The Slayers: Reward
Chapter 8: Found. Secrets Revealed.
By: Lord Archive
The Slayers belong to Hajime Kanazaka, Rui Araizumi, TV Tokyo, SOFTX,
Software Sculptures Ltd., and many others. I do not own them. I'm only
borrowing them. I'll return them as quickly as I can since Lina and
Gourry are eating away bank account.
This begins a few months after Slayers: Try. There are a few spoilers in
this; I won't specifically explain anything, but I will refer to them.
If you don't want even vague spoilers, I suggest that you don't read
this.
Lime Warning: Nothing detailed, but occasional references to sexual
relations and innuendoes may occur.
-------------------*
Amelia scratched her head as she wandered down the endless hallway,
hoping to bump into Zelgadis or anyone else. She didn't know what else
to do. At least in the hall, there was a chance someone would come out
of the doors.
Amelia stopped and blinked as she passed one door. She turned and looked
at a note placed on it. "Library?" She shrugged and opened the door.
"Oh, wow! Look at all these books. I'm bound to find some useful
information." Amelia bounced over to the closest table and looked at the
books gathered. It was odd that all of them were diaries or journals.
Amelia opened the first one and read, "Gracia formerly of Sailoon." She
was about to sit down to read it when another book caught her eye.
"Rezo, the apprentice."
Amelia immediately put down her sister's diary in favor of Rezo's
journal, hoping beyond hope that the some clue to Zelgadis's cure was
contained within.
-------------------*
Ravven laughed bitterly. "What a twisted sadist." He grimaced in pain as
he pulled out part of a peppermint sword from his shoulder.
"The cuter the room, the more deadly the trap. Shrine to a mazoku or if
it looks like a torture chamber, it's perfectly safe. Recovery." Ravven
relaxed slightly as his spell started to mend his wound. "What kind of
sick bastard made this place?"
Ravven carefully moved to the shattered altar, while trying not to
aggravate his injury. He tried to put it back together, but it kept
falling apart. He sighed in defeat. He then picked up part of the altar,
an almost intact stone carving of a burning dragon's head. "Any
suggestions on how I should deal with this place?"
"No?" Ravven shrugged and placed the carving in his bag. "You never did
give me much advice anyway."
-------------------*
Zelgadis kicked off the teddy bear that was gnawing on his leg, only to
have it reattach itself. He decided to ignore it as he added the room to
the map he was making.
Going to the door on the other side of the room, Zelgadis moved on to
the next room. Inside, he noted that the room was bare save for a two
meter tall transparent lime-green mass. It even smelled like lime.
Zelgadis pulled the attack teddy bear off his leg and tossed it at the
mass. The thing quivered and shook as the teddy bear struggled to be
free.
"That can't possibly be...." Zelgadis shook his head. He walked up and
scooped off a chuck of the mass and ate it. "Yep, it's Jell-O. Lina and
Gourry would've loved 'fighting' this thing."
Zelgadis marked the room on his map and was about to continue on when he
noticed that the Jell-O monster was trying to eat his leg. He casually
froze and then shattered it.
The teddy bear shook off as much frozen Jell-O it could and then jumped
onto the chimera's back.
Zelgadis went through other door in the room. He sweat-dropped at what
he saw. This was either a torture room or a sado-masochist's idea of
heaven with numerous items of sexual torture. At least Zelgadis thought
they were all for sexual torture even though there were a few items he
had no clue how they could be used that way. He reluctantly marked it
down as a safe room, since there wouldn't be anything in the room that
would attack someone.
Zelgadis sighed as there were no other doors. He back tracked passed the
frozen Jell-O and to... a room filled with skulls?
Zelgadis ripped up his map. How could he possibly make an accurate map
if the rooms can rearrange themselves. This room was supposed to have
been attack teddy bears.
Zelgadis didn't know what else to do but wander aimlessly until he found
someone else or some other clue.
-------------------*
Lina slumped against the wall. "We've been walking around for HOURS.
Finding the others will take forever. There's got to be an easier way to
do this."
Gourry scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, and those rooms filled
with toys that remind me of the nightmares I had when I was a kid."
Lina raised an eyebrow. "You dreamt that your toys would attack you?"
