---o--o--o---
[Lina] Weah, that was a close one. I figured I'd be a goner for sure...
---o--o--o---
Slayers: Clouds!
Chapter 4:
Breakfast! Time for Plans!
---o--o--o---
Lina looked out at the sunset, its flaming colors, bright edges, and clouds that were dark and foreboding; the air was still and peaceful. The now setting sun had ignited the green valley into reds, yellows, and oranges. It was by all means, a beautiful site to behold.
The outcropping was high, almost touching the low sky. The rest of the valley spread before her very eyes, for it was full of low rolling green hills, interrupted by a mountain or small plateau. Even at such an extreme height, she knew she was on the edge of something special.
Instead of her usual content self, Lina chose to look outward into the valley. It reminded her of the travels with Naga: how she looked out at the setting sun, the clouds, and the future. Herself used to be content and wait protected among the rocks.
But there was no Naga this time: only one Lina Inverse. This time, she took the position looking out for herself...towards an unknown future.
Then, a snap of unexpected wind blew into Lina's face. A gust...no, a force much greater than a gust, for she could feel it far in the distance. At first, it shown itself to be a setting star; bright and shiny it lit up the far corner of the valley off into the horizon.
However, in waves of dark greens and blue, the force grew, reaching for the sky as well as the closer grounds. It seemed to move faster as it accelerated; swallowing air and earth in giant gulps, its ever-so hunger never ending. Nothing was stopping it as shrubs, trees, then hills, just disappeared into the wave, an ever expanding ball of chaos.
Lina could only watch.
Behind her, gatherings of wild animals were running away, like mice leaving a sunken ship. It was then that Lina spotted her group of companions: Sylphiel, Amelia, Zel, and surprisingly Filia. They equally saw the advancing wave of energy and were very much aware of its landing. Her friends had already taken extreme defensive positions in a crude circle, preparing for the worst.
Lina shouted but her voice carried no sound, at least no sound that her companions could hear. She tried to move toward them but her feet held fast as if locked in quicksand. There was nothing she could do.
"Are we going to survive this?" Amelia was scared, her voice shrilling in desperation.
"Dear Cepheid," said Sylphiel, her eyes growing scared.
Filia could only plainly answer, as she looked up at the approaching destruction. "I don't know. We're sure going to try."
The wave came quickly, sweeping across the valley closer and closer. The rawness of it spawned loose excess energy as blue and white lightening crackled among the darkened sky. The air was heavy with the stench of death.
Zel and Amelia put their Balus walls up right away, with Sylphiel and Filia supplying other protective energy. Lina was sure that the four of them had put up enough energy to even block one of her enhanced Dragon slaves.
The blue and green tinted wave was coming at an incredible rate. Whatever it absorbed quickly disappeared from their sight. As it was very near now; it accelerated even faster as if it could smell out targets to absorb.
It hit them head on. Blue and white energy warped over Lina, blocking her view. It was as if she wasn't even affected by the tidal of energy; it was if she wasn't even there.
Her companions did their very best with their fortified Balus Wall. But there was no plea, there was no time for screams. The protective barrier barely held for a second, the chaotic wave quickly swept her friends away.
And then, it was gone.
Lina walked over the untouched land, unable to explain her existence while her friends were no longer. No bodies, no blood, not a trace. The land seemly barely disturbed: there were trees and grass, even the campfire.
She looked for signs of a struggle in the dirt where their final stand had taken place. She lifted up Zel's cloak from the sandy ground, as if it had been carelessly discarded. No bodies. Only her friend's empty clothes were left behind.
A howl behind her startled Lina as she turned around and saw--
---o--o--o---
"XELLLOS! Get your Mazoku face out of my bedroom!" Lina had a pillow in her hand, her arm corking it from a throwing position even though she was still lying in bed.
"My, my, how cranky you are in the morning, Lina." Xellos, staff and all, had taken a step back from his leaning position over the sorcerer. "Maybe I should get you a bath or something?"
"Take yourself out of my room! Now!" The pillow shot out of Lina's hand just missing the mysterious priest. "Otherwise, I will put that face where the sun don't shine."
Xellos managed to transport himself safely to the other side of the bed. "Oh, dear me! Should I excuse myself?"
"Yes," said Lina, "but I doubt you will."
"Ah, so, you know me so well."
Ugh, Lina thought, she didn't need this aggravation after such a rough night. Stretching herself in bed, the sorcerer noticed she had slept in her clothes. Getting upright, she leaned her head on her open palm, trying to spell out the events of yesterday.
Damn. Nothing. Well, she surmised, thinking on an empty stomach was definitely the wrong thing to do.
"I'm sure you'll want to join us for breakfast," the sorcerer said to Xellos. She quickly got out of bed and tidied up a bit in front of her mirror. "You can come if you pay."
The trickster priest frowned. "Well, it's not like I carry currency around in this getup of mine. After all, what do I need with money? I don't live off eating, and my bed, oh how shall I say this...well it's a little like..."
Lina turned her head around and gave Xellos the 'oh, that's rough I feel so sorry for you' look. "I should have known. Enough excuses to wake the dead which I'm sure you do."
She looked at the grinning Xellos and scowled.
"Get out."
"Why, Lina...why would you say such things...errr..." Xellos made a couple of more steps backwards. "You can't be too hasty, Lina." It didn't take long for the mysterious priest to break out in a full retreat. "Lina??"
---o--o--o---
Xellos leaned against the hallway, waiting for the redheaded sorcerer to come out of her room. He whistled a little tune with is arms crossed, trying to bemuse itself. A chambermaid walked by, giving the Mazoku an ugly 'peeping tom' stare. Before he could say something rude, Lina's bedroom door opened and closed.
"Took you long enough," chimed Xellos. "I was wondering what you were doing in there."
Lina looked up at Xellos with a stare that would have made any except a Mazoku beg for mercy. "Let's go."
Xellos blinked. "I'll be right behind you." And he smiled.
Hmm, thought Lina, turning down the hallway of the inn. It was probably best to let Zelgadis sleep in this morning, especially with Xellos the puppy on her tail. She figured the twice-human chimera could definitely use some more rest time.
"Come on Xellos, Zel needs his beauty rest."
"He does?" said the mysterious priest. "But he's good looking already."
Lina ignored the stalking Mazoku. Walking down the stairs with Xellos, she quickly found herself in the middle of the breakfast rush of their restaurant's inn. Amelia and Gourry were already sitting at a large circular table, with Sylphiel on the other end. They had started without Lina. Only the remnants of a light breakfast of a dozen or so empty plates were left; stacked neatly in the middle of the table. Sylphiel was busy drinking hot-chocolate again, keeping her hands snug around the warm cup.
"Lina! Over here," waved Amelia, as she ate the last of her breakfast toast.
"Morning." Lina sat down and let go, with Xellos popping in right behind her.
The waitress was over in a flash. "Ok, I need the table soon, so be quick. Lots of hungry gamblers. No sharing plates, the minimum is five coins," she announced dimly. The girl had obviously been on her feet too long.
"Right." Lina broke the menu open and ordered with her usual style. "I'd like here to here. And here to here. And these three specials."
"Yes, Ma'am!" The waitress was gone in a second.
"Lina," asked Sylphiel, "where is Zegadisl right now?"
Lina looked squarely at Xellos. "He needs his rest right now, however I'm sure he'll be down later." At least her response seemed to calm the jumpy shrine maiden down.
"Lina, I don't know why you're looking at me like that, it's not like I did anything...wrong." Xellos smirked his answer to Lina. "I didn't change him, the box did. He did it all on his own."
"Then why did you tell him about stupid box anyway?" Lina's voice was icy and cold.
"I didn't know you were here."
Lina just flattened her hand on her face. "Figures."
Amelia stood up, her voice charging. "And when Lina blew up the chaos box, it changed Zel back into his old form of a chimera. You knew that was going go happen."
The mysterious priest blinked. "Actually, if the chaos box was to be removed from his presences, it is true that he would revert to his old form." Xellos took a sip of tea, much relaxed like his usual self. "The box is temporary either way, just like you have your powers back."
Lina immediately responded. "And you didn't think to tell Zelgadis about this, did you?"
"He didn't ask."
"Why you-"
A tumble answered her call, as something loud rambling down the stairs onto a landing near Lina's table. Patrons all over the restaurant were aghast in surprise at cloaked figure latterly rolling down the stairs.
