SPOOF CHASE PRODUCTIONS
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PRESENTS...
Slayers ReBirth :
Segment VI : Winged Trust
A Slayers Fanfic Series by Stefan "Twoflower" Gagne
(Almost all characters copyright H. Kanzaka / R. Araizumi,
obviously. If I ever even considered claiming that these
were my own characters I'd probably be thrown into a small
cell where I'd be forced to eat my own spleen to live.)
--> Read the enhanced hypertext version at <--
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-=-
So, it had come down to this.
"I can't say I'm surprised," I made sure to point out. "I figured,
some day, I'd have to finish things with you. Although I wasn't expecting
it in this way..."
"Is it a problem?" she asked me.
"Oh, heavens no. I'm glad to have the opportunity to work with you
again. I believe this is a fair bargain between us, yes? All past errors
and wrongs erased in favor of mutual benefit," I said, smiling wide. I
always smile. It's a cheerful way to approach your work. "It is to my
liking. Your will be done... my mistress."
She nodded once in approval, and vanished away.
I suppose you're wondering why I revealed that little secret to you.
I'll explain in a roundabout way, but don't think I'll go making a habit of
explanations. (Too early to consider doing that...) So, let's start at
the beginning, my initial reason.
I've been a rather large fan of certain literary works. They're quite
well done, even if my part in them is usually grossly misinterpreted --
understandable, understandable. Still, they're exceptional works, and done
by an exceptional author. So, I figure, if Myth can write such wondrous
tales of heroes and heroines, why can't I? And thus, this work.
Of course, I'm by no means a hero. After all, until recently, I was a
Mazoku... a stock cardboard cutout of evil, a big nasty monster who
delights in torment and death. And yes, I suppose I could be called a
sadist, or a prankster, or an "enigmatic bastard" as Lina enjoys phrasing
it... but I like to think there is a method to my madness. Thus, this
rather brief volume. It's not nearly as good as Myth's work, but perhaps
in some small way, it will vindicate my actions in the years to come. And
it was SUCH fun to write.
If you're familiar with what will doubtlessly be Myth's master work,
"Lina Inverse and the End of Everything," then you'll have a very clear
idea as to my name and my role in things. If not, here is a hint; my name
starts with an X, and Lina had assigned me to the role of 'Communications
Relay Post' in the war effort. It's actually the most ideal position,
considering my true intentions... here, I practically direct the entire war
through the manipulation of information. Lina will be far too busy on her
inane little quest to worry about managing battles.
Besides, if I didn't do a little command nudging here and there, the
winged would likely squabble and bicker over who would lead in Lina's
absence. Quite like children, they are.
And that's the situation, in summa. Except, of course, for the very
important details I deliberately left out.
Isn't this going to be fun, boys and girls?
[()()]
It's quite an involved story. Where do I begin?
I suppose I could start at the beginning, but that would make it easier
for you. Instead, I'll start near the end.
Temporally, let's take things back to when Lina had just departed. Off
she went, on another little poorly explained quest to save the world... I
suppose most people would want to complain to L-sama about that sort of
thing. She makes this nasty habit of just dropping the pieces into place,
usually on top of your head, without letting you see the big picture.
Nobody said she was a very organized deity, considering she IS a naturally
occurring embodiment of Chaos, after all..
I'm digressing, aren't I? Pardon, pardon.
Lina had just left, leaving me and the kids behind. The winged may
have presented... something vaguely resembling a unified front when Lina
was there to order them around, but shortly after her departure, the
situation got crazy once more. I opted, as usual, to sit back and enjoy
the show.
"It's not possible," Paradox was arguing. "You want to put a white
magic bubble-shield and a black magic mesh in close proximity? They'll
cancel each other out. It won't work. Why aren't you just using white
magic? That's defensive."
"White magic is what the Dragons use," Reason said cooly. I had to
admire her; although she would probably be a bummer at a party, she had a
unique ability to handle any situation aimed at her. "If a stray attack
from a Dragon falls on the shield, it may phaze through the similar magic
and strike. We need a net to capture and cancel white magic. But at the
same time, we need a white magic shield to deflect the likely powerful
black magic attacks from Mazoku--"
"A cute idea, but it's not going to happen."
"It's reasonable to think--"
"Will you SHUT UP about being reasonable!?" Paradox groaned. "You
don't see me using my name as a catch phrase. I'm not that tacky."
Now I felt like interrupting. Paradox was sort of the runt of the
litter, and it was universally acceptable to pick on him; and pick I did,
like a blister. He deserved it for my last stay at his home, too.
"I suppose it's too difficult for anybody to manage," I baited. "I
mean, you'd need to be a master at appealing the laws of reality. But I
suppose nobody has enough power to break the working machine of the
universe and allow this to work..."
"Nobody? HA! I could do it with one hand tied-- BOTH hands tied
behind my back," Paradox said, sinking his teeth into the hook.
"Oh?" I asked. "That makes it possible, then. QED."
"Wh-- yeah, but... look, it's not possible for HER, and--"
"Then you'll assist me," Reason said. "It's the only reasonable way to
make such a spell work, yes?"
"Sure, but-- HEY! I am NOT going to help--"
I cleared my throat.
"Given the lack of Linas in the immediate vicinity, I am acting captain
of the peanut gallery," I noted. "Paradox, you're going to work with her
on this device before you leave to guard your designated territories.
Please make haste."
"But--"
"Be a good boy and play well with others, now," I smiled. I believe
the point was hereby closed, so I enjoyed another gulp of the refreshing
lemonade Amelia had made for this quickie planning session.
I had the lemonade mostly to myself. Reason didn't like sugar, and
Paradox only drank wine; not that he could hold it. Drama, Love, Loathing,
Luck... they had all departed immediately after Lina, headed for parts
known. Dayvid was busy drafting up some idea on a sketchpad, oblivious to
the world around him. It was just me and Amelia in a mano-a-mano contest
for the refreshing beverages...
Fortunately, she was still outside talking to the city guard at my
suggestion, meaning more for me.
"I don't wanna sit around here," Paradox grumbled. "I have plans of my
own, you know. You think it's going to be easy shielding four different
cities in null-reality envelopes? It's a complex Talent working."
"All the more reason to hurry with Reason, yes?" I said. "Both of you,
run along. Chop chop. Got a war to fight, and I'm expecting we'll see
action shortly."
Reason didn't question or bicker like her little brother did. She
simply gave a nod, nudged Dayvid out of his engineer's trance, and the
three of them went off to the lab.
Ah, I love a war. Especially when I get to run the show. Everybody
off doing things in my grand master plan, cogs in the wheel, ticking along
nicely. Quite organized. But of course, humans themselves are not very
organized -- I suppose you heard me rant a long, long time ago about humans
and chaos, yes? Probably had it beaten into your head quite severely by
this point. (Hmm... severe beating.) It's true, I'm afraid; we're not a
very stable lot, and prone to mishaps and unforeseen quirks. Mind you, I
consider that the saving grace of the species, considering how
unimaginative the Mazoku are... we climb out of the ruts we're stuck in.
And every now and then, the chaos plays to our advantage, as I was
about to find out. (Ooh, a cliffhanger. Well, a cliffhanger for one
sentence, at least... mmm. I really must get some tips from Myth as to how
to write these things properly. Anyway...)
[()()]
There's a rather bad pun ahead, in that it's not even groaning funny.
Those with poor hearts may want to skip ahead.
Should I summarize? No. Well, yes. But I'll allow Amelia to
summarize, as she explained to me.
"I was out here waving goodbye to Lina-san and Gourry-san, and telling
the troops how we'd need their cooperation in defense of the city like you
suggested," Amelia said. "And one of them pointed up at the castle, and
went, 'What's that?' and I looked up and there was this black thing stuck
to the wall of the castle! It must have hit the stones at really really
high speed and gotten stuck or jammed in them... anyway, I had someone with
a very big ladder go and scrape it off, and..."
She gestured over to the unconscious black sorceress.
"Naga," I acknowledged. "She really does know how to make an entrance,
doesn't she? Although doesn't she usually just blow up the wall and walk
through and pose?"
"Maybe she forgot to blow it up first," Amelia suggested.
I prodded the amply bosomed woman with my staff. No, my STAFF.
Honestly.
I hadn't actually seen Naga very much. Our last encounter was back
during that whole Mirror Lores fiasco, and I was assigned to travel around
with Our Fair Lady of the Sugar High there... but trust me, you don't need
very much of Naga to properly form an impression. I could immediately tell
something was amiss, in the way she didn't move and didn't laugh and didn't
act like an impossible heroine from a bad fantasy novel. She had her usual
(and rather fetching) Battle BikiniTM on, and was clutching what looked
like the broken remains of a stick.
"Is she dead?" I asked, with secret hope.
"She's just resting," Amelia said. "I figured I'd let her sleep a
bit..."
"I wouldn't exactly call that restful," I said. "If you wouldn't mind
making with the happy holy fun fun magic?... I'd heal her myself, but I'm
rather out of practice."
And so Amelia healed up Naga, and after the usual round of 'Where am
I?' type hooplah, we got down to the reason she was hear. Most literally.
"I was having no luck finding the artifact I sought in the nation of
Ky, so I used the gift Lina gave me," she explained, holding up what was
left of the stick. "A divining rod. But when I tested it and asked for
water, it took me to a restaurant. So I asked for gold and it took me to
some dwarve's cave, and when I went for broke and asked for the idol of
Frat Hesti Orcalus, I went flying over the ocean!! I almost lost my grip a
few times! And then I came in over Sailoon very fast and that's the last
thing I remember."
Amelia-chan's reaction was typical of her.
"Woooow! You had an adventure, oneesan!" she cheered. "That's so
exciting!"
"Doesn't explain what I'm doing back HERE," Naga grumbled. "The idol
is in Ky."
"Actually, it explains things perfectly," I said, working through the
logic. (Cover your ears, cautious peoples! Let not the following passage
be heard!) "You see... your divining rod is hard of hearing. You wanted
water, you got a waiter. You asked for gold, and it took you to... let me
guess. What was the name of this dwarf?"
"Glod, why?"
"And finally, you asked for Frat Hesti Orcalus," I said. "And it
ZOOMED and zoomed, making a beeline for.... a flat chested sorceress. Who
was inside the castle at the time, so splat you went. Ta-da. Want some
lemonade?"
Always bring a refereshing beverage with you. You never know when
you'll need it.
Naturally, Naga picked up on one key thing. "Lina?" she asked. "Lina
is here? Excellent! Perhaps we can return to Ky and continue my quest! I
knew I would have difficulty without my lucky sidekick."
"Oh, Lina-san left," Amelia said. "She had to go on a really important
quest or something."
"What?!" Naga gasped, aghast, and extremely exasperated. (Mmm... that
didn't work, did it?) "She can't go on a bold journey without I, her most
powerful rival and ally! Is she mad?!"
"Perhaps a little perturbed and holding internal feelings of worry and
fear, but no, not mad," I cheerfully indicated.
Naga turned sharply towards... some direction. "I will leave
immediately to accompany her!"
"What? But you just got here, oneechan!" Amelia said, eyes wobbling.
"You should help me defend Sailoon in the spirit of love and justice!
When--"
"Sailoon isn't my concern anymore, Amelia-chan," Naga said. "You know
that."
"Mou, you're always so selfish! You wouldn't stay last time you were
here, either!"
A faint light in the sky drew my eye.
