Lina opened her eyes and realized that her head was on the table.  She had been sleeping again.  Sis wouldn't be happy if she found out that the chores weren't done.  Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she glanced around the modest apartment she had shared with Luna ever since their parents had died.

Actually calling the single room an apartment was an insult to apartments.  A single lantern hanging over a small table was the only illumination for the room. Against one wall two tattered bedrolls were laid out on the floor.  Against another wall a worn bookshelf struggled to hold up the few books that the Inverses owned.  Luna had always insisted that Lina have an education.  On the opposite wall was a small, dirty window that revealed the shadowy streets of Sairaag.  A small fireplace shared the fourth wall with the battered door leading to the hallway.

Lina sighed as she surveyed her surroundings.  Being a waitress barely paid the bills and she knew that despite Luna's insistences to the contrary, she was a burden upon her older sister.  She'd make it up to Sis someday though.  Nodding, she quickly snatched up a ragged broom from the corner and began to sweep the floor.  She could at least keep their room looking nice, well, when she didn't get sidetracked that was.

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open and Luna rushed in with a panicked expression on her face.  She glanced at Lina as if just realizing that she was there.  "Oh no."

Lina looked nervously at the expression on her sister's face.  "I'm sorry Sis.  I fell asleep and I forgot…"

Luna rushed over to Lina and snatched the broom out of her hand.  She grabbed Lina by the shoulders and shook her hard.  "Listen to me!"

Lina started crying.  "I'm sorry!  I'll clean up right now, okay?"  Her sister wasn't cruel, but she was strict and Lina wasn't looking forward to another lecture. 

Luna shook her head impatiently.  "Never mind that, Lina!  Listen, we have to leave Sairaag right now!"  She glanced around the apartment nervously and muttered, "We'll have to travel light…"

Lina was trembling now.  She blinked through her tears.  Something had terrified Luna and that meant that it had to be bad.  Luna wasn't supposed to be scared of anything.  "Sis, are you okay?  Why are we leaving?  You're scaring me…"

A soft voice purred at the sisters from the shadows of the doorway.  "I'm afraid that you're not going anywhere.  Really Inverse, did you honestly think that I would let you go after what you did?"

Luna released her sister and whirled around in an instant.  She snatched the lantern from the ceiling and flung it at the shape in the doorway.  It shattered on impact, dousing the figure in liquid flame.  She spared a quick glance at Lina.  "Out the window.  Run away and don't look back!"  She snatched the broom off the floor and snapped it in two.  She pointed the jagged end of the handle at the flaming figure.

Lina didn't need to be told twice.  She darted up to the window and pried it open.  She didn't obey all of Luna's instructions though.  She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the blazing form snatch the improvised stake from her sister's hand and wrap her in a bear hug.  Lina heard a strange popping noise.  A second later, she realized what it was.  Luna's bones were breaking.  She called out.  "Sis!"

Luna screamed in terror and agony.  "Lina, run!"

The figure grinned at Lina for an instant, revealing its razor sharp teeth.  It hissed, "That's right Lina.  Run."  It then leaned forward, ripping Luna's throat out with its fangs, silencing her forever.  The only sounds were the crackling of the flames that had begun to consume the room and the horrible slurping sound that the form made as it drained Luna's blood from her twitching corpse.

"No!"  Lina sat up in her bedroll, reaching out to the sister that had been dead for four years.  She blinked and looked around the room.  It was just a faceless room in a shoddy inn, not the home she had shared with Luna for so long.  She sighed shakily.  It was a dream.  The same dream she had been having for years.

Lina buried her face in her hands quietly wept.  This nightmare had been especially bad.  She could feel the heat from the flaming figure and she heard Luna's bones snap.  It was far more vivid than usual.  She muttered, "I guess coming home will do that, huh?" 