"Zel!" Sylphiel and Amelia were first out of their chairs.
Lina rushed to the chimera's side, totally dropping her conversation with the mysterious priest.
Zelgadis got up from on his ass into a crouched position. It was clear as day that Zel's moments were alert and crisp, as he stared down his group of comrades. He quickly took focus as he shook his head, clearing the cobwebs out of his system.
"Are you ok, Zel?" chimed in Amelia. Seeing that the chimera was ok, she nevertheless asked the question.
He grunted. "Ah...clumsy me. Dammed step reached out and bit me, I guess it was hungry."
The girls chuckled at Zel's comments.
"Why, I didn't think you had any humor in you, Zel..." said Lina, looking down at the chimera with a rather sarcastic look. The other patrons knew that nothing was up and had returned to their morning breakfast.
The chimera hopped up off the floor, joining the group as they all sat again for breakfast. "It's unfortunate to see you so soon, Xellos. I had rather enjoyed my evening last night." He took an unused cup and saucer from the center of the table and poured himself some tea while staring down at the Mazoku priest-general.
"Oh, it was nothing," callously laughed the priest-general.
The chimera could only grumble at Xellos' dodgy answer, like he cared.
"Well, heh," spoke up Lina, trying to break the ice between the groveling men, "I wanted to wait until everyone was here this morning." She leaned closer over the table, almost whispering. "I should tell you we've got quite a mystery on our hands."
The group oooh'ed and aaah'ed, loving every minute.
The sorcerer reached among her belt and tossed two objects onto the table. First was a piece of tan-grayish rock, seemingly of a broken corner of something square. Some of its outer surface was carved in recognizable patterns, yet it was quite unclear what it was exactly part of. The other piece was a sliver of crystal: white and clear as perfect ice, blurring the wood patterns of the table underneath it. The crystal was a few inches longer that wider, seemingly just large enough to grab with the fist.
"The Lynx box," spoke Sylphiel, as clear as crystal.
"I think its a piece of it," said Lina. "The color is right, so is the design. However, that's all that's left of it." The sorcerer mumbled a bit, sliding the broken piece across the table.
"And the crystal, this wonderful gem. Yet, this sucker isn't a jewel though, I don't know who would buy such a piece." Lina picked up the crystal again and banged it onto the table. "Heh, the sucker is a tough old bird, isn't it?"
"Have you tried an identification spell on it?"
"No, but then I didn't detect any magic from it. I guess it can't hurt." The redheaded sorcerer put the jewel back onto the table. "IDENTIFY!"
The crystal started to glow with magic, circling around the stone in waves of energy. Everyone was hushed, expecting some great sign, thinking the mysterious crystal would clearly identify itself. Alas, the magic field faded to nothingness.
"Well its definitely not magical, my spell would tell me so. The blasted object is probably nothing but a cheap piece of jewelry."
"Can I keep it?" asked Amelia, her face all excited. "I can make a necklace from it."
"Hmmm, I think I'm going to hold onto it." It was out of the corner of her eyes that Lina noticed the chaos box piece was missing. "Hey! Where did it go!"
"Oooh, what nice pictures on this thing." Gourry had the corner bit in his hand, spinning it in his hand from all different angles. He raised it into the air, shining it into the morning sun above his head.
"Gimme that thing, you baby!" Lina reached out, swiping away the piece of chaos box from her protector. "I swear, Gourry, you get into the most trouble out of everyone I know."
"But Lina," said Gourry, as he pointed to her hands. "I've seen that picture before. Just yesterday, I swear."
"Baka! I've never seen these carvings in my life. And you're tell me that when I was with you yesterday that you saw these engravings?"
"How about on the other side?" Gourry pointed with his finger the dark underside of the box piece.
"Hmmm?" Lina voiced went up an octave as she turned the corner of the box around, squeezing with her eyes into the shaded corner. "My Cepheid, Gourry's right. There's something here I can barely make out." And she squinted her eyes for some extra effort.
"Really?" Amelia reached over Gourry, almost on top of the table to see the hidden interior image. In fact, the entire group huddled around the table in hushing silence. Even Xellos leaned in to take a peek in.
"An inlet of a cloud," announced Zelgadis. "I can barely make out the castle on top if it." He reached back for a second, stretching. "It's a makers mark for sure, a simple design."
Xellos nodded. "It's from the City of the Clouds. After all, why mark a piece that's from some other forsaken place."
"Really?" The Saillune princess was jumpy. "Why mark it from the fantasy island?"
Lina sweat dropped. "Oh crap. You mean it's a real place?" She looked up at the mysterious priest who just shrugged her a standard response.
"Well," interrupted Zelgadis, "Its hardly proof that it came from the City of the Clouds. After all, I could scratch up this table with the very same markings."
"True, true," murmured Xellos.
Lina turned to the right. "Sylphiel, you did say that your father knew about the City of the Clouds. Did he ever mention who they were built by?"
"Not really. But now that I've thought about it, I think he told me ancient dragons lived there. We did see ancient dragons on the tapestry in the tower, but it was destroyed in the fire last night." The shrine maiden lowered her head. "I'm sorry, but it was a long time ago."
Ancient dragons. Lina heart just stirred up hearing those two words. Ancient Dragons. They had almost not survived their dreaded fight with Valgaav, the last of the ancient dragons that had ever lived. It had been epic battle, beating Valgaav, Dark Star, and his minions from another plane of existence.
But now there was a chance that Valgaav wasn't the last of the ancient dragon. Here might be the proof, that somewhere, Ancient Dragons lived. These secrets were just coming to light now -- secrets that the golden dragons had made sure to bury and forget. The ancient dragon's legacy was very much alive.
Lina held the chaos box piece in her hand. Now, this piece of reality, from a 'fairy-land' that other people had only heard in bedtime stories. This was almost proof of a place...no, a magnificent city, those destruction had never been mapped. If there was chance that the City of the Clouds was still around, she was almost sure...that dragons had something to do with it.
"Well," Lina cleared her throat. "I actually do know someone who knows what's going on for once. The identifier." She turned to the purple priest. "What's this all about, Xellos?"
"Ah, the tale of the Cloudminders. I'm afraid it's a little before my time." Xellos stiffened up in his chair.
"Talk, maggot," questioned Zel.
Lina ignored the chimera. "Well then, tell me what you know of the Cloudminders?" She was up and out of her chair, adding a bit of a height advantage to the sitting Mazoku.
Xellos straitened out his collar with his left hand while he also got up to stand. No one had ever sworn that he was sweating, but Lina was sure putting him on the spot. "Ah, to as much as you know is true...and the rest, well...that is a secret."
Everyone tumbled.
"I'm afraid that's not good enough, Xellos. Especially when this thing comes along and robs my magic while Turnip tries to kill me." During her words, Lina grabbed Xellos by the very neckline of his jacket. With precision, she managed to get Xellos' body halfway up the empty table behind him, determined to get the information she needed.
"Now, Lina, don't be so hasty now," blinked the Mazoku.
"Lina! What are you doing?" asked Amelia.
"What do you think I'm doing?" Lina managed to get the passive Xellos in a headlock, playfully banging the Mazoku's body on the table. "I'm interrogating him!" She turned back to her current obsession.
"Now, Xellos dear," questioned the sorcerer as she smiled into the face of the mysterious priest. Zelgadis coughed, but Lina had a quick second to stare down the chimera before getting back to her session. "Tell me something Xellos, otherwise..."
"Anoo...but there's very little you can do to hurt me," chimed the purple priest. "Well...maybe if you..."
Lina crept a little closer, leaning her mouth next to the priest's ears as she began to whisper...sweet nothings. Xellos was so astonished by the words that his body melted in the sorcerer's hands, any resistance he had before instantly drained away.
"Anything....but Lina..." he exclaimed.
Lina chanted quietly, her amulets on her wrists and neck responded by glowed open with power.
"What the hell is she doing?" asked Sylphiel.
Zel nodded. "I don't know the spell, but she's amplifying the effect. Whatever it is, its nasty." They watched as Lina's arms and hands glow with more magic. The chimera sat back and watched. "Damn, a magical headlock. That figures."
"Popcorn?" Gourry had a small serving bowl taken from the bar area while they waited for more breakfast food.
"Yeah, sure." Zel reached for a handful and took some bites. "This is the most fun I've had in years."
