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Hello, everyone. This is my first attempt at a Slayers fic, so reviews are important. Thanks. Slayers is the property of Kadokawa Shoten and TV Tokyo. I own only the writing. Please review or send your C&C to me at doscher009@hotmail.com. Thank you. I hope you enjoy this story, because I'm having a good deal of fun writing it. ^_^
"Slayers Faces" Part 1 By: Davner Sayonara!? Breaking Up Is Hard to Do!
"MINE!" Lina screamed, stabbing her knife down on a piece of chicken that Gourry had just claimed. "Mmmmnnn!" Gourry replied, his mouth full. "Please, there's enough for everyone," Sylphiel told them, reappearing from the kitchen carrying a tray ladened with slices of cooked turkey. Lina made a dive for the tray, but Zelgadis managed to restrain her and keep her from attacking their host here in the town of Bes. "Great! Seconds!" Amelia cried. "Eighth's, actually," Zelgadis pointed out, trying to keep a handle on Lina, who was flailing about like a fish on a hook. Sylphiel smiled politely and carefully put the tray on the table before leaping back as two ravenous sorceresses and one swordsman leapt at it. Zelgadis sighed and shook his head. Sylphiel heard him and turned to him, smiling. "You're not eating anything, Mr. Zelgadis. Would you like something else? I don't mind cooking more." "No thank you, Sylphiel. The sooner we leave, the better." Sylphiel's face fell. "I'm sorry." "It has nothing to do with you," he said deadpan. "It just seems that the longer we stay in one place, the more easily we get sidetracked by something." "Sidetracked from searching for the cure to your curse, is that it?" He nodded. "Everytime we get closer, something pulls us away. I honestly think that if I had just set out on my own, I'd already be cured." "Do you really think that, Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia asked, somewhat dejectedly. Zelgadis blinked and blushed in embarrassment. He had not meant for any of his traveling companions to hear that. "Yes, I do," he said, recovering somewhat. "It's not our fault!" Lina replied to his charge. "These things just happen!" "It's not a criticism, just a statement of fact," Zelgadis told her. "Between a princess, the ancestor of the swordsman of light, and the most dangerous sorceress in the world, this group has an enemies list longer than Filia's tail." "Well, excuse us," Lina said sarcastically. "It hasn't exactly been a picnic for us, either. And you have just as many enemies as we do, you know." "Yes, but I've actually killed most of mine," Zelgadis replied calmly. "Look, Zel, we're *trying*, okay?!" "I told you. It's not a criticism, it's just a fact." "Well how the hell are we *supposed* to take it?!" Lina cried. "We've all been through Hell together!" "Yes, and the whole time, I've lived in my own private hell along with it!" Zelgadis snapped. "How many times have we delayed my search so you could have some obscure meal no one's ever heard of?! Or chase after some treasure that didn't even exist!?" "Once or twice..." Lina said innocently. "More times than I can count," Zelgadis told her. "Well, if you don't want us around, why don't you just say so?" Lina asked dangerously. Zelgadis paused. "Where are we going next?" "Well..." Lina began. "I'll have you know we're going to hop a ship and sail to Krenek." Zelgadis blinked. "What's in Krenek?" "You know....important...sorceress stuff." "Like that restauraunt you told us about, right Lina?!" Gourry chimed in. Lina face faulted. "And that magic dragon's egg that turns anything it touches to pure diamond!" Amelia threw in. Lina hit the floor. She looked up and found Zelgadis staring down at her. "A restauraunt?" he asked. "A magic dragon's egg?" "Yeah...well..." Lina said sheepishly. Zelgadis sighed. "Go." "Huh?" Lina asked. "I said go," he told her. "Call it an experiment. You go to Krenek. I'll look for the cure on my own. We'll meet back here in three months. How does that sound?" "Zel," Lina breathed. "You want to break up the group, Mr. Zelgadis?!" Amelia cried. He nodded. "We'll see which way is better." Lina took a breath. "Well, Zel...if that's how you really want it...." She looked at him. "We'll see you in three months." Amelia looked close to tears. "Mr. Zelgadis...." She stood up and hopped up onto the table. She threw her cloak back and pointed out at the group. "SOMETIMES....SOMETIMES FRIENDS MUST PART IN THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE!!!" She wiped a tear away. "AND IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE, WE PART COMPANY NOW!" Lina laughed. "Hey! This is just a temporary thing! In three months, we'll back together again! Just wait!" "Back together with who?" Gourry asked. Lina sighed. "Thank you, Gourry." "What for?" "Renewing my faith that there are some things that will never change."