"Not mine. Billy's toys from next door." Gourry rubbed his chin. "You
know, I heard he became a sorcerer specializing in golems."
Lina chuckled. "So, maybe those dreams weren't dreams."
"They had to be dreams," Gourry insisted. "How else can you explain his
toys attacking me?"
Lina slammed the back of her head against the wall. "Why did I fall in
love with him? Why did I marry him?"
Gourry looked confused at Lina. "If you can explain why you love
someone, it's not love."
"The savant moments would be one."
"Save on what?" Gourry blinked.
"Never mind." Lina waved him off. "Any ideas on how to find them?"
Gourry shrugged. "Well, we could ask the house. That's how I found you."
Lina blinked several times and then screamed with fangs coming out of
her mouth, "Why didn't you tell me that?!"
Gourry backed away from her. "You never asked. I thought you knew."
Lina grumbled something about reconsidering Towermere's offer. She then
straightened herself. "Mansion, I want to know where Zelgadis is."
A piece of paper floated down.
"Seventh door on the right from where you're facing, three rooms deep,"
Lina read. "Good, he's isn't that far away." She walked down the
hallway, followed by Gourry.
Lina jumped back as the fifth door on the left opened. She prepared a
spell just in case.
Ravven moved to the defensive noticing someone in the hallway. He only
relaxed after Lina did. "Well, fancy bumping into you two."
Lina stomped past him. "Come on. Let's hurry up and find Zelgadis before
he moves to another part of the mansion."
"What's with her?" Ravven asked.
Gourry shrugged helplessly.
Through the seventh door, Lina and her two companions passed through two
rooms of visual horror and entered the third room deadly mirth.
At least Lina started laughing.
"Ha hah. Very funny. Can you get me down?" Zelgadis requested as he hung
from a spider-web made of red liquorish.
Ravven tried to cut one of the strands but his sword became encased in
the candy. "Just wonderful."
"I may have a sweet tooth, but not that sweet." Lina drew her hands
together. "Freeze bleed."
"Oh, no," Zelgadis moaned in expectant pain as he was encased in ice.
The web he was in shattered since it could no longer hold his weight.
"You can't do anything small, can you?"
Lina shrugged. "If you can't do it big, what's the point?" She turned
away from him. "Where's Amelia?"
"I've been search...ing... for..." Zelgadis trailed off as he saw a note
float into Lina's hands.
"In the library off the main hallway?!" Lina re-read the note to make
sure she got that right. "Where's the main hallway?" Another note fell
from nowhere. "Okay, guys. Let's go get her."
Zelgadis's mouth hung agape. "You mean all I had to do was ASK THE
HOUSE?!"
Gourry shrugged. "Sure. I thought you understood that from that note
Amelia read."
Lina's eye twitched. "Sometimes you need a simple person to find the
simple solutions."
Gourry smiled. "Thanks."
Lina sighed. "Why him?"
-------------------*
"Just great. Another note from Xellos to guide the way." Lina grumbled
as she entered the library. She looked around. "Amelia, you in here?"
There was no answer.
"Amelia?!" Zelgadis called out.
A table cluttered with books seemed to explode as it fell over. "Mr.
Zelgadis!" Amelia yelled happily and then looked sheepishly at all the
books on the floor.
Ravven chuckled. "She's got it bad."
"Shut up," Zelgadis snapped. "Amelia, are you okay?"
"Perfectly fine. I found out a lot about this place." Amelia started to
pick through the books. "For one thing Frezo the Lime Green is Rezo the
Red's father."
Zelgadis rubbed his chin. "So, this is my ancestral home after all."
Ravven looked at Zelgadis strangely. "Rezo was your old man?"
Zelgadis nodded. "Sort of."
Amelia nervously handed one book to Zelgadis. "Um, you'll probably want
to read this one. It's... it's about Rezo's relationship with Eris."
Zelgadis flipped through it. "It proves Rezo is my grandfather and
great-grandfather, doesn't it?"
Amelia reluctantly nodded. "It's really sad. But reading this and some
of his other journals, I understand how Shabranigdo had manipulated
him."
"You have any clue what they're talking about?" Ravven asked.