Xellos wanted to run away with his body to the astral plane -- there had to be another way of doing this. But damn it, now that he had chosen to stay, he was a locked up for a while to say at least. He cursed as his head hit the table a bit harder. And he liked it a lot...
"Something to say, mysterious one?" Lina eyed the purple priest and smiled. "I can go harder if you wish."
Xellos sweat dropped. "Well...not a bad idea."
Lina smacked Xellos' head on the table again, his time splintering wood but the sturdy table didn't completely fly apart. "Speak! You know you owe me one from waking my ass up this morning!"
Amelia's chin almost hit the table, she was about to speak of cruelty if it wasn't for the chimera's nudge with the edge of his elbow.
"Tell me what I want to hear!" Lina was now squeezing extra hard, her glowing arms threatened to shine Shabby red and flame the whole room.
Xellos grabbed at his throat a bit, managing to speak as he gutted out a few words. "Its...to...the south...The south!!"
"Ah, good boy." Lina let the priest-general go, her arms and hands quickly returning to their normal color. "It's so nice working with you Xellos." And she pushed him off the table in an undignified manner.
The Mazoku stirred up to a standing position, straitening out his heavy cloaks. "Ah, so. Well, I think I'd better be going." With that announcement, he was gone in a flash.
"Good riddance to trash," Zelgadis spawned.
"Well, he did point us in the right direction." Lina smiled a bit. "He's so useful, I love it."
Sylphiel opened his mouth to say something, but the look and nod from Zel told her not to say a word.
---o--o--o---
More breakfast food arrived at the table, cutting into their conversation a bit while they ate.
"So, we'll travel from here sometime tomorrow." Lina took up to eating a huge ham hock with her hands, the large piece of meat was easily double the size of her head. "That make sense for everyone?"
Gourry nodded. "Now, what direction are we traveling now?"
Lina bonked Gourry with the half eaten ham hock on top of his head. "Baka! He said south."
"So, isn't that beyond the great barrier used to be?" asked Amelia. "I mean, we really don't know what's down there."
There is was, new food. Gourry looked at the ham hock that Lina had conveniently used as a weapon -- she kept it there as a deterrent, but in actually it was the swordsman who was occupied as he fork and kniked into the ham hock.
"That's true," said the sorcerer. "I wish we had some more information, Xellos is often 'lacking' in that area a lot." Lina turned back to look down the center of the table. "But I can't believe I'm still hungry; damn this empty stomach."
It was then that she looked back at her ham hock meal -- and how Gourry was biting off the very last morsel of her breakfast, leaving her only with a dried up bone. Her eyes lit up like furnaces, her anger no longer could be contained.
"Jellyfish!" She took the ham hock bone and slammed it down on Gourry's head once more, quite harder than her usual self.
"Lina!" Sylphiel yelled.
"How could you!" shouted Amelia.
Gourry went flying across the breakfast floor, thought an empty set of tables, head first into the fireplace. Sylphiel ran right out of her seat to the fallen Gourry, with Amelia right behind her.
"Stupid drunk baka last night, eating me out of breakfast. Do you know what he was like?" Lina looked up at the bone in her hand, the deadly weapon glistening in the light.
Zelgadis just stared. "Yea, I do. He saved your ass from those crossbow arrows."
The petite sorcerer could only nod her head downward in agreement.
"You should be ashamed, Lina." Zelgadis eyed glazed over the red-headed sorcerer, ham hock bone still in her hand. She could believe the strength of her latest shot, Gourry hadn't even put up any sort of defense. She couldn't say a word as she turned away from the table. "You know what to do."
Lina deserted the table with Zelgadis as they moved to over where the girls were treating the swordsman. The shrine maidens had Gourry sitting up, he seemed to be OK except for a bruised ego.
Gourry looked up at the standing Lina, her eyes were tearing a bit as she stared down at her protector. "I'm...sorry. I just, don't understand why you put up with me all the time."
"Lina, we've all been through a lot of stuff." Gourry shook his head, trying to get the spinning cobwebs out of his system. "I just was trying...a lot. That's all."
Lina nodded, holding out her hand in a sign of goodwill. Gourry took it lightly, lifting himself off the mantle of the fireplace. "Gourry, sometimes, I don't...understand what I'm feeling..."
"Lina..."
"But I want to say something." The sorcerer tried to breathe the words out, but no other incoherent words came out of his mouth. "I never felt so...powerless..."
Gourry brought his hand level, his index finger pointed up and placed it on Lina's lips. "Shhhh... You don't have to say a word." Lina immediately blushed red across her face, turned and ran back to the table with Gourry in tow.
The shrine ladies could only sigh in amazement, "Amelia, Sylphiel, don't you think we have some breakfast to finish up?" Lina just looked up into Gourry's face, her action spoke much more than words.
They sighed, going back to the breakfast table. "Ahh, love..."
"What you do know about love?" the chimera asked.
Amelia blushed a bit as they arrived back at their seats, only to discover they had a stranger among them, finishing away at their breakfast at an amazing rate. He had a familiar white hair, fiery eyes, and a dirty gray cloak.
"Ummm, excuse me," asked Sylphiel.
"Hey, look who's eating Lina's food!"
Lina was back at the table in a flash, holding on Gourry in tow. "What do you think you're doing eating my food!" Lina's eyes lighted up, just like from a few minutes ago.
"Don't hurt him!" yelled the Princess of Saillune, as she blocked Lina from attacking the stranger. "Don't hurt Thoth!
"Thoth?" Lina sweat dropped as she watched the old man swallow a couple of more muffins in one bite. "He's more like an eating machine to me..."
Behind the redhead, the chimera whispered closely into Lina's ear. "We knocked into Thoth in the casino. He felt up Amelia for a second, and now she can't live for one-"
*SMACK!*
Amelia's had her fist, straight down into Zel's head. "It's not like that at all, Lina!" She turned to the chimera, her fists still blazing in white. "How could you think that could happen to the princess of Saillune! I'm innocent, I tell you!"
Zelgadis rubbed his sore stony head, trying to explain the matter to the rest of them. "Well, he did-" Amelia just glazed at the chimera with a look that could shatter glass. "Ummm, never mind."
Amelia looked at Thoth and sighed. "He's just a misunderstood old man. Poor hungry guy."
Lina didn't pay much merit onto Amelia's sideshow. Instead, she got right up to Thoth, yelling right behind his ear. "Hey! What do you think you're doing, eating my food!" Thoth ignored the sorcerer, and instead finished off a plate of sausages. "Listen up Old Man! You've got five second to explain yourself!"
Thoth turned a bit toward Lina, his eyes still on the abundant foodstuff on the table. "You know, these muffins you have here are delish. Don't mind if I have two or three more, do you?"
The fiery read-head could only growl, as she picked up a nearby fork. With one swing, she stabbed down at the table right in front of Thoth, pinning his beard to the wood.
"Ow! That hurt!" The old man was clearly unhappy, his beard pinned onto the wooden table, his mouth stuck closed by the force of the sorcerer.
"Heh, serves you right." Lina just smiled as she leaned towards Thoth's face. "Care to explain yourself, old man. Or should I call you 'Mad Thoth?'"
"Errr, not really, in both regards by the way." The old white-haired man just closed his eyes. "I was hungry, that's all. I didn't hear anything about the City of the Clouds and stuff."
Lina leaned into Thoth a bit closer, rubbing closely with the back of his neck. "Oh really? For an old boy, you've got pretty good hearing." She drew out her hands, placing them on Thoth's back. "Now, none of us would want something to happen to you...so listen up closely, ok?"
Thoth sweated out of his cloak, his voice short and to the point. "I think I can help you out. I believe your purple-haired friend said something about going south."
Lina looked into Thoth's eyes. "True. Have you any ideas?"
Thoth coughed. "Turnip routinely goes south for the holidays, over an ancient bridge. He'd bring back lots of stuff: carpets, spices, girls, books, stuff like that."
"How thoughtful. Remind me to give him a stopping list the next time we bump into him." Lina let the fork out of Thoth's beard land flipped him around by the table to face the mad one.
"That's very nice of you." The old man wiped away at his beard, smoothing the edging so it was finally normal looking. "So where was I? Ah, that's right, I don't think you understand. There's only one way to get south, and that's across the ancient bridge. The ravine is just too much for someone to cross, you know, cause its haunted."
"Haunted?" Amelia was in sheer scaredom.
