Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Search for the Darkstar ❯ Who's the Enemy Here? ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: DQBunny

Disclaimer: "Slayers" isn't mine, but belongs to Kanzaka Hajime, Araizumi Rui and those who represent them. I'm just borrowing the characters for a little while and will return them intact. Except for Gourry. He might be squished just a little. This story is set after the manga arc "Knight of Aqualord" and is an alternate take on the TRY season of the anime.

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Chapter 11: Who's the Enemy Here?

Just when I thought we couldn't attract anymore enemies. Lina eyed Gaav's former henchman as he slowly turned in a circle, taking in everyone that was there. It was useless, but she still struggled against the magic that bound her. Even though Lyos had the Sword of Light, he wouldn't be able to protect all of them. There was Filia's shield, but Lina didn't think that the priestess had very much battleground training.

Valgaav's gaze raked over the room, stopping when he saw Almayce. His elegant features curled into a sneer. "Almayce! You're betraying me!"

Almayce turned slowly, pinning Valgaav with a cold stare. "Forgive me. I am only doing the work that which you've failed to do."

Lina's jaw dropped. No way! Valgaav and Almayce are linked in this! I should had realized it when Almayce came here. That's why Valgaav wanted the Sword of Light from us and was in Sairaag to begin with. It all makes sense now.

Filia quietly approached Lina, taking advantage of the distraction that Valgaav provided. "Lina-san, I'll break the spell on all of you now," she whispered. "As soon as you're free, get out of here."

"I don't think Valgaav's going to give us a chance to get very far," Lina muttered, her focus still on the energy ball in Valgaav's hands.

"Die with the rest of them!" Valgaav yelled at Almayce and launched the attack at him, and by default, Lina and Filia who were the closest to him. Almayce turned slightly and blocked the attack with the armor encasing his upper arm, the ball of energy dissipating into thin air leaving only a few minor scratches on the armor. The pressure resulting from it was still enough to blow both the Elder and Lyos back a few feet. The Elder stumbled, hit the floor while Lyos managed to keep his balance and his hold on the Sword of Light.

Filia touched Lina's arm and muttered something under her breath. Lina's fingers flexed as the feeling began to return to them. She glanced around and saw that Filia's spell was affecting more than just her as the spell was fading from around Gourry, Amelia and Shizuri as well.

Valgaav gritted his teeth, advancing toward Almayce once more. "Gods. Humans. Mazoku. All of you stand in my way! You will all die!" He reared back and launched another attack.

Almayce blocked the second attack, turned to Lyos and stretched a thin, bony arm toward him. "Quick! Give me Gorun Nova!"

"Sorry, buddy. You're going to have to negotiate with the sword's owner for that one. Hey, idiot! Catch!" Lyos tossed the sword to Gourry, who neatly caught it, activating the blade without a sound. Lyos ran to Gourry's side, then drew Banisher.

Lina grabbed Lyos' arm. "Let's get out of here before all hell breaks loose," she ordered.

The stars glittered overhead and the desert night was cold as the group rushed outside. The change in temperature and clear air immediately cleared Lina's mind and she quickly started to decide what to do next. They needed to regroup, to figure out what to do now. There wasn't that many options open to them. If Valgaav focused his rage on Almayce, that would take care of them for the moment. There was still the Elder and his council to deal with. In any case, things did not look good.

Almayce suddenly teleported behind them. "Give me Gorun Nova," he repeated. "If you do, I promise that I will not summon Darkstar to this world."

Just ahead, Lina saw a line of golden dragons form to block their exit and quickly skidded to a stop. She whirled around, saw that the Elder and his council were backing Almayce. Quickly, she caught Gourry and Amelia's eye and they knew what she was thinking. They were out numbered and there was no place to go. If they handed over the Sword of Light, there was a possibility that they would not get away with their lives. But, the possibility was even greater that they would die right here.

Gourry and Amelia moved to flank Lina and together, the three faced Almayce. Gourry lifted the Sword of Light and Amelia curled her hands, prepared to cast a defensive spell.