Zelgadis woke up with a start. He was sitting in a chair near the bed, something that had become a habit for him. It was easier to snap awake and get moving from a chair than a bed. Like now. He reached out and slowly lifted his sword from the nearby table. There was light coming from beneath his door. The sword made a slight scratching noise as he pulled it from its sheathe. This motion stopped immediately when he heard a knock and a soft, feminine voice whisper through the door. "Mr. Zelgadis?" He replaced the sword and stood up, walking to the door and unlocking it. "Come in, Sylphiel." The priestess-sorceress opened the door and stepped in, a ball of soft, white light in her hand provided the light he had seen. "It's late," Zelgadis pointed out, a touch of irritation in his voice. "I know, Mr. Zelgadis, but I needed to speak to you, and I was unsure if you would leave early this morning or wait." "It's all right, Sylphiel. If it's important..." "I think I know where you can find your cure," she said, cutting him off. He looked up at her sharply. "What?" She cleared off the table and reached into a satchel she had brought with her, producing a map. "My father..." she paused for a second before continuing, "My father used to tell me stories, growing up, about a...a...a kind of magical fairy land where there was no magic." Zelgadis sighed. "Children's stories are of little use to me, Sylphiel..." "Father never told me children's stories!" Sylphiel told him. "Even when I was a baby, he used to tell me about the wonderful world that was out there. He didn't need fiction to entertain me, he had ancient legends and myths....and at the heart of every legend is a grain of truth." Zelgadis considered this for a moment, then nodded, inviting her to continue. "As I grew older, I found out that my father had...embellished the story slightly. But it did exist. Supposedly, it's an island far to the east, in the Sirian Sea." "As I recall," Zelgadis ventured, "The area around the Sirian Sea was the home to several Elf kingdoms." "Yes!" Sylphiel said excitedly. "And Elf magic has always differed from that of humans! From what I've learned in my father's books, somehow, some way, the Elves created a place where magic simply doesn't exist." "Perhaps, but how would this help me?" "It's not just new spells, it's *all* spells. *No* magic exists there. Not even...not even chimeras." Zelgadis looked at her. "What you are saying," he began slowly, "Is that my curse wouldn't exist on this island? That it would what? Fade away?" "It might," she told him. He looked down at the map before him, staring at it for several minutes. Sylphiel watched him, observing his internal debate. Finally, he spoke. "Sylphiel, I need to use your map." "Of course, Mr. Zelgadis." "Sylphiel...thank you." She smiled. "You mustn't thank me...Not until we find it." Zelgadis blinked. "We?" "Of course," she told him. "It is I who have set you upon this course. It's only right that I see it through as well." "Sylphiel," he began quietly, "I'm not going on some picnic, this is my own personal mission. The reason I'm not going with Lina and the others is that I could move faster alone." "I won't slow you down, Mr. Zelgadis," Sylphiel promised him. "I want to go." Zelgadis opened his mouth to tell her no... "Please?" she asked quietly. "This...this is something I have to do." He looked at her, puzzled. "Why?" he asked skeptically. She turned away from him. "Don't ask me why. It just is." Zelgadis took a breath and thought on it. It wasn't as if Sylphiel were anything like Lina. He wouldn't have to put up with the constant distractions....or the noise. Amelia and Gourry weren't with them, so he wouldn't have to put up with the constant stupidity or grand pursuits of justice. He might just be able to get something done... And it would be nice to have someone there who could cast the Dragon Slave... "All right," he said. "We'll leave tomorrow. Early. Pack only what you can carry. It's best to travel light." Sylphiel nodded. The edges of Zelgadis' lips curled up in a half smile. Perhaps he was on the right track.