"Ah... ladies?" I said, attempting to get their attention.
"Besides, everybody knows father liked YOU best," Naga scoffed. "His
little white magic toting justice fiend. Just as good that I left! I
wasn't welcome."
"Oneeeechaaaan!" Amelia whined. "You were always welcome! We just
want you to help the family out like a true Sailoon princess! For that is
the might and glory of our noble lineage..."
The light started flashing. "Hel-looo?" I said. "People?"
"Just because--"
I gave up, and pulled a megaphone out of the dreamstuff I kept in my
pocket for just such an emergency. "*BEGGING YOUR PARDON!!!!*" I shouted
into it, shattering glass in the building behind them and generally
knocking people flat. Mmm. Perhaps that was too loud. I willed the
megaphone away, and pointed up. "I just thought you'd like to know, we're
about to be attacked."
Naga was first to her feet. "Attacked? What--"
Kaboom! Now, I'm a learned master in the field of purposeful
combustion, and I can say up front that this was a nice one. Big and
nasty, with flaring black and red fires -- that would be a stray Mazoku
shot, if not a downright intentional one. And naturally it had to hit a
nearby boarding house. Odds are a few people died in there. I had to
smile.
The girls weren't quite so happy.
"We're being attacked!!!" Amelia shrieked. "Uh.. battlestations!
Plans! Do things! Help!!"
"Funny, we hadn't gotten around to preparing yet," I said. "I suppose
this means we're all going to die?"
A Dragon swooped low over the city, majestic wings spread, as two
Mazoku followed on its tail. Judging from their auras, the Dragon didn't
stand much chance... but only one of the Mazoku was attacking it. The
other set fires down a nearby street, concentrating entirely on collateral
human property damage. Mm. Interesting.
The fire stopped short when it hit a white bubble, encasing the entire
city block. I traced the spell back to Amelia, and a small talisman with
the signet of the house de Wil Tesla Sailoon on it. A magical amplifier!
And she didn't tell me about it. Don't these nice people trust me?
"Sis, help me!" Amelia begged. "I'm not strong enough to cover the
whole city myself!"
Naga floundered about, as the ground beneath shook from the battles
above. "Me? What can I do?!"
"Use your white magic!"
"I haven't used white magic in years! How do you expect me to--"
A building not two doors down from us melted into green custard. Well,
there was a new trick. Still, Lina probably wouldn't appreciate all this
mess, so I decided to do a little manipulating.
"I suppose this means a lot of blood will be spilled today," I
commented offhand, loud enough for Naga to hear.
"B-Blood?" she asked, voice with a tell-tale wobble. I had heard she
wasn't very good with blood, after that little incident with her mother;
it's a lovely lever to push, isn't it?
"Oh, definitely. I know Mazoku," I said. "Once they finish the
Dragon, it'll be open season to have fun down here. Why, it reminds me of
the time--"
Naga took hold of the talisman with Amelia right away. I knew that
would work. It's so easy to make people do what you want when you hold
their keys... but enough bragging.
I had to admit, the end results were impressive.
The elder sister must have been, what, four times stronger than
Amelia! Who'd have known? The shield grew larger and more solid, the
white bubble brushing past my skin like icy light as it pushed outwards.
The Mazoku above were bumped aside by the energy, as Amelia and Naga tapped
into the natural magical circle installed around Sailoon City for just such
purposes... what fun! That these two silly little girls should have so
much power when combined with their family artifacts. No wonder Sailoon
hasn't fallen in any Mazoku War!
"Well done, well done," I said, clapping in appreciation.
"Shaddup, Mazoku," Naga scowled, sweat beading on her forehead as she
concentrated.
Now, honestly, you see what treatment I have to put up with?
[()()]
Not many of you have been in battles before. If you have, usually
they're of the swords and sorcery form... valiant knights and heroes
hacking off each other's limbs or burning each other to crispy, crunchy
crackers. Cute, but not quite the same as a full-tilt Mazoku-on-Dragon
holocaustic war.
The actual battle over Sailoon took roughly three hours, which isn't
all that bad, but it meant Naga and Amelia had to stay where they were in
the middle of the street and pour heaping gobs of white energy into that
shield for one hundred and eighty minutes. Can you picture that? Standing
stock still while your fellow citizens run around screaming and trying to
protect their valued relatives and material objects? Having them run up to
you, the only recognizable person in charge (royalty is commanding) and
asking what's going on, and being unable to answer more than a few words
without losing the shield?
And that's not to mention what's going on outside. Persistent fellows,
they are. The Dragons called in reinforcements, therefore, the Mazoku
called in reinforcements as well, always attributing a share of their
resources towards pulverizing the city. Initially half their forces tried
to break Amelia and Naga's spell... I did a little boosting of my own, I'll
admit, to keep the strays that snuck by in check. And I certainly had to
snag any white magic from the Dragons which accidentally phazed through.
Fortunately, the Mazoku weren't stupid, just slow... they caught on that
attacking the city was a lost cause and concentrated on the Dragons.
Still, wouldn't be safe to lower the guard one notch, and the three of us
kept things rolling until the very last magical warrior was out of sight.
Perhaps that's a rather summarized and jaded way to see things. Allow
me to compensate by describing the aftermath.
Sailoon was not a pretty sight. Some property damage, granted, but
that wasn't the real toll. Perhaps Zelas-Metallum had orchestrated this
fight? She knows the value of terrified prey, and the people of Sailoon
certainly chalked up some major stress points. The guard had to be
deployed to prevent rioting, and there was a mass exodus as those who
didn't want to stick around chose not to -- silly, silly people! Didn't
they realize outside was more dangerous than inside?
As for the girls... hooo. Need I say? Perhaps you could feel
equivalent status by not sleeping for three or four days and running a hard
intravenous line of coffee into your neck. To say they were strung out is
to be an insult to string.
Actually, this was a good thing for me.
It meant nobody was left in charge of the city. Not in any real
sense. Follow the logic : the king himself was, as usual, on the verge of
dying of old age... and his relatives were usually too busy plotting to
make that verge a nice, lemming-oriented cliff. Prince Phil could handle
the pesky and useless city guard, and the unofficial leader of the actual
troops that mattered was now completely exhausted. Thus, it was my turn.
(I hope I can impress Lina with my tactical skills one day, if she ever
reads this memoir.)
I swooped in like an angel and took control once our little party had
limped its way back to the castle.
"You two look like Hell," I stated politely. "Believe me, I know this
for a fact."
"mrr.." Amelia mumbled. Naga was a little less drained, given her
power ranking, but didn't respond.
"I think you need to go to bed now, and not wake up until lunchtime
tomorrow," I suggested. "I'll handle things. Yes?"
"Sure," Amelia replied, without thinking. (Best kind of reply.)
I summoned the nearest maids with a mental flick -- okay, okay, perhaps
my time with the Mazoku has left me with a few staple evil gags -- and
spoke to their minds.
"*Ensure that the princesses have comfortable beds and don't leave them
until midday tomorrow,*" I ordered. The maids nodded in sync. I felt a
bit tempted to ask one of them to stay behind and help me celebrate my
victory... oh, dear. That really DOES sound like a staple evil gag,
doesn't it? And here I am, a human being. I suppose I should feel
shamed. In a way, I do, but not for reasons you may suspect -- I simply
didn't think it was appropriate to relax when I needed to take care of
business.
Next stop : Dayvid's lab. After all, the Mazoku would be back soon.
As interesting as it would be for them to crush Amelia's little spells,
it's not what Lina wants to happen, and to prevent it, we'll need my son's
genius.
[()()]
Allow me to pause one moment and clarify my relationship with my son.
Yes, I know... breaks the flow of the narrative, doesn't it? I apologize.
Those uninterested may skip on to the next section, which has lots of cool
science stuff and magical tinkerings.
Now, you can call me a sadist, or an irresponsible jerk. Why, feel
free to call me an evil beast! I'd just laugh at you, but you can go
ahead. But one thing I'd prefer not to be called is a bad father.
It was an interesting experiment to begin with... I had a few decades
free from my job as a Mazoku agent, so why not mix and mingle with the
humans? Get in touch with my roots, so to speak. I got rather interested
in musical entertainments, as I'm rather good with a violin myself... not
as hip as those guitars the kids play, but classically stylish. It was at
a concerto that I met her.
No, her name wasn't Luna. Let me crush that rumor here and now.
Her name was in fact Lyra.
Maybe it's just the letter L. I like girls with names that start in L.
But I digress!
I met her at a concerto, as mentioned, but the real orchestra was
playing just for us. Cheesy? Perhaps to you, but this was back when I was
first rediscovering my human side. Emotional reactions, while not gone in
the sense of some silly chimera, were certainly suppressed while I did my
work... I enjoyed the slaughter of Dragons, but simple pleasures like a
good sundae or a warm hand in mine were quite new to me. So, when I met
this simply... oh, I can't describe it! She was so warm and friendly, with
smiles that rival my own, and intellectual beyond any of the cheap and
uninteresting Mazoku I knew! I would even go out on a limb and say she was
more fun to be around than Zelas-Metallum.
But love her? Difficult question. How was I to know? After all, I
lived for my work up to that point and never really bothered to consider
it. Most female Mazoku would stab you in the back rather than kiss you if
it would get them something. Still, I'm not a whiny sort of person. I
married Lyra without dwelling too much on love. We got along in some
unusual, indescribable way, and that seemed to be enough.
Soon afterwards, Dayvid was born. I was a little hesitant, not quite
sure how my Mazoku nature would affect things, but Dayvid proved to be an
astoundingly bright lad. Here, I thought, would make an interesting heir
to the vast amount of arcane knowledge I had obtained! But when I tried to
teach him magic, or encourage him in various activities, he rebelled. I
made the large mistake of trying to forcibly guide him towards sorcery, and
he naturally jumped at the chance to be a scientist.
Mmm.
I guess I was a bad father. But I didn't try to be, heavens no, much
the opposite. Still, the doormat to Hell is scuffled by the feet of good
intentions, and things didn't work out. To make matters worse, I had to
cut my vacation short, as only a few years after Dayvid's birth,
Zelas-Metallum called me away to start tailing Lina Inverse.
And so, I put that phase of my life behind me and did what I was told
to do. Sometimes I wonder if I should return to Lyra's side, now that I'm
human...
But with the world ending, I'm afraid my time's run out in that
regard. I can only do what I do naturally, and hope for the best, as I did
with Dayvid. I'm proud of my boy. Maybe he didn't become what I initially
wanted, but his eventual genesis into what he is goes beyond my wildest
hopes. Perhaps he realizes this. But likely, he doesn't.
[()()]
Strange thoughts on this queer day in history, but every one of them
meant sincerely. You see, I didn't just assign Dayvid to this particular
role in the war to make him feel good, or out of nepotism. I wanted to
prove a theory.
Magic had dominated this world for far too long. A paradigm shift was
coming, assuming we all survived, and science was on the rise... but
science could dominate as well. What humanity needs is balance, the same
implicit balance found in the Lord's constructions. Dayvid, by means
known, unknown, intended and unintended achieved that balance... with a few
nudges from me. Perhaps that is where humanity is heading, a mixture of
technology and thaumatology...
The trick would be to see if this theory could apply to our situation.
Would Dayvid pull a plot device out of his hat that would save us all?
As the girls sluggishly wandered off to bed, I decided to check on his
progress.
