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Nahga stopped as they neared the cave where the giant creature slumbered. She paused for the simple reason that she was absolutely lost. She inhaled deeply, and began to laugh.“AH HA Ha HA” She inhaled again, and laughed again. The sound caught and cycled in the narrow passageways between the boulders surrounding her. Ameria and Lina both covered their ears.
“Why’d you stop?” Ameria asked
“I am the great serpent Nahga, and do not need to be questioned by the likes of you--”She intoned without turning around to face the others.
“Why?” Lina complained. After a second, she snickered. “You’re lost aren’t you?”
Nahga looked down, a single drop of sweat rolling of the side of her forehead. A twitch at the corner of her eyes belied the confident tone in which she replied “Of course not. I’m simply deciding the best route. I don’t rush into these things.” She cocked her head to the side as if studying the path in front of her.
Lina and Ameria looked at each other and rolled their eyes. “Sure.” Lina muttered. She knew Nahga was lying, because, Nahga had always rushed into these sort of things. Although this time, Lina didn’t really mind. Even getting lost on a treasure hunt was fine because that was how she was supposed to be. She wasn’t supposed to be simpering over Zelgadis, or being courted by Xellos or, forbid the thought, falling in love with Gourry. Although if his brain ever stayed on long enough, that wouldn’t be so bad.
She snapped her head up.
What was she thinking? That Jellyfish had a brain? Now she was the one who was lost! She straightened her spine. She’d leave the simpering to the Ameria’s, the falling in love to the Sylpheel’s or Martina’s of the world. And the courting? Well she would wait and see about that before she turned it down. She just had bigger plans for herself in the meantime. She wrung her hands together and grinned a bit wickedly as her senses caught something extremely magical in the cave just beyond where they stood.
Ameria noticed it next, and finally, it made its way all the way up to where Nahga stood. Not that she was standing further up the hill, mind you, she was just that much taller.
“There--” Lina pointed, as she dashed into the cave. She extended one hand forward. “Lighting!” She called as a bright light of white flared to bring the interior of the cave into focus.
A rather large bird lay there, flopped and quite unconscious. Its eyes, when Lina dared brave the stench of its decaying body odor, open its huge lids to look at eyes that were crossed, dull and lifeless.
“Its dead.” She said.
“I can smell that” She took a deep breath, through her mouth, and then chuckled to herself, in a nasty way. “I think he will have to learn the hard way not to cross the GreatWhite Serpent!” The chuckle deepened into her breathy and bouncy laugh.
Ameria cringed with confusion over whether to hold her nose or her ears. She finally opted for covering one ear, and holding her nose with the other hand as she walked over to Lina. “Whad do you tink killed it?”She said, as she fought back the temptation to run in terror. She really loved adventuring, just not the parts like the bird’s stench and her sister’s laugh. She sighed.Why did there always have to be icky parts? Why couldn’t she just be saving worthy people from the evil in the world, fighting the evil demons of the world like Lina, and maybe getting Zel to notice her? She blinked. Where had that thought come from? She was over him wasn’t she? She pulled herself together and started listening to the rest of what Lina was saying.
“...rules that out.” Lina shook her head. “There’s not a mark on it--and they are supposed to be very magical creatures, and very hard to kill. We should be careful. What ever took this out, well it could be nearby.”
“Ano, Lina, what’s that underneath it?” Nahga asked as she pushed up the bird’s body.
Sparkling like a shiny dragon’s egg, the interdimensional box twinkled. Inside, a creature lay asleep, oozing in ignorance of the three sorceresses about to wake it into the world. There was nothing to make Lina or her companions think there was a creature inside of the egg shaped oval at all. To them the large green metallic and silver object could only be a treasure chest, so of course, Lina and Nahga fought over opening it. This resulted in Nahga crashing rather spectacularly into the wall, and doing a rather good imitation of the Roc still collapsed over to the side.
Lina grinned naughtily, like a kid getting into the neighbor’s cookie jar, and began to pry the lock. While Ameria helped Nahga back up.
* * *
“She’s going to open it.” A voice twisted in a series of multi-layered sparks of horror.
“So? She can handle it...its only a Giga, and a young one at that.” Prime laughed.
