Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers: Knightfall ❯ chapter 23 ( Chapter 24 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Slayers: KnightfallChapter Twenty-Three
A day later I still felt like spewing chunks like a volcano on crack. Ruby Eye Shabranigdo, of all, uh, people, was on the verge of being resurrected for the third time in as many years. It was getting ridiculous. I mean, the creep is like some kind of whack-a-mole of apocalyptic proportions and I didn’t have a big enough mallet. Sure I was able to beat him twice, the first because the spirit of Rezo intervened and the last because I unleashed the power of the Demon’s Blood talisman and Luke wanted to die.
My only hope to beat him this time -- because you know it’s gonna be me who faces him down -- is to get the Shard of Lucidia and gain my full Knightmare abilities.
How long have I been trying to get to that Vale of Shadows so I could do just that, you ask?Hell if I know. As far as I can tell, it was all a cruel joke someone came up with just to put me through the worst kind of skunk crap possible before I finally get there.
I looked down the mountain trail we were traveling with a sigh, wondering if the road would end soon. If I looked behind me to the south and east and squinted I swore I could make out Dragon’s Peak many miles away. I wondered what Mil was up to, or more accurately, what he was planning for me now that I’d betrayed him and the gods in spectacular fashion.
It’s not like I de-pantsed him in front of his peers and then threw him into the girls’ locker room.
The marching slowed down and I looked ahead to see a humongous iron gate about half a mile away, at the front of the refugee train. The gate was set at the bottom of a shallow but wide gorge. Two stone guard towers stood vigil on either side of the portal with soldiers on top surveying the approaching crowd.
"Whoa," Gourry exhaled at the sight before us. It takes a lot to illicit a response from him.
"Whoa-er," I seconded.
And if anything’s worth a “whoa,” it was a whoa-worthy sight indeed.
We walked through the iron-barred gates at the end of the narrow mountain passage. The place was huge, easily several square miles in area. It looked to have been quarried some time ago. Much of the rock was showing signs of erosion, but the cut marks left by tools were still plainly visible.
So this was Valgaav’s enclave, and it was nothing like we had expected. Instead of a rundown cave with crude wooden cages and emaciated animals covered with their own poop flung about haphazardly, as was in my mind’s eye, there was an actual, very livable, fortress town here!
As before mentioned, on either side of the doorway were tall, wooden towers with lookouts posted on top. Past that, tree trunk ramparts forced a path towards a bridge over a clean-looking mountain stream, instead of a communal swimming/privy hole! Following the stream, Valgaav led us (Gourry, me, and the refugees) past a cavern entrance guarded by both a human and wolf man. I assumed that it was a barracks as we watched a small contingent of motley armored soldiers march into the cave.
Human and beast man refugees milled about their daily business. Children of several species played with abandon. I even saw some fish men chatting it up among themselves in a corner. I had never seen such a cross-species habitation before, and it was genuinely astonishing. Sure, I’ve heard before of human villages having relations with beast man villages out on the frontier, but those were out of necessity more than actual liking for each other.
I could sense thinly veiled hostility in the air, though I could see no signs of violence anywhere I looked. Valgaav must’ve laid out some very nasty threats in order to keep the tension from boiling over.
We walked past the barracks and over another bridge going back the direction of the fort entrance. Right in front of us were maybe a hundred neat-looking rows of small but sturdy houses. Some of them were already occupied, but the empty ones could easily house thousands more.
West of the homes were a sand pit and many wooden and sack dummies for weapons training. To the south of that there was another pit with several large, scorched-looking stones, probably used for magic practice. Those places were obviously training areas.
Right smack in the middle of the quarry was a granite and wood mansion, if you could call it anything. Probably Val’s home, I speculated, though it seemed a little extravagant for someone with his personality. I’d always thought he’d sleep in some dank corner, bemoaning himself to sleep over his lost race and vengeance, with a teddy bear securely tucked in with him.