Dayvid's lab was always messy, in the same way that the sky is always
blue. Today, however, it was ESPECIALLY messy, with blueprints strewn
about, rough sketches with huge X's through them tossed hither, tither and
yond, and the obligatory amount of Apparatus turned on / in heavy rotation
/ glowing with pulsing light. Quite a sight indeed!
And in the center of it all, three figures locked in heated debate.
"It's not going to work," Paradox said -- what else would he say? "The
focal point will burn out and need replacing every few days. And given the
rarity of sorcerers that strong, you'll only have a functional bubble for a
short time. Then we're toast."
"I think it's reasonable to assume that the balance will keep as long
as we find someone strong enough," Reason reasoned. I really had to
appreciate that about her, even if it worried me. "The system is
self-regulating. As long as the flow is constant, the acceleration trauma
is minimal."
"Oh? And where do you expect to find volunteers?"
Yawn, yawn. The usual footdragging. I noticed, however, that Dayvid
was being rather quiet. Being the wanna-be good parent, I chose to take an
interest in his hobbies directly.
"Hello, nice people," I greeted, and stepped right over to Dayvid.
"How goes Project Omega?"
Dayvid snapped out of his thoughtful daze. "Project wha?"
"The thingy. The doohickey, the whatsit, the black box," I said. "The
thing you're designing...? What does it do?"
"Oh... um... hang on," he requested, fetching the nearest pencil
sketches, and gesturing to arcane technical things on them. "We're trying
to make a device that can maintain a white magic shield, with a black magic
net intertwined. And, um, it needs to work without Naga and Amelia putting
out that kind of energy to do it, so we can keep it up all day long."
"Bah," Paradox scoffed. "You can do it with magic alone. Science has
too many binding laws that can go snap! when you don't want them to."
"We lack the manpower to keep a 24/7 shield with magic alone," Reason
reminded.
"Details, details!" Paradox shouted. "It's the safest--"
"You think it'll work, Dayvid?" I said, completely ignoring the raving
winged.
"Welll..." Dayvid said. "Reason thinks so, and Paradox doesn't, so--"
I shook my head. The boy was bright, but could be dense as sheet rock
sometimes. "Let me re-emphasize. Do YOU think it'll work?"
"...yes and no," Dayvid decided. "Yeah, in theory. But the problem is
in the logistics. We need one extremely powerful white sorcerer connected
to the machine at least twelve hours a day to focus and deploy the energy.
Machines themselves can't cast or tap magical power yet. Therefore, we
also need people to supply it with energy, by, um, feeding it."
"Nobody in their right mind would do that," Paradox said angrily. "I
know people. 'Say, mister, would you like to hook your soul up to a funny
machine that suck all the vitality out of you until you fall unconscious?'
Name ONE person who would agree to that. No, better -- name THIRTY!
Because that's how many people you'd need a day to drain power from."
"If you build it, they will come," Reason said ominously.
"If--"
"Shhhhhh!" I said, shushing the group. "Allow me to think without so
much noise. Mm. So, one focal person, thirty volunteers. Can do.
Dayvid, begin construction immediately."
"What? But, dad, we can't--"
"I've already solved one of your problems," I said, smiling nice and
wide, my trademarked #4 'I Know Something You Do Not' grin. "I got in
contact with her the moment I saw the war coming, suspecting just such a
problem. She should be arriving tomorrow morning."
"She...? Who're you talking about, pop?"
All together now, people!
"Ah," I said, wiggling a no-no finger. "That is a secret. Now.
Reason, Paradox, aid my son in making this thing. I expect a working model
tomorrow morning. Go all night if you must."
"What do you think we are, sweatshop workers?" Paradox asked, reeling
in horror. "I don't work on command. I am Paradox! Lord of Space and
Time! If you think--"
"Oh, do shut up, silly little man," I yawned. "It's late, and I have
one more task to complete before the night is through."
No more talking required, I turned and exited. No need to make a
larger production of it than I already had.
[()()]
Nightmares are not just tools of evil and nastiness. Granted, they
can be, as they were in my predecessor's hands... oh, fair warning, I'm
digressing again. Feel free to skip past my ramblings, if you wish to get
to the good bit where I seduce Myth into playing doctor.
Now, upon initially taking up the job as the New Nightmare, many were
reluctantly accepting. "Of COURSE that Mazoku would want the job," many
said, namely, Paradox. "He's got sadism in his blood." But naturally, the
fellow doesn't quite get the point... what are dreams? I personally see
them as inner reflections, as the subconscious and unconscious mind are the
most powerful influences on the 'dreamstuff', as I have dubbed it. When a
sleeper arrives her, his or her mind shapes the world around them. If they
need visions of hope and love, they get them... if they need a chiller of a
nightmare, why, that's what they get.
The key word is NEED. Reflections on self are what dreams cause, and a
dark reflection serves just as many purposes as an ordinary one. Why do
you think Lina has matured... well, questionably, given her recent flippant
attitude to cover her nervousness and fear... ahem. Why do you think Lina
has matured to the point she has? I believe it to largely be due to my
manipulations way back during that Mirror Lores affair. When my
significant twin contacted me from that strange world, letting me know
about his poor stray Lina double, I saw a fine opportunity to heal and
progress both of them! It took a lot of manipulation and a lot of chance,
but the end results were delightful. I wonder, if I was not there to
ensure proper guidance of Lina's waking nightmare, would she have simply
succumbed and been crushed? The staying power of dark image is to burn,
but burn with purpose, and in this case the purpose of strength. By the
way, I didn't actually woo Myth, but wasn't that a fun trick to play on
you?
What was my point again... mmm... one moment.
Hm hm hmmm..
Ah. Nightmares as learning devices. Take, for example, the nightmare
I had carefully constructed tonight to capture one who required it. It was
a simple sidewalk cafe, but done up in such fascinating acrylic paints and
brushstrokes... an artwork in three dimensions. The moonlight was just the
right shade of blue, the city night life atmosphere so perfect... an ideal
place for Myth's date with me!
No, I still didn't woo her. Trust me on this, it will make sense in
the long run.
As she slept somewhere in Sailoon Palace that night, I was in the world
of dreams, seeking her dreamer-form. Finding someone in this world is
easy, when you know how, and I had acquired such skills by practical
need... pulling her into her personalized, carefully constructed nightmare
was also easy.
"More wine?" I asked, seating across from her at a table, pouring a
glass.
"Wh... what?" Myth asked. "What am I doing here?"
"You're dreaming, silly," I said, putting on my most charming smile.
I'm told by the ladies that it can be quite devastating. "I'm so glad we
have this chance to meet and talk, Myth-chan..."
As I saw fear in her eyes, I knew it was working. You see, Myth has
never quite shaken off her fear of Nightmare. That decidedly unoriginal
bad guy had done a number of perfectly horrid things to her, and she was
now projecting that onto me. Tonight, I would try to scare some sense into
her. Perhaps you see it as cruel; but even cruelty has a purpose.
"I'm waking up now," Myth said. And tried; but I blocked her. A
simple task, really.
"What, before we've even had our entrees?" I asked. "That's very
impolite. You can't run out on me just yet, I have such wondrous things to
share!"
"You can't hurt me here!" Myth started. The line was nicely blurred
now, between myself and my former namesake. "I beat you once here! I'm
strong now!"
"Whyfor ever would I want to fight you?" I asked. "You'll give me what
I need, yes?"
"No!!"
"And I have a gift for you.." I said, reaching into my jacket.
Myth immediately formed some kind of weapon, the most instinctive one
her mind could think of; a large sword that looked vaguely like a pen.
Symbolism can be such a delight!
But now it was time to shatter the pretense. I took out my book.
"It's only a first draft, and very truncated, I'm afraid," I said,
immediately losing any implied malice in my tone. "It's in dire, dire need
of an editor. Someone to make sure I'm on the right track, and since
you're such a wonderful writer, I would be honored if you could...?"
Myth paused. "Wh-what?"
I withdrew the book. (If you're curious, basically it's what I have
written here so far... save, of course, one crucial bit at the start of
this chapter. She wasn't to know that. Not yet.) Continuing. "But I
suppose it's your decision. If you're not interested in this personal
biography, that's fine. I know you don't quite like me, but I thought...
well, I thought that perhaps it would make a remarkable peace offering. To
show that I really don't intend you any harm."
I chose the words very carefully for intended effect to shame her.
After all, humility is best taught through social mistake, and Myth now was
realizing she had committed a large one; she had assumed my intent was
foul, simply because of what (or rather, who, in some ways) I represented.
It was a first step towards acceptance. Besides, she was an avid reader,
not just a writer, and I knew that the lure would work.
The pen-sword went away; I couldn't tell when or how, her mind simply
lost the attention needed to keep it. She rested a little easier in her
seat, still jumpy, but a kind of jumpiness that I was expecting. "This
isn't just a dream, is it?"
"It's my world," I said. "So it is a dream. But I am me and not you
in disguise, as other dream visions are. You know, this is your world as
much as it is mine; stories are simply dreams given form. Dark or light
stories. So, are you interested?"
"In what?"
"In reading my autobiographical notes, of course," I said, offering the
book again. "I really would appreciate any comments. Don't worry, it
doesn't bite. In fact, the prose is rather limp, in my opinion."
Myth accepted the book. Slight hesitation... not all blocks were
broken. Still, remarkable progress.
"I.. guess I can take a look," she said. Brow furrowing. "Wait. How
can I take an object out of the world of dreams?"
"Oh, don't worry. I've arranged so you can read it in your sleep," I
said. "Wouldn't want this falling into the wrong hands before it's done,
yes? I trust you to be discreet. I trust you." Repetition always
emphasizes key points.
Next step, I allowed her to open the cover, and read a few paragraphs.
Just enough to hook her curiosity, before I moved on.
"I really need to be going. I'm supposed to be meeting with Lina,
after all," I said. "But there's one other task I'd like to ask of you.
If you don't mind traveling..."
"Traveling where?" she asked. Quick, to the point. She wanted to go
read. Excellent.
"I need someone who can make rounds to the other winged and get status
reports," I said. "One every day or two. I could just ask them in the
world of dreams... but then I'd have no eyes to what's REALLY going on out
there, and would have to take their word. But with an independent
reporter, especially one as gifted in description as you, Myth... well, I'd
have the finest eyes and ears imaginable. It's an important task, and one
of great responsibility, one I unhesitatingly trust you with... if you're
interested."
Ah, there's that note of suspicion. "What's the catch?" she asked.
"No catch," I said. Now to play on her sensibilities. "Yes, I know...
anybody who says 'no catch' has a catch up his sleeve. That's how it works
in stories. And I suppose it wouldn't help to assure you that honestly,
there isn't any catch... but honestly, there isn't any catch. It's okay if
you don't believe me, the truth is truth regardless. Does this sound
reasonable?"
"Are you a double agent?" she asked.
Oh my.
Of all the questions I had prepared for and predicted, this was.. it
never was one of them.
"What makes you say that?" I asked, curious.
"All the signs are there," she said. But now some politeness crept
in. "I don't mean to offend you, it just... it just occurred to me. When
you were talking about how stories work, and I was thinking recently about
how stories put in a betrayer, usually, and..."
Oh, how I wished to tell her! Tell her of the glorious backstabbing I
had planned, the beautiful irony in it! She was smart as a whip and clever
as Jean. I could weep at the perfection. But that would tip my hand too
early... would I lie? I prefer not to lie directly, as that's a cheater's
method...
Very well, then. I would rely on an ancient tactic. Tell a secret to
hide another secret.