Zelgadis chuckled. "Its probably haunted, with ghosts and such."
"Yea, fierce winds keep sorcerers from crossing the ravine with usual magic. To get around the ravine, you either have to sail around the coastline, or take the bridge." Thoth licked his lips, some jam had made itself at home and not his tummy. "To do so, otherwise...is death!"
"Death!" Amelia's face turned a chalky white.
Thoth looked up. "The ravine, of a name long forgotten, is so deep you can't even see the bottom. If one were to fall in, like many foolish solders and sorcerers have, only your voice would escape every so often, drifting to your comrades by the very wind that took your life!"
"Eeeeeep!" The princess ducked under a nearby table for cover.
"Ok, that's enough," said Lina. "I'm going to have sing Amelia to sleep for the next week, due to your very kawaii tale." The sorcerer turned around for a second at the other members of her crew. "Sylphiel, lets go take care of that tax bill and get out of here. It seems Turnip got his magical toys to the south, and so is the City of the Clouds. We're going that way to get some answers."
The group nodded in agreement.
"Lina?" asked Sylphiel.
"Yes, Sylphiel?"
"I'd like to...come along, if you don't mind. My work is done here."
"Great! Everyone will meet at the front gate at noon. And get extra food, it could be a very long trip."
---o--o--o---
Filia ul Copt, last of the golden Ryuzoku, the last of the dragons that had once served the Fire Dragon Lord, walked along the path to the city of Monte Darlo. It was here that Filia were surely meet Lina and company, for it was why she was here.
One must ask how Filia knew Lina was close by? Well, on her way past a particular inn, she asked for the whereabouts to a Lina Inverse. The loyal patrons, on hearing those very words, grabbed their very own forks and dinner knives and chased the poor dragon right out of town.
Luckily, an elderly gentleman pointed that the road Lina and company had taken, had lead to the city of Monte Darlo. A city full of casinos, inns, and buffet restaurant. A perfect place for Lina Inverse to go. Other rumors, had Lina escaping westward as well to avoid tax collectors, but Filia was not sure of this as well. No, Filia was sure that Lina would head for the passion in her life -- buffets.
The old man had also relayed to Filia the latest gossip of news: Inverse Tax. It seemed that Inverse Tax had swept around the countryside, and now most restaurants and inns were charging this tax to not just Lina but all of their patrons. To Filia, it seemed to make perfect sense, for it was more on occasion that Lina and her comrades would blow up an unfortunate establishment on sheer lunacy. Still it was such a distraction to...
Valgaav. Yes, Filia would very much miss the company of her fellow baby dragon. Even though the egg had not hatched, Filia would talk to the sleeping one, still curled up in his translucent shell. She terribly missed her little one, thinking about his future upbringing constantly. She was here because of him, however, nothing was more precious to her heart.
A gust of wind blew her hair up, and at last, she could see the outer city walls of Monte Darlo. It had been a long and difficult journey for her, a trip that she had not wished to take. Nevertheless, she was looking forward to the fabulous spa services offered at the casinos, supposedly the mud pools were very therapeutic for her skin...errrrr, scales.
No! It was not a time for rest and relaxation. It was a time for action, it was a time for completion. And it was time to find Lina Inverse.
---o--o--o---
"Where are they?" Zelgadis tapped his foot impatiently at the gated entrance to Monte Darlo. "They were suppose to be here an hour ago."
"I dunno, Zel. I can go into the city if you wish." Sylphiel had a pack by her feet, ready to go. "But I think Gourry mentioned lunch, so they stopped by for a second at a counter place."
"Geez, I should have known." The chimera leaned impatiently next to the gatehouse.
"I see them coming Zel" It was little Timothy-chan on the roof of the security tower. "They're coming now, I can see their large packs in the crowds."
"I should have know, they must be filled with food."
Lina, Gourry, and Amelia emerged from the entrance tunnel, each of them with huge backpacks of foodstuffs. "OK folks, I think we're ready to go. Have you get everything, Zel?"
"I don't know, I was wondering if you had enough food with you," said the chimera. Timothy just snickered from above.
Lina turned to her faithful companion Gourry. "I wanted to get them to carry two more packs of meat, but I figured this was enough. Now I'm not so sure."
The chimera could only nod in agreement.
Timotthy came down from the tower, the smile on his face threatening to become permanent. "I heard from the other captains this morning! I'm the new head of security for the city! I'm so happy!"
"Congratulations, Timothy." Amelia grinned extra-wide. Even Zelgadis took a moment and smiled.
Timothy just seemed to dance his moments around the group. "I also have the guards loyal to the city taking over Turnip's casino as we speak. The mayor has agreed to run the place in meantime, until it is auctioned off to the highest bidder. We needs funds to cover the taxes on all the land that Turnip used to own."
"So, there's no sign of Turnip?" asked Sylphiel.
"No one has seen him since the explosion of last night. I wonder what happened to him," questioned Timothy. "We just heard a few of his men deserted their posts and left. When we demanded to see Turnip, everyone said he was gone for good."
Lina just sweatdropped. "I wouldn't worry about it, Timothy. I'm sure he just went for a little flight."
"Lina, don't you mean-" interjected the swordsman.
*OWW!*
Gourry fell down to the ground, from Lina's strategically placed elbow into the blonde's lower stomach. "Oh, I'm sorry Gourry, I didn't see you there. Now be quiet for a sec, OK?"
The blond swordsman turned over for a second onto his back. "ugh...."
"Heh, must have been too much breakfast." Lina just nodded her head as swordsman rolled among the grasses.
"Lina! Is that you?"
The sorcerer looked up at the road approaching the city. "Filia!" Lina jumped for a second at the shock of seeing the golden dragon. "What in the world are you doing here?"
Zelgadis just nodded as Amelia broke out a wide grin.
Lina ran up to Filia, surprised at the golden dragon's sudden presence. "I thought you had settled down, with a store and everything."
"Well, I was traveling down the coastline, you see." She panted off the words to the sorcerer, quite exhausted from her trip. "I have savings to trade for southern vases, to the sheik's city to the south."
Lina nodded. "Hai, we're just leaving to go south right now. Are you going to stay a few days in Monte Darlo?"
Mud baths. Spa sessions. Healthy eating. Finally, she could get her scales nice and polished. It all disappeared in a puff of smoke. "I'm not staying here, just going south." She winked at Lina in response.
"Great! Its your turn to buy us dinner tonight." Lina slapped Filia in the back half-heartily. "Come on, I'll fill you in on what's going on. Let's go!"
Filia just sweatdropped as they walked away from Monte Darlo together.
---o--o--o---
"Are you coming, Zel?" Amelia loved to ask the chimera the simplest of questions with the cutest of looks.
Zel groaned. "I'm just looking over our rear position. Don't worry about it." He could tell that Amelia wasn't exactly buying his words. "Now go and keep Lina company. OK?" And he just bared his teeth to her.
''...ok, uhhh..." The little princess quickly, "I think Filia is calling me. I'll be back in a min...hour."
Zelgadis just smiled on the inside. Its not that he didn't enjoy her company, it's just the doses of her company have been too long these last few days. Oh well, no harm, no foul.
He paused for a second to think about a life with Amelia. Well, at least he would have plenty to eat and a decent place to hang his cap. It would be very comfortable indeed. He knew that-
Something tickled at Zel's left arm, an almost familiar feel as if he were being scratched with a feather. It was warm energy...that felt inviting. He looked for a second as the chimera turned his arm over, exposing the underside to the light.
Flesh and rock crawled ever so slightly. He felt the energy dissipate out of his body, as a sudden stab of pain intersected his arm. A knife. No, much harder than a knife yet no visible weapon was it sight.
Gritting his teeth, the chimera had no choice but to grab his arm in haste. He couldn't maintain that perfect balance anymore as he fell to his knees.
The pain eased for just a second as he crawled to his feet. Earlier that day, Zelgadis had stumbled in a rare misstep, down a flight of stairs from breakfast. At first, he thought that incident was purely accidental. But now...he was no longer sure.
He looked again at his arm, his flesh was no longer soft like fine paste but now firmer to his touch. He could feel the movement was harder, rougher, as if his internal energy was sapping away.
His life ambition was to have become human. He was so close. If fact, for the shortest of minutes, he was human once again in his lifetime. But now, those few minutes of humanity had taken on a terrible price. He was sure that price would be his life.