Lina looked out the window at the hauntingly familiar skyline of Sairaag.  About a block away she saw the church that she and Luna had attended in her youth.  Luna had been a devout follower of Ceiphied, Lina remembered.  A little farther down the street was the burned out husk of the building they used to live in.  She frowned.  "You'd think they would have fixed it up or something."  And of course there was the capital building.  A black tower in the center of town that stretched hundreds of feet into the sky.  That was where the priests of Rezo the White governed the city. 

Something else caught the young lady's eye.  The sun was rapidly setting, casting a shadow over the city.  Soon the street lamps would be lit, but for the moment, the city was shrouded in the gloom of twilight.

Lina suppressed a shudder and muttered, "Time to go to work."  Her job was never easy and tonight would undoubtedly be no exception.  She removed her bedclothes, wincing in pain as she did so.  Naked, she looked into a small mirror on the wall, admiring and hating her body all at once. 

Lina's face was pleasant enough.  She had pretty red eyes and a somewhat small nose that her sister had always teased her about.  People had told her that she had a beautiful smile.  She didn't know about that.  She had never felt like smiling when she looked at her reflection.  She had red hair that hung halfway down her back and couldn't be tamed by any amount of brushing.  All in all, she was a beautiful young lady.

Lina's eyes moved down her reflection to her neck.  There was the silver medallion of Ceiphied that Luna had given her five years ago.  The medallion was in the shape of a roaring dragon.  She never took it off. 

Lina's eyes moved further down her form.  She had a petite body that she was both ashamed and proud of at the same time.  Her left shoulder was a ruin of scar tissue from an old burn.  She had gotten that from a fiery specter she had dispatched three years ago.  She ran her fingers across her abdomen tracing the jagged scars she had gotten from her fight with a werewolf a year ago.  More scars crisscrossed her body in every conceivable place.  Her eyes settled on her breasts and her face turned red with a mixture of shame and rage.  More scars.  These were from a vampire's fangs.  He had gotten a little too close for comfort.  If he had been feeling a little more lethal and less amorous, Lina probably wouldn't be standing in that room.

Lina shook her head trying to ignore the memories.  No eighteen-year-old girl should have to see the things she had seen.  She looked down and saw that her hands were trembling.  She chuckled dryly.  "Well, I know how to fix that."  She turned and rummaged around in her bag tossing aside a dark cloak and her traveling clothes.  She muttered irritably, "Where is it?  I know I'm not out…"  She grinned as she found what she was looking for.  Eagerly, she snatched the top off the flask and drained it.  Her hands stopped shaking almost instantly.  Now it was time for work.

Lina dressed, being careful to conceal her scars, while going over the particulars of her current target.  Lupin van Wolfenstein. He was a minor noble from Elmikia and a werewolf by her reckoning.  She had been tracking him for weeks now.  She picked up his trail when he struck in Zelfielia, eviscerating a mother and her six-year-old daughter.  He had kept a low profile since then, traveling from town to town.  She had followed him all the way to Sairaag.  Tonight was a full moon and a perfect opportunity to catch him in the act.  And then…

Lina grinned wolfishly as she sheathed her silver edged sword.  Silver was a pain to keep sharp, but it was well worth the effort on nights like tonight.  She checked her gear one last time.  Her silver sword was honed to razor sharpness.  Silver dust kept in a pouch on her belt.  This was an experiment she was trying out for the first time.  If it worked as she planned, Lupin would get a lungful and die a slow agonizing death drowning in his own blood.  Finally she touched the medallion around her neck and smiled sadly.  "Wish me luck, Sis."  Satisfied that she was as prepared as possible, she left the room.

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It was dark and Gourry was getting pretty tired.  He looked around, struggling to keep his eyes open.  He knew that he'd catch hell from the captain if he got caught sleeping again, but it was incredibly hot and muggy outside the theater.  He struggled to remember why he was standing out here anyway.  Something about an attack?  Or something…  Zangulus would know.  "Hey, Zangulus.  What are we doing out here again?"

Zangulus looked over at Gourry with an expression of incredulity on his face.  "You're kidding, right?  Please tell me you're joking." 