"Your instincts are right. There is a traitor among us," I said. "I
know her name. I actually am keeping this very quiet, until I can gather
enough proof... that's one thing you need to watch out for in your
reports. Keep track of anything unusual in the winged behaviors. I can
say, with the full honesty of all, I am dedicated to Lina's cause, and will
do nothing to harm her. Is that satisfactory?"
"Y... yes," Myth said, thinking it through slightly. It seemed to
work.
"Now, off to rest and reading, and... thank you," I said, smiling once
more with my most charming. "I really appreciate this. I apologize for
being a bit confusing at first." A good way to erase my tracks.
I'll decline to print the rest of the conversation, as it was very
short, largely smalltalk oriented, and concluded with Myth heading off to
ponder the many puzzles I had set before her. After that, Lina met me for
her first update, restless because I had naturally removed Gourry's
sleeping bag and she was resting in his arms... just my little joke. I
told about the attack and such... but not too many details. No need to
disturb her from the greater task.
Because, as much as the winged were dedicated to this war, none of it
would really matter. Lina would hold the key that unlocked the rebirth of
time, and all we did was fill in the margins.
[()()]
Ah, but what margins they are!
Dull ones, mostly.
I'm going to have to be frank; aside from that opening day of chaos and
destruction, very little happened for awhile. I'm going to have to skim a
great deal and just hit the highlights, unless you truly want to be bored
by my longwinded prose. Don't worry, we'll get to the good part where
everybody dies later.
For now... the absurdist comedy!
The very next day, Dayvid's device was complete. It looked vaguely
like a water pump connected to a large amount of comfortable chairs, and
filled an entire room. Paradox left before breakfast, frustrated and angry
that they were able to defeat his 'mpossibility claims so easily. He was a
bitter one. If Myth was looking for a traitor, he'd be the prime
candidate, considering his general dislike of us all.
But I digress. Back to the machine.
"Of course, we'll have to move it to the center of the city," Dayvid
said. "I checked with the owner of the building there; it's just a
warehouse. We can annex it or something under government order, he doesn't
mind. But... dad, we still have that logistics problem. We need a
powerful white sorcerer at the focal chair, and thirty volunteers each
morning to charge up the power storage unit. Where will we get them?"
"The first is provided," I said.
"You said that. Who's coming?"
"Not coming, here. It took some effort to track her down, but she
agreed to help after I explained the situation," I said. "I believe she's
freshening up right now after the trip, which took all night. You remember
Lily, right?"
Dayvid thought back. "The white sorceress who was going around with
Lina months ago..." he remembered. "Jeez. It feels like it's been
years..."
"You've grown a lot, m'boy," I said. "And we've all sat through some
unusual storms. Still, it was not too long ago, and Lily recalls who were
are, and is more than willing to aid."
"You didn't... coerce her, did you?"
"Perish the thought!" I gasped. "I'm a good little citizen of humanity
now, Dayvid-kun! It would be wrong."
Actually, my initial plan was to threaten or cajole, given her lack of
a spine last time I used her as my pawn... she surprised me by agreeing
right away. Almost as if she had prepared in advance for this. Mmm.
Unusual. Definitely not something to dismiss, but for now, it would do.
As for the thirty volunteers...
I chuckle every time I remember this. Dayvid was out of ideas, and
frankly, so was I... I'm hu-man enough to admit when I'm tapped. So, I
suggested Dayvid tell Amelia about the problem, as she was closer to the
people of Sailoon and might have a good idea.
I've got a clipping here which explains Amelia's idea in a nutshell. I
really hope your blood sugar level is low, because you will start hearing
cavities form very shortly :
[Image : http://pixelscapes.com/slayers/rebirth6-poster.jpg]
"Sailor Justice says :
SAILOON NEEDS YOU!
Volunteer today!
You can make a difference!
(enquire at the royal palace, west gate)"
Doesn't it just make your SPINE hurt?
[()()]
I have to admit... it was a brilliant idea. Scary, but brilliant.
Allow me to back up a little and explain the chain of events.
The next day after the battle had come, and the Sailoon Sisters were
clearly exhausted from the effort. Naga in particular was not doing well
emotionally; she hadn't laughed once today. You know, I don't think
anybody noticed this except me. Perhaps the reminder about her mother and
the use of white magic opened interesting and frightening doors in her
mind.... but I digress. The subject is Amelia.
No, no. Before we get to Amelia, I simply must introduce Lily. She's
changed a bit.
I believe when you last saw her, she was a submissive white sorceress
who allowed her 'boyfriend' to use her like a cheap tool. Of course, I was
using her as a cheap tool as well... I mean, I had to have SOMEONE that
could teach Lina the spell required to heal the other, victimized Lina.
She also came in very handy when playing Zelas-Metallum's little game...
such people do not grow on trees, you know.
Nowadays, however, she's a proud member in standing of the Sisters of
White, a cult (they don't call it a cult) of sorceresses devoted to white
magic. That's it, just white magic. No wine, no w.. no men, no song. No
women either, not in that sense. They don't side with the Dragons and
clearly not with the Mazoku, choosing to follow a life dedicated to magic
itself and the betterment of anybody they meet through that magic. In
other words, Lily hasn't progressed at all, exchanging domination by some
schmuck to domination by doctrine.
Oh.
I guess that means Lily hasn't changed at all. Mind you, she does
smile more and doesn't stutter.
So anyway, here we were in the warehouse Dayvid had selected, examining
his mystery machine. Lily was getting oriented to the controls at the
focal point and running mental exercises to keep herself ready. She had
agreed right away to this, which could be due to her training to be a force
of help, but I was suspicious... still, she would do for now. The real
question was where we would get thirty people a day?
"I guess we could offer some kind of compensation..." Dayvid
suggested. "You know, to cover lost wages from a missing day. The
kingdom's coffers are big enough to fit that in. But how do we get them to
agree?"
Amelia was pacing. She was energetic, or at least appearing to be
despite her exhaustion, ready and willing to help save Sailoon.
"They'll need to want to do it," she said. "Maybe if we asked nicely?"
"Begging your pardon, princess, but politeness alone doth not a
convincing argument make," I said. "I know people. They won't want to
hook their souls up to some wacky machine without a very good reason.
Reason?"
I think it was Reason's argument that got Amelia thinking.
"Actually, it doesn't have to be a good reason," Reason stated. "Just
one that works."
"Huh?" Amelia asked.
"How do armies get people to agree to kill and be killed?" Reason
asked. "They offer compensation as Dayvid suggests, but in order to
recruit people who normally would not be interested... they convince them
by other arguments. Logos is useful to an extent, but some people will be
illogical. Instead, they combine ethos and pathos into one punch and use
propaganda."
"Ewww," Amelia said, making a face. "That's what bad guys use."
"In Sailoon's history, this country has often used propaganda," Reason
continued. "It can be as simple as saying 'Fight for your country.'
Ethos, the voice of authority, implying that it's your obligation to obey.
Pathos, the emotional appeal, trying to encourage enlistment by
patriotism. These combined act as encouragement."
"Oh, patriotism. I thought you meant something bad," Amelia said.
"Hmmm. So.. we need a slogan? Something to encourage people to
volunteer?"
"Slogans, posters, flyers, mass communication, icons, tokens, easily
digestible and referential symbols," Reason listed. "Anything will do if
crafted well enough. I recommend one focal point with binding concept
reinforced by extreme repetition in slight variance."
Amelia's little brain was probably overheating. "Uh. One what?"
"I think I'm following this," Dayvid said. Always the sharp one!
"Reason's saying if we come up with one idea like that and just... shove it
in people's faces over and over, it'll work. Like advertising."
"Ohhhh!" Amelia smiled. "I get it!"
Naga made her first and I believe only comment of the day. "What'll
work? 'Come sacrifice yourself for a few cubic miles of land?'"
Oddly, nobody picked up on her disgruntled tone, too excited by the
idea of propaganda. Which also goes to show the power of it.
"I know! I know!" Amelia shouted with glee. "It needs to be
something... cute! Something everybody can like, and feel good about! A
really positive thing. And a real person, too, someone who can talk to
them and show up in public and... oh, I've got it, I've got it!"
"Er.. what?" Dayvid asked.
"THIS!" Amelia said, posing dramatically and pulling out... a pen.
Yes... I think that is when the sinking feeling started.
Sparklies (they're obligatory) started showering off the magical pen,
and bubbles and flowers and stars came out of nowhere, enveloping her.
"SAILOON POWAH! MAKE-UP!" she chanted, and a few seconds later (where DID
the music come from?) she turned on one toe, posed, and introduced herself.
"I am Sailor Justice, warrior of love and peace!" Amelia declared.
"And I'll happily help out my country!"
"I guess it could work," Reason said, the final nail in the coffin.
[()()]
Spooky. But it worked. I couldn't have planned something better
myself, without possibly mind control magic.
I think Dayvid was a little unsettled by this turn of events... I
myself harbor the suspicion that Amelia was using her cute little costume
in other aspects with him. Still, he had a printing press going (his
latest invention) and was making up flyers by the dozen to post around the
city. Reason took time out before leaving for Darata to study Sailor
Justice's magical transformation pen, locking herself in the lab to do
so... curious. More importantly, we got a trickle of volunteers that
second day, nothing special, just people who were curious. The real flood
started when Sailor Justice did her pep rally in front of Sailoon Palace
the day after that.
I am NOT going to quote her speech here. I will say it was nicely
done, if a bit saccharine, and when a few people immediately signed up to
volunteer, it set off a chain reaction. People LIKED Sailor Justice.
Sailoon wasn't so jaded as to laugh at her... and the ones that did, well,
who cares? All we needed was thirty warm bodies a day, and there were
plenty to go around.
The machine went on to full power for the first time that day, the
milky white bubble enveloping the town glowing strong. Lily did her job
remarkably well. I decided to test the bubble a bit, throwing every black
spell I could manage at it from outside, and nothing got through. Even my
counterpart in that other world could easily bust through a shield like
this, one constructed by the very same people! But you see, we had an
edge... we had Dayvid. I knew I was right! Dayvid's science provided the
required element of chaos that kept humanity's adaptation running like
clockwork.
The Mazoku made another attack on the city that night. People walked
out of their houses after the first five minutes of explosions, curious...
and watched, as the black spells made no progress through the protective
bubble. A rousing cheer went up in the streets, as they watched the
monsters beat on the shield in futility. We had beaten them! Sailor
Justice was right!
Needless to say, signups for the shielding machine tripled.
Things were good.
Too good.
I started to realize this when Myth returned from her first trip
through the Sub Ways, with an update on the winged's efforts across the
world. I debriefed her in the world of dreams, again picking a cozy,
romantic locale. The Palace of Chaos, or whatever it's called, was more
than suitable with the dreams of several waking-world rooms to pick from.
I selected one with a fireplace and a nice wine rack, but she didn't drink
any.
Here's a quick rundown on what she reported :
"Love and Loathing are settled into New Piper's Cove, in Testabourne,"
she said. "They're staying with the Gabrievs. Things are fine there, and
they managed to relocate a Dragon/Mazoku battle that was raging nearby to a
safer place by instilling a love in them of the city... they wouldn't touch
it after that."
"I suppose Loathing is a bit superfluous," I sighed. "Can't think of a
good way to apply his Talent to PREVENTING conflicts."
"He's actually the only negative thing in my report," Myth replied.
