Lina felt strangely buoyant in the darkness. She tried to look around and briefly considered the possibility that she'd been stricken blind. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but blackness. "Strange," she whispered. Her voice reverberated over and over until it was a shriek. She clapped her hands over her ears in an attempt to block out the din. "What is going on?!" she yelled. Her outburst only added to the cacophony.
Suddenly, there was silence. A moment later, a voice.
"Careful there, young lady. You're in the void between worlds. There's nothing in the void, you know. And when you add anything to nothing, be it a whisper or even a pin drop, you very quickly end up with something."
"Xellos!" Lina yelled, recognizing the priest's voice and annoying double speak. She immediately regretted yelling when Xellos's name came back to her doubled and then redoubled in volume.
Lina got the distinct sense that Xellos would be shaking his head if she could see him.
"You're a slow learner, Lina," he playfully admonished. "You don't need to speak for me to hear you."
Lina closed her eyes and thought, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just checking up on you. You've done a very bad thing, young lady." There was a hint of sadness in the voice when it spoke again. "I don't expect that I'll see you again. You're risking too much for too little gain. Let me bring you back. It's not too late you know."
"So, I should just let Hellmaster have that child?!" Lina yelled angrily. She rolled her eyes as soon as she realized what she had done and clapped her hands over her ears again.
When the noise had died down, Xellos said, "Well, yes. I suppose that's what I'm saying. It's a sad fact of life Lina. You can't save everyone."
"Well, I'm going to save this one!" she thought angrily.
"I thought that you wouldn't agree," he said with a sigh. "It breaks my heart to think of how badly you're going to be hurt before this is over. Still, you won't be alone, and I have faith in you. If anyone can do this, it is you Lina Inverse. May Ceiphied's light guide you child."
Sensing that the priest was leaving, Lina called out, "Xellos, wait! What do you mean I won't be alone?"
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"Xellos…" Lina whispered sleepily. She slowly opened her eyes and realized that her head was on the table. She had been sleeping again. "What a weird dream," she mumbled quietly. Suddenly realizing where she was, she groaned and smacked her head on the table. 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 climbed unsteadily to her feet, grabbed the ragged broom out of the corner, and began to sweep. A sudden pain caused her to look down in surprise. There was a large wound in her shoulder. She continued her self-examination, noting that she was wearing a travel worn outfit, and she was most certainly not thirteen years old.
"What's going on?" Lina asked nobody in particular. "Am I still dreaming? Only one way to find out I guess." She reached up and pinched her cheek. "Ow. Okay, I'm awake then. How did I get here?" She thought back to the events of the previous night. "Phibrizzo," she said triumphantly after a moment. "I came to save Phibrizzo." She glanced around the room with a puzzled expression on her face. "That's funny. Where is Phibrizzo? And Hellmaster. I was right behind them. Or I think I was anyway." She heaved a sigh of exasperation. "And is this supposed to be Hell? I expected worse."
A look of suspicion suddenly crossed Lina's face. "Wait a second," she whispered. She looked at the table to see a pile of parchment haphazardly strewn across the surface. Upon closer inspection, she saw that there were arithmetic problems written out on the pages in her sloppy handwriting. She'd been working on math problems that Sis had given her that day. Beginning to panic, she darted over to the window and looked out into the night sky.
A full moon shone down on the shadowy streets of Sairaag.
It was just as Lina had feared. She turned towards the door when she heard the footsteps running down the hallway. "No. Please," she pleaded. "Not this! Anything but this." The sound of footsteps continued. Another second and Luna would run through the door and die a horrible death.
"No!" Lina yelled while running over to the door. She hissed in pain as she threw her shoulder against the wood. If she could keep Luna out, maybe … maybe things could turn out differently.
The footsteps stopped just outside and a moment later there was an insistent pounding on the door. "Open the door!" a woman's muffled voice demanded.
"I can't, Sis!" Lina said while shaking her head insistently. "You can't come in! You'll die!"
"For the love of Ceiphied, please open the door!" the voice pleaded. The desperate pounding intensified, and the door actually opened a couple inches before Lina was able to slam it shut again.
Lina looked around for something to brace the door with. She couldn't hold it much longer. Luna had been stronger than Lina when they had been younger. That fact apparently hadn't changed in recent years. Coupled with the fact that Lina was wounded and unable to exert her full strength, it was fairly obvious that Luna would be in the room shortly.