A large stable and storehouse took up more area than the refugee barracks at the southern wall, next to another guard tower.
Still Valgaav led us on, giving us a silent tour of the place. Everyone was quiet; hardly a whisper could be heard. It was understandable, I suppose. The refugees had finally been led to shelter, and it wasn’t a bad one in the least, but right then I bet everyone was thinking of Val’s condition for letting them come here.
I wondered if Val would be cruel enough to simply use everyone as a meat shield when the time for battle came. I got the feeling the demi-dragon was genuinely sympathetic to the wayward Zephillians, in his own way of course, so I couldn’t really see him just throw away the lives of his newfound subjects so easily. On the other hand, he was at least half demon, so who knew what kinds of horrible things he’s really capable of? Could I really stay firm on my promise to join Val if he put my people in needless danger?
And what constitutes needless danger in this situation anyway? This could possibly turn into a new Demon Resurrection War. Even elves and dragons were slaughtered by the thousands during that dark time. What use could a human army possibly be to Valgaav?Diversions? What demon would take a human army of any size seriously?Reconnaissance? Possibly. He could always slip some people in demon-taken cities via the astral plane, but I’m sure he has enough of his own demon flunkies to gather all the info he needs.
Perhaps he means to use humans against monsters like trolls, chimeras, and the like. While your average human isn’t much of a match for your average beastie, a well-trained army could deal with a horde of trolls. How else could humans survive in a world full of danger? If anything, humans are best at working together to survive. Perhaps Val plans to use a human army to deal with the monsters, leaving him and his demon cronies to fight enemies more on their own level.

I thought of the soldier who always listened to my songs and the old woman who’d walked with us for a good portion of our journey to this place, and said to myself: If it comes to Val leading my people to the slaughter, I’ll do everything I can to oppose him, destiny or not. I won’t stand to see them annihilated.
Valgaav finally led everyone into a large amphitheater and motioned everyone to sit. Once everybody was more or less seated, he began his speech.
"Zephillians!" he shouted, instantly capturing everyone’s attention with his sharp voice. "As I promised, you now have a home in my domain . . . the domain of the Chaos Dragon!" More than a few people looked around nervously, as if suddenly realizing that they had abandoned their faith in possibly the worst kind of way.
Too late for “whoops” and “sorries" now, guys.
Val continued, "Now it is time to fulfill your promise, for just to come here, you signed a contract to serve me. But do not worry, I won’t lead you to slaughter or send you to your doom on some impossible task. I know of mortal and human limitations. I would have you serve me to the utmost of those limitations . . .but not beyond them."
"Zzzz." Gourry apparently had already had enough of listening to Valgaav and made a hurried retreat to slumber town.
"As you can see," Val went on, gesturing widely, "this new home isn’t so different than a frontier village or mining settlement. In fact, that’s what it used to be not so long ago. Here, we all will be miners. But we won’t be mining for gold, silver, or gems. No, we’re mining for something much more precious. Strength, will, and versatility -- these are the things we shall bring to the surface of every man and woman in order to gain the greatest prize of all: Freedom.
"Freedom from demonic oppression. Freedom for your lands that are now overrun with monsters. Freedom from the gods who dictate to you how to live your lives, yet do nothing to keep you from losing them.”

Much of the crowd seemed to be digesting Val’s surprising words with a new sense of hope. Some looked to be hanging onto the Dragon’s every word, ready to go out and give Ruby Eye a wedgie if so commanded.
"You’ve all earned a rest," Val said. "Go and find yourselves homes among the houses we’ve refurbished for you. Rest for a few days. My men will let you know when your meals are served, and will try to help you if you need anything. After the few days of rest, everyone must meet here again before noon to receive work assignments. Some of you will be soldiers, others mages if the ability is shown. Most of the women and children will be assigned jobs around the fortress unless they prove to be adept at combat as well. "If you have any squabbles with your new neighbors, work them out in any way you see fit. But I will not tolerate fighting amongst any of you. Even cross-species fighting is forbidden here. If anyone kills in this place, I will personally rip out his spine and use it as my new back scratcher."