"Sorry, pal. I don't appreciate the fact that you're willing to sell out us, your own people and those living on other worlds just to promote your own agenda." Lina held up her fist in a deliberate show of power. She concentrated the powers of Airlord into it, just enough for a white glow to appear around her glove. "When it comes to things like that, it's my policy to stop it. And that just doesn't apply to you." Her gaze swept over the Elder, who was visibly starting to lose control and to Valgaav, who had appeared outside as well.

"I agree!" Amelia lifted her hands slightly and mimicked Lina's moves, allowing the magic to gather between them. "The justice that we believe in is different from yours! We're not in this just to protect ourselves, but everyone on all four worlds!"

"The princess has a point," Shizuri agreed and moved to Amelia's shoulder, Lyos at her side. "If you insist on doing this, you're now our enemies as well."

Filia's gaze moved between Lina, then the Elder, then backed to Lina. Decision made, she snatched her mace from its holster and stepped to Gourry's shoulder. "I'm with you, Lina-san."

"Filia!" Composure gone, the Elder lunged forward. "Don't you care about saving the world?"

Surprisingly calm, Filia nodded. "Of course I care about it. I do believe that in this case that Lina-san and the others are correct. You can't just sacrifice other innocent people to save yourself. Surely, there is a way to do this and prevent a slaughter."

The sound of clapping cut through the tension and everyone glanced up to see Xelloss perched on one of the smaller towers, legs crossed at his knees as he watched the show below. "Simply amazing! I'd never imagine that a golden dragon would actually show some guts. The determined, straight-arrowed little shrine maiden turning against her Elder. I never saw that one coming."

"Xelloss!" Lina cried.

"Xelloss?" Filia's jaw dropped. "The mortal enemy of the Golden Dragons? The despictable Mazoku who nearly exterminated my people? That Xelloss?" Her hand curled tightly around her mace.

"Filia! Why did you bring that Mazoku here?" The Elder yelled, sweat running down his cheeks as he fought back his rage.

"I did not!" Filia shouted back.

Xelloss faded out, then in again at Filia's side. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Filia-san, isn't it? I'm here to help you out."

"You're what?" Enraged, Filia jabbed her mace just beneath Xelloss' nose. "Are you trying to ruin me?"

"I think you're doing a fine enough job on your own regarding that," he replied lightly, then narrowed his eyes. "My duty here is to finish off Valgaav."

Gourry edged closer to Lina. "Who's the enemy here?"

Damn good question. Lina surveyed the courtyard once more and knew that all hell was about to break loose. "My guess? Everyone except us, though Xelloss is rather debatable."

Xelloss faltered slightly. "Lina-san..."

Lina shot Xelloss a steely gaze. "Once we're done with this, you and I are going to be having a few choice words."

"I'll be sure to rearrange my schedule for that." Xelloss reached into his cloak. "But for now, I need to attend to my business."

He approached Almayce and bowed deeply to him. "Almayce-san, correct? I am Xelloss, priest to Zelas Metallium. I have come on behalf of my lady with an offer for you."

Almayce didn't reply for a moment, taking the time to size up the newcomer. Finally, he inclined his head. "You may proceed."

Xelloss pulled a long, thin staff out of his cloak. Almayce's eyes went wide as Xelloss held the staff in both hands and presented it to the being. "My offer is this: You allow me to take custody of your associate, Valgaav, and this weapon is yours. Razud Mezegis if my information is correct."

"No!" Valgaav shouted from his perch on another building and dove toward Xelloss. Xelloss whirled around with his own staff and shot a ball of energy at Valgaav.

"Take him," Almayce reached eagerly for the weapon. "Take Valgaav. It is a small sacrifice to pay."

Xelloss tossed the staff to Almayce as Valgaav screamed in rage.

"Is that one of the weapons of light, Lina-san?" Amelia whispered.

