Author's note: They're still not mine. Still pretty much just set-up for the fun, mayhem, and havoc that are about to ensue. And I shake my fist at not being able to represent the Lord of Nightmare's name as an L followed by five dashes to indicate that not even Xelloss can say a Name of that magnitude.
Ten days out to sea, seven days since the last crumbs of anything edible have been eaten. My little toys have lost the energy to even squabble amongst themselves. The suggestion was made, five days back, that Lina cast another Dragon Slave behind them to create a tidal wave that would surely propel the boat towards land. Lina refused; there's no reason for casting the spell, and despite what typically ensues around her, she does not relish needless destruction. Unknowingly, she made the right choice. My Lord Beastmaster maintains good relations with Lord Deep Sea, and a blast that size would surely upset the other mazoku lord. Three days back, the chimera voiced the thought that if Lina started bitching me out, surely I'd show up to protest innocence, and they could bargain with me for safe passage to shore. Any shore. Again Lina refused, repulsed by the idea of asking for help from anyone, much less me. Ironically, I have been gently urging the ship towards a section of shore at the pleadings of the dragonkin.
When Filia's little adventure got my favorite toys stranded, the dragonkin lost touch with Lina. The young golden dragon got herself lost on the Astral Plane and when she clawed her way back to the port, Lina's ship was out of sight. She returned to the Fire Dragon King for orders, and he sent a messenger to My Lord Beastmaster in desperation and at the suggestion of the Water Dragon King. My Lord Beastmaster agreed to have me deliver Lina to a place of the dragonkin's choosing, on the condition that I accompany her as a representative of the Mazoku Race. Having no other option, they agreed. The dragonkin hope that the current situation can be resolved without our help, but they're not above trying to use us for their own ends if need be.
The port the dragonkin have selected is being attacked by bandits when Lina's enthusiasm drives the boat into the city. There is a quick fight – Lina's easier to anger when she's hungry – and then the feasting begins. This is going to take a few hours. I report to My Lord Beastmaster that Lina has been delivered to the appointed town; she in turn relays the information to the Fire Dragon King's messenger, who lumbers heavily through the Astral Plane to make his report. By the time my little friends have finished eating, a familiar profile cuts through the sky over the sea and heads out towards the desert. The chimera sees it first, but the other three don't miss it, either. They recognize it as being the same dragon that attacked the port, and Lina goes from 'sated' to 'enraged' without so much as pausing at any of the emotions between them. Starvation and exhaustion forgotten, the four dash through the streets in pursuit of the young gold.
When they catch up to her, she's in the process of assuming a human form. Faced with the girl who supposedly wanted to hire her turning into the dragon from the port, Lina stutters a moment and her train of thought crashes. She recovers as the dragon attempts pleasantries. From the Astral Plane, aura tightly bound to not reveal my presence, I watch with amusement. Let the games begin! Lina versus the Golden Dragons, round one!
Lina demands explanations; she only gets part of one before Gourry sidetracks the dragon priestess with a discussion about shifting forms. Our favorite sorceress drags the topic back to the attack on the port, and why it happened.
"I was confirming your power, as I said I would." Filia's nonchalant about the whole thing.
"So you attacked a town to do THAT?"
Boy, did the dragonkin lose points there! Manipulation and threatening innocents, way to get on Lina's good side!
"Destroying the town wasn't my intention. You did that with your spell, Miss Lina." The dragon is smug and self-righteous about it, trying to shift the blame to Lina, not wanting to admit that the Dragon Slave wouldn't have been necessary if she hadn't attacked, nor would it have damaged the town if she had staged her test elsewhere. Lina is incoherent with indignation. "Besides, if you couldn't handle something like that, I doubt you'd be able to survive what's ahead of you."
Obviously, the Fire Dragon King hadn't been informed of Lina's exploits . . . or does not believe the tales. Either way, the dragonkin have just lost some more credibility in the group's eyes. Filia goes on to recite the prophesy, and a discussion about it ensues. My Lord Beastmaster already knows more than this naïve dragon has been told; I was there when the Ancient Dragons killed the lord from another world and took his magical bow. In fact, I was the one sent to offer them the choice of keeping the bow safe but never using it, or fighting the entire Mazoku Race for it. When L-.-.-.-.-, the Lord of Nightmares and of Dreams, first inhabited Lina's body, My Lord Beastmaster sent me to ask what it was She wanted the Mazoku to do. L-.-.-.-.- took me through the barrier between worlds and let me glimpse the two worlds adjacent to ours. In one, Lord Death Fog had vanquished her opposite and the world was a sterile pit of darkness and death. In the other, Lord Dark Star and his opposite had engulfed the world in a bitter struggle for supremacy that was slowly devouring everything. The disapproval radiating from L-.-.-.-.- made it clear that these two paths were not what She desired. The Sword of Light had been used as an object demonstration; it was revealed to us that it had been created, along with five other weapons, by Lord Dark Star and his opposite at a time when they were working in harmony. Hearing the words of the prophesy, knowing what we know, a lot more is becoming clear.
Filia finally gets to the point: the dragonkin want Lina to represent humanity and save the world. My little friends laugh it off; in irritation, the dragon tells them that Lina is a fill-in, a runner-up. The blow lands, and Lina's amusement evaporates in the pain of her wounded ego. Nearly incoherent with rage, she flatly refuses to be herded around after being insulted, and the dragon brings out a small, white envelope. Whoah! I back up about fifty feet on sheer reaction to the aura that clings to the paper. The Flare Dragon's Knight . . . they sent an emissary to the Flare Dragon's Knight. Lina reads the note and freaks out, gibbering in panic and performing hysterics that would have been amusing if I weren't cringing away from the two-month-old aura on the paper.
After much cajoling and soothing and just a bit of unnerved reaction to the thought of a sister that frightens Lina where a fragment of Lord Ruby Eye failed, the others finally convince Lina to calm down and take the job.
Well, well, well. It looks like I'll have to introduce myself to Miss Filia. After all, we're going to be traveling together.