* DISCLAIMER* Warning! This is a very dark fanfic. It involves an alternate reality, death, violence, and is very much not the slapstick Slayers we’re all used to. While it does retain a certain comic element, the core of the story is nothing if not creepy. It also retains my views on the couple situation, so there. If you don’t like that, you don’t have to read it. Otherwise, enjoy!
Midi for effect
Lina Inverse stretched and yawned. The sun was just barely peeking
over the horizon and the birds were up and singing as usual. Lina
went to the mirror and looked at her mess of red hair. She ran her
brush through it until it was soft and touchable. Then she thought
better of it and tied it back instead. Why waste time making her
hair beautiful if all guys ever noticed was her breasts…or lack of them.
Eventually, she changed into her normal clothing and went to wake her companions.
This time, Xellos had actually stayed with them in the inn. He usually disappeared somewhere. Lina had not been entirely happy about that arrangement, but she was able to deal with it more or less. As she rounded a corner, she ran into Zelgadis, who was wearing only a towel. His eyes were wild and frightened. Lina grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
“Zel, what is it? What’s wrong?” she demanded, ignoring the fact that his towel had slipped to the floor. She stared intently at his eyes. He blinked away tears and found his voice.
“It’s Amelia. Lina, she isn’t breathing!” he croaked and pointed down the hall in the direction of the Princess’ room. Lina left the scared chimera standing naked in the hall and rushed to Amelia’s door. Gourry and Xellos were already inside, both dressed as Zelgadis was and both looked on with wide-eyed horror as Amelia’s skin started turning blue. Lina cursed violently and ran to the bedside. Amelia had been strangled. The red handprints were still on her neck.
Lina had seen this before, and knew what to do. First of all, she cast a healing spell to re-open the airway. Then she proceeded to give the dying princess mouth-to-mouth. After about four tries, the small girl coughed. It was a deep, painful cough, but at least she was breathing again…
Amelia sat bolt upright and yelled for Zelgadis. Apparently, the chimera had regained his composure, for an instant later, he was there, holding the little princess in his arms and stroking her hair. Lina looked at Gourry, Xellos and Zelgadis and sighed. Were they really that immodest?
Lina turned and started to leave. She was hungry and she figured that whoever had done this to Amelia would not show his face as long as Gourry, Zelgadis, and Xellos were there to guard her. Once in the comfort of the breakfast table, Lina sorted out her thoughts.
“Who could’ve done this to Amelia?” she said aloud, “It couldn’t have been Garv, Valgarv, or Phibrizo…or Zangulus…or Vrumugun…or Dilgier…or Shabranigdo…or the Lord of Nightmares. Well it could’ve been the Lord of Nightmares, but I can’t see any reason for it. We killed all of the others, except Zangulus, but he’s married with two kids now. He settled his dispute with Gourry a long time ago.
“So who did it. I just named about all of our enemies. And L-Sama is God. God shouldn’t have any problem with my allies, or me since I made that pact with her, but I can’t rule her out just yet.” Lina sat and pondered a little while longer. Eventually, Xellos and Gourry joined her at the table, followed shortly by Zelgadis. He was supporting a very shaky princess Amelia as she came down the stairs.
“Amelia, tell Lina what you saw,” Xellos said gently. He seemed overly concerned with the well being of Amelia today, Lina noted.
“I—it was some sort of man. He was taller than anything I’ve ever seen. His hands were huge. I mean absolutely gigantic. He smelled kind of like pasta. He didn’t say anything. He was just breathing really heavy like he was out of breath or something,” Amelia paused.
“Well Amelia, go ahead. I need to know more,” Lina urged gently.
Amelia began to sob quietly, and continued in a shaking voice, “Then he took out a knife and stabbed me. Oh gods, Miss Lina, it hurt. It wasn’t a dream! It felt like my neck really was being stabbed. That’s all I remember, I swear!” Amelia finished her final wail of misery echoing throughout the inn, turning heads. Lina allowed Amelia to cling to her and cry for a while then gently pushed the traumatized Princess back.
“Amelia, I think it would be best if we went back to Seyruun for awhile. Let’s get you back to your father and tell him what happened, okay?” Lina said gently. Zelgadis, Gourry, and Xellos were shocked. Lina was actually volunteering to see Prince Philionel! Gourry silently thought that maybe Lina wasn’t as heartless as she’d have people believe.