---o--o--o---
[Lina] Weah, that was a close one. I figured I'd be a goner for sure...
---o--o--o---
Slayers: Clouds!
Chapter 4:
Breakfast! Time for Plans!
---o--o--o---
Lina looked out at the sunset, its flaming colors, bright edges, and clouds that were dark and foreboding; the air was still and peaceful. The now setting sun had ignited the green valley into reds, yellows, and oranges. It was by all means, a beautiful site to behold.
The outcropping was high, almost touching the low sky. The rest of the valley spread before her very eyes, for it was full of low rolling green hills, interrupted by a mountain or small plateau. Even at such an extreme height, she knew she was on the edge of something special.
Instead of her usual content self, Lina chose to look outward into the valley. It reminded her of the travels with Naga: how she looked out at the setting sun, the clouds, and the future. Herself used to be content and wait protected among the rocks.
But there was no Naga this time: only one Lina Inverse. This time, she took the position looking out for herself...towards an unknown future.
Then, a snap of unexpected wind blew into Lina's face. A gust...no, a force much greater than a gust, for she could feel it far in the distance. At first, it shown itself to be a setting star; bright and shiny it lit up the far corner of the valley off into the horizon.
However, in waves of dark greens and blue, the force grew, reaching for the sky as well as the closer grounds. It seemed to move faster as it accelerated; swallowing air and earth in giant gulps, its ever-so hunger never ending. Nothing was stopping it as shrubs, trees, then hills, just disappeared into the wave, an ever expanding ball of chaos.
Lina could only watch.
Behind her, gatherings of wild animals were running away, like mice leaving a sunken ship. It was then that Lina spotted her group of companions: Sylphiel, Amelia, Zel, and surprisingly Filia. They equally saw the advancing wave of energy and were very much aware of its landing. Her friends had already taken extreme defensive positions in a crude circle, preparing for the worst.
Lina shouted but her voice carried no sound, at least no sound that her companions could hear. She tried to move toward them but her feet held fast as if locked in quicksand. There was nothing she could do.
"Are we going to survive this?" Amelia was scared, her voice shrilling in desperation.
"Dear Cepheid," said Sylphiel, her eyes growing scared.
Filia could only plainly answer, as she looked up at the approaching destruction. "I don't know. We're sure going to try."
The wave came quickly, sweeping across the valley closer and closer. The rawness of it spawned loose excess energy as blue and white lightening crackled among the darkened sky. The air was heavy with the stench of death.
Zel and Amelia put their Balus walls up right away, with Sylphiel and Filia supplying other protective energy. Lina was sure that the four of them had put up enough energy to even block one of her enhanced Dragon slaves.
The blue and green tinted wave was coming at an incredible rate. Whatever it absorbed quickly disappeared from their sight. As it was very near now; it accelerated even faster as if it could smell out targets to absorb.
It hit them head on. Blue and white energy warped over Lina, blocking her view. It was as if she wasn't even affected by the tidal of energy; it was if she wasn't even there.
Her companions did their very best with their fortified Balus Wall. But there was no plea, there was no time for screams. The protective barrier barely held for a second, the chaotic wave quickly swept her friends away.
And then, it was gone.
Lina walked over the untouched land, unable to explain her existence while her friends were no longer. No bodies, no blood, not a trace. The land seemly barely disturbed: there were trees and grass, even the campfire.
She looked for signs of a struggle in the dirt where their final stand had taken place. She lifted up Zel's cloak from the sandy ground, as if it had been carelessly discarded. No bodies. Only her friend's empty clothes were left behind.
A howl behind her startled Lina as she turned around and saw--
---o--o--o---
"XELLLOS! Get your Mazoku face out of my bedroom!" Lina had a pillow in her hand, her arm corking it from a throwing position even though she was still lying in bed.
"My, my, how cranky you are in the morning, Lina." Xellos, staff and all, had taken a step back from his leaning position over the sorcerer. "Maybe I should get you a bath or something?"
"Take yourself out of my room! Now!" The pillow shot out of Lina's hand just missing the mysterious priest. "Otherwise, I will put that face where the sun don't shine."
Xellos managed to transport himself safely to the other side of the bed. "Oh, dear me! Should I excuse myself?"
"Yes," said Lina, "but I doubt you will."
"Ah, so, you know me so well."
Ugh, Lina thought, she didn't need this aggravation after such a rough night. Stretching herself in bed, the sorcerer noticed she had slept in her clothes. Getting upright, she leaned her head on her open palm, trying to spell out the events of yesterday.
Damn. Nothing. Well, she surmised, thinking on an empty stomach was definitely the wrong thing to do.
"I'm sure you'll want to join us for breakfast," the sorcerer said to Xellos. She quickly got out of bed and tidied up a bit in front of her mirror. "You can come if you pay."
The trickster priest frowned. "Well, it's not like I carry currency around in this getup of mine. After all, what do I need with money? I don't live off eating, and my bed, oh how shall I say this...well it's a little like..."
Lina turned her head around and gave Xellos the 'oh, that's rough I feel so sorry for you' look. "I should have known. Enough excuses to wake the dead which I'm sure you do."
She looked at the grinning Xellos and scowled.
"Get out."
"Why, Lina...why would you say such things...errr..." Xellos made a couple of more steps backwards. "You can't be too hasty, Lina." It didn't take long for the mysterious priest to break out in a full retreat. "Lina??"
---o--o--o---
Xellos leaned against the hallway, waiting for the redheaded sorcerer to come out of her room. He whistled a little tune with is arms crossed, trying to bemuse itself. A chambermaid walked by, giving the Mazoku an ugly 'peeping tom' stare. Before he could say something rude, Lina's bedroom door opened and closed.
"Took you long enough," chimed Xellos. "I was wondering what you were doing in there."
Lina looked up at Xellos with a stare that would have made any except a Mazoku beg for mercy. "Let's go."
Xellos blinked. "I'll be right behind you." And he smiled.
Hmm, thought Lina, turning down the hallway of the inn. It was probably best to let Zelgadis sleep in this morning, especially with Xellos the puppy on her tail. She figured the twice-human chimera could definitely use some more rest time.
"Come on Xellos, Zel needs his beauty rest."
"He does?" said the mysterious priest. "But he's good looking already."
Lina ignored the stalking Mazoku. Walking down the stairs with Xellos, she quickly found herself in the middle of the breakfast rush of their restaurant's inn. Amelia and Gourry were already sitting at a large circular table, with Sylphiel on the other end. They had started without Lina. Only the remnants of a light breakfast of a dozen or so empty plates were left; stacked neatly in the middle of the table. Sylphiel was busy drinking hot-chocolate again, keeping her hands snug around the warm cup.
"Lina! Over here," waved Amelia, as she ate the last of her breakfast toast.
"Morning." Lina sat down and let go, with Xellos popping in right behind her.
The waitress was over in a flash. "Ok, I need the table soon, so be quick. Lots of hungry gamblers. No sharing plates, the minimum is five coins," she announced dimly. The girl had obviously been on her feet too long.
"Right." Lina broke the menu open and ordered with her usual style. "I'd like here to here. And here to here. And these three specials."
"Yes, Ma'am!" The waitress was gone in a second.
"Lina," asked Sylphiel, "where is Zegadisl right now?"
Lina looked squarely at Xellos. "He needs his rest right now, however I'm sure he'll be down later." At least her response seemed to calm the jumpy shrine maiden down.
"Lina, I don't know why you're looking at me like that, it's not like I did anything...wrong." Xellos smirked his answer to Lina. "I didn't change him, the box did. He did it all on his own."
"Then why did you tell him about stupid box anyway?" Lina's voice was icy and cold.
"I didn't know you were here."
Lina just flattened her hand on her face. "Figures."
Amelia stood up, her voice charging. "And when Lina blew up the chaos box, it changed Zel back into his old form of a chimera. You knew that was going go happen."
The mysterious priest blinked. "Actually, if the chaos box was to be removed from his presences, it is true that he would revert to his old form." Xellos took a sip of tea, much relaxed like his usual self. "The box is temporary either way, just like you have your powers back."
Lina immediately responded. "And you didn't think to tell Zelgadis about this, did you?"
"He didn't ask."
"Why you-"
A tumble answered her call, as something loud rambling down the stairs onto a landing near Lina's table. Patrons all over the restaurant were aghast in surprise at cloaked figure latterly rolling down the stairs.
