster," Zel commented, smoothly changing the subject. "How about you? Had any more trouble with the Monster race? I can hardly imagine them leaving you alone, considering everything that happened."

Lina shrugged one shoulder eloquently, crossing her arms in a posture of indifference. "They haven't been bothering you, have they? It's not like you didn't play a role with Shabranigdo, or Phibrizzo, or Darkstar. You're too modest, Zel. No, I haven't heard a peep from them in all this time, but I've been wandering way out of my old territory, so that's not surprising."

"I'm not the one who kept casting chaos magic," Zel muttered. Before Lina could respond to that, he added, "Isn't the museum opening soon? Don't you want to beat the crowds?"

Lina grinned. "You think I'm gonna wait in line?"

In a remarkable observation, in his case, Gourry said, "Yeah right, this is Lina we're talking about."

---

The museum had attracted folks of all levels of powers and nationalities, some from even further than Lina had come, but a dreadful reputation always managed to travel the furthest. Lina had no problem terrorizing hapless sorcerers and sorceresses into letting her to the front of the line, although more than one mentioned the interpretation of Dragon-Spooker that tended to get her a little ticked off. Those ones she showed just what made her so damn spooky.

Nearly wiggling with excitement behind the red velvet rope that stretched in front of the double doors, Lina entertained herself with fantasies of what lay beyond while Gourry waited patiently and Zelgadis observed with bemusement. 'They haven't changed in the slightest. Why am I even surprised?' the chimera wondered.

The great clock on top of the museum boomed the hour in a deep chime. "All right!" Lina declared. "Time to see what kind of treasures this place holds!" Her breath steamed in the cold air as she looked expectantly to the gilded doors that lay beyond a veritable cliff of marble steps. The shield that surrounded the entire edifice glimmered translucently just before the entrance, humming on the magical senses of everyone present.

Nothing happened.

The crowd started shifting and muttering as the minutes ticked by. Lina grew more and more displeased. Gourry got kinda nervous. Zel resigned himself to the inevitable. But then, the doors did swing open, revealing a tall, statuesque woman with pretty strawberry blonde hair held back by a white headband, pale green eyes under a parted fringe of bangs, and a stunning outfit consisting of a dark green, sleeveless, full-body leotard topped by a distinctive gold-colored coat trimmed in white. This odd coat was cut under her breasts, tied over them, left her shoulders bare, and went to her knees, flaring open at the hips after a line of silver hook-and-eyes. Upper-arm length arm covers matched it, though they were separate. The ensemble was completed with shiny black gloves and boots and a shockingly lethal scythe she held casually in one hand, the top of the blade balanced on the marble floor behind her. Her expression was somewhat pained, like she had a headache, but it didn't detract from her stunning appearance in the slightest.

"Wow . . ." Gourry was the first to speak. "It's Lina, if she was hot."

He was briefly reduced to a sparkle in the distant clear blue sky, before he landed with a crash in his former position. Lina dusted her gloves and turned her gaze on this obviously important character. "You're late," she said flatly.

The new redhead ignored her, stepping forward and lifting her free hand to address the crowd as though she didn't already have their full and utter attention. She passed through the shield effortlessly. "Welcome, travelers," she called, her voice startlingly low-pitched. Lina thought dourly that that probably only made her more attractive. The woman went on. "On the behalf of all the Ruinana Curators, I'd like to thank you for coming this far to visit our humble museum . . ."

"Why does that sound like the beginnings of an apology?" Zel muttered.

"Not necessarily," Lina whispered hopefully.

"But at this time, the museum cannot be opened to the public."

The crowd started shifting angrily. Bravely, the woman continued. "You see, it was the site of an attempted burglary last night, and the incident is still being investigated. We should be opening on a delayed schedule some time next week, if the offender has been apprehended by then . . ."

"Someone was dumb enough to try to break into the Ruinana Museum?" Zel remarked dryly.

Now the woman turned her attention to the foot of the steps, in particular the small, distinctive group that stood there. She took in the short redhead, the collapsed swordsman, and the depressed chimera in a glance, but kept her voice tall enough for everyone to hear. "Yes. Our defenses are quite formidable, but the attempt was still made, and it was a distressingly close call. We cannot give out details at this time, but we advise the general public to be cautious in their daily affairs."

"Huh, must have been someone really scary," Gourry said, picking himself up. "If they're warning people about him." The crowd was starting to disperse, disappointed.