“I think too much Mazokou rubbed off on you.” Tertia complained. “you’re enjoying their danger. ONLY A GIGA!!!”
Prime sparkled a dark purple. “And not enough rubbed into you. Nothing in this world is safe. Darkness and danger plagues everything, and we might as well learn to laugh at it. As long as we don’t forget how to laugh at the joyous things, we’ll be all right.”
Tertia sniffed. “Still, she’s our best chance to reenter the world, and you’re just going to let her open that thing!?”
“Of course...nothing sparks romance like a little danger, anyway. Gets the heart pumping and all that. Studies even say , that danger enhances human’s attractions to each other.. The perfect thing to put our plan into action...and as we speak, Gourry is working his way to the cave.”
“But A GIGA! They’ve faced dangers before and haven’t...well, you know, haven’t grown that much closer...what makes you think this is different?” Tertia complained.
“They’ve never faced this before. Do you even know what a Giga is?”
Tertia had to admit she didn’t. She just knew they were bad. Legendarily bad. Whatever you defined as bad, well, they were just worse, by a factor of a 100.
“what is it?” She whispered, fading to a pale blue.
“Actually, I have no idea.” Prime admitted. “But were about to find out! Admit it, Tertia, my plan is perfect..
“Perfect!? How...if they die, then how will we get out of here!”
“Who cares?. If they succeed, good, if they don’t, fine. Either way we get entertained. Admit it, the reason we want to leave this plane is because we are too safe here. Nothing happens to challenge us here. We don’t have any grand adventures, and we only participate vicariously in those of others. Except this way, because our lives depend on theirs, because we’re shaping what happens, don’t you *feel* something again? “
“But its wrong, Prime. You’re putting them in danger! The Association will not approve.”
“They’re eating it up! They’re all watching this gate to the world!” He giddily sent fractal, globs of color across their existence, rather like smashing a lava lamp open.
Tertia spiraled into a tight column of blinking light. “We gave up existence to take a higher route...”
“We were wrong.” Prime argued. “ Or why do you think the Association wants to return? And in the meantime, what is wrong with a little fun?” He cackled into a purple explosion of light.
* * *
“Where are we now!” Zelgadis swore as he looked down the street. The surface was smoother than the cobbled stone ones he was used to seeing. “This is not where we came from.”
She didn’t answer him. He swore and looked down. The body of a rather large white serpent was curled around his legs. He moved and was about to slice it, when to his surprise Kari’s head came into view, her eyes wide open, and she screamed. He noticed something then, and shifted his balance so that the sword crashed into the ground.
“Please, I will get you back, you don’t have to kill me!” She pleaded.
“You’re a snake!” He said. “I didn’t realize it was you.” The scales along her body were interesting, because they were formed of feathers rather than the hardened, slick skin of a snake. Rather than pure white, they were tinged with the aqua green color of her hair, which spilled around. Rather a pretty effect, he thought, despite the strange sight of a human head on a snake’s body.
“What?” She looked down at herself, and her eyes grew very wide. She screamed and tried to run,but all she did was slide a little to the right, her hair getting caught up in the pattern of motion she made. Her clothes slipped off her tail. “I’m a monster!” She wailed.
“Why were you turned into a serpent?” He asked calmly.
“Don’t look at me.” She cried, as she tried to hide behind a tree. She wriggled a lot to get there, but she made it. Of course, in two quick steps, Zelgadis caught up to her.
“Can you reverse it?” He asked quietly.
She avoided looking at him, as she wound herself around a tree. “This is horrible..I ’ve always been able to transform into a serpent, it ran in the family, but now, in this hybrid form, I can’t transform back without hands, and oh, what am I going to do! I’m hideous...” he felt the splash of hot tears land on his cheeks as he looked up.
Zelgadis swore under his breath, looking down. “Are you going to try to hide forever up there?” He said as he looked up.
“I’m sorry Zelgadis, but I’m no use to you like this.” She said. “I’m no use to anyone. I’m sure you’ll find a way to get home, but for now...” Her voice faded into a suppressed sob. “STOP IT.” He ordered, as he used a particularly large leaf for an umbrella against her tears.
“ssss--stop!? My life is over! I cannot do any magic, I can’t get you home, I’m lost somewhere in the universe, AND I’m a hideous freak...” She wailed softly. “And you won’t let me cry!”