Zelgadis lifted Amelia into the back of the hay wagon and climbed up after. He had not left the girl’s side since that morning at breakfast. Gourry held out his hand for Lina, and she reluctantly accepted it. Lina was always surprised at the large swordsman’s gentle touch with her. It was strange to see such a high-class warrior be so tender. When in battle, he was all muscle and power. Lina always marveled at his control when dealing with her. Especially her abuse. She felt a pang of guilt as she remembered all the times she’d clobbered him for making a crack about her chest.
Gourry climbed up beside Lina and sat down. He fidgeted a moment and then folded his hands in his lap. As Xellos snapped the reigns, Lina took one of Gourry’s hands and placed it around her shoulders. Surprised, Gourry slowly pulled Lina closer. She rested her head against his muscular shoulder and sighed. Back to thinking about the attack.
Xellos was also thinking about Amelia’s attacker. For some reason, things just didn’t add up…perhaps it was the fact that Amelia did not even have a scratch on her body other than the handprints at her neck. Xellos also wondered why he even cared. He was just tagging along to cause trouble, as usual. But something had happened that he could not readily explain or involve himself in, and he did not like being left out of a plot.
Lina noted that the wounds on Amelia’s neck were not made by large hands at all, but by normal sized ones. The attacker probably got in the Princess’ dreams or something like that…which was consistent with the Lord of Nightmares. She came to people in their dreams, but she’d never actually hurt someone before. Besides, if the Lord of Nightmares wanted someone dead, they would be dead. Lina almost had to rule out god.
Once back in Seyruun, the party went immediately to the palace, where a messenger had already been sent to tell the Prince what had happened. He ran out to greet Lina and her friends almost as soon as they entered the gates of the palace. Amelia’s Uncle Christopher was there as well. And there was another uncle as well, one Lina didn’t recognize.
Amelia’s eyes lit up and she ran from Zelgadis’ protective embrace to that of her father. “Daddy!” Amelia screamed as she wept into her father’s arms.
“Oh, Amelia, please, tell me who did this to you! I must know, so he can be punished! He has hurt you, and I cannot forgive that. In the name of all that is good and Just, I swear to punish the perpetrator of this hideous crime!” Prince Phil said as he struck a magnificent pose, still holding Amelia.
Amelia disengaged from her father and went to her Uncle Christopher. She hugged him tightly and cried a little more. Christopher, unlike Philionel, simply said, “There, there,” and hugged the little Princess tightly.
Next, Amelia went to the other uncle, the one Lina did not know. “Grandfather Jarred!” Amelia exclaimed as she flew into his embrace, “It’s been such a long time!”
Gourry’s eyes lit up with recognition, “Hey, you’re Jarred Wil Soun Seyruun, aren’t you?” the blonde swordsman asked. He and Zelgadis looked at one another.
The black haired man rumbled, “Yes, I am he. Why do you ask?”
“You—you’re the Weapons Master!” Gourry and Zelgadis both exclaimed.
Jarred smiled, “Well, I used to be called that, yes, but that was a long time ago,” the aged man said.
Gourry and Zelgadis fell to their knees and put their hands up in salute, “Oh Master, we are not worthy to be called your former students!” they chanted, “Please give us instruction on how to better please your Grace!”
The elderly man rolled his eyes. “My sons fear not, your training was completed and you surpassed all expectations,” he said unenthusiastically.
Gourry and Zelgadis beamed proudly. Amelia, Lina, and Xellos stood amazed. Lina had never known that Gourry had studied under the Weapons Master himself.
The old man raised his arm and gave a half-hearted salute to his two former students. Zelgadis and Gourry stood up and beamed some more. Then the weapons master cleared his throat.
“I think I remember you two. You were my prize-winning fighters. Of different classes, yes, but still excellent fighters. I always wondered what would happen in a fight between you two. I’ve heard of the exploits of the Infamous Lina Inverse and her stalwart champion, Gourry Gabriev, but I did not know Zelgadis was with you as well.” The old man clapped Zelgadis on the back before the Chimera could warn him.
“Oy, Zel, what happened to your skin?” the master asked, shaking his injured hand.
“Rezo turned me into a Chimera,” Zelgadis said.
“So, how is old Blind-Eye anyway?” Jarred asked. Zelgadis’ face turned into a snarl.
“Dead and gone, like he deserves,” Zelgadis growled.
“Ooh, I didn’t realize it was a touchy subject like that, forgive me,” the old man hastily apologized.
Amelia suddenly sneezed and shivered. “Did any of you feel that?” she asked
“Feel what, daughter?” Prince Phil asked, at once concerned for his little girl.