Ah, there’s the psycho we all know and love.
With that overt threat, Valgaav walked out the amphitheater, leaving the briefly hopeful mood a tad sour.
Not the best way to end a semi-inspirational speech, but at least he didn’t make anyone cut off a finger or something to prove their loyalty. I almost laughed aloud at his "we are all miners" bit.
The shaken refugees began to get up and leave as soon as Valgaav was at a safe distance. I elbowed Gourry in the ribs to wake him up.
"What I miss?" he said, not missing a beat.
"Not much, except that we may be joining the army in a few days," I answered.
"Not again! I like my hair," Gourry groaned, remembering his soldiering days.
"I’ll explain more during lunch." I led him to the refugee barracks, as I was sure he had forgotten the way.
We were about halfway there when Jilas and Gravos decided to pay us a visit.
"Wait!" the fox thing whined.
"What do you two want?" I almost succeeded in not snarling.
"Friends of yours?" Gourry asked, his hands clasped behind his head. Oh yeah, he hasn’t met Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum yet.
"Nope, these two need to wait another million years before they’ll be fit to even speak to me."

"Oh come on! We were just kidding last time!" Jilas failed to surprise me by whining again.
Then it was Gravos’ turn. "We didn’t know you were part of the plan! We always thought Lord Valgaav, uh, you know, wanted to devour your entrails and set fire to the remains once they’ve passed his gastro-"
"Enough!" I screeched, not needing to hear the rest of that sentence. "Tell me what you guys want before I decide to do something a bit inhumane. But before that … what’s this plan of Val’s you mentioned?"
"Uh, right," Gravos mumbled. Jilas looked about ready to poop his pants, but kept his mouth shut. Gourry, meanwhile, was covering up his mouth with a hand, snickering.
They stuttered a few minutes more (which annoyed me) so I decided to persuade one of them.
"Dil Brando!" The ensuing explosion flung even the heavy-looking Gravos far into the air, so far, in fact, that he looked like a shooting star, only faintly visible in the daylight. I wondered if a passerby, ignorant of the star’s origin, might have made a wish at its flight.
"Now," I said, turning to the whimpering Jilas. "Before I do the same to you, I suggest you start flapping your gums in a coherent and whine-free fashion!"
From what I could gather from the nearly nonsensical blubbering (despite my threats) issuing from from Jilas’ slobbering snout, I was in for a big surprise when I reported to Valgaav. The two stooges had been sent to fetch me for that purpose. Jilas swore he didn’t know any more than that, and I believed him because of the ever-growing wet spot on the front of his pants.
We left the disgusting creature behind and turned around to head for Val’s place, me fuming the entire way. When was I ever gonna get any rest?! I swear, if Val thinks he can just jerk me around however he wants, he can go eat a fireball.
Through his butt.
I stormed through the doors of Valgaav’s palace, then up the stairs, as the barely restrained bloodlust was emanating from that direction. Crashing through what I assumed to be Valgaav’s room, I skidded to a stop, nose to nose with the demon.
"Yes?" Valgaav asked, completely unperturbed. I had expected a shouting match or worse as soon as I walked through those doors.
"Y-you!" It was all I could manage, thrown off balance as I was. "I-I, we need to talk."
"And?" Val was being purposely difficult. He knew that he was pushing my buttons, and he was probably doing it to vent his rage because he couldn’t kill me. It was all very childish, and the sad part was that we both knew he was powerful enough to get away with it.
"What do you want?" I asked, feeling more than a bit deflated.

"I think she wants to know what big surprise you had for her?" Gourry offered.
Val, upon hearing Gourry’s explanation, got right to the point. "I think I’ve found a task that would suit the abilities of both of you."
"And what would that be?" I asked, noting the barely restrained hostility in his voice.