"MINE! MINE!" Lina cried, stabbing downward with her fork. The metal instrument of gluttony was turned by a similar fork in Gourry's hand. "You got the last sausage, Lina!" Gourry warned as the two struggled for supremacy. "This one is *mine*!" "Darkness beyond twil..." Lina began to chant, but was stopped when Gourry suddenly jammed a hard boiled egg into her mouth. "Mmmmmph!!!!" Gourry used the moment of distraction to pick up the sausage and pop it into his mouth. He swallowed and stuck his tongue out at the sorceress. "BAKA!!!" Lina screamed as she decked him. Gourry hit the floor of the inn, dazed. "Gourry dear!" Sylphiel cried, and ran to his side. Lina dusted her hands off. "Well, that's about it for breakfast," Lina said casually. "I guess we're off." She turned to Zelgadis. "Sure you won't change your mind?" Zelgadis only shook his head. "Well," Lina said, "If you need us, we'll be heading toward Giln, it's a port about three days from here." "We'll keep it in mind." Amelia blinked. "We?" Sylphiel helped Gourry to his feet. "I have decided to accompany Mr. Zelgadis." Lina blinked at this. This was a new twist. She grinned and couldn't help taking a shot at Zelgadis. "Why Zelgadis!" she cried coquettishly. "It all makes sense now, you dirty little chimera, you!" "Excuse me?" Zelgadis asked, his eyes narrowing. Lina clasped her hands in front of her and giggled girlishly. "If you wanted to be alone with Sylphiel...curled up in front of a warm campfire....all alone, you should've just said something!" "MR. ZELGADIS!" Amelia cried. "IS THIS TRUE!!??" "Of course it's not true!" both he and Sylphiel cried at once, Zelgadis in anger, Sylphiel in shocked embarrassment. Gourry blinked in puzzlement. "So you and Zelgadis are a thing?" he asked Sylphiel. Sylphiel waved her hands in front of her frantically. "No! No, Gourry dear! Lina's just playing a joke!" "Awww! I think it's cute!" Lina said in a syrupy sweet, girly voice. "It is most certainly not cute!" Amelia and Sylphiel cried at the same time. "Awwwww!" Lina squealed. "Enough!" Zelgadis announced. "If you must know, Sylphiel has information that might lead to a cure for my curse. That's all." "If you say so, Zel," Lina said with a wink. Zelgadis only sighed. Lina regarded him for a moment, then stuck out her hand. Zelgadis blinked at this. "I'm proud to have you as a friend," she told him seriously. "Good luck." "You too," he said, taking her hand and shaking it. "I hope we live to be old friends." She nodded. "Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia wept, embracing him, "Please be careful!" "Gourry dear," Sylphiel whispered, taking the blonde swordsman's hand. "Please take care." "You too, Sylphiel!" Gourry said with a smile. "I hope you and Zel have a wonderful life together!" "But...Gourry dear..." "I think you two make a wonderful couple..." "Gourry dear...." "But if you don't mind my saying," he whispered, "He's a little gruff for you..." "GOURRY DEAR!!" "Yes, Sylphiel?" She sighed. "Nothing, Gourry dear..."