"Zel!" Sylphiel and Amelia were first out of their chairs.
Lina rushed to the chimera's side, totally dropping her conversation with the mysterious priest.
Zelgadis got up from on his ass into a crouched position. It was clear as day that Zel's moments were alert and crisp, as he stared down his group of comrades. He quickly took focus as he shook his head, clearing the cobwebs out of his system.
"Are you ok, Zel?" chimed in Amelia. Seeing that the chimera was ok, she nevertheless asked the question.
He grunted. "Ah...clumsy me. Dammed step reached out and bit me, I guess it was hungry."
The girls chuckled at Zel's comments.
"Why, I didn't think you had any humor in you, Zel..." said Lina, looking down at the chimera with a rather sarcastic look. The other patrons knew that nothing was up and had returned to their morning breakfast.
The chimera hopped up off the floor, joining the group as they all sat again for breakfast. "It's unfortunate to see you so soon, Xellos. I had rather enjoyed my evening last night." He took an unused cup and saucer from the center of the table and poured himself some tea while staring down at the Mazoku priest-general.
"Oh, it was nothing," callously laughed the priest-general.
The chimera could only grumble at Xellos' dodgy answer, like he cared.
"Well, heh," spoke up Lina, trying to break the ice between the groveling men, "I wanted to wait until everyone was here this morning." She leaned closer over the table, almost whispering. "I should tell you we've got quite a mystery on our hands."
The group oooh'ed and aaah'ed, loving every minute.
The sorcerer reached among her belt and tossed two objects onto the table. First was a piece of tan-grayish rock, seemingly of a broken corner of something square. Some of its outer surface was carved in recognizable patterns, yet it was quite unclear what it was exactly part of. The other piece was a sliver of crystal: white and clear as perfect ice, blurring the wood patterns of the table underneath it. The crystal was a few inches longer that wider, seemingly just large enough to grab with the fist.
"The Lynx box," spoke Sylphiel, as clear as crystal.
"I think its a piece of it," said Lina. "The color is right, so is the design. However, that's all that's left of it." The sorcerer mumbled a bit, sliding the broken piece across the table.
"And the crystal, this wonderful gem. Yet, this sucker isn't a jewel though, I don't know who would buy such a piece." Lina picked up the crystal again and banged it onto the table. "Heh, the sucker is a tough old bird, isn't it?"
"Have you tried an identification spell on it?"
"No, but then I didn't detect any magic from it. I guess it can't hurt." The redheaded sorcerer put the jewel back onto the table. "IDENTIFY!"
The crystal started to glow with magic, circling around the stone in waves of energy. Everyone was hushed, expecting some great sign, thinking the mysterious crystal would clearly identify itself. Alas, the magic field faded to nothingness.
"Well its definitely not magical, my spell would tell me so. The blasted object is probably nothing but a cheap piece of jewelry."
"Can I keep it?" asked Amelia, her face all excited. "I can make a necklace from it."
"Hmmm, I think I'm going to hold onto it." It was out of the corner of her eyes that Lina noticed the chaos box piece was missing. "Hey! Where did it go!"
"Oooh, what nice pictures on this thing." Gourry had the corner bit in his hand, spinning it in his hand from all different angles. He raised it into the air, shining it into the morning sun above his head.
"Gimme that thing, you baby!" Lina reached out, swiping away the piece of chaos box from her protector. "I swear, Gourry, you get into the most trouble out of everyone I know."
"But Lina," said Gourry, as he pointed to her hands. "I've seen that picture before. Just yesterday, I swear."
"Baka! I've never seen these carvings in my life. And you're tell me that when I was with you yesterday that you saw these engravings?"
"How about on the other side?" Gourry pointed with his finger the dark underside of the box piece.
"Hmmm?" Lina voiced went up an octave as she turned the corner of the box around, squeezing with her eyes into the shaded corner. "My Cepheid, Gourry's right. There's something here I can barely make out." And she squinted her eyes for some extra effort.
"Really?" Amelia reached over Gourry, almost on top of the table to see the hidden interior image. In fact, the entire group huddled around the table in hushing silence. Even Xellos leaned in to take a peek in.
"An inlet of a cloud," announced Zelgadis. "I can barely make out the castle on top if it." He reached back for a second, stretching. "It's a makers mark for sure, a simple design."
Xellos nodded. "It's from the City of the Clouds. After all, why mark a piece that's from some other forsaken place."
"Really?" The Saillune princess was jumpy. "Why mark it from the fantasy island?"
Lina sweat dropped. "Oh crap. You mean it's a real place?" She looked up at the mysterious priest who just shrugged her a standard response.
"Well," interrupted Zelgadis, "Its hardly proof that it came from the City of the Clouds. After all, I could scratch up this table with the very same markings."
"True, true," murmured Xellos.
Lina turned to the right. "Sylphiel, you did say that your father knew about the City of the Clouds. Did he ever mention who they were built by?"
"Not really. But now that I've thought about it, I think he told me ancient dragons lived there. We did see ancient dragons on the tapestry in the tower, but it was destroyed in the fire last night." The shrine maiden lowered her head. "I'm sorry, but it was a long time ago."
Ancient dragons. Lina heart just stirred up hearing those two words. Ancient Dragons. They had almost not survived their dreaded fight with Valgaav, the last of the ancient dragons that had ever lived. It had been epic battle, beating Valgaav, Dark Star, and his minions from another plane of existence.
But now there was a chance that Valgaav wasn't the last of the ancient dragon. Here might be the proof, that somewhere, Ancient Dragons lived. These secrets were just coming to light now -- secrets that the golden dragons had made sure to bury and forget. The ancient dragon's legacy was very much alive.
Lina held the chaos box piece in her hand. Now, this piece of reality, from a 'fairy-land' that other people had only heard in bedtime stories. This was almost proof of a place...no, a magnificent city, those destruction had never been mapped. If there was chance that the City of the Clouds was still around, she was almost sure...that dragons had something to do with it.
"Well," Lina cleared her throat. "I actually do know someone who knows what's going on for once. The identifier." She turned to the purple priest. "What's this all about, Xellos?"
"Ah, the tale of the Cloudminders. I'm afraid it's a little before my time." Xellos stiffened up in his chair.
"Talk, maggot," questioned Zel.
Lina ignored the chimera. "Well then, tell me what you know of the Cloudminders?" She was up and out of her chair, adding a bit of a height advantage to the sitting Mazoku.
Xellos straitened out his collar with his left hand while he also got up to stand. No one had ever sworn that he was sweating, but Lina was sure putting him on the spot. "Ah, to as much as you know is true...and the rest, well...that is a secret."
Everyone tumbled.
"I'm afraid that's not good enough, Xellos. Especially when this thing comes along and robs my magic while Turnip tries to kill me." During her words, Lina grabbed Xellos by the very neckline of his jacket. With precision, she managed to get Xellos' body halfway up the empty table behind him, determined to get the information she needed.
"Now, Lina, don't be so hasty now," blinked the Mazoku.
"Lina! What are you doing?" asked Amelia.
"What do you think I'm doing?" Lina managed to get the passive Xellos in a headlock, playfully banging the Mazoku's body on the table. "I'm interrogating him!" She turned back to her current obsession.
"Now, Xellos dear," questioned the sorcerer as she smiled into the face of the mysterious priest. Zelgadis coughed, but Lina had a quick second to stare down the chimera before getting back to her session. "Tell me something Xellos, otherwise..."
"Anoo...but there's very little you can do to hurt me," chimed the purple priest. "Well...maybe if you..."
Lina crept a little closer, leaning her mouth next to the priest's ears as she began to whisper...sweet nothings. Xellos was so astonished by the words that his body melted in the sorcerer's hands, any resistance he had before instantly drained away.
"Anything....but Lina..." he exclaimed.
Lina chanted quietly, her amulets on her wrists and neck responded by glowed open with power.
"What the hell is she doing?" asked Sylphiel.
Zel nodded. "I don't know the spell, but she's amplifying the effect. Whatever it is, its nasty." They watched as Lina's arms and hands glow with more magic. The chimera sat back and watched. "Damn, a magical headlock. That figures."
"Popcorn?" Gourry had a small serving bowl taken from the bar area while they waited for more breakfast food.
"Yeah, sure." Zel reached for a handful and took some bites. "This is the most fun I've had in years."