"He's not getting along well in Testabourne. The Gabrievs are too...
nice. He's been hanging out with some of the local teenagers who are more
traditional, conservative Testabournians, encouraging them to throw rocks
at girls and stuff... the community isn't happy."
"I'm sure Love can keep him under control," I said, sipping some fine
wine. Dream-wine can be quite tasty.. why would I dream bitter wine, after
all?
"Reason's going to Darata tomorrow, so no news there... Drama has
already come out of the closet in Justivalero," Myth said, a bit of
annoyance in her voice. "He rode into town in a gleaming cobalt blue set
of armor with a giant sword, and declared himself the Holy Knight of
Justice, there to save their country from the terrible Mazoku. They ate it
up like... like..."
"Pudding? Bread? Sugar cubes?"
"They ate it up, at any rate," Myth said. "A battle or two wandered
into the country, and Drama gave the people the ability to actually slay
Mazoku using ordinary swords which were blessed with his Talent. The
surviving ones fled, and the Dragons stayed to feast in the capital city,
apparently."
"Hmmmmmmm. I see."
"Paradox has already put hard reality bubbles over a number of towns in
Ky, but they're apparently upset at being 'imprisoned'. He didn't bother
talking to any of them about it beforehand. A few Mazoku tried to strike,
but gave up fast and left."
"That's a public relations nightmare waiting to happen," I noted. "See
if Love can swing by there and sort things out. And Luck?"
"...I don't know," Myth admitted. "She took off for some random spot
over the ocean, remember? I went to the location with my wings, but she
wasn't there."
"I'm sure she got lucky and maybe found some undersea kingdom or some
rubbish like that," I yawned. "It'll be fine. Sounds like a lovely
report, Myth. Thanks. What's your opinion on things so far?"
"My opinion?" she asked, not prepared for the question.
"Mm-hmm."
"Well... I mean, we're doing what we can, right?" she asked. "There's
still a lot of places left we haven't protected, but that's because we're
only eight people... already folks are migrating to the areas that are
protected."
"Oh? And how did they find out?"
Myth almost blushed. "I.. sort of spread the story with my Talent that
there were safe havens that the Lord of Nightmares had blessed. It's
almost the truth, right? I hope I didn't do the wrong thing, I didn't
confirm doing it with anybody..."
"Oh, no no no! It's an excellent idea!" I said, giving her a nice,
encouraging smile. "Brilliant work. Feel free to do what you feel needs
to be done. Just as long as you don't sell us out to the Dragons or Mazoku
like the traitor is doing."
"The tr-traitor?" she asked. Telltale stammer. I knew why. "Have
you, ah, heard anything more?"
"I'm still gathering evidence," I said. "But soon, he'll be unmasked."
"He?"
"Or she," I said, mocking a yawn. "It's quite late. I believe I'll
retire. Thank you, Myth."
She left quickly. Very quickly.
[()()]
Yes... things were too good.
I figured it out shortly after Myth left. What was the one thing
common in all her stories? The Mazoku arrived, started attacking Dragons
AND humans, just as they did over Sailoon. But when the winged defenses
protected the humans, did they stay and continue fighting Dragons? No...
they fled.
The Mazoku weren't trying to fight a war against the Dragons. They
were trying to cause damage. If they actually sat down and fought a
nitty-gritty, down and dirty war, they would lose -- Shaburanigdo was not
resurrected, and Lina had exterminated (directly or indirectly) two of the
great lords. There was no way they could win. Instead, they were
delaying, stalling, dragging it out by simply hitting the 'soft targets'...
humans.
And the Dragons... what stupid beasts! They didn't realize this.
Blind anger brought on by hurting humans ("Preserve all life", you know)
masked the true purpose, and kept the war rolling.
I laughed for hours when I figured it out. You can't BUY this kind of
entertainment.
Still, there was a disturbing note. If the Mazoku weren't dull beasts,
they had learned on the first round of attacks that certain locations were
defended too heavily to bother with. Would they continue punching at these
defenses, or simply relocate?
The next day, Myth returned to report. No fights.
No fights the day after that, either.
Sailor Justice kept the shield going, but the population of volunteers
started to slag off when the war seemed to be 'over'. We compensated in
two ways. One, I would sneak out of the city and attack it myself, to
spook people into running to the Palace and signing up... is that mean?
Perhaps. Yet, so amusing, to watch them scurry, without realizing I was
doing it for their own good!
Secondly, Sailor Justice decided to take up a career signing. It would
be the world's first idol singer, may history forgive us. This time, I
wished Dayvid hadn't been so ingenious... he managed to make amplifiers,
special instruments that operated by magic, and so on. A weekly concert
was held, and copies of the musical inventions were donated to any bands
that wanted to play at these 'Sailoon Benefits Sponsored By Sailor
Justice'. The turnout was scarily large, musicians and listeners alike...
You know, I could probably write a whole book on how this
revolutionized the music industry, but I'm not going to, because I can FEEL
cavities forming in my teeth when I think back to those awful, awful, cute
and awful songs Amelia made. Therefore, this is the first and last time I
will approach the topic, and believe me, you will thank me for it in the
long run.
[()()]
But to hear me describe things this way makes it look like everything
was sunshine and roses. Not so.
I like to believe that every major event has a 'hint'. If there were
no hints, what fun would secrets be? I've made it a life's calling to
craft these hints and secrets, and had mastered embedding the hints so well
that I could recognize them with ease. History had dropped a hint in my
lab several days later.
It was nighttime, and I was wandering around the Palace, looking for
something... anything... interesting to do. I found Naga in the kitchen
fixing herself a sandwich, and decided she would be entertaining enough.
She hadn't worn her 'battle bikini' in awhile. Instead, she was
wearing more plain garb, nothing princessly, but in mandatory black. And
she still hadn't laughed more than some token gesture on occasion.
I decided to be direct.
"So, what's upsetting you?" I asked, without any hello or how do you
do.
"What?" she asked, because I hadn't used any hello or how do you do.
"You're acting funny," I said. "Why?"
"I'm not acting funny," Naga said, continuing to prepare her sandwich
delicacy.
Why not push her buttons and find out?
"War's hell, isn't it?" I asked, grinning as was my wont. "The Killers
are out in force." That was her little word for those who would murder,
specifically derived from the one that killed her mother. It's good to
know these things, isn't it?
"Hah!" Naga scowled. "What would you know about the Killers? I
suppose you're enough of one to count, but..."
"That hurts," I said, taken mock-aback.
"You're Mazoku, aren't you?" Naga asked. "Like those ones who
attacked. Of course, they're gone now, probably off attacking other
villages and towns. And here we are, sitting behind the pretty white
bubble, safe! When will Amel.. when will any of you see how worthless
white magic is?! It's not doing any good!"
"On the contrary," I stated. "Most of the local villages have
evacuated here to the main city. They're safe and sound. Farms can be
rebuilt, after all, and volunteers can be had by the plenty this way."
"It won't work. They always find a way through," Naga said, in a low
voice. "Amelia's always too blind to see that, with... UGH. Her SINGING.
She was always too upbeat to recognize this sort of thing. You aren't,
right? You know it's not going to work. The weird machine will throw a
cog or something."
"I've got faith in Dayvid's ability," I said. "Besides, what other
plan of action do we have?"
"STRIKE!" Naga shouted, banging a fist on the counter. The mustard
jumped. "We should be on the offense, not the defense! Hitting the Mazoku
with every ounce of black magic we have!!"
"Black magic? On Mazoku?"
"It CAN work," Naga said. "Mix it with Shamanism, and... a touch of
White. Just a little. I've done... I bet I could do it."
And she could. I remember a report from my counterpart in that other
world, so long ago, of Naga, the Mazoku Hunter. To her, a 'little bit' of
white magic was probably like a razor sharp sword. Sure, she dresses and
acts the evil sorceress, clumsy and predictable, but when things are
really, really awful... well, it can bring out a lot in someone.
Of course, that Naga was trapped out in the open, in the apocalypse.
This one was trapped in a little bunker in the apocalypse. I wonder, which
would have the most effect? Which would drive her to new resolves and
envelopes in pure frustration?
Still, we didn't need a loose cannon.
"Not everybody can fight a Mazoku, even if you think you can," I said.
"So we'll stay hidden away until it blows over. It's the only way, given
our resources--"
"It's not going to be enough," Naga said, straightening her slouch.
She turned, and walked right out of the kitchen. No closure or anything.
She even left her sandwich behind. (I ate it, of course. No sense wasting
good food.)
She had valid points, though. If being cooped up with no real
'progress' drove her to odd behaviors, what would happen to the other
winged?
Perhaps it was time to check. In hindsight, I rather regret it, but no
sense crying over spilled milk.
[()()]
That night, Myth gave her report to me in a rustic mountain
dream-cabin, cozy and comfy. I think she was beginning to be a bit
irritated by my playful attitude in locales, but didn't let it show...
much.
She had interesting news, however.
"Nobody's come within fifty miles of Darata," Myth said. "All the
countries have had small towns raided outside the protected zones, but not
Darata."
"Reason must have an unusual tactic," I concluded.
"The Mazoku also have stopped attacking Testabourne," she said. "Not a
tiny sliver of it has seen Mazoku or Dragon activity. But Love reports
that she isn't doing anything unusual, and neither is Loathing. No Talents
and no plans."
"And the others?"
"Not the same. Paradox is going nuts trying to cover as much area as
he can; the Mazoku have caught on that taunting him by blowing up
everything just outside his zone annoys him," Myth said. "And Drama is
waging one heck of a war against these guys... as king."
Even I had to pause and try to understand that one.
"King?" I asked.
"He's had himself crowned King of Justivalero," Myth said. She didn't
like the news either. "The whole country's fanatical about their new
savior. I think he may be going a bit overboard... and the Dragons have
been very, very good at hunting down Mazoku over Justivalero. Abnormally
good."
"None of this sounds good," I said. "We're not losing. We're
winning. We're not SUPPOSED to be winning, we're supposed to be staying
out of it. Even over Sailoon, where you and I are, the Dragons have been
doing unusually well with no.. apparent influence. Oh, and what about
Luck?"
"Ah.. no word."
"I don't like that, either," I said. "And tonight, I heard another
note of discord... no. This isn't right. Beastmaster Zelas-Metallum,
who's likely in charge of the rabble, would not be doing this badly when
we're not supposed to be doing anything. I want all the winged to come to
Sailoon for a war planning council and checkup. I think they've been on
their own too long... I'll deliver the messages personally."
"Will Lina be coming?"
Ah, the question. First time my leadership has really been questioned.
"I don't see any need to bother her," I said, dismissing it
immediately. "She's busy doing her own little thing. I'm sure we can
piece together the mysteries ourselves, yes? What could possibly go..."
I stopped myself fast. That was a close one. Did he hear it?
Unlikely. And he was too busy being hunted down to bother dealing with
it. I was safe, had to be.
[()()]
The next day was a bright and sunny day over Sailoon. People
weren't too scared of the war anymore, and elbow room was made for the
refugees and so on. Things couldn't have been better.
Mind you... there were some odd little notes on my personal visits to
the winged. Allow me to list them :
My first stop was in Justivalero, to summon Drama. I didn't need to do
much looking around... he was everywhere. On posters, on the lips of the
citizens, and someone had even commissioned a giant statue to his honor in
the main courtyard. Yes, High Lord and King Drah'ma was definitely the man
of the hour.
When I introduced myself to his guards, they didn't want to let me in.