Gourry's blank stare was answer enough.

Zangulus sighed and clutched his head in frustration.  He nodded to Gourry.  "You see that uniform you're wearing?  You, Gourry, are a member of the Sairaag City Guard.  And you're here because there have been a series of disappearances in the area.  You're supposed to watch for anything suspicious."

Gourry thought for a moment.  He grinned.  "That sounds about right.  So why are you here Zangulus?"

Zangulus stared at him for a moment, before muttering, "Because the captain hates me."  He leaned against the wall and watched the people coming and going for a moment.  Nothing.  It had been quiet for the entire shift.  Usually you could at least count on bar brawl, but the theater troupe had been performing some highbrow drama or something.  Those theatergoers didn't tend to get into bar fights.  Trying to pass the time, he turned to Gourry again.  "So, how'd you get into the SCG anyway?  Apparently not for your brains."

Gourry shrugged.  "They thought I was pretty good with a sword, I guess."

"Oh really?"  Now Zangulus was interested.  "Who was your teacher?"

Gourry scratched his head.  "Um, Radimouse?  No that's not it…"  He smiled.  "It was Rodimus!"  He looked at Zangulus with a serious expression on his face.  "You know, he was pretty good."

"Pretty good?!  Gourry are you telling me that you studied swordplay under the famous Rodimus?  Possibly the greatest swordsman of our time?"

"Well, yeah I guess I am.  I didn't study under him though.  Usually, we would stand face to face when we practiced."

A moment of silence passed before Zangulus spoke again.  "What?  Never mind, Gourry.  How about a match sometime?"

Gourry grinned and was about to answer when something caught his eye.  "Zangulus, would you say that was suspicious looking?"  He nodded at a redheaded woman with a sword who was stalking a man.

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Lina advanced on Lupin outside of the theater, her silver blade pointed directly at his heart.  She had pounced when he dragged a woman down a dark alley.  It was all the proof she needed that he was a monster.  She spared a cold glance at the young girl who was almost a victim.  "Go on, get out of here!" 

The woman scrambled to her feet and ran past Lupin into the crowded street.

"And now that that's taken care of…"  Lina looked Lupin over as she advanced on him threateningly.  "You sir, are the ugliest beast I have ever had the misfortune of laying eyes on."

Lupin snarled at Lina and took a step towards her.  He was wearing a tattered suit that was covered with dust.  His hideous face was covered with hair along with the rest of his body if the rips in the suit were any indication.  He was truly a savage looking creature in Lina's opinion.

Lina flashed a cocky grin.  "Well wolfy, let's rumble!"  She hoped that she sounded more confident than she felt.  She was always terrified when she had to do this.  She took a step towards him and twirled her sword.

Lupin fury faded and he looked at her curiously.  "Wolfy?"  He grinned revealing the pronounced fangs of a vampire.  His laughter sent shivers down Lina's spine.  "Young lady, you think I'm a werewolf?"

Lina shrugged, lowering her sword a bit.  "Well, I thought you were."  Usually werewolves were more inclined to rend and tear than make conversation.  Apparently she had guessed wrong.  She grinned.  "My mistake, huh?  How about vampy?  Does that work for you?"

"What was it?  It was the hair right?"  Lupin touched his head.  "Or was it the body hair?"  He sighed.  "I can't help how I look you know."

Lina chuckled nervously.  "Yeah, that was part of it.  And your name, too.  I mean, Lupin van Wolfenstein?  It practically screams werewolf, you know?"  She backed away slowly.  "Listen, I'll level with you.  I only brought silver tonight, so I'm woefully under equipped to deal with a vampire.  So what do you say?  Let's call this one a draw and I'll kill you some other night, okay?  You can tell all your blood sucking buddies that you survived an encounter with the infamous Slayer Lina Inverse."

Lupin pretended to consider for a moment before he grinned wickedly.  "I think not.  I'd rather tell everyone that I killed the blundering Slayer Lina Inverse."