"No doubt about it. How the hell did Xelloss have it?" Lina tensed, not liking the situation one single bit. Xelloss appearing had stalled things for now, but his little gift to Almayce was more than likely going to make things much worse. She scanned her own group, sized up the weapons at their disposal. Lyos had Banisher, which would serve them well. Gourry had the Sword of Light, but would it work against its kin? There was also that second sword of Gourry's, plus her, Amelia, and Filia using magic. Shizuri had her illusions. But will it be enough?

Almayce swung the weapon toward them, cleaving the blade into the ground. Dirt and rock exploded before them and Lina instinctively threw up an arm. When the dust cleared, she saw Xelloss standing in front of them.

The Elder backed toward his council, then thrust his arm out to stall his own army. "Don't attack them! Not as long as Xelloss is allied with them. You move against him and he'll wipe us out."

Xelloss curled his lips into a razor-thin smile. "That's a very wise move on your part, Elder."

"The fuck!" Valgaav shot an attack at them and Xelloss pointed his staff at him. A single shot blasted Valgaav back far enough that it gave Xelloss enough time to leap into the air. "I'll be your opponent, Valgaav," he announced.

"Let's leave him to it," Lina instructed her group and, as one, they faced Almayce. We have bigger issues to handle ourselves. "Amelia!" Lina mouthed a spell to her and the princess nodded.

"Gozu Vu Rou!" Lina and Amelia slammed their hands into the ground at the same time. Two black shadows formed, merged and raced toward Almayce. The magic struck his armor, then dissipated in the same way that the earlier attack that Valgaav had used did.

Lina swore. "Damn it! Gourry! Lyos!"

The men sprinted forward, attacking Almayce simultaneously from different sides. Almayce quickly turned to parry the Sword of Light with the staff and block Lyos' attack with his body armor. Lina watched as Almayce dueled both of them. Banisher's not even nicking that armor. And he's not using the light blade of that weapon against the Sword of Light. I wonder why? Did Xelloss give him a fake weapon instead?

"You don't understand." Almayce said this directly to Gourry as he parried off another shot from the Sword of Light. "You don't understand what our people are going through."

Sympathy flashed over Gourry's face briefly. "You're going to make us go through even worse if you go through with this!"

Almayce didn't reply. Instead, he parried with the weapon so hard that it shoved Gourry back. He stumbled, fell to the ground. Shizuri raced forward, chanting out her own spell. Several golems emerged from the ground. He cut through them easily, the illusions fading back into dust.

Filia cupped her hands in front of her and began to chant, her brooch glowing with power as the strange, but lyrical language sounded over the battlefield.

Amelia blinked at her. "I was right," she said softly. "That's Holy Magic. It's been lost to our lands for more than a thousand years."

"Flame Breath!" Filia launched the attack. A magic seal formed over Almayce's body, then exploded. Almayce reared back as the spell dug gouges into his armor, then immediately activated the light blade in the staff. It burst forward, two tails of flaming light as Gourry emerged through the dust and smoke. He leaped into the air, swung his blade down and the Sword of Light connected with Razud Mezegis.

The light from the combined blades flared to the point that Lina hastily covered her eyes with her. She peered from beneath her glove as Gourry used his body weight to try to propel his blade forward, the combined light sprialing into the air and nearly hitting Valgaav and Xelloss, who were attacking each other in their own deadly dance in the sky.

Despite his effort, Gourry's skill and strength were no match for Almayce's size. The being shoved his weapon forward, flinging Gourry back a second time as the two light blades exploded. Gourry sailed across the courtyard and into the wall of one of the buildings. His head smacked the stone wall with a sickening crack before he fell to the ground, the Sword of Light flung a few feet away. Blood trickled down the side of his forehead.

"Gourry!" Forgetting the battle, Lina raced across the courtyard, Amelia at her heels. Both women dropped to next to his prone form. Amelia quickly probed the back of Gourry's head. She glanced up at Lina and the worried look in the princess' eyes told Lina everything that she needed to know. The wound was bad.