That was fine, no need to bother them. I teleported directly into the
royal chambers instead.
It's not very fun, being shot at with crossbows. Ordinarily I wouldn't
care, because a Mazoku's healing factor can deal with such things... but as
I was now human, those sorts of nasty flying objects could be quite
deadly. When I touched down, I was shot at by three of them.
The first two I shielded in a snap reaction; the third missed.
"Stop, stop!" the king ordered, waving his arms dramatically. Yep,
that was Drama; he had on an overly decorated crown of gold and sapphires
and a fine blue robe, but there was no mistaking his jawline.
"An intruder, m'lord!" one of the generic royal guardsman said,
starting to reload his bow.
"A friend," the king corrected. "Good sir Xelloss, welcome to the
court of Justivalero... what brings thee with this surprise visit, mayhaps
I ask?"
"Oh dear, has your new job gotten into your vocabulary as well?" I
asked. "Really now, Drama, isn't this all a bit much? King? Who said you
could be crowned king? When Lina instructed--"
"I will accompany the visiting dignitary on a tour of the castle,"
Drama quickly stated, sweeping off the throne and over to my side, egging
me on. "We will not need guards. Stand to your posts."
His troops obeyed, of course; probably he used some Talent to ensure
it. He led me out of the throne room, through some random castle hallway
(honestly, you've seen one palace, you've seen them all) and into a large,
empty dining room. It was generally a mess, in the aftermath of some sort
of banquet... a cleaning task it'd take any respectable staff a full day to
finish, very understandable.
"What are you DOING here?!" Drama asked, losing most of his act.
"Why, I'm happy to see you too," I mocked. "We're calling an emergency
meeting in Sailoon. Go to the palace at once. Assuming, of course, your
lordship isn't too busy with the duties of the realm...?"
"As a matter of fact, the war... things are going smoothly here, as we
have exterminated all Mazoku in Justivalero," Drama said, regaining some of
his ego. "The land is peaceful once more. I would be honored to visit
fair Sailoon--"
"Looks like you had a party in here," I commented, looking at all the
upturned mugs and unsettled benches. "A celebration?"
"A victory most true and glorious," Drama responded. "We smote no less
than six Mazoku yesterday, the final stragglers who were too slow to flee
in terror! Our swordsmen cut them down like grass as they ran, the
cowardly dogs!"
"Sounds peachy...." I said, focusing my attention on the nearby mess..
and reaching out, to pluck a tiny item from between two planks of the
table. "Do you have a goldfish?"
"We drove the filthy-- what?"
"Fish. Gold. You know, the kind that would leave behind scales," I
said, holding up the offending thing. "Golden scales. Funny to find lying
around."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Drama said, which of course
meant he knew damn well what I was talking about. "I must attend to the
tasks at hand before I return to Sailoon. You will see me shortly. You
are dismissed, Xelloss."
The King of Justivalero turned, and swept from the room. Royalty never
walks. They sweep. And they dismiss people when finished with them...
I suppose it'd be redundant to state that I found the situation odd.
[()()]
Next on the hit parade was a short jaunt over to Testabourne, home of
Love and Loathing. I figured the best place to look for them would be at
the Gabriev household; after all, it was the family center Love had
attached herself to in guise of Aunt Koirry, and perhaps I could get
lemonade and cookies from the always charming Mrs. Gabriev. New Piper's
Cove was a generally friendly place, in a sexist, racist, loud-mouthed sort
of way; but because everybody in town basically thought the same way, they
were very friendly to each other.
I wasn't expecting to find a lynch mob outside the Gabriev door.
Really, it was a genuine mob. They had pitchforks and torches and the
whole deal. It's strange, but if you whip the population into a
rage-loaded frenzy, they just... gravitate towards pitchforks and torches.
I doubt any of them actually tossed hay around, too.
I snuck up to the back of the crowd, and sought information. "Excuse
me, what's going on?"
A random Testabournian looked at me. "You smell that?"
Sniff sniff.
"Yummy," I said, pleased. Cookies are always so nice. Although
smelling them on street level is odd...
"Koirry's little brother set fire to Windleman's bakery!" the man
growled. "That's the third time this week he's caused problems. That boy
ain't right, I say. We don't want his kind in New Piper's Cove."
"What about the valuable public service he performs?"
"What, you mean teachin' our kids to talk back to their elders?" the
man asked. "Or encouraging that damn 'Angst' fad?"
My suspicions were correct; 'Aunt Koirry' was silently helping to
protect the area, rather than serving as the very public focal point Drama
was. And yet, Myth had reported that... mm. Confirm that.
"Say, how about those Mazoku?" I asked.
"What Mazoku?"
"Why, the ones in the war, of course."
"There isn't a war," the man said. "Few fights broke out between some
monsters awhile back, but we ain't heard a peep since. You ain't from
around here, are ya, boy?"
That's usually the first signal to move on before the locals start
persecuting you. Take it from a seasoned outcast.
"No, not really. Excuse me," I excused, and sought some cover before I
could teleport out.
I landed inside the Gabriev home, where the situation was equally
tense, in its own unique little Gabriev way. Nobody bothered commenting on
my usual flashy, magic-induced entrance; they were too busy doing other
things.
Mr. Gabriev was stomping around in a small circle, mumbling something
about small birds and gravity. Mrs. Gabriev was baking cookies to relieve
stress... they were piled up by the kitchen door and spilling out onto the
floor, with more coming. We all show tension in our own little ways, you
realize.
Figuring this wasn't the time to enjoy a snack, I headed to... wait, I
forgot to explain how I knew my way around this house and its occupants.
Mm. It'd ruin the dramatic pacing if I told you, so let's just call it a
secret and move on.
Ahem.
Figuring this wasn't the time to enjoy a snack, I headed upstairs to
the guest bedrooms, and saw just what I expected; a locked door and a
pleading winged.
"Go away!!" Loathing shouted, muffled from behind the door.
His sister was right up against the door, looking quite shaken by the
whole deal. You know, Love isn't the sort to be thrown emotionally... she
has the unique ability to love everything and take it all in stride. I
guess you could say that, again, I found the situation odd.
"Trouble?" I asked.
Love jumped about a foot, turning to look at who was talking.
"Xe-xelloss... no, no trouble. Just.. some trouble. With the good people
of town... I'm afraid my brother isn't getting along with them. I know
he's just as old as me, as old as any of us, but he's had a had time
growing up... he just doesn't fit in anywhere."
It was a summarized excuse. If you don't mind me stepping out of time,
allow me to return to something Love had told me... when DID she tell me
this? It was a long time ago, back when we were all basically waiting
around with nothing to do after the last little shindig against Old
Nightmare.
Given that I was now in the family, so to speak, I had set out to learn
as much about my adoptive brothers and sisters as I could. The one among
the bunch I could never get a grip on, though, was Loathing. I figured
he'd be just like a Mazoku, since both of them are interested in destroying
things, but Love explained the difference.
'My brother... he hates,' she said. 'He hates everything, with a
passion, in the same way I love everything. The Mazoku don't really hate
the world, at least not most of them, and even though they claim destroying
themselves is all part of the plan, most I've met would rather stay alive
so they can enjoy the world... Loathing doesn't. Loathing truly does hate
himself. I've tried for years to show him how much I love him, and maybe
to help him fit into the world better, but...'
'It hasn't gone well?' I asked. In the flashback, I mean.
'No. Not well at all. It's a constant struggle to keep him from
consuming himself in his rage. But I won't stop trying to save him,
either.'
It's not a very fun way to live, but Love somehow manages it with a
smile and a gentle word. To see her now, here and now, in amateurishly
hidden despair, is not a good sign.
Being a firm believer in the one-line reaction test, I decided to check
something. "You know," I suggested, "We could relocate Loathing to Sailoon
while you protect Testabourne alone--"
"No no, that's not required," Love interrupted, making it as casual as
possible. "These are just little problems. This town needs our care and
affection in the war. Don't worry... we're carrying out Lina-san's orders
quite well."
"Again, so I've heard," I commented, rubbing my chin in a manner most
thoughtful. "So, no Mazoku attacks recently? Amazing efficiency."
"We've been lucky, really," Love said.
[()()]
Ah, yes! Luck. (Cute transition, yes?) Now, tracking her down
was.... impossible. I had absolutely no idea where she had ran off to.
However, being the resourceful sort I am, I simply approached her via
another avenue, the World of Dreams. After all, the winged do sleep and
dream. It's part of their eternal curse to only see the perfect world they
were born in in fleeting glimpses. Unless, of course, the Lord of
Nightmares was trying to suggest something else...
But I digress.
I'm afraid I can't even begin to describe Luck's dream. It twisted and
warped around, random things popping up left and right and vanishing at
chance over whim, complete chaos of imagery. It's to be expected, I
suppose, given her bipolar nature to never decide on one particular
dream... it took every skill I had to embed a message in a capsule, and
shove it into that mess far enough for her to see it properly.
Let me take a moment to explain how much I love the World of Dreams.
I've always been a bit of a nonconformist, never quite liking to use
'spells', those silly little poems which have nothing to do with actual
power. I've tried to teach Dayvid a lesson, and have been moderately
successful, that you don't need spells to do magic. All you need is will,
and humans have an INCREDIBLE amount of willpower... willpower to shape the
world around them. And dreams operate on willpower alone, rather than
magic.. thus, I'm a natural candidate!
I hope you found that fairly interesting.
Moving right along, I teleported over to Darata, where Reason was back
at her old university cum laude haunts. She was busy teaching a class in
the art of applied illusionary magic in the field of optical projection
onto the retina of humanoid creatures when I appeared on top of the podium.
The class freaked out, of course. It's funny, how easily humans can be
surprised by magic, even when they're learning it.
"Hi," I greeted. "Group meeting in Sailoon tomorrow."
"Okay," Reason agreed.
That's really all there needed to be, so I left. Reason's remarkably
efficient that way. Very efficient. To the point where even Darata was
seeing a distinct lack of a war, according to Myth... I found the
situation very odd.
According to Myth!
I made a pun! Ha ha!... ahem.
[()()]
The last stop was to reign in the black bastard sheep of the family.
Paradox had backstabbed the group a number of times, notably recently
working with Loathing to sell the whole group out to the Mazoku... if
anybody was going to be slacking off in the war effort, it'd be him, given
that he doesn't care about anybody except himself.
Which is why I was very surprised to see what was really going on in
Ky.
I showed up in the middle of a battle. Finally! I was beginning to
wonder if there was a war going on myself! No Dragons were in sight; it
was just Paradox and five Mazoku. Five... well well well. And he was
doing a good job.
I took a vantage point over the action, to see the three settlements
from here to the horizon that Paradox had bubbled in with his own
particular brand of reality manipulation. The Mazoku were devoting half of
their attacks to try and burst through, and the other half to the tiny
little butterfly-winged, astrologically-robed winged that was trying to
kick their asses. Paradox was taking a serious beating, his robes torn and
signed in a few places, but given the eye-wrenching swirl of light around
him, he was fighting back just as hard, pounding on the Mazoku with
everything he was capable of.
FWOOSH! And one of the Mazoku split into four pieces, divided
horizontally and vertically, each segment rotated ninety degrees as Paradox
warped space. Nice. Still, I figured it'd be a good samaritan act to lend
a hand, so I erased one of the Mazoku with my finest spellwork (thank you,
thank you) while he polished off the rest.