"Or her." Zel glanced at Lina.

"It wasn't me!" Lina exclaimed immediately. "You think if I tried to do something and failed, I'd quit and meekly do it the right way?" She arched one eyebrow challengingly.

"She has a point," Gourry agreed.

Zel nodded. "Unless the defenses were just that good . . . which I've heard they are," he pointed out. "She could still have something up her sleeve." Gourry considered that.

The tall woman on the steps watched as the crowd of people broke up and departed. She still wore an expression of discomfort. Lina studied her while Gourry and Zel were conferring about Lina's liability of being the culprit. It didn't seem likely that this woman would hand out any more information about this possible threat . . . Time to find someone who would, so that she could clear this up and investigate the museum's treasures as soon as possible. Lina spun on her heel and marched out of the courtyard with Gourry in tow. In moments they had cleared the gate, leaving the area nearly deserted.

"Your soul," Zel said, his voice vaguely surprised. The woman flinched violently and jerked her head down to stare at the one man who remained.

"W--what?" she managed to say, drawing backward.

Zelgadis stepped forward to the rope, studying her intently. "Your astral body has been damaged. You were there during the battle last night."

She clasped her other hand around the staff of her scythe behind her, looking at Zelgadis uncertainly. "What of it? I work here, obviously. Don't hope that I will tell you what happened, because at this time we cannot afford rumors and --"

"But it wasn't a normal astral attack."

She stared at him for a moment, then, swinging her great scythe up onto one shoulder with an ease that passingly reminded Zel of Filia, turned away, back into the shield. Her voice was muffled when she spoke next. "Go, shaman. You will find no more information here."

Zel's eyes narrowed with a hint of amusement. "You never gave a name."

She paused, not turning to look at him again. "Trayna." The doors swung shut between them of their own volition.

"Huh," Zel murmured.

---

The first guard shack Lina came across while prowling around outside the perimeter proved to have a tired-looking young man with black hair, blue eyes, and wire-framed glasses. He was guarding one of the side entrances, alone. Lina moseyed over casually, Gourry following after.

He glanced up from his book, and quickly put it down, hurrying out to meet her. "Excuse me, miss, but you're not supposed to be here," he called. Lina stopped and let him come to her. "Visitors go to the front entrance," he explained, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Except for the unwanted kind who try to break in, I suppose," Lina replied innocently. Stepping forward, she propped an elbow up on his shoulder -- he was taller than she was, in his late teens, but not as tall as Gourry -- and pressed her body alongside his, smiling charmingly. "Tell me, how could something like that happen?"

"I -- um -- well --" He was completed red-faced and flustered. Gourry coughed into his hand to hide a snicker.

"A tough guy like you must've been instrumental in defending the museum," Lina went on. "What part did you play?"

"Well, I -- uh --" He cleared his throat. "I was actually there, but, uh, I'm not allowed to talk about it, you see." He tried to disengage from her. She clung to him determinedly.

"I bet you actually saw the burglar!" Lina enthused. She batted her eyelashes at him. "Was he really scary looking?"

"Well, no, she was a pretty normal looking girl . . . I mean . . ."

"Was she a redhead?" Lina dimpled. "Do you like redheads?"

"Oh, yes," he said immediately, his eyes going a little starry. Lina blinked at the unexpected reaction, but then he snapped out of it. "Uh, but she wasn't a redhead, no. I really can't talk about it, though, I'm sorry, miss."

"He's in love with the hot Lina," Gourry observed to no one in particular. No one in particular heard him.

The guard tried to pull away again. This time, Lina let him go, dropping the cute act and instead appealing to his sensible side. "Look, pal, I want just as much as you to see this girl put away where she belongs, so that the museum can open again," she said frankly. "And I really want to know what makes her a menace to the public. My name's Lina Inverse and trust me, I've taken care of bigger things than this. I promise I won't tell anyone what you tell me, and even on pain of death I won't tell anyone who told me. Which won't be hard since I don't know your name anyway."

He wavered visibly. "Well . . . It would be best if this were all cleared up as soon as possible . . . with as little threat to Tr-- the museum as possible . . ." He cleared his throat again, and glanced around before drawing Lina and Gourry off to the side, behind a large bush. "I can't tell you much, though, just what I saw and what I've overheard. First off, she was a young woman with short blue hair and blue eyes, dressed in blue and white, not too tall, and didn't have any weapons. She ran through the gate and broke through the shield around the museum, no sweat. That's all I saw. But . . ." Here he hesitated.

