Ghost Slayers
Chapter Seventeen
By Relm
The rest of the crew dribbled in at different times. Sylphiel was first, Filia was second and Amelia was third. Straight away Filia went to her lab and went back to making more containment boxes. They probably had enough for the job that night but if they go the job for the house next door having extra was a good idea.
Amelia went back to computer work while Lina, Sylphiel and Zelgadis went to check on yesterday's 'slain' ghost.
At present Lina hadn't mentioned the rug to her crew. Though she had tried to think of a convincing story to explain the blood she hadn't come up with anything. She wasn't sure what she could say that didn't make Zelgadis sound like a pervert.
"So how was your first night at Ghost Slayers Mister Zelgadis?" Sylphiel asked once they reached the ghost containment room.
"Ah um..." Zelgadis stammered. He looked to Lina for help.
"Well Sylphiel there's a funny story about that." Lina laughed nervously. "Slimer was sleeping a bucket cradling a mop in the utility closet. And I actually scared him this morning!"
Sylphiel tried to look disapproving but a small smile crept up her face. "Miss Lina that's horrible!" She cried out in mock protest. "But seriously, how was your first night Mister Zelgadis?"
'Damn.' Zelgadis thought. 'What do I say?' He just stood there panicking not knowing what to say.
"Mister Zelgadis what happened?" Sylphiel asked again.
Zelgadis couldn't handle that questioning look of Sylphiel's face. He cracked. "Alright I confess!" He cried out. "I got spooked and ended up in Lina's bedroom last night while she was changing and I got a nosebleed and passed out! I'm not a pervert I swear! It was an accident!" He spoke very fast with such agony in his voice.
Sylphiel just stood there pondering what Zelgadis had said. "Okay."
Both Lina and Zelgadis looked at her strangely.
"Okay? Care to elaborate?" Lina prompted Sylphiel. She was quite disappointed. Lina had been expecting Sylphiel to blush and get all embarrassed but there was next to no reaction from the raven haired woman.
"Clearly Mister Zelgadis ending up in your room wouldn't make him a pervert. If he was a pervert and wanted to peek on someone he would have chosen someone with a bigger chest. He probably only ended up at your place because he feels safe with you and you two are connected." Sylphiel explained.
Zelgadis nodded in agreement.
"Now wait a minute! Are you calling me flat?" Lina screamed at Sylphiel. She was used to this kind of stuff from other people, but from Sylphiel it was unheard of.
"No no Miss Lina! I'm just saying you're not as busty as those girls that perverts usually ogle. You have a nice figure, you're just smaller." Sylphiel tried to back track her words.
"So I'm not good enough for guys to want to look at in the nude then?" Lina yelled. "Because of my 'flat' chest?"
"Now Miss Lina I didn't say that." Sylphiel tried to calm her boss down.
"But that's what you meant isn't it? That a perverted Zel would much rather look at you, Filia or Amelia in the nude but I'm not good enough?" Lina's voice got louder and louder.
"You've got nice legs." Zelgadis mumbled under his breath while blushing. He didn't think he spoke loud enough for anyone to hear.
He had been wrong.
Lina blushed bright red too embarrassed to respond.
Filia came busting into the room. "Why was Zelgadis trying to see Lina naked?"
...
Xellos sat at his desk pretending to be writing notes while he stared at his students. The pen in his hand absentmindedly scribbled across the paper.
He wasn't trying to write anything specific, he was just scribbling trying to make it look like he was writing something important. But unconsciously Xellos scribbled the same word over and over again. Filia.
To one side of Xellos' notepad was that mysterious book with the red ink. It lay open on the desk. The professor was planning after class to see if any of the other teachers knew about it. Because Xellos was so pre-occupied he didn't see a misty red hand emerge from the pages.
Xellos let out a yawn. He was getting bored. He looked down at his desk and was shocked at what he say. 'Why the hell was I writing Filia's name for?'
The misty red hand went unnoticed as it retracted the moment Xellos looked down.
Xellos put his notepad and the mysterious book both back in his desk before getting up to start making his rounds of the classroom. 'Time to make some nervous students sweat.' He thought evilly.
...
"Miss Lina I can't believe you'd purposely strip in front of Mister Zelgadis like that!" Amelia cried out.
"Excuse me? I didn't even know he was in the room!" Lina growled.
"It's bad enough that he may be a ghost but now you have to put perverse thoughts in his head too? You knew this was going to happen didn't you?" Amelia pointed at Lina. "It's been your intent all along to seduce poor Mister Zelgadis!"
Lina was very close to killing the mayor's daughter.
Since Lina's outburst everyone had gathered in Sylphiel's lab while the quiet raven haired woman tested the rug. And to grill Lina and Zelgadis. Needless to say everyone at Ghost Slayers was aware of the previous night's events.
"You know if Zelgadis really wanted to peek on a beautiful young woman why would he peek on Lina for?" Filia mused. "She practically has no bust."
"Filia! Do you have a death wish?" Lina glared at the blond woman.
"Really Lina I'm defending the two of you." Filia laughed nervously. "Clearly his intent wasn't to be a peeping tom. Otherwise he would have peeked on me or Sylphiel. We are the obvious choice."
"Hey!" Amelia protested. "Don't put me in the same category as Miss Lina! I have a much better figure that her!"