Amelia chanted the full spell for Resurrection, the white healing light growing beneath her hands as she kept one of them supporting Gourry's head and the other on his chest. Lina curled her hands into fists and pressed them into her thighs. She closed her eyes and Amelia's head snapped up when she sensed the raw magic coming from her friend.

"You." Lina rose to her feet, faced Almayce. She cast a look at him so full of fury that even the Elder recoiled slightly. The aura surrounding her grew, the raw magic crackling around her as she fought to control her anger. "What you've done ... is unforgiveable!" she roared, her aura spiking.

Filia watched, fascinated as Lina faced off against Almayce. Her power. Her true power. I had no idea that a human could be capable of containing so much magic. It made a magnificent, but terrifying picture as the wind whipped the sorceress' hair around her face. Filia glanced around the battlefield and noticed that everything had grounded to a complete halt as they all waited to see what Lina would do.

"Lina-san! Use these!"

Lina's head snapped toward the sky as Xelloss pulled out some objects from his cloak and flung them toward the ground. A few moments later, the demon's blood tailsmen landed at her feet. Not stopping to question the unexpected gift, she scooped them up, locked them into place in a swift motion, then lifted her hands. "You, who is a part of the Lord of Nightmares..."

"Ragna Blade." Amelia relaxed slightly and Filia gave her a questioning look. "I was afraid that Lina-san was so mad that she would do something even worse than that."

Filia remembered the spell, one of the ones Lina had used in their initial fight. She also remembered the display of Airlord's powers. "Is this spell more powerful than Airlord's magic?"

"On a different level, yes. But, Lina-san knows a spell that even puts that one to shame." Amelia lifted her head and met Filia's gaze briefly. "Were you listening to the chant?"

"No, I was..."

"Ragna Blade!" The Sword of Darkness formed in Lina's hands, towering over the battlefield. She charged toward Almayce, springing into the air at the last possible second and mimicking the same attack that Gourry had used a few minutes earlier.

Almayce lifted Razud Mezegis to block once again and the two blades clashed and locked. Lina gritted her teeth as she used all of her will, all of the magical power she could summon to try and overpower his blade. With a yell, she shoved her blade forward and cut through the light blade of Almayce's sword. The Ragna Blade sliced through, cleaving off Almayce's right arm. Almayce howled in pain as Lina hit the ground, Razud Mezegis and the severed limb landing beside her.

Lina cracked open her eyes and saw the staff. She lunged for it, her fingers nearly closing around the weapon when it was suddenly snatched away. Her head snapped up and saw Valgaav looming over her, Razud Mezegis braced in both hands, one of the blades aimed at her back.

"Die, Lina Inverse!" Valgaav roared and plunged the blade down. Lina braced herself for the hit, then glanced up when she head the clash of swords. She could not see anything but Lyos, as he was nearly lying on top of her, Banisher blocking Razud Mezegis.

"What the hell are you lying there for?" Lyos screamed at her. "Run!"

She didn't listen. Summoning up what magical reserves she had left, Lina flipped onto her back, reached under Lyos' blade and slammed her hand against Valgaav's chest. "Fireball!"

The fireball slammed into Valgaav, creating a smoking hole in his abdomen. It sent him flying far enough back that Lina was able to scramble to her feet. She and Lyos backed up a few feet and waited for Valgaav's next move.

It didn't come. He hunched over, panting as his nails dug into his thighs. Then he glared at Lina with a look so vicious that she was pretty sure if it had been a weapon, she'd been dead on the spot. Valgaav staggered toward them, then stumbled to his knees. Lina's eyes widened as Valgaav started to glow red. He curled his hands into fists, then with a scream of rage, released his aura. It flared around him and formed into the shape of a dragon. He bent forward slightly as a pair of black wings tore themselves from his back and spread, nearly knocking Xelloss aside.

"What the...?" Xelloss immediately switched positions, landing next to Lina as one of Valgaav's arms elongated and his shoulders broadened. His size doubled as the transformation rippled through his body.