Zelgadis held his cloak tighter around himself. His chimera body might be great against things like swords, but against the cold, it did very little. He looked out at the valley below him. It wasn't snowing, not yet, but in the next few weeks, they could expect it. Winter was coming. They had been walking for two days. Zelgadis had never been this way before, so he found himself relying more and more on Sylphiel. Unfortunately, she had confessed to him not long ago that the terrain ceased being familiar hours ago. Even so, they had a map and plenty of supplies. "Mr. Zelgadis! Lunch is ready!" he heard her call from their campsite. He turned and walked back to where Sylphiel was waiting. He couldn't fathom it. It was cold and miserable out, and yet she hadn't stopped smiling since this journey began. Not that he was complaining. She was certainly a more pleasant traveling companion than Lina. He watched her poke at a fish, still in the pan. She was still smiling. It wasn't him. He had no illusions about that. Sylphiel had made her feelings for Gourry nauseatingly obvious...well...to everyone but *him*, anyway. Not to mention that other one, teency, tiny detail. He had a hideous face made of stone... "Here you go," she said, handing him the frying pan and a fork. "Careful, it's hot." Zelgadis took the pan and began to eat. He watched her as she began to eat her own meal. "So what can we expect farther on?" he asked her. "I'm really not sure," she told him. "My father never really went into the details of the journey to the island, just the legend surrounding it." "I see." He took another bite. Silence. "May I ask you a question?" he asked her. She looked up at him and nodded. "Why?" "What do you mean?" "Why are you coming with me?" "I told you. I want to help you." He shook his head. "There's more to it than that. I can see it." She was quiet for several minutes. Then... "I was lonely." He blinked. He hadn't expected that kind of answer. His suspiscious nature had caused him to suspect something else, an ulterior motive like money or treasure... A *Lina* motive. "You don't understand," she told him quietly. "Before two years ago, I had never been alone. Not once in all my life. Then...Then Rezo killed Father, and...." She broke off and looked down at the ground. "For awhile, it was fine. Gourry dear and you and Lina were there. Then you left. For the first time in my life, I was totally...fully...and thouroughly.... alone." Zelgadis waited quietly for her to go on. "I hated it," she whispered. "I was forced to leave my village for the first time in my life... and it was so lonely out there." She paused again. "After the last time we split up...I swore that if I had the opportunity again, I would join your group and stay with it. I just couldn't stand it anymore." "Then why aren't you with Lina, Gourry, and Amelia?" he asked. She smiled. "Because, I have to go where I am needed. With them, I'd be in the way. Here I can help a good man find something's he's sought after for years. As much as I want to be with Gourry dear, I realize that he..." she broke off. Zelgadis said nothing. "How is the fish?" she asked, breaking the silence. "It's good," he told her, allowing her to change the subject. "I wish I had thought to bring some salt." As if on cue, a hand reached over his shoulder and sprinkled some salt on his fish. "Thank you," Zelgadis said without thinking. His eyes widened. He turned suddenly and growled. "You....*again*?!" A familiar figure in black robes and holding a staff grinned at him. "Well! This is certainly a pleasant surprise!" "Xellos," Zelgadis sighed in resignation. "Can't you go bother Lina or Gourry....or *anyone* but me!?" Sylphiel just watched the exchange quizzically. "Bother?" Xellos asked innocently. "I have no intention of being a bother. I just happened to be walking along this road when I was stopped by the most delicious aroma!" He turned to Sylphiel. "Can I assume that this was your doing, Ms. Sylphiel?" "Well," Sylphiel began, blushing slightly. "Thank you, Mr. Xellos. There's plenty if you would..." "Cut the crap, Xellos!" Zelgadis growled, interrupting them. "With you there's no such thing as coincidence. What do you want?" Xellos leaned forward and whispered conspiritorially. "Very well...I'll tell you....just this once..." Zelgadis and Sylphiel strained to listen. Xellos smiled and spread his arms wide. "I want some of Ms. Sylphiel's delicious pan fried fish!" Zelgadis hit the ground. Sylphiel sweatdropped. The chimera climbed to his feet and squared off with the Mazoku again. "I really should've seen that one coming..." "Well, one should!" Xellos chastised him. "Ms. Sylphiel's cooking is nearly legendary...if one listens to Gourry..." Sylphiel smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Xellos. Would you care for..." "Why are you following us?!" Zelgadis broke in again. Xellos wagged a finger at him. "It's terribly rude to interrupt." Zelgadis placed the blade of his sword at Xellos' throat. "Sue me," he growled. Xellos sighed. "If it makes you feel more secure, this really is just a coincidental encounter." "I don't believe you." "Okay, if it makes you feel better, I'm stalking you and plan to kill you as you sleep. Is that any better?" Zelgadis growled and lowered his sword. "I give up." "An excellent move, Mr. Zelgadis!" Xellos commended him. Xellos sat down next to their fire and rested his staff on his lap. He took a pan of fish from Sylphiel and smiled gratefully. "Fine," Zelgadis growled. "Eat your fish and take off. I