"But?" Lina prodded.

"But . . . she had magic. She did something to Trayna. That's the museum's top guide, you've probably seen her if you've been here before 'cause she greets everyone . . . She's real nice." A wistful smile came to his face, and only when Lina frowned did he remember what he was saying. "Oh, uh, she hurt Trayna somehow. No one will tell me anything 'cause I'm just a gate guard, but they're all in an uproar about it. Trayna seems okay to me, besides being upset, though . . ."

"Yeah, she didn't look hurt at all," Gourry said puzzledly. The young man shrugged helplessly.

"That was inside. Only the Curators know what happened there."

Lina and Gourry exchanged a look.

---

"The Curators aren't just guides and experts on the museum's treasures and records, they're live-in protectors -- powerful fighters and sorcerers. You have to pass an incredibly hard test to just earn the right to train to become one. Even after they make it, they train constantly, and dedicate their lives to the museum. In return they get access to all kinds of lost knowledge and powers. However, very few ever make it into their ranks."

Lina, Gourry, and Zel were back at the inn for lunch. Zel was still picking at his food, but Lina and Gourry were long done with their fourth and fifth portions. The famed sorceress paused before adding, "So it's no wonder they're unnerved that someone managed to nearly get in last night."

"Yeah, sounds like they'd have to be really tough," Gourry said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That blue-haired girl must've been something special."

"You got a description?" Zel asked. Lina nodded.

"Blue hair and eyes, short, sorceress. She got through the museum's shield like it was nothing."

"Hmm." Zel blinked slowly. "All I could ascertain was that the intruder must possess some kind of odd shaman magic. The woman who spoke this morning showed signs of a battle, but not any I've ever seen before."

"She was attacked astrally? That explains it." Lina nodded. "They said she was hurt. I didn't notice any astral damage, though."

"You'd have to be something of an expert to pick it up." Zel smiled modestly. "The damage was a very strange pattern, and subtle. Very clean, though."

"Clean?" Gourry said, mystified.

"You mean like her soul was sliced, not blasted?" Lina asked, eyebrows rising.

Zel nodded in agreement. "Entirely unlike anything I've ever seen before."

"Huh." Lina subsided into silence for a minute. "Astral magic . . ."

Gourry glanced between her and Zel. "You know, I get the whole white and black magic thing, and I guess it makes sense that if you mix them together you get that wacky chaos magic, but what exactly is shaman magic?" he wondered.

"Funny you should ask," Lina said sarcastically, then leaned forward to explain. "It's hard to describe, but shaman magic is tied into astral bodies -- souls -- and also the earth and nature around us. Lots of people pick it up, but few people learn all of its ins and outs. It's hard to be careful and deliberate with it. You're more likely just gonna end up blasting someone."

"So, this girl did something special?" Gourry said, quite intuitively.

"Yeah, she did." Lina considered for a moment. "Lots of shaman magic has been lost to time. More even than holy magic, which these days is just a shadow of its former self in the form of white magic. No one knows just what shaman magic was made for, or by, anymore."

"Indeed," said Zelgadis. "The young woman who attacked the museum last night seems to already have more magical knowledge than most of us, at least in that area."

"Then why'd she want to get into the museum, if she already knows so much?" Gourry wanted to know.

"Beats me," Lina said with a shrug. "But I'm willing to bet that after almost getting in once, she's not gonna just give up. I wouldn't, anyway. So she's probably not far."

"That sounds probable," Zel agreed. "But there is one thing that has been bothering me."

"What's that?" Lina asked.

"I've been with you guys all day long, and nothing's exploded yet."

They all digested this in silence.

"Yeah, huh . . . That is pretty strange," Gourry mused.

Lina was already looking around suspiciously. That had sounded too much like an omen for her comfort. But instead of someone crashing into the inn, she noticed someone who was already there, against all probability.

He looked up from his newspaper, a cup of steaming tea in front of him and his signature staff leaning against the table next to him. "Oh, hello, Lina," Xellos said, less than three feet away.

The self-titled Mysterious Priest was a unique if unassuming-looking guy, with dark shoulder-length hair, dressed in a yellow shirt and black pants with a black cloak edged in tan and red over it. He constantly looked happy and unconcerned, and his voice had an innocent lilt. But when the façade was lifted, he was revealed as a ruthless Monster, though he did have a mischievous side most of the time.