As if sensing Lina's distraction, the figure outside the door gave a mighty shove, dislodging Lina and hurling her violently to the floor.
Lina's jaw bounced off the hard wood and she momentarily saw stars. By the time she recovered sufficiently to realize what had happened, it was too late.
The door was open.
Lina turned hesitantly to face the shape standing in the doorway. For some reason, it was incredibly bright in the hallway, making it impossible to discern the features of the woman. That was all that she was sure of. The shadow's curves definitely implied a cloaked feminine form. She stammered, "Lu … Luna?"
The form stepped inside the room and slammed the door behind her.
Lina squinted, finally making out the features of the woman. "Sylphiel?!" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"
Sylphiel looked down at Lina with an expression of relief on her face before leaning up against the door. She said, "Please help me, Miss Lina."
"Huh? Help you what, Sylphiel?"
At that instant, something incredibly heavy slammed against the door, staggering the dark haired girl. Something outside the room gurgled angrily at having its progress impeded.
"Okay. I think I understand now," Lina muttered as she leapt to her feet. She reached the door just as the thing slammed into it again.
There was a strange slurping sound and a dozen fleshy tendrils about the size of fingers slipped through the crack under the door. They were the color of cooked lobster and left a trail of clear slime wherever they moved. Somehow sensing that Lina and Sylphiel were there, they reached for the girls' legs.
Lina looked down at the things, wide eyed, trying to wrap her mind around what she was seeing. Failing that, she turned to Sylphiel and demanded, "What… what the hell is that thing?!" She yipped in surprise and disgust as one of the tendrils brushed against her leg.
"I don't know," Sylphiel said while trying to keep as far back as possible while bracing the door. "Um, calamari maybe?" she suggested after a moment of contemplation.
There was another strangled roar as the thing struck the door again. This time, the crossbeam cracked slightly.
Lina blinked in disbelief and said, "Are you trying to tell me that thing is a giant entrée?!"
As if in response, there was the sound of liquid splashing against the exterior of the door. A second later, black inky fluid seeped through the cracks between the boards. An overpowering odor of ammonia permeated the air.
Lina gagged at the smell and said, "Okay. It's a squid. What's it so mad about? Did you try to eat it or something?" She shrieked in surprise as one of the tentacles brushed against her thigh.
Sylphiel, now doused with ink, shook her head and said, "Oh no, Miss Lina. I can't stand seafood. I was trying to find you and Phibrizzo when I was attacked by that awful thing."
"Attacked by seafood?" Lina muttered dubiously while shaking her head. "Hey! Is this some kind of game, Hellmaster?!" she demanded of the empty room.
Hellmaster either didn't hear her or didn't care to answer.
"We can't wait any longer," Lina said a moment later. The wood was starting to splinter under the assault of the beast. "On the count of three, head for the window, Sylphiel. I'll be right behind you."
Exactly three seconds later, Sylphiel and Lina were making a mad dash towards the window as the door exploded inward behind them.
Sylphiel shoved the window open and stuck her head out. She hesitated and said, "Miss Lina, wait a second. Something doesn't seem right."
"I don't give a damn! I'm not going to be squid food!" Lina yelled. "Now, move it!"
Sylphiel said, "But, Miss-" before squeaking in surprise when she felt Lina's hands on her posterior. A moment later, she was shoved roughly out the window.
"No buts!" Lina yelled as she jumped up into the window. Unable to resist the urge, she glanced over her shoulder at the beastie making a mess of the room. "Wow, that is pretty ugly," she remarked.
The scarlet monster filled the room and its myriad tentacles grabbed anything that wasn't tied down and fed it into its corneous beak. As Lina watched, the beast snatched up the broom, several chairs, a handful of books, the Sword of Light, and, rather ambitiously Lina thought, the table.
Lina watched it try to fit the table into its mouth when she realized what she was looking at. "Hey!" she yelled, flailing her arms to get the beast's attention. "Don't eat the Sword of Light, you overgrown appetizer! I need that!" Heedless of the danger, she dove back into the room and grabbed the hilt.