"None," Gourry replied.
Lina slapped Gourry on the back of the head. "You should. You were part
of some of that."
"I was?"
Lina sighed in defeat. "It's a long story, and I don't feel like going
over it. Okay?"
"Whatever." Ravven shrugged.
"Anyway," Amelia called attention to herself. "This mansion wasn't
really Frezo's though. He found it. It really belonged to-"
Lina interrupted. "Rei Magnus."
"How did you know?" Amelia asked.
"I found his copy of Dragon Slayer." Lina pulled out an ancient tome
from her cloak.
Amelia looked confused. "Don't you mean Dragon Slav?"
"Dragon Slav has been corrupted and changed through the years. This is
the perfect version of the spell."
"How do we know that the current version isn't the perfected one?"
Zelgadis wondered.
"Because this..." Lina thumped the book. "...is also a Claire Bible
Manuscript."
"I see." Zelgadis blinked. "Wait a second. How is that possible? Rei
Magnus was turned into a shard of Shabranigdo BEFORE the Water Dragon
King died and created the Claire Bible."
Lina folded her arms. "That's a question I'll be beating an answer out
of Xellos for, the next time I see him."
"Who's this 'Xellos' person?" Ravven asked.
"A high raking mazoku under Zelas Metallium," Lina replied flatly.
Ravven sweat-dropped. "You certainly have some interesting friends."
"Well, what should we do now?" Gourry questioned.
"Simple. We get out of this hell hole and torch the place." Lina's hand
ignited in fire.
"You can't!" Amelia protested. "Mr. Zelgadis's cure might be located
somewhere in this place. We can't destroy the mansion until we have it!"
"Sorry, but this place has got to go!" Lina folded her arms.
"Any reason why we can't stay a few days at least?" Zelgadis questioned.
"Gaav Flare." Lina cupped her hands and sent a blast of energy through
the wall of the library.
"He's alive?!" Ravven called out in shock.
"This mansion contains a shard of many of the high level mazoku,
including Gaav, Fibrizo and the Rei Magnus Shabranigdo. When I was
asleep I had a long talk with them. One I don't want to repeat.
Understand?" Lina placed her hands on her hips. "I will NOT spend
another night in this place, and I WILL destroy it."
"B-but Mrs. Lina... Zelgadis's cure...." Amelia tried to figure out how
to change Lina's mind.
Zelgadis placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Amelia. With those
mazoku shards here, this place needs to be destroyed. Besides, I doubt
the cure is here, but I did find a lead."
Amelia looked at Zelgadis uncertainly. "Are you sure? We could at least
go through this library first."
Lina glared. "I am not going to sleep in this mansion. I am leaving and
blowing this place up. That's final."
"After you fell off the bridge, did you have a strange dream?" Zelgadis
asked.
Amelia nodded. "I dreamt of my sister, but she wasn't my sister.
Sometimes she was wearing a leather bikini."
Lina twitched.
"I had a dream of Rezo, and he told me that if my cure exists-- it's in
mazoku hands."
"Great." Lina tossed her arms into the air. "Yet another reason to find
Xellos."
"We could try finding a portal to Beast Island," Ravven suggested.
Lina scowled. "I'd rather not have to share tea with Zelas, thank you."
Zelgadis crossed his arms. "He'll pop up when we least want him to
appear. Now, let's go before this mansion springs any more surprises."
-------------------*
Amelia took every journal that was in the library, just in case any of
them had hints to Zelgadis's cure. She wasn't sure they should destroy
this place yet. Sure it was evil, and must be vanquished-- but this was
probably the best place to find Zelgadis's cure. However, she had been
completely out-voted, even by Zelgadis, himself.
Amelia followed the group as they walked to the open window that mansion
had given directions to. She suddenly froze as a sensation whipped
through her body. Her hands reached to her throat as if she was
desperate to breathe. "I-I'm all right. I'm... all... right." She
collapsed to the ground.
"Amelia!" Zelgadis rushed to her. "What's wrong? Amelia? Amelia?!" He
then shuddered. He looked up angrily and charged down the hall. "Fibrizo
you son of a b-" He then fell as he ran.
"What the hell is going on?!" Ravven drew his sword scanning the area.