"It's -- It's --!" Gourry paused. "What's his name again?"

"Xellos!" Zel said, incredulous.

Lina sat brooding, a cloud of black funk around her. Her voice was a nearly inaudible mutter. "Figures. It just figures. Three years without getting bothered, and suddenly people start showing up all at once. Next thing you know, I'll be casting the Giga Slave."

"Actually, I couldn't care less about you, Lina." Xellos smiled reassuringly. "I'm here on totally unrelated business. And I doubt you could help. I did mean to warn you, though . . ." He paused to take a sip of his tea while the others waited with varying levels of irritation. "It could get messy around here pretty soon. You should probably leave."

One of Lina's eyebrows slowly climbed as she listened. She rested one fist against her cheek and sent him a slant-eyed gaze. "Huh . . . Since when don't you try to use me to accomplish whatever task it is you've been told to do? Either me leaving will let something happen, or you're worried I'm going to get whatever it is you're after first. Isn't that right."

"Ah . . . Well, that is . . ." Xellos said, chagrined.

"Keep your secrets if you want, Xellos, but when I set out to do something I don't just quit because things 'get messy.'" Lina smirked, leaning back. "And I want in that museum, so if I have to find the burglar myself, I will."

Xellos opened one eye and peered at her briefly. Lina blinked in surprise at the normally jovial priest's sudden seriousness when he spoke. "I wouldn't interfere if I were you, Lina. Come back to the museum next year . . . This year isn't a very good one for tourists."

"Is that a threat?" Zelgadis growled. "Because I intend to complete my research here, and I don't have the time to waste. I'm not leaving either."

"Research?" Lina inquired. Zel ignored her.

"Fine, fine," Xellos said, back to his usual cheery self. He picked up his teacup. "But don't say I didn't warn you. Time-tasters are as big a threat to you as you are to them."

Zel's eyes widened. "Did you say --!"

"What's a time-taster?" Gourry interrupted.

Xellos sweatdropped and Zelgadis facepalmed, but Lina just shook her head. "Actually, I'm not surprised you don't know about them," she remarked. "Most countries even inside the old barrier had forgotten about them. They've been believed extinct since the War of the Monsters Fall, and were never too abundant to begin with. Suffice it to say that . . ." She reflected a moment. "They're like vampires of the soul. They can steal pieces of it, granting them your abilities. Someone who stole a piece of Xellos' soul could transport around like a Monster, while someone who stole a piece of mine could cast the Giga Slave. And someone who stole yours could be as good a swordsman as you are."

"But she's just a girl!" Gourry objected. He flexed a bicep. "She doesn't have the muscle that I do. How could she swing around a sword just as well?"

"She wouldn't really be a Monster either, or already have the natural talent for magic that I have, but that wouldn't stop her from using our abilities if she got a piece of Xellos' or my soul." Lina shrugged, then added, "Not that I couldn't kick your ass any day, so don't you ever say 'just a girl again.'" Her tone made Gourry shrink back.

"Steals pieces of the soul . . ." Zel muttered. "No, that doesn't make any sense."

"Hm?" Lina said.

"If you really want into that museum, you can wait until everything is cleared up." Xellos lifted his shoulders slightly and sipped his tea. "But I wouldn't advise getting involved with the intruder. For your own sakes."

Lina sent Xellos a look. "I can't tell if you're really trying to warn me off, or if you're trying to get me to do the opposite."

He smiled and shrugged again. "Think as you like. I've got things to take care of." And the Monster vanished, teacup, staff, and all.

"As unhelpful as ever," Lina grumbled.

"That's not true," Gourry pointed out. "He told us that the blue-haired girl is a time-taster, didn't he?"

"He suggested it, anyway," Zel said darkly. "He's probably leading us to think whatever it is he wants us to think."

"But you said that Curator, Trayna, did show signs of a weird, powerful shaman attack." Lina crossed her arms and tapped her fingers on her upper arms thoughtfully. "Plus, Xellos did seem pretty serious about us leaving. Maybe there is going to be a big fight, and he doesn't want us involved."

"Whatever it is, I'm not leaving," Zel said, flatly. He averted his gaze, studying the slice of the city that was visible out of the inn's windows.

"What did you mean anyway, when you said you had research to do and no time to waste?" Lina asked, eyeing Zel narrowly.