When the air had cleared and reality had more or less returned to
normal (except for the sixty foot tall mushrooms that had sprouted where a
failed attack landed... oops) I approached Paradox.
"Hello. Having a nice day?" I asked.
"The hell do you want?" Paradox asked. "I'm busy. They'll be back in
a few hours, and I need to recharge."
"Has it really been this bad out here? Strange. None of the others
have had any real resistance."
"They're not trying to protect as big an area as I am," Paradox
replied. "I'm pulling the work of three people here. Lina had better be
thankful, I'm busting my butt out here to get it done RIGHT. And you know
what the villagers call me??"
"Gosh, no. What?"
"They're calling ME a Mazoku!" Paradox spat. "Because I'm keeping them
locked tight under my security! This is nuts. If nobody's grateful, why
the hell are we out here?!"
"What about the fuzzy warm glow that comes from knowing you're saving
lives of innocent people everywhere?" I quoted from some of Amelia's
babble.
"Only fuzzy glow I'm feeling is from an Internal Inferno spell one of
those idiots tried to cast on me earlier," Paradox grumbled.
"Awwwww, poor baby. Cheer up! You get a day's vacation! We need you
tomorrow in Sailoon for a meeting. The--"
"Can't," Paradox replied. "I leave my post for an hour, they'll run
through and stomp this place flat. These guys are getting a real kick out
of tormenting me, just because I didn't want to cut a deal with them... so
no, forget it."
"Oh, I understand," I said, picking a lever to pull on the winged. "If
you're not strong enough to build a defense that'll last a day, it's no
wonder you're constantly in danger. That's fine; we can handle a meeting
without you."
"I didn't say THAT!" Paradox replied, right on cue. "Fine! I'll put a
bubble over the entire damn country if I have to. You'll see me tomorrow,
bright and early at Sailoon! I work my ass off and those are the thanks
you give me?"
I switched gears on him before he had a chance to cope.
"Thank you, Paradox-san," I gratified, bowing formally. My voice was
genuine, as was intent. "You have been doing a wonderful job out here.
I'm sure Lina will be very proud. We're all proud."
The dumbfounded look on his face was enough. I skipped my way back
home.
[()()]
So, all the winged arrived in the morning, even Luck. We opened a
small door in the shield, just long enough to move them in, and gathered in
the palace. There wasn't much talk, despite the lengthy buildup I just
subjected you all to. Sorry about that! The meeting went by very fast
indeed.
"Something's amiss," I started. "The Dragons are winning, and some of
your places are unusually safe."
"That's our job, isn't it?" Paradox scowled. (Apparently he wasn't
ready to acknowledge my little tribute yesterday. Give him time, he's
young.) "Protect? Defend? You should be congratulating us."
"Safety like the safety we're talking about involves more than simple
defense," I said. "Someone is going above the call of duty. The results
are good, but it's being done without my authorization or knowledge."
"We don't swear fealty to you," Drama rebuked. (Very defensive of
him...) "I pledged my sword in battle to Lina Inverse, not some Mazoku
taint!"
This wasn't going to be easy, was it?
"I don't see any reason to worry," Love said. "We're doing very well.
The reasons why aren't important, right? I think this war may actually
blow over without anybody having to lose a loved one. It would be
wonderful."
"I see no reason for concern," Reason supplied.
I thought about how to approach this from another angle. Something to
drive my point home.
"I almost wish Zelgadis was here," I said aloud. "He has an uncanny
knack for refusing blind hope. In that way, he's prepared when the other
shoe drops. I think he'd be shaking his head at us right now. Is this a
consensus? There is nothing wrong and no cause for alarm?"
The nods were universal. Myth agreed with them, from her scout
standpoint; Paradox begrudgingly did so as well; he felt he had his
situation in hand, no matter how much he whined about it.
"Very well, then," I concluded. "Enjoy Sailoon for the eve, we'll
sneak you out of the shield later tonight. Perhaps you're right, and we'll
receive no windfall."
But I knew then that it was eventual. Nothing this good lasts. It
would be nice if it did, don't get me wrong, but I knew better.
[()()]
To tell the next part of the story, I'm afraid I'll need to be
omniscient. I was busy relaxing and enjoying my evening, trying to iron
out the kinks of worry when things unfolded across town. We'll start where
I was, and improvise where appropriate.
One of the practical upshots of Sailoon's intravenous injection of muse
was that Karoke had come into unseasonable popularity. Most bars now had
these strange little machines, which were previously a novelty; now they
were loaded with pro-Sailoon songs, most of Sailor Justice's hits, and so
on. What fun! Entertainment as propaganda and propaganda as
entertainment.
I had been going to these bars nightly, mostly to enjoy a human
atmosphere -- something long in neglect for me in my years of Mazoku
employment. Myth usually came with me. It was an ongoing sign of her
acceptance as me, seeing me more as Xelloss rather than Nightmare... I
suppose I deserve some lauding for that task.
You know... now that I think about it, Myth is rather attractive. Not
just in a physical sense, although her petite form and 'cuteness' make her
resemble a certain Inverse I know... mm. She's also quite the
intellectual, like Lyra was. I like that even more...
But things didn't work out. Mostly because I didn't do anything beyond
my usual teasing and self-amusement. I never did anything with my other
interest as well... she was always too busy questing, and... well. I'm
getting ahead of myself and diverging. I don't think I want to talk about
this anymore. I'm sure you're not interested. So.
I was in a Karoke bar with Myth that night, enjoying mixed drinks with
funny little paper umbrellas. She was singing... she didn't have a good
singing voice, but with her Talent, and JUST the right selection of ballad,
she could spin a musical yarn of fiction unrivaled. So far, she had taken
home multiple trophies. I suspect someone introduced her to this art
before I ever did.
She returned from her session, with appropriate applause, and had a
seat. Oh, she was all smiles. None of the winged were worried. At least,
they didn't show it. Myth's smiled was strained initially, but a few
drinks later and it was nice and loose.
"It's actually kinda nice, having the whole family back together
today," she said, running a finger along the rim of her glass. "Feels
good."
"Mmmhmm," I agreed. "One big happy family. I'm not really accept into
that family yet, mind you."
"Give it time," Myth said. "We live forever. Time changes us. We
don't admit it, but it does." She can be very open when inebriated, I've
found.
"It's amazing you all get along like you do. Badly, yes, but without
MAJOR strife."
"You think someone's a traitor?" Myth asked, almost changing the
subject totally. "Really? I can't see it. I don't think anybody's going
behind our backs. It doesn't feel like it."
"Oh, someone is," I said with absolute certainty. "Actually, if
anybody else is, they'd do something.... now. Tonight. It's the ideal
time."
"What do you mean..?" she asked.
"Think of stories," I said. "When would be the best time to deal a
blow?"
"At the peak of success and pride," Myth responded automatically.
"Wait. You don't mean..."
"I'd suggest you finish that drink fast," I agreed.
[()()]
I can't tell for sure what happened here, but in hindsight, it's
obvious.
Down at the warehouse where the shield generator was stored, it was
late, and the volunteers had gone home for the day. Dayvid's batteries
held the stored power, and Lily maintained her focus, generating the magic
and channeling it as she had done so often, only swapping with one of her
highly ranked Sisters of White for naps.
She was concentrating so much, in fact, that the first glimpse of
shadow went by unnoticed. But I bet she caught on eventually. She was
very observant.
Her focus snapped back to the present. "What are you--"
A crossbow bolt bloomed in her chest. There was a gurgle, and an
exhaling, and she slumped in the chair of Dayvid's machine, dead.
[()()]
I saw the bubble fade away to nothing, through the bar window.
"Sometimes I just HATE being right," I sighed. "Run."
"What?" Myth asked. "Y--"
"Run, as in, flee, escape, move--"
Explosions. Explosions again! Similar to the first day, before we had
any of this miraculous progress. We exited promptly, amid the screaming
of Sailoon's fellow citizens, to see not one... not two... but TWELVE!
Twelve Mazoku above Sailoon, all attacking randomly, dealing damage like it
was going out of style, with nary a single Dragon to oppose them. It was a
wee bit more than any of us could handle.
I wasn't surprised. Didn't I say I was expecting this?
"Gather the winged, and evacuate as many people as possible," I said.
"Don't try to protect the city itself, just the people. Let them think
they're having open season while we sneak out the back door, then we can
worry about regrouping."
"What?!" Myth yelled, over the din of destruction. She wasn't good at
grasping a situation right away.
I repeated myself politely, and off she went. I decided to be nice and
also lend a hand, instructing people on where to run, which gates out of
the city would work best. It's all improvised and ill-thought, but was all
I could think of.
I spotted the other winged, aiding in the evacuation, through the
flames and crumbling masonry. The dust choked the air, smoke burned. The
sky was on fire with black magic, and here we were, caught in the middle.
I doubt many people made it out of Sailoon alive that night. I should
have thought of some kind of evacuation plan ahead of time, or at least a
backup plan of defense... careless, stupid. I don't care about Sailoon or
any of these people. But I do care about shaming myself with such an
oversight... and Lina. Lina would be so upset. I didn't look forward to
her anger over this, after all my efforts to show I was on her side, once
and for all...
Love found me, somewhere in the mess, but her concerns were surprising.
"Stop him!" she begged. "Please, you have to stop him!!"
"Pardon?" I asked.
Love pointed up, to the sky. "My brother! He's up there, fighting
them! Xelloss, please, save him, save him before--"
It was really too late. The explosions had stopped centering over the
city; now there were redirected up and out, like a dogfight in action.
Through the haze, I could vaguely see Loathing, the winged of rage and
discontent, glowing this sickly red, his Talent in full effect as he poured
every ounce of what he felt into the bodies of the Mazoku...
It was a bad, bad thing to do. Hate makes them powerful. He destroyed
three in the confusion, redirecting hatred against themselves, but Mazoku
aren't that dense. They caught on. They caught Loathing. I really think
I shouldn't describe how they killed him.
No. This wasn't going well at all. It was time to abandon ship.
Love was paralyzed, the expression of horror on her face clear enough.
I scooped her up carefully, and pensed a magical mental message to
everybody who could hear me, winged or not. "Get out of Sailoon now," I
suggested. I figured a little swift obedience from mind control would be
required to get any stragglers in gear.
Why the hurry? After dealing with the stray winged, the Mazoku bled
anger and darkness, gathering it into one... huge... ball. And just as I
made it to safe distance, the ball came down, and it was good night for
Sailoon City.
[()()]
That night was Hell. I've actually been to Hell, Phibrizo's
playground, and I can say that it easily compares... nothing keeps you on
your toes like a full slugfest amidst thousands of fleeing humans.
Once the city was pulverized, I don't think the winged cared anymore
about running away. Maybe I should have ordered them to attack earlier?
Would that have prevented this? It's pointless to wonder about it now.
But in full force, and with an event like THAT, the Talents played off each
other like cards in a stacked deck.
Drama exploded with reality-bending force, driving the fighting spirit
and critical hit ratios of the people through the roof. Myth was already
open to a new page, and had started writing the victory... and if that
wasn't enough, Luck was on our side, and with Paradox acting like a living
weapon, bisecting and turning Mazoku inside out as he manipulated space
around them, the battle was short and nasty. Even Reason got into the
fray... to date, I don't know how she managed it, but by just talking to
the Mazoku she killed two of them.
Only Love stayed out of it, kneeling in the damp grass of the plains
around the city, shellshocked.