“Daddy, it’s so cold in here! I—I’m scared,” she whispered. She was sitting in a large chair right next to a fire, so Lina knew something was wrong. She stepped closer to the frightened princess and suddenly felt a chill.
“Something is definitely wrong…” Lina said. She pulled her cloak tighter around her and knelt next to the frightened girl. Suddenly, Lina and Amelia blacked out. Or more specifically, the rest of the people in the room disappeared. Amelia yelped and clung to Lina for dear life. They were no longer in Seyruun. Something moved in the blackness. Lina began to cast a freeze arrow, and prompted Amelia to use an Elmikia lance. The two women crept cautiously toward the thing in the corner of the ‘room’. It scurried further back into the shadows.
“Look, whoever you are, we’re tired of this little game now. We won’t hurt you yet, we just want some answers okay?” Lina said, trying her best to be diplomatic.
“Do you promise not to laugh at me if I show myself?” a youthful tenor voice said.
“I would never make fun of appearances, no matter what evil you’ve done!” Amelia proclaimed, evidently forgetting her fear.
“Alright, here I come, please don’t use your spells on me,” the young man said. He was very handsome. His legs were ripped and muscular. His arms were bronze and tan. His eyes were bright blue, the color of the oceans. Lina and Amelia were taken quite by surprise.
“Okay, first question…why would anyone laugh at a body like yours?” Lina demanded.
The young man blushed, “Well, everyone always laughs at me because I’m not manly enough. I don’t see why either, but I just didn’t like people laughing at me all the time.”
Amelia shrank back. Was this the man she’d seen? “Who are you?” she whimpered.
Lina put a protective arm around the scared girl, “Yeah, why did you try to kill Amelia?”
The young stud held up his hand. It was a huge hand, a powerful hand, just like the one Amelia had described. The Princess gave a yelp and dove behind Lina for protection.
“My name is Erich. I’m what you might call a squeak Demon. I used to work for Lord Dregas, giving terrible nightmares to people to keep them asleep while he robbed them. Lord Dregas is an excellent Pirate, but he is very cruel. He kept me imprisoned with his other lesser Demons for about five years. That’s the debt I owed him, so I didn’t complain. But today marked the end of my tenure with the pirate, so I left as soon as I could. I suppose you’re wondering what I’m doing, pulling you here like this, hmm?” Erich said.
Lina and Amelia sat down and nodded. Perhaps he hadn’t been the one to attack Amelia after all.
“Well, I told Lord Dregas that I would not be helping him anymore after tonight, so he gave me one more assignment. He told me to bring a nightmare to the Princess of Seyruun so he and his pirates could loot the castle. Of course, she would need to cause a commotion so the guards would come running, so I had planned to make her sleepwalk. She could throw a few things around and make noise to make the guards come. But I decided at the last minute that I would screw up his plans but good. Unfortunately, I had not counted on the Lord’s cunning.
“He knew me well, apparently, and figured on something like this. I think he sent someone to make sure I didn’t spoil things. I was about to tell the Princess of Lord Dregas’ plot when I heard something in her real room. I tried to warn you, Amelia, but I was too late,” the Demon wiped away a tear and sighed, “I honestly don’t know who tried to kill you or why, but I made sure that Zelgadis found you as soon as possible. I was the one who warned him of the danger.”
Amelia’s eyes filled with tears and she started to give an elaborate speech of thanks, but Lina stepped in, “I’m sure that’s all well and good, but we still know nothing. We don’t know who the assassin was or why he tried to kill Amelia. And that’s another thing, just how do you know her name anyway?” Lina whispered the final word of a spell of dissolution and released it at the fake.
The Demon cursed and his form wavered for a moment before disappearing altogether. In his place stood a man with a hooded face. It looked like a new monster, one that Lina and her friends had never faced before. Amelia yelped and ducked back behind Lina. Lina pointed at the Monster.
“I though so. Your story was too phony. I knew Dregas well. He died three years ago. Plus, Amelia remembers clearly a tall man with rippling muscles and huge hands attacking her. Now I understand the connection. But whom are you working for and why? A monster has to have a reason to attack the Seyruun princess. Unless…” Lina trailed off.
The hooded man growled and took up a fighting stance, “Shut up Inverse, I have a score to settle with you.” Lina used a gust spell to blow back the hood. Underneath, stood Vrumugun, very alive and very angry.
TO BE CONTINUED…