Xellos wanted to run away with his body to the astral plane -- there had to be another way of doing this. But damn it, now that he had chosen to stay, he was a locked up for a while to say at least. He cursed as his head hit the table a bit harder. And he liked it a lot...
"Something to say, mysterious one?" Lina eyed the purple priest and smiled. "I can go harder if you wish."
Xellos sweat dropped. "Well...not a bad idea."
Lina smacked Xellos' head on the table again, his time splintering wood but the sturdy table didn't completely fly apart. "Speak! You know you owe me one from waking my ass up this morning!"
Amelia's chin almost hit the table, she was about to speak of cruelty if it wasn't for the chimera's nudge with the edge of his elbow.
"Tell me what I want to hear!" Lina was now squeezing extra hard, her glowing arms threatened to shine Shabby red and flame the whole room.
Xellos grabbed at his throat a bit, managing to speak as he gutted out a few words. "Its...to...the south...The south!!"
"Ah, good boy." Lina let the priest-general go, her arms and hands quickly returning to their normal color. "It's so nice working with you Xellos." And she pushed him off the table in an undignified manner.
The Mazoku stirred up to a standing position, straitening out his heavy cloaks. "Ah, so. Well, I think I'd better be going." With that announcement, he was gone in a flash.
"Good riddance to trash," Zelgadis spawned.
"Well, he did point us in the right direction." Lina smiled a bit. "He's so useful, I love it."
Sylphiel opened his mouth to say something, but the look and nod from Zel told her not to say a word.
---o--o--o---
More breakfast food arrived at the table, cutting into their conversation a bit while they ate.
"So, we'll travel from here sometime tomorrow." Lina took up to eating a huge ham hock with her hands, the large piece of meat was easily double the size of her head. "That make sense for everyone?"
Gourry nodded. "Now, what direction are we traveling now?"
Lina bonked Gourry with the half eaten ham hock on top of his head. "Baka! He said south."
"So, isn't that beyond the great barrier used to be?" asked Amelia. "I mean, we really don't know what's down there."
There is was, new food. Gourry looked at the ham hock that Lina had conveniently used as a weapon -- she kept it there as a deterrent, but in actually it was the swordsman who was occupied as he fork and kniked into the ham hock.
"That's true," said the sorcerer. "I wish we had some more information, Xellos is often 'lacking' in that area a lot." Lina turned back to look down the center of the table. "But I can't believe I'm still hungry; damn this empty stomach."
It was then that she looked back at her ham hock meal -- and how Gourry was biting off the very last morsel of her breakfast, leaving her only with a dried up bone. Her eyes lit up like furnaces, her anger no longer could be contained.
"Jellyfish!" She took the ham hock bone and slammed it down on Gourry's head once more, quite harder than her usual self.
"Lina!" Sylphiel yelled.
"How could you!" shouted Amelia.
Gourry went flying across the breakfast floor, thought an empty set of tables, head first into the fireplace. Sylphiel ran right out of her seat to the fallen Gourry, with Amelia right behind her.
"Stupid drunk baka last night, eating me out of breakfast. Do you know what he was like?" Lina looked up at the bone in her hand, the deadly weapon glistening in the light.
Zelgadis just stared. "Yea, I do. He saved your ass from those crossbow arrows."
The petite sorcerer could only nod her head downward in agreement.
"You should be ashamed, Lina." Zelgadis eyed glazed over the red-headed sorcerer, ham hock bone still in her hand. She could believe the strength of her latest shot, Gourry hadn't even put up any sort of defense. She couldn't say a word as she turned away from the table. "You know what to do."
Lina deserted the table with Zelgadis as they moved to over where the girls were treating the swordsman. The shrine maidens had Gourry sitting up, he seemed to be OK except for a bruised ego.
Gourry looked up at the standing Lina, her eyes were tearing a bit as she stared down at her protector. "I'm...sorry. I just, don't understand why you put up with me all the time."
"Lina, we've all been through a lot of stuff." Gourry shook his head, trying to get the spinning cobwebs out of his system. "I just was trying...a lot. That's all."
Lina nodded, holding out her hand in a sign of goodwill. Gourry took it lightly, lifting himself off the mantle of the fireplace. "Gourry, sometimes, I don't...understand what I'm feeling..."
"Lina..."
"But I want to say something." The sorcerer tried to breathe the words out, but no other incoherent words came out of his mouth. "I never felt so...powerless..."
Gourry brought his hand level, his index finger pointed up and placed it on Lina's lips. "Shhhh... You don't have to say a word." Lina immediately blushed red across her face, turned and ran back to the table with Gourry in tow.
The shrine ladies could only sigh in amazement, "Amelia, Sylphiel, don't you think we have some breakfast to finish up?" Lina just looked up into Gourry's face, her action spoke much more than words.
They sighed, going back to the breakfast table. "Ahh, love..."
"What you do know about love?" the chimera asked.
Amelia blushed a bit as they arrived back at their seats, only to discover they had a stranger among them, finishing away at their breakfast at an amazing rate. He had a familiar white hair, fiery eyes, and a dirty gray cloak.
"Ummm, excuse me," asked Sylphiel.
"Hey, look who's eating Lina's food!"
Lina was back at the table in a flash, holding on Gourry in tow. "What do you think you're doing eating my food!" Lina's eyes lighted up, just like from a few minutes ago.
"Don't hurt him!" yelled the Princess of Saillune, as she blocked Lina from attacking the stranger. "Don't hurt Thoth!
"Thoth?" Lina sweat dropped as she watched the old man swallow a couple of more muffins in one bite. "He's more like an eating machine to me..."
Behind the redhead, the chimera whispered closely into Lina's ear. "We knocked into Thoth in the casino. He felt up Amelia for a second, and now she can't live for one-"
*SMACK!*
Amelia's had her fist, straight down into Zel's head. "It's not like that at all, Lina!" She turned to the chimera, her fists still blazing in white. "How could you think that could happen to the princess of Saillune! I'm innocent, I tell you!"
Zelgadis rubbed his sore stony head, trying to explain the matter to the rest of them. "Well, he did-" Amelia just glazed at the chimera with a look that could shatter glass. "Ummm, never mind."
Amelia looked at Thoth and sighed. "He's just a misunderstood old man. Poor hungry guy."
Lina didn't pay much merit onto Amelia's sideshow. Instead, she got right up to Thoth, yelling right behind his ear. "Hey! What do you think you're doing, eating my food!" Thoth ignored the sorcerer, and instead finished off a plate of sausages. "Listen up Old Man! You've got five second to explain yourself!"
Thoth turned a bit toward Lina, his eyes still on the abundant foodstuff on the table. "You know, these muffins you have here are delish. Don't mind if I have two or three more, do you?"
The fiery read-head could only growl, as she picked up a nearby fork. With one swing, she stabbed down at the table right in front of Thoth, pinning his beard to the wood.
"Ow! That hurt!" The old man was clearly unhappy, his beard pinned onto the wooden table, his mouth stuck closed by the force of the sorcerer.
"Heh, serves you right." Lina just smiled as she leaned towards Thoth's face. "Care to explain yourself, old man. Or should I call you 'Mad Thoth?'"
"Errr, not really, in both regards by the way." The old white-haired man just closed his eyes. "I was hungry, that's all. I didn't hear anything about the City of the Clouds and stuff."
Lina leaned into Thoth a bit closer, rubbing closely with the back of his neck. "Oh really? For an old boy, you've got pretty good hearing." She drew out her hands, placing them on Thoth's back. "Now, none of us would want something to happen to you...so listen up closely, ok?"
Thoth sweated out of his cloak, his voice short and to the point. "I think I can help you out. I believe your purple-haired friend said something about going south."
Lina looked into Thoth's eyes. "True. Have you any ideas?"
Thoth coughed. "Turnip routinely goes south for the holidays, over an ancient bridge. He'd bring back lots of stuff: carpets, spices, girls, books, stuff like that."
"How thoughtful. Remind me to give him a stopping list the next time we bump into him." Lina let the fork out of Thoth's beard land flipped him around by the table to face the mad one.
"That's very nice of you." The old man wiped away at his beard, smoothing the edging so it was finally normal looking. "So where was I? Ah, that's right, I don't think you understand. There's only one way to get south, and that's across the ancient bridge. The ravine is just too much for someone to cross, you know, cause its haunted."
"Haunted?" Amelia was in sheer scaredom.