...I'll allow myself a moment of weakness here. I was overjoyed to see
Dayvid and Amelia come out of the crowd, injured, but okay. I was actually
very worried about my boy. I don't know how I would have reacted to his
death. I don't think I want to know, actually. He's fine. End of story.
Back to the narrative.
There was just so much to do after that. I don't want to go into it
all. We organized a refugee camp, since we were ALL refugees now, and... I
don't even remember how, but the winged came up with some other scheme to
shield it. Dayvid's machine was destroyed, as was his lab and Lily, so no
chance doing that. Even Naga was gone... but Amelia claims she saw Naga
fleeing the city, so maybe she was fine somewhere else. Unless Amelia just
didn't want to admit her sister was killed.
Forget it. It was a huge mess and I'm tired of writing about it. The
Dragons sensed the activity and protected us enough, so Mazoku weren't a
problem, and now we're moving on with this story.
[()()]
One question remained unsolved.
Why did the shield fall?
The immediate response was to blame Dayvid. I'm happy the population
never learned he made the machine... otherwise, he could have been
lynched. But as the refugee camp picked up its losses and lamented the
loss, the winged were accusatory.
"I TOLD you guys it wouldn't work," Paradox said, hands in the air,
giving up. "Too many weak links. Maybe you didn't get enough volunteers
that day."
"We had more than enough," Dayvid said. He was pretty testy, not
appreciating the attack on his work.
"Then Lily. Lily screwed up. You shouldn't have trusted her that
much!"
"Lily doesn't make mistakes like that when white magic is concerned," I
added, leaping to my son's benefit.
"She could have been killed," Reason stated.
A long pause held. That had to be it.
"We should have put more defense on the building," Amelia said. No joy
or sugar was dripped into her voice. She seemed very... quiet. Naga's
vanishing and the terrible disaster had taken its toll.
"Who would kill her, though?" I asked, rubbing my chin. "And note that
the Mazoku were there and waiting. They had to have a hand in this, to be
that prepared. Someone on the inside is responsible."
"Oh? And who might THAT be?" Paradox asked.
"A winged," I concluded.
Nobody was happy with that answer.
"Absurd!" Drama shouted. "Why would we sabotage our own efforts? We
fought to defend that city! Loathing gave his life to do so! At any rate,
we would have all died if not for Luck being on our side!"
"Was she?" I asked. Time to sow some suspicion.
"Of course!" Luck wailed. "Waaah! It's such a horrible horrible
time! I wouldn't want anybody to get hurt!"
"I don't get why it has to be a winged," Myth said.
I waggled an eyebrow at Reason. The looks of comprehension I was
getting were clear.
So, she spoke up. "The attack happened on the night all of us were out
doing as we pleased inside Sailoon," Reason stated. "This means one of two
things. One, that whoever murdered Lily did so at that time to catch us
all unprepared and in one location. Two, that it did not happen before now
because the instigator was not at Sailoon until now... this was our first
visit since initial departure. Therefore, we are equally suspect."
I wish Myth hadn't jumped into the fray the way she did.
"Wait!" she said. "Xelloss knows who did it! He's been tracking a
traitor among us for awhile now. I think it's time we settled this!"
Of course, everybody looked expectantly at me.
"Who, me?" I asked innocently.
"What proof you got?" Paradox asked. "You don't have anything on me!"
The boy will never learn, will he?
"YOU did it!!" Drama shouted, drawing his hard long sword. "Craven
dog! How dare you betray us?!"
"Whoa, wait!!" Paradox shouted, backing up, fast. "I just... I just
assumed you idiots would accuse me, because I betrayed you before! Not
that I did it this time! I've been busting my balls trying to help out!
If anybody screwed us over, it was YOU, pal!"
"I am honorable!" Drama defended.
"Oh yah?" Paradox asked. "I wasn't going to bring this up, but... YOU
have been cutting deals with the Dragons! Don't think I can't see you just
because you're thousands of miles away, brother. You've fought and feasted
side by side with them. Didn't Lina specifically say not to trust the
Dragons OR Mazoku? Did those lizards set you up as King of Justivalero,
huh? Maybe an emperor one day?"
"...fine!! It's true! But it makes sense to consort with the
Dragons. They mean no harm towards us! When the Mazoku are all dead and
buried, we'll have peace for aeons! I simply wanted to play my part in
saving humanity!"
"Sure, with yourself as the leader of the species," Paradox accused.
"Lord of all he surveys! Except for his Dragon overlords, of course."
"I did NOT cause this incident, regardless," Drama said. "I would
never ally with the Mazoku. Unlike... Reason, for example!"
(Okay, by this point, things were totally out of control. I decided
that instead of worrying, I'd just sit back and watch the fray.
Entertainment can be found anywhere, and is a positive force in dark
times. I'd interject when they were finished.)
Reason didn't even flinch at the accusation. "What proof do you have?"
"I saw you sneaking out of the city before the attack," Drama said.
"In full Mazoku disguise!"
"I studied Amelia's transformation pen, yes," Reason said, totally
unemotional. "I developed a Mazoku disguise. What better way to learn of
our enemies movements than to move with them? I was unable to return fast
enough to avoid the disaster, however."
"You consorted with those things?" Paradox asked. "Why didn't you tell
us?? We could have used that information to do something--"
"I was not trying to defeat them," Reason said. "I was trying to learn
from them."
Nobody said anything for a moment. Insert pause.
Myth broke the silence. "What are you talking about?"
"I was learning their ways and intents, to decide which force we should
ally with," Reason said. "I had a Dragon disguise as well. Sitting out
the war was unreasonable. The only way for humanity to survive would be to
pick a side. So, I researched both forces to decide which we should
support, with intent to present my findings when complete. I did not
encourage or aid either side. Unlike Myth."
"What?!" Myth gagged.
"You have been using your Talents to write the Dragons as heroes of the
conflict over Sailoon," Reason said. "I could detect the patterns as far
away as Darata."
You know, I suspected Myth had something up her sleeve she didn't want
to admit. There were the nervous pauses during her reports and my
queries... especially about who the traitor's gender was..
"Uhh... uh.." she paused, again nervous. She gathered her spine before
continuing. "So what?! The Dragons told me that they needed my help. And
I don't see any reason not to help them, if we can! Even if we're using
them just to save ourselves. If--"
Unbidden, Luck burst into bipolar tears. "I confess! I betrayed you
all! WAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
Nobody was quite sure how to deal with that statement.
"Ah.... how?" Myth asked, genuinely confused.
"I found a race of undersea people out in the ocean who were going to
take over the world and usher in an age of peace and tranquility, and I
randomly chose to help them!" Luck admitted. "They were all set to launch
warships and strike! Except that a virus I was carrying which humans are
immune to got into their civilization and wiped them all out in a few
days. I'm sorry."
Again with the awkward pause.
"No harm done?" Paradox guessed. "I mean... ah. Okay. You're
forgiven and stuff."
"YAAAAAAYY!!!!" Luck cheered. "That's great! Besides, Xelloss is the
one that really betrayed us all."
Uh-oh.
"Me?" I asked. "Golly. That's a surprise to myself, even."
"I can tell," Luck said. "I guessed and I always guess right. You're
gonna betray us."
Maybe it was time to steer this topic elsewhere?
"Look, this is very amusing," I said, "But I'm afraid you're all
wrong. Nobody here is directly responsible for the disaster at Sailoon."
"Then who did it?!" Paradox asked. "I don't like being accused of this
crap. I want to know who we can properly accuse!"
"I don't think we should go into it," I replied. "Sometimes, guys...
sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs lie in peace. But if you're all
determined..."
Everybody nodded, except for one of them. They wanted to know. Very
well, then.
I turned, to face her.
"Why didn't you tell us earlier, Love?" I asked.
I could tell from her expression even minutes ago that she was ready to
talk. Despair had her, a despite being winged of eternal hope and joy.
Very little could resist that pull.
"I thought you'd hurt him," Love replied, voice quiet, like that of a
child. "If you knew he was working with the Mazoku, you'd have to hurt him
somehow. I loved him. I didn't want him to be hurt..."
"Whoa... hold up," Paradox said, stunned. "You mean--"
"Loathing wanted to make amends... he did!" Love protested. "He told
me, right before he went off to fight them, that he was sorry. He wanted
his twin sister to forgive him, and.. I did. He finally said that he
l-loved me... and he ran off to try and save you all, but he only made
things worse. He never knew how to make things better, for himself or
anybody, but I loved him anyway, no matter what mistakes he made. Even the
mistake of killing Lily and letting the Mazoku in. I swear, I didn't know
exactly what he was going to do... I don't think I wanted to know. Because
if I did, I'd have to stop him, forcibly... or you others would. So I
betrayed you. I didn't tell you he was a danger. This is my fault. All
my fault."
I can't describe how hard this was on her. Not because there are no
words, but because I can't grasp the concept myself. It clearly wasn't the
time to do a whole pitchforks and torches, bring us the betrayer type
scene. Diffusing words were needed.
"What's done is done," I started. "Loathing's gone, and he tried to
redeem his action before he left us. All of you have gone behind our
backs, made your own deals, and betrayed us in one sense or another. At
least now all cards are on the table, and we can be totally honest with
each other. I'm not a member of your family, not in your eyes, but I think
I can comfortably trust every one of you now that we've got this dirty
laundry nicely washed. We've got a lot of refugees to deal with, and all
of you need to go continue to defend your lands. Can we agree to put this
mess behind us? There is not much time left in the world, and I think
we've had our fill of damage. I know I have."
I knew I did a good speech. Myth was writing it down for her book.
"I'm sorry," Love added again, almost at a whisper.
"It's... it's fine, Love," Drama said, unused to this subtle emotional
stuff. "Nightmare is right. It's been enough of a mess. I think a full
round of forgiveness is in order for every one of us."
"Hey... hey, now you hold on there. I didn't DO ANYTHING!" Paradox
yelled. "Here I am the first person pegged as a traitor and I'm the only
one of you people who was totally on the level. I think I deserve a medal
for that kind of--"
"Oh, do shut up, Paradox," I yawned, injecting some levity. "We
forgive you for being a loudmouth. Is that satisfactory?"
"Hmphh," he grunted, but seemed to accept this.
"We're not going to survive all of this, are we?" Love asked. "You
used the right word. It's a mess. The world IS ending."
"...I have to agree," Myth said. "I've projected this story arc. This
is just the beginning of the end. No matter how successful we are, or
whatever failures happen, the last page is coming. What are we going to
do?"
"Whatever we can do, I suppose," I suggested.
And then Luck came up with the one thing I most feared. The one thing
that so directly involved me, and yet... none of them knew how.
"We could evacuate as many people as we can into the World of Dreams!"
she suggested. "Even if this world goes boom, they'll be safe there! It
was our first home and it's separate from here."
"Right!" Paradox said, taking the optimist approach. This wasn't good,
this wasn't good at all... "Hard reality separation. It's always the most
powerful defense! If we relocate as many people as we can, and dream up a
stable environment... it'd be trivial with my Talents combined with those
of everybody here."
"...we could save people," Love repeated. "We could make things
better..." A light of hope rekindled.
"Working together, anything is reasonable," Reason reasoned.
[()()]
Oh, this does my heart ill.
I wish they hadn't realized this simple plan. This simple, wonderful
plan... because now, I was going to have to let them down. I was going to
have to obey my mistress.
I was going to have to betray them.
May this volume serve as some redemption for me in aftermath.
2b Continued