"I would have you, Lina Inverse, instruct those you find trainable in black and shamanistic magic. And you, Gourry Gabriev, teach swordplay to any able-bodied being."
Whoa, deja vu . . .
"I remember being asked pretty much the same thing by Rashatt in Gallia just before … " I’d almost added, "just before we met Gaav." But I didn’t want to set Val off, so I skipped that part. "Well, forget that. But the one thing I did want to mention was that after I found out he was a demon, Rashatt told me that he wanted me to train Gallia’s army to use offensive spells … and that he’d kill me once my contract was up.
I dared to say it.
"So, I’ll ask you up front," I narrowed my eyes and looked straight into the demon’s own. "What do you plan to do to me after I’ve outlived my usefulness in your eyes?"
Val looked pretty intense at that moment, and I could sense Gourry’s hand inching towards his sword. I tensed my body for an attack, but none came.
Suddenly, Valgaav visibly relaxed, and a bit of the hostility I had felt dissipated. But just a bit.
"You are a brave one, aren’t you?" he muttered, almost under his breath. "It’s not every day I meet someone who openly confronts me. I was much the same with Lord Gaav, who praised me for it, saying I was a breath of fresh air compared to those sycophant fools Rashatt and Raltaak. I begin to see his viewpoint, thanks to you."
"I like knowing all the rules of the game before I start playing," I said. "It’s just that demons like you tend to change them when it suits you."
"Lord Gaav had honor, and so do I," Val said icily. "I promised I would put my grudge against you on hold as long as you serve me, and that promise still stands."
"But what about after our goals are met? What if we do all survive this crazy mess and Shabranigdo is destroyed?"
He gave a creepy grin, sending more than one shiver up my spine. "We shall see."
I smiled and nodded, choosing to ignore his unspoken threat. "Very well then, we accept your orders. I can’t promise that everyone will be able to cast dragon-slave-level spells, but I should at least be able to prepare most of them to take on a lesser demon."

Gourry put in his piece too. "Without magic blades, even the best swordsman is practically useless against a demon. But I can train even your worst guys to go head to head against a berserker."
Val nodded gravely, as if expecting nothing less.
"Speaking of magic swords," I ventured, "that weapon you wielded, what is it?"
"You two, of all people, should know what kind of weapon it is."
"You mean it is the same as the Sword of Light?" I almost started to hiccup at the very real and exciting possibility that more than one Light Weapon existed.
"Precisely," Val confirmed with a toothy smirk. "My demon half makes it many times more potent than anything a mere human could muster using the same weapon." He hefted the sword from the floor by his desk and held it aloft. "It is called Ragud Mezzigedus. It’s one of several weapons of light, though only two have been found: this one, and the Gorun Nova or Sword of Light … which was once yours."
Ragud Mezzigedus’ two blades sprang from either end of the handle, bathing the room in a bluish-white glow.
"One of several?" I shouted with mounting glee.
"You mean I can get my old sword back?" Gourry asked, more than a hint of excitement in his voice.
Sure, the Blast Sword was technically more powerful than the Sword of Light, but only if you cast powerful spells on it like the dragon slave. The Sword of Light’s power was proportional to the wielder’s own will power, which made it much more consistent if not quite as powerful in the long run. But, as with the Blast Sword, you could cast spells on the Sword of Light, making it exponentially more powerful. That was how I beat Shabranigdo the first time, casting the Giga Slave onto the sword. When I obtain my full abilities and if I get my hands on one of those Light weapons . . .oooh! It makes me feel tingly all over!
"I’ve heard that Phibrizzo sent the Gorun Nova to its original owner, but I’m not sure that’s true," Val said. "If the barriers between worlds were so easily broken, then demons and gods on every level of existence could pop in and out at anytime. I think he said that to bring you deeper into despair, knowing that you could never use that weapon again."
"Then you mean to say that the Sword of Light is still somewhere in this world?"
"More than likely."
