A
Slayers Fanfic by Majo-chan
Part
8:
Author’s
notes: And here we go…this part is the beginning of the end! We are now
officially in the tail end of the middle part (Okay, then again…I still have to
do the part with Ruby Eye…). Whew! Amazing, I might actually end up finishing
this!!! Yes, still copying RK song titles… This one is the name of one of the
ending themes, currently my favorite song.^_^. As to all the Zel fans out
there…I know you want to lynch me, but hold your horses! The gloomy one WILL
make his appearance…ack! Don’t throw things at me!!!
**
Lina sighed. “No, Gourry. Like this.”
Amelia shook her head in despair as Lina wobbled on the high heels, then went crashing face first into the ground after Gourry. “Doesn’t anybody know how to walk in high heels?!”
“I’ve never had to wear them!” Gourry
protested, looking woefully unconvincing in a dark, richly brocaded dress with
his blond hair done up in an artfully messy bun. Lina glared balefully from the
floor in her almost skintight green dress that accented what figure she had
nicely.
“I’ve never had to…well, I hate
wearing them!”
Amelia groaned. “Well, you’ll just
all have to learn. Everyone agreed that a family of girls is a lot less
suspicious than a family of girls and guys that match the description of our
group to a T. At this rate we’ll never be ready!”
“Don’t make it sound as if we’re
going to a party or something!” Lina screeched, trying to untangle herself from
Gourry’s long, dark red skirt. “We’re trying to save our lives here!”
Gourry merely suffered in silence.
Amelia shrugged. “Well, I still
think we should dye Gourry-san’s hair black or brown. After all, Filia-san is
doing it.”
“And it looks very nice.” Xelloss’s
voice commented from further inside the half destroyed house. That was promptly
followed by the sound of a smack and a full-fledged Xelloss-Filia war starting.
“What did I say?!”
Filia stomped out into view, her
normally golden hair dyed a mousy brown. It was pulled forward into two
pigtails that covered her pointy ears from view. The Cepheed General was
wearing a faded yellow dress with pretty leather boots. “Just shut up, Xelloss.”
She huffed. “You should talk.”
Xelloss would have glared at her,
except for the fact that his bangs were covering his eyes. “Well, you’re just
jealous because I’m prettier than you.” He said snidely, putting his hand on
his hips. The magenta colored mandarin style dress that he was wearing didn’t
leave much to the imagination, which is scary considering how he was male, but
didn’t look it. It was interesting to watch the fight that took place when
Amelia had first pulled out the dress. The Demon gave up after a little ‘talk’
that Amelia gave him, Lina was under the impression that the ‘talk’ involved
some singing…
Lina winced. Ow, that must have hurt, she thought.
Filia popped a vein. “Whaat?!”
Xelloss brushed a long strand of
dark hair behind his ear. He had somehow made it long enough to reach his
waist. Magic? Amelia wondered, then decided against it. Maybe the ability to
change their physical shape was something that all Demons can do. “Hm. You just
don’t want to admit it.”
Quickly, the red-haired sorceress
interrupted before those two could get them killed. “Okay, okay. I think we’ll
try the border guards tomorrow, okay?”
Amelia frowned. “Well, are you sure?”
She asked, eyeing Gourry, who was trying to get up without tripping on his
skirt.
“Do we have any other choice?” Lina
hissed back, pointing to Filia, who was chasing a very feminine Xelloss around
the house, waving around a mace. “At this rate, one of them is going to use
magic, and the whole Dragon Army would be down our throats in a second!”
“Okay, you have a point…” Amelia
admitted.
“ Then it’s decided. Everyone
remember the story? We’re the Kanan sisters, who lost our dear father in the
destruction of our home. We’re now going to Callahan to find refuge with our
dear aunty Maria.” Lina took a deep breath, pointing to Filia and Gourry. “That’s
the two eldest, Lelay and Lala.” To Xelloss, she said, “You’re Lily, and
Amelia, you’re Lolo. I’m Lulu, okay?”
“ The names are so lame…” Filia
muttered.
“You have something to say, Filia?” Lina
gritted.
“Uh, nothing.”
**
The sun shone brightly and the sky
was completely clear. It was hard to believe that this quiet city had just
survived a major, destructive storm. The city was once again showing signs of
life, even as early as it was.