“And you say that to another hideous freak?” He questioned her, as he easily leapt up to land beside her head on the branch.
“OH..” She blushed. “But you’re not hideous.”
He gave her a twisted smile. “But I’m still a freak.”
“But its different. “
“Why? One hybrid form and another.”
“Because...you’re stronger in that form! Tell me one good thing about this shape!” She protested, closing her eyes, but not stopping the tears. “I don’t even have hands. How can I do magic without hands! My life is over!”
Zelgadis was not used to comforting weeping women. In fact, he preferred to stay away from women in general, unless he thought they were not the kind to cry, like Lina. He’d learned the hard way that the normal “damsel in distress” grew only more distressed at the sight of him. Or else, they turned out to be a “man in a dress.” So, somewhat awkwardly, he tried to say something comforting. “Nos it is not. I will make you a deal I’ll help find a cure for your condition, and you will help me find mine, and then or before, we’ll return home?”
“But...”She protested. “I failed. I deserve this..if only I’d tried harder to give you your wishes, this would not have happened.”
“Kari, you’re in this situation only because you tried too hard to do your job.”
She looked up. “What did you say?”
“I said, it's your own fault, but--”
Her tail whipped him out of the tree. “How dare you!” She said. “How dare you say that to me, when I’ve been transformed into this usels--” She stopped when she realized she’d flung him into a lake, and that he appeared to be sinking.
She sighed, took a deep breath and coiled her body up to spring into the lake. She arched into it in a perfect dive, head first, and like a slinky, bounced to the bottom, curling around Zelgadis’s descending form and squeezed, and hauled him upward onto shore.
He coughed a bit, splattering the water. “How did you know I couldn’t swim?” He asked surprised that she’d rescued him so quickly. “Did you read that in my mind before?”
He lay sprawled on the ground, and she slid next to him so she could see him.
She colored a bit, her tail winding itself into a knot. “I didn’t know.”
Their eyes met for a second, and then Zelgadis and she looked away.
“I suppose I should get dry, and figure out where we are.”
“Its definitely not our world.” She cautioned. “What does it matter where we are in it?”
“For the moment, I’m afraid it is our world, and we’d better know what is around us. Until you can teach me that dimensional spell.”
“Teach you that spell! I couldn’t possibly-”
“Or we’ll be stuck like this forever you realize.” He said as he disappeared to collect some fire wood and scout out the area. Kari stared bemusedly after him.
* * *
Lina opened the giant box-shape thing, not really sure of what she would find, but hoping it would be very very valuable. What she found instead seemed really useless. A gold soup of goo, if you could call it that. The liquid gel oozed and bubbled. She swore, prodding it with her hand, and SOMETHING HAPPENED. She felt as if all her memories were raided, copied, and put back in disarray.
“Lina!?” Gourry asked, confused. “What are you doing!?”
She opened her mouth but nothing came out really. So, Gourry walked over, and stuck his hands in to the goo. He felt the same experience, but was at an even greater loss to explain the sensation.
Nahga, finally recovered, and not one to be left out, jumped up, and stuck her hands in the goo as well “What is this? It doesn’t feel as good as a mud bath!” She said disgustedly wiping the gold stuff on the side of the shell, some slapping and falling off and hitting the ground. Because it was dark on the ground, they did not notice it form into miniature Linas Gourrys and Nahgas, there, which, because of Nahga’s feet, died instantly with one shifted foot.
Xellos materialized in the cave, his mind on his mission. That is, until he saw the vat of Goo the three adventurers circled. Not sure what created the impulse, he too felt compelled to touch the surface of the golden liquid. At his touch, it phased and disappeared, and reformed.
Lina blinked, not just at Xellos’s sudden appearance, but at the thing that had once been goo. “Thing” was a bad word. She could tell perfectly well what lay before her--a small child, a little boy. His eyes were copper, his hair a bright red, and he opened his mouth, looked at Lina, and said “Mama.”
“What is that?” She said, stepping back.
Luna appeared and without any fan fare, produced a small bottle of milk. “Its a Giga. You didn’t touch it did you?”
Everyone turned to look at her. “What do you mean a Giga?”
“Its young. I wouldn’t worry yet.” Luna said smiling at it despite what she knew.