"He's a dragon?" Lyos stammered.

For the first time since the beginning of the battle, the Elder spoke up. "An Ancient Dragon. But, that can't be possible. They all should be dead!"

"Ancient Dragon?" Filia cast a glance at the Elder, her brow knit with confusion. "What are those?"

"One of them had the power of thousands of our kind. Their violent nature was so detestable to us the Golden Dragons had to exterminate them to save us all!"

"Is that what you're telling them, Golden Dragon?" Valgaav sneered at him. "Is that your so-called reason for hunting us down? Why don't you try telling the truth for a change? Why don't you tell them how you went and hunted down a dragon race that just wanted peace and you were so afraid of them that you decided to take them out? You didn't want the Ancient Dragons to rip the rule of the dragon races from your hands, and so you exterminated them!"

Filia slapped a hand to her mouth, trembling. Her throat constricted as what Valgaav said ran through her mind, mingling with what her own Elder had just said. Could we have done that? Could my race have done such a terrible thing?

"I never imagined that Valgaav was so powerful. I've been careless," Xelloss muttered.

"So, this guy now has the power of both a dragon and a Mazoku?" Lyos glanced at Lina, his hands tightening around Banisher. "What are we going to do?"

Lina didn't say anything. Instead, she kept her focus on Valgaav, watching as his body started to tense and ripple. "He's not handling the combined energies well. What the hell did Gaav do to him?"

Valgaav took two steps toward her, then his body seized. His newly sprouted limbs rippled once more with energy and he clutched at his chest, howling with pain. He stumbled to his knees, hunched over and heaved up the remains of his last meal. His pants darkened as he lost control of his bodily functions and he continued to vomit until he was dry-heaving.

Xelloss stepped toward him and held up a hand. "Your observations are, as usual, correct, Lina-san. So sorry to have to do this to you," he addressed Valgaav, a ball of energy forming in his hands. "I think the result of this will put you out of your misery."

Valgaav gritted his teeth and shot a dark look at Xelloss. "I'm not going to let it end like this," he choked out. His hands tightening around Razud Mezegis, he quickly retreated into the Astral Plane.

Xelloss grunted and allowed the energy in his hand to dissipate. Lina breathed a bit easier as she scanned the battlefield. Several of the elegant buildings had gaping holes in them. The ring of Golden Dragons surrounding them tensed, but did not move to attack them.

Lina swung around and saw a pale-faced Gourry sitting up with Shizuri's help. Feeling drained, she crossed over to him and was so happy to see him awake that she scowled. "Fine time for you to go sleeping on the job, Jellyfish. I don't know what the hell we're going to do with you if you keep slouching off like that."

Gourry blinked at Lina for a moment, then smiled. Because she was standing, he reached for her hand. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

She didn't say anything, but instead squeezed his hand tightly.

"Where's Almayce?" Filia scanned the remains of the battlefield and noticed that the being and his severed arm was gone. All that remained was the cracked ground from where he landed after Lina attacked him with the Ragna Blade.

Gourry knelt, attempted to stand, then pitched forward. Lina and Shizuri immediately caught him and each wrapped an arm around him. He slowly stood, leaning heavily on Lina for support. "I'll be fine," he managed to say, despite gritting his teeth. "I think we've got bigger problems on our hands." He nodded his head in the Elder's direction.

"I don't think he's going to attack us while Xelloss is here. Isn't that right, Elder?" Lina raised her voice as she locked eyes with the older dragon.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Then he sighed, his shoulders bowing slightly. "So, you really are as powerful as you indicated. You surround yourself with deadly allies. I have underestimated you, Lina Inverse."

Funny, how your high and mighty attitude seems to wilt with Xelloss around. Lina bit her lip, hard, fighting every instinct to bait the Elder. She could goad him into an attack, but none of them were prepared to handle it. "We're leaving this place," she informed him in a cold voice.

Filia slowly inhaled, then exhaled. She leveled a direct stare at the Elder. "I'm going with them. If you protest, you'll have to fight me."

