Something More Chapter 11

Author: DQBunny Title: Something More - A Slight Deviation from Set Plans

Something More

Chapter
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Disclaimer: "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

Note: This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #17. Garden Vista ; Elysium El Dorado ; Carnival, theme #22. Shadow ; Flame ; Footfall ; Ouch! and theme #26. Oxymoronic ; Ananias

oOoOo

Chapter 11: A Slight Deviation from Set Plans

"Someone knows about our arrival," Lina muttered as they approached the gates to Zefiel City.

The city itself was literally carved into one half of a mountainside - the opposite end featuring a several-thousand foot straight drop into the sea. The city itself was organized into tiers, the bottom tier dedicated to farmers and other peasants, the middle tier to the working class and the upper tier to the nobles. On the flat surface of the mountaintop was the Royal Palace of Zefielia and the Temple to Ceiphied - one of the few in their part of the world.

Great gates sheltered the city and were normally open. But they were firmly shut now, with several dozen soldiers positioned in front of them to block entry.

"What do we do now?" Amelia asked.

"It'll be a haul, but we blast through them. Mama, can you get Papa in?"

"No problem. We'll handle things from our end." Lana winked at her daughter and gave her a thumbs up sign.

"Okay. Here's the plan." Lina gathered the rest of the group together and issued instructions.

"I don't want to really hurt anyone more than we have to," she ordered. "It'll add more fuel to the fire and it'll really give Dinasa something to be ticked off at me about."

"You mean other than shooting a Freeze Arrow at her?"

"Gourry!" Lina smacked his arm.

Amelia and Zelgadiss both gaped at her. "You shot a Freeze Arrow at your own queen?" Zelgadiss asked, more than a little awed.

Amelia glared at her. "Lina-san, how could you?"

"I thought there was a Mazoku behind her! Sheesh! I was 10, okay? Now, let's move it." Lina growled and pushed herself ahead of the others.

The soldiers immediately rushed them and the four flanked them.

"They're being manipulated, Lina-san!" Amelia called out.

"Don't kill them then! Elmekia Lance!" Lina shot the spell out toward two of the soldiers. "We can't give Dinasa anymore fodder to use against us."

"Sleeping!" Amelia called, holding her arms up to ward off another wave.

"That's a temporary solution at best," Zelgadiss grunted. "It reminds me of fighting Fibrizo's minions in Sairaag." He beat off a few more soldiers with the flat of his sword. "This is getting stranger and stranger by the minute."

He had a point. Lina broke away from the others and surveyed the battle. While Zel was using the flat of his sword to fight the soldiers, Gourry was knocking them aside using his sheath. That made sense, she thought. The Blast Sword was so sharp that even using the flat part of the blade would cause a severed limb - and that was after Milgasia had put a spell on it to dull it some. Amelia largely used her white spells.

The hair on the back of Lina's neck began to crawl and she whirled around instinctively, saw the group of orcs heading for them. "Fireball! Gourry, fight those instead!"

"Right!" He knocked out one more soldier and drew his sword.

Amelia finished the last of the soldiers and joined Lina. "Once we finish off those, we can get into the city, right?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was stuff waiting for us along the way. The key thing is, will we get assistance from the folks in town as well. That's what my parents are trying to do at the moment."

"We could use your help, you know!" Zelgadiss called out.

"Right! Coming, Zelgadiss-san!" Amelia rushed to his side and Lina started to prepare a fireball. A hand suddenly fell on her shoulder and she jumped in surprise, the spell dissipating. She whirled around, faced Xelloss.

"Xelloss!"

"I'm sorry, Lina-san," Xelloss said apologetically, then snatched her arm. "But, you're going to have to step out of this battle." He waved a finger at her. "Don't worry! I'm sure your friends will handle things just fine from here."

"Xelloss!" Lina tried to jerk her arm out of his hold, then winced as his grip started to burn through her clothing. She reared back slightly in shock. Was this part of his true power? She realized she'd never had it turned on her like this before. Tears leaked out of her eyes due to the pain.

"Lina!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gourry rushing at them with the Blast Sword as they started to rise into the air. "No!" she screamed. "Don't attack him!"

"Gourry!" Zelgadiss beat off one of the orcs and raced toward him.