A tall, heavyset man was walking
down the nearly deserted street. He wore a large orange trenchcoat and had a
long sword strapped to his belt. All the people who saw him stayed out of his
way, for he had the aura of a man that didn’t want to be disturbed.
“Ahem.”
Garv stopped.
“Sit down, Garv.”
The Demon Lord sweatdropped, so much
for trying to be inconspicuous. “Ice cream so early in the morning?”
Zira took a bite. “What’s wrong with
ice cream?” She asked mildly. Garv plopped himself in a white chair, sighing.
The woman regarded him with detached interest, a bowl of what looked like
strawberry ice cream in her hands. He wasn’t even sure where she got that ice
cream. Heaven knows she isn’t sitting in an ice cream shop.
“Well, well, well.” Garv finally
said. “I would have never imagined that after one thousand years in hiding, I
would encounter you on the first morning of my return. Eating ice cream, no
less.”
Zira licked her spoon. “Oh? Why
not?”
“ The Knight of Chaos was a rather
elusive character, last time I checked. What are you doing, Zira, meddling in
this world’s affairs? I thought you washed your hands of us annoying mortals a
long time ago.”
“I never said mortals were annoying.”
Zira replied, then she changed the topic. “So, where are you headed now? The
Dragon Army has the city surrounded and they’re going to comb the place to make
sure they find who they were looking for. I’m pretty sure you’re one of those
people.”
Garv shrugged. “I have my ways. You
remember that the Water Dragon King sealed me in this body, right? That was the
main reason why I had to run. But I’m human in this body so the Dragons won’t
be able to detect me if I don’t use my powers.”
“Ah.” Zira said, her tone speaking
volumes. “Mind if I accompany you? Lina and company are leaving today, I want
to keep an eye on them.”
“Oh??” Garv raised one spiky
eyebrow. “Really? And just who is this Lina Inverse anyway? She knows the
Laguna Blade, a spell that only L-sama’s chosen are allowed to use. And she
claims that you’ve been giving her ‘lessons’.”
“So?”
Garv frowned at the impassive woman,
who was still eating her ice cream. “Don’t play dumb, Zira. We all know what
those ‘lessons’ are for.”
“Someone’s been meddling in things
that are none of their business.” Zira admonished, finishing her ice cream and
getting up. “Yes, Lina might be the one. But I’m not supposed to tell anyone
that.”
“So why’d you tell me?”
“Because I felt like it.” Zira
replied flippantly. “ The Knight of Cepheed will be here today. I want Lina,
Filia and Xelloss out of here as soon as possible because they should be
avoiding showdowns for as long as they possibly can. Xellas wants to meet up
with them, so I guess you’d want to come along.”
“Why do you say that?”
Zira shrugged. “Whim. Shall we go?”
Garv studied the Knight’s back for a
few seconds more before he decided to hurry to follow. He’d never quite figure
her out, the Knight. He had seen her on occasion before and during the last
war, sometimes with Dragons, sometimes with Demons, but this was the first time
he had seen her with humans. Perhaps it was a move that was long overdue. Then
again, Zira always knew exactly what she was doing.
**
“An-and…oh, my poor father!” Xelloss
sobbed. Lina fought to contain a sweatdrop as the human guard fell all over
himself trying to comfort the ‘distraught’ Lily. She had to admit his acting
was flawless, but wasn’t this overdoing it a little?
Filia dabbed at her eyes, although
in reality she was hiding a smirk. “And- and so that’s why we have to get to
Callahan.” She finished. Amelia gave her a hug and told her ‘big sis’ that
everything will be okay.
“Oh, Lala-onee-san,” Lina said,
elbowing Gourry. “Are you all right?”
Gourry took the hint. “My poor
father!” he tried to sniffle. It didn’t come out quite the way he wanted, but
the effect was there. Now the guards had five sniveling females on hand. And
they were beginning to look desperate.
“Are you sure we need to search
everything, Sergeant?” One asked. The head officer looked indecisive. Lina
hurried to remedy the situation. She never thought that the guards would be
human. The Dragons weren’t as careful as she thought.
“We…we don’t have much baggage, just
some clothes!” Lina said, eyes welling up with tears. She can throw up with
disgust later.
“We should just let them go.” The
sergeant decided. “You can-“
Lucky!
“Officer! Officer! Hold on!!”
Lina cursed mentally as the runner
came in, looking winded. Oh, that was too good to be true anyway.
“ The Dragons are coming!”