want absolutely nothing to do with you." Xellos chewed and smiled. "Very well. I do have something *very* important to ask before I go." "Fine," Zelgadis replied irritably. "Please! Be serious!" Xellos told him. "This is important." "And that is?" Xellos smiled and held the empty pan out. "Can I have seconds?" Zelgadis' sword was in his hands and raised over his head in a second! "Mr. Zelgadis!" Sylphiel cried. "There's no harm in sharing some of our food with him." "I don't mind sharing food," Zelgadis told her. "It's his presence I can't stand." She tried a reassuring smile. "Surely he's not *that* bad." Zelgadis frowned and sat back down. "You'll learn." "Mr. Xellos," Sylphiel began. "By any chance, do you know about the territory east of us?" "Oh yes! I take this road often!" "Do you? Then could you tell us what's down it?" She smiled and held out a hot pan of fish. Xellos smiled. "Well, with an offer of such a delightful meal, how can one refuse? If you continue down this road, you'll come to the Wall of Wellis." "A wall?" Zelgadis asked. Xellos nodded as he chewed. "It was built by priestesses from Femille to protect this area from monsters that live to the east. It's millenia old." "Passable?" the chimera asked. Xellos nodded. "Of course." He stood up. "Well, Ms. Sylphiel, thank you for such a lovely meal." He turned to Zelgadis. "Mr. Zelgadis, a pleasure as always." "Go away," Zelgadis said deadpan. "Yes, of course," Xellos said. He started walking down the road, the same direction they were taking. Zelgadis sighed. "Mr. Zelgadis, that was quite rude of you," Sylphiel chastised him. "You don't know him the way I do, Sylphiel," he told her. "He has his own agenda, he always does."
Xellos, it seemed, was telling the truth, and it wasn't more than three or four hours before they came upon what appeared to be a long, solid brick wall that stretched out forever in both directions. It didn't look too high, only twenty feet or so. Vines and fungus grew over it, discoloring the bricks from their original red to a sickly greenish brown. The road led right into it without stopping. "Odd," Sylphiel commented. "Shouldn't there be a tunnel or a gate?" "This wall was built by the priestesses of Femille," Zelgadis reminded her. "I think they'd use magic." He ran his fingers along the wall and paused. "Well, we don't have to worry too much. Levitation!" The chimera began to float up towards the top of the wall. once he had cleared it, he began to float forward.... Only to stop dead in the air. He tried to will himself over the wall, but no matter how hard he tried, his Levitation spell wouldn't move him in that direction. He realized what was happening and floated down again. Sylphiel was waiting for him. "The wall's enchanted," he told her. "It's not only designed to block physical attacks, but magical ones as well." "Mr. Zelgadis, I..." "It's just Zelgadis," he told her gruffly. "I'm sorry?" "Zelgadis. No 'Mister.'" "Zelgadis," she began again, "I found something." He followed her and watched as she moved a browning shrub aside. A small platform about the size of a tea saucer stood on the end of a stone column about waist high. "I found another one on the other side of the road. It looks like a magical lock system." Zelgadis thought for a moment. "Meaning that two sorcerers working at these locks could open a door through the wall." "Exactly. I've seen locks similar to this before." Zelgadis smiled slightly. "Then let's give it a try." He walked across the road and found the platform's mate. He placed his hand on it and began to concentrate, allowing the sum of his powers to flow through it. Across the road, Sylphiel was doing likewise. He could see the energy flow from her hand into the lock, however... There was no energy flowing from him into his lock. He concentrated harder, focused on only the lock. The wall didn't react in the slightest. He shut his eyes and continued to try. What was wrong with this damn thing? His eyes snapped open when he heard Sylphiel moan. He looked across the road and saw her collapse. "Sylphiel!" He dashed across the road to her and knelt beside her. "Are you okay?" She looked up at him weakly and smiled. "It didn't work." "No," he said with a shake of his head. "I don't understand it." Sylphiel thought for a moment, then closed her eyes and groaned. "What?! Are you all right?" "I just realized why it didn't work," she told him. "It was made by the priestesses of Femille." "So?" "So, you're a man, Zelgadis," she pointed out. "Have you ever heard of anything the Femille make that works for a man?" "Actually," Zelgadis said with a blush, "The Femille aren't... er...*all* women..." "Well," Sylphiel continued, rising to her feet, "It seems that whoever created this wall was. It takes two sorcerESSES to open." Zelgadis growled. "To be stopped....by sex discrimination..." "We need Ms. Lina," she pointed out. "Or Amelia." "Damn," he swore. "After coming all this way...We have to go back." "It's only a small delay," Sylphiel said, putting some cheer into her voice for his benefit. "In a few days, we'll be back." He refused to be cheered by this. He now had to go crawling back to Lina and beg for help... He *knew* she was going to milk it too... "I wonder what happened to Mr. Xellos?" "Huh?" he asked. "Mr. Xellos," Sylphiel repeated. "He was coming this way too, but...where is he? He couldn't have gotten over the wall." "Actually," he told her, "If there's anyone who could figure a way over this wall, it's Xellos." Dejectedly, the two started back to town.
