The Slayers: Reward
Chapter 11: Mazoku. They're Nothing But Trouble!
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.
Lime Warning: The reason why this warning is here is very evident in
this chapter. Sexual comments WILL be made in this part, but no sexual
acts directly described.
-------------------*
Such a fine day to be a mazoku.
The buildings were burning with an unholy might. People screamed for
salvation, but found none, and instead were slaughtered mercilessly.
Those that could do something about this either didn't care or were
frozen with indecision.
The funny things was, last week it would've described what these bandits
did to a small village. As they had come like an unimaginable force and
raped, murdered and pillaged the town to nothingness, they now faced and
even greater force-- Lina Inverse-Gabriev: the Slayer, the Dragon
Spooker, the Pink.
No 'bandit' wasn't accidentally left off the slayer part of the title.
Lina has racked quite a few mazoku, dragons, werewolves, et cetera kills
as well. Suffice it to say, she's simply a slayer of all things that get
in her way.
Of course, calling Lina by that title would be a bad idea. Even though
some people like pain, that would be a capital offense worthy of Laguna
Blade. Lina was touchy like that.
After all, Lina's wrath on the bandits wouldn't have been this fierce if
a certain rumor of Lina Inverse being married hadn't reached them. When
she was about to start her attack and pillage scheme, she overheard some
of the bandits talking about the marriage. One of them commented, 'only
an idiot would marry Lina Inverse.' Well, Gourry heard that as well and
announced, 'I'm that idiot.'
Needless to say, Gourry was blasted off into the distance by his beloved
bride and the onslaught commenced.
Now one has to wonder how that rumor started.
Anyway, beyond the screaming, the fear and in some of the foolish:
bloodlust, anger and vengeance-- there were other morsels for a mazoku
to enjoy. Lina's own bloodlust aside, there was seemingly stoic
Zelgadis. His anger at this 'unreasonable' delay was quite amusing.
Then there was poor little Amelia. On one hand she wanted to help Lina
destroy these bandits to right the injustice they did to so many hapless
people. On the other hand, however, she wanted to stop Lina from
enacting the injustice of this butchering on the bandits. While her
thoughts weren't truly dark or fearful, her conflicting emotions were
rather simply a light spice to this grand meal.
Gourry was still out cold, so his thoughts amounted to simple lustful
dreams of a newlywed. Best not to go there, though, too much love.
Then there was the new member of Lina's little group. He was neither a
bystander nor an active participant in the execution of bandits. His
thoughts were filled with greed, vengeance and longing. They also
contained an interesting taint to them.
-------------------*
"A runt like you can't be doing this to my bandits," growled the six
foot, armored like a tank leader holding an oddly shaped two-handed
sword.
"Wish I could say I was, but that's Lina Inverse's work. I'm just here
for your sword." Ravven brandished his own weapon.
The armored leader laughed. "You can try, but you'll die." The battle
began as he swung down.
Ravven blocked with his sword and strained to remain standing from the
leader's great strength. He wasn't about to lose to some back-watered
bandit this close to part of his objective after he had worked so hard
to trick Lina in this direction. He really HAD slept with a mayor's
daughter and unless the girl bragged, no one would know.
With a heavy grunt, Ravven knocked away the bandit leader, who recovered
quickly.
"You'll have to do better than that, whelp," the bandit leader sneered.
He raised his sword to attack again, but then froze.
The giant sword slipped through his boneless fingers and clattered to
the ground. Then with a mighty crash the bandit leader also fell.
Ravven blinked. "Why did you do that?"
Xellos pulled the staff away from where he stabbed the bandit leader and
shrugged. "Looked like you needed help."
Ravven sheathed his sword picked up the two-handed sword and studied it,
noticing how the top of the blade was unnaturally smooth and oddly cut.
"I didn't need any help."
"I see." Xellos chuckled. "So you are his boy after all."
"What's that to you?" Ravven sneered.
Xellos smiled. "How'd you like-"
"No," Ravven interrupted firmly.
"Think of what you can gain?" Xellos insisted.
"How about what I'd lose?" Ravven retorted.
Xellos shrugged. "Suit yourself." He vanished with a puff of darkness.
-------------------*
Lina giggled like a schoolgirl as she let the gold coins trickle through
her fingers.
Amelia looked away. "Hey, Ravven. Where'd you go?"
"Had a score to settle with the leader. Took his sword as a prize,"
Ravven replied.
"So, that's why you had us go this way." Lina shrugged and then eyed the
sword. "Can I see that?"