Xelloss raised an eyebrow, although
no one can see it under his bangs. They almost made it too…
“I’m sorry, ma’am. You’ll have to stay
a little longer.” The sergeant apologized. Lina chuckled nervously.
“Oh, that’s all right.” She lied.
“We have nothing to hide.”
Filia pasted a brainless smile on
her face, wondering how Xelloss always managed to do that without cramping his
face muscles. It was beginning to hurt her face. She desperately hoped that
whoever came in to check on them wouldn’t be someone that would recognize her.
Of course, the Gods didn’t listen,
as usual.
Lina gulped as a familiar, purple
haired woman entered the makeshift tent. Oh, gods no! She thought,
already panicking.
The Cepheed Knight looked over the motley group. Then tried very hard not to laugh. She wasn’t sure which was funnier, their outfits or their expressions. The human guards were looking at her with confused expressions. Obviously they didn’t know who she is, or who their charges are, either. “At ease, people.” She said with a smile, more to Lina and her group than to the guards. “Who do we have here?”
Lina wanted to crawl under a table
and hide. Or die, whichever one works better in getting away from her sister.
The sergeant got the papers and began reading it off. Lina could tell her
sister was on the edge of bursting out laughing. “Lala, Lelay, Lily, Lolo and
Lulu Kanan. They’re going to Callahan to visit their aunt, Maria. And you are?”
“Luna Inverse. Cepheed Knight.”
Luna’s eyes were hidden by her long bangs, but her smile seemed sincere. “We’re
looking for a few suspicious characters that might be trying to get out of
“MAZOKU?!” The human guards cried.
“A demon!? A creature of darkness and evil!? Here in
“Thank you.” Amelia heard Xelloss
mutter under his breath.
Luna shrugged. “Obviously, these
people don’t fit those descriptions. Let them go, don’t hold up the line.”
“Y-Yes, Knight-sama!”
Lina caught sight of her sister’s
eyes as they passed each other on the way out. Luna winked. “Good luck, sis.”
The Knight whispered.
“Thanks.”
**
“That was too close!” Amelia exhaled
silently. Gourry frowned.
“Wasn’t that Lina’s big sister?”
“Yes.” Xelloss nodded, “And that was
probably why we were allowed to go.” Not to mention that Luna knows what’s
going on, more so than the Dragons or their Elders… “ The thing now is to
keep low for a while. I think the uproar we caused in
Filia nodded. “ The fact that they
were able to send the Army shows that the Dragons are aware of us now. We can’t
hope to work without their knowledge, so caution must be the first and foremost
consideration.”
Lina rubbed her head. “Gods, this is
so confusing and complicated. Why don’t the Dragons understand that we’re
trying to do this for their own good?!”
Xelloss shrugged. “ They’re
stubborn.” he replied, giving Filia a meaningful glance. She glared at him.
“Anyway, now that we’re out, can we change? These shoes are killing me.”
Lina and Gourry immediately agreed.
“YEAH! And let’s get some food while we’re at it!” Lina suggested.
“Don’t you two ever think about
anything else?!” Filia yelled.
“I can’t help it if I can’t think
when I’m hungry!” Lina replied, already running with Gourry, who doesn’t seem
to be impeded at all by his high heels or long skirts. Filia fumed silently as
Xelloss chuckled, then moved to follow.
“Come on, Filia-chan. We won’t be
able to follow them if we don’t hurry.”
“Don’t call me Filia-chan,
Namagomi.”
Twitch.
“You two…” Amelia sighed as they
glared at each other again. “Let’s go.”
They caught up to the hungry duo by
about sundown. Lina and Gourry had already changed back into their normal
clothes and were digging into the table full of food with gusto. Amelia shook
her head, then sat down and ordered some more. Filia excused herself, wanting
to wash out the dye from her hair as soon as possible.
Lina looked up when she was almost
full. Xelloss had come down a few minutes ago, wearing his normal clothes and
smiling. Filia was still nowhere to be seen, probably still trying to wash her
hair. Amelia was on her third plate and Lina noticed Gourry taking her chicken
again. “MY CHICKEN!”
And so started another food fight.
Xelloss raised an eyebrow, eyes once
more visible since his hair was back to normal length. “Spirited, aren’t they?”
“Yes.” Amelia said between
mouthfuls. Xelloss sweatdropped.
“I think I was talking about you
too?”
“Oh.”
