---o--o--o---
[Author] Hello, Xellos...
[Xellos] I don't do introductions...Never liked them...
[Author] Well... I have this certain feeling that this is going to be your special chapter.
[Xellos] This chapter? Really?
[Author] Yup...
[Xellos] {squirms} You had better not make me this 'very special' chapter, which would also means this story is jumping the shark...
[Author] It's that or I order the parade of kawaii nekos to come charging in and fill every last inch of this place.
[Xellos] {sweat drops}
[Author] Now, don't you think the first idea is better?
[Xellos] Didn't you know I love special chapters? I really do...
---o--o--o---
Slayers: Clouds!
Chapter 12:
Expectations! Truth or Dare!
-
---o--o--o---
-
The sorcerer picked herself up from the cold ground. It was early in the day, with the sun's rays were just starting the shine on the harsh mountains behind her, that itself enough of a indication of dawn.
She exhaled, her breath visible as a white cloud in the cold damp air. She took a step back and decided that it was too early to be up this morning. No matter the cost...
The sorcerer walked over to where the others were sleeping, dragging her feet with every step through the wet grass and leaves and sticks. Everything outside was covered in cold dew, the air saturated with moisture.
She looked over to the fire pit, finally acknowledging to herself that she had been traveling alone. "I wonder..." she talked to herself, "why I'm here..." She looked around, disappointed. "And always...alone..."
Hours before...the chaos box in her hands...
Indeed, she remembered fighting her last Mazoku opponent as a...blond. But she looked at her figure, then at her skin... she was a redhead! She even tugged at her hair, finally realizing that she was back to her fiery self.
"I guess I have to thank you, Maximilian." She stirred around a little bit, realizing the intentions of the Sheik's son-in-law had been honest all along. If only, she knew what it was all about. "Blasted Cloudminders and their secrets."
A little gust of wind blew the surrounding cold away, the visibility improving by every minute. The sun had finally made its appearance, evaporating the cold moisture away. The fog lifted, showing Lina that she was a lot closer to a cliff ledge than even herself had even realized. Curious as ever, she walked precariously close to the edge, looking over a low cloud as it swept past her feet.
"Wow...I'm...really up high..."
The wind increased its furious pace, sweeping away the rest of the clouds from the hidden valley below. Below her feet, life teemed with such density that she couldn't believe. Among thick jungle of trees and bushes, she could see the tiny brooks and streams of water as they splashed among the rocky terrain. The land...it was new, as if only formed recently by the lord of chaos.
"Morning, Lina," said the voice of Xellos.
She turned her head to the right, red hair windswept across her face in a sudden gust. Along came the smell...of life. She didn't know if it was a sign of its end or its very beginning -- and whether it was a goal of the Mazoku beside her to snuff out its preciousness...
"I see that you're back together." Xellos encircled her position, as if examining her from afar like a work of art. "More auburn this time. I do like it better."
Lina turned her head towards the mysterious priest. "No thanks to you." She took a couple of playful steps towards the Mazoku, as if ready to pounce him. "Why do you always have me greeting you in fantasy places like this? I mean, a visit after breakfast would be nice every once in a while."
"Ahh..." Xellos took a step back, tugging at his collar at the same time. "Maybe because its always been a little to inconvenient for me. I really do hate having conflicts. Let us let that pass for the moment..."
The redhead fumed, thinking a little at the same time. "As you say." She kicked a clog of dirt over the cliff, letting it tumble into the deep valley below. "So, how about some questions answered, at least?"
The Mazoku pushed the inquiry aside, at the same time turning his head into a gust of wind. "I'll hear you Lina, but don't think I'll answer them entirely."
Lina crossed her arms. "Well, I wouldn't expect you to spill the beans. That's how I know you are you, and not someone disguised as you."
Xellos sweat dropped. "Ano...I guess that was a compliment."
The redhead took a rather inconvenient position behind Xellos' backside, an intimidating position even for Lina. "So what's going on here? I've been to more, out of the way places in the last week than even I care to see. And I don't like them."
"Really?" plucked the Mazoku. "And what about the casinos? Aren't they a Mazoku's best friend?"
"That's besides the point! How come you haven't been around, except with Filia?"
The Mazoku smiled a bit. "Just think of it as a vacation from me! Actually, its because I've been in quite high demand."
Lina turned around and blinked her eyes. "You've been more than sly these past few days, but your latest appearance with Filia and delaying of my...*cough*... wedding." Lina took a minute to swallow the words before continuing. "Excuse the pun, but it takes the cake."
Xellos snorted.
"That in itself wasn't enough of a clue to put the whole picture together, except that you keep visiting me in my dreams..."
Xellos sighed, letting all his trapped air out. "Really now. You have the faintest idea what's going on. For all you know," he said, snapping his fingers, "the world could be over and you wouldn't have known what had happened."
"Yea, right. I so doubt it..." countered Lina, not impress with Xellos acting. "But there's something you're not telling me. And yet, you gave us enough information-"
"Ano..." as he lifted his finger into the air. "I did no such thing..."
An interrupting crack of thunder made both of them look up into the sky. Clouds that that blocked the deep blue sky were drifting away as if blown away, encircling something... The wind picked up again, as greenery and then signs of civilization poked thought the tops of the clouds.
"I see I don't have a choice..." said Xellos. "My...my..."
"...damn..." She thought it was a town or city high in a mountain, but that would have been impossible because it was just so damn high... "I must be dreaming..."
"No, not a all."
"The City of the Clouds..." she murmured on her lips. She spoke barely loud enough for the Mazoku to hear her words. "But this isn't a dream, is it? This is of long ago, of when you were there, Xellos."
"Well..." said the mysterious priest, talking to himself. "You're right..."
Yes, he thought, it's time...
He knew he was ever so revealing the past...but the tipping of the scales was necessary, for Lina was going to find out...one way or another. Better to peel each horrifying layer off than take it in all at once.
Time to play your hand...because, if Lina ever did learn the truth at once...
"Xellos!" Lina puffed. "Who are the Cloudminders?"
"Indeed. You sure ask a lot of questions."
She turned around on her feet until her eyes glared up at Xellos', her chin leaning on his cape. "Damn it, Xellos! Give me a straight answer for once!"
A bird in hand. So much effort had been put in on his part, so to make sure that every step was believable. So, he thought about the next piece, and the next drop--
"You may not like the truth..." said the Mazoku. "Little girls don't like it when they don't get candy..."
"Get to the point!"
Xellos looked down into the eyes of the redhead, his sight never blinded by his long purplish hair. "Ahhh, the Cloudminders. Well, if you must know, it was a time so very long ago." He waved his arms wide, making his cape breeze in the wind. "And indeed, I was there."
It was enough of a distraction... that everything Lina saw everything around her fade as if she were dropped into the clouds themselves. She even looked down and saw the fuzzy white of cloud underneath her feet.
"Think of it...as a page from my own history..."
Lina scowled. She needed the truth, not an ancient lesson. "Tell me without all the lights and distractive amusements-" But she caught herself as she was about to say the next thing...
Indeed, Xellos' memory had indeed been from a long time ago. The youngest trees from her former vision were gone. The land was rougher, with streams that carved into new mountains. Even the rest of the vegetation was young, with no bushes larger than a foot tall. This was land, perfectly, as if untouched by human hands.
The place was exactly the same as her dreams. Except another time. And where the blue sky had been...was the floating City of the Clouds, its magnificent towers reflecting sunlight into her eyes...
"How long ago..."
"Before the fall..." smiled the mysterious priest. "The Cloudminders...so nubile back then."
Lina nodded. There was so much to take in that she didn't know what her next step would be. She viewed the whole valley as one, catching a sudden movement off to the far left. Her eyes darted across the valley until she stopped, her stare transfixed on one object-
"Ahhh, you do see it..." interrupted the mysterious priest.
Indeed, Lina's eyes were no longer looking at the City of the Clouds, but glued to tower of stone on the far ridge, its newness glistening as well.
She paused, remembering where she had seen the very familiar object. "A seal...of the golden dragons..." She looked at the new tower, amazed how splendid it looked in its colors of silver and gray. Those other previous towers they had unearthed from the other side of the world...they were dull and had been stripped of their cosmetic beauty, a trifle comparison to this seal....
Her eyes stared at it as her mind clicked away. It was her heart that had the answers all along...but they couldn't tell everything...
Xellos helped her out. "The dragons...they have been busy preparing for this day."
"Dragons..." followed Lina, looking back into the sky at the Cloudminders. "What dragons?"
Xellos spun around, his cape billowing up for a second, pointing with his staff out toward the city. "See them..." He raised his cane, as if a grand stage announcement. "Watch them! As they...attack the Cloudminders..."
Her heart pounded!
Lina watched with incredible awe as a group of golden dragons circled around their tower. A familiar one directed them. The Supreme Elder! A roar or two from his golden Dragon followers, as they communicated to each other, finally diving from the high reaches of the sky...
They disappeared, then something else reappeared just as fast. It was white and black, a mix of energy that was indescribable except to say it was potent...
"No...then this was part of what they did..."
"Hmmm?" questioned Xellos.
"Their history...the golden dragons-"
Xellos smiled, quite content with Lina's answer. "Yes, you see, it has always been a part of history."
From behind the floating city, a pitiful number of ancient dragons darted forward, defending against the attack. Pointless, thought Lina, but it didn't seem to matter...
Her skin crawled. Even though this was a scene from history, it was nevertheless an angry sort of execution. They outnumbered the ancient dragons with more than fifty members, while the number of ancient dragons could barely be counted on one hand.
"Stop it!"
"I can't. After all, its already happened." He circled around the sorcerer, egging for Lina to respond. "I saw it all! And I loved the magnificent battle...
"...No..."
"...as they destroyed what was left of the Cloudminders," grinned the Mazoku.
"That can't be!"
"And the City of the Clouds...became their second grave of sorts. And a history lesson was born..."
Lina was too shocked to say much else.
"All that was left was their legacy...their chaos...but no, golden dragons were so protective of their world..."
The sorcerer watched Filia's former master direct the final command, as dragons began to encircle the burning floating city--
There was a sudden flash in the sky, next to the City of the Clouds. It blinded the sorcerer if only for a second, her mouth turning dry at the same time. Something in the back of mind shouted betrayal, but there was nothing that she could do...
"What happened?" she asked. "Why did it happen?"
"For a time...the Cloudminders held a power that even you cannot imagine. The golden Dragons couldn't destroy the city itself, so...they played with it, with a spell of sorts. They locked the door and threw away the key...
"What are you talking about now?"
"Oh, it was a quite a spell. It...sent the Cloudminders barreling forward in time, so no one...not even us Mazoku, could interfere. Those dragons...were quite cunning. Not at all like their counterparts of today."
It explained so much to Lina.. She wanted to pull out and search through Aermark's journal. "So that's why...every sixty years..."
"The Cloudminders power...dead and buried, was never forgotten. And the dragon's spell wasn't perfect. For during every appearance..."
The sorcerer cursed, her dream world suddenly hazing over again. "Their secrets..."
"Well, you seemed to have stumbled upon a few of them," answered the Mazoku. "Dirty little Dragons. How they are unable to clean up their mess..."
"A grave..." The words on the tip of her tongue made her shiver. "Then why are the secrets of the Cloudminders coming out?"
The purple priest swept the question aside, if ever so for a second. "Just remember, Lina...I wasn't the one who followed the crumbs."
"I still think you're-"
Xellos interrupted the sorcerer with a tilt his head, nodding as if to someone else. "Oh, I believe that your allotted time is up. I do hope you can handle the ride from here..."
"Wait a minute!" She charged the mysterious priest, her dream abruptly slipping away. "I want some more answers, Xellos!"
She cried out for time...but it was all disappearing too fast! Was it going to end like this?
All that was left was the cheshire grin of the Mazoku. She reached out...before that too disappeared...
-
---o--o--o---
-
"...Xellos, you cunning fool..."
Lina awoke in a sweat, her curly red hair matted down her back. She checked herself out, first with a tug of hair from her head. As it spilled across her face, she spotted the red locks immediately, releasing a built up sigh. A quick feel of the rest of her body told her the same story. "I don't ever want to do that again."
She spotted Sylphiel cradled in one of the plush chairs next to her bed. Like a child, she was sucking her thumb as she soundlessly slept -- impossibly at peace.
Lina thought about the last few hours in her mind. Maximilian on his deathbed, pointing out the ancient dragons as the Cloudminders. It certainly had been a sudden surprise, and it explained many of the awesome powers the Cloudminders possessed. The relics certainly matched the little she knew about the ancient dragons, other than their structures were big and full of secrets. The bridge of the ancients...its name itself lent from the ancient dragons.
She couldn't help being catered to the Mazoku's little show -- for it explained a great deal. The Cloudminders...their disappearance...fit the timeline of the missing ancient dragons. So, if the City of the Clouds was nothing but a relic, the leftovers destroyed by the Filia's golden dragon's clan..
Filia. She could not even imagine that the blond dragon knew of her clan's second black mark on its past. One secret had remained a secret for so long, yet eventually it was revealed. Lina couldn't imagine Filia having distaste for anyone, including the Cloudminders. There was no way...
The sorcerer shuddered. Telling the shrine dragon of another mark against her family...even for Lina, it was too much to bear.
Some things were better left unsaid now that Xellos had shown her a glimpse into the past. A picture of truth; of history, as past transgressions.... She was sure that Filia had not known...
Lina sighed, re-tracing her thoughts for the next few days. First, they would meet up with Zelgadis, Gourry, and Amelia in the plains to the southwest of here. From there it was a day's journey, to the place according to Aermark's journal...a valley of ice and snow. A natural bowl, sealed off by hills of ice, just thawing every so often. And in the middle of the Ice Hills, high in the sky...is where the relic of the City of the Clouds would appear once again...
Still, Xellos could be fibbing the whole thing...
Then why was she so scared?
"...Sylphiel?" chimed a skittish Lina, throwing her comforter aside. She needed serious girl talk with a friend.
The shrine maiden stirred around a bit, still dressed in her traveling outfit from last night. She had been so tired in the end that she had fallen asleep in her clothes, still dusty from all the desert winds.
"Wake up..." said Lina, her teeth chattering like she was cold.
The purple haired maiden's eyes fluttered open if just for a second. "Oh...Lina...I...you're..."
Lina came over and sat on the edge of the comfy chair, looking down at the shrine maiden. "Thank you..."
"Hai..." The shrine maiden flustered up before leaning back in her chair, gathering her composure from the rough day to come. "I'm glad to see that you're back to normal. Kerchef helped me get you back here after yesterday..." She face froze. "Eeeep! I'm such a disheveled mess!"
"Hush..." Lina got up and circled around the room, trying to get the news together in her head. A realization came to her as she darted out of her bedroom towards the sitting room. "Filia!"
"She's...not here," interrupted Sylphiel. "She wasn't here when we got back. And no one has seen her since the aborted ceremony from yesterday. In fact, some of her stuff is gone...."
Lina came back in as soon as she left, sitting back down on the bed, quite disgusted with herself. "And I'm not even hungry right now..."
"I know," said the shrine maiden, sitting down on the bed next to Lina. She leaned her body against the smaller redhead with a hug. "We've been though a lot this last week or so. It's been hard...on all of us..."
"Sylphiel..." The sorcerer nodded, the tone of her voice turning deadly serious.... "There's something I have to tell you..."
The shrine maiden dislodged herself from Lina, crossed her legs all while scurrying over to the other side of the bed. "What is it, Lina?"
The sorcerer turned around, leaning her backside on the dresser. "With what Maximilian told me yesterday, and..." She didn't want to tell the shrine maiden about her dream conversation with Xellos, just that she knew about it. "Other...things." She swallowed her words for second, before continuing. "I think...the golden dragons are involved with the Cloudminders..."
Sylphiel looked up, her face whitened. "How?"
Lina paused. "Xellos has been hiding the secrets of the Cloudminders from us. At first, I thought because they were Dragons."
"Golden dragons," finished the shrine maiden. "From the tapestry that we saw in Monte Darlo, it was your guess that the Cloudminders were Dragons."
"Exactly...but before he died, Maximilian told me who the Cloudminders were...Ancient Dragons,"
Sylphiel face turned ashen.
"Think about the clues we saw! From that tapestry, the city wasn't defended, but surrounded by golden dragons."
"That is not possible..." Sylphiel shook her head, refusing to believe the sorcerer's words. "I can't believe that..."
The redhead paused, letting the answer sink into the shrine maiden's head. She paced around the room like a trapped animal, the thoughts racing in her mind. The world's future...had become very cloudy, and it only took a second...
"But...then the Cloudminders?" The purple haired one refused to let the answer die.
Lina nodded her head so low that her eyes only saw ground. "I'm sorry..."
"You mean?" concluded the purple-haired maiden, the her face filled with horror. "The golden dragons..."
"By their hands...they destroyed the Cloudminders."
Sylphiel tried not the think about it. "No..."
"It fits perfectly. I've seen it once already, where ancient dragons hid from their fellow dragons. The golden dragon's price for showing disloyalty..."
"But..." Sylphiel didn't have much else to say.
"The Mazoku wouldn't care much, except... maybe for their tools...the chaos boxes and stones... " As if on queue, Lina tugged at her waist, bringing the chaos stone up to view.
"The chaos stone?" commented Sylphiel.
"Xellos wants these things as well. I'm almost positive he's been collecting them behind our back." She tapped her foot impatiently for a second, "He wanted us...to get involved..."
The purple shrine maiden shrugged her shoulders. "Are you sure?"
"Yea...I'm sure of that now. But, even his intentions are cloudy."
"Hai..." The shrine maiden turned her head around, afraid to ask the next question. "And what about Filia?"
Lina pondered the question for a second. After what had happened before...Dark Star... the ancient dragons... Nothing made sense about it. Yes, Filia was a golden dragon, the last of her clan. "She has no reason fight against the ancient dragons of the Cloudminders. She...was willing to give up her life at one point...for Valgaav."
Something jogged through Lina's mind. With such news, she remembered the mirror.
"Damn! I've got to tell the others!" The redhead reached around on her dresser and raised the communication mirror to talk to Zelgadis and the others. It revealed...nothing but a black image. "It's not working! And at a time like this?"
The shrine maiden sighed. "There's not much we do about that. Beside, they know where and when they're meeting us...right?"
"Uh-huh..." She felt something...temperate in the palm of her hand. It was like the heart of fire was touching her smooth skin, warming her body if only just for a second.
She turned over the chaos stone in her hand. Indeed, the crystal was hot to the touch. But...how? There were no chaos boxes anywhere...nor did she feel the pull...
She reached and pulled the chaos stone up to her eyes for a closer inspection. She glared carefully for clues, looking into the perfect clearness of the crystal. Turning it into the light of the room, it was then she noticed a fog from within the stone itself.
Something was in the crystal! Swirling around, it was like a breath of air moisturizing on a cold winter day. But this fog wasn't white like ice...but stained blood-red with the power of a Mazoku. And then she saw the edging of the crystal, even darker than before, the power trapped like a prison....
"Lina..." Sylphiel could see the sorcerer's facial expression turn from jovial to solemn within a span of a couple of second. "Is...something wrong?"
"Very wrong..." She took the stone and held it up into a stream of sunlight coming from the nearby window. The chaos within the crystal didn't like being examined one bit. It started to smoke the color of red, the fog streaming off its very corners of the gem. "This...thing. Its like its alive. How can it be active without the presence of a chaos box?"
Sylphiel looked over Lina's shoulder, the surprise in her eyes immediately glued to the smoldering chaos stone. "And you don't known why?"
"Not at all. Maybe because it knows that the Cloudminders are only a day or two away. Maybe because its secrets are finally know. Or that its creator's identity..."
Something...was indeed waiting for her.
Lina ran up to her dresser, starting to pack her stuff in her small travel bag. It didn't take very long to get organized. "Come on, we've got to see the Sheik, and quickly!"
"Hai!"
-
---o--o--o---
-
Filia had packed extremely light compared to the rest of her journey. Out of the three suitcases that she had left back at the Sheik's city, she didn't carry a single one of them the rest of the way. Instead, she had taken with her a light tummy pack that was swung diagonally across her chest. Though it was a little small, its size was ready made for lightning travel.
All those times had traveled with Lina, she refused to transform...unless totally driven mad under the gaze of one frightful Mazoku. And even that was embarrassing to herself.
Still, she had no choice in the matter now. For she was...a dragon. And instead of walking, she flew as a dragon among the clouds, quickly across the harsh lands. Below her, desert lands became fertile once again. The soft hills were perfect for her type of traveling -- not too rough and treacherous to cause harm while still uneven enough to provide plenty of cover.
She tired from a half day of flying and felt that it was best to slow down. So she settled down a little more, letting her wings do more gliding among the winds.
Winds...that reminded her of home. Not her current one, but the home she had with her clan members. Of golden dragons...
She was the last of her clan.
It was so much simpler when she had followed the orders of her elders. As one of the dragons, she was required many times to follow the order of others. And then, she disobeyed them...
Then what was it that made this journey so difficult? Was it for the secrets of the Cloudminders? Or was it because she had been taking her directions from someone else?
Or because...she too, knew that this was the way...
The only way...
Her heart was in pain. Even with Dark Star and the times before her new home felt so minuscule when compared to now. All because those golden dragons...the same ones who hid secrets from her. She loved them...despised them...and never forgave them...
She was the only one to carry out their unwilling task.
Ancient dragons. Forever linked to her own clan, they continued to play a role in her life. It had been said that Ancient Dragons were the real secret holders, because their passing was the ultimate way to hide from others. After all, if you're dead...then who is there to tell your secrets?
Humans, on the other hand, had never meant to be part of the equation between the Dragons and Mazoku. Yet, they were there once already, saving the world within a blink of darkness. Their life spans were so short in comparison that they were barely comparable to a feather in a Dragon's cap.
If humans...had ever learned of the secrets of the Cloudminders...the true power they controlled and the devastation they could have wrought...
She could not even imagine it in her mind.
Exactly the reasons why she stuck to Lina like glue. Each time, she pointed them in a slight misdirection, each obstacle harder than the first. Besides guiding them, she had taken incredible steps to make sure the sorcerer had not found out...
She shuddered. Why does the brink of the world feel so meager when compared to now? Why, she asked herself... What matters more than anything than before?
Valgaav.
Her little adopted son. Even she was surprised on how much she had missed her unborn child. Whereas she thought about him maybe a couple of times a day, now she could not drive his delicate image from her mind. Now that he was no longer under her care -- it was that very thought of him caused Filia to sob--
A sudden gust of wind swooped the flying dragon higher into the sky. Tears that flew from her eyes...crystallized against her scales, causing her terrible pains around her eyes. She tried to twist her head a little in the wind, but that only caused her body to spin. She banked and headed down for a landing.
She caught something in the view corner of her eye. Purple hair and cape billowing in the wind, her most hated Mazoku was only a few or so feet away, flying in perfect parallel with both of his arms out wide.
"Out for a stroll, dearest one?" smiled the Mazoku. "I must say, it's quite a distance if you're planning to return to the Sheik's city by nightfall." He lazily banked and dived right in front of her nose, barely missing her chin.
"Go away!" she cried out. "Can't you leave me alone!"
"Well excuse me, I didn't mean to-" Xellos twisted into the wind, circling under the dragon like a mosquito to flesh. "You know, that tummy of yours-"
A swat of her wing was little defense against the Mazoku -- she saw the mysterious priest was staying for the long haul. "Is there any reason why you're following me?" Filia sniffed distastefully.