Gourry said, "Yeah, Zel, why aren't you telling us what's up? We're your friends, you know."

Zel glanced to him, then to Lina. "It's not that I don't trust you guys . . ." he said quietly. "But it's something I have to do on my own."

"All right," Lina said cheerily, slapping Zel on the shoulder a little too hard. "If it's too personal, we won't bug ya about it. But if we can help, just let us know how."

Zelgadis actually smiled. Well, a little.

"So, back to the main issue," Lina said, hands splayed on the tabletop. She affected a serious mode. "If this girl really is a time-taster, we might actually be getting in over our heads. Like Xellos said, she's gonna be as big a threat to us as we are to her -- if she uses her powers on us. Luckily, legend says they actually have to have physical contact before they can steal a piece of your soul. So I think we three can take her. The problem is, we have to find her first."

"Right," Gourry said. "And she's probably still around somewhere."

"And the museum workers know what she looks like, and others like us might've found out too, so she's probably hiding somewhere out of sight," Zelgadis said.

"She'll probably try again, as soon as possible, rather than give everyone time to find her," Gourry reasoned.

"So, tonight." Lina nodded. "We need to stake out the museum tonight. Preferably without anyone knowing, since I doubt the Curators want our help. Their reputation is damaged enough as it is after last night, I doubt they'd want anyone butting in."

"Speaking of damaged," Zelgadis said, "Trayna appears to have been the time-taster's latest victim. What powers should we expect our foe to have when we meet her?"

"Good question," Lina said. "Just what was Trayna capable of? She had that scythe, but I doubt the time-taster is going to find one on short notice. But Trayna probably had powerful magic too, especially if she's the museum's head Curator. So keep your eye out for some serious spellcasting."

"Got it," Gourry said.

Lina turned a smirk on her bodyguard. "I guess your second-rate sword's gonna come in handy for once, huh?"

"Eh, maybe." He shrugged casually. Zel raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask.

"We've got a plan," Lina declared.

---

It was overcast by the time night fell, veiling the world in murky darkness. Snow threatened from the heavy clouds, keeping everyone indoors. Overall, a great night for a second attempt at burglary. Lina found herself wondering just what the girl wanted. Couldn't she have waited till the museum was open, at least? Or maybe . . . Maybe she didn't want anyone else to have whatever it was she was after.

The short but spunky redhead was trying to pin down what that thought had reminded her of when she caught sight of something. It was just a blur in midair. She blinked. A Monster? Was it Xellos? Wait . . . He was what that idea had reminded her of. She pushed that note to the back of her mind as she sneaked closer to the side of the museum, using the ornamental shrubbery as cover. The one she had uprooted and was carrying around, that is.

The blur scratched in and out of sight until it had reached the shield around the edifice. There, it paused in midair long enough for Lina to get a good view of it. A young woman, close to the age Amelia had been when Lina first met her, with softly curling, shoulder-length blue hair and contrastingly piercing blue eyes. Clunky white boots ended below blue-clad knees that stretched up into thighs around which a gauzy skirt floated, anchored at the hips with silver chains. Her bodysuit was white with crisscrossing straps, and silver-trimmed crystal shoulder guards trailed a filmy cape behind shoulder-length, fingerless dark blue gloves. She reached up with one delicate hand to tuck a strand of hair back from her face, and Lina blinked in surprise to see a slightly pointed ear revealed.

The girl stretched her hands forward, then, tracing a half of a circle with each fingertip, from top to bottom. The shape glowed on the surface of the shield, then vanished abruptly, leaving a hole. The girl glanced around once before heading inside through one of the unlocked windows.

Lina sent up a small light spell to bring Zel and Gourry; it flickered twice, and went out. Easily mistaken for a trick of the eyes or an out-of-season firefly. Then again, those were always out of season here. Oh well, the real guards were likely inside anyway, ready for the girl's arrival. If they were expecting a frontal attack like last time, though, they were in for a surprise. This time, she was trying to be sneaky. Good thing Lina and company were one step ahead of the game.

Zel and Gourry arrived shortly with their own cover. Lina pointed up to the hole in the shield, which was only obvious to the magical senses, and Zel nodded. Gourry blinked blankly, but Lina just picked him up with a softly-whispered Ray Wing, holding a finger to her lips as she settled his arms around her waist. He nodded and clung for dear life as they rose. Zel followed after.