“Where’s Filia?” A calm voice asked
from behind them. Xelloss turned his head, smiling. Amelia also turned,
chewing. Zira and Xellas entered the restaurant, Zira pulling a chair over so
she could sit at their table. Xellas waved.
“ hello, Zira.” he said. “I think
Filia-chan’s upstairs, washing her hair. Xellas-sama, I thought you were on
Wolf Pack Island?”
“ hey, Zira!” Lina greeted, drinking
a large cup of water. “Long time no see, where have you been?”
“Oh, here and there.” She answered
vaguely.
Xelloss got up to let Xellas sit,
and she smiled. “Such a polite boy.” She murmured. Xelloss grinned.
“Whatever you say, Xellas-sama.”
“Isn’t it sickening?” Zira said
mildly. “And Lina, when are you going to finish eating? Xellas has something
that she needs to tell all of you.”
“Oh?” Lina leaned forward in her
seat, interested. The effect was somewhat ruined by the large slab of ham she
had on her fork. “That’s good, someone that is actually volunteering
information? A rare occurrence.”
Xelloss pouted. “Are you trying to
say something, Lina?”
“What do you think?” Lina snorted. “
Gourry, hurry up, Xellas has to tell us something and you should hear it too.”
“ Xellas?” Gourry said, mouth full.
“Who’s Xellas?”
Lina resisted the urge to smack him.
“ She’S XELLAS!” She yelled, waving a finger in the Demon Lord’s face. “REMEMBER?!”
Gourry thought, and one can almost
see the smoke coming out of his ears. “No.”
It was only by a supreme effort made
by Amelia, Xelloss and Xellas that Gourry was spared the fate of death and the
inn spared the fate of destruction by Fireball.
“Just tell us.” Lina muttered after
they finally released her, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms.
Xellas sweatdropped. “Well…” The petite
woman stuttered. “Um…”
“You were looking for Dolphin-dono?”
Xelloss suggested helpfully.
“Oh, that’s right. Where would I be
without you, Xel?”
“Still stuck in that crystal cave,
probably.” Filia commented dryly as she descended from upstairs. Her hair was
still a shade darker than its normal golden blond, but at least it wasn’t brown
now. “I’m glad I didn’t miss anything.” She followed up, sarcasm dripping from
her voice.
Amelia flushed. “I’m sorry,
Filia-san, I forgot to get you-“
“It’s okay, Amelia.” Filia pulled up
a chair, ignoring Xelloss’s glare. “So, please continue, Xellas.”
The Demon Lord shrugged. “I found
Dolphin, pretty much where I expected her to be. There isn’t any way for me to
break the Seal though, just as Zira said. I’m here to propose a plan of
action.”
“And what might that be?”
“You know that the Dragons are
mobilizing now against the Demons. That’s not really all that horribly
important right now because there are no Demons for them to fight, except for
Xelloss and I. Garv doesn’t count because he won’t fight for our race.” Xellas
tapped a delicately manicured fingernail against the wooden table. “And so the
outcome of the fight will be obvious, we will lose. So that brings up my point.
We need Dynast and Dolphin, and we need them as soon as possible. Dolphin might
be insane, but her power is nothing to sneeze at. And Dynast’s power is just a
hair less than that of Phibrizo’s.” her golden eyes were serious as she
regarded Lina. “I’m not asking you to fight the war for us, Lina Inverse. But
L-sama has chosen you to restore the balance, and the balance cannot be
restored if the Demons don’t even have a fighting chance in the war that will
come.”
“So what do you want me to do about
it?” Lina asked.
“I propose this:
“What?!” Lina yelled, then lowered
her voice in a hurry when the patrons of the inn all turned to look at her. “You
want Xelloss and Filia, together?! They’ll kill each other!”
Xelloss and Filia fell out of their
chairs.
“ Lina!” Filia hissed, “Okay, I
don’t agree with this arrangement either, but do you really think I’m that
childish?!”
“Yes!”
Xelloss was looking at his master
with a hurt expression. “ Xellas-sama, you wouldn’t!”
“Yes, Xel. I would. You know why I
made that arrangement, and you know I made the decision with the full intention
of backing it up.”
“But I thought that all of us had to
be present to break the Seal.” Lina protested.