"Oh, not really," grinned the Mazoku. "You know, I just happened to be in the neighborhood."
"Yea, right. Looking for an all-night dragon stand?"
"As a matter of fact, I was looking to pick up some kawaii ones. Know any good spots around here?"
Filia sulked. "Baka!'
Xellos knew the pressure was on. He had been so looking forward to this. For the golden dragon was wild with her emotions, exploding like an out of control wildfire. Yet, he could feel the sadness, the burden...everything was starting to come together. Now! he thought, its finally getting interesting.
He looked back over at his flying escort. "I see you traveled light, little dragon. Perhaps this is a one-way trip?"
She ignored him, preferring to mull over her upcoming task. She had all the key ingredients save for the ginger root that grew nearby on the steps of the Ice Hills. She hoped that the frosty weather had not dimmed her chances in finding a local component.
"Humph!" The dragon banked again, leaving the Mazoku in her wake. She neither had the patience nor the time to deal with Xellos' chatty remarks. If she succeeded, then the world would be a better place. No doubt...
-
---o--o--o---
-
"Uzumara! Where are you?"
Lina furiously ran down the lower streets of the Sheik's city, the shrine maiden in tow. "Where is that blasted Sheik and his followers?"
"You're asking me?" commented Sylphiel, turning her head around for a look around. She spotted a large group of standing people, also spotting the pike tips above their heads. "Ummm, Lina?"
"You see something?" The redhead didn't have to ask much else, for Sylphiel was already pointing her in the right direction. "Good job!"
The two of them hit a crowd wall, the people already shoulder to shoulder. Still, Lina was determined to fight through the crowd, shoving left and right. "Move it...to the side, buddy! There we go...you're a big guy, so lean the other way, idiot!"
Behind Lina was the apologetic voice of the purple-haired maiden. "Excuse me...pardon me...oh, that's so nice of you...oh dear..."
The two ladies ran smack into two guards, unable to move any more forward. "Hey, we're here to see the Sheik!" chimed the redhead, shouting as loudly as she could.
One of them snarled, not even to bother to turn around. "Yea, you and everyone else here. Be quiet!"
Beyond the guards, the Sheik and Kerchef were busy chatting and directing citizens of their fair city. Unlike the lavishness of the Forbidden Dome, this setting seemed...simple. Still, the Sheik's men were protecting their fair ruler, letting in people selectivity from the crowd.
"Move, buster! We're here to see Uzumara! We are personal acquaintances of the ruler!"
The rude guard chuckled. "And I'm a dragon king!"
The shrine maiden sighed. This was going to be a long day.
"Hey Kerchef! How about letting us in?"
The captain of the guards couldn't help not hearing the squeaky voice of the sorcerer. "Yea, and what do you want?"
Lina beamed. "Depends how you feel. I'm back to my old self, and I don't see any chaos boxes around."
Kerchef didn't smile nor frown at seeing the redhead and her companion as he barked out a few unintelligent orders. His men responded, opening a passage for the two of them to come down.
"It's about time," blurted the redhead.
The captain was not very happy to see the two ladies, his eyes still bloodshot from yesterday. "Excuse me for asking, but don't you have some floating city to go to?"
Lina and Kerchef were about thirty seconds away from a blow-by-blow-.
"Excuse me, but are you all right, Kerchef?" Sylphiel spoke up from behind the crazy redhead; cutting off the arising conflict.
The shrine maiden's kind words softened up the tough captain, making him back up for a second to gather up his thoughts. "Yea, its been a tough few days." He looked over at Sylphiel, his anger folding like a house of cards. "Come on, I'll show you the way."
"Thank you," comforted the shrine maiden. "I'm sure Maximilian would be very happy right now."
Kerchef sniffed. "I guess so." He moved aside, bringing the two of them up to the sitting Sheik. Instead of a grandiose throne room like before, the Sheik sat in a simple wooden chair, with the two kawaii ninja girls to one side. The Sheik and his 'assistants' were elevated by a wooden platform by less than a foot, but it was really so everyone could see them.
"Like the setup, actually. It's actually quite charming," pointed Lina, with a wink of her eyes.
"Oh, be quiet," huffed the captain, not enjoying his master's new role with his people. "Why couldn't he be a normal ruler, I'll never know."
Sylphiel frowned. "Well, that isn't exactly an improvement of attitude."
"Who cares! If Uzumara had any guts, he'd take to sword-"
"Kerchef!"
Sure enough, the elder fish Sheik was standing directly behind Kerchef, his eyes ripe with resentment. "You have some nerve-"
The captain wheeled around, his face full of astonishment. "Sheik! I was just telling Lina about your former-"
"Can it, son. I know how you feel about how I'm running everything." He took a couple of encircling steps around his adopted family member. "I'm disappointed with you."
Kerchef grimaced, hearing how disappointed the Sheik was of his behavior. "I understand. I'll do much better next time..." He quickly nodded and turned away, busily mouthing off a few commands to the underling guards.
"You know," commented Uzumara, "he's going to be a great Sheik someday."
"I'm sure he'll do fine," said Sylphiel.
Lina paused at hearing Uzumara's words, but was completely blown away by Sylphiel's follow-up comment. She was about to say something to the effect of crazy/nuts/etc. when she stopped; her finger pointed outward with her mouth open like a lowered drawbridge.
But nothing came to mind. Oh well. And as she shut her trap, the only thing she could do was swear under her breath.
"So...are you taking off, Lina?" asked Mime, one of the twin ninja girls. She had come up to the left side of the Sheik, almost hugging the ruler by the shoulder. She immediately noticed the sheik's advisors mark on their chests, the same of Maximilian and Kerchef wore.
"Errr...yeah." The redhead nodded. "Quite soon. Are you two comfortable here?"
"Oh, we like it here," said Nene, nodding to her fellow sister. "Our new job rocks."
"I'm sure about that," muttered a redhead.
"But eventually, we'll have go back north toward Monte Darlo," said Mime. "There's only one way to get back, and that's over the Bridge of the Ancients."
"Errr...that." Lina felt her collar suddenly tighter around her neck. "Well, I'm sure it will be a fine trip back."
"Lina?" interrupted Sylphiel
"Well, I'm sure there's another--"
"Lina!" She shot the sorcerer a dirty look, making Lina twitch a little more. "You should be ashamed!"
It made the sorcerer kick her feet in disgust, finally caving to the shrine maiden's pressure. "Mime...actually...its gone. Didn't mean to...errrr..."
The girls' sweat dropped.
"Really...when we came to it, it was suddenly..."
"LINA!"
The sorcerer sighed. "Well, this big dragon showed up, and it was shooting out lightning everywhere, and there were these guys shooting fireballs and then--" And what could only be described as the first hand-motion of a Dragon Slave.
Uzumara chuckled. "Hohoho, I should have known. You are well known for your destructive tendencies."
Lina blushed. "It wasn't like that! I swear we were running for our lives."
"Its true," spoke up the shrine maiden, "we did all that we could. Its unfortunate that it happened, but it was necessary to save our lives."
Her statement quieted the group, making the shrine maiden fall back into her kawaii, normal self.
"Well," said Nene, "we still have to go north."
Lina nodded. So...they were going past the Shrine of the Dragon Water King.
And then, something popped into her head. She had thought about it when waking up from her dream with Xellos.
How suddenly convenient everything was becoming.
If true...then she could not take any chances. Not with what Xellos had shown her.
"Nene? Mime?" coyly waved the redheaded sorcerer, "can you two come here for a second? There's some I need to ask you about..."
Uzumara and Sylphiel watched as both the ninja girls followed Lina into a little private powwow. "Know anything about that?" asked the Sheik, quite disappointed that he had not been invited.
"Not really," said the disappointed shrine maiden, "I'll ask her later about it, however..."
They watched Lina produce a small scroll of paper from one of her inner pockets. The redhead quickly scribbled down a couple of choice words before handing it over to the ninja girls, along with a small sack of coins. Both of the girls nodded their heads obediently before scurrying away.
"Lina?" asked the purple-haired maiden, "what's going on?"
"Sorry about that. But...I have to be sure about something, Sylphiel. I was reminded in the dream, but it wasn't until Mime said something..." She was about to let it all out, before turning her eyes back to Uzumara.
"Hmmm?"
Sylphiel could only see the seriousness in Lina's eyes. They didn't even dare...to blink.
"I have to know," and the redhead, "the path we're taking is the right one. But...how can I know that? What makes this the better way..."
The shrine maiden gently put her hand up on the redhead's shoulder, comforting the supposedly stronger willed one. "You know right from wrong. You're told me that the rights of any one person..."
"Is to survive," finished the sorcerer. "Sometimes...I don't realize that." She turned gently toward Sylphiel, giving off a little wink. "Thanks."
The purple haired maiden squealed, entirely too happy. "Oh...Lina..."
"Eeeep!" The sorcerer looked up into the sun for a second, finally realizing how late in the afternoon it was. "Ahhhh!" The redhead grabbed the shrine maiden's hand and tugged her away at lightning speed. "Come on! We've got only one day to make up two days of travel!"
-
---o--o--o---
-
Filia looked out at the lush bowl-shaped valley; her position giving her quite a view. Where once the land had been new and rocky, now there was little sign of newness among the land. The mountains that made up the valley had over time aged down, much smaller than of their former selves. The trees here were low-lying and low in number, yet proud they stood against the blowing winds. Even the grass that covered the lands was mix of lush patches of greenery mixes with brown fields, a sort of patchwork that was absolutely peaceful.
They had once called this area the Ice Hills. The glaciers that came in long ago weren't known for carving into the rocky landscape into mountains and cliffs, but for the immense amount of earth they took away. The hills themselves were just the edges of the surrounding land, the valley hollowed out long ago. With its sky so large and unobstructed, the giant natural crater so large...that the entire valley amazed the eyes.
She had hoped that her wild swooping that carried the Mazoku away. But Xellos was more than the usual crafty sort, it had taken him only a couple of seconds to figure out the real agenda of where the dragon was going. Its not like it was a secret anymore...
A few moments after she had landed, Xellos was there right next to her, scouting the area with all the excitement of guard dog.
"So...we're here. I must say you picked out a nice picnic spot." The Mazoku sniffed around, as if looking for company. Well satisfied that they were alone, he turned back to the dragon and smiled. "Did you bring a blanket and the champagne?"
Filia ignored the Mazoku, too busy opening her tiny pack. She took out a small cauldron as well as a few unmarked paper bags. She set everything aside, gathering up a small stack of wood for a fire.
"Let's see..." The purple priest came over, picking up the small black kettle like a curious cat. "Wow, you're making soup with this thing?" He looked into the kettle by throwing it above his head. "How about cooking up a pot of squirming--"
"Give me that!" Filia tugged Xellos' new toy away from the Mazoku. "I can't believe you breathed into my kettle! I'm going to have to disinfect it!" scolded the dragon, expediently running to a stream to fill it with water.
The Mazoku was easily amused, hoping among the other bags of stuff that the dragon had set aside. "I see you brought other ingredients," he added, lifting some pretty herbs out of one of the paper bags. "So when's dinner!"
"Nagomi!" She snatched the ingredients out of the Mazoku's hands, putting them behind her back "Stupid, no good for nothing..." she hissed. "Don't you have some 'errand' to do besides bother me?"
"Yare, yare." Xellos turned his back on the blond dragon, preferring to step carefully around the edge of the cliff. "Oh, that's not so pretty."
Filia used a tent of sticks to balance the water filled cauldron over the fire. It tipped ever so gently, spilling a couple of drops over the side and into the fire. She coughed for a second, then took the bags of ingredients and dumped them unceremoniously into the water.
"That does not look like soup," said Xellos, looking down at his reflection in the kettle's water.
"No, is it NOT SOUP!"
"I guess that's right. So you're not going with the fire trap or ice freezing spell. I would that thought that the wind of-"
"Nope, none of those." Filia was busy chopping little piece of ginger, letting the cuttings drop from her hands and into the black kettle.
The Mazoku grinned. "Well, I suppose you're going to need a lot more than this."
Filia looked up and stared at the Mazoku. "I'm just diverting them off. You know that better than anyone, don't you?"
Xellos rolled his eyes. "I'm not the one being blackmailed."
"Be...quiet."
The Mazoku blinked. He crooked his neck to the side, as if picking up a scent out of the air. "Oh well, it seems I'm needed somewhere else. Don't mind me, I was just-"
"Leaving. Yea, I know." Filia stirred the mixture, her soup had turned from clear beautiful water into a mix of brown smelly sludge.
Xellos shrugged his heads, looking up into the sky. The Cloudminders were almost here. Another day, maybe less. The passage of time that they had been away was almost the lifetime of a human. And for the Mazoku, their chance would appear once again...
Filia sighed, noticing that the Mazoku was gone. Behind her, the black cauldron glowed a peaceful tone of yellow, as if ready and awaiting the next step.
The dragon knelt by the edge of the fire, chanting her dragon spell. The liquid in the kettle boiled away, enveloping the evening sky in a cloud of white smoke.
As if cued, the kettle, the water, the smoke, all began to glow yellow, illuminating the sky high above her head...
The spell...so draining... The golden dragon, intoxicated by her own fumes, could no longer resist the powerful pull of its magic. Resting her head to the side of her pack, she hoped that a little nap would help her reorganize her thoughts. She surely hoped that this would be enough.
-
---o--o--o---
-
The shrine maiden stepped up on top of a small pile of rocks, looking for a second while she took her bearing. "Lina? Where are you?"
Lina lowered her levitation spell until she was just a couple of feet off the ground. She had Aermark's journal open in her hands and she was using the map at the same time.
"You sure we're on the right track?" asked Sylphiel.
"It says so right here..." said the sorcerer. She unfolded one panel of the map page that let more panels unfold out like an accordion. So lengthy was the map that the end of touched the ground.
"Oh, Lina..." The shrine maiden leaned down, helping the sorcerer put back the map. She couldn't help noticing how far the Ice Fields were from their own location. "Its almost dusk."
The afternoon crickets were busy commencing their late afternoon song in the bushes around the two ladies. Before long, it would night.
Lina saw the grave look in Sylphiel eyes. "Yea, traveling all night is going to suck."
"You've got to be kidding..."
"I know, I don't like walking in the dark either." She slapped the book closed, annoyed with herself. "But we lost quite a few days back at the Sheik's city."
The shrine maiden sighed. "Yea, and I bet Zelgadis and the other are already waiting for us at the Ice Hills, wondering where we are..."
-
---o--o--o---
-
A hangover. That's how Zel described it, lifting his heavy head off the decking.
If it wasn't the sound of chirping that awoke him from his terrible slumber, but the heat of the full sun above his head. He looked up into the cloudless sky, surprised to see a large wing-spanned bird flying above the ship, its id unknown as it circled around the outline of the sun.
Sharp pains in the chimera's forehead reminded him not to stir too quickly. He wanted to get up from his knees and see if there was any sign of civilization. He surmised the white blast of energy had given their little ship a kick in the pants. He wouldn't had been surprised if they were grounded on some shore--
But there was no lull.
Impossible! The water couldn't be this still.
He crawled up to look over into the ocean, his eyes wide. They certainly were in a different blue sea of the air, one much more calm that any body of water. For they were flying high in the air...over the lands of desert and scrub. In the sky...
Zel looked over to the humming controls of the airship. The hilt of the chaos sword was lit up like a torch, glowing of chaos energy. Like a purring cat, everything seemed normal.
"Not again..." he muttered before lowering himself back onto the floor. "Why couldn't we just have walked?"
-
---o--o--o---
-
And the day was here.
He stood tall on the top of a hill; far above the fields from where Filia was sleeping.
A stranger to none yet a stranger to the world, he would be instantly recognizable to almost anyone...and never seen by any of them.
He was here because of history. Many times before he wished for the curse of Philbrizzo to be over... But no, they were still here even with the Mazoku Lord long gone... Philbrezzo's mess, he called it. The Cloudminders.
Over time, he had hid from the rest of the world like a self-inflicted scar. He knew from within his own mind, he was partly the blame of the Cloudminders. They had never been properly taken cared of, no matter how much had been told before. So what if they swore to eliminating them. It had never meant squat...
The Mazoku were never able to get their prize.
It was never the Cloudminders themselves...but their weapons of power, of destiny which threatened everything. Such energies were never to be wielded...but there it was, the proof in their hands.
He saw the Cloudminder's chaos boxes, glowing and igniting. Their chaos was a curse he absolutely feared. Such was the way they used their powers...
He tightly clenched his sword, throwing it in the nearby sand. He preferred it to be buried, just like his secrets.
There, he said to himself as he watched the sky change one last time. For behind the hidden curtain, they appeared. The Cloudminders. And thus he swore again that no one was to interfere with them.
No matter the cost.
-
---o--o--o---
-
Morning breeze hit the dragon's face as she stirred from her state of slumber. She let her blondness cover her face if only for a minute as her hair grazed her cheek, tickling her awake. It was like everything was perfect.
How long? As she tuned her head towards the remains of the fire, she saw a few glowing ambers around her empty blackened kettle, immediately telling her that it had been all night. The spell had taken all night to form and mold, its power becoming transparent among the morning light in the sky.
It...was done.
She picked up a nearby stick and poked the ambers of the fire out, letting little red sparks fade into the sullen earth. They reminded her of eyes that she had seen only a day ago, from a figure she knew quite well. Fire in those eyes...
Her stranger. A sign that he was watching over her. And a memory of the day before, high in Maximilian's tower...
"I see that I scared that Mazoku whipping boy away," said the stranger, referring to Xellos. "No matter," continued his deep voice.
Filia took her new visitor in, shaking her head in frustration. "Go away! I don't take orders from you!"
"Yes, you do. And you have no choice. Because up to now, little Valgaav has been such a nice companion for me. I can't remember the last time I carried such a little one around with me. He's been...quite delightful! And I would hate--just hate..."
"You!" The blond shot her visitor a horrified look. "And you've been talking to him!"
"Just phrases. Little meanings. Not much he can understand...except an occasional phrase or two."
Filia gritted her teach, the emotions tearing at her insides. "How dare you..."
Her visitor came closer, reaching out with his hand. He grasped Filia by her chin, in the same way Xellos had a few days before. "Tell me, do you know what happened with the Cloudminders so many years ago?"
"No..." shot back the nervous dragon, her emotions drained away. "No..."
"I've told you already, yet you refuse to listen..."
She tried to run away, but alas the stranger's grip was tight like a noose around her neck. She could not even budge--
No...choice.
No...fate.
"...I will...!"
Filia ended her flashback, coughing at the deadened fire pit in front of her. Her orders...her trials... Was this what she had imagined?
She shook her head, moving on with her task. Taking a couple of leaf branches, Filia meretriciously covered the signs of the fire as carefully as she could like no one had ever been there.
She took a second look out at the shallow valley of trees in front of her. The tall pine forest seemed in line the plains in front of her. In a few places, untouched snow melted peacefully. The land was perfect -- totally devoid of anything that seemed out of place. Even the Ice Hills that made the bowl of the valley were...gone. More like tiny bumps around the encircling of forest for only Filia could pick them out so carefully if she tried.
And she raised her eyes to look up at the sky...
The illusion...was perfect.
She held the weight of history. The sacrifices that every clan member had made before her. Their actions rested on her shoulders now, no matter what. For a moment, she understood why...they had done what had to be done. And her own sacrifice as well...
Complete and satisfied, she turned around to escape before anyone else saw her here. She looked up into the sky again--
A dot?
What was that speck on her illusion?
A ship...but not just any ship, but a floating ship. Its sleek lines dug perfectly into her invisible shield. Stuck like a fly on her web, it acted like a beacon for anyone within miles around. She squinted her eyes a bit more carefully, trying to make out the figure that was standing on the top of the deck...
Her heart was crushed.
The dragon cursed.
Even she wasn't immune to it.
-
---o--o--o---
-
Amelia groaned. "I can't believe Lina is going to be where the City of the Clouds is to appear before us! I'm so upset!"
The chimera turned around from his hunkered position over the controls of the ship, still trying to figure out why they were flying. "I don't think that will be a problem in our condition. Now, whether we get..." The chimera stared blandly at the swordsman, who had just come up form the little ship's cabin.
"Any luck getting into that front compartment?"
Gourry shook his head. "Something has that door locked from the inside. I couldn't budge it for one second."
The chimera frowned. He desperately wanted to take sword to the inner metallic door, but he wasn't sure if he would have any better luck.
"What about me swinging up to the front of the ship on a line," exclaimed the princess. "Come on, I could fly over the railing and..."
Zelgadis looked quite disturbed. "Have you seen what it's like overboard?" He pointed to the spot over the side of the deck past a cloud moving on their same course. "What would happen if I you were on the other side?"
Amelia moaned. "Ummm...I'd fall? And you'd come and catch me?"
The chimera tapped his foot. His rock foot. "Yea...right."
-
---o--o--o---
-
Thoth woke up with the nastiest of headaches. He tried to reason with past memories, now a blank slate from the night before. He remembered how they had been lucky to escape the blast, but where...they ended up from the swift kick in the pants...oh well...
He yawned, watching his bumbling companion lean his nose against the porthole window. The fool was so intent on the action that he disgustingly moistened up the glass with his breath.
"What's going on?" Thoth was an old man, for it took him a good minute to shake the cobwebs away.
"I...don't think were on land anymore," said Biru, his eyes budging out. "In fact..."
"What do you mean?" Thoth scrambled up, pushing the innkeeper away from the window. He was just in time to see a bird sail in the wind right next to a floating cloud. "For once, baka, you're right."
He turned away, his eyes starting to tear. Past lives bubbled from nowhere, of flying among the clouds. He hadn't sailed among the sky for a long, long time. It only made him wish that he was home.
-
---o--o--o---
-
"I told you we're not moving!" chanted Amelia, standing on one of the crossbeams of the floating ship. She did a little thumbs up with her hand before hopping down onto the main deck.
Zelgadis muttered at the clear blue sky, wondering what was causing this latest mystery. They had been drifting with the same pace as the other clouds, but then suddenly their companion cloud...was gone.
"Something's keeping us up here...instead how we were moving before."
"Maybe we're just stuck? Like there's this giant hand hold us up." Gourry scratched his head, making a little up motion with his hands. "He's got us!"
"That's crazy," replied the chimera. But as soon as he said the word, something snapped in his mind. If they were stuck, then, why weren't there...
"But...." pointed Zelgadis. "That might be the case..."
"You mean...Gourry knows something that we're missing?" said Amelia.
"Not exactly, but close." Zel swept his hand wide as if telling a fish story. "Don't you see... they're missing. They were here; I remember watching the bow of the ship float above one just a minute ago."
"I don't get it." Amelia was clearly puzzled.
"The clouds." The chimera picked up a stray piece of wood from the deck. "Let's see if I'm right," he said, throwing an arching snowball shot over the bow of the ship.
As Zel's toss peaked and started its descent the ground, it abruptly bounced as if on hit by an invisible paddle.
"Well, I'll be..."
The three of them watched the scrap piece of wood finally settle on its bouncing invisible surface, then slide right past them along the side of the ship, accelerating out of sight...
"Where's its going?" asked the blond swordsman.
Amelia sweat dropped. "And...why aren't we doing that?
"I don't know," said the chimera. "But I don't think it would be a good idea to get off."
-
---o--o--o---
-
Xelas had already determined this was going to be a bad day.
Her minions didn't show up for their morning appointed duties. Cleaning up her tent. Manning her fan. And most of all...giving her a manicure.