"Let him keep it, Lina," Gourry commented.
Lina blinked. "You sure?"
Gourry nodded.
"Can we get going?" Zelgadis growled. "The longer we wait, the more
trouble we have."
"He does need his cure so I can marry him," Amelia added.
Zelgadis jerked as if hit.
-------------------*
Yawn. After that lovely bit of entertainment, the remainder of the
journey was rather boring.
The only bright spot was Ravven taking a turn at pounding on Towermere.
Ravven had foolishly tried to outdo Zelgadis, but didn't have nearly as
much skill.
Now their long trek had come to an end, but I wonder if they remembered
that they forgot to ask how to get into the library.
Oh, this will be so much fun to watch.
-------------------*
Lina and crew stared up the mountain at its base and asked, "Do any of
you see a way in?"
Zelgadis palmed his face. "We forgot to ask Xellos how to get inside.
You know it's not going to have a visible entrance since no one even
knows the mountain is really hollow."
Lina grabbed her hair. "Why didn't someone think about that before?"
"At least I didn't ask any stupid questions," Ravven said defensively.
"Yes you did, you asked him what type of mazoku he was," Lina shot back.
"Was it stupid when you didn't even know?" Ravven returned.
Lina growled and stomped to the side of the mountain. She cried out,
"Bephis Bring!" Magic flowed through Lina's hands pushing aside the
Earth forming a tunnel.
Gourry scratched his head. "Every time I think I've seen all her spells,
out pops a new one."
Lina glared over at him. "Like you can remember every spell I've cast.
Remember how we made the trench before blowing up the mansion?"
Gourry shrugged. "Ah, no."
Lina massaged her forehead.
"I doubt this will get us all the way in," Zelgadis grumbled.
"We'll just have to go with the bigger stuff when that happens," Lina
retorted.
-------------------*
Xellos looked up as an explosion rocked the table which held his tea.
Through the hole in the side of an enormous library stood Lina and crew.
Xellos sighed. "I was hoping you'd have a few problems getting in, but I
should've known you'd make your own door."
"Where's Zander?" Lina questioned.
"Eager for a fight?" Xellos returned.
"No. I just don't want any surprises," Lina said flatly.
"He's on a fool's errand claiming a Claire Bible Manuscript. It should
keep him occupied for a while. However, it's best you hurry as he can
sense if the library has been damaged if he checks," Xellos explained.
"Where're the manuscripts we need?" Zelgadis asked.
"That you'll have to find out yourself, but I will explain this: the
library is divided into books, scrolls, and tablets and each section is
sorted alphabetically," Xellos answered.
"You heard him, let's go hunting!" Lina called out and ran into the see
of magical books.
"This must contain every portion of the Claire Bible," Ravven said in
slight awe.
"Hardly, this isn't even one percent of the true bible that was the
Water Dragon King, but that one was infinite," Xellos said simply.
"Why are you being so giving with information, Mr. Xellos," Amelia asked
from a nearby row of scrolls.
"I have my reasons," Xellos smiled at her.
"Which are?" Amelia pressed.
"Now that's a secret." Xellos winked.
Amelia crashed to the floor. "Should have seen that coming."
"Why that son of a...." Lina growled holding a tablet with the bottom
left corner broken off.
"What's wrong?" Gourry asked.
"Nothing much besides finding Rezo's legacy here," Lina grumbled.
"Rezo?" Gourry scratched his head. "Where did I hear that name before?"
Lina used the tablet to bat Gourry away for saying something that
stupid.
Xellos slurped his tea as Gourry crashed into the wall behind him.
"Interesting effect," the mazoku commented.
Lina pocketed the tablet in her cloak of holding and kept looking... er
looting tablets. They didn't really have to do anything with chimera.
They were all magical and highly powerful.
After several minutes of watching them ransack the library, Xellos stood
up as he sensed something. "Lina, Gourry, Ravven... Zander is coming.
Why don't you three go outside to give Zelgadis and Amelia more time."
"You going to help?" Lina asked.
"Fight Zander? I'm not allowed to," Xellos replied.
"Some help you are," Lina groused.
"I can offer you this. Gourry's sword, Dragon Cleaver, is great for
filleting dragons, but not much more. Against a mazoku it's almost
useless save for the lowest level ones. I'd suggest you use one of
Ravven's swords. Both can be effective on a mazoku. I better leave
before Zander notices me. See ya." Xellos vanished in swirl of
blackness.
Ravven glanced at the sword strapped to his hip. With a sigh he removed
it from his belt and tossed it at Gourry. "That's Demon Claw, supposedly
made from a demon's claw. I can vouch that it is effective against
mazoku."