Xellas and Zira shook their heads. “Not
necessarily. The Seals are all different. In this case, Dolphin’s Seal can only
be broken by humans. Dynast’s Seal, well…” The Demon Lord exchanged a look with
her servant. Xelloss nodded. “Filia-san can break Dynast’s Seal.”
Filia frowned. “ Then why does he
have to come?” She complained, pointing at Xelloss, who stuck his tongue out at
her.
“Gee, Filia-chan. I wonder if you
can find Dynast by yourself?” he replied snidely.
“You two, quit it.” Zira said. “
Xelloss is going because he knows where Dynast is Sealed. He can also help you
deal with any problems that might come up.”
“And what might those problems be?”
Filia asked.
Xellas sipped her wine that she had
gotten from somewhere, Lina wasn’t sure where exactly. “I’ve been out for a
thousand years, so I’m not up to date on the Demons that are still loose. But
Xel tells me that Dynast’s General, Sheela is still in the North Pole, looking
for her Master. I’m sure she won’t take any intrusion into her territory
kindly.”
“Not to mention that Sheela hates my
guts.” Xelloss noted cheerfully.
“Oh? I wonder why?” Filia replied
scathingly. “You have such a charming personality.”
“Why, thank you, Filia-chan. You’re too
kind.” he retorted, voice dripping with syrupy venom.
Lina poked Xellas. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” She whispered. Xellas sweatdropped.
“No.” She whispered back. “But it’s
the best and only way.”
“Don’t we get some say in this?!”
Xelloss and Filia yelled.
**
The morning found the band of
travelers at the door of the inn, ready to depart in their separate directions.
Xelloss and Filia stood in front of Lina like children who were being scolded.
“Xelloss, don’t even think of
teasing Filia and starting a fight.” Lina said sternly. “And Filia, control
your temper. I don’t want to hear about how you two got into a fight and
accidentally destroyed the North Pole, okay?”
They grumbled a bit, but nodded.
“Gods, I’m so worried.” Lina threw
up her hands and gave her teacher an appealing look. “Can’t you go with them, Zira?
Please?”
Zira crossed her legs, sitting on a
railing. “No. “ She answered simply. “ They have to learn to get along sooner
or later. It’s later already.”
They glared at her.
“Don’t glare at me. Concentrate on
not messing up.”
Xellas rolled her eyes. “ Zira-san,
you can try to be a little nicer about it.”
“Why?” The woman raised an eyebrow. “
Gourry and Amelia might need a hand with the packing up. Why don’t you go help
them?”
Xelloss and Filia watched as they
headed off. Lina waved and they waved back half-heartedly. Soon, the other
group was out of sight.
Wind whooshed past the two.
“Well…we might as well get started.”
Filia said reluctantly.
“Okay.”
Wind whooshed again. This time the
author even remembered to include tumbleweed.
“We’re going to the North Pole,
right?”
“Uh-huh.”
Filia took out a map. “That’s really
far away.”
“Okay?”
“SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THERE?!”
Silence.
“You’re a dragon, aren’t you? Just
transform and fly there. It shouldn’t take you more than a few days.” Xelloss
commented. Filia raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, and how do you plan to keep up
with me, Na-I mean, Xelloss?” She caught herself just in time. Lina had made it
clear that there would be no name calling on this trip. Or else.
She’ll just wait until they were out
of hearing range.
He flashed her a grin. “That is a
secret.”
She glared at him. “Fine, be that
way.”
“We should get started,” he noted. “Shall
we find you a more secluded place to transform? Somewhere out of town, maybe?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Aw, a little shy?”
“Shut up.”
**
Lina sneezed. “I’m worried about
those two…” She muttered, blowing her nose. Amelia chuckled ruefully.
“ Zira-san is right, Lina-san. You
can’t be the referee for them forever.” The young girl noted. “Besides, I’m
sure they understand the seriousness of the situation.”
“Right. Those two? They’re probably
going to kill each other before this whole thing is over…” Lina sighed. “But
you’re right. This is out of our hands now.” The red head hurried so she was
walking next to Xellas. “So, where are we going now? Are we going to go the
The Demon Lord shook her head. “Not
yet. There are a few things I need from
“I thought we were out of time?”
Gourry observed.
“Yeah, isn’t that what you said?”
“Relatively speaking, we’ve got
plenty of time to Unseal Dolphin because no matter what, Xel and Filia are
going to take longer than us. It’s just simple mathematics.” Xellas explained. “A
stop at Wolf Pack Island will make sure that we are more prepared for what we
might have to deal with at Dolphin’s place.”