The fools would pay, thought the Mazoku lord. So they had been a little frightened by all her strange visitor... Tough! She made them so she could break them. The little minions would have to pay dearly for disobeying their master, their loyalty already stretched thin...
Xelas leaned back in her lounge chair, examining her fingernails. They needed a recoat and polishing only after a couple of days. How she hated to train the new ones in taking care of her needs. Maybe if she took a human's life, instead of a Mazoku, perhaps one that had worked at a beauty salon. That was the ticket.
Bored, she took out a cigarette, placed it into her holder and lit it.
Her very human enjoyment that she took pleasure in...was suddenly interrupted. She frowned at the sound of angry footsteps preceding the grandiose entrance of one of her Mazoku. Whoever it was, knew it was the wrong day and the wrong time to be messing around with her.
Joe. So the baka as come home to roost. The fool was certainly the opportunistic sort; either he was mad or a nut. She was surprised that he had survived all this time while his cousin-in-arms had whittled their punitive existence to an end at the expense of Lina and her friends.
In the last week or so, ever since her visit to Monte Darlo, her powers of persuasion over Joe had become more than temporary strained. She could no longer call on his presence; his appearances had suddenly stopped. True, he was busy in the field doing her wishes, but still...something was up. Betrayal was a common theme among stronger Mazoku, so she figured maybe...someone else had bought Joe under their wings. Even Dolphin her friend was suspiciously out of touch. Figures.
All the more reason why she was surprised to see the disfigured shape of Joe on her doorstep. She tried feeling more to his presence other than a simple aura check. Something very powerful was blocking her inquiry; whether it was her...or him, she couldn't be sure. What it was, however, quite strong--
"I've come back, pretty master..." As he made steps, Joe would chant a little line or two all while steadying his broken body with his quarterstaff.
There was terrible weakness that Xelas could immediately identify. "So you come back home to roost. Don't expect a cup a tea from me."
She saw his disfigurement, the shoulder all split open, still oozing energy like a wound that could never heal. A part of Joe had been cut away and he had not had the time to properly repair himself. She knew he was careless, but this was unforgivable. She saw the light and the dark, the hate and detest. And a secret that her subordinate had hidden for so long, coming to light-
"It was like you were at the end of all and everything." The lord was mightily annoyed. "You can't play both sides of a coin."
"Fix me, damn it." Joe needlessly dropped his quarterstaff, letting it rattle helplessly onto the ground. "That bitch split me open with the chaos blade. Stupid Cloudminders legacy, it screwed with my-"
Xelas stepped out of her lounge chair, walking sternly up to the fellow Mazoku. "Betrayer."
"You know why, master. Now more than ever, my uniqueness passes what you made me--"
"A disgrace, you mean. Better to let you die than fix your bleeding energies." She took her almost done cigarette in holder and stuck its lit end squarely into Joe's wounded shoulder. The Mazoku didn't even flinch as Xelas twisted her cigarette some more for good measure.
"Like it matters..." paused Joe, "that I would ever think of taking orders from you." His eyes shifted, from desperation to opportunity. "I'll take your energies and drain your ass, for my master will hear of your treachery--"
They grabbed each other by the throat, with Xelas getting the upper hand. She heaved Joe's weakened existence up high into the air and shook her former subordinate. She wanted to destroy him, for even in his sorry condition--
Joe reached for his neck, gagging on a set of words. Unrecognizable choking sounds were coming from his throat -- at first he thought because of Xelas and her applied pressure.
But it made him look down towards his neither region. And he recognized the real threat was the edge of a sword, swung from down under right between his legs.
A darkened and familiar shape took form behind the traitorous Mazoku. "Really...now..."
Joe reached out with his arms, trying to ensnare Xelas' energies in his falling grasp. His body was having a hard time obeying his mental orders as sword blade tore into his flesh.
"I am not pleased..."
"But...master... I was just gathering--"
The large figure twisted his sword into the gut of Joe, just enough for the Mazoku to swallow on his words. "You've failed, simpleton. Never try overplay your hand when I already know the score."
Xelas stepped back from the danger, watching the figure of Joe slide off her visitor's blade. What was solid became liquid, as if the Mazoku could no longer hold its form.
The image of Joe flowed like paints coming out of a canvas. There was no scream, no resistance. What was left of his mass was nothing more than a couple cloth scraps of floating on a pit of bubbling tar.
"If you think I'm going to thank you, then you have no idea," said the greater beast Xelas. A stranger he was not.
The visitor looked up at Xelas, the fire and anger lit in his eyes. "Come here, former partner..."
Xelas took a step back. "...You can't be serious..."
The deep-voice stranger grinned. "Oh, am I? Intermission has passed, my Mazoku lord. In fact, we're well on our way into the second act."
Her eyes caught sight of cold steel leaning on her waist. Just like Joe, the stranger's intensity over her was something that she most definitely wished to avoid.
"Here, let me put this here..." From a hidden place around his waist, the stranger placed the large dragon's egg on Xelas' chair. "And I came with breakfast."
Her eyes glared. "Get that dragon's abomination out of here!" she swore.
"Come now." The stranger came up and took her own hands from her side, bringing them up to his own. For leaning on her waist was the flat of his blade. "Does Shabby have your tongue?"
Xelas leaned forward just a bit, the stranger's sword run against her skin. The blade was so sharp that it ran through her flesh like a hot knife through butter; leaving no sign of imperfections. She squealed in hatred by licking her plush lips, admiring her pain up close as if it were her calling.
"Then obey, lord Mazoku...." beamed the stranger. "Where is Xellos! Call him, now!"
Xelas flashed her eyes open, throwing the sword blade aside in a fistful of hate. "I will...resist." But as her words said one thing, her eyes gave away something else. She was awestruck by the opportunity as it took all of her willpower to throw the occasion aside. "You will...not succeed..."
The stranger turned livid, slamming fist into the body of Xelas, throwing her backwards aside like a rag towel. She smacked her chair and fell though it tissue paper.
"Lady Beast. You and your minions have failed. I'm taking over." His anger continued, smashing a nearby chair with the twist of his arm.
Xelas looked up from behind a broken table, her lower lip cut and bleeding energy. "You...can't be serious..."
"Time to play..." whispered the stranger, "one last time..." And he raised his sword to strike another blow-
-
---o--o--o---
-
Minutes before, the purple-haired priest had arrived. Instead of entering, he hung his body close to the entrance, trying to get a better look into the tent. He had sensed the ever passing trouble from Xelas before, yet she rarely told him anything except orders. Every now and then, she'd drop a hint or two about hanging with her fellow lord Dolphin, but even that news was sparse at best. So instead, he kept his nose ever so slightly into her affairs...
He was surprised to see that his little friend Joe scampering among the outside bushes. He was definitely distracted with something on his mind as he entered Xelas' tent.
Jumping to the other side, he switched his angle to look in from the other side. "Ahhh, so rejected. A tragedy. What a shame. "
A light, a cry, and then silence.
And the Mazoku smiled, rubbing the top of his staff in sheer delight at Joe's rather hasty demise. "I see. And our last player has finally joined in."
He didn't have to look anymore, turning his back to his master's problems. "After all, a show must go on..."
-
---o--o--o---
-
"Oh Sylphiel...where are you..."
Behind Lina, the shrine maiden was panting so hard that she nearly toppled over in a fit of exhaustion. So much for easy travel, she thought. Where in the world did the sorcerer get all this excess energy?
"Sylphiel..."
So far, their overnight trip that had started in desert had taken them deeper and deeper into the forest. Each time the path climbed over a hill, the woods thickened around them little by little. Soon, the woods were so thick with branches that it shadowed out the moon, leaving their path totally dark save for Lina's magical light spell.
They continued their ascent as thick woods suddenly thinned out to nothing more than a small brush, for they had reached the tree line. The weather had turned slightly chilly, the wind increasing against their skin...
It felt like the Ice Hills were already here.
The sorcerer was waiting up the path all while leaning against large boulder. "Come on...we haven't much time..."
So impatient, thought the shrine maiden. Taking a minute to catch her breath again, she looked up in between a couple of threadbare bushes, spotting a speck of black in the sky.
"Lina! You see it up there?" said Sylphiel, pointing over the sorcerer's shoulder.
The sorcerer blinked, turning her head around lazily. "Hai, I see it! That's got to be...something!"
They were off in a dash.
-
---o--o--o---
-
The sorcerer ran up the side of the ridge, not even noticing the significance of what she was climbing. If she had noticed, then Lina would have seen that she was ascending the outside of a giant crater, the fabled outer edges of the Ice Hills.
"Wait up..." screamed the shrine maiden. She was flying fast behind the sorcerer, trying to keep up as best as she could verses the running Lina.
At last, the sorcerer made it up to a top ridge where the mountains lowered themselves on either side. Carved by water once ago was the passage to the interior. The fierce winds drove the sorcerer closer and closer to the ground, until she finally had to walk grudgingly at half of her speed.
"We're here," said Lina, her teeth chattering while she stood on top of a ice-entrusted path.
"How do you know that?"
"Cause' I'm freezing! This has to be the Ice Hills."
They continued on into the passage, passing the exposed and newly carved rocks. Frozen icicles hugged the rugged cliffs of the passage, dripping water that formed puddles where Lina had stepped. It felt refreshing that something from the other side of the mountain was blowing warm air by them. As the air grew warmer still, the two of them spotted spring flowers among the ice-lined cliff sides.
"It's so beautiful..." paused the shrine maiden.
"I know..." paused Lina, stepping around a couple of forming streams among the rocks.
Their passage ended as they finally climbed over a small ring of rock, reaching--
They stopped.
The two of them overlooked a valley of green, so lush that the grass grew perfectly like a silken carpet. Around the ice-capped hills were trees that seemed like they had been perfectly planted and placed. So natural was the land that it was like a god had come in and scooped the land away...so symmetrical that it was blessed as perfect in Sylphiel's eyes.
"It...can't be..." whispered Lina.
The valley; the place; the setting...for her dreams. This was the land, of perfection, of...
The visions was of her standing here, basking among the sun's rays. A light, followed by the wave of blue-green energy coming towards her, wiping out all of existence-
But...no City of the Clouds. Only the speck-
"Where is it?"
"You mean?" asked Sylphiel, as she too pointed up at the speck in the sky. "Its defiantly a small ship...but how would something like that get so high."
"I was expecting something--bigger."
Sylphiel nodded. "Didn't Zelgadis mention something about an airship when they overshot the Sheik's city?"
"Yea, it could be them-"
*SMACK*
Lina struck her head into something...that was not there! She reached out instinctively and felt the presence before touching it.
A...shield? All the way out here?
"Wait a second..." she said, holding her friend back from smacking the barrier.
"What is it, Lina?"
Lina looked forward. The scattering of trees were perfectly laced with tiny amounts the snow, its accumulation would surely melt by noon. "Maybe... "
She reached out again and felt the barrier ping and reverb against her touch, like a bell at midnight. But...whatever it was, was invisible. "Exactly...its too perfect." She reached for a way around it, first with a step of her feet, then with a walk -- It was like someone had built an impassable wall that prevented them from coming underneath the ship.
"Find something?" asked Sylphiel, pointing the land and sky in front of them.
"Hmm...." said the sorcerer, pressing forward with her hands. The sorcerer was absolutely enthralled by the shield as she ran down the length of the shield.
She stopped quite a few yards away and pressed inward, discovering the spherical nature of their invisible wall. "Ah-hah! I knew it! Its time to crack this baby open and I know..."
Sylphiel grabbed the sorcerer's arms by the wrist, tugging them down before the chanting of Lina unworldly spell. "What are you thinking of doing! If you take the shield down-"
Lina stopped on a dime, looking up at the airship at the same time. "Hmmm, I think you're right." She suddenly grinned. "So how about a little flight up then?"
-
---o--o--o---
-
Zelgadis muttered as he watched another piece of wood disappear as it slipped along on the invisible shield. Sliding off the shield was equivalent to dropping a brick off the ship with absolutely no parachute. Be damned if he was going to ask Amelia to help him down.
He cursed again, wondering if there was anything of use below decks. So far, Gourry and Amelia's searching had turned up nothing use. So far, no luck.
"Are you still trying to get into that inner front compartment?' hollered the chimera. His voice was starting to strain, making his throat get tighter and tighter.
"We're trying. Gourry's using his head-"
Zel frowned. How was the swordsman thinking of way to break down the door? Possibility by using his sword against the tight interior hinges? Or as a lever against the door's hinges?
"OWWW!"
"Not so hard, Gourry! I don't have enough energy to heal you!"
Zel muttered something more, this time a little more unintelligible. Damn, if only he were his normal chimera self! He would have easily crashed through the door, his old body perfect for breaking and slamming down wooden doors. Now he would be lucky to keep his only arm attached.
Alas, even with Em's earlier help the day before, the drain of energy on his body was getting worse and worse. He could literally feel the energy sap away as his body turned to rock. He'd be lucky if waking up the next morning were an option.
"So, care for a lift?"
The chimera turned around on a dime. "Lina! What...in the world?" He instinctively scratched at his eyes, trying to break the illusion. "Is that really you?"
"The one and only." The happy sorcerer softly landed on top of the bow decking on the roof area to the steps below deck. She blinked at the chimera as she took in his new look. "I see you've been to a spa."
Zelgadis growled. "You know damn well what's happening to me."
The redhead nodded, stepping closer. "Yea, I know. Thought a little encouragement might help, especially if-"
"LIIIINNNAAA!" The swordsman moved like lightning, shooting out of the lower cabin and hopping onto the deck. "I'm so-"
"EEEEP!" The sorcerer didn't have a chance, falling over because of the blond swordsman's gigantic hug.
"Awwwe, that is so sweet," commented Sylphiel, landing next to Zelgadis.
"Sylphiel!" screamed a charging Amelia, her arms encircling the sweat dropping purple shrine maiden. "Thank the gods!"
"EEEEP!" And the girls were two for two on welcome glomps.
-
---o--o--o---
-
Biru creaked open the cabin door, just enough for a good view up the stairs to the above deck. "Ah crap! That infidel is here!"
"Close the door!" shouted the old man, shrugging off his billowing headache. Thoth was so tired of the whole thing that he didn't want to deal with it anymore. Another couple of minutes, and that bumbling swordsman would have figured out how the break down the door.
"But I'm telling you!" interrupted Biru. "That annoying one who blew up that giant bridge is on deck!"
"Who?"
"That wretch queen of destruction. The redhead who deserves to eat nothing but peasant food-"
"You're kidding!" Thoth raced up to his feet, pushing the bumbling Biru out of the way. He opened the door a little bit more, just able enough to see Lina's red hair and eavesdrop on her conversation.
Biru smirked as he walked away from Thoth. That sorcerer was not going to make a fool of him! No sir!
The innkeeper took no time to argue with himself, as he stepped up on one of the old steamer trunks scattered around the room. Looking up, he reached for the ceiling hatch, the one they had fallen through before...
"Got it!"
"Pipe down-" chimed the old man, trying to listen as best as he could.
Biru didn't listen, the escape route already planned out in his mind. Even if the old man had the authority over his inn, he had considerably tired of his company. So what if the innkeeper commission punished him? So...what!
The innkeeper strained himself again to reach though the top hatch of the cabin, carefully not making a sound. With a final heave, he pushed his rotund body to the deck above. Good riddance...
-
---o--o--o---
-
Thoth had a corner of his eye on the window and the land below. The mountains were as familiar as his own skin, yet the land below was...snow-covered? How could that be--
What was she doing here! How had the timing for everything fallen apart! There was no way that she could have made it-
Thoth tried to remember. Long ago, when he flew among the clouds. Yet, he did remember the chaos box, so large yet so delicate in his hand. Like a soap bubble--
He heard something above his head, turning his head back around. Biru! What a fool he had been for not watching the coward, he muttered, all while spotting the open ceiling hatch to sky. What good would happen if he fell off the side of the stopped ship...
Still...the baka would be the perfect distraction.
And they were stopped....
He smiled inside, the memories catching up with him. "Here...there be dragons. How they repeat the past. Those traitors."
Reaching carefully among his robes, he grasped his hands around it. The chaos wand in his hand...was a box of his own pleasure, perfectly sized for traveling but necessary for these types of incidents. Still, he needed the blade to make his mission complete. His time here had to be quick.
...As he reached out with his hand and pushed the cabin door open--
-
---o--o--o---
-
"And what else happened when you where there, Lina?" asked the swordsman, looking at the redhead in more of a staring fashion.
Lina sweat dropped. "Cut that out!" slapped the sorcerer, not liking that her protector was looking at her like a piece of meat. "Fruit for brains, you should really try not to worry about me so much--"
Gourry nodded. "Oh...But Lina..." His face turned as sour as a lime.
The sorcerer folded in, if only for a second, her tone turning serious. "Uhh...Gourry..."
The blond swordsman scratched the back of his neck. "Yes?"
"Don't glomp me like that! I'm not that kind of girl!" deadpanned the redhead.
"Oh..." motioned the blond. "But I missed you! After all, it's been five days since I've seen you. We've been hunted down by winged creatures, giant crabs, and stingrays."
Lina jaw lowered like a drawbridge. "All that food without bringing me some! You have some nerve!"
Gourry slumped, retreating like a fallen hero with his back to Lina. As he passed by the chimera, Zel slapped him in the back. "Quite OK there. After all, no one is perfect."
"Hai--"
"Now, where was I," said Lina.
"Don't move!" shouted a voice, standing on the bottom stair of the steps down to the galley. Even though the shadow's hid Thoth's face, there was plenty of light to illuminate the miniature chaos box in his hands.
"Who's that?" said Zelgadis, his ears perked up from the familiar voice. "Where are you.."
"Everyone, watch out," pointed Lina at the stranger. "I've seen chaos boxes that small before," chimed Lina, her voice steeped in anger. "And believe me, they are plenty dangerous."
"Oh really?" answered back the chimera. "I've seen some fake ones as well."
"Believe me, I don't want to do this if I didn't have to." The old man stepped up a couple of more steps into the light, just enough for his face to come out of the shadows.
"Thoth!" shouted Amelia, sniffling at the same time. "You're...alive!"
"Why you dirty old-" Lina took a couple of steps forward, but her mind caught up with her instinctive actions. The baka of an old man was purposely showing off a chaos box to see, to everyone that knew well of its secrets. Such was a very dangerous matter--
Or maybe he was really just being a fool.
"Wait a sec..." she signaled to the rest of her friends before turning back to the old man. The men of the group took positions over Amelia and Sylphiel, but both of the girls squirmed around Zel and Gourry to get a better look.
Lina looked at the chaos box as she could feel a tiny bit of her energy flowing away...across the deck...to general area folded within Thoth's hands. There...she knew, a chaos box resided, its chaos dormant like a flickering flame.
"OK Thoth, or whoever you are," said the redhead, pausing after her words. "You've got our attention."
"I'm so glad." Thoth had turned around, content to stare over the bow of the ship as if waiting for the next shoe to drop. "Come on out, Biru! I know you're hiding up there!"
The group sweat dropped.
Zelgadis was first to point out the oblivious. "You knew that idiot was here!"
"Shhh-" whispered the old man.
The innkeeper's head popped out from behind one of the railings. "Thoth? I didn't mean to-"
"Never mind that!" ordered the old man as he turned back around. "Go down there and take out the chaos blade!"
Zelgadis growled. "What do you think you're doing, old man. Don't think of trifling with secrets you know nothing about."
Thoth blinked, a sudden intelligence behind his actions. "I'm sorry, but I can't afford for all of you to get involved." He stepped closer to the chimera and stared at his body, for the first time taking a good look. "You've been using the chaos boxes to heal yourself, haven't you? Which is pretty much a death wish, don't you think?"
Sylphiel gasped. "Zel!"
The chimera nodded. "And why does that matter to you?"
The old man looked up into the chimera's eyes. "Because you've already been too close to the chaos, my friend. Em has drifted you far too over. A shame her personal sacrifice was in vain."
Zel's gritted his teeth. "You...!"
"Now wait a minute-" interrupted Lina. "You can't--"
"Now...now..." Thoth tipped the miniature chaos box in his hand a little farther forward, which quickly cut off the sorcerer. "That's much better." With Biru with in tow, Thoth escorted himself towards the control panel of the flying airship.
The old man's eyes immediately fell upon the embedded hilt of the chaos blade. "Well...well, I haven't seen you in quite a while, dear old friend..."
The chaos blade glowed an ugly shade of red, filling the air with the scent of power--
"Lina!" shouted Amelia. "Do something!"
The sorcerer looked over at Thoth and Biru as they picked at the ship's control panel, trying to figure out how to release the sword. "Are you kidding me? That fool knows how to use that thing! One well-placed zap and its goodbye to me."
And then, she remembered.
The sorcerer hopped a couple of times towards the two hostage takers, getting the innkeeper's attention.
Biru turned around and looked at the sorcerer, who falsely returned on a little grin. "Sorry, it was a little slippery on the deck..."
"Get back!" yelled the innkeeper before being called back by Thoth.
Lina hopped a couple of more times until she was next to the swordsman. "Gourry!"
The blond was frozen as a glacier. "What..." he clenched through his teeth.
"Would you relax!" chimed Lina.
The blond swordsman sweat dropped. "What! They told me to freeze -- you said to listen to them!"
She gave her protector an ugly stare. "Hello! Jellyfish for brains! I didn't mean act exactly like that."
"Oh." Gourry seemed to relax a little more. "Then...can I scratch myself?"
Lina gave him a little stare. "Gourry...what do they have?"
"A chaos box," answered the blond. "And I've seen it. They're really dangerous, you should have seen it when I threw one."
"Yea, that's because boxes don't effect you."
Gourry frowned. "Yea, it kind of sucks. I've got no magic powers that they can suck up and use against me."
"Well..." Lina pushed him lovingly towards their captors. "Go get them then!"
"Ahhh..." The blond swordsman stumbled forward, a little off balance from Lina's push. With a little yelp that scared the wits out of everyone, Gourry still managed to take out his sword and do a full charge.
And trip, right into the innkeeper.
"Egads!" The balding man squealed like a pig, falling flat onto the decking.
"Quiet, and stop playing games." Thoth's body was twisted over the controls and on the ship's railing, still trying to pull the chaos blade out with both of his hands. Apparently, he had not been able to release the blade from his physical holder, so he tried brute force from above to pull the blade out. But the old man had no strength, and was quite unsucessful.
"Curses," grumbled Thoth, his feet sliding a bit as he reached around to grab a hold of the ship railing. "Biru! Help!"
"Get them!" shouted the chimera, cheering the swordsman on.
Thoth looked up for a second, seeing the inept Biru squirming around on deck like an upside-down turtle with the blond swordsman finally getting free. He took a half step backwards, not realizing that he was about to lean on weakened railing that suddenly gave way--
"Aeeeeiiii!" The old man fell off the ship, landing a few feet below on the invisible shield. He immediately ran against the pitch of the invisible shield, as his startled moments caused him to slide off towards the ground.
"Help!"
"We've got to fly!" bleated Sylphiel, racing across the deck.
"Wait a minute-" cut off the chimera. "You can't see the shield..."
Thoth slipped off his feet, face-first into the invisible shield. His squirming movement didn't help as he started sliding faster like fallen leaf caught in the currents of the river--
"No! I will...not!"
And from within his hands, the miniature chaos box popped like a balloon, exploding--
All that energy that had been built up over time let out into a sphere of blue-green energy. It was fire like the color of the sea; flames more pure and blue than anyone else had ever seen. But what it was it...was only fire on edges of the shield, cutting and forming a perfect circle of unmatched colors.