“Worry yet?! What’s that mean?” Lina said staring at the child. “Its just a little boy.”
“That’s what it looks like. It might as well be Shabranigdo.” She said.
Xellos slid an eye open, looking up from where he’d been teasing the child with little dark magic shapes. “Really?” He hadn’t expected *that*. He’d been informed that something interesting waited at the “Scales of Justice” hidden on Orhihalcon Mountain, he just never had guessed that the scales referred to this “egg”, and that inside, such a great creature existed. The Mazokou would be very pleased.
Luna knew what he was thinking, and took great pleasure in destroying any plans he might have been making. “Spose you’d say Ceipheed.” She smirked at him.“Shabranigdo or Ceipheed, doesn’t matter...Its gonna take away the magic.”
Lina backed up from the child, where Gourry was making gooey faces at the little boy. She turned to face her sister. “Explain that part again?”
“Its gonna destroy the dragons, gonna destroy the Mazokou. Gonna destroy anything with magic. Its a Giga. Its what they do.” Luna commented. “Kind of cute though, huh?” Her face softened as she stared at the child. “looks like you Lina. Guess you touched it.
Lina shook her head. “What’s this “it” that you’re talking about!?”
“Him.” Luna said, pointing at the child, who was looking around for Lina, who had moved out of his field of view. “Mama!” He cried plaintively.
He toddled up onto his feet, and fell down, being too small a child to walk.
“MAMA!” he cried again, so heartrendingly, that even Lina and Nahga wanted to hold the little child, and they were not the domestic types.
Luna beat them to holding the child, deftly holding the child in one gloved hand, cradling his head in her apron, so he could see Lina. “S’Okay.” She comforted the boy, as she looked up at Lina. Over his head, she added in the same soothing voice “You gonna kill it, or am I?”
Lina felt her mouth go drier than the desert. “Luna?”
Luna sighed. “Guess that means me.” Out of nowhere, she pulled a small knife, and began to lower it toward the boy in her other arm. Before the knife could touch the child, Xellos swished through space, and stole the child from her arms.
He reappeared on the other side of Lina.
Lina looked at her sister. “LUNA! Are you crazy! He’s just a little boy! I don’t know how he got in there--”
“He’s not a he. Its a GIGA.” She stressed. “Xellos don’t interfere again. If I have to kill you to kill IT, then I spose I gotta.” Her voice was as flat as ancient cave art, and about as dull.
Xellos shifted the child to Lina, who took the child somewhat awkwardly. “If you can” He said smiling, both eyes open. “Please, go ahead, I will even let you strike first.” He said politely.
Luna looked at Lina, who backed with the child, obviously siding with Xellos, as were all her friends. Gourry drew his sword, Nahga generated a flare-bit, Ameria gathered a ra-tilt, and Lina? Well, Lina just stared at Luna, with the supremely shocked and upset glare of a little sister who’s just decided that the sister she’d always been proud of was no longer someone she could admire.
Luna frowned. She didn’t like those odds. “Fine. Spose we could wait and see. if you touched it, I’m sure it won’t feed for awhile anyway.”
Lina blinked. “You’re not going to kill him?”
Luna shook her head. “Not yet. But he’s going to be trouble.”
“Kids are always trouble, just look at Lina!” Gourry offered, earning himself a bonk on the head from Lina.
“But you won’t kill him?” Lina said.
“I wouldn’t lie.” Luna said indignantly. “I ain’t Xellos...” After a second she looked up at Xellos, still standing protectively near Lina, and though she didn’t know what possessed her, except maybe jealously added “yeah, I ain’t Xellos. I just married him.” She turned her hand over, removed her gloves, and allowed the band on her finger to shine, and it resonated with the hidden one on Xellos’s hand.
That went way over Gourry’s head, and though Nahga and Ameria understood what she meant, they were too shocked to react. Lina, because she’d heard that bit before, managed to keep her eyes a normal size.
Xellos grabbed his wrist as if his hand were being burned. He looked up at Luna, around at Lina, and disappeared.
He reappeared in the space he knew to be his master’s. That was where he got his orders, where he mingled, at times, with other Mazokou. The Beastmaster appeared in a puff of smoke. “You’re no longer needed
Xellos looked up in shock. “Master?”