Lina glanced around nervously. "I'm not sure, but I think something made
them relive the moment they came closest to dying."
Gourry hovered over Lina. "We have to make sure you don't get affected."
He glanced at his comatose comrades. "Are they going to be all right?"
"If it's the spell I'm thinking of, they should be fine. If they're
really reliving it, then we have to get out of here fast and destroy
this place."
"Why's that?" Ravven placed his back to the wall.
"This mansion contains a shard of Fibrizo, and he's the one who came
closest to killing them for good. His power could ensure that they're
dead."
"How do even find what's causing it?"
"I'm not su-" Lina's face glazed over for a second, she then looked
absolutely determined. "You, who are darker than the blackest pitch.
You, who shines like gold-"
"Lina, stop!" Gourry knew he had to stop her from reciting that spell.
He grabbed her into a hug and kissed her.
Ravven smirked. "Well, that's one way to stop her."
Gourry broke the kiss.
Lina looked at him confused, and shakenly touched his face. "You're all
right...." She blinked a few times. "Damn, that thing got me too. At
least you...."
Gourry wobbled. "Momma... I hurt... it's so hot...." He collapsed into
Lina's arms.
"Gourry?! Gourry wake up, please." Lina shook him frantically.
Ravven's sword fell out of suddenly limp hand. "What are you doing to my
Dad?! Leave him alone!" He raised his hand. "What can I do? Elmekia
Lance!"
A streak of blueish-white light shot out and exploded as it struck
something. The light illuminated a floating sphere before it shattered.
Ravven screamed in pain for a half second and then stopped abruptly.
Lina looked relieved as Gourry began to stir. A moan from Amelia and
Zelgadis indicated they were fine as well. Lina smirked. "Talk about
luck."
Ravven laughed. "Whatever works. What spell were you casting anyway?"
Lina turned around and ignored him. "You two all right."
"I'm fine." Amelia shakenly stood up. "What happened?"
"Just a spell that we will never have to worry about after we torch this
place. It was one of Fibrizo's crueler ones, it makes someone relive the
moment they came closest to dying."
"What spell did Gourry stop you from casting?" Ravven demanded.
Amelia shrugged. "Probably Dragon Slav."
"No, I've seen that cast. She was calling upon something 'darker than
blackest-'"
Amelia covered his mouth. "DON'T repeat ANY part of that spell. It's
very bad news."
"What is it?"
"It's a spell to summon the Dark Lord of dark lords, the Lord of
Nightmares." Zelgadis scowled at him. "And it's best that you forget it
even exists."
"S-summon?!" Ravven looked faint.
"Yes, and unless you want to risk everything being destroyed, it's not
something to cast." Lina looked around. "Damn, lost count. I want to
find the closest open window." A piece of paper fluttered into her
hands. "Good, not too much farther."
Lina led the group as she followed the instructions. Upon reaching the
door in question, she opened it. The open window let fresh air breeze
in, but Lina was very disturbed.
By the window, written in haughty red letters was, 'Naga was here!'
"So this was why she was so demented." Lina ran her fingers over the
Naga's message. "How long was she here?"
Amelia pulled out her sister's journal. "About a year, if this is
correct. You knew her, Mrs. Lina?"
"She was my first partner. We adventured everywhere, except Sailoon, but
she never talked about her family."
"Do you know where she is now?" Amelia asked with a quivering lip but
hope in her voice."
Lina scratched the back of her head. "Well, it's been over two years
since I've seen her last."
"What happened?" Amelia pressed.
"She saw me test the Giga Slav. It scared both of us to death and left
the beach devoid of all life." Lina sighed. "As much as I tried to avoid
Naga before we became friends, she's the one who runs from me now."
Amelia nodded. "I see. She left you because she's afraid of the Giga
Slav."
Lina smiled sadly. "At least you know she should still be alive.
Especially since she can keep up with me."
"Thank you." Amelia wiped away a few tears.
Ravven prepared to jump out the window. "Well, I've had enough of this
place. Let's leave now before the house comes up with some means to keep
us here."
"You sure about having the mansion destroyed, Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia
asked.
Zelgadis nodded. "I don't care if there is a cure here. This place has
got to be destroyed."