"What is...that!" pointed Amelia.
The old man looked down out rabbit hole burrowed within the invisible shield. As the portal grew in size, the group of them hushed over in silence, the portal's colors no longer conforming to the rest of the background behind it. It was if someone had punched a hole in the sky, for it had no depth whatsoever.
Lina stared, swearing the old man's body was disappearing in the middle of the air right before her very eyes...
And she gasped, finally recognizing the view from behind Thoth. Like the water's edge, she was finally able to spot the golden spires from her dream. And images of clouds from the tapestry they had all seen in Monte Darlo. And pictures from Filia's secret book.
For beyond the invisible shield...and in Thoth's little porthole...was the glorious City of the Clouds.
A popping sound. And Thoth, the portal, the images...all disappeared.
"I got it!" shouted the Innkeeper, holding the chaos blade high into the air. "Yippee!"
"Hey!" yelled Gourry, "That's ours!"
Zel spotted the smashed the airship's control panel with Biru's butcher knife still imbedded within the center of the controls. What was left of the panel was still smoldering as well as shooting off a spark or two of lightning.
"What have you done!" cursed the chimera.
The ship rocked, listing suddenly as its bow turned nastily downward towards the ground. A few beams that seemed to float before crashed into the decking, causing other ropes and lines to run free.
Lina and everyone scattered to grab a hold onto something, for everything else was suddenly going very crazy. "Abandon ship!"
Biru dropped the chaos blade. "Oh shit!"
Lina shouted out rapid-fire orders. "Amelia! Grab Biru! Sylphiel! Take Gourry!"
"Wait--!" objected Gourry as Sylphiel took a hold of the blond swordsman.
"Hai!" shouted the girls, picking up each other's men.
"Let go of me--"
The airship was accelerating down the slope of the shield, sliding off to its doom. Instead of falling like a stone, its hull splintered itself against the shield like it was being driven into a rocky shoreline. In a minute or two, there wouldn't be much left except debris.
Everyone else was gone. Except for Lina...and the chimera.
Zel looked up at Lina, his eyes dispassionate. "I'm not human or a chimera, but a statue of rock and dust. And there's no way you can get me down..."
"Trust me..." said the sorcerer. "Don't I always have a plan?"
The chimera blinked, pushing the sorcerer closer to the railing's edge. "Didn't you hear what I just said! Fly! You heard what Thoth said! I'm worth nothing! Get rid of me!"
"Not yet." Lina interrupted the chimera's rant with a slight pushback into Zel's shoulder.. "Damn it Zel, you're still alive and you're going to listen to me. And whatever I said before doesn't apply to when I can save your ass-"
Zelgadis didn't know what to say.
"Now grab hold of my waist and stay on!" She let his only dusty arm lay over her own shoulders, slightly sagging because of the heavy stone weight. "You're not dying on my shift, not just yet--"
He grudgingly obeyed the sorcerer as Lina lashed themselves together, the chimera tied like a knapsack to her back. "Like this is going to help..." He cringed, watched the ship's deck beginning to give way.
"Watch me..."
And...Lina chanted.
"....a freezing black blade of darkness…Be my power, be my arm..."
Zel let out a string of curses. Oh lord. "What...are you thinking..."
"...together we walk on the path of destruction..."
"RAGNA BLADE!"
The chimera's eyes watched the spell of light and darkness ignite, the brightness of chaos overwhelming-
But he didn't have a chance--
"AAAAggggh!"
Lina leaped-
-with Zel still attached.
They leaped over the airship's railing and towards the sky. As far as she could reach, the sorcerer thrust her Ragna Blade forward and downward, plunging its tip into the invisible shield. It split though the shield, throwing themselves up against the invisible barrier like a hilt.
Behind them, the airship's hull gave way, shattering against the artificial boundary. As the debris fell away; the sorcerer held against her cosmic blade for dear life.
"Heh...I think we'll be--"
With the chimera as the heaviest counterweight, it was gravity's superior strength that pushed the Ragna Blade through the invisible barrier. It started like a trickle as they fell an inch....then a foot...
"Spoke too soon," pinged Lina.
"I should have known -- No brakes."
"Aiiighh!" It was quick as it was painful as they accelerated toward the ground. As they fell, they counted for luck to find them a soft spot among the ground. For a few feet away, fallen debris from the airship would have torn their delicate bodies apart.
Indeed, their landfall would be very lucky.
Beyond their heads the once powerful invisible shield of the Dragon glowed white with power. The sky turned photo- negative, as everything turned to white.
But soft ground came before it was over, and with it a wave of unconsciousness.
Blackness.
-
---o--o--o---
-
Lina felt like she had awoken upon the hardest bed ever slept on. Her back was in pain as she tried to turn over, hopefully so she could straighten herself out. The moist spot in her back--
"Would you mind?" asked Zel's, from behind Lina's rear end. "I know you're light and everything..."
"Aaagh..." Lina let out a little shrill as she rolled over, falling beside the rocky chimera. "You're a frickin' rock, Zel." She dusted herself off after getting up from the ground, realizing that it was best to get up to her feet.
"I know..." said the chimera, his body mostly buried in the mud. So heavy was he that the impact had sunken the chimera deep into the moist soil, his back buried in mud. "Lina?"
But the sorcerer was distracted, just like the rest of her friends. Among perfectly white clouds, greenery of land and the blueness of water. Faded were those colors as more clouds moved away, as if raising a curtain of white.
She saw the land; firm and as lush as any imaginary place could be. And upon the lands floating in the sky, was a centered castle that even outdid the kings, the Sheiks, and the dragons themselves. Shining golden spires were few but magnificent, topped with one gigantic tower that seemed to dwarf them all; its very height hiding among the blackness of the stars.
And it was here.
"I'll be damned."
-
---o--o--o---
-
The City of the Clouds. Reflected upon a dragon's tear.
Filia's magnificent barrier. Only the power of the Lord of Nightmares could reveal such secrets. She had tried her hardest to do was right... and follow the orders of her master.
She had done everything possible to keep the Cloudminders away from her friends.
She had failed.
And the world's fate--
"Why...did this have to happen? Why couldn't I just be home...with Valgaav?" She reached into her pocket to pull out her handkerchief. And was surprised to find it missing, then remembering who she had lent it to just a couple of days before.
"Here..." said the mysterious priest, handing the dragon her own handkerchief. "You seem to be rather upset at the moment."
"Wouldn't you be upset?" She took the gift nonchalantly, dotting her eyes as she recomposed herself, then softly wiping away the moisture on her nose. "Thanks."
"Oh, I should thank you instead. I couldn't believe what good use a little personal item like that has. It's such a great scent tool--"
Filia's expression turned green as she dropped her handkerchief aside.
"Oh, you got it dirty," commented Xellos.
"They're are some things that a lady does not want to know about." Filia about to say something else when the Mazoku cut her off.
"So...what now?"
"I failed. What else is there to do?"
"Let me show you, Little dragon. Because we don't have Valgaav, but your master's..."
Her mouth was agape.
"Oh dear...I do believe Lina is in need of some guidance..."
"What are you doing!" screamed the dragon, but he had already stepped forward. She wanted to scream again, but instead hid back into the grasses. What was the baka going to do now!
-
---o--o--o---
-
Lina stared, her eyes drawn toward the floating city. As other single clouds drifted by, the city seemed to snap them up like candy, absorbing and adding to its incredible girth. It was so absolutely unimaginable that he had to pitch herself.
Xellos popped in, appearing next to the redhead like nothing had happened. "Oh, hello there. Make it down OK?"
Lina gave a little frown, her eyes glued to the magical home of the Cloudminders. "Hai, we did." She turned her head back at the smiling Mazoku. "I was wondering when you going to show up."
"Oh, I've been running errands and stuff. Perhaps Zel mentioned that he saw me a few days ago? Hmmm?"
The very stiff form of the chimera stepped forward, interrupting the fun. Behind him, a scurrying Amelia and Sylphiel were still trying to remove bits of mud from his backside.
"Yeah, we did say hello," said Zel, "Before you disappeared into thin air."
Xellos smiled. "See, I was with you all..."
Zelgadis pushed his luck. "Actually, I find it rather convenient that you would show up here, after what's happened to us and everything." He nodded up at the floating city. "Or perhaps, you came to entertain us along the way?"
"Oh, but I did want to come by just to see your little demise..." The mysterious priest disappeared and popped up next to Zel, tapping his skin with the top of his staff. It rattled hard like solid stone. "Without your little scientist friend around anymore, you few hours at best, stone boy. A shame that you won't live to see the sun rise."
The chimera growled. "Why you...!"
"Zel! Wait-!"
But the mysterious priest had disappeared, reappearing on the top of a rocky ledge a good twenty feet in front of the group of five. "Anyway," he announced, "I must congratulate you all on making it here. It's quite a accomplishment, I might add."
"Like you care," butted Zelgadis.
"Oh, I do!" Xellos turned his arms around and shifted his cape so it billowed in the wind, murmuring under his breath at the same time. "The Cloudminders. Never did I think that even I would see their city again... and on such terms, I might add."
Lina's patience was quickly growing thin. Instead, she pointed her arm forward towards the floating city, as if off on a trek. "You know where we're going, Xellos. I'll get you something in the gift shop, if that's all right."
She stepped forward a few feet, minding her own business as her companions also starting to lemming their way towards the floating city. All for naught, for the mysterious priest abruptly lowered the top of his quarterstaff directly into the sorcerer's path.
The redhead arched up a lazy eyebrow. "And what do you think you're doing?"
Her words stopped as the Mazoku's staff started to glow with energy, blackening the light around them.
The mysterious priest leaned at the waist until his eyes were at Lina's own level. He gingerly waved his fingers back and forth, as if scolding the petite sorcerer. "Ano...I must apologize. But, I'm afraid I cannot let you continue onward."
The sorcerer's eyes shifted. Hard. As the rest of them were stunned into silence.
"...What did you say?" finally said Zel, almost pushing Lina out of the way.
Xellos arched back and playfully pointed up into the sky with his staff. "Let me put it into simple words for the rest of you. You know that big flashy thing up there? Floating city with lots of clouds? Well...it's off limits. You're not going up there, not for any reason--"
And Lina blew up.
"Are you crazy! You think we all came down here so you could lecture us!"
"Zelgadis has less than a day, and then he's dead!" shouted Amelia, jumped in front of a harried Lina. "There's no way!"
Xellos was too busy enjoying himself. "A shame..." he said, not showing a care...
Sylphiel collapsed almost to the ground, if it wasn't for Gourry holding her up by the arm.
"What can't you get that through your thick skull of yours!" shouted the chimera.
"How can you be so cruel!" followed Amelia, her eyes tearing to no end.
Lina turned to her friends, her hand up as high as she could into the air. The open-faced signal immediately silenced her friends...if only for the moment.
She turned back to the Mazoku, pronouncing her words with meticulous precision. "In all my times with you, we have been on the same side...or on opposing sides. But I never thought...in my wildest dreams...that you'd be this careless...this arrogant..."
"Who says I've changed?" smiled the Mazoku. "After all, the secrets are still there, Lina. All yours for the taking. And yes, there's something up there that can most certainly cure stone boy--"
Zelgadis eyes widened with anticipation.
"But alas," countered Xellos, "I can't let any of you visit. Argitao."
Lina lowered her head as the rest of them were silent. A sigh, as she gathered her thoughts.
A few times before, she had been betrayed by the Mazoku...but then... it had never been this blunt. She had taken in the clues from him every time. He had dropped her notes all along their journey, like a bird following a line of seed...
To this...
The redhead turned her head up high. "You're wrong, Xellos. We're going up there, to uncover the secrets of the Cloudminders..."
"But Lina..." She felt the tap on her shoulder, the sound of a dragon's voice straining right behind her ear.
"Filia?" The redhead turned around, stunned at the sudden appearance of the shrine dragon.
Everyone else had frozen in their tracks as Filia walked up from behind the group.
She must have been...hiding!
And Lina immediately recognized the seriousness on the shrine dragon's face, her expression of pain-
"Filia! Where have you been? We're so worried about you-"
Eyes to eyes.
"Lina..." pleaded Filia, her eyes reddened from a rather emotional bout. "Please..."
The sorcerer's mind started to stir. What in the world was going on? How did Filia know they were here -- and why had she been hiding and following them all this time?
"Lina..." The shrine dragon repeated Lina's name, this time with urgency. "Think about what you're doing...and the fate of the world..."
The sorcerer stuttered out a couple of words, taking a half step backwards from the shock. "Wha...What!...But the prophesy of the Dragons, you mean...when we took care of Dark Star--"
"Please...this is different. This is secret that was never meant to be known by humans." She cut herself off, picking up her words right away. "Not even Lina Inverse was supposed to learn of this. Don't make this already harder than it already is..."
"Do you want Zelgadis to die? Do you!?"
Lina watched the chimera as Sylphiel and Amelia supported his stony body upright for support. Her...friends. No way that any high lord Mazoku was going to get into the way of her mission now. Especially since Xellos had practically spilled the beans on saving Zel's life.
"No, but--"
"No buts!" The sorcerer turned around, her eyes glazed over in anger at Xellos. "Don't you see?" She pointed at the mysterious priest, her sign of frustration. "He's blocking the way! That backstabbing, dirty Mazoku..."
Xellos sighed. "Yare, yare."
"Please, Lina. You have a choice..." Filia closed her eyes, her body trembling while she hid her emotions. "Please...think about if his life...and if its worth the fate of this world..."
Lina eyes grew even more as Filia's statement hit her ears. "What are you saying..."
Something...was wrong. Terribly wrong. She had seen it before in the Filia expression. Only once before, on the truth of ancient dragons, on the truth...of past transgressions...
As if... So much of the past was being repeated. Blocked away because...of the pain.
Did Filia know about the past? The second black mark...
If she knew who the Cloudminders were... then why fight it! Sins of the Golden Dragons...but this...made no sense!
"Filia," asked the sorcerer, looking for answers. "What's...going on?"
"I...can't say..." Filia took a step away, backing up from them both of them. She stared at the serious look in Lina's eyes, and then turned her eyes towards the Mazoku on the high ridge.
"Ho Filia!" waved Xellos, signaling the dragon rather playfully. He pushed his hand playfully toward the dragon. "Be a dear and tell them-"
"No..."
"Alas, you know better..." smiled the Mazoku.
"NO..." The golden dragon yelled a fright of earsplitting pain as she listen to the Mazoku's words ring true. She immediately grasped for her head as she fell to her knees, her emotions unbearable.
She looked into her hands. Red, like before. Mazoku energy, soaked into the skin. She wanted to rub it out, but no! it wasn't like she had touched it! Then how could this be! What sin had caused her to become this!
The fears rose in her mind... No! It wasn't fair! She was here...for them all...
"NOOO!" She screamed. Louder...
Sins of a dragon. No matter how long she carried on, she was at the mercy of her fellow dragons. Her clan -- she had to obey. That history was about to repeat itself.
All she could do to affirm it was obey.
She would...have to...
"You...knew..." floored Lina. "About it all, from the beginning. Even when we met you in Monte Darlo. I was afraid to tell you...all this time..."
Filia cringed, looking up from the dusty ground. "I...couldn't..."
"You never said anything!"
The rest of Lina's friend let out a breath of pain-
"You agree with him? Don't you!" Lina pointed up at the smiling Mazoku, who was looking more dark and sinister as usual. "After your clan destroyed the Cloudminders!"
The golden dragon nodded back to the redhead sorcerer, returning forgiveness by almost begging. "Please...listen to Xellos... I beg of you..."
"Filia..." called the Mazoku, playfully opening up his hand. His image was darker against the afternoon sun behind him, his shadowed face hiding the darkness. It surrounded the Mazoku and flowed down the rocks like grounded fog, its very power growing...
"....Yes?" asked the dragon, her answer half choked up. It was her eyes that earnestly looked up over Lina shoulder...for answers....
"They will not listen."
"....Hai..."
"They will not..."
She nodded.
Xellos was now totally steeped into the darkness of his own power, as his shadows reached playfully into the sky. "What shall you do--" whispered the Mazoku. "Little Dragon..."
The dragon sniffed as she raised herself off the ground, refusing to let Xellos or anyone else...look into her scarring heart of pain.
No fate.
No choice.
And time stopped.
A breeze swept by everyone, ruffling the nearby grass. Capes of everyone flapped like flags, delicately in the wind. A little cloud of dust, rising and falling all the same blow of wind. An eternity of silence upon them, as if...waiting for an answer.
And she...took a step forward.
"Filia?" Lina gaped.
The golden dragon swept right past her...
....towards a Mazoku's dark gaze.
A little dust came up where she stepped, her emotions shadowing into something so frightening....
"Filia!" Lina's mentality reeled of unspeakable thoughts.
The chimera's eyes grew wide, his mind in total shock. "What...are you doing!"
The golden dragon moved on, refusing to let out any more cries of pain. It was as if all her tears had been cast asunder, her choice made up.
Each step that she took...was harder than the one before. The strength, however, was always there as she continued walking towards Xellos.
"Filia!" yelled Gourry.
"...What's going on..." said Amelia, stunned as she watched the dragon envelope within Xellos' shadows.
The redhead didn't wait as she took rapid steps toward the golden dragon. "What else happened to the Cloudminders, Filia..." asked Lina, pleading for answers. "What else did your clan do besides eliminate them..."
Xellos jumped and landed directly into charging Lina, cutting her off in the mid stride. "Hmmm? Something up?"
The sorcerer snarled, refusing to stay in her place. She darted right past the mysterious priest, running towards Filia and peppering the blond with more questions. "Filia...! Answer me! Why didn't you tell us!"
Xellos leaped again into the sorcerer's path, this time using his form of instant teleportation. "I beg your pardon..." he bowed, "but you must be more careful." So close he stood to her that she could not duck around this time.
"Not now, Xellos!" Lina tried to push the Mazoku away, but he disappeared and reappeared just as fast; still blocking in the way. "Move, damn it!"
The Mazoku grinned, finally getting the redhead's undivided attention. "Haven't you realize it by now?"
"What!" Lina had totally lost her patience. "That you been programming her? Brainwashed her mind? There's no way she would-"
"Oh?" smiled the Mazoku. "I didn't make her--"
Lina gave him a haunted stare.
"The powers of the Cloudminders. They were, so prized in fact, that any price would have not seemed excessive. Not...by a long shot."
The sorcerer froze, listening to every morsel.
"Alas. They themselves were so strong, that alone the dragons could not have defeated them. Such would have been an impossible task..."
"No..." escaped from Lina's mouth, her stare glossy. She tried to cover her ears instinctively, still listening but refusing to believe the truth.
"So great was the Cloudminders' power...that they asked for our help." Xellos moved his body forward with such ego, so proud with himself. He looked into the sorcerer's eyes, uncovering so much that he had hidden... "How could we not refuse such an offer? After all, we destroy...not for our own survival, but to feast..."
In the distance, the purple shine maiden shrilled a painful realization.
Lina's eyes filled with hate. "You...helped them!"
"But of course!" Xellos stepped up, touching Lina's chin for a second before brushing it aside just as quickly. "The truth...was always in your dreams, Lina. I handed you the clues, each and every time. So think for a minute and put it together. Fill in those gaps...and imagine what happened so long ago..."
Lina took a step backwards, watching in her mind the attack that Xellos had only shown her the morning before. The very dream, the reason it felt incomplete...it was like a puzzle finally coming together...a culmination she could no longer avoid...
She saw the golden dragons form their energy, streaming it off like a tidal wave... And instead of an attack on the Cloudminders, they send it to the Mazoku...who captured their energy and added their own...horrible, destructive power. And from nothingness, came the combined power of light and darkness...strong enough to rival the Lord of Nightmares herself...
"It can't be..." whispered Lina. "Their clan and the Mazoku..." The sorcerer fell to her knees, taking the full disclosure in with every breath. "Darkness and light joined together-"
"Destroyed the Cloudminders..." chimed in Zelgadis.
"....to seal their secrets away," finished the sorcerer.
"That," paused the mysterious priest, "...was the price..."
"No..." cried Amelia. "That can't be true..." she sniffed, her mind refusing the truth.
Lina's eyes widened, Xellos' real secret finally coming to light.
Zelgadis stepped forward, disgusted with himself. "And to think..."
"Ano..." stroked the Mazoku. "You do see..."
Xellos smiled, teleporting back up to his elevated ridge. Xellos looked down on the golden dragon, who was kneeling down at the Mazoku's feet, the actions so invigorating. There was no doubt in Xellos' mind, that he had finally had captured his prize. The last action was no longer his to play...for the irony so delightful...
"You're nothing," mumbled the chimera, "but a traitor."
"A repeat of history, my friends, takes a long, long time. But without your help, and Lina's of course, as well as the rest of them, this might not had happened. And for that reason, I thank you. Form the bottom of my heart."
Lina fell to her knees, speechless. The entire time...Monte Darlo. Zel turning into a human and back into stone. All of it so he could..."
She looked up at the City of the Clouds. Once destroyed by the Dragons...and the Mazoku. Yet, it looked very much alive and intact. Whatever secrets they held was a threat to them both, so surely...they would do anything in the world...
"Mazoku and Dragon repeating history," spat Zelgadis.
"...All this time...both of you trying to slow us down..." floored the sorcerer as he whispered to herself; still leaning both of her palms flat on the ground, "...but it was all a lie..."
"Congratulation," bowed the Mazoku.
"Filia!" Gourry grasp at the last straws of truth.
"Please!" shouted Sylphiel, but she was quickly drowned out.
"Don't do this!" shouted Zelgadis. "You don't have to repeat the sins of your clan..."
The dragon could no longer hear her friend's pleas from within her mind. They just fell on the deaf ears, because her mind...was made up.
All she could do was look up with tears streaming from her eyes. The pain...of so many secrets finally coming true. It was suppose to be relief from salvation...but that wasn't the case... it was never the case...
The dragon looked at her hands, stained with blood. No longer her blood, but the colored in the power of Shaberinadgo. It itself was the truth...
She had no choice.
She would carry out the fate of her clan...once again... No one, not even Lina could learn the secrets of the Cloudminders. The cost to keep the secret was so great...the price of failure even higher.
"Join me..." said Xellos, from within his shadows. He touched Filia's chin, wiping away the tears of pain. "Sweet Dragon..."
"...I...shall..."
He raised his staff and pointed it back at the group of her former friends. "Those who seek the Cloudminders must be stopped..."
Filia nodded as she turned around...
"Do what you must do," whispered the Mazoku.
...She faced her friends.
Deadly silence was everywhere. Only the wind answered her beckoned call to speak up and fill the empty void with sound. And it howled...of pain, of despair...for even nature was never a timid one...
"...Filia..."
"Lina Inverse!"
"...Filia..." She could barely hear herself over the sobs of the other ladies behind her.
"By the sacred order of the last remaining member of my clan..."
The sorcerer was beyond numb.
"You will not trespass upon the City of the Clouds." Filia swallowed her pain, holding back her tears....
"...Filia..."
"And if you try...I will KILL YOU!"
-
---o--o--o---
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[Lina] That's an evil cliffhanger! Noooo!
[Author] ^_^
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---o--o--o---
-
I'm going to take a few month break from writing Slayers, so don't expect anything in a while. Yes, I have a full time job ^^;;;
-Incantrix
incantrix at dreamclouds.com
-
---o--o--o---
[Author] Hello, Xellos...