"Like you'll get very far, little bitch?"

Anger snapped in Filia's eyes as she glared at Vrudi. "Do you care to take me on, Vrudi-sama?"

"Attack her, and you'll face me," Xelloss commented in a light-hearted voice. Vrudi paled, then stepped back.

Filia whirled around to give Xelloss the same glare she'd given Vrudi. "I don't need the help of a filthy Mazoku!"

"Tsk, tsk. Too bad, Filia-san. Of course, if you really want to become roasted golden dragon, who am I to stand in your way?"

"Why you..."

"Filia!" Shizuri's voice cut through the argument and Filia snapped her head around and saw the exhausted members of her party. She clenched her hands into fists and took several deep breaths. Turning her back on everything she had ever known, she led the way out of the temple.

The Elder never made a move to call her back.

-----

Town of Nyuhan

Five hours after the battle at Flarelord temple

It was nearly dawn by the time the exhausted group made their way to the closest town to the Flarelord temple. Lina knew that the only reason that they were able to leave the temple unharmed was because Xelloss stuck with them and for that, she knew that she would owe him a favor. But, for now, all she wanted to do was sleep.

As Lina secured several rooms for the group, Filia wandered into the tavern part of the inn and sank into a chair. She hunched forward, her head buried in her hands as she struggled with everything that had happened. Tears stung at her eyes and each breath was a battle to maintain control. She glanced up at the touch on her shoulder and was surprised to see Lyos standing there.

"Hey, the old man ain't worth crying over," he told her. "You did the right thing."

Filia blinked, felt the tears gather in her eyes. "Somehow, I'm still trying to come around to that decision."

"Sometimes, having power really, really sucks."

Filia blinked again, then managed a smile. "Yes, it does. Thank you, Lyos-san."

"OK." Lina stepped into the tavern and saw that the rest of the group had seated themselves around the largest table with several pots of coffee. "I've got our rooms. We need to get some rest while we can, then decide what we're going to do next. Both Almayce and Valgaav are going to be coming after us eventually for the rest of the Darkstar weapons." Her gaze fell on Filia. "I wouldn't be surprised if your Elder also joins in the hunt. So, we've got a choice. We've got to find those other three weapons before they do."

"Lina-san." Filia faltered for a moment, then clenched her hands tightly. "I don't want the Elder to have the weapons. I also want to see if the prophecy is true. I want to see if Valgaav's story is true or not. If you'll have me, I'd like to stay with your group."

Lina rolled her eyes. "Who said anything about you leaving, Filia?"

"Well, I thought..."

"If you thought that we're going to punish you for something your Elder did, you're wrong." Filia glanced over and saw the warmth and kindness in Amelia's eyes. "You're one of us now, Filia-san."

Shizuri folded her arms over her chest. "I'm with Filia. I want to know what happened to these Ancient Dragons. We're going to have to face Valgaav at some point during all of this. I want to know as much about him as possible."

Amelia's focus shifted to the tailsmen hooked at Lina's neck, wrists and waist. "I wonder how Xelloss-san got those? And where did he get the weapon?"

Gourry looked from one member of the party to the other, then his eyes went slightly vacant. After a moment, they cleared again and he held up a finger. "You know that weird hole in Atlas City, Lina?"

"Hmm? What about it?"

"That Darkstar weapon looked like it could fit in there."

Lina was in the process of reaching for a cup of coffee when Gourry's words sank in. She froze, eyes going wide as a sudden picture of the debris of the Sorcerer's Guild in Atlas City came back into her mind. A moment later, her fists slammed on the table and she shot out of her seat. "Xelloss! Where are you? Answer me, damn it! Xelloss!"

"I'm sure the whole town is enjoying being woken up by your lovely voice, Lina-san." Xelloss faded into view in front of her and before he could move, she had one arm wrapped around his neck, the other ready to deliver a kidney jab. "I do enjoy your methods of showing appreciation, Lina-san."