Zelgadis chuckled. "Its probably haunted, with ghosts and such."
"Yea, fierce winds keep sorcerers from crossing the ravine with usual magic. To get around the ravine, you either have to sail around the coastline, or take the bridge." Thoth licked his lips, some jam had made itself at home and not his tummy. "To do so, otherwise...is death!"
"Death!" Amelia's face turned a chalky white.
Thoth looked up. "The ravine, of a name long forgotten, is so deep you can't even see the bottom. If one were to fall in, like many foolish solders and sorcerers have, only your voice would escape every so often, drifting to your comrades by the very wind that took your life!"
"Eeeeeep!" The princess ducked under a nearby table for cover.
"Ok, that's enough," said Lina. "I'm going to have sing Amelia to sleep for the next week, due to your very kawaii tale." The sorcerer turned around for a second at the other members of her crew. "Sylphiel, lets go take care of that tax bill and get out of here. It seems Turnip got his magical toys to the south, and so is the City of the Clouds. We're going that way to get some answers."
The group nodded in agreement.
"Lina?" asked Sylphiel.
"Yes, Sylphiel?"
"I'd like to...come along, if you don't mind. My work is done here."
"Great! Everyone will meet at the front gate at noon. And get extra food, it could be a very long trip."
---o--o--o---
Filia ul Copt, last of the golden Ryuzoku, the last of the dragons that had once served the Fire Dragon Lord, walked along the path to the city of Monte Darlo. It was here that Filia were surely meet Lina and company, for it was why she was here.
One must ask how Filia knew Lina was close by? Well, on her way past a particular inn, she asked for the whereabouts to a Lina Inverse. The loyal patrons, on hearing those very words, grabbed their very own forks and dinner knives and chased the poor dragon right out of town.
Luckily, an elderly gentleman pointed that the road Lina and company had taken, had lead to the city of Monte Darlo. A city full of casinos, inns, and buffet restaurant. A perfect place for Lina Inverse to go. Other rumors, had Lina escaping westward as well to avoid tax collectors, but Filia was not sure of this as well. No, Filia was sure that Lina would head for the passion in her life -- buffets.
The old man had also relayed to Filia the latest gossip of news: Inverse Tax. It seemed that Inverse Tax had swept around the countryside, and now most restaurants and inns were charging this tax to not just Lina but all of their patrons. To Filia, it seemed to make perfect sense, for it was more on occasion that Lina and her comrades would blow up an unfortunate establishment on sheer lunacy. Still it was such a distraction to...
Valgaav. Yes, Filia would very much miss the company of her fellow baby dragon. Even though the egg had not hatched, Filia would talk to the sleeping one, still curled up in his translucent shell. She terribly missed her little one, thinking about his future upbringing constantly. She was here because of him, however, nothing was more precious to her heart.
A gust of wind blew her hair up, and at last, she could see the outer city walls of Monte Darlo. It had been a long and difficult journey for her, a trip that she had not wished to take. Nevertheless, she was looking forward to the fabulous spa services offered at the casinos, supposedly the mud pools were very therapeutic for her skin...errrrr, scales.
No! It was not a time for rest and relaxation. It was a time for action, it was a time for completion. And it was time to find Lina Inverse.
---o--o--o---
"Where are they?" Zelgadis tapped his foot impatiently at the gated entrance to Monte Darlo. "They were suppose to be here an hour ago."
"I dunno, Zel. I can go into the city if you wish." Sylphiel had a pack by her feet, ready to go. "But I think Gourry mentioned lunch, so they stopped by for a second at a counter place."
"Geez, I should have known." The chimera leaned impatiently next to the gatehouse.
"I see them coming Zel" It was little Timothy-chan on the roof of the security tower. "They're coming now, I can see their large packs in the crowds."
"I should have know, they must be filled with food."
Lina, Gourry, and Amelia emerged from the entrance tunnel, each of them with huge backpacks of foodstuffs. "OK folks, I think we're ready to go. Have you get everything, Zel?"
"I don't know, I was wondering if you had enough food with you," said the chimera. Timothy just snickered from above.
Lina turned to her faithful companion Gourry. "I wanted to get them to carry two more packs of meat, but I figured this was enough. Now I'm not so sure."
The chimera could only nod in agreement.
Timotthy came down from the tower, the smile on his face threatening to become permanent. "I heard from the other captains this morning! I'm the new head of security for the city! I'm so happy!"
"Congratulations, Timothy." Amelia grinned extra-wide. Even Zelgadis took a moment and smiled.
Timothy just seemed to dance his moments around the group. "I also have the guards loyal to the city taking over Turnip's casino as we speak. The mayor has agreed to run the place in meantime, until it is auctioned off to the highest bidder. We needs funds to cover the taxes on all the land that Turnip used to own."
"So, there's no sign of Turnip?" asked Sylphiel.
"No one has seen him since the explosion of last night. I wonder what happened to him," questioned Timothy. "We just heard a few of his men deserted their posts and left. When we demanded to see Turnip, everyone said he was gone for good."
Lina just sweatdropped. "I wouldn't worry about it, Timothy. I'm sure he just went for a little flight."
"Lina, don't you mean-" interjected the swordsman.
*OWW!*
Gourry fell down to the ground, from Lina's strategically placed elbow into the blonde's lower stomach. "Oh, I'm sorry Gourry, I didn't see you there. Now be quiet for a sec, OK?"
The blond swordsman turned over for a second onto his back. "ugh...."
"Heh, must have been too much breakfast." Lina just nodded her head as swordsman rolled among the grasses.
"Lina! Is that you?"
The sorcerer looked up at the road approaching the city. "Filia!" Lina jumped for a second at the shock of seeing the golden dragon. "What in the world are you doing here?"
Zelgadis just nodded as Amelia broke out a wide grin.
Lina ran up to Filia, surprised at the golden dragon's sudden presence. "I thought you had settled down, with a store and everything."
"Well, I was traveling down the coastline, you see." She panted off the words to the sorcerer, quite exhausted from her trip. "I have savings to trade for southern vases, to the sheik's city to the south."
Lina nodded. "Hai, we're just leaving to go south right now. Are you going to stay a few days in Monte Darlo?"
Mud baths. Spa sessions. Healthy eating. Finally, she could get her scales nice and polished. It all disappeared in a puff of smoke. "I'm not staying here, just going south." She winked at Lina in response.
"Great! Its your turn to buy us dinner tonight." Lina slapped Filia in the back half-heartily. "Come on, I'll fill you in on what's going on. Let's go!"
Filia just sweatdropped as they walked away from Monte Darlo together.
---o--o--o---
"Are you coming, Zel?" Amelia loved to ask the chimera the simplest of questions with the cutest of looks.
Zel groaned. "I'm just looking over our rear position. Don't worry about it." He could tell that Amelia wasn't exactly buying his words. "Now go and keep Lina company. OK?" And he just bared his teeth to her.
''...ok, uhhh..." The little princess quickly, "I think Filia is calling me. I'll be back in a min...hour."
Zelgadis just smiled on the inside. Its not that he didn't enjoy her company, it's just the doses of her company have been too long these last few days. Oh well, no harm, no foul.
He paused for a second to think about a life with Amelia. Well, at least he would have plenty to eat and a decent place to hang his cap. It would be very comfortable indeed. He knew that-
Something tickled at Zel's left arm, an almost familiar feel as if he were being scratched with a feather. It was warm energy...that felt inviting. He looked for a second as the chimera turned his arm over, exposing the underside to the light.
Flesh and rock crawled ever so slightly. He felt the energy dissipate out of his body, as a sudden stab of pain intersected his arm. A knife. No, much harder than a knife yet no visible weapon was it sight.
Gritting his teeth, the chimera had no choice but to grab his arm in haste. He couldn't maintain that perfect balance anymore as he fell to his knees.
The pain eased for just a second as he crawled to his feet. Earlier that day, Zelgadis had stumbled in a rare misstep, down a flight of stairs from breakfast. At first, he thought that incident was purely accidental. But now...he was no longer sure.
He looked again at his arm, his flesh was no longer soft like fine paste but now firmer to his touch. He could feel the movement was harder, rougher, as if his internal energy was sapping away.
His life ambition was to have become human. He was so close. If fact, for the shortest of minutes, he was human once again in his lifetime. But now, those few minutes of humanity had taken on a terrible price. He was sure that price would be his life.
---o--o--o---