The beast rolled one dinner plate sized eye over in Lina's direction. It's thought process was frightening in its simplicity. The intruder moved, it made noise, it was fleshy; hence it was obviously a source of protein. The squid tossed aside the table and, after a moment of consideration, the broom in favor of this new morsel.
"Oh, no you don't!" Lina snarled as she felt the tentacles encircle her body. She snatched the Sword of Light free of the beast's grip and pointed the hilt at the beak as she was dragged towards the creature. She yelled, "Light come forth!" just before the jaws were going to slam shut on her torso.
The blade sprang into existence for a second, not long enough to be useful in combat, but good enough for skewering the sensitive interior of the squid's mouth.
The squid gurgled furiously and flung Lina away. By stupid luck, she happened to go soaring out the window instead of being smashed against a wall.
"Well that's weird," Lina muttered as she soared through the air. She was out of the apartment, but she definitely wasn't in Sairaag. She landed on Sylphiel a moment later, sending them both sprawling. "Ow," Lina whimpered while rubbing her head. "You okay, Sylphiel?" Not receiving a response, she looked down to see Sylphiel staring at something ahead of them. "Hmm?" she muttered as she looked up.
Standing in the middle of the dirt road that Lina and Sylphiel had suddenly found themselves on, was a boy who looked to be about ten years old. He had a mop of unkempt dark hair and amber colored eyes. It was Phibrizzo.
************************************************************************
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Hellmaster bellowed as he mercilessly clawed at the poor sap that he was using to watch Lina.
Hellmaster's scrying tool was a marvel of cruelty. An unfortunate soul was racked along the wall with his bare back exposed. Vicious enchanted knives carved images in his exposed flesh. An instant later, the wounds would heal. This cycle repeated so quickly that the blades were almost invisible while the picture actually appeared to move. Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant experience.
"Something vexes you, brother dear?" a sultry voice purred from the darkness.
Hellmaster snarled and turned to face the intruder. "Zelas, I am really not in the mood right now," he spat.
A stunningly beautiful woman stepped out of the shadows. She had gorgeous blond hair that cascaded down her back to her waist. Her features were almost feline in their beauty and a catlike grin played across her ruby lips. She was tall and her body was finely muscled without an ounce of fat to be seen. An obscenely short gown of gossamer fell just below her shapely hips and clung to her body, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.
"Father's not happy with you. Not happy at all," Zelas said contentedly as she took long drag of a faintly perfumed cigarette. She leaned down and blew smoke in Hellmaster's face, causing him to cough roughly. "Have I mentioned that I like the body?" she said. "It's cute." She extended her tongue and ran it slowly along the ridge of his ear. "Very cute, in fact. And it suits you so well."
Hellmaster scowled at Zelas, daring her to finish her thought.
"It's very childish. Just like you, brother dear." She pretended to pout as she saw him tremble with barely restrained fury. "Oh, are you going to have a temper tantrum now?" she purred. "Go ahead. Prove me right about you."
Hellmaster closed his eyes and very slowly set about roping his emotions in. This wasn't the time for this. He had business to attend to. Zelas was only teasing him because he was out of favor with Father again. He would be forgiven though. It might take a couple centuries, but time healed all things.
"Ooh, what have we here?" Zelas whispered lustily.
Hellmaster opened his eyes to see Zelas eyeing the image of Lina and Sylphiel appreciatively. "Damn it," he hissed inaudibly. "Never mind," he commanded. "It's none of your business."
"Aw," Zelas pouted, "You don't want to share your playthings with me? I promise that I won't break them. The redhead's cute in a scrawny alley cat kind of way. The other one's a real beauty. Can't I play with them for a month or so? Where'd you find them anyway?" She glanced at the image and then back at Hellmaster who was maintaining a stony silence. "Oh, I know what this is about," she said with a cruel chuckle.
Hellmaster crossed his arms and sneered. "Oh really?"
"They're the ones that sent you back aren't they? That's it, isn't it?" Zelas knelt beside Hellmaster and put an arm around his shoulders. "Why then, aren't they dead yet? Hmm…" she mused while tapping a crimson fingernail against her cheek. "You're afraid of them, aren't you brother dear?" she whispered in his ear. "They hurt you and now you're afraid. My, my, my. What would Father say if he knew about this?"
"Nothing, because they will be dead before he finds out."