Lina sighed.  "I was afraid you were going to say that."  She sheathed her sword and spread her arms.  "Well, come on."  She waved Lupin over.  "Let's get this over with." 

An instant later, Lupin had slammed Lina up against the wall and his hot, putrid breath was on her throat.  He hissed into her ear, "Giving up, Inverse?  Struggle a little, won't you?  It makes it more fun." 

"Yeah, well sorry to disappoint you, but I'm kind of tired tonight."  Lina struggled to shake off the disorientation.  Lupin had slammed her head against the brick wall pretty hard and she was seeing stars.  She fumbled for her medallion, grabbed it, and lost it again when he shook her violently. 

"I really expected better from you, Inverse.  I thought you were supposed to be good."  Lupin ran his tongue over Lina's throat appreciatively, causing her to shudder.  He reared back exposing his fangs and was about to tear into her neck when…

Lina snarled and shoved her medallion into Lupin's eye, fangs first.  At the same time, she kneed him in the groin and shoved him away from her.  Briefly, she wondered if vampires cared about getting hit in the groin, but she quickly dismissed the thought.  It couldn't hurt, right?

Lupin shrieked and clutched his wounded eye.  "You little bitch!"  Where he touched the medallion, his hands were smoking.  A large amount of putrid smoke was also pouring out of his injured eye socket.

Lina quickly glanced around the alley.  She moaned, "Come on!  There has to be something!"  Tearing through a pile of discarded trash, her face brightened.  She'd found a discarded piece of wooden fence.  It wouldn't have been her first choice, but…

Lupin grabbed Lina by the hair and flung her facedown to the alley floor.  He pounced on her, driving his knees into her lower back.

Lina gasped as she felt the air driven forcefully from her lungs.  Blackness crept into the edge of her vision.  She muttered, "Don't pass out, Lina."  She strained to reach her makeshift stake that had flown just out of her grasp.  Her fingers brushed against it knocking it totally out of her reach.  She looked over her shoulder at Lupin and forced a very painful smile.  "Ready to give up?"

Apparently, the vampire didn't feel like playing anymore.  He snarled, baring his fangs, and leaned down to rip Lina's throat open.
Gourry grabbed Lupin by the hair and tore him away from Lina.  He flung the vampire across the narrow alley.  He looked down at the young lady.  "Are you all right, Miss?"

Lina moaned in pain as she scrambled over to her stake.  She struggled to a sitting position and turned around to see Zangulus roughly pulling Lupin to his feet.  "What the hell are you doing?!  Don't touch him!"

Zangulus blinked at Lina in surprise.  "I'm sorry?"  A second later he was flying through the air before landing gracelessly and unconscious in a pile of rotten fruit. 

Lupin charged Lina again, but before he took two steps his head had been neatly separated from his shoulders by Gourry's sword.  It landed a few feet away and glared at Gourry evilly.

Gourry smirked as he flicked the black blood off his blade and sheathed it.  He extended his hand to Lina who was still sitting on the ground.  "Here, let me help you.  My name is Gourry Gabri… what the hell?!"

Lupin's headless body wrapped its arms around Gourry and squeezed.  If he hadn't been wearing armor he would have suffered several broken bones.

Lupin's head was yelling words of encouragement to his body.  "Break him in two!  No, don't let him get away!"  His eyes widened in shock.  "Look out behind you!"  Apparently the futility of telling a headless corpse to look over its shoulder was lost on Lupin. 

Lina rammed her makeshift stake through Lupin's heart.  The body went rigid for a moment before collapsing in a heap.  She snarled at Gourry, "That was pretty damn stupid, you know!  He could have killed you and your brainless friend over there!"  She was trembling in anger and fear.  "What were you thinking?!"  Not waiting for an answer, she walked over to Lupin's head and tore her medallion free of his eye socket.  She glared at Gourry again as she cleaned it on the edge of her cloak.