Sitting on the other side, his back against the wall, his staff across his lap, Xellos tossed a stone up and down to amuse himself as he listened to Zelgadis and Sylphiel make their decision to return to town. He smiled. "Well," he said to himself, "This is fortunate. More pieces always make for a more interesting game." He settled back and began to wait for them to return.
Zelgadis grit his teeth in frustration as he walked. He damned his luck again. It was bad enough to be delayed like this, it was compounded by the grin he *knew* Lina would give him when he caught up with her and explained the situation. He could just picture it. ("Wow! That was fast! Only gone a few days before you realized you needed me! Of *course* I'll help, Zel! No problem! Waiter! Dinner orders for ten! And charge it to the guy with the blue hair!") He growled low in his throat. "We'll keep on for a few more hours, then make camp," he said. "We can't delay any more than..." He stopped and turned when he realized that Sylphiel wasn't walking beside him. He blinked in surprise when he noticed that she was rather far back, leaning on a staff as she walked. "Sylphiel?" She stopped and looked up at him. "I'm all right, Mis... Zelgadis," she corrected. "Just a little tired..." She punctuated this by collapsing. "Sylphiel!" When he got to her, she was asleep. "Must have been exhausted by the lock," he muttered. He gently picked her up and carried her until he found a place for a campsite. He set up camp and started a fire, letting her sleep next to it. "Mmmm," she muttered sleepily, "Gourry dear..." She turned fitfully under her cloak and continued to murmur. He watched her do this for several minutes as he ate a travel biscuit. Finally, he laid down on his own bed roll and closed his eyes. The last words he muttered before sleep took him were, "Gourry really is an idiot..."
Giln was a port city, but not a very large one. Even so, it was the only place you could catch a ship to Krenek in this part of the world. And the last one had left only three hours before they had arrived... "We *missed* them..." Sylphiel muttered as she sat down in the restauraunt near the docks. "By only a few hours." Zelgadis growled in irritation. "The next ship for Krenek leaves in a week, then it's another *two* weeks of traveling, then who knows how long to search for them once we get there...Dammit!" He pounded his fist into the table, leaving a rather sizable impression. Sylphiel sighed. "What else can we do?" Zelgadis thought for a moment. "Actually, it's not that much of a problem. We could always *hire* a sorceress..." "Zelgadis," Sylphiel began, "First of all, the sorceress has to be fairly powerful, and secondly, where are we going to find a sorceress as powerful as Lina Inverse who will work for what little money we have?" It was at this moment that a chilling sound entered the restauraunt from the door... "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOHOHOHOHO!!!!!" Every head in the bar turned to the door. "What the hell is that?" Zelgadis asked. Sylphiel saw what had made the noise and turned slightly, blushing at the rather skimpy outfit the source was wearing. "OOOOOHOHOHOHO!!!" The laughing trailed off. "Did someone mention the name of my greatest rival?" she called out. The patrons looked to one another. "Um...I don't think so, Miss," Sylphiel offered helpfully. The woman, the source of the horrible noise approached their table and planted the palms of her hands on it, facing them. Her long, black hair matched the cloak and the skimpy outfit she wore. Her hawk-like features suggested an aggressive, yet cunning nature. And her breasts were frigg'n huge. "I believe you did, child," the woman told Sylphiel, her face barely inches from her own. "I happened to be passing by that window there when I heard someone mention my great, long-time rival...." She stood up and posed theatrically. "LINA INVERSE!!!" "Hmmm...She reminds me of someone," Zelgadis remarked. "Er...Yes..." Sylphiel tried again. "I suppose we did, if she's your great rival...Um...Do you know Miss Lina?" "Know her?!" the woman cried in astonishment. "Do you have any idea who you're speaking to, child?! I am the great Naga the Serpent! Rival and Eternal Adversary slash Comrade of Lina Inverse!" "Funny," Zelgadis remarked, "She's never mentioned you." Naga face-faulted. "Not once," Sylphiel threw in. "Well...not to me, anyway..." Naga