"Hmm, so you say, yet you've already failed to kill them before," Zelas said as she pulled Hellmaster into a loving embrace.
"What are you getting at?" Hellmaster demanded as he disentangled himself from his irritating sibling.
"Let me have them. They're not worth your time, brother dear," Zelas said eagerly. "Let me show them that there's more to Hell than pain and darkness. After all," she said with a mock frown on her face, "It's been so long since I've had fresh meat."
Hellmaster opened his mouth to tell Zelas to forget about it. Lina and Sylphy were his to do with as he saw fit, after all. But another evil thought intruded. Lina had the Sword of Light. What would happen if such a weapon were used on Zelas? Could a demon really be killed in Hell? If not, there was nothing to stop him from taking the meddlers apart. And if so, well, he wouldn't shed too many tears over his obnoxious whore of a sister. There was no real loyalty between demons after all.
"Very well," Hellmaster sighed with feigned impatience. "Do with them what you will. Make me proud sister dear. Make them scream before the end."
"Lovely." Zelas smiled and kissed Hellmaster on the cheek. "You won't regret this," she said while lovingly stroking his dark hair.
"Oh, I'm quite sure that I won't," Hellmaster replied with an evil grin.
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Lina and Sylphiel walked along a country road, surrounded by lush cornfields as far as the eye could see. Overhead, the sun shone down upon the world from a cloudless sky. It was a warm day, but not unpleasantly so.
The duo had ceased trying to figure out why such a pleasant place would be located in Shabranigdo's realm a good while ago. When they had called out to Phibrizzo he had run off down the road. That had been a while ago. Now, they had nothing to do except follow the road. It was the only landmark as far as the eye could see. Their surroundings seemed to be pleasant enough, aside from the fact that there was nothing except rows upon rows of corn to look at. It felt as if they had been walking for hours, but the sun never moved, giving them little to tell the time with.
"…and so I told him, 'It's your fault for eating that much!" Lina said with a giggle. "He shouldn't have had all those nachos after the cotton candy."
"Oh dear! I do hope that Gourry dear didn't feel too ill," Sylphiel said concernedly.
Lina rolled her eyes and said, "Sylphiel, you know that you're a real killjoy, right?"
Sylphiel looked at Lina uncomprehendingly. "Did I say something wrong? Why would you want Gourry to feel bad?"
"It's not exactly like that," Lina grumbled. "It's just that he brought it on himself and… oh, never mind." She didn't feel like listening to her companion fawn over Gourry and quickly changed the subject. "So," she said while scratching her head sheepishly. "I've been thinking and I just don't get it. What exactly happened back there?"
"What do you mean, Miss Lina?" Sylphiel asked curiously.
"You know, the thing with Hellmaster." Lina looked around to see if there were any eavesdroppers before saying, "Honestly, I didn't have any idea of how we were going to get out of that situation. Then he turned back into Phibrizzo and everything fell apart. He seemed pretty upset with you after things started to go to pieces. I was just wondering what you did."
Oh, it was nothing really," Sylphiel said cheerily. "If you just believe, good things happen. I guess that you could say that it's all about love and faith."
"Love and faith," Lina said dubiously, obviously disappointed that Sylphiel's explanation didn't involve a wooden stake or some silver. "Love and faith," she repeated. A moment later, she shook her head confusedly and said, "You know that you're not making any sense, right?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Lina. That's really the best way I can explain it. I saw someone I cared about in trouble and prayed for his safety. And good things happened, didn't they?" Sylphiel gave Lina a reassuring smile. "That's really all there was to it."
"Someone you cared for, huh?" Lina murmured quietly. She knew in her heart that Sylphiel was talking about Gourry. She put on a cheerful smile and said, "I wish it were that easy for me! In my line of work, you can't really afford to hang around in one place long enough to make attachments like that. If you don't keep moving, you become a target."
"Really?"
"Yep," Lina said with a nod. "I've been on the road for five years with nothing but the clothes on my back and the voices in my head for company." She winked at Sylphiel and said, "That last part was a joke, by the way."
Sylphiel didn't laugh. Instead, she regarded her companion for a moment before asking, "Why?"
The smile on Lina's face was replaced by an expression of bewilderment. "You know, I don't think anyone's ever asked me that before." A moment later, she chuckled and said, "I do it for the money and fame of course!"