Acting on pure instinct, Gourry jumped into the air right as Xelloss and Lina passed over him. He fisted her cloak with one hand, the other still clinging to the sword. Right as he did that, all three winked out of existence.

Zelgadiss skidded to a stop, stared at the spot where the couple had stood and swore.

"Ra Tilt!" Amelia yelled out, dispatching the last of the orcs. She pivoted and noticed Zelgadiss standing alone, staring into empty space. She scanned the area, noticed that Lina and Gourry were missing. "Zelgadiss-san? Where's Lina-san and Gourry-san?"

His hands curled into fists and he growled. "Xelloss has them."

"What?"

Zelgadiss explained Xelloss' appearance, how he grabbed Lina and how Gourry had followed quickly.

"What do we do now, Zelgadiss-san?" Amelia bit her lip. "Where could they be?"

His gaze turned toward the upper reaches of Zefiel City, where the Royal Palace and Temple of Ceiphied sparkled above. "My guess is that they've gone to either the palace or to the Temple of Ceiphied. We need to get up there as fast as possible."

oOoOo

Xelloss had lived more than a thousand years. He considered himself not easily surprised. Really, one of the few surprises he'd received in his life was the fact that Gourry Gabriev wasn't the idiot that his friends sometimes considered to be. He found the swordsman rather fascinating and realized that a lot of his denseness was a bluff. It really was a smart move, he thought. It enabled him to get a lot of information that eluded others.

But it still surprised the Mazoku priest when he warped back into existence with him grasping Lina and Gourry hanging onto Lina's cloak.

The swordsman landed on the ground with a crash and Lina promptly kicked Xelloss, freeing his hold on her. "Idiot! What did you do that for?"

Xellos shrugged and rubbed at his wrist where she'd kicked him. "I'm sorry, Lina-san. I'm under orders to bring you here. Though, we seemed to have acquired an extra passenger along the way."

She whirled around, spotted Gourry getting to his feet. Astounded, but grateful, Lina faced Xelloss once more before taking in her surroundings.

The garden was absolutely beautiful, with latticework trellises laced with vines and other climbing flowering plants rising so high into the sky that she couldn't see the top of the trellis. Bushes overflowed with flowering plants and everything seemed to be in bloom, even though it was close to harvest time. It would give anyone a terrific hay fever, Lina thought. She recognized it, even though she hadn't seen it in person, had remembered the meticulous description of the place in the books that she'd read.

"We're in the garden of the Eternal Queen," she breathed. "And if you say 'Eternal Clean,' Gourry, I'm going to kick your ass."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Gourry edged his way over so he stood back to back with her, sword ready for the impending attack.

Xelloss sighed. "Gourry-san, you're not suppose to be here. My specific orders were to bring Lina-san up here alone."

"Who gave you your orders?" Lina asked.

He cocked an eyebrow. "That's a secret."

She rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I'm staying, so whoever gave you your orders will have to deal with it." Gourry added.

Xelloss shrugged. "Well, if you really want it that way. My orders were to bring Lina-san up here alone and if anyone else tried to come with her, I was to kill that person. Orders are orders, you know."

"Touch him and you're toast," Lina growled. "You want me up here, fine. He's part of the package." She relaxed slightly. "So, you've got one of two choices, Xelloss. You have my full cooperation by allowing Gourry to come us or we have it out here and now."

Slight annoyance flickered across the Mazoku's face before it smoothed out. "Lina-san, like I said, Gourry-san isn't part of the orders. My job, specifically, is to escort you. No one else."

Gourry's grip on the Blast Sword tightened. "Scared I'll actually save Lina from being killed, Xelloss?"

"I've got no problems fighting you here," Lina replied, reaching for the bag of Orihalcon pebbles that hung at her waist. She grabbed a few in her hands, pressing them tightly against her palm as she started chanting the Ragna Blade spell.

Xelloss cocked an eyebrow. "Ragna Blade using a magical boost? Granted, while those Orihalcon pebbles do give you somewhat of a boost, it won't be enough to fully control that spell."

Lina ignored him and kept chanting.

He sighed and shrugged. "I'm sorry, Lina-san. As I told your sister earlier, I'm not scheduled to die or be severely injured today. Zelas-sama would be most displeased." He reached out with his staff and tapped the newly formed Ragna Blade.