“Where did Zira-san go?” Amelia
asked, looking around. Xellas shrugged.
“I doubt she’s coming with us on
this one. Who knows, maybe she took your advice, Lina, and went to keep an eye
on Xel and Filia.”
“So we’re going to
“About a day. The island is
inaccessible to normal people, but I know a shortcut that lets us in without
having to go into the Sea.” Xellas answered.
“That’s nice.” Lina said, making a
face. “I don’t like the ocean very much.”
“Oh? Why?”
“I don’t like water.”
Gourry gave her a quizzical look. “Why
ever not?”
“I just don’t like it, okay?” Too
many ‘fond’ memories of her sister’s favorite punishment, besides a good butt
kicking, that is.
“Oh. I like water.” Gourry
announced. “I used to live by the sea.”
“Huh?”
He grinned. “ The ocean is a
great place to practice. My dad taught me how to run in the water. It was
supposed to..” he frowned, trying to remember the words. “Um..it was supposed
to do something…”
“Strengthen your legs.” Xellas
finished. “Running in water is a rather tiring task, especially if you’re not
used to it. If you can run in it for any amount of time, then it helps your
endurance and speed tremendously.” She caught herself before she went on
further. “Ah, hehe. Sorry, I’m kinda a hunting fanatic. Um…”
Lina rolled her eyes. Well, they
don’t have Xelloss with them, but now they have his master along. Somehow, she
had the feeling that she could give him a run for his money in the weirdness
department. She just hoped Xellas didn’t have a thing for keeping secrets too… “Great,
so when are we eating lunch?”
“ Lina-san, we just ate breakfast a
half an hour ago.” Amelia said, giving her a weird look. Lina glowered.
“So I haven’t eaten in half an hour
and I’m hungry! Is there anything wrong with that?!” There were dangerous
glints in her eyes that warned Amelia that the answer better be a negative.
“No, not at all!” Amelia yelped.
Xellas chuckled.
“Well, do you want to stop and eat?”
“Yes!”
Amelia watched as Lina and Gourry
ran ahead to set up some sort of camp for lunch. “At this rate, we won’t get
anywhere.”
Xellas still looked amused. “Oh,
don’t worry about it.”
**
She hadn’t flown in such a long
time.
Cares, worries, anger, hate. All
those seemed to melt away when the cool air rushed past her in flight. She
loved flying. Her wings removed all inhibitions and limitations. She remembered
when she was young, and had flown too high, until the air was too thin to
breathe. There was a sort of light-headed exhilaration in that flight. A
knowledge of danger, mixed in with the excitement and the thrill. She could do
anything in the sky.
Filia, enjoying yourself? His
voice came through the sound of the air passing by her ears.
She was in too much of a good mood
for his voice to bother her. Yes, she answered mentally.
Try to not dally too long,
she could almost hear the smile in those words, that annoying, secretive smile.
We’re going to have to hustle if we want to get there sometime soon.
Look down.
She looked down. And saw nothing but
trees. Where? She asked, straining to see through the thick canopies.
His laughter echoed in her mind. It’s
okay, Filia. You’ll see. See those mountains ahead of us? We’ll stop there for
the night, okay? There’s a town over there.
I’ll race you. She challenged.
You sure? His amusement was
apparent. What does the winner get?
I don’t know.
The winner gets the satisfaction of
having beaten the other person, right?
Right. And the loser has to pay for
food and lodgings.
You’re on, Filia.
**
“Ah! That hit the spot!” Lina sighed
happily, leaning back against the tree while patting her stomach. “ Xellas, how
in the world did you get that deer so fast?” She asked the Demon Lord, who was
delicately cleaning her fingernails.
“Oh. I needed some exercise.” Xellas
answered distantly. Amelia shrugged, not really wanting to know more. “Well,
everyone. I’m glad to say that our journey is almost at an end. We should be
able to reach the gate by nightfall, on Wolf Pack Island immediately after
that. Then we can all get a good night’s rest and start planning our next step
tomorrow.”
“Wow, that soon?” Lina gapped. “I
thought you said it would take a little while.”
“Oh, it’s close.” Xellas assured
her. “And besides, it’s better to not dally. Xel tells me that they’re making good
progress over on their end.”
“Wait, Xelloss talked to you? When?”