-------------------*
Lina rolled up her sleeves and prepared herself. This mansion had to go,
and there weren't many spells that could do it. Without calling upon the
Lord of Nightmares, this was it.
"You, who are the darkness of the twilight of life."
Lina crossed her arms over her chest and a shimmering crimson light
surrounded her.
"You, who are more crimson than the last drop of life's blood."
Her feet were lifted off the ground as the power continued to build
around her.
"Buried in the vast sea of time, your power grows as all other things
perish."
Lina grimaced as she held onto the power.
Zelgadis could sense Shabranigdo's power growing. Not as much as there
was during Rezo's summoning, but the dark lord's presence was still
here.
"Great Ruby Lord, I summon you, call out to you, pledge myself to
you...."
Lina turned in the air as the power started to spin around her.
"Grant this lowly servant the power to smash the fools who stand before
you with the power you possess."
Lina shifted position and moved her hands together to her right side.
All the energy around Lina collapsed into a ball that form between her
hands. The ball pulsated with explosive destructive energy.
"Dragon Slayer!"
Lina brought her hands forward and the ball shoot through the air and
into the open doors of the mansion. Zelgadis and Amelia immediately
slammed the doors shut. They flew to Lina, grabbing her and taking her
to the trench they had made shortly before Lina began the spell.
Suddenly the Earth shook with an ear-shattering explosion.
Zelgadis blocked the debris that fell into the trench. "Good lords, that
was more powerful than a boosted Dragon Slav!"
Amelia blinked. "Did you say something, Mr. Zelgadis?"
Zelgadis looked at her. "What was that? I can't hear you with this
ringing in my ear."
-------------------*
"Back already?" Lord Resdis asked as Lina and crew entered his office.
"Yep." Lina dropped what looked to be a small scale model of the
mansion. "Here's your 'ancestral home' completely free of magic and
mazoku influence. Only problem was, the entire house was magical. So
this is all that's left."
"My... my... mansion?! That laughing priest said you could handle this
job, Zelgadis. How could you do this to my home?!" Lord Resdis shouted.
Zelgadis crossed his arms. "Sorry, cousin, but the mansion wasn't in our
family to begin with. Great-grandfather Frezo found it. And..." Zelgadis
paused. "Did you say laughing priest?"
"Cousin?!" Lord Resdis growled. "How dare you insinuate that I'm related
to a construct like you?!"
Zelgadis snarled.
Lina ignore them. "The 'priest' wouldn't happen to carry a staff with a
red orb on it, have purple hair, and love secrets?"
"Yes. What does that have to do with his delusions?" Resdis was glaring
daggers at Zelgadis.
"Xellos." Amelia sighed. "Pretty careless of him. His manipulations are
usually harder to spot."
Lina folded her arms. "Unless he's giving us these 'freebies' to
distract us from his real goal."
"What could that be?" Amelia wondered.
Lina shrugged. "We'll find out in the worst possible way."
Amelia went over to Resdis. "How are you related to Frezo?"
Resdis scratched his head. "Well, let's see. He'd be my
great-grandfather, and his daughter was my grandmother."
Amelia nodded. "I see. So Zelgadis being the grandson of Rezo makes his
claim on the mansion more legitimate."
"I don't want that thing. He can keep it," Zelgadis snarled as he turned
and left.
"Rezo's grandson? What a joke!" Resdis laughed.
Shortly after Lina, Gourry and Ravven left the office, an explosion
occurred.
Amelia exited while brushing off her hands. "What a jerk."
Zelgadis sweat-dropped. "She's been hanging around you too much, Lina."
Lina smirked. "It's good for her."
-------------------*
Xellos's comments:
Well, Archive finally finished this part. Seems he had problems with my
mansion. Such a shame. I enjoyed it.
Anyway, he'll hopefully have the next part out soon, but he won't
promise anything. More lime elements will arise as the group gets a
little down time. Towermere returns, and it won't be much longer before
I'll be joining the team. Archive isn't sure if it'll be next chapter or
the following one.
I wonder how Lina will greet me? With a kiss, a hearty handshake, or a
painful headlock? I really hope it's the headlock. It feels so good.