Getting Gourry through the small hole without bumping the edges of the shield was tricky, but with Zel's help, they managed it. The blonde even managed to not put his hands anywhere they didn't belong. Lina counted her blessings as Zel checked the open window before indicating they could go inside. They touched down in what seemed to be a decent-sized study with only a muffled thud or two. It was dark within, the lanterns cold. Bookshelves, a desk, and a door were faintly lit by what light filtered through the clouds from the stars outside. Everything, including them, was blue-tinted.

"These appear to be the dormitories," Zel murmured. "Through that door should be a bedroom, then a hallway. We can find the gallery from there."

"Right," Lina whispered, edging to the door. She eased it open, but despite a candle burning at the bedside, the room appeared currently uninhabited. There were no signs of a battle, so it had probably been empty when the girl came through too. Lina led them to the other door, only to find it somehow locked from the outside.

"Who are you?" demanded a feminine voice coldly.

Zel, Gourry, and Lina turned quickly to find that standing in the doorway of the room they had just come from was standing the girl Lina had spied earlier. Her arms were crossed under her breasts, one foot pointed towards them in a challenging pose.

"Woah . . . It's Amelia, if she was hot," Gourry said.

"What?" Zelgadis said, nonplused.

"Shut up, Gourry," Lina snapped. She turned her eyes on this girl. "No common burglar deserves to know our names."

The girl smirked. "You just told me his." She waved a hand at Gourry. Lina's eyebrow twitched. "But anyway, I'm far from common. My name is Ivy and you really don't want to be meddling in my business. Things are likely to get messy around here pretty soon."

That was twice in all the time Lina had known her, a whole two minutes, that she had reminded her of a certain Monster. "Really. Is that what Xellos told you too, or were you the one who told him?"

"Who?" The girl, Ivy, blinked in genuine confusion. Then she shrugged it off. "Whatever. You're obviously as stubborn as I am. There's only one way to make sure you won't be an obstacle."

On those words, Lina and friends assumed defensive positions. Ivy lifted her head and smirked more widely than before; then, she threw her hand out, glowing yellow spheres of power spraying towards the other three. Lina and Zel jumped to one side while Gourry jumped to the other, drawing his sword. Some of the spheres impacted against the wall, exploding with tremendous force disproportional to their size, while others curved around to come after their targets. Gourry blocked them with his sword, which repelled the magic with suspicious ease, while Zel threw up a shield around himself and Lina. He grunted as the explosive spells impacted.

Lina's eyes narrowed. That wasn't normal black magic. Ivy hadn't spoken a word. With a call, the redhead slung back a fireball as Ivy lifted her hand to cast, causing the girl to have to dodge. Although Lina had seen her teleporting earlier, Ivy threw herself to the side physically, coming up from a roll with a new sphere for Lina. This one was yellow with orange streaks, and glowed more powerfully as it arced toward them. At the same time, Gourry lunged for the girl, sword at the ready. Lina didn't see what happened as she and Zel jumped in opposite directions to avoid Ivy's second attack, but Gourry hit the wall next to her a second after the explosion. "Ouch," he complained, staggering on his feet. "She's strong!" The wall was barely intact and burned slowly in places. The fact it was still standing had more to do with the fact it was stone paneled over with wood than any lightness of the attacks being aimed at them.

Meanwhile, Zel studied the girl with narrowed eyes. He couldn't use any of his favorite shaman spells on her because the soul piece she possessed was not her own, and did not deserve to be damaged. Bloody violence it was, then. He slapped his palm on the cold floor. "Stone Spiker!"

The girl's eyes widened as the stone beneath her feet trembled, then abruptly shot upward in deadly rock spears. She dodged the first few, but the rest sealed off the other exit, giving her no easy avenue of escape. A rain of Flare Arrows from Lina had Ivy diving over the charred bed and rolling up against the wall, but another few flicked spheres of hers sent the room's furniture flying at her adversaries, making Lina and Zel duck. Gourry was conked with a chair.

Pounding started coming from the door, and muffled voices. "Hear that?" Lina said. "Wanna take on all of us, and the Curators?"

Ivy's eyes were narrow as she rose from her crouch. Her gaze flickered briefly to Gourry and then Zel, then back to Lina. "I could if I wanted." There was no hint of a bluff in her voice.