"What about the other sword?" Lina asked.
Ravven unsheathed it. "This is what I'll be using."
Lina scratched her head. The sword looked familiar to her for some
reason. She then shrugged, knowing it would come back to her later. Now
was to deal with Zander. She spotted to gigantic stylized and painted
oaken doors. "Let's greet him outside," Lina suggested.
The two swordsmen nodded and followed Lina.
The trio didn't have to wait long after walking through the door. A bolt
of lightning crashed before them. When the light faded away the mazoku
librarian, Zander, stood before them.
Zander did not look like a terrible creature of destruction. He looked
like a stogy old mage. "Not only do you interfere with my duties, now
you rob my library," the mazoku growled angrily.
"Yeah, well your bosses keep having other plans," Lina retorted.
Zander seemed to gaze deeply into the library. "Ah, you seek the
manuscripts concerning Zelgadis's gift." He paused. "I don't care to
fight you. I'd rather work out a trade."
"A trade?" Lina questioned.
"Yes. I want the manuscript Fibrizo helped you obtain. In exchange, you
can have the manuscripts for your friend," Zander said simply.
"Not a chance in hell am I letting you have that," Lina replied.
"Besides, I don't have it with me."
"I can sense that. You don't have to give it to me. Just tell me where I
can find it," Zander returned.
"Somewhere I don't want to go and safe from you," Lina stated flatly.
Gourry brightened and smashed his fist into his palm. "You gave it to
Luna."
Lina crashed heavily into the ground from shock. She snarled angrily,
"You're not supposed to figure it out for him."
Zander frowned. "So the Ceiphied Knight has the Giga Slav manuscript.
Very disconcerting. It would be difficult taking it from her."
Ravven glanced at Lina and asked, "What major powers haven't you met?"
"Dynast, Dolphin, Death Fog, Chaotic Blue, the four greater dragon gods,
and oh, the Earth and Air Dragon Kings. I'm not sure if the large
crystal at the Fire Dragon Shrine was the Fire Dragon King sleeping or
just a statue," Lina rattled off.
Ravven sweat-dropped. "Wait, you didn't mention Dark Star."
"I ruined half of him," Lina chirped.
Ravven remembered the night sky to the south had become the deepest
black he had ever seen then became more brilliant than a bright sunny
day a few months back. He paled at the thought that Lina was an honest
to god, God Slayer.
"The power that let you do that no longer exists on this world, so don't
think I'll be intimidated by that," Zander said gruffly.
"You do know of my other abilities, right Zander?" Lina questioned
seemingly innocently.
"You are referring to Laguna Blade which Xellos stupidly let you have,"
Zander growled. "Not to mention the boost gems that let you cast them.
However, you should not forget I know Laguna Blade myself and ALL the
spells in the library. Can you possibly compare your talents of one
world when I have spells from three others as well?"
Lina sweat-dropped. Zander certainly had a point about his power level.
He did know literally every spell that was in her spell book that she
hadn't made herself save one. However, she had numbers on her side. "Do
you really want to try your luck against me?" Lina questioned.
"If it must come to that." Zander shifted positions.
Lina smirked. Zander might be able to cast spells, but he didn't have
any special ability in casting them. His stance was indicative of a mage
ready to select one of any number of spells with somatic components,
particularly fire spells. "Get ready," Lina called out.
Zander brought a hand before his lips and began chanting.
Lina didn't want to know what he was casting. "Elmekia Lance!"
Zander grimaced as the blast shot through his shoulder, but he continued
to cast the spell.
Lina stared dumbly as all of them began to glow in golden light. "He's
casting a HOLY spell?!"
"Masse Telepotium!" Zander called out and suddenly Lina, Gourry, and
Ravven found themselves in a grassy field along with Amelia, Zelgadis
and Zander.
"Tricky bastard," Lina sneered.
"Don't want my library further damaged." Zander spread out his arms.
"Now to deal with you. Great Spirit of air, I call out to you to send
forth your wrath. Hail Storm!"
Lina and crew danced around trying to dodge the grapefruit sized
hailstones falling from the cloudless sky.
"Can't this guy use something we've actually seen before?" Ravven
sarcastically asked.
"Fine." Zander raised his hand over his head. "Flare Arrow!" An
impossible number of flaming arrows appeared and launched at them.
"Windy Shield!" Lina called out, creating a barrier of solid air between
her group and Zander. The flaming arrows exploded harmless against it
while Lina glared at Ravven.