Gourry looked at Lina, then at Lupin's still form.  He grinned sheepishly.  "That's a new one.  Usually people fall down when they lose their heads."

Lina rummaged through Lupin's pockets.  Seeing that he had been carrying no money, she sighed.  "You have no idea of what that was, do you?  A vampire!  You're lucky to be alive."

Gourry nodded as he pulled Zangulus from the pile of garbage.  "I guess so.  Good thing you were here, huh?"  He grinned at Lina.  "Hey, my shift should be just about over.  How about I buy you some dinner?  You know to say thanks for saving me and all that."

Lina was about to say something derogatory when her stomach growled.  How long had it been since she had a decent meal?  "Okay.  Your name's Gourry right?"  She looked him over.  He looked safe enough, and besides that, he was kind of handsome.

Gourry smiled as he slung Zangulus's arm over his shoulder.  "That's right.  What's your name little girl?"

Lina blinked in surprise.  Little girl?  "It's Lina.  Lina Inverse."  She seethed.  Little girl?!  The nerve of this guy!

Gourry nodded, oblivious to Lina's growing anger.  "Let's take him home and then we'll eat."  His smile faded.  "Um, I think it was this way?"

Lina watched him wander off in a random direction.  She had half a mind not to follow him.  She muttered, "Little girl, my ass."  She shrugged.  "But, food is food, right?"  Her decision made, she limped after him.

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Gourry watched Lina with a mixture of awe and concern.  "Lina, I know I said that I'd buy you dinner, but don't you think you've had enough?"

Lina set her cup down and called out to a passing waiter.  "Hey!  Yeah you!"  She pointed to her empty glass.  "More of the same!"  With that being taken care of she turned to Gourry and frowned.  "I'm sorry.  You did say that I could have whatever I wanted off the menu, right?" 

Gourry shook his head.  "Yeah, but…"

Lina smiled at him sweetly and turned and snatched a menu from a passing waiter.  "See?"  She held it up for Gourry's inspection.  "The wine list is part of the menu, right?" 

"Well, I guess so, but…"

The waiter set a fresh glass of liquor in front of Lina.  "Here we go."  She choked as she tried to drain the cup in a single gulp.   She coughed a bit and waved Gourry away when he stood.  "Leave me alone."
Gourry sat back down with a frown on his face.  "Why would you do something like that to yourself?"

Lina blinked a few times, trying to focus on the man sitting across the table from her.  "You want know why?"  She sighed.  "Nerves.  See?"  She held up a trembling hand.  "I can't stop it."

Gourry took Lina's hand eliciting a surprised gasp from the girl.  He squeezed it reassuringly as he spoke, "Hey, it's alright."

Lina snatched her hand away from Gourry.  She snarled at him.  "Don't touch me."  Her expression softened a bit and she sighed.  "I'm sorry, Gourry.  Most of the things that get close to me are trying to eat me, so…"  She shrugged.  "…keep your distance, okay?"

Gourry nodded.  "I understand, I guess.  You mind if I ask you a question?"

Lina nodded.  "Alright."

"What do you do?"  Gourry looked Lina over.  She was wearing a dark outfit that was almost worn through in several places.  Across the chest it was shoddily stitched up where it had been ripped several times.  Over this she was wearing a gray cloak that had drying blood splattered on it.

Lina crossed her arms defensively.  "See anything interesting?

Gourry nodded.  "Well, now that you mention it…"

Lina waved him off.  "Never mind.  I'm a Slayer, Gourry."  She snapped her fingers at a passing waiter and pointed at her glass.

Gourry nodded knowingly.  "I see…"  He thought for a moment.  "What's a Slayer, Lina?"

Lina had been a little tipsy earlier, but now she looked totally focused.  "A Slayer is a warrior that hunts the supernatural.  Vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and so on.  You name it, I kill it."

"Hmm, so you're like a pest exterminator, right?"

Lina almost choked on her new drink.  "Excuse me?!"  She scratched her head.  "Well, now that you mention it, I guess it is kinda like that.  It's the same principle.  I kill the things that other people don't want to deal with."