hit the ground. She climbed to her feet and planted her hands on the table again. "I find it hard to believe that anyone who knows Lina Inverse would not have heard of me! Our exploits are legendary!" "Please, Ms. Nagi, calm down..." Sylphiel tried. "'NAGA!' It's 'Naga!'" Naga cried. She sighed and sat down. "Not once?" she asked again. Zelgadis and Sylphiel shook their heads. Naga began to shake. "I see....I see her plan!" She stood up and posed again. "SHE INTENDS TO DEFEAT ME BY OMISSION! TO HAVE MY GREAT NAME FADE FROM MEMORY!! WELL IT WON'T WORK, LINA INVERSE! MY NAME AND REPUTATION WILL RISE LIKE THE MIGHTY PHOENIX AND BURY YOU!!! OOOOOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" As she continued to laugh, Zelgadis scratched his head. "Damn, now it's actually bothering me...Who does she remind me of?" Sylphiel, however, wasn't listening. "May I assume, Miss Naga, that you are a sorceress?" Naga stopped laughing and grinned smugly. "You may. Only Lina Inverse has defeated me..." "Then you're a *powerful* sorceress," Zelgadis commented with a grin, catching onto where Sylphiel was going with this. "That's right!" Naga said, her arms over her chest. Her breasts jiggled slightly. "Then perhaps we could help each other," Sylphiel suggested. "We're looking for a sorceress who can help us open the Wall of Wellis. If you could help us, we'd be sure to tell everyone that it was the great Naga the Snake..." "Serpent! Naga the Serpent!" "Right...That it was the great Naga who opened the wall... and not Miss Lina..." "And...the payment for my services?" Naga asked smugly. Sylphiel leaned over to Zelgadis. "How much do we have?" "Two hundred," he whispered. "Twenty gold pieces," Sylphiel told her. "Done! Deal! SUCKER!" Naga cried, quickly shaking Sylphiel's hand. "OOOOHOHOHOHO!!!" "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Zelgadis asked himself. Sylphiel only smiled.
Naga tossed the potato from one hand to the other until it got cool enough to eat, then began eating with gusto. Sylphiel blinked at this and commented. "Shouldn't we wait for Zelgadis to get back before eating?" Naga shrugged. "If you want to wait, child, go right ahead, but I'm hungry." She took another bite of her hot potato. Sylphiel raised her potato, stuck firmly to the end of a stick, and took a tentative bite. Not wanting to waste anymore time, the trio had left Giln right after the deal was made. Sylphiel was finding their new traveling companion fascinating, especially the stories she told about her exploits back when Lina was her sidekick... "So, what happened after you defeated the dragon?" Sylphiel asked. "Well," Naga told her, munching on her potato, "The king and his daughter came to an agreement about her allowance, and they paid us. I gave Lina her twenty percent cut, and that was the end of it." Sylphiel nodded. She was learning more about Lina than she had ever known. "I wonder what happened to Zelgadis," she commented. "He should've been back with the water by now." Naga smiled. "How long have you two been together?" "Only for a few days," Sylphiel told her, not seeing the grin on Naga's face. "Oh..." Naga said smugly. "Well, well, well," a scratchy voice oozed from the tree line. A man in a brown cloak, holding a sword, appeared. "You ladies traveling alone?" he asked with a grin. Naga continued to eat, ignoring him. "Actually," Sylphiel began, "We're waiting for a friend." "Then perhaps I should wait with you," he said, still grinning. "Two girls, alone in the woods, might make a rather appealing target to all sorts of unsavory sorts, eh?" Sylphiel's heart plunged into her stomach as she realized this was *not* a nice man. "Perhaps you ladies should let me hold onto your valuables for you," he chuckled, raising his sword.... Naga took a bite of potato and said something. "Frzzz Brrrgo." "Huh?" the bandit asked. Naga swallowed and pointed at him. "I said, 'Freeeeze...BRID!" A blue light shot from her finger and hit the bandit. Before he could scream, he was encased in ice, the look on his face frozen as a statue of horror. Naga took another bite while Sylphiel just blinked in shock. When Zelgadis returned a few minutes later, he eyed the block of ice quizzically. "What happened here?" he asked. Naga shrugged. "Bandit. No big deal." "Oh." Zelgadis nonchalantly pushed the statue over, then kicked it down a hill. They heard a splash as it hit the river.