A cruel and evil laugh resonated a second before he felt a level of pain so bad, he could not imagine anyone enjoying it.
* * *
Prime shimmered, disconnectedly. He’d not expected that turn. Should he interfere? In a speed of action, imperceptible by human or Mazokou standards he planted information into the Beastmaster’s thoughts.
* * *
And the pain stopped. “needed to court Lina.” The Beastmaster continued saying as if there had been no pause. “Watch the child.”
“As you request, I will do.” Xellos smiled, and bowed politely and phased out.
* * *
“So you don’t really know that this child is going to do all those things, right Sis?” Lina asked.
Luna shrugged, as she rattled some keys in front of the child. “What things?”
Gourry looked down at the boy. “So what’s his name?”
“Shouldn’t name him. Get too attached.” Luna cautioned, though her actions were very much at odds with her advice. She was making gooey faces at the child. “He looks like Daddy...if he shrunk.”
“Well you have to call him something!” Ameria protested.
Lina frowned. “Do you have a name in mind?”
“No...not exactly, but a name should reflect a person’s soul, and their place in life!” Ameria declared, as she began to glow with pride. “My father is named Philonel, and that means-
“Who cares what it means?” Nahga sniffed cutting her off. “What name means evil child that may destroy the world?”
“I know! Let’s call him Shabranidgo!” Gourry suggested.
“GOURRY!” Lina said as she smacked him into a wall. “We’re not naming him after the Dark Lord!”
“Why not?” He protested. “Ameria said to name him by what he is. We could call him Shabby for short! Admit it, its got a ring to it!” He beamed at the little guy. “Hi Shabby?” He cooed.
“Gourry, your name should be Jellyfish-brain.” Lina swore.
“But its not. Its Gourry.” He said. “Say Lina, you’re name should be
She glared up at him. “Don’t even say it, Gourry.”
“Flat-chested, quick-tempered, and short?” Nahga laughed at Lina.
A flick of Luna’s wrist took the sound away, as Nahga frantically searched her throat.
“Put her on Mute for a sec.” Luna explained. “Can’t stand that laugh”
“So, Shabby, you like that name, don’t you?” Gourry was saying to the boy.
“We’re not calling him Shabranigdo!” Lina yelled, her arms flailing about like a windmill.
“Oh My!! And I thought it was a perfect name.” Xellos said reappearing. “I’m afraid it doesn’t really matter what you name him, I’m going to be taking him. I’ve gotten new orders I’m afraid.” He phased and rematerialized holding the child. “but I’ll keep the name.”
Luna stood. “I’ve got my orders too. You’re not taking him.”
The Giga child seemed confused. He reached his arms out toward Lina and cried “MAMA!!!!”
Lina felt something tumble over in her heart. “Xellos, put him down.”
“Xellos, you’re not taking Shabby.” Gourry said. He automatically reached for his sword.
“And exactly how would you stop me?” Xellos inquired. “As always, it has been most interesting. Bye-bye!” And he began to phase but stopped, mid-phase, returning back into reality with a thud. His arms threw the child into the air, where it flew unerringly toward a surprised Lina.
“Mama.” The Child said, clasping his arms around Lina’s neck.
“Guess the little guy thinks you’re his Mama, Lina.” Gourry said.
“I’m not your mother little guy. Now let go!” she said as the child tugged her hair, hard.
“Mama.” The baby babbled, unhampered by her resistance, and snuggled against her neck.
Gourry grinned. “Hey, Lina, are you sure you don’t want kids? You look really cute with--”
“Dil Brando” She said as she attempted to explode the ground in front of Gourry, not to hurt him or she’d have chosen the ground right under him, but it didn’t matter. Nothing happened.
Well, something happened. The baby gurgled, and drooled some spit on Lina’s shoulder.
Lina missed this completely, allowing the silvery gel-liquid saliva to slide right onto the floor. Lina’s eyes went wide, as she began to cast spell after spell, all with no results.
“MY MAGIC!!!” She screamed. at last. The baby laughed.
“Told you.” Luna sighed. She handed Lina a napkin to wipe up the baby spit.
“You didn’t tell me! What’s going on, why can’t I cast any spells?” Lina screamed, as the child began to cry.
“Eats magic