[Xellos] I don't do introductions...Never liked them...
[Author] Well... I have this certain feeling that this is going to be your special chapter.
[Xellos] This chapter? Really?
[Author] Yup...
[Xellos] {squirms} You had better not make me this 'very special' chapter, which would also means this story is jumping the shark...
[Author] It's that or I order the parade of kawaii nekos to come charging in and fill every last inch of this place.
[Xellos] {sweat drops}
[Author] Now, don't you think the first idea is better?
[Xellos] Didn't you know I love special chapters? I really do...
---o--o--o---
Slayers: Clouds!
Chapter 12:
Expectations! Truth or Dare!
-
---o--o--o---
-
The sorcerer picked herself up from the cold ground. It was early in the day, with the sun's rays were just starting the shine on the harsh mountains behind her, that itself enough of a indication of dawn.
She exhaled, her breath visible as a white cloud in the cold damp air. She took a step back and decided that it was too early to be up this morning. No matter the cost...
The sorcerer walked over to where the others were sleeping, dragging her feet with every step through the wet grass and leaves and sticks. Everything outside was covered in cold dew, the air saturated with moisture.
She looked over to the fire pit, finally acknowledging to herself that she had been traveling alone. "I wonder..." she talked to herself, "why I'm here..." She looked around, disappointed. "And always...alone..."
Hours before...the chaos box in her hands...
Indeed, she remembered fighting her last Mazoku opponent as a...blond. But she looked at her figure, then at her skin... she was a redhead! She even tugged at her hair, finally realizing that she was back to her fiery self.
"I guess I have to thank you, Maximilian." She stirred around a little bit, realizing the intentions of the Sheik's son-in-law had been honest all along. If only, she knew what it was all about. "Blasted Cloudminders and their secrets."
A little gust of wind blew the surrounding cold away, the visibility improving by every minute. The sun had finally made its appearance, evaporating the cold moisture away. The fog lifted, showing Lina that she was a lot closer to a cliff ledge than even herself had even realized. Curious as ever, she walked precariously close to the edge, looking over a low cloud as it swept past her feet.
"Wow...I'm...really up high..."
The wind increased its furious pace, sweeping away the rest of the clouds from the hidden valley below. Below her feet, life teemed with such density that she couldn't believe. Among thick jungle of trees and bushes, she could see the tiny brooks and streams of water as they splashed among the rocky terrain. The land...it was new, as if only formed recently by the lord of chaos.
"Morning, Lina," said the voice of Xellos.
She turned her head to the right, red hair windswept across her face in a sudden gust. Along came the smell...of life. She didn't know if it was a sign of its end or its very beginning -- and whether it was a goal of the Mazoku beside her to snuff out its preciousness...
"I see that you're back together." Xellos encircled her position, as if examining her from afar like a work of art. "More auburn this time. I do like it better."
Lina turned her head towards the mysterious priest. "No thanks to you." She took a couple of playful steps towards the Mazoku, as if ready to pounce him. "Why do you always have me greeting you in fantasy places like this? I mean, a visit after breakfast would be nice every once in a while."
"Ahh..." Xellos took a step back, tugging at his collar at the same time. "Maybe because its always been a little to inconvenient for me. I really do hate having conflicts. Let us let that pass for the moment..."
The redhead fumed, thinking a little at the same time. "As you say." She kicked a clog of dirt over the cliff, letting it tumble into the deep valley below. "So, how about some questions answered, at least?"
The Mazoku pushed the inquiry aside, at the same time turning his head into a gust of wind. "I'll hear you Lina, but don't think I'll answer them entirely."
Lina crossed her arms. "Well, I wouldn't expect you to spill the beans. That's how I know you are you, and not someone disguised as you."
Xellos sweat dropped. "Ano...I guess that was a compliment."
The redhead took a rather inconvenient position behind Xellos' backside, an intimidating position even for Lina. "So what's going on here? I've been to more, out of the way places in the last week than even I care to see. And I don't like them."
"Really?" plucked the Mazoku. "And what about the casinos? Aren't they a Mazoku's best friend?"
"That's besides the point! How come you haven't been around, except with Filia?"
The Mazoku smiled a bit. "Just think of it as a vacation from me! Actually, its because I've been in quite high demand."
Lina turned around and blinked her eyes. "You've been more than sly these past few days, but your latest appearance with Filia and delaying of my...*cough*... wedding." Lina took a minute to swallow the words before continuing. "Excuse the pun, but it takes the cake."
Xellos snorted.
"That in itself wasn't enough of a clue to put the whole picture together, except that you keep visiting me in my dreams..."
Xellos sighed, letting all his trapped air out. "Really now. You have the faintest idea what's going on. For all you know," he said, snapping his fingers, "the world could be over and you wouldn't have known what had happened."
"Yea, right. I so doubt it..." countered Lina, not impress with Xellos acting. "But there's something you're not telling me. And yet, you gave us enough information-"
"Ano..." as he lifted his finger into the air. "I did no such thing..."
An interrupting crack of thunder made both of them look up into the sky. Clouds that that blocked the deep blue sky were drifting away as if blown away, encircling something... The wind picked up again, as greenery and then signs of civilization poked thought the tops of the clouds.
"I see I don't have a choice..." said Xellos. "My...my..."
"...damn..." She thought it was a town or city high in a mountain, but that would have been impossible because it was just so damn high... "I must be dreaming..."
"No, not a all."
"The City of the Clouds..." she murmured on her lips. She spoke barely loud enough for the Mazoku to hear her words. "But this isn't a dream, is it? This is of long ago, of when you were there, Xellos."
"Well..." said the mysterious priest, talking to himself. "You're right..."
Yes, he thought, it's time...
He knew he was ever so revealing the past...but the tipping of the scales was necessary, for Lina was going to find out...one way or another. Better to peel each horrifying layer off than take it in all at once.
Time to play your hand...because, if Lina ever did learn the truth at once...
"Xellos!" Lina puffed. "Who are the Cloudminders?"
"Indeed. You sure ask a lot of questions."
She turned around on her feet until her eyes glared up at Xellos', her chin leaning on his cape. "Damn it, Xellos! Give me a straight answer for once!"
A bird in hand. So much effort had been put in on his part, so to make sure that every step was believable. So, he thought about the next piece, and the next drop--
"You may not like the truth..." said the Mazoku. "Little girls don't like it when they don't get candy..."
"Get to the point!"
Xellos looked down into the eyes of the redhead, his sight never blinded by his long purplish hair. "Ahhh, the Cloudminders. Well, if you must know, it was a time so very long ago." He waved his arms wide, making his cape breeze in the wind. "And indeed, I was there."
It was enough of a distraction... that everything Lina saw everything around her fade as if she were dropped into the clouds themselves. She even looked down and saw the fuzzy white of cloud underneath her feet.
"Think of it...as a page from my own history..."
Lina scowled. She needed the truth, not an ancient lesson. "Tell me without all the lights and distractive amusements-" But she caught herself as she was about to say the next thing...
Indeed, Xellos' memory had indeed been from a long time ago. The youngest trees from her former vision were gone. The land was rougher, with streams that carved into new mountains. Even the rest of the vegetation was young, with no bushes larger than a foot tall. This was land, perfectly, as if untouched by human hands.
The place was exactly the same as her dreams. Except another time. And where the blue sky had been...was the floating City of the Clouds, its magnificent towers reflecting sunlight into her eyes...
"How long ago..."
"Before the fall..." smiled the mysterious priest. "The Cloudminders...so nubile back then."
Lina nodded. There was so much to take in that she didn't know what her next step would be. She viewed the whole valley as one, catching a sudden movement off to the far left. Her eyes darted across the valley until she stopped, her stare transfixed on one object-
"Ahhh, you do see it..." interrupted the mysterious priest.
Indeed, Lina's eyes were no longer looking at the City of the Clouds, but glued to tower of stone on the far ridge, its newness glistening as well.
She paused, remembering where she had seen the very familiar object. "A seal...of the golden dragons..." She looked at the new tower, amazed how splendid it looked in its colors of silver and gray. Those other previous towers they had unearthed from the other side of the world...they were dull and had been stripped of their cosmetic beauty, a trifle comparison to this seal....
Her eyes stared at it as her mind clicked away. It was her heart that had the answers all along...but they couldn't tell everything...
Xellos helped her out. "The dragons...they have been busy preparing for this day."
"Dragons..." followed Lina, looking back into the sky at the Cloudminders. "What dragons?"
Xellos spun around, his cape billowing up for a second, pointing with his staff out toward the city. "See them..." He raised his cane, as if a grand stage announcement. "Watch them! As they...attack the Cloudminders..."
Her heart pounded!
Lina watched with incredible awe as a group of golden dragons circled around their tower. A familiar one directed them. The Supreme Elder! A roar or two from his golden Dragon followers, as they communicated to each other, finally diving from the high reaches of the sky...
They disappeared, then something else reappeared just as fast. It was white and black, a mix of energy that was indescribable except to say it was potent...
"No...then this was part of what they did..."
"Hmmm?" questioned Xellos.
"Their history...the golden dragons-"
Xellos smiled, quite content with Lina's answer. "Yes, you see, it has always been a part of history."
From behind the floating city, a pitiful number of ancient dragons darted forward, defending against the attack. Pointless, thought Lina, but it didn't seem to matter...
Her skin crawled. Even though this was a scene from history, it was nevertheless an angry sort of execution. They outnumbered the ancient dragons with more than fifty members, while the number of ancient dragons could barely be counted on one hand.
"Stop it!"
"I can't. After all, its already happened." He circled around the sorcerer, egging for Lina to respond. "I saw it all! And I loved the magnificent battle...
"...No..."
"...as they destroyed what was left of the Cloudminders," grinned the Mazoku.
"That can't be!"
"And the City of the Clouds...became their second grave of sorts. And a history lesson was born..."
Lina was too shocked to say much else.
"All that was left was their legacy...their chaos...but no, golden dragons were so protective of their world..."
The sorcerer watched Filia's former master direct the final command, as dragons began to encircle the burning floating city--
There was a sudden flash in the sky, next to the City of the Clouds. It blinded the sorcerer if only for a second, her mouth turning dry at the same time. Something in the back of mind shouted betrayal, but there was nothing that she could do...
"What happened?" she asked. "Why did it happen?"
"For a time...the Cloudminders held a power that even you cannot imagine. The golden Dragons couldn't destroy the city itself, so...they played with it, with a spell of sorts. They locked the door and threw away the key...
"What are you talking about now?"
"Oh, it was a quite a spell. It...sent the Cloudminders barreling forward in time, so no one...not even us Mazoku, could interfere. Those dragons...were quite cunning. Not at all like their counterparts of today."
It explained so much to Lina.. She wanted to pull out and search through Aermark's journal. "So that's why...every sixty years..."
"The Cloudminders power...dead and buried, was never forgotten. And the dragon's spell wasn't perfect. For during every appearance..."
The sorcerer cursed, her dream world suddenly hazing over again. "Their secrets..."
"Well, you seemed to have stumbled upon a few of them," answered the Mazoku. "Dirty little Dragons. How they are unable to clean up their mess..."
"A grave..." The words on the tip of her tongue made her shiver. "Then why are the secrets of the Cloudminders coming out?"
The purple priest swept the question aside, if ever so for a second. "Just remember, Lina...I wasn't the one who followed the crumbs."
"I still think you're-"
Xellos interrupted the sorcerer with a tilt his head, nodding as if to someone else. "Oh, I believe that your allotted time is up. I do hope you can handle the ride from here..."
"Wait a minute!" She charged the mysterious priest, her dream abruptly slipping away. "I want some more answers, Xellos!"
She cried out for time...but it was all disappearing too fast! Was it going to end like this?
All that was left was the cheshire grin of the Mazoku. She reached out...before that too disappeared...
-
---o--o--o---
-
"...Xellos, you cunning fool..."
Lina awoke in a sweat, her curly red hair matted down her back. She checked herself out, first with a tug of hair from her head. As it spilled across her face, she spotted the red locks immediately, releasing a built up sigh. A quick feel of the rest of her body told her the same story. "I don't ever want to do that again."
She spotted Sylphiel cradled in one of the plush chairs next to her bed. Like a child, she was sucking her thumb as she soundlessly slept -- impossibly at peace.
Lina thought about the last few hours in her mind. Maximilian on his deathbed, pointing out the ancient dragons as the Cloudminders. It certainly had been a sudden surprise, and it explained many of the awesome powers the Cloudminders possessed. The relics certainly matched the little she knew about the ancient dragons, other than their structures were big and full of secrets. The bridge of the ancients...its name itself lent from the ancient dragons.
She couldn't help being catered to the Mazoku's little show -- for it explained a great deal. The Cloudminders...their disappearance...fit the timeline of the missing ancient dragons. So, if the City of the Clouds was nothing but a relic, the leftovers destroyed by the Filia's golden dragon's clan..
Filia. She could not even imagine that the blond dragon knew of her clan's second black mark on its past. One secret had remained a secret for so long, yet eventually it was revealed. Lina couldn't imagine Filia having distaste for anyone, including the Cloudminders. There was no way...
The sorcerer shuddered. Telling the shrine dragon of another mark against her family...even for Lina, it was too much to bear.
Some things were better left unsaid now that Xellos had shown her a glimpse into the past. A picture of truth; of history, as past transgressions.... She was sure that Filia had not known...
Lina sighed, re-tracing her thoughts for the next few days. First, they would meet up with Zelgadis, Gourry, and Amelia in the plains to the southwest of here. From there it was a day's journey, to the place according to Aermark's journal...a valley of ice and snow. A natural bowl, sealed off by hills of ice, just thawing every so often. And in the middle of the Ice Hills, high in the sky...is where the relic of the City of the Clouds would appear once again...
Still, Xellos could be fibbing the whole thing...
Then why was she so scared?
"...Sylphiel?" chimed a skittish Lina, throwing her comforter aside. She needed serious girl talk with a friend.
The shrine maiden stirred around a bit, still dressed in her traveling outfit from last night. She had been so tired in the end that she had fallen asleep in her clothes, still dusty from all the desert winds.
"Wake up..." said Lina, her teeth chattering like she was cold.
The purple haired maiden's eyes fluttered open if just for a second. "Oh...Lina...I...you're..."
Lina came over and sat on the edge of the comfy chair, looking down at the shrine maiden. "Thank you..."
"Hai..." The shrine maiden flustered up before leaning back in her chair, gathering her composure from the rough day to come. "I'm glad to see that you're back to normal. Kerchef helped me get you back here after yesterday..." She face froze. "Eeeep! I'm such a disheveled mess!"
"Hush..." Lina got up and circled around the room, trying to get the news together in her head. A realization came to her as she darted out of her bedroom towards the sitting room. "Filia!"
"She's...not here," interrupted Sylphiel. "She wasn't here when we got back. And no one has seen her since the aborted ceremony from yesterday. In fact, some of her stuff is gone...."
Lina came back in as soon as she left, sitting back down on the bed, quite disgusted with herself. "And I'm not even hungry right now..."
"I know," said the shrine maiden, sitting down on the bed next to Lina. She leaned her body against the smaller redhead with a hug. "We've been though a lot this last week or so. It's been hard...on all of us..."
"Sylphiel..." The sorcerer nodded, the tone of her voice turning deadly serious.... "There's something I have to tell you..."
The shrine maiden dislodged herself from Lina, crossed her legs all while scurrying over to the other side of the bed. "What is it, Lina?"
The sorcerer turned around, leaning her backside on the dresser. "With what Maximilian told me yesterday, and..." She didn't want to tell the shrine maiden about her dream conversation with Xellos, just that she knew about it. "Other...things." She swallowed her words for second, before continuing. "I think...the golden dragons are involved with the Cloudminders..."
Sylphiel looked up, her face whitened. "How?"
Lina paused. "Xellos has been hiding the secrets of the Cloudminders from us. At first, I thought because they were Dragons."
"Golden dragons," finished the shrine maiden. "From the tapestry that we saw in Monte Darlo, it was your guess that the Cloudminders were Dragons."
"Exactly...but before he died, Maximilian told me who the Cloudminders were...Ancient Dragons,"
Sylphiel face turned ashen.
"Think about the clues we saw! From that tapestry, the city wasn't defended, but surrounded by golden dragons."
"That is not possible..." Sylphiel shook her head, refusing to believe the sorcerer's words. "I can't believe that..."
The redhead paused, letting the answer sink into the shrine maiden's head. She paced around the room like a trapped animal, the thoughts racing in her mind. The world's future...had become very cloudy, and it only took a second...
"But...then the Cloudminders?" The purple haired one refused to let the answer die.
Lina nodded her head so low that her eyes only saw ground. "I'm sorry..."
"You mean?" concluded the purple-haired maiden, the her face filled with horror. "The golden dragons..."
"By their hands...they destroyed the Cloudminders."
Sylphiel tried not the think about it. "No..."
"It fits perfectly. I've seen it once already, where ancient dragons hid from their fellow dragons. The golden dragon's price for showing disloyalty..."
"But..." Sylphiel didn't have much else to say.
"The Mazoku wouldn't care much, except... maybe for their tools...the chaos boxes and stones... " As if on queue, Lina tugged at her waist, bringing the chaos stone up to view.
"The chaos stone?" commented Sylphiel.
"Xellos wants these things as well. I'm almost positive he's been collecting them behind our back." She tapped her foot impatiently for a second, "He wanted us...to get involved..."
The purple shrine maiden shrugged her shoulders. "Are you sure?"
"Yea...I'm sure of that now. But, even his intentions are cloudy."
"Hai..." The shrine maiden turned her head around, afraid to ask the next question. "And what about Filia?"
Lina pondered the question for a second. After what had happened before...Dark Star... the ancient dragons... Nothing made sense about it. Yes, Filia was a golden dragon, the last of her clan. "She has no reason fight against the ancient dragons of the Cloudminders. She...was willing to give up her life at one point...for Valgaav."
Something jogged through Lina's mind. With such news, she remembered the mirror.
"Damn! I've got to tell the others!" The redhead reached around on her dresser and raised the communication mirror to talk to Zelgadis and the others. It revealed...nothing but a black image. "It's not working! And at a time like this?"
The shrine maiden sighed. "There's not much we do about that. Beside, they know where and when they're meeting us...right?"
"Uh-huh..." She felt something...temperate in the palm of her hand. It was like the heart of fire was touching her smooth skin, warming her body if only just for a second.
She turned over the chaos stone in her hand. Indeed, the crystal was hot to the touch. But...how? There were no chaos boxes anywhere...nor did she feel the pull...
She reached and pulled the chaos stone up to her eyes for a closer inspection. She glared carefully for clues, looking into the perfect clearness of the crystal. Turning it into the light of the room, it was then she noticed a fog from within the stone itself.
Something was in the crystal! Swirling around, it was like a breath of air moisturizing on a cold winter day. But this fog wasn't white like ice...but stained blood-red with the power of a Mazoku. And then she saw the edging of the crystal, even darker than before, the power trapped like a prison....
"Lina..." Sylphiel could see the sorcerer's facial expression turn from jovial to solemn within a span of a couple of second. "Is...something wrong?"
"Very wrong..." She took the stone and held it up into a stream of sunlight coming from the nearby window. The chaos within the crystal didn't like being examined one bit. It started to smoke the color of red, the fog streaming off its very corners of the gem. "This...thing. Its like its alive. How can it be active without the presence of a chaos box?"
Sylphiel looked over Lina's shoulder, the surprise in her eyes immediately glued to the smoldering chaos stone. "And you don't known why?"
"Not at all. Maybe because it knows that the Cloudminders are only a day or two away. Maybe because its secrets are finally know. Or that its creator's identity..."
Something...was indeed waiting for her.
Lina ran up to her dresser, starting to pack her stuff in her small travel bag. It didn't take very long to get organized. "Come on, we've got to see the Sheik, and quickly!"
"Hai!"
-
---o--o--o---
-
Filia had packed extremely light compared to the rest of her journey. Out of the three suitcases that she had left back at the Sheik's city, she didn't carry a single one of them the rest of the way. Instead, she had taken with her a light tummy pack that was swung diagonally across her chest. Though it was a little small, its size was ready made for lightning travel.
All those times had traveled with Lina, she refused to transform...unless totally driven mad under the gaze of one frightful Mazoku. And even that was embarrassing to herself.
Still, she had no choice in the matter now. For she was...a dragon. And instead of walking, she flew as a dragon among the clouds, quickly across the harsh lands. Below her, desert lands became fertile once again. The soft hills were perfect for her type of traveling -- not too rough and treacherous to cause harm while still uneven enough to provide plenty of cover.
She tired from a half day of flying and felt that it was best to slow down. So she settled down a little more, letting her wings do more gliding among the winds.
Winds...that reminded her of home. Not her current one, but the home she had with her clan members. Of golden dragons...
She was the last of her clan.
It was so much simpler when she had followed the orders of her elders. As one of the dragons, she was required many times to follow the order of others. And then, she disobeyed them...
Then what was it that made this journey so difficult? Was it for the secrets of the Cloudminders? Or was it because she had been taking her directions from someone else?
Or because...she too, knew that this was the way...
The only way...
Her heart was in pain. Even with Dark Star and the times before her new home felt so minuscule when compared to now. All because those golden dragons...the same ones who hid secrets from her. She loved them...despised them...and never forgave them...
She was the only one to carry out their unwilling task.
Ancient dragons. Forever linked to her own clan, they continued to play a role in her life. It had been said that Ancient Dragons were the real secret holders, because their passing was the ultimate way to hide from others. After all, if you're dead...then who is there to tell your secrets?
Humans, on the other hand, had never meant to be part of the equation between the Dragons and Mazoku. Yet, they were there once already, saving the world within a blink of darkness. Their life spans were so short in comparison that they were barely comparable to a feather in a Dragon's cap.
If humans...had ever learned of the secrets of the Cloudminders...the true power they controlled and the devastation they could have wrought...
She could not even imagine it in her mind.
Exactly the reasons why she stuck to Lina like glue. Each time, she pointed them in a slight misdirection, each obstacle harder than the first. Besides guiding them, she had taken incredible steps to make sure the sorcerer had not found out...
She shuddered. Why does the brink of the world feel so meager when compared to now? Why, she asked herself... What matters more than anything than before?
Valgaav.
Her little adopted son. Even she was surprised on how much she had missed her unborn child. Whereas she thought about him maybe a couple of times a day, now she could not drive his delicate image from her mind. Now that he was no longer under her care -- it was that very thought of him caused Filia to sob--
A sudden gust of wind swooped the flying dragon higher into the sky. Tears that flew from her eyes...crystallized against her scales, causing her terrible pains around her eyes. She tried to twist her head a little in the wind, but that only caused her body to spin. She banked and headed down for a landing.
She caught something in the view corner of her eye. Purple hair and cape billowing in the wind, her most hated Mazoku was only a few or so feet away, flying in perfect parallel with both of his arms out wide.
"Out for a stroll, dearest one?" smiled the Mazoku. "I must say, it's quite a distance if you're planning to return to the Sheik's city by nightfall." He lazily banked and dived right in front of her nose, barely missing her chin.
"Go away!" she cried out. "Can't you leave me alone!"
"Well excuse me, I didn't mean to-" Xellos twisted into the wind, circling under the dragon like a mosquito to flesh. "You know, that tummy of yours-"
A swat of her wing was little defense against the Mazoku -- she saw the mysterious priest was staying for the long haul. "Is there any reason why you're following me?" Filia sniffed distastefully.