Lina had never seen anything like it before and was sure she wouldn't again. The spell literally exploded in her hands, washing them in waves of chaos energy that dissolved her gloves and seared her hands. With a shriek of pain, she dropped to her knees and doubled over, promptly losing what she consumed for breakfast.

"Lina!"

She coughed until her throat was clear enough to speak. "I'm fine, Gourry."

"No, you're not!" Before he could advance on the Mazoku, Xelloss spun around and slammed his staff into Gourry's wrist, then slid the tip underneath the hilt of the Blast Sword. It flew out of Gourry's hands, landed several feet away. He grunted in pain, swayed for a bit, but kept his footing.

A mixture of regret and something else reflected in Xelloss' eyes for a brief moment as he advanced on the swordsman he'd traveled with off and on for nearly three years. "I do apologize, Gourry-san. Government work is a pain, but I do have my orders to carry out. Though, if you stepped away now, no harm will come to you."

"I won't leave her." To prove his point, Gourry crouched next to Lina and hauled her into his arms.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lina started to wiggle her way free. "This is no time to play Mr. Hero! You're going to get us both killed."

He stared down at her, the intense look in his eyes causing her to still. "I'm not leaving," he said firmly.

Xelloss sighed and cast a glance at the sky, silently seeking guidance. Of course, Gourry would have to make things difficult. Sometimes, he just didn't understand Lina and her friends. Still, he knew his orders, and he could not disobey. Xelloss pointed his staff at Gourry, opened his mouth to chant a spell and found the super-sharp blade of the sword he'd helped discover pressed against his neck. He swallowed, felt his Adam's apple rub along the edge, his neck slowly opening.

"Hello, Xelloss! Remember me?" Luna asked in a sing-song tone, her grip on the Blast Sword rock steady.

"Lu...Luna!" Lina pushed herself out of Gourry's grip, staggered as she got to her feet and nearly doubled over once more from the pain shooting her through her hands.

"You! Gourry! Get her out of here," Luna ordered, her focus remaining on Xelloss. "Move!"

"Right!" He scooped Lina into his arms again and searched for an exit. "What is this?"

"A garden maze," she replied, remembering the rough sketches of it that she'd studied. "It was built in the...crap, my mind's too clouded to think."

Luna heard the voices behind her, quickly tuned them out as she focused on the sword she held. It was an unusual sword, one that she had heard rumors about in the past, but thought it was a legend. Then again, her baby sister had a habit of uncovering items once thought of as legends - such as the Sword of Light itself and the man who wielded it.

She could feel the magic thrumming in the blade and wondered what it was charged it. Nothing like a Dragon Slave, probably a few Fireballs. But she didn't need magic to stop a Mazoku.

"Remember the little speech you gave to me earlier, Xelloss-chan?" she asked sweetly, enjoyed the beads of sweat forming on the Mazoku's forehead. "You said that we were equals, that we cancel each other out. Well, I regret to inform you that your statement is somewhat of an oxymoron. You are two degrees removed from Ruby Eye. I am one degree removed from Ceiphied herself. Want to test and see which one is more powerful?"

Xelloss managed a smile. "It seems that you have thought this out, Luna-san."

"Trust me, I had plenty of time to consider it, chasing you all over this city." Luna pressed a bit harder. "Though, I am curious to know whether or not this sword will harm your Astral body."

"Not as much as Lina-san's Ragna Blade would."

"Hence why you disintegrated it."

"You're being very clever today, Luna-san."

Her eyes narrowed into slits and she gave Xelloss a cold smile normally reserved for scaring her sister and intimdating customers. "No, Xelloss. I'm always clever."

oOoOo

Lina grunted with pain as Gourry dashed from one corner of the garden to the other, searching for a clear exit. Her mind whirled. Xelloss could negate her Ragna Blade? She was officially screwed then, though she knew that the possibility existed that they would truly do battle one day.

"Stop a moment, Gourry," she said, elbowing him to get the point across. When he did, she wiggled so she slid to the ground. She staggered, but stood. Lina held out her hands and cast the Recovery spell. Pain shot through them, as fast and hot as lightning. With a scream, she tumbled backwards, Gourry catching her before she hit the ground.