Zander glanced over seeing a pair of mages casting in concert. "Dark
Shroud," the mazoku said simply.
"Ra Tilt!" Amelia and Zelgadis chorused.
Zander smirked at them with a faint black aura swirling around him.
"What the?! That's MY spell! I made it! How can you cast it?!" Lina
ranted like an upset four-year old denied her favorite toy. "That does
it. YOU ARE TOAST. Lord of Darkness and the Four Worlds I call upon you.
Grant me all the power you possess!"
Zander brought his hands together and started chanting.
"Oh no you don't," Zelgadis said, not knowing what spell the mazoku was
going to cast, but was sure he had to stop it. "Dynast Breath!"
Zander became frozen in place as he was encased in solid ice, but
Zelgadis cursed noticing a faint golden glow around the mazoku.
"Get down!" Gourry called out.
"...you and I possess. Dragon Slav!"
An Earth shattering kaboom rocked the ground and threatened to rupture
their ear-drums as Lina focused the enhanced Dragon Slave in as tight of
blast she could make it.
There was an unnatural silence that followed as they waited on baited
breath to find out if Lina had managed to kill Zander.
The smoke cleared and Zander hovered above them, his robes slightly
burnt but otherwise looked unharmed.
"How the hell did he live through that?!" Ravven questioned in surprise.
"High level mazoku are annoying that way," Amelia replied. "They hate
dying."
"Shall we stop this senseless fighting?" Zander questioned. "All you
have to do is help me obtain the Giga Slav manuscript from the Ceiphied
Knight and I'll let you keep the manuscripts that you've stolen."
"He's hurt more than he's letting on," Gourry commented.
Lina analyzed the mazoku. "Maybe, but I don't know if I have enough
power to go for another enhanced Dragon Slav. And no idea if that'd be
enough."
"What's the plan, Mrs. Lina?" Amelia asked.
"COVER our escape," Lina answered.
"Cover?" Amelia questioned. "I don't know if it'll work against him."
She sighed. "Dark Mist!"
Suddenly the entire area was flooded with black fog clouds. Zander
scowled and raised his arms. "Typhoon Blast!"
Unlike Bomb Di Win which sends a high gust of wind in a small area, the
entire field in front of Zander was ravaged by winds from that of the
fiercest storm the region had ever seen.
Zander sweat-dropped after blowing away the black clouds. "Where are
they?" he questioned.
Gourry felt like someone was rolling him down hill in a barrel. The Ray
Wing Lina had cast carried him off with her when the sudden gust of
unimaginably strong winds hurled them away, but it took all of Lina's
concentration to hold on to the wind bubble. Especially with the way
they tumbled around in it.
Finally the wind stopped and the group was able to come under control.
"Whoa! Funky trip," Ravven said dizzily while inside Zelgadis's Ray Wing
bubble.
"Where to now?" Zelgadis questioned.
"We need to go somewhere that'd make it difficult for Zander to find
us," Lina replied.
"Where could we go that could do that?" Amelia asked.
"About only one place I know that would have enough magical interference
that might blind Zander, Sairaag," Lina answered. "Fortunately, we
aren't that far away from it." She pointed in the distance where the
familiar three times destroyed city lay.
Amelia landed and dispelled her Ray Wing. "We should walk there to
conserve our magic."
Lina nodded. "Good idea." She landed and ended her spell as well.
"I thought I saw you!"
Lina sagged looking over at who called that. "How did you possibly find
us already?"
"I won't stop until you've acceded to the demands placed upon you," was
the angry reply.
"Allow me. I do believe this would be my turn." Xellos said cheerfully
as he appeared from a swirl of blackness. "Now how should I go about
'Pound the Towermere?'"
"A mazoku?!" Towermere called out in shock. "You ally yourselves with
demons?"
"He's useful from time to time," Lina replied. "Go ahead and play with
him. Just don't kill him or do any permanent harm."
Xellos pouted. "Oh, you're no fun." He turned his attention back to
Towermere. "Now what to do first?"
Amelia stared uneasily as Xellos batted Towermere with his staff.
"Promise you won't do anything too bad to him."
Xellos waved her off. "I promise. Now you better hurry to Sairaag."
With that Lina and crew rushed down the road to Sairaag.
-------------------*
Xellos's notes:
Well, as you can see contract negotiations are done and I'm finally more
than some bit player. Archive promises to work on the remainder of this
series to have it completed soon.
I guess I should offer thanks to Michael Chase and Troy Thomas for
pre-reading this while I'm here.
See ya soon.