Naga placed her hand on the platform and grinned as energy from her hand flowed into it. On the other side of the road, Sylphiel closed her eyes and concentrated on her own platform. Zelgadis stood in front of the wall and drew his sword, just in case. With a dull, crunching noise, a section of the wall began to move to one side, revealing a short, dark tunnel. On the other end of this tunnel.... "Why hello there!" Xellos said with a friendly smile and a wave. Zelgadis stared at him in angry shock. "How...the hell.... did you get there?" "Who? Me?" Xellos asked. "I took the entrance over there." He pointed to an area farther down the wall. "The priestesses of Femille made a doorway over there after the main monster threat had passed. Didn't you know?" Zelgadis grit his teeth. "OOOOHOHOHOHO!" Naga laughed. "Nothing better than a hard three seconds' work!" She held her hand out to Sylphiel, who sighed and handed her a bag of gold coins. "Don't worry yourself, Miss Sylphiel," Xellos told her as Naga turned to leave. "Once we find the island, you'll get that money back plus thousands more." Naga stopped dead in her tracks. "Thousands?" Sylphiel asked. "Thousands?" Zelgadis remarked quizzically. "Thousands!?" Naga breathed. She turned quickly. "I suppose asking you how you know about where we're going would be a waste of time," Zelgadis commented bitterly, sheathing his sword. "Time is always important, and shouldn't be wasted," Xellos agreed with a nod. "Excuse me," Naga said, stepping up to Xellos, "But what did you mean by...'thousands?'" Xellos suddenly adopted an expression of sheepishness "Actually...." he whispered. "That's a secret." Naga grabbed him by the front of his robes, but Zelgadis stopped her. "Don't bother." As Naga was trying to rough Xellos up, Sylphiel suddenly realized another part of what he had said. "Mr. Xellos, does this mean you'll be traveling with us?" "Why I would love to!" Xellos told her as if accepting a grand invitation to a royal ball. Zelgadis sighed. "Here we go again," he muttered. "Well, are we going to stay here all day, or are we going to get this quest underway?!" Naga asked, walking towards the tunnel. "Miss Naga?" Sylphiel asked. "Well, you *did* pay me, so I suppose it would be rude to back out now. OOOOOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" Sylphiel smiled and turned to Zelgadis. He was grinding his teeth. She continued to smile at him until his expression softened. "Okay," he said. He showed a slight smile of his own. "Let's go." With that, he walked through the tunnel and into a part of the world he had never seen before. Sylphiel followed quickly after him. Naga practically ran, laughing that insane laugh, after them both. Xellos smiled and started to follow, but stopped. He turned quickly and examined the forest around him, searching the trees for something. The expression on his face was not the friendly smile he had been showing, but one of irritation, annoyance... And just a slight twinge of fear. After a moment, he turned and walked into the tunnel.
Crouched on a branch in an oak tree not far away, a pair of violet eyes watched Xellos walk through the tunnel. She smiled and hopped down to the ground. She tossed her head and threw her light purple hair back behind her. "Ah, Xellos," she whispered. "My old playmate. This is going to be fun." The owner of these words quickly rushed forward and through the tunnel right before it closed with an ominous clack.
To be continued... |