"Damn it!" Lina glared at her useless hands. "Whatever Xelloss did to them, I can't use my hands. We need to find Amelia. She can heal them."

"We're stuck for now. Your sister has my sword and you can't use your magic."

They turned their attention back to the battlefield, where Luna remained with Gourry's sword pressed against Xelloss' neck. Suddenly, Xelloss spun out and Luna feinted, their weapons clashing. They backed away, started to move in an elegant duel that seemed more staged than real.

"They're evenly matched," Gourry said after a moment of assessing them. "If one of them slowed even by a second, the battle would be over."

"You've got it!" Lina wiggled her way out of his embrace once more. "Gourry, grab the knife in my boot. The right one."

He felt for it, grabbed the small handle. He pulled it out and displayed it for her. "What do you want me to do with it?"

"Hold onto it for a moment. Can I borrow your right glove?"

"You can't hold anything," Gourry protested, but stripped it off all the same.

This is really going to hurt like hell, Lina thought as she held her hand out to him, motioning for him to put it on. She bit her lip hard as pain shot through her hand. But the glove was so large on her that he was able to keep it lifted away from the skin for most of it.

When the leather settled, Lina turned to face the battle. She had one chance to do this. Her eyes followed Luna and Xelloss around the garden. "Hold the knife toward me, handle out."

Gourry did as asked and the two waited. Their eyes followed Luna and Xelloss as they continued their battle across the gardens.

Then Lina saw her chance.

"Now!" she cried, yanking the blade from Gourry and tossing it toward Xelloss. "Shadow Snap!" she yelled seconds before hitting the ground, screaming in pain.

Luna and Xelloss both snapped their heads around right as the knife stabbed into Xelloss' shadow. He swore, tried to spin around and realized he couldn't move.

Luna swung the Blast Sword up to Xelloss' neck once more, panting with exertion. "It's over, Xelloss."

He knelt, about the only thing that Lina's Shadow Snap would allow him to do. "It seems, Luna-san, that you've got the advantage. Though, I do think you used an unfair means for your gain."

"I never asked my sister to cast that spell," Luna replied through gritted teeth. "Though after your little magic trick, I'm surprised she could even stand."

Lina found herself in Gourry's arms once more and absently wondered how many times she'd landed there within the past half hour. She felt his arms tighten around her and it felt so good not to have to rely on her own willpower to stand, even though it was also a bit mortifying considering that her sister and Xelloss were just feet away. But she wasn't quite sure her legs could support her again.

"Well, it's your choice, Lina." Luna's gaze flickered over to them. "Does he live or does he die? You get the credit for this one."

Lina closed her eyes, replayed the battle in her mind and the one leading up to it. She glanced up at Gourry, not seeking his permission, but reassurance. He nodded, taking a pretty good stab at what she was thinking.

"No, don't kill him. If he'd been truly planning to kill me outright, he would had done so when he orchestrated the attack on Mylenta. Isn't that right, Xelloss?" Her gaze shifted to the Mazoku.

He gave a half-hearted shrug. "I was hoping that you would take the hint, Lina-san."

"Your orders were to bring me here, not to kill me, right?"

"It was for you to come here alone, yes, Lina-san. I wasn't under orders to kill you." He lifted an eyebrow and smirked at her and Gourry. "I was, however, under orders to kill anyone that you brought here with you."

"Well, you must understand that if anyone attacks my fiancé that it's only logical to retaliate."

"That it is indeed, Lina-san."

Lina saw the darkness at the edges of her vision and knew she was dangerously close to passing out. "Well, considering that my sister followed us up here, she technically did not come with me. That leaves us with the issue of Gourry here. So, let's make a trade. My sister doesn't whack your head off and Gourry stays."

"That, Lina-san, sounds like a fair deal to me," Xelloss responded. With the Blast Sword out of Gourry's hands, the swordsman couldn't do much harm, he figured. Be as it may, the weapon was currently in more dangerous hands than the ones it just left. As for Zelas...he gave a mental sigh. He'd have some explaining to do.

"Okay then. Sis, you can pull the knife out. Gourry, wake me up in a week." And with that, Lina passed out.

oOoOo

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