Sylphiel cocked her head and gave Lina a disapproving look. "Seriously, Miss Lina."
"Seriously? Hmm." Lina looked down at the dusty road for a few moments, lost in thought.
Sylphiel thought that Lina wasn't going to answer and was about to apologize for prying, when the redhead suddenly looked up at her and began to speak.
"I want to say that I do it to protect the innocent, but that's not really the truth." She unconsciously lowered her voice and said, "Sylphiel, can you keep a secret?"
Sylphiel nodded hesitantly, not really sure that she wanted to hear Lina's explanation. The Slayer had gotten deadly serious all of a sudden.
"I do it because I'm scared." Lina blinked in surprise at her own admission. She hastily stammered, "Remember, you promised that you wouldn't tell anyone."
Sylphiel shook her head emphatically. "I won't. But I know that can't be true, Miss Lina."
"Oh?" Lina said curiously. "Why's that?"
"Because you've done so many brave things!" Sylphiel explained. "Gourry told me about how fearless you are. You hunt down the scariest things and never back down from a fight. And now, you're risking your life to save dear Phibrizzo from the Hellmaster's clutches. That sounds brave to me."
Lina scoffed at Sylphiel's comments. If she was so brave, why was she afraid to sleep at night? Why did she have to drink herself to sleep in the morning to avoid the nightmares? Why couldn't she keep her nerves under control? "I'm not brave," she said flatly.
Sylphiel sighed quietly and asked, "Miss Lina, if that's true, why did you come to this place? I watched you go. You didn't hesitate, not even for a moment. If you're so scared, why did you come after Phibrizzo?"
"I… I… I…" Lina stammered. Memories of Luna and the agony she'd felt at losing her sister came flooding back to her. She couldn't stand the idea of another young life being ruined by the darkness as hers had been. "It's none of your damn business, is it?!" she yelled.
Sylphiel covered her mouth with her hand and took a step back from Lina. "I'm sorry. You're right of course."
There was an uncomfortable silence between the two women for a moment.
Suddenly, a voice called out from the cornfield, shattering the calm. "Hello?" There was an agonized groan and the voice called again. "Is someone there? Help me, please."
Lina and Sylphiel glanced at each other nervously for a moment. This was Hell after all and things had been strangely quiet for the longest time. They briefly considered slinking away from the voice and actually took the first couple steps before it called out again.
"In the name of all that's holy, help me!"
A flock of ugly black birds scattered from a point in the corn at the sound of the yell.
"Miss Lina …" Sylphiel said. "It sounds like someone is in trouble."
Lina sighed in resignation before plunging into the densely packed stalks lining the road. A second later, Sylphiel followed her.
"Hello?" Lina called quietly, half hoping that the voice wouldn't hear her.
"Over here!" the voice responded eagerly. "Hurry up!"
Lina hastened her pace, having only the most general idea of where the voice was coming from. The corn stalks had grown well over her head and she could only see a couple inches in front of her face. It came as a huge surprise when she plunged into a clearing, bereft of plant life of any kind. A second later, Sylphiel crashed into her causing them both to fall to the ground.
"Ow," Lina muttered while rubbing her head. She looked up to see that they were in a circular clearing about twenty feet in diameter. In the center of the circle was a post with a tattered scarecrow bound to it. She felt something wiggling under her hands and looked down to see countless worms and slugs crawling along the ground towards the scarecrow. "Oh gross!" she yelled as she hastily scrambled to her feet. She brushed herself off while glancing around the clearing.
"Is this where that voice came from?" Sylphiel asked as she hopped from foot to foot in an attempt to avoid contact with the disgusting creatures on the ground.
"How am I supposed to know?" Lina asked while performing her own bizarre little dance.
The scarecrow slowly tilted its head to look at Lina and Sylphiel and sighed, "Thank heavens."
Lina and Sylphiel screeched in surprise at the sudden signs of life from the scarecrow. They took a cautious step towards the thing and took a closer look at it.