Filia rose, her mace in hand. "I can help you with that, Lina-san."

Xelloss turned mournful eyes to the dragon. "Why, Filia-san. I didn't realize you shared Lina-san masochistic tendencies."

"You..."

"Later, Filia," Lina said curtly and tightened her hold. "I've got a couple of questions for you."

"Naturally."

"First. How'd you get ahold of my tailsmen? I lost them sometime after trying the Giga Slave against Phibrizzo."

Xelloss managed a brief smile. "Now, now, Lina-san. You know that's a secret. It's just say they were discovered and given to me for safekeeping until you needed them again. I figured that when you were fighting Almayce that it was a good time for you to need them."

"And you didn't think to give them to me before Gourry nearly had his head cracked open like a grapefruit?"

"But, Lina, I'm..."

"Shut up," Lina ordered and Gourry immediately clamped his mouth shut.

"Well, I didn't know how the weapons would react against each other. I was fighting Valgaav at the time, you know."

Lina grunted, but did not relax her hold on him. Instead, it tightened. But when a normal human's face would had been blue at this point, Xelloss' remained the same pale color it always was. "Second question. Why the hell did you incinerate the Atlas City Sorcerer's Guild and half of the city along with it?"

"You what?" Amelia shot out of her seat, hands gripping the table. "Xelloss-san!"

Xelloss faded from Lina's hold and reappeared a few feet away. "Very clever, Lina-san. I'm not surprised that you were able to put the pieces together."

"I didn't do it." Lina jabbed a finger at Gourry. "He did because he has a good eye for detail. Or do you remember the little fact that Gourry figured out who you really were long before the rest of us did?"

"Point conceded." Xelloss inclined his head to Gourry slightly and Lina smirked. During their search for the Claire Bible, Xelloss had interacted with Gourry the least out of their entire group and usually ignored his existence - which made the discovery of Gourry being the first to figure out Xelloss' Mazoku identity an even bigger shock.

"Gourry saw the initial impression of the box the weapon was kept in on the ground. When he pointed out that the impression and the weapon were the same size, it suddenly hit me. You killed Tarim for the weapon."

"Was that really such a loss to humanity, Lina-san?"

He had a point there. Lina's eyes went cold. "More than 3,000 people are dead because of what you did, Xelloss."

Xelloss shrugged. "I was following orders, Lina-san. You have to take some necessary causalities in order to win the war."

"Those weren't necessary!" Lina roared. She marched up to Xelloss, jabbed a finger between his eyes. "You're going to be punished for what you did to those people. I can't hurt you for it and, damn it, we're more than likely going to need you to get through this. But I'm going to make you suffer."

Xelloss gave her an amused smile. "And how will you accomplish that, Lina-san?"

Lina never broke eye contact with him. "Amelia. Do your worst."

-----

"Lina, doesn't that fall somewhere in the category of cruel and unusual punishment?"

"Shut up, Gourry."

"I mean, what Xelloss did wasn't a good thing, but..."

"I said, shut up, Gourry!" Lina reached her room and tossed an angry look at him. "Or would you like to go back downstairs and join Xelloss in receiving the justice speech to end all justice speeches?"

Gourry paled and Lina smirked. She placed a hand on her knob and could already picture the soft bed waiting for her. She opened the door, then glanced over her shoulder at Gourry, Shizuri and Lyos, who had all come upstairs with her. Filia had remained behind, to assist Amelia in punishing Xelloss. Of course, he would probably slip away, but Lina hoped that Amelia's tirade would make Xelloss feel ill for the next few days.

"Something wrong, Lina?"

Lina frowned and gave Shizuri a thoughtful look. "We were so busy confronting Xelloss over what happened to Atlas City that it didn't register with me. It makes sense though - his retrieving the weapon from Atlas City, then leading Gourry to the Sword of Light."

"That Xelloss is going after the Darkstar weapons too, isn't he?"

Lina nodded to Lyos. "I'm willing to bet every last cent I have on it."