Xellas frowned, thinking. “When I
was hunting, I think. He said they were racing or something silly like that, so
they would probably reach the North Pole in less than a week.”
“Less than a week?! Geez, those two
are inhuman…”
Gourry made his brilliant
observation of the day. “Those two aren’t human, are they?”
Amelia laughed. “No, but they sure
act immature sometimes.”
Xellas sighed. “And I was so hoping
they’d take me seriously…Anyway, shall we go? There’s still a good half-day’s
walk waiting for us.”
“All right! Let’s get the show on
the road!” Lina cheered. Gourry cheered with her and Xellas sweatdropped.
“Humans are so weird…” She murmured.
**
Meanwhile, at a quiet little town
square about a hundred miles from our heroes’ starting point…
“I…got…here…first…” Filia rasped,
trying to catch her breath. She collapsed against the fountain ungracefully
while he sat down on the stone cobbled street. He glared at her, brilliant eyes
hard as amethyst.
“No…you…didn’t…” he panted.
“Did too!”
“DID NOT!”
Filia finally caught her breath and
looked around at the people giving them weird looks. “Lower your voice!”
He grumbled something.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Are we staying here for
the night then?”
Every muscle and bone screamed
‘YES!’, but she ignored them. Damned be the day that she show him any weakness.
She narrowed her eyes. “Not unless you’re paying for it.”
“I’m not going to pay for it.” Was
the short answer.
With a self-assured air, she pointed
out, “You lost.”
He smiled, even though it was
looking a bit strained. “No, I didn’t. You lost.”
“You know where this is headed,
right?” She asked. He shrugged.
“We can just keep racing until one
of us wins or we both die from exhaustion.” he mused. “Either way, it’s going
to get us to the North Pole a lot quicker than if we walked.”
“That’s a good thing, I suppose.”
She shrugged. “So, where’s the next meeting point? We’d better get started.”
“Are you crazy? You’re going to kill
yourself at this pace!”
She sniffed. “I’m not going to lose
to a namagomi mazoku like you.”
Veins began popping on both of their
heads as Xelloss stood up, eyebrows twitching. “Well, then, Filia-chan. There’s
another town a hundred miles from here. Sound good?”
She nodded, standing up also. “You’re
on. I refuse to believe that I can’t beat you.”
“Haha. I’ve never lost.”
“Right.” She retorted. “Well, then.
There’s a first time for everything.”
**
Xellas giggled in a very un-Demon
Lord manner as she danced forward, pushing a few branches out of her way. The
sun was low in the sky, and the shadows long and sinister. Lina felt a bit
nervous. “And here it is! Right where I left it!”
The group walked into a small clearing, surrounded
by trees. Amelia raised an eyebrow. “Um…where is it?”
The Demon Lord looked up, surprised.
“You didn’t see it?” She asked, gesturing to the small clearing that they were
in.
Amelia shook her head. “All I see is
trees.”
Xellas frowned a little. “How odd. I
was sure…Oh, I know. Xel must have tweaked it in the past century! That’s why
you guys didn’t notice the teleportation!”
Lina sweatdropped. “Whaat?!”
Xellas waved a hand toward the
forest. “We’re on Wolf Pack Island now, isn’t that nice?”
“ON
Gourry looked around. “It all looks
the same.”
Amelia had to agree. “Xellas-san,
are you sure?”
Xellas nodded. “See? My wolves are coming.”
As if on cue, wolves began padding into the clearing, most of them barking and
a few even jumping on Xellas with joy. “Darlings!” She cooed. “I’ve missed you
all so much! I’m sorry I couldn’t stay long last time…”
Lina tuned out the Demon Lord and
tried to figure out what happened. To say that she was confused and confounded
would be an understatement…but now that she looked upon the forest, it seemed
to be thicker and darker than the forest that they were just in. But she could
have sworn that the two looked identical… “Some sort of illusion spell?” She
wondered out loud.
“Yes.” Xellas answered, a wolf in
her lap. “I think that’s it. Xel was always fond of illusions. He was probably
sealing off all the entrances and exits to Wolf Pack Island when he fiddled
with this gate. The Dragons would just love to be able to wreck this place.”
Amelia sighed. “All right. Do you
have a house of some kind on this island? Or should we start making camp?”
Xellas stood up, accidentally
spilling the wolf that was in her lap. “Oh, where are my manners? I’m so sorry!
Please, follow me.”
End