What they had assumed was a scarecrow was actually a spindly human. Or at least it had been at one point. Its flesh was a sooty black, as if it had been scorched in a fire. It was fastened to the blackened post by a wooden stake that had been driven through its gaunt ribcage. Endless maggots and worms crawled about the body, eagerly burrowing into the creature's flesh. Its face was little more than a charred skull, devoid of a nose and any flesh. Two hate filled eyes, the only things intact on the body, glowered at the girls.
"It's you," the scarecrow hissed, it's voice filled with a mixture of anger and agony.
"Me?" Lina asked while pointing at herself. She forced a smile and said, "Well, I guess it's not surprising. Of course the legend of my skill would spread as far as Hell itself. Right Sylphiel?" She turned to her companion, desperately wanting the girl to say something to draw her attention away from the thing.
Sylphiel just stared at Lina mutely, her mouth hanging open.
The scarecrow hissed in agony and tried in vain to brush the myriad parasites from its body. In frustration, it began to snatch handfuls of mangled flesh from itself, doing far more harm than good. "You don't remember me, do you?" it said, eyeing Lina wickedly all the while.
"Should I?"
"You put me here!" the scarecrow bellowed.
"And you would be?" Lina asked in a quivering voice.
"Lupin van Wolfenstein," the scarecrow uttered with no small amount of pride.
"Lupin … Lupin …" Lina muttered while rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Sorry, doesn't ring any bells, buddy. Sorry to have disturbed you," she said hastily. She slowly backed away from the creature and whispered to Sylphiel, "Go back the way we came. Right now."
"But shouldn't we help him?" Sylphiel whispered. "He's in pain."
"I'm sure that he's there for a good reason!" Lina hissed. "Now move it!"
"Surely you must remember me? You killed me when I was about to feed on a young lady in Sairaag so long ago," Lupin said hopefully.
Lina smacked her fist into her palm and said, "Oh, yeah! I do remember you. Wow, what a nostalgia trip. Well, hope you've been well. We're kind of busy, hunting down evil and all that good stuff, so we'll be going now."
A loud cawing noise drew the girls' attention to the skies overhead. The blackbirds circled, as if waiting for the interlopers to leave.
Lupin glared upwards as well. "They pick at me, looking for the maggots. Usually they end up getting my eyes too," he said with a chuckle. "They're tenacious little bastards." He sighed in resignation and said, "They heal though. My eyes that is. Over and over again." He noticed the girls backing away from him and said, "Stay a while. I'm quite pleased to see you again after so long."
"Oh? And why's that?" Lina asked suspiciously.
Lupin had no lips, but he gave the distinct impression that he would be grinning if he had. "Because you're finally here, where you belong. You can't know how many centuries I've been waiting to see you suffer alongside me."
"Centuries?" Lina muttered bemusedly.
"Of course," Lupin said. "I've suffered countless agonies, waiting for the day that you'd finally get here. It's been the only thing that's kept me sane."
"Sorry to disappoint you, pal," Lina said angrily. "We're just passing through. Hope you have a nice time though. You've earned it."
Lupin's eyes widened in shock. "You mean … you … you're not dead?!" He looked Inverse over, noting that she looked exactly the same as he remembered. That could only mean …
Lina shook her head and turned to leave. "Let's go Sylphiel. We won't find Phibrizzo like this."
"Wait!" Lupin shouted desperately. "Before you go, answer me this. How long?"
"How long what?" Lina called over her shoulder, already disappearing into the corn.
"How long have I been here?!" Lupin shouted almost hysterically.
Lina stopped and turned to face Lupin. She counted on her fingers for a moment before shrugging and saying, "Uh, I dunno. I've been really busy lately and lost track of the time." She shrugged and turned to leave again. A long moment later, her voice drifted back to Lupin from the obscurity of the field. "A week, I guess? Probably less then that."
"A … a week?" Lupin whispered uncomprehendingly. He looked down at the parasites feasting upon his flesh, his reward for having lived the life of a parasite for so long. "A week? A WEEK?!" The full weight of eternity came crashing down upon the former vampire and, unable to cope with the concept, his mind fractured. He began to giggle as the carrion birds descended to feast upon him again.
Lina and Sylphiel cringed as the sound of horrible gibbering laughter erupted from the clearing behind them. They broke into a run in their attempt to escape the terrible noise. A moment later, they burst out of the cornfield, expecting to find themselves back on the road again, but, as before, discovering that they were somewhere totally different.