"Really? 'Cause one person is still just one person. You can't dodge us all forever. And I don't think you can take more than one person's abilities at a time, though you got a sweet deal by getting a piece of a Monster's soul. I bet that's why they want you so bad. Anyway, the odds are against you here. I suggest you give up and hope their court system is lenient."

"Give up?" Ivy laughed aloud. "You have no idea what you're talking about, much less what's at stake. I suggest you start minding your own business, or at least do some research before you jump into things you know nothing about, little girl."

"'Little girl'?" Lina echoed disbelievingly. "How old are you, fifteen?"

"Yeah . . . Hundred. But I'm just wasting time with this chitchat. You've ruined things for now, but I'm not giving up anytime soon." Outside of the room there was a minor explosion, then a stronger one as they tried to tear down the door, but it seemed to have been magically sealed. Ivy's cold gaze didn't waver from Lina's fiery one.

Xellos chose that very moment to crash the party, blurring into existence between the two clashing females. "Why, well, what have we here?" he said cheerfully, tapping with staff on the ground lightly. "Exactly what I didn't want to happen. Not that I was expecting, um . . ." He peered at Ivy, then opened both eyes. "What by the Dark Lord --"

"Monster!" Ivy hissed, a sudden, startlingly powerful hatred to her voice.

"Yeah, it's so obvious, isn't it?" Zel said dryly.

There was no time for further remarks as two things happened at once. Firstly, Ivy threw a tremendously explosive spell at Xellos without even taking a second to prepare, which the startled Monster managed to block, and secondly, the wall behind Lina and friends collapsed under an onslaught of fireballs from the Curators, who came charging in before the rubble had even finished falling. Trayna was at the head of the group, scythe held high over one shoulder, ready to swing. Her gaze landed on Lina, Zel, and Gourry. "What the --"

"Trayna! Look out, he's a Monster!" Ivy cried, pointing at the Monster in question. Xellos scratched his cheek puzzledly. Lina's gaze whipped from Ivy to Trayna and back.

"You know her?"

"Way to blow a cover-up, Ivy!" Trayna complained, taking a better grip on her scythe. "Excuse me," she politely added to Lina, who was standing in the way. Bemused, Lina moved aside, and Trayna faced Xellos. "Scram, Monster. You're the last person we want here."

"Hmm," Xellos said. "Interesting." And he vanished.

"Wow, I wish I could do that," Lina said.

"What's going on?" Gourry whimpered.

"I wish I knew," said Zelgadis.

The other Curators were all looking at each other in similar confusion. Trayna shook her head, her pretty hair swaying. "It's no good, Ivy. Let's get out of here."

"Right," said Ivy, glancing at Lina again. The look was meaningful: We'll settle this later. Then she blasted open the side of the building with a single flare of magic; Lina shielded herself from debris with her cape, but spotted Trayna leaping out the building after Ivy. She ran to the edge and looked out, Gourry and Zel a breath behind her, but the two females were already gone. Lina put a hand against the jagged stone and stared into the darkness.

"Fifteen hundred?" Lina Inverse said.

---

"So, who exactly was with who, and what were they after again?" Gourry asked. Lina buried her face in her hands.

"Well," Zelgadis said, "Trayna was apparently in on Ivy breaking into the museum. Ivy probably used her powers on Trayna just for show. But at some point she somehow managed to get ahold of a piece of a Monster's soul, which is probably why Xellos was involved. How she did that, we have no idea. And why Trayna needed Ivy to break in, we don't know either."

"Or why they hate monsters. Or if Ivy is really fifteen hundred years old. Or why the heck Xellos left like he did, without even a fight." Lina tangled her fingers in her hair convulsively.

"I see." Gourry nodded knowingly.

"Sure you do," Lina grunted.

"What a dissatisfying first episode," Zelgadis sighed.

At least her appetite hadn't been affected by all this stress. Stacks of plates adorned the table, a few leaning over threateningly. Lina sighed too. "I need dessert."

Mer's Notes:

I started this fic way back in like '99 or '98, when I joined this website. It's gone through a number of rebirths since then, and here we have the latest incarnation. I see it going a long way this time, with lots of surprises to come, and I hope you'll enjoy the trip! Please leave some feedback; it means a great deal to me. I can't catch all my mistakes, after all, and I'm totally open to suggestions. So comment away!

Rights and property and such belong to their owners. I'm writing this fic just for fun and if anyone important has a problem with it, I'll delete it. This goes for every episode I post.