Gourry nodded happily.  "That's great!  Listen, I've got this terrible rodent problem in my house.  Do you think you could…"

An icy stare from Lina cut him off.  "Don't interrupt.  Now, I'm not an official Slayer. The Slayers were organized by Rezo the White, the greatest priest of this age.  About twenty years ago, vampires and other undesirables were overrunning Sairaag.  This period of time was known as the Eternal Twilight within the church."

A stranger clad in a white cloak quickly glanced up as if he had been able to hear Lina from across the crowded tavern.  He muttered, "The Eternal Twilight?"  Given the fact that they were twenty feet away in a crowded room, Lina and Gourry didn't notice his sudden interest.

Gourry scratched his head.  "But I don't remember any of that…"

"I doubt you would, considering that you can't even remember that I asked you not to interrupt me thirty seconds ago!"  Lina snorted.  "Besides, the public was unaware of the Eternal Twilight for the most part.  After all, everyone knows that vampires and things like that are just a myth, right?"

"But, you said that Lupin guy was a vampire.  And now you're saying that they're not real?  This is pretty confusing…"

Lina leaned across the table and grabbed the front of Gourry's shirt.  "Stop talking!  You're giving me a headache!"  She released him and sighed.  "As I was saying, the church encourages the idea that vampires are a myth.  After all, most people…"  She gave Gourry a puzzled look, "…would be upset to find out what walks the streets with them."  She sipped her drink before continuing.  "The Eternal Twilight officially ended five years ago, mostly due to the vigilance of the Slayers.  However, as you saw, there are still vampires in this world.  I've spent the last couple of years hunting them down."

Gourry cautiously raised his hand.

Lina nodded warily at Gourry.  "Yes, the dense man in the front?"

"Well, the Slayers were a supposed to be a secret organization and I guess the Eternal Twilight thing was supposed to be a big secret too, right?" 

"That's right."

"Well, then how do you know about all this stuff?"

Lina jumped as if she had been struck.   She knocked a glass to the floor where it shattered.

Gourry looked at the glass then at Lina nervously.  "Um, did I say something wrong?"

Lina massaged her temples and sighed.  "No Gourry, but I don't want to talk about it.  Well…"  She stood shakily and placed a hand on the table to steady herself.  "…thanks for dinner and everything.  It was nice meeting you.  Stay out of dark alleys."

Gourry watched Lina sway back and forth warily.  "Where are you going?"

Lina grinned.  "To work.  The night is still young, and evil never sleeps."  If she had intended this as a cool exit line, it failed as she promptly vomited on herself and collapsed in a heap on the floor.  A moment later, she was snoring loudly.

Gourry sighed and knelt beside her.  "Lina, get up.  Everyone's staring."  He glanced around at the people at the surrounding tables.  A lot of them were unsavory looking types that were eyeing Lina predatorily.  He couldn't leave her here.  After all, who knew what might happen to her.  But on the other hand, he didn't know where she was staying either.  He thought for a moment before nodding.  "Well, she'll just have to stay with me then."  He cautiously picked her up and carried her towards the tavern door.  "I just hope she doesn't hurt me when she wakes up."

The stranger in white watched Gourry leave with a mysterious smile playing across his lips.  "Intriguing."  He took a final sip from his coffee cup before standing.  A moment later, he had slipped into the darkness of the street like a ghost.

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Next Chapter:  Lina's arrival is already sending ripples through the darkness of Sairaag.  Who is the mysterious stranger in white and what does he want with Lina?

Notes:  Hello all, and welcome to another of my stories.  If you're reading this, then you must have read the story, right?  So, please take a minute to review.  It means a lot to me and any advice and criticism is always welcome.

A note to people reading Slayer: The Chimera Tales.  I haven't given up on it.  Admittedly, I have hit a dry spell on the story, but it will be done sooner or later.  Just don't count on sooner.

Thanks for reading!