"Oh, not really," grinned the Mazoku. "You know, I just happened to be in the neighborhood."
"Yea, right. Looking for an all-night dragon stand?"
"As a matter of fact, I was looking to pick up some kawaii ones. Know any good spots around here?"
Filia sulked. "Baka!'
Xellos knew the pressure was on. He had been so looking forward to this. For the golden dragon was wild with her emotions, exploding like an out of control wildfire. Yet, he could feel the sadness, the burden...everything was starting to come together. Now! he thought, its finally getting interesting.
He looked back over at his flying escort. "I see you traveled light, little dragon. Perhaps this is a one-way trip?"
She ignored him, preferring to mull over her upcoming task. She had all the key ingredients save for the ginger root that grew nearby on the steps of the Ice Hills. She hoped that the frosty weather had not dimmed her chances in finding a local component.
"Humph!" The dragon banked again, leaving the Mazoku in her wake. She neither had the patience nor the time to deal with Xellos' chatty remarks. If she succeeded, then the world would be a better place. No doubt...
-
---o--o--o---
-
"Uzumara! Where are you?"
Lina furiously ran down the lower streets of the Sheik's city, the shrine maiden in tow. "Where is that blasted Sheik and his followers?"
"You're asking me?" commented Sylphiel, turning her head around for a look around. She spotted a large group of standing people, also spotting the pike tips above their heads. "Ummm, Lina?"
"You see something?" The redhead didn't have to ask much else, for Sylphiel was already pointing her in the right direction. "Good job!"
The two of them hit a crowd wall, the people already shoulder to shoulder. Still, Lina was determined to fight through the crowd, shoving left and right. "Move it...to the side, buddy! There we go...you're a big guy, so lean the other way, idiot!"
Behind Lina was the apologetic voice of the purple-haired maiden. "Excuse me...pardon me...oh, that's so nice of you...oh dear..."
The two ladies ran smack into two guards, unable to move any more forward. "Hey, we're here to see the Sheik!" chimed the redhead, shouting as loudly as she could.
One of them snarled, not even to bother to turn around. "Yea, you and everyone else here. Be quiet!"
Beyond the guards, the Sheik and Kerchef were busy chatting and directing citizens of their fair city. Unlike the lavishness of the Forbidden Dome, this setting seemed...simple. Still, the Sheik's men were protecting their fair ruler, letting in people selectivity from the crowd.
"Move, buster! We're here to see Uzumara! We are personal acquaintances of the ruler!"
The rude guard chuckled. "And I'm a dragon king!"
The shrine maiden sighed. This was going to be a long day.
"Hey Kerchef! How about letting us in?"
The captain of the guards couldn't help not hearing the squeaky voice of the sorcerer. "Yea, and what do you want?"
Lina beamed. "Depends how you feel. I'm back to my old self, and I don't see any chaos boxes around."
Kerchef didn't smile nor frown at seeing the redhead and her companion as he barked out a few unintelligent orders. His men responded, opening a passage for the two of them to come down.
"It's about time," blurted the redhead.
The captain was not very happy to see the two ladies, his eyes still bloodshot from yesterday. "Excuse me for asking, but don't you have some floating city to go to?"
Lina and Kerchef were about thirty seconds away from a blow-by-blow-.
"Excuse me, but are you all right, Kerchef?" Sylphiel spoke up from behind the crazy redhead; cutting off the arising conflict.
The shrine maiden's kind words softened up the tough captain, making him back up for a second to gather up his thoughts. "Yea, its been a tough few days." He looked over at Sylphiel, his anger folding like a house of cards. "Come on, I'll show you the way."
"Thank you," comforted the shrine maiden. "I'm sure Maximilian would be very happy right now."
Kerchef sniffed. "I guess so." He moved aside, bringing the two of them up to the sitting Sheik. Instead of a grandiose throne room like before, the Sheik sat in a simple wooden chair, with the two kawaii ninja girls to one side. The Sheik and his 'assistants' were elevated by a wooden platform by less than a foot, but it was really so everyone could see them.
"Like the setup, actually. It's actually quite charming," pointed Lina, with a wink of her eyes.
"Oh, be quiet," huffed the captain, not enjoying his master's new role with his people. "Why couldn't he be a normal ruler, I'll never know."
Sylphiel frowned. "Well, that isn't exactly an improvement of attitude."
"Who cares! If Uzumara had any guts, he'd take to sword-"
"Kerchef!"
Sure enough, the elder fish Sheik was standing directly behind Kerchef, his eyes ripe with resentment. "You have some nerve-"
The captain wheeled around, his face full of astonishment. "Sheik! I was just telling Lina about your former-"
"Can it, son. I know how you feel about how I'm running everything." He took a couple of encircling steps around his adopted family member. "I'm disappointed with you."
Kerchef grimaced, hearing how disappointed the Sheik was of his behavior. "I understand. I'll do much better next time..." He quickly nodded and turned away, busily mouthing off a few commands to the underling guards.
"You know," commented Uzumara, "he's going to be a great Sheik someday."
"I'm sure he'll do fine," said Sylphiel.
Lina paused at hearing Uzumara's words, but was completely blown away by Sylphiel's follow-up comment. She was about to say something to the effect of crazy/nuts/etc. when she stopped; her finger pointed outward with her mouth open like a lowered drawbridge.
But nothing came to mind. Oh well. And as she shut her trap, the only thing she could do was swear under her breath.
"So...are you taking off, Lina?" asked Mime, one of the twin ninja girls. She had come up to the left side of the Sheik, almost hugging the ruler by the shoulder. She immediately noticed the sheik's advisors mark on their chests, the same of Maximilian and Kerchef wore.
"Errr...yeah." The redhead nodded. "Quite soon. Are you two comfortable here?"
"Oh, we like it here," said Nene, nodding to her fellow sister. "Our new job rocks."
"I'm sure about that," muttered a redhead.
"But eventually, we'll have go back north toward Monte Darlo," said Mime. "There's only one way to get back, and that's over the Bridge of the Ancients."
"Errr...that." Lina felt her collar suddenly tighter around her neck. "Well, I'm sure it will be a fine trip back."
"Lina?" interrupted Sylphiel
"Well, I'm sure there's another--"
"Lina!" She shot the sorcerer a dirty look, making Lina twitch a little more. "You should be ashamed!"
It made the sorcerer kick her feet in disgust, finally caving to the shrine maiden's pressure. "Mime...actually...its gone. Didn't mean to...errrr..."
The girls' sweat dropped.
"Really...when we came to it, it was suddenly..."
"LINA!"
The sorcerer sighed. "Well, this big dragon showed up, and it was shooting out lightning everywhere, and there were these guys shooting fireballs and then--" And what could only be described as the first hand-motion of a Dragon Slave.
Uzumara chuckled. "Hohoho, I should have known. You are well known for your destructive tendencies."
Lina blushed. "It wasn't like that! I swear we were running for our lives."
"Its true," spoke up the shrine maiden, "we did all that we could. Its unfortunate that it happened, but it was necessary to save our lives."
Her statement quieted the group, making the shrine maiden fall back into her kawaii, normal self.
"Well," said Nene, "we still have to go north."
Lina nodded. So...they were going past the Shrine of the Dragon Water King.
And then, something popped into her head. She had thought about it when waking up from her dream with Xellos.
How suddenly convenient everything was becoming.
If true...then she could not take any chances. Not with what Xellos had shown her.
"Nene? Mime?" coyly waved the redheaded sorcerer, "can you two come here for a second? There's some I need to ask you about..."
Uzumara and Sylphiel watched as both the ninja girls followed Lina into a little private powwow. "Know anything about that?" asked the Sheik, quite disappointed that he had not been invited.
"Not really," said the disappointed shrine maiden, "I'll ask her later about it, however..."
They watched Lina produce a small scroll of paper from one of her inner pockets. The redhead quickly scribbled down a couple of choice words before handing it over to the ninja girls, along with a small sack of coins. Both of the girls nodded their heads obediently before scurrying away.
"Lina?" asked the purple-haired maiden, "what's going on?"
"Sorry about that. But...I have to be sure about something, Sylphiel. I was reminded in the dream, but it wasn't until Mime said something..." She was about to let it all out, before turning her eyes back to Uzumara.
"Hmmm?"
Sylphiel could only see the seriousness in Lina's eyes. They didn't even dare...to blink.
"I have to know," and the redhead, "the path we're taking is the right one. But...how can I know that? What makes this the better way..."
The shrine maiden gently put her hand up on the redhead's shoulder, comforting the supposedly stronger willed one. "You know right from wrong. You're told me that the rights of any one person..."
"Is to survive," finished the sorcerer. "Sometimes...I don't realize that." She turned gently toward Sylphiel, giving off a little wink. "Thanks."
The purple haired maiden squealed, entirely too happy. "Oh...Lina..."
"Eeeep!" The sorcerer looked up into the sun for a second, finally realizing how late in the afternoon it was. "Ahhhh!" The redhead grabbed the shrine maiden's hand and tugged her away at lightning speed. "Come on! We've got only one day to make up two days of travel!"
-
---o--o--o---
-
Filia looked out at the lush bowl-shaped valley; her position giving her quite a view. Where once the land had been new and rocky, now there was little sign of newness among the land. The mountains that made up the valley had over time aged down, much smaller than of their former selves. The trees here were low-lying and low in number, yet proud they stood against the blowing winds. Even the grass that covered the lands was mix of lush patches of greenery mixes with brown fields, a sort of patchwork that was absolutely peaceful.
They had once called this area the Ice Hills. The glaciers that came in long ago weren't known for carving into the rocky landscape into mountains and cliffs, but for the immense amount of earth they took away. The hills themselves were just the edges of the surrounding land, the valley hollowed out long ago. With its sky so large and unobstructed, the giant natural crater so large...that the entire valley amazed the eyes.
She had hoped that her wild swooping that carried the Mazoku away. But Xellos was more than the usual crafty sort, it had taken him only a couple of seconds to figure out the real agenda of where the dragon was going. Its not like it was a secret anymore...
A few moments after she had landed, Xellos was there right next to her, scouting the area with all the excitement of guard dog.
"So...we're here. I must say you picked out a nice picnic spot." The Mazoku sniffed around, as if looking for company. Well satisfied that they were alone, he turned back to the dragon and smiled. "Did you bring a blanket and the champagne?"
Filia ignored the Mazoku, too busy opening her tiny pack. She took out a small cauldron as well as a few unmarked paper bags. She set everything aside, gathering up a small stack of wood for a fire.
"Let's see..." The purple priest came over, picking up the small black kettle like a curious cat. "Wow, you're making soup with this thing?" He looked into the kettle by throwing it above his head. "How about cooking up a pot of squirming--"
"Give me that!" Filia tugged Xellos' new toy away from the Mazoku. "I can't believe you breathed into my kettle! I'm going to have to disinfect it!" scolded the dragon, expediently running to a stream to fill it with water.
The Mazoku was easily amused, hoping among the other bags of stuff that the dragon had set aside. "I see you brought other ingredients," he added, lifting some pretty herbs out of one of the paper bags. "So when's dinner!"
"Nagomi!" She snatched the ingredients out of the Mazoku's hands, putting them behind her back "Stupid, no good for nothing..." she hissed. "Don't you have some 'errand' to do besides bother me?"
"Yare, yare." Xellos turned his back on the blond dragon, preferring to step carefully around the edge of the cliff. "Oh, that's not so pretty."
Filia used a tent of sticks to balance the water filled cauldron over the fire. It tipped ever so gently, spilling a couple of drops over the side and into the fire. She coughed for a second, then took the bags of ingredients and dumped them unceremoniously into the water.
"That does not look like soup," said Xellos, looking down at his reflection in the kettle's water.
"No, is it NOT SOUP!"
"I guess that's right. So you're not going with the fire trap or ice freezing spell. I would that thought that the wind of-"
"Nope, none of those." Filia was busy chopping little piece of ginger, letting the cuttings drop from her hands and into the black kettle.
The Mazoku grinned. "Well, I suppose you're going to need a lot more than this."
Filia looked up and stared at the Mazoku. "I'm just diverting them off. You know that better than anyone, don't you?"
Xellos rolled his eyes. "I'm not the one being blackmailed."
"Be...quiet."
The Mazoku blinked. He crooked his neck to the side, as if picking up a scent out of the air. "Oh well, it seems I'm needed somewhere else. Don't mind me, I was just-"
"Leaving. Yea, I know." Filia stirred the mixture, her soup had turned from clear beautiful water into a mix of brown smelly sludge.
Xellos shrugged his heads, looking up into the sky. The Cloudminders were almost here. Another day, maybe less. The passage of time that they had been away was almost the lifetime of a human. And for the Mazoku, their chance would appear once again...
Filia sighed, noticing that the Mazoku was gone. Behind her, the black cauldron glowed a peaceful tone of yellow, as if ready and awaiting the next step.
The dragon knelt by the edge of the fire, chanting her dragon spell. The liquid in the kettle boiled away, enveloping the evening sky in a cloud of white smoke.
As if cued, the kettle, the water, the smoke, all began to glow yellow, illuminating the sky high above her head...
The spell...so draining... The golden dragon, intoxicated by her own fumes, could no longer resist the powerful pull of its magic. Resting her head to the side of her pack, she hoped that a little nap would help her reorganize her thoughts. She surely hoped that this would be enough.
-
---o--o--o---
-
The shrine maiden stepped up on top of a small pile of rocks, looking for a second while she took her bearing. "Lina? Where are you?"
Lina lowered her levitation spell until she was just a couple of feet off the ground. She had Aermark's journal open in her hands and she was using the map at the same time.
"You sure we're on the right track?" asked Sylphiel.
"It says so right here..." said the sorcerer. She unfolded one panel of the map page that let more panels unfold out like an accordion. So lengthy was the map that the end of touched the ground.
"Oh, Lina..." The shrine maiden leaned down, helping the sorcerer put back the map. She couldn't help noticing how far the Ice Fields were from their own location. "Its almost dusk."
The afternoon crickets were busy commencing their late afternoon song in the bushes around the two ladies. Before long, it would night.
Lina saw the grave look in Sylphiel eyes. "Yea, traveling all night is going to suck."
"You've got to be kidding..."
"I know, I don't like walking in the dark either." She slapped the book closed, annoyed with herself. "But we lost quite a few days back at the Sheik's city."
The shrine maiden sighed. "Yea, and I bet Zelgadis and the other are already waiting for us at the Ice Hills, wondering where we are..."
-
---o--o--o---
-
A hangover. That's how Zel described it, lifting his heavy head off the decking.
If it wasn't the sound of chirping that awoke him from his terrible slumber, but the heat of the full sun above his head. He looked up into the cloudless sky, surprised to see a large wing-spanned bird flying above the ship, its id unknown as it circled around the outline of the sun.
Sharp pains in the chimera's forehead reminded him not to stir too quickly. He wanted to get up from his knees and see if there was any sign of civilization. He surmised the white blast of energy had given their little ship a kick in the pants. He wouldn't had been surprised if they were grounded on some shore--
But there was no lull.
Impossible! The water couldn't be this still.
He crawled up to look over into the ocean, his eyes wide. They certainly were in a different blue sea of the air, one much more calm that any body of water. For they were flying high in the air...over the lands of desert and scrub. In the sky...
Zel looked over to the humming controls of the airship. The hilt of the chaos sword was lit up like a torch, glowing of chaos energy. Like a purring cat, everything seemed normal.
"Not again..." he muttered before lowering himself back onto the floor. "Why couldn't we just have walked?"
-
---o--o--o---
-
And the day was here.
He stood tall on the top of a hill; far above the fields from where Filia was sleeping.
A stranger to none yet a stranger to the world, he would be instantly recognizable to almost anyone...and never seen by any of them.
He was here because of history. Many times before he wished for the curse of Philbrizzo to be over... But no, they were still here even with the Mazoku Lord long gone... Philbrezzo's mess, he called it. The Cloudminders.
Over time, he had hid from the rest of the world like a self-inflicted scar. He knew from within his own mind, he was partly the blame of the Cloudminders. They had never been properly taken cared of, no matter how much had been told before. So what if they swore to eliminating them. It had never meant squat...
The Mazoku were never able to get their prize.
It was never the Cloudminders themselves...but their weapons of power, of destiny which threatened everything. Such energies were never to be wielded...but there it was, the proof in their hands.
He saw the Cloudminder's chaos boxes, glowing and igniting. Their chaos was a curse he absolutely feared. Such was the way they used their powers...
He tightly clenched his sword, throwing it in the nearby sand. He preferred it to be buried, just like his secrets.
There, he said to himself as he watched the sky change one last time. For behind the hidden curtain, they appeared. The Cloudminders. And thus he swore again that no one was to interfere with them.
No matter the cost.
-
---o--o--o---
-
Morning breeze hit the dragon's face as she stirred from her state of slumber. She let her blondness cover her face if only for a minute as her hair grazed her cheek, tickling her awake. It was like everything was perfect.
How long? As she tuned her head towards the remains of the fire, she saw a few glowing ambers around her empty blackened kettle, immediately telling her that it had been all night. The spell had taken all night to form and mold, its power becoming transparent among the morning light in the sky.
It...was done.
She picked up a nearby stick and poked the ambers of the fire out, letting little red sparks fade into the sullen earth. They reminded her of eyes that she had seen only a day ago, from a figure she knew quite well. Fire in those eyes...
Her stranger. A sign that he was watching over her. And a memory of the day before, high in Maximilian's tower...
"I see that I scared that Mazoku whipping boy away," said the stranger, referring to Xellos. "No matter," continued his deep voice.
Filia took her new visitor in, shaking her head in frustration. "Go away! I don't take orders from you!"
"Yes, you do. And you have no choice. Because up to now, little Valgaav has been such a nice companion for me. I can't remember the last time I carried such a little one around with me. He's been...quite delightful! And I would hate--just hate..."
"You!" The blond shot her visitor a horrified look. "And you've been talking to him!"
"Just phrases. Little meanings. Not much he can understand...except an occasional phrase or two."
Filia gritted her teach, the emotions tearing at her insides. "How dare you..."
Her visitor came closer, reaching out with his hand. He grasped Filia by her chin, in the same way Xellos had a few days before. "Tell me, do you know what happened with the Cloudminders so many years ago?"
"No..." shot back the nervous dragon, her emotions drained away. "No..."
"I've told you already, yet you refuse to listen..."
She tried to run away, but alas the stranger's grip was tight like a noose around her neck. She could not even budge--
No...choice.
No...fate.
"...I will...!"
Filia ended her flashback, coughing at the deadened fire pit in front of her. Her orders...her trials... Was this what she had imagined?
She shook her head, moving on with her task. Taking a couple of leaf branches, Filia meretriciously covered the signs of the fire as carefully as she could like no one had ever been there.
She took a second look out at the shallow valley of trees in front of her. The tall pine forest seemed in line the plains in front of her. In a few places, untouched snow melted peacefully. The land was perfect -- totally devoid of anything that seemed out of place. Even the Ice Hills that made the bowl of the valley were...gone. More like tiny bumps around the encircling of forest for only Filia could pick them out so carefully if she tried.
And she raised her eyes to look up at the sky...
The illusion...was perfect.
She held the weight of history. The sacrifices that every clan member had made before her. Their actions rested on her shoulders now, no matter what. For a moment, she understood why...they had done what had to be done. And her own sacrifice as well...
Complete and satisfied, she turned around to escape before anyone else saw her here. She looked up into the sky again--
A dot?
What was that speck on her illusion?
A ship...but not just any ship, but a floating ship. Its sleek lines dug perfectly into her invisible shield. Stuck like a fly on her web, it acted like a beacon for anyone within miles around. She squinted her eyes a bit more carefully, trying to make out the figure that was standing on the top of the deck...
Her heart was crushed.
The dragon cursed.
Even she wasn't immune to it.
-
---o--o--o---
-
Amelia groaned. "I can't believe Lina is going to be where the City of the Clouds is to appear before us! I'm so upset!"
The chimera turned around from his hunkered position over the controls of the ship, still trying to figure out why they were flying. "I don't think that will be a problem in our condition. Now, whether we get..." The chimera stared blandly at the swordsman, who had just come up form the little ship's cabin.
"Any luck getting into that front compartment?"
Gourry shook his head. "Something has that door locked from the inside. I couldn't budge it for one second."
The chimera frowned. He desperately wanted to take sword to the inner metallic door, but he wasn't sure if he would have any better luck.
"What about me swinging up to the front of the ship on a line," exclaimed the princess. "Come on, I could fly over the railing and..."
Zelgadis looked quite disturbed. "Have you seen what it's like overboard?" He pointed to the spot over the side of the deck past a cloud moving on their same course. "What would happen if I you were on the other side?"
Amelia moaned. "Ummm...I'd fall? And you'd come and catch me?"
The chimera tapped his foot. His rock foot. "Yea...right."
-
---o--o--o---
-
Thoth woke up with the nastiest of headaches. He tried to reason with past memories, now a blank slate from the night before. He remembered how they had been lucky to escape the blast, but where...they ended up from the swift kick in the pants...oh well...
He yawned, watching his bumbling companion lean his nose against the porthole window. The fool was so intent on the action that he disgustingly moistened up the glass with his breath.
"What's going on?" Thoth was an old man, for it took him a good minute to shake the cobwebs away.
"I...don't think were on land anymore," said Biru, his eyes budging out. "In fact..."
"What do you mean?" Thoth scrambled up, pushing the innkeeper away from the window. He was just in time to see a bird sail in the wind right next to a floating cloud. "For once, baka, you're right."
He turned away, his eyes starting to tear. Past lives bubbled from nowhere, of flying among the clouds. He hadn't sailed among the sky for a long, long time. It only made him wish that he was home.
-
---o--o--o---
-
"I told you we're not moving!" chanted Amelia, standing on one of the crossbeams of the floating ship. She did a little thumbs up with her hand before hopping down onto the main deck.
Zelgadis muttered at the clear blue sky, wondering what was causing this latest mystery. They had been drifting with the same pace as the other clouds, but then suddenly their companion cloud...was gone.
"Something's keeping us up here...instead how we were moving before."
"Maybe we're just stuck? Like there's this giant hand hold us up." Gourry scratched his head, making a little up motion with his hands. "He's got us!"
"That's crazy," replied the chimera. But as soon as he said the word, something snapped in his mind. If they were stuck, then, why weren't there...
"But...." pointed Zelgadis. "That might be the case..."
"You mean...Gourry knows something that we're missing?" said Amelia.
"Not exactly, but close." Zel swept his hand wide as if telling a fish story. "Don't you see... they're missing. They were here; I remember watching the bow of the ship float above one just a minute ago."
"I don't get it." Amelia was clearly puzzled.
"The clouds." The chimera picked up a stray piece of wood from the deck. "Let's see if I'm right," he said, throwing an arching snowball shot over the bow of the ship.
As Zel's toss peaked and started its descent the ground, it abruptly bounced as if on hit by an invisible paddle.
"Well, I'll be..."
The three of them watched the scrap piece of wood finally settle on its bouncing invisible surface, then slide right past them along the side of the ship, accelerating out of sight...
"Where's its going?" asked the blond swordsman.
Amelia sweat dropped. "And...why aren't we doing that?
"I don't know," said the chimera. "But I don't think it would be a good idea to get off."
-
---o--o--o---
-
Xelas had already determined this was going to be a bad day.
Her minions didn't show up for their morning appointed duties. Cleaning up her tent. Manning her fan. And most of all...giving her a manicure.
The fools would pay, thought the Mazoku lord. So they had been a little frightened by all her strange visitor... Tough! She made them so she could break them. The little minions would have to pay dearly for disobeying their master, their loyalty already stretched thin...
Xelas leaned back in her lounge chair, examining her fingernails. They needed a recoat and polishing only after a couple of days. How she hated to train the new ones in taking care of her needs. Maybe if she took a human's life, instead of a Mazoku, perhaps one that had worked at a beauty salon. That was the ticket.
Bored, she took out a cigarette, placed it into her holder and lit it.
Her very human enjoyment that she took pleasure in...was suddenly interrupted. She frowned at the sound of angry footsteps preceding the grandiose entrance of one of her Mazoku. Whoever it was, knew it was the wrong day and the wrong time to be messing around with her.
Joe. So the baka as come home to roost. The fool was certainly the opportunistic sort; either he was mad or a nut. She was surprised that he had survived all this time while his cousin-in-arms had whittled their punitive existence to an end at the expense of Lina and her friends.
In the last week or so, ever since her visit to Monte Darlo, her powers of persuasion over Joe had become more than temporary strained. She could no longer call on his presence; his appearances had suddenly stopped. True, he was busy in the field doing her wishes, but still...something was up. Betrayal was a common theme among stronger Mazoku, so she figured maybe...someone else had bought Joe under their wings. Even Dolphin her friend was suspiciously out of touch. Figures.
All the more reason why she was surprised to see the disfigured shape of Joe on her doorstep. She tried feeling more to his presence other than a simple aura check. Something very powerful was blocking her inquiry; whether it was her...or him, she couldn't be sure. What it was, however, quite strong--
"I've come back, pretty master..." As he made steps, Joe would chant a little line or two all while steadying his broken body with his quarterstaff.
There was terrible weakness that Xelas could immediately identify. "So you come back home to roost. Don't expect a cup a tea from me."
She saw his disfigurement, the shoulder all split open, still oozing energy like a wound that could never heal. A part of Joe had been cut away and he had not had the time to properly repair himself. She knew he was careless, but this was unforgivable. She saw the light and the dark, the hate and detest. And a secret that her subordinate had hidden for so long, coming to light-
"It was like you were at the end of all and everything." The lord was mightily annoyed. "You can't play both sides of a coin."
"Fix me, damn it." Joe needlessly dropped his quarterstaff, letting it rattle helplessly onto the ground. "That bitch split me open with the chaos blade. Stupid Cloudminders legacy, it screwed with my-"
Xelas stepped out of her lounge chair, walking sternly up to the fellow Mazoku. "Betrayer."
"You know why, master. Now more than ever, my uniqueness passes what you made me--"
"A disgrace, you mean. Better to let you die than fix your bleeding energies." She took her almost done cigarette in holder and stuck its lit end squarely into Joe's wounded shoulder. The Mazoku didn't even flinch as Xelas twisted her cigarette some more for good measure.
"Like it matters..." paused Joe, "that I would ever think of taking orders from you." His eyes shifted, from desperation to opportunity. "I'll take your energies and drain your ass, for my master will hear of your treachery--"
They grabbed each other by the throat, with Xelas getting the upper hand. She heaved Joe's weakened existence up high into the air and shook her former subordinate. She wanted to destroy him, for even in his sorry condition--
Joe reached for his neck, gagging on a set of words. Unrecognizable choking sounds were coming from his throat -- at first he thought because of Xelas and her applied pressure.
But it made him look down towards his neither region. And he recognized the real threat was the edge of a sword, swung from down under right between his legs.
A darkened and familiar shape took form behind the traitorous Mazoku. "Really...now..."
Joe reached out with his arms, trying to ensnare Xelas' energies in his falling grasp. His body was having a hard time obeying his mental orders as sword blade tore into his flesh.
"I am not pleased..."
"But...master... I was just gathering--"
The large figure twisted his sword into the gut of Joe, just enough for the Mazoku to swallow on his words. "You've failed, simpleton. Never try overplay your hand when I already know the score."
Xelas stepped back from the danger, watching the figure of Joe slide off her visitor's blade. What was solid became liquid, as if the Mazoku could no longer hold its form.
The image of Joe flowed like paints coming out of a canvas. There was no scream, no resistance. What was left of his mass was nothing more than a couple cloth scraps of floating on a pit of bubbling tar.
"If you think I'm going to thank you, then you have no idea," said the greater beast Xelas. A stranger he was not.
The visitor looked up at Xelas, the fire and anger lit in his eyes. "Come here, former partner..."
Xelas took a step back. "...You can't be serious..."
The deep-voice stranger grinned. "Oh, am I? Intermission has passed, my Mazoku lord. In fact, we're well on our way into the second act."
Her eyes caught sight of cold steel leaning on her waist. Just like Joe, the stranger's intensity over her was something that she most definitely wished to avoid.
"Here, let me put this here..." From a hidden place around his waist, the stranger placed the large dragon's egg on Xelas' chair. "And I came with breakfast."
Her eyes glared. "Get that dragon's abomination out of here!" she swore.
"Come now." The stranger came up and took her own hands from her side, bringing them up to his own. For leaning on her waist was the flat of his blade. "Does Shabby have your tongue?"
Xelas leaned forward just a bit, the stranger's sword run against her skin. The blade was so sharp that it ran through her flesh like a hot knife through butter; leaving no sign of imperfections. She squealed in hatred by licking her plush lips, admiring her pain up close as if it were her calling.
"Then obey, lord Mazoku...." beamed the stranger. "Where is Xellos! Call him, now!"
Xelas flashed her eyes open, throwing the sword blade aside in a fistful of hate. "I will...resist." But as her words said one thing, her eyes gave away something else. She was awestruck by the opportunity as it took all of her willpower to throw the occasion aside. "You will...not succeed..."
The stranger turned livid, slamming fist into the body of Xelas, throwing her backwards aside like a rag towel. She smacked her chair and fell though it tissue paper.
"Lady Beast. You and your minions have failed. I'm taking over." His anger continued, smashing a nearby chair with the twist of his arm.
Xelas looked up from behind a broken table, her lower lip cut and bleeding energy. "You...can't be serious..."
"Time to play..." whispered the stranger, "one last time..." And he raised his sword to strike another blow-
-
---o--o--o---
-
Minutes before, the purple-haired priest had arrived. Instead of entering, he hung his body close to the entrance, trying to get a better look into the tent. He had sensed the ever passing trouble from Xelas before, yet she rarely told him anything except orders. Every now and then, she'd drop a hint or two about hanging with her fellow lord Dolphin, but even that news was sparse at best. So instead, he kept his nose ever so slightly into her affairs...
He was surprised to see that his little friend Joe scampering among the outside bushes. He was definitely distracted with something on his mind as he entered Xelas' tent.
Jumping to the other side, he switched his angle to look in from the other side. "Ahhh, so rejected. A tragedy. What a shame. "
A light, a cry, and then silence.
And the Mazoku smiled, rubbing the top of his staff in sheer delight at Joe's rather hasty demise. "I see. And our last player has finally joined in."
He didn't have to look anymore, turning his back to his master's problems. "After all, a show must go on..."
-
---o--o--o---
-
"Oh Sylphiel...where are you..."
Behind Lina, the shrine maiden was panting so hard that she nearly toppled over in a fit of exhaustion. So much for easy travel, she thought. Where in the world did the sorcerer get all this excess energy?
"Sylphiel..."
So far, their overnight trip that had started in desert had taken them deeper and deeper into the forest. Each time the path climbed over a hill, the woods thickened around them little by little. Soon, the woods were so thick with branches that it shadowed out the moon, leaving their path totally dark save for Lina's magical light spell.
They continued their ascent as thick woods suddenly thinned out to nothing more than a small brush, for they had reached the tree line. The weather had turned slightly chilly, the wind increasing against their skin...
It felt like the Ice Hills were already here.
The sorcerer was waiting up the path all while leaning against large boulder. "Come on...we haven't much time..."
So impatient, thought the shrine maiden. Taking a minute to catch her breath again, she looked up in between a couple of threadbare bushes, spotting a speck of black in the sky.
"Lina! You see it up there?" said Sylphiel, pointing over the sorcerer's shoulder.
The sorcerer blinked, turning her head around lazily. "Hai, I see it! That's got to be...something!"
They were off in a dash.
-
---o--o--o---
-
The sorcerer ran up the side of the ridge, not even noticing the significance of what she was climbing. If she had noticed, then Lina would have seen that she was ascending the outside of a giant crater, the fabled outer edges of the Ice Hills.
"Wait up..." screamed the shrine maiden. She was flying fast behind the sorcerer, trying to keep up as best as she could verses the running Lina.
At last, the sorcerer made it up to a top ridge where the mountains lowered themselves on either side. Carved by water once ago was the passage to the interior. The fierce winds drove the sorcerer closer and closer to the ground, until she finally had to walk grudgingly at half of her speed.
"We're here," said Lina, her teeth chattering while she stood on top of a ice-entrusted path.
"How do you know that?"
"Cause' I'm freezing! This has to be the Ice Hills."
They continued on into the passage, passing the exposed and newly carved rocks. Frozen icicles hugged the rugged cliffs of the passage, dripping water that formed puddles where Lina had stepped. It felt refreshing that something from the other side of the mountain was blowing warm air by them. As the air grew warmer still, the two of them spotted spring flowers among the ice-lined cliff sides.
"It's so beautiful..." paused the shrine maiden.
"I know..." paused Lina, stepping around a couple of forming streams among the rocks.
Their passage ended as they finally climbed over a small ring of rock, reaching--
They stopped.
The two of them overlooked a valley of green, so lush that the grass grew perfectly like a silken carpet. Around the ice-capped hills were trees that seemed like they had been perfectly planted and placed. So natural was the land that it was like a god had come in and scooped the land away...so symmetrical that it was blessed as perfect in Sylphiel's eyes.
"It...can't be..." whispered Lina.
The valley; the place; the setting...for her dreams. This was the land, of perfection, of...
The visions was of her standing here, basking among the sun's rays. A light, followed by the wave of blue-green energy coming towards her, wiping out all of existence-
But...no City of the Clouds. Only the speck-
"Where is it?"
"You mean?" asked Sylphiel, as she too pointed up at the speck in the sky. "Its defiantly a small ship...but how would something like that get so high."
"I was expecting something--bigger."
Sylphiel nodded. "Didn't Zelgadis mention something about an airship when they overshot the Sheik's city?"
"Yea, it could be them-"
*SMACK*
Lina struck her head into something...that was not there! She reached out instinctively and felt the presence before touching it.
A...shield? All the way out here?
"Wait a second..." she said, holding her friend back from smacking the barrier.
"What is it, Lina?"
Lina looked forward. The scattering of trees were perfectly laced with tiny amounts the snow, its accumulation would surely melt by noon. "Maybe... "
She reached out again and felt the barrier ping and reverb against her touch, like a bell at midnight. But...whatever it was, was invisible. "Exactly...its too perfect." She reached for a way around it, first with a step of her feet, then with a walk -- It was like someone had built an impassable wall that prevented them from coming underneath the ship.
"Find something?" asked Sylphiel, pointing the land and sky in front of them.
"Hmm...." said the sorcerer, pressing forward with her hands. The sorcerer was absolutely enthralled by the shield as she ran down the length of the shield.
She stopped quite a few yards away and pressed inward, discovering the spherical nature of their invisible wall. "Ah-hah! I knew it! Its time to crack this baby open and I know..."
Sylphiel grabbed the sorcerer's arms by the wrist, tugging them down before the chanting of Lina unworldly spell. "What are you thinking of doing! If you take the shield down-"
Lina stopped on a dime, looking up at the airship at the same time. "Hmmm, I think you're right." She suddenly grinned. "So how about a little flight up then?"
-
---o--o--o---
-
Zelgadis muttered as he watched another piece of wood disappear as it slipped along on the invisible shield. Sliding off the shield was equivalent to dropping a brick off the ship with absolutely no parachute. Be damned if he was going to ask Amelia to help him down.
He cursed again, wondering if there was anything of use below decks. So far, Gourry and Amelia's searching had turned up nothing use. So far, no luck.
"Are you still trying to get into that inner front compartment?' hollered the chimera. His voice was starting to strain, making his throat get tighter and tighter.
"We're trying. Gourry's using his head-"
Zel frowned. How was the swordsman thinking of way to break down the door? Possibility by using his sword against the tight interior hinges? Or as a lever against the door's hinges?
"OWWW!"
"Not so hard, Gourry! I don't have enough energy to heal you!"
Zel muttered something more, this time a little more unintelligible. Damn, if only he were his normal chimera self! He would have easily crashed through the door, his old body perfect for breaking and slamming down wooden doors. Now he would be lucky to keep his only arm attached.
Alas, even with Em's earlier help the day before, the drain of energy on his body was getting worse and worse. He could literally feel the energy sap away as his body turned to rock. He'd be lucky if waking up the next morning were an option.
"So, care for a lift?"
The chimera turned around on a dime. "Lina! What...in the world?" He instinctively scratched at his eyes, trying to break the illusion. "Is that really you?"
"The one and only." The happy sorcerer softly landed on top of the bow decking on the roof area to the steps below deck. She blinked at the chimera as she took in his new look. "I see you've been to a spa."
Zelgadis growled. "You know damn well what's happening to me."
The redhead nodded, stepping closer. "Yea, I know. Thought a little encouragement might help, especially if-"
"LIIIINNNAAA!" The swordsman moved like lightning, shooting out of the lower cabin and hopping onto the deck. "I'm so-"
"EEEEP!" The sorcerer didn't have a chance, falling over because of the blond swordsman's gigantic hug.
"Awwwe, that is so sweet," commented Sylphiel, landing next to Zelgadis.
"Sylphiel!" screamed a charging Amelia, her arms encircling the sweat dropping purple shrine maiden. "Thank the gods!"
"EEEEP!" And the girls were two for two on welcome glomps.
-
---o--o--o---
-
Biru creaked open the cabin door, just enough for a good view up the stairs to the above deck. "Ah crap! That infidel is here!"
"Close the door!" shouted the old man, shrugging off his billowing headache. Thoth was so tired of the whole thing that he didn't want to deal with it anymore. Another couple of minutes, and that bumbling swordsman would have figured out how the break down the door.
"But I'm telling you!" interrupted Biru. "That annoying one who blew up that giant bridge is on deck!"
"Who?"
"That wretch queen of destruction. The redhead who deserves to eat nothing but peasant food-"
"You're kidding!" Thoth raced up to his feet, pushing the bumbling Biru out of the way. He opened the door a little bit more, just able enough to see Lina's red hair and eavesdrop on her conversation.
Biru smirked as he walked away from Thoth. That sorcerer was not going to make a fool of him! No sir!
The innkeeper took no time to argue with himself, as he stepped up on one of the old steamer trunks scattered around the room. Looking up, he reached for the ceiling hatch, the one they had fallen through before...
"Got it!"
"Pipe down-" chimed the old man, trying to listen as best as he could.
Biru didn't listen, the escape route already planned out in his mind. Even if the old man had the authority over his inn, he had considerably tired of his company. So what if the innkeeper commission punished him? So...what!
The innkeeper strained himself again to reach though the top hatch of the cabin, carefully not making a sound. With a final heave, he pushed his rotund body to the deck above. Good riddance...
-
---o--o--o---
-
Thoth had a corner of his eye on the window and the land below. The mountains were as familiar as his own skin, yet the land below was...snow-covered? How could that be--
What was she doing here! How had the timing for everything fallen apart! There was no way that she could have made it-
Thoth tried to remember. Long ago, when he flew among the clouds. Yet, he did remember the chaos box, so large yet so delicate in his hand. Like a soap bubble--
He heard something above his head, turning his head back around. Biru! What a fool he had been for not watching the coward, he muttered, all while spotting the open ceiling hatch to sky. What good would happen if he fell off the side of the stopped ship...
Still...the baka would be the perfect distraction.
And they were stopped....
He smiled inside, the memories catching up with him. "Here...there be dragons. How they repeat the past. Those traitors."
Reaching carefully among his robes, he grasped his hands around it. The chaos wand in his hand...was a box of his own pleasure, perfectly sized for traveling but necessary for these types of incidents. Still, he needed the blade to make his mission complete. His time here had to be quick.
...As he reached out with his hand and pushed the cabin door open--
-
---o--o--o---
-
"And what else happened when you where there, Lina?" asked the swordsman, looking at the redhead in more of a staring fashion.
Lina sweat dropped. "Cut that out!" slapped the sorcerer, not liking that her protector was looking at her like a piece of meat. "Fruit for brains, you should really try not to worry about me so much--"
Gourry nodded. "Oh...But Lina..." His face turned as sour as a lime.
The sorcerer folded in, if only for a second, her tone turning serious. "Uhh...Gourry..."
The blond swordsman scratched the back of his neck. "Yes?"
"Don't glomp me like that! I'm not that kind of girl!" deadpanned the redhead.
"Oh..." motioned the blond. "But I missed you! After all, it's been five days since I've seen you. We've been hunted down by winged creatures, giant crabs, and stingrays."
Lina jaw lowered like a drawbridge. "All that food without bringing me some! You have some nerve!"
Gourry slumped, retreating like a fallen hero with his back to Lina. As he passed by the chimera, Zel slapped him in the back. "Quite OK there. After all, no one is perfect."
"Hai--"
"Now, where was I," said Lina.
"Don't move!" shouted a voice, standing on the bottom stair of the steps down to the galley. Even though the shadow's hid Thoth's face, there was plenty of light to illuminate the miniature chaos box in his hands.
"Who's that?" said Zelgadis, his ears perked up from the familiar voice. "Where are you.."
"Everyone, watch out," pointed Lina at the stranger. "I've seen chaos boxes that small before," chimed Lina, her voice steeped in anger. "And believe me, they are plenty dangerous."
"Oh really?" answered back the chimera. "I've seen some fake ones as well."
"Believe me, I don't want to do this if I didn't have to." The old man stepped up a couple of more steps into the light, just enough for his face to come out of the shadows.
"Thoth!" shouted Amelia, sniffling at the same time. "You're...alive!"
"Why you dirty old-" Lina took a couple of steps forward, but her mind caught up with her instinctive actions. The baka of an old man was purposely showing off a chaos box to see, to everyone that knew well of its secrets. Such was a very dangerous matter--
Or maybe he was really just being a fool.
"Wait a sec..." she signaled to the rest of her friends before turning back to the old man. The men of the group took positions over Amelia and Sylphiel, but both of the girls squirmed around Zel and Gourry to get a better look.
Lina looked at the chaos box as she could feel a tiny bit of her energy flowing away...across the deck...to general area folded within Thoth's hands. There...she knew, a chaos box resided, its chaos dormant like a flickering flame.
"OK Thoth, or whoever you are," said the redhead, pausing after her words. "You've got our attention."
"I'm so glad." Thoth had turned around, content to stare over the bow of the ship as if waiting for the next shoe to drop. "Come on out, Biru! I know you're hiding up there!"
The group sweat dropped.
Zelgadis was first to point out the oblivious. "You knew that idiot was here!"
"Shhh-" whispered the old man.
The innkeeper's head popped out from behind one of the railings. "Thoth? I didn't mean to-"
"Never mind that!" ordered the old man as he turned back around. "Go down there and take out the chaos blade!"
Zelgadis growled. "What do you think you're doing, old man. Don't think of trifling with secrets you know nothing about."
Thoth blinked, a sudden intelligence behind his actions. "I'm sorry, but I can't afford for all of you to get involved." He stepped closer to the chimera and stared at his body, for the first time taking a good look. "You've been using the chaos boxes to heal yourself, haven't you? Which is pretty much a death wish, don't you think?"
Sylphiel gasped. "Zel!"
The chimera nodded. "And why does that matter to you?"
The old man looked up into the chimera's eyes. "Because you've already been too close to the chaos, my friend. Em has drifted you far too over. A shame her personal sacrifice was in vain."
Zel's gritted his teeth. "You...!"
"Now wait a minute-" interrupted Lina. "You can't--"
"Now...now..." Thoth tipped the miniature chaos box in his hand a little farther forward, which quickly cut off the sorcerer. "That's much better." With Biru with in tow, Thoth escorted himself towards the control panel of the flying airship.
The old man's eyes immediately fell upon the embedded hilt of the chaos blade. "Well...well, I haven't seen you in quite a while, dear old friend..."
The chaos blade glowed an ugly shade of red, filling the air with the scent of power--
"Lina!" shouted Amelia. "Do something!"
The sorcerer looked over at Thoth and Biru as they picked at the ship's control panel, trying to figure out how to release the sword. "Are you kidding me? That fool knows how to use that thing! One well-placed zap and its goodbye to me."
And then, she remembered.
The sorcerer hopped a couple of times towards the two hostage takers, getting the innkeeper's attention.
Biru turned around and looked at the sorcerer, who falsely returned on a little grin. "Sorry, it was a little slippery on the deck..."
"Get back!" yelled the innkeeper before being called back by Thoth.
Lina hopped a couple of more times until she was next to the swordsman. "Gourry!"
The blond was frozen as a glacier. "What..." he clenched through his teeth.
"Would you relax!" chimed Lina.
The blond swordsman sweat dropped. "What! They told me to freeze -- you said to listen to them!"
She gave her protector an ugly stare. "Hello! Jellyfish for brains! I didn't mean act exactly like that."
"Oh." Gourry seemed to relax a little more. "Then...can I scratch myself?"
Lina gave him a little stare. "Gourry...what do they have?"
"A chaos box," answered the blond. "And I've seen it. They're really dangerous, you should have seen it when I threw one."
"Yea, that's because boxes don't effect you."
Gourry frowned. "Yea, it kind of sucks. I've got no magic powers that they can suck up and use against me."
"Well..." Lina pushed him lovingly towards their captors. "Go get them then!"
"Ahhh..." The blond swordsman stumbled forward, a little off balance from Lina's push. With a little yelp that scared the wits out of everyone, Gourry still managed to take out his sword and do a full charge.
And trip, right into the innkeeper.
"Egads!" The balding man squealed like a pig, falling flat onto the decking.
"Quiet, and stop playing games." Thoth's body was twisted over the controls and on the ship's railing, still trying to pull the chaos blade out with both of his hands. Apparently, he had not been able to release the blade from his physical holder, so he tried brute force from above to pull the blade out. But the old man had no strength, and was quite unsucessful.
"Curses," grumbled Thoth, his feet sliding a bit as he reached around to grab a hold of the ship railing. "Biru! Help!"
"Get them!" shouted the chimera, cheering the swordsman on.
Thoth looked up for a second, seeing the inept Biru squirming around on deck like an upside-down turtle with the blond swordsman finally getting free. He took a half step backwards, not realizing that he was about to lean on weakened railing that suddenly gave way--
"Aeeeeiiii!" The old man fell off the ship, landing a few feet below on the invisible shield. He immediately ran against the pitch of the invisible shield, as his startled moments caused him to slide off towards the ground.
"Help!"
"We've got to fly!" bleated Sylphiel, racing across the deck.
"Wait a minute-" cut off the chimera. "You can't see the shield..."
Thoth slipped off his feet, face-first into the invisible shield. His squirming movement didn't help as he started sliding faster like fallen leaf caught in the currents of the river--
"No! I will...not!"
And from within his hands, the miniature chaos box popped like a balloon, exploding--
All that energy that had been built up over time let out into a sphere of blue-green energy. It was fire like the color of the sea; flames more pure and blue than anyone else had ever seen. But what it was it...was only fire on edges of the shield, cutting and forming a perfect circle of unmatched colors.
"What is...that!" pointed Amelia.
The old man looked down out rabbit hole burrowed within the invisible shield. As the portal grew in size, the group of them hushed over in silence, the portal's colors no longer conforming to the rest of the background behind it. It was if someone had punched a hole in the sky, for it had no depth whatsoever.
Lina stared, swearing the old man's body was disappearing in the middle of the air right before her very eyes...
And she gasped, finally recognizing the view from behind Thoth. Like the water's edge, she was finally able to spot the golden spires from her dream. And images of clouds from the tapestry they had all seen in Monte Darlo. And pictures from Filia's secret book.
For beyond the invisible shield...and in Thoth's little porthole...was the glorious City of the Clouds.
A popping sound. And Thoth, the portal, the images...all disappeared.
"I got it!" shouted the Innkeeper, holding the chaos blade high into the air. "Yippee!"
"Hey!" yelled Gourry, "That's ours!"
Zel spotted the smashed the airship's control panel with Biru's butcher knife still imbedded within the center of the controls. What was left of the panel was still smoldering as well as shooting off a spark or two of lightning.
"What have you done!" cursed the chimera.
The ship rocked, listing suddenly as its bow turned nastily downward towards the ground. A few beams that seemed to float before crashed into the decking, causing other ropes and lines to run free.
Lina and everyone scattered to grab a hold onto something, for everything else was suddenly going very crazy. "Abandon ship!"
Biru dropped the chaos blade. "Oh shit!"
Lina shouted out rapid-fire orders. "Amelia! Grab Biru! Sylphiel! Take Gourry!"
"Wait--!" objected Gourry as Sylphiel took a hold of the blond swordsman.
"Hai!" shouted the girls, picking up each other's men.
"Let go of me--"
The airship was accelerating down the slope of the shield, sliding off to its doom. Instead of falling like a stone, its hull splintered itself against the shield like it was being driven into a rocky shoreline. In a minute or two, there wouldn't be much left except debris.
Everyone else was gone. Except for Lina...and the chimera.
Zel looked up at Lina, his eyes dispassionate. "I'm not human or a chimera, but a statue of rock and dust. And there's no way you can get me down..."
"Trust me..." said the sorcerer. "Don't I always have a plan?"
The chimera blinked, pushing the sorcerer closer to the railing's edge. "Didn't you hear what I just said! Fly! You heard what Thoth said! I'm worth nothing! Get rid of me!"
"Not yet." Lina interrupted the chimera's rant with a slight pushback into Zel's shoulder.. "Damn it Zel, you're still alive and you're going to listen to me. And whatever I said before doesn't apply to when I can save your ass-"
Zelgadis didn't know what to say.
"Now grab hold of my waist and stay on!" She let his only dusty arm lay over her own shoulders, slightly sagging because of the heavy stone weight. "You're not dying on my shift, not just yet--"
He grudgingly obeyed the sorcerer as Lina lashed themselves together, the chimera tied like a knapsack to her back. "Like this is going to help..." He cringed, watched the ship's deck beginning to give way.
"Watch me..."
And...Lina chanted.
"....a freezing black blade of darkness…Be my power, be my arm..."
Zel let out a string of curses. Oh lord. "What...are you thinking..."
"...together we walk on the path of destruction..."
"RAGNA BLADE!"
The chimera's eyes watched the spell of light and darkness ignite, the brightness of chaos overwhelming-
But he didn't have a chance--
"AAAAggggh!"
Lina leaped-
-with Zel still attached.
They leaped over the airship's railing and towards the sky. As far as she could reach, the sorcerer thrust her Ragna Blade forward and downward, plunging its tip into the invisible shield. It split though the shield, throwing themselves up against the invisible barrier like a hilt.
Behind them, the airship's hull gave way, shattering against the artificial boundary. As the debris fell away; the sorcerer held against her cosmic blade for dear life.
"Heh...I think we'll be--"
With the chimera as the heaviest counterweight, it was gravity's superior strength that pushed the Ragna Blade through the invisible barrier. It started like a trickle as they fell an inch....then a foot...
"Spoke too soon," pinged Lina.
"I should have known -- No brakes."
"Aiiighh!" It was quick as it was painful as they accelerated toward the ground. As they fell, they counted for luck to find them a soft spot among the ground. For a few feet away, fallen debris from the airship would have torn their delicate bodies apart.
Indeed, their landfall would be very lucky.
Beyond their heads the once powerful invisible shield of the Dragon glowed white with power. The sky turned photo- negative, as everything turned to white.
But soft ground came before it was over, and with it a wave of unconsciousness.
Blackness.
-
---o--o--o---
-
Lina felt like she had awoken upon the hardest bed ever slept on. Her back was in pain as she tried to turn over, hopefully so she could straighten herself out. The moist spot in her back--
"Would you mind?" asked Zel's, from behind Lina's rear end. "I know you're light and everything..."
"Aaagh..." Lina let out a little shrill as she rolled over, falling beside the rocky chimera. "You're a frickin' rock, Zel." She dusted herself off after getting up from the ground, realizing that it was best to get up to her feet.
"I know..." said the chimera, his body mostly buried in the mud. So heavy was he that the impact had sunken the chimera deep into the moist soil, his back buried in mud. "Lina?"
But the sorcerer was distracted, just like the rest of her friends. Among perfectly white clouds, greenery of land and the blueness of water. Faded were those colors as more clouds moved away, as if raising a curtain of white.
She saw the land; firm and as lush as any imaginary place could be. And upon the lands floating in the sky, was a centered castle that even outdid the kings, the Sheiks, and the dragons themselves. Shining golden spires were few but magnificent, topped with one gigantic tower that seemed to dwarf them all; its very height hiding among the blackness of the stars.
And it was here.
"I'll be damned."
-
---o--o--o---
-
The City of the Clouds. Reflected upon a dragon's tear.
Filia's magnificent barrier. Only the power of the Lord of Nightmares could reveal such secrets. She had tried her hardest to do was right... and follow the orders of her master.
She had done everything possible to keep the Cloudminders away from her friends.
She had failed.
And the world's fate--
"Why...did this have to happen? Why couldn't I just be home...with Valgaav?" She reached into her pocket to pull out her handkerchief. And was surprised to find it missing, then remembering who she had lent it to just a couple of days before.
"Here..." said the mysterious priest, handing the dragon her own handkerchief. "You seem to be rather upset at the moment."
"Wouldn't you be upset?" She took the gift nonchalantly, dotting her eyes as she recomposed herself, then softly wiping away the moisture on her nose. "Thanks."
"Oh, I should thank you instead. I couldn't believe what good use a little personal item like that has. It's such a great scent tool--"
Filia's expression turned green as she dropped her handkerchief aside.
"Oh, you got it dirty," commented Xellos.
"They're are some things that a lady does not want to know about." Filia about to say something else when the Mazoku cut her off.
"So...what now?"
"I failed. What else is there to do?"
"Let me show you, Little dragon. Because we don't have Valgaav, but your master's..."
Her mouth was agape.
"Oh dear...I do believe Lina is in need of some guidance..."
"What are you doing!" screamed the dragon, but he had already stepped forward. She wanted to scream again, but instead hid back into the grasses. What was the baka going to do now!
-
---o--o--o---
-
Lina stared, her eyes drawn toward the floating city. As other single clouds drifted by, the city seemed to snap them up like candy, absorbing and adding to its incredible girth. It was so absolutely unimaginable that he had to pitch herself.
Xellos popped in, appearing next to the redhead like nothing had happened. "Oh, hello there. Make it down OK?"
Lina gave a little frown, her eyes glued to the magical home of the Cloudminders. "Hai, we did." She turned her head back at the smiling Mazoku. "I was wondering when you going to show up."
"Oh, I've been running errands and stuff. Perhaps Zel mentioned that he saw me a few days ago? Hmmm?"
The very stiff form of the chimera stepped forward, interrupting the fun. Behind him, a scurrying Amelia and Sylphiel were still trying to remove bits of mud from his backside.
"Yeah, we did say hello," said Zel, "Before you disappeared into thin air."
Xellos smiled. "See, I was with you all..."
Zelgadis pushed his luck. "Actually, I find it rather convenient that you would show up here, after what's happened to us and everything." He nodded up at the floating city. "Or perhaps, you came to entertain us along the way?"
"Oh, but I did want to come by just to see your little demise..." The mysterious priest disappeared and popped up next to Zel, tapping his skin with the top of his staff. It rattled hard like solid stone. "Without your little scientist friend around anymore, you few hours at best, stone boy. A shame that you won't live to see the sun rise."
The chimera growled. "Why you...!"
"Zel! Wait-!"
But the mysterious priest had disappeared, reappearing on the top of a rocky ledge a good twenty feet in front of the group of five. "Anyway," he announced, "I must congratulate you all on making it here. It's quite a accomplishment, I might add."
"Like you care," butted Zelgadis.
"Oh, I do!" Xellos turned his arms around and shifted his cape so it billowed in the wind, murmuring under his breath at the same time. "The Cloudminders. Never did I think that even I would see their city again... and on such terms, I might add."
Lina's patience was quickly growing thin. Instead, she pointed her arm forward towards the floating city, as if off on a trek. "You know where we're going, Xellos. I'll get you something in the gift shop, if that's all right."
She stepped forward a few feet, minding her own business as her companions also starting to lemming their way towards the floating city. All for naught, for the mysterious priest abruptly lowered the top of his quarterstaff directly into the sorcerer's path.
The redhead arched up a lazy eyebrow. "And what do you think you're doing?"
Her words stopped as the Mazoku's staff started to glow with energy, blackening the light around them.
The mysterious priest leaned at the waist until his eyes were at Lina's own level. He gingerly waved his fingers back and forth, as if scolding the petite sorcerer. "Ano...I must apologize. But, I'm afraid I cannot let you continue onward."
The sorcerer's eyes shifted. Hard. As the rest of them were stunned into silence.
"...What did you say?" finally said Zel, almost pushing Lina out of the way.
Xellos arched back and playfully pointed up into the sky with his staff. "Let me put it into simple words for the rest of you. You know that big flashy thing up there? Floating city with lots of clouds? Well...it's off limits. You're not going up there, not for any reason--"
And Lina blew up.
"Are you crazy! You think we all came down here so you could lecture us!"
"Zelgadis has less than a day, and then he's dead!" shouted Amelia, jumped in front of a harried Lina. "There's no way!"
Xellos was too busy enjoying himself. "A shame..." he said, not showing a care...
Sylphiel collapsed almost to the ground, if it wasn't for Gourry holding her up by the arm.
"What can't you get that through your thick skull of yours!" shouted the chimera.
"How can you be so cruel!" followed Amelia, her eyes tearing to no end.
Lina turned to her friends, her hand up as high as she could into the air. The open-faced signal immediately silenced her friends...if only for the moment.
She turned back to the Mazoku, pronouncing her words with meticulous precision. "In all my times with you, we have been on the same side...or on opposing sides. But I never thought...in my wildest dreams...that you'd be this careless...this arrogant..."
"Who says I've changed?" smiled the Mazoku. "After all, the secrets are still there, Lina. All yours for the taking. And yes, there's something up there that can most certainly cure stone boy--"
Zelgadis eyes widened with anticipation.
"But alas," countered Xellos, "I can't let any of you visit. Argitao."
Lina lowered her head as the rest of them were silent. A sigh, as she gathered her thoughts.
A few times before, she had been betrayed by the Mazoku...but then... it had never been this blunt. She had taken in the clues from him every time. He had dropped her notes all along their journey, like a bird following a line of seed...
To this...
The redhead turned her head up high. "You're wrong, Xellos. We're going up there, to uncover the secrets of the Cloudminders..."
"But Lina..." She felt the tap on her shoulder, the sound of a dragon's voice straining right behind her ear.
"Filia?" The redhead turned around, stunned at the sudden appearance of the shrine dragon.
Everyone else had frozen in their tracks as Filia walked up from behind the group.
She must have been...hiding!
And Lina immediately recognized the seriousness on the shrine dragon's face, her expression of pain-
"Filia! Where have you been? We're so worried about you-"
Eyes to eyes.
"Lina..." pleaded Filia, her eyes reddened from a rather emotional bout. "Please..."
The sorcerer's mind started to stir. What in the world was going on? How did Filia know they were here -- and why had she been hiding and following them all this time?
"Lina..." The shrine dragon repeated Lina's name, this time with urgency. "Think about what you're doing...and the fate of the world..."
The sorcerer stuttered out a couple of words, taking a half step backwards from the shock. "Wha...What!...But the prophesy of the Dragons, you mean...when we took care of Dark Star--"
"Please...this is different. This is secret that was never meant to be known by humans." She cut herself off, picking up her words right away. "Not even Lina Inverse was supposed to learn of this. Don't make this already harder than it already is..."
"Do you want Zelgadis to die? Do you!?"
Lina watched the chimera as Sylphiel and Amelia supported his stony body upright for support. Her...friends. No way that any high lord Mazoku was going to get into the way of her mission now. Especially since Xellos had practically spilled the beans on saving Zel's life.
"No, but--"
"No buts!" The sorcerer turned around, her eyes glazed over in anger at Xellos. "Don't you see?" She pointed at the mysterious priest, her sign of frustration. "He's blocking the way! That backstabbing, dirty Mazoku..."
Xellos sighed. "Yare, yare."
"Please, Lina. You have a choice..." Filia closed her eyes, her body trembling while she hid her emotions. "Please...think about if his life...and if its worth the fate of this world..."
Lina eyes grew even more as Filia's statement hit her ears. "What are you saying..."
Something...was wrong. Terribly wrong. She had seen it before in the Filia expression. Only once before, on the truth of ancient dragons, on the truth...of past transgressions...
As if... So much of the past was being repeated. Blocked away because...of the pain.
Did Filia know about the past? The second black mark...
If she knew who the Cloudminders were... then why fight it! Sins of the Golden Dragons...but this...made no sense!
"Filia," asked the sorcerer, looking for answers. "What's...going on?"
"I...can't say..." Filia took a step away, backing up from them both of them. She stared at the serious look in Lina's eyes, and then turned her eyes towards the Mazoku on the high ridge.
"Ho Filia!" waved Xellos, signaling the dragon rather playfully. He pushed his hand playfully toward the dragon. "Be a dear and tell them-"
"No..."
"Alas, you know better..." smiled the Mazoku.
"NO..." The golden dragon yelled a fright of earsplitting pain as she listen to the Mazoku's words ring true. She immediately grasped for her head as she fell to her knees, her emotions unbearable.
She looked into her hands. Red, like before. Mazoku energy, soaked into the skin. She wanted to rub it out, but no! it wasn't like she had touched it! Then how could this be! What sin had caused her to become this!
The fears rose in her mind... No! It wasn't fair! She was here...for them all...
"NOOO!" She screamed. Louder...
Sins of a dragon. No matter how long she carried on, she was at the mercy of her fellow dragons. Her clan -- she had to obey. That history was about to repeat itself.
All she could do to affirm it was obey.
She would...have to...
"You...knew..." floored Lina. "About it all, from the beginning. Even when we met you in Monte Darlo. I was afraid to tell you...all this time..."
Filia cringed, looking up from the dusty ground. "I...couldn't..."
"You never said anything!"
The rest of Lina's friend let out a breath of pain-
"You agree with him? Don't you!" Lina pointed up at the smiling Mazoku, who was looking more dark and sinister as usual. "After your clan destroyed the Cloudminders!"
The golden dragon nodded back to the redhead sorcerer, returning forgiveness by almost begging. "Please...listen to Xellos... I beg of you..."
"Filia..." called the Mazoku, playfully opening up his hand. His image was darker against the afternoon sun behind him, his shadowed face hiding the darkness. It surrounded the Mazoku and flowed down the rocks like grounded fog, its very power growing...
"....Yes?" asked the dragon, her answer half choked up. It was her eyes that earnestly looked up over Lina shoulder...for answers....
"They will not listen."
"....Hai..."
"They will not..."
She nodded.
Xellos was now totally steeped into the darkness of his own power, as his shadows reached playfully into the sky. "What shall you do--" whispered the Mazoku. "Little Dragon..."
The dragon sniffed as she raised herself off the ground, refusing to let Xellos or anyone else...look into her scarring heart of pain.
No fate.
No choice.
And time stopped.
A breeze swept by everyone, ruffling the nearby grass. Capes of everyone flapped like flags, delicately in the wind. A little cloud of dust, rising and falling all the same blow of wind. An eternity of silence upon them, as if...waiting for an answer.
And she...took a step forward.
"Filia?" Lina gaped.
The golden dragon swept right past her...
....towards a Mazoku's dark gaze.
A little dust came up where she stepped, her emotions shadowing into something so frightening....
"Filia!" Lina's mentality reeled of unspeakable thoughts.
The chimera's eyes grew wide, his mind in total shock. "What...are you doing!"
The golden dragon moved on, refusing to let out any more cries of pain. It was as if all her tears had been cast asunder, her choice made up.
Each step that she took...was harder than the one before. The strength, however, was always there as she continued walking towards Xellos.
"Filia!" yelled Gourry.
"...What's going on..." said Amelia, stunned as she watched the dragon envelope within Xellos' shadows.
The redhead didn't wait as she took rapid steps toward the golden dragon. "What else happened to the Cloudminders, Filia..." asked Lina, pleading for answers. "What else did your clan do besides eliminate them..."
Xellos jumped and landed directly into charging Lina, cutting her off in the mid stride. "Hmmm? Something up?"
The sorcerer snarled, refusing to stay in her place. She darted right past the mysterious priest, running towards Filia and peppering the blond with more questions. "Filia...! Answer me! Why didn't you tell us!"
Xellos leaped again into the sorcerer's path, this time using his form of instant teleportation. "I beg your pardon..." he bowed, "but you must be more careful." So close he stood to her that she could not duck around this time.
"Not now, Xellos!" Lina tried to push the Mazoku away, but he disappeared and reappeared just as fast; still blocking in the way. "Move, damn it!"
The Mazoku grinned, finally getting the redhead's undivided attention. "Haven't you realize it by now?"
"What!" Lina had totally lost her patience. "That you been programming her? Brainwashed her mind? There's no way she would-"
"Oh?" smiled the Mazoku. "I didn't make her--"
Lina gave him a haunted stare.
"The powers of the Cloudminders. They were, so prized in fact, that any price would have not seemed excessive. Not...by a long shot."
The sorcerer froze, listening to every morsel.
"Alas. They themselves were so strong, that alone the dragons could not have defeated them. Such would have been an impossible task..."
"No..." escaped from Lina's mouth, her stare glossy. She tried to cover her ears instinctively, still listening but refusing to believe the truth.
"So great was the Cloudminders' power...that they asked for our help." Xellos moved his body forward with such ego, so proud with himself. He looked into the sorcerer's eyes, uncovering so much that he had hidden... "How could we not refuse such an offer? After all, we destroy...not for our own survival, but to feast..."
In the distance, the purple shine maiden shrilled a painful realization.
Lina's eyes filled with hate. "You...helped them!"
"But of course!" Xellos stepped up, touching Lina's chin for a second before brushing it aside just as quickly. "The truth...was always in your dreams, Lina. I handed you the clues, each and every time. So think for a minute and put it together. Fill in those gaps...and imagine what happened so long ago..."
Lina took a step backwards, watching in her mind the attack that Xellos had only shown her the morning before. The very dream, the reason it felt incomplete...it was like a puzzle finally coming together...a culmination she could no longer avoid...
She saw the golden dragons form their energy, streaming it off like a tidal wave... And instead of an attack on the Cloudminders, they send it to the Mazoku...who captured their energy and added their own...horrible, destructive power. And from nothingness, came the combined power of light and darkness...strong enough to rival the Lord of Nightmares herself...
"It can't be..." whispered Lina. "Their clan and the Mazoku..." The sorcerer fell to her knees, taking the full disclosure in with every breath. "Darkness and light joined together-"
"Destroyed the Cloudminders..." chimed in Zelgadis.
"....to seal their secrets away," finished the sorcerer.
"That," paused the mysterious priest, "...was the price..."
"No..." cried Amelia. "That can't be true..." she sniffed, her mind refusing the truth.
Lina's eyes widened, Xellos' real secret finally coming to light.
Zelgadis stepped forward, disgusted with himself. "And to think..."
"Ano..." stroked the Mazoku. "You do see..."
Xellos smiled, teleporting back up to his elevated ridge. Xellos looked down on the golden dragon, who was kneeling down at the Mazoku's feet, the actions so invigorating. There was no doubt in Xellos' mind, that he had finally had captured his prize. The last action was no longer his to play...for the irony so delightful...
"You're nothing," mumbled the chimera, "but a traitor."
"A repeat of history, my friends, takes a long, long time. But without your help, and Lina's of course, as well as the rest of them, this might not had happened. And for that reason, I thank you. Form the bottom of my heart."
Lina fell to her knees, speechless. The entire time...Monte Darlo. Zel turning into a human and back into stone. All of it so he could..."
She looked up at the City of the Clouds. Once destroyed by the Dragons...and the Mazoku. Yet, it looked very much alive and intact. Whatever secrets they held was a threat to them both, so surely...they would do anything in the world...
"Mazoku and Dragon repeating history," spat Zelgadis.
"...All this time...both of you trying to slow us down..." floored the sorcerer as he whispered to herself; still leaning both of her palms flat on the ground, "...but it was all a lie..."
"Congratulation," bowed the Mazoku.
"Filia!" Gourry grasp at the last straws of truth.
"Please!" shouted Sylphiel, but she was quickly drowned out.
"Don't do this!" shouted Zelgadis. "You don't have to repeat the sins of your clan..."
The dragon could no longer hear her friend's pleas from within her mind. They just fell on the deaf ears, because her mind...was made up.
All she could do was look up with tears streaming from her eyes. The pain...of so many secrets finally coming true. It was suppose to be relief from salvation...but that wasn't the case... it was never the case...
The dragon looked at her hands, stained with blood. No longer her blood, but the colored in the power of Shaberinadgo. It itself was the truth...
She had no choice.
She would carry out the fate of her clan...once again... No one, not even Lina could learn the secrets of the Cloudminders. The cost to keep the secret was so great...the price of failure even higher.
"Join me..." said Xellos, from within his shadows. He touched Filia's chin, wiping away the tears of pain. "Sweet Dragon..."
"...I...shall..."
He raised his staff and pointed it back at the group of her former friends. "Those who seek the Cloudminders must be stopped..."
Filia nodded as she turned around...
"Do what you must do," whispered the Mazoku.
...She faced her friends.
Deadly silence was everywhere. Only the wind answered her beckoned call to speak up and fill the empty void with sound. And it howled...of pain, of despair...for even nature was never a timid one...
"...Filia..."
"Lina Inverse!"
"...Filia..." She could barely hear herself over the sobs of the other ladies behind her.
"By the sacred order of the last remaining member of my clan..."
The sorcerer was beyond numb.
"You will not trespass upon the City of the Clouds." Filia swallowed her pain, holding back her tears....
"...Filia..."
"And if you try...I will KILL YOU!"
-
---o--o--o---
-
[Lina] That's an evil cliffhanger! Noooo!
[Author] ^_^
-
---o--o--o---
-
I'm going to take a few month break from writing Slayers, so don't expect anything in a while. Yes, I have a full time job ^^;;;
-Incantrix
incantrix at dreamclouds.com
-
---o--o--o---