"You have people looking for them?" This was getting better by the second! And not in the bad, sarcastic way either!
"All the time and every lead," Val confirmed. "They would prove invaluable against demons, and those with Zanaffar armor and are a key to … well, let’s say insurance in case things don’t go well for me."
"Right." I wondered what he meant by that cryptic statement. "You’re just full of plot points today, aren’t you?"
"Only because I haven’t got much to hide from you," Val said.
"Except the whole key thing," I countered, feeling a tad confrontational.
"As the accursed Priest of Zellas says, ‘It’s a secret’."
"Don’t ever say that again, please!"

Gourry and I headed out the Lair of Valgaav the Angry, on our way to the rows of prefab houses to find us some accommodations. "What do you think that key Val talked about is for?" Gourry asked. "I haven’t the foggiest," I replied, feeling confused and somewhat leery of that piece of info Val may or may not have intended to tell us. Then again, everyone I run into seems to have some secret agenda or another that I don’t find out about until it’s almost too late.
"It can’t be for unlocking another piece of everyone’s favorite Demon Lord, like the Philosopher’s Stone was,” I said. “Val’s out to rid the world of Ruby Eye, and I support him a hundred percent in that regard. But what does he mean by "If things don’t go his way"?"
"Maybe the Swords of Light can open a door to another weapon?" Gourry guessed, being surprisingly helpful today.
"Maybe," I murmured, trying to imagine a weapon so powerful it would take several Light Weapons to unlock. There should be at least one legend or myth hinting at its existence, but I couldn’t think of any at the time.
"Or maybe they combine and form a super Sword of Light." Gourry’s imagination was starting to get the best of him. But it was cool, as I needed some absurdity to get the creative juices flowing.
"Or, even better," I said, "maybe the weapons are actually armor that makes you super powerful when you wear it!"
"That would be beyond awesome."
"But ridiculous," I cautioned. "Considering that we’ve got nothing to go on, though, anyone’s guess is as good as ours."
"Still, it would be awesome to get my old Sword back." Gourry said, staring wistfully into the bright blue sky.
"That it would, and stop saying ‘awesome.’ I thought hanging around me for so long would’ve given you a better vocabulary."
"Why would I need something like that?"
"Ah, never mind." I was now starting to get exasperated (partly because of Gourry, but more due to Val’s nonsense) and we had a lot of work to do before three days were up. "Come on, let’s find a cottage that’s close to the mess hall and training grounds and get some rest. Tomorrow we need to come up with a plan to train Valgaav’s army."
"Hmm," Gourry, uh, "hmmed."
"Yes, dear?"
Gourry shot me a lecherous grin. "Cottages have thicker walls than tents."
"Yes, yes they do." I grinned back.Tom the Mighty’s Mighty Notes!Full of plot points indeed. And this time, I plan to see them all through to the end! Of course, grammatical changes will be made here and there through out the story but this is more or less how the story is going to be from now on! No more chapter deletions! No more "Great Will of the Macrocosm" story resets! I may go back and rework Valgaav so that he’s more in character in the near future, but that’s it! I’ve already got the entire plot for Book One done, and am maybe halfway done with Two. So once this is done, Two will be up shortly. Of course that may take a year, but what’s the harm in beginning anticipation now? Nothing I say! Gourry says "Reviews are awesome. So let’s see some!"Lina says "Stop saying awesome or I won’t put out tonight."Zelgadis says, "Now that those two have finally started doing it, I wonder what methods they use to get the job done?"Amelia says "Bad Mr. Zelgadis! No, ecchi!"King Phil says "Ah, young love. I wonder if my grandchildren will have silver hair?Naga says "Bees do it like birds."Valgaav says "ARRGH! I hate golden dragons! I’m going to go pick on Jilas and Gravos. It’s the only way I can express my love for them . . ."Milgasia says "Memphis, get me some more Tylenol. That Inverse girl is giving me a headache."Memphis says "But that would be your fifth bottle today . . ."