The two bewildered travelers looked around and immediately wished that they hadn't. They found themselves in a lavishly decorated room with a high arcing ceiling. The chamber was dimly lit with candles that cast exaggerated shadows along the walls. The smell of incense permeated the air. Elaborate tapestries, woven with golden thread adorned the walls. They depicted wild-eyed characters, whose limbs were entwined in a passionate embrace. Large pillows were stacked several feet high on either side of the walkway.
On the pillows, a variety of couples lay together. Male and female, male and male, female and female, sometimes more than two at a time. It seemed that they weren't very discriminating about their choice of partners.
"Jeez," Lina whispered as she covered her eyes. Her face was flushed a bright shade of red. "This really is Hell. They're trying to embarrass me to death!" Her eyes still covered, she yelled, "Put some clothes on people!"
In her cursory examination of the room, Lina had found something about the people even more disconcerting then their actions. Unlike her, they were all exceptionally beautiful. She was suddenly struck by an agonizing sensation of sadness and isolation.
Sylphiel looked around embarrassedly. "Miss Lina, look at them. It's strange."
"I don't wanna!" Lina loudly protested. A moment later she relented, peeking out from behind her hands. "What the…?" she muttered quietly.
There was no love expressed on the faces of those around them. Only the most animalistic lust. As they watched, the people would viciously bite and claw at one another in mid coitus, sometimes drawing blood.
Lina subconsciously huddled closer to Sylphiel as she asked, "What's wrong with them?"
"Nothing at all," a voice hissed from the darkness.
Lina and Sylphiel looked up to see a tall woman stride out of the shadows. If anything, she was more beautiful than any of the others in the room and the girls were overcome with a feeling of intense jealousy.
Lina drew her sword and pointed it at the newcomer. "Hold it right there lady! Who are you?"
Zelas stopped a few feet away from the pair and eyed them lustily, causing them both to blush all over again. "Zelas. The Greater Beast Zelas, to children like you."
"The Greater Beast?" Lina whispered as her silver edged blade became slack in her grasp.
"You have heard of me," Zelas said with a satisfied grin.
"In my line of work, it's hard not to," Lina said. Greater Beast Zelas Metallium. Patron demon of shape shifters."
"Shape shifters, Miss Lina?" Sylphiel said questioningly.
"Yeah," Lina nodded. "Werewolves and things like that," she explained. "And she, uh, has other duties as well," she muttered somewhat embarrassedly.
"No need to be shy about it," Zelas purred. She turned to Sylphiel and said, "My realm involves the more … carnal portions of human personality." She gestured to the writhing forms sprawled out on the pillows around them. "Anything that deals with humanity's animalistic nature is mine to toy with."
"That's nice lady, but we don't have time to play around. We're just here to collect someone and we'll be on our way," Lina said as she backed away from Zelas.
"Oh?" Zelas said with a thoughtful look on her face. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for a darling little boy, would you?"
Lina was about to answer when she was shoved aside by an overeager Sylphiel.
"That's right!" Sylphiel said hopefully. "Please tell me, is he all right?"
Zelas nodded. "Quite well, in fact. My dear brother hasn't quite decided what to do with him yet. That means that his sport promises to be especially cruel. I don't envy that poor child."
"Where is he?" Sylphiel asked. "Miss Zelas, will you please help us find him?"
"Wait a second," Lina murmured suspiciously. Something wasn't quite right here. One of the greater servants of Hell offering aid without expecting compensation? Not likely. "What's your game, Zelas?" she demanded.
Zelas smiled playfully. "Oh Lina, your quite good. Despite your physical flaws, your mind is a sharp as a knife."
"What'd you just say?" Lina asked angrily. She twirled her sword threateningly as she looked up at the demon. She tried to smile and said, "Lady, you are really pushing your luck."
"I don't like to repeat myself, but for you I'll make an exception. I said that despite the fact that you look like a mongrel that has been in one too many fights, you're really quite intelligent."
"That's mean!" Sylphiel admonished.
Lina's mouth dropped open in surprise. She took a step back from Zelas and raised her sword. "Mongrel? That's it," she muttered, trying to muster some sense of anger or indignation to stem the tide of self-pity she was feeling. She failed miserably in her endeavor.
"Well, it's quite true," Zelas said to Sylphiel with a shrug. " I mean, look at her. Take a good look at her body. Those scars are hardly what I'd call beauty marks. Quite honestly, I find it quite difficult to be in the same room with such hideousness."
"Hideousness?" Lina whispered. She suddenly developed a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt naked under Zelas's gaze and fell to her knees. Her sword fell to the ground as she hugged herself tightly. Zelas could see her scars and knew the truth that Lina had tried to deny for so long.
"That's not true!" Sylphiel said angrily. "Miss Lina is very pretty. You can hardly see those marks."
Lina looked up when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She found herself face to face with Zelas.
"I know that it hurts," Zelas whispered. "Nobody out there could ever want a broken toy like you. Why not give up this foolish quest to save the child? Stay here with me." She pointed at something and said, "Look at that."
Lina looked over to see an incredibly handsome man with long blond hair situated comfortably on a particularly large cushion. Seeing that she was looking at him, he smiled wolfishly and beckoned her over.
"You see Lina?" Zelas whispered hopefully. "Isn't he a marvelous specimen? And he's all for you." She cupped Lina's face in her hands and leaned until their lips were less than an inch apart. "Hell isn't all about pain. Some aspects of it are actually quite pleasurable."
Lina stared into Zelas's eyes with a terrified expression on her face. Her hands shook as she fumbled for the Sword of Light hanging from her belt. She had to stop this somehow. As if it had a mind of its own, the hilt slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.
Zelas eyed the weapon distastefully. "You needn't worry about picking that up. You'll never need it again. Don't you see, Lina? Out there you are shunned for your imperfections. Here, you are exalted." She leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips against Lina's. "Here, you are desired. Don't you want that?" she whispered sensuously. "Aren't you tired of the questioning stares? The disgusted looks?" She shook her head sadly and whispered, "You poor neglected child. You don't have to live like that. Let me give you what you deserve."
Lina swallowed hard and squeaked something that sounded like an agreeable answer.
"Oh no," Sylphiel whispered. "Miss Lina, don't do it!"
Zelas ignored Sylphiel and whispered, "Beautiful," before leaning forward to passionately kiss Lina. The redhead tensed up for a moment before going utterly limp in Zelas's embrace. She broke the kiss and said, "That will do quite nicely, won't it?"
Lina nodded mutely and clung tightly to Zelas, desiring more of the acceptance that the Beast had promised her.
Zelas motioned her servant forward. After Lina was satisfactorily occupied, she turned to face Sylphiel. The smile that had been on her face faded instantly and she loomed over the healer menacingly. "You," she hissed.
Sylphiel cowered slightly before the much taller woman. She clutched her medallion tightly as she stared into Zelas's eyes.
Lina looked up into the eyes of the beautiful stranger who carried her. Something about this was terribly wrong, but she was beyond caring at this point. When Zelas kissed her, she'd felt something awaken inside her. Some nameless desire, impossible to comprehend, impossible to refuse. She whimpered as her companion lowered her onto the silk pillow. It was unbelievably comfortable and any lingering reluctance that she had felt slipped mercifully away.
And then, Lina was lost.
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Next Chapter: In the jaws of the Beast
Notes: Fun chapter. Don't you guys think? *crickets chirp* Fine, be that way.
Reader Response:
Otaku girl, you seem to be jumping the gun here. Sure Rezo and Eris have shown up, but Lina might not be around to meet them.
Thanks a bunch dragonet! Xellos's part was pretty interesting to write. Don't look for it for a few chapters though.
Welcome aboard Cookie! Thanks for the kind words!
Pogo, yes I'm bringing in new characters! Just because they're introduced doesn't mean that I have to use them immediately (do I?). I'm setting up things that won't be addressed for another 20 chapters or so.
Miss Gabriev, I thought that you'd get a kick out of the Martina bit. As for the 'incident', I'm truly sorry about how things turned out for you. I sincerely wish you only the best and I'll try to finish our story whenever I can.
Masaki, what's the thing about the next 2-3 chapters? I suppose you'll just have to read them and see, won't you? Glad you enjoyed the Gaav/Zangulus part.
A heartfelt thanks to Pogo for beta reading this mess and trying to whip some sense into me. I'm sure that it didn't take, but thanks for trying!