Sylphiel choose not to comment on anything as she found the idea of the situation too embarrassing. Even if it had happened to something else.
Zelgadis wanted to crawl under a rock and disappear. And seeing how Zelgadis had the ability to walk through walls he could have disappeared. But like before he forgot this fact.
Slimer was also in the room and had mysteriously gotten his hand on a dress and was wearing it. He had even reformed his body so that he appeared to have a womanly figure. He pretended to strut around while he batted his eyes flirtatiously at Zelgadis.
Zelgadis buried his face in his hands.
"I'm done analyzing the rug fibres." Sylphiel timidly spoke up.
All bickering ceased and all gathered around Sylphiel and her equipment.
"What did you find Sylphiel?" Lina prompted her.
"It's blood." Sylphiel stated rather plainly,
"We already know that." Filia rolled her eyes. "But what else is it?"
"Blood, plain ordinary human blood. Nothing jumps out at me telling this isn't regular blood. No abnormal readings. If I were to analyze this without knowing where it came from I'd figure it was from a normal living person." Sylphiel explained.
"Well I was hoping for a little more than that, but it's still a good result I guess. If Zel was a ghost he wouldn't have bled. So that's another thing to support the fact that Zelgadis is alive and not a ghost." Lina stated.
"But that still doesn't explain what I am. If I'm not dead where is my body?" Zelgadis cried out in frustration.
...
After Xellos' second class of tests he had a free period to wander around the school. Lunch would be right after third period so really Xellos had lots of time to go anywhere. He could have gone to a restaurant for lunch or home or anywhere besides staying at the school. But he did have his lunch and a mystery on his hands. Who put the book in his cabinet and what was the book for?
So with the mysterious book in hand Xellos walked around the school looking for anyone whom could answer his questions.
The first person Xellos decided to talk to was Val, the school's top English literature professor. Now the first person Xellos should have asked was the school's ancient studies professor and not an English lit teacher but Xellos always loved to irritate Val. Val was Filia's step brother and though the two didn't get along too well they did have something in common, they both hated Xellos.
At present Val was already engaged in a very animated lecture about the difference between a literary classic and the trash currently being published when Xellos busted into the classroom. Xellos didn't even try to seek in quietly, he just opened the door forcibly and it slammed against the wall turning all the heads of the students in his direction.
"Val, I need to ask you something." Xellos walked toward the aqua haired professor while flipping through the mysterious book in hands. He didn't look up he just looked at the book as he walked completely ignoring how angry Val was becoming.
"I'M TEACHING A CLASS YOU IDIOT! GET OUT!" Val screamed at Xellos pointing at the door.
This was ignored as Xellos held up the book. "I found this book-"
"I DON'T CARE! GET OUT!"
Xellos carried on completely ignoring Val's rage. "It was in my cabinet, I don't know who put it there-"
"ARE YOU DEFT? I SAID GET OUT!"
"And I can't read the language, can you?" He looked up at Val and frowned. "My you're quiet red in the face. Are you not feeling well Val?"
"I'm about to kill someone!" Val growled with the veins popping out from the sides of his head.
"Really? Why? Has someone been bothering you today?" Xellos pretended to be innocent and ignorant of what Val was saying.
"Why you annoying! Give me the damn book!" Val grabbed the book from Xellos and gave it a quick read. "What the hell is this?"
"I don't know. Someone left if for me. The writing looks like gibberish."
Val's rage completely subsided at that moment and was replaced by curiosity. "No it's not gibberish, it's a language. Probably an ancient one, though the book doesn't look old enough for the writing it contains. It's probably a reproduction of an older book. Red ink wasn't a common medium to write with though... Unless it's not ink but some other red liquid used in place of ink, like fruit juices or blood." Val mumbled to himself.
Xellos snatched the book away from Val. "I figured you wouldn't be much help. This was a waste of my time." And with that Xellos waltz his way to the door.
"Your time? YOU'RE THE ONE INTERUPTING MY CLASS!"
"It's not like your class is all that important." Xellos waved his hand in the air as he walked out the door just narrowly missing the book Val threw at him. "Now, now Val you should do something about that temper of yours. You're starting to look like your step-sister."
"STAY AWAY FROM MY CLASS! OR I WILL KILL YOU!" Val screamed as Xellos went into the hall.
Xellos let out a low chuckle as he could still hear Val ranting from inside his classroom. Since he couldn't bother his precious Filia, Val had become is replacement target. As fun as it was it just wasn't the same.
A part of Xellos wondered what Filia's opinion of the book would be. But even if he wanted to, the book wasn't enough of a justifiable reason to contact her.
'Blood huh?' Xellos mused opening the book again to look at the red lettering once more. 'What a morbid thing to write with. But if it's old and morbid then I guess that means there's only one person I can talk to shed any light on what this book is. And that's Phibrizzo our own little master of ancient studies and dead languages.' As Xellos closed the book once more the red lettering glowed with malicious intent. It seems the book didn't appreciate being repeatedly open and closed.
But of course that was silly. Since when did a book have feelings? But if you believed that books were alive you would be alarmed by the rage swelling in the blood stained pages of the book. As it raged with desire for blood, vengeance and carnage. This was no ordinary book after all. And what the book contained was not an ordinary story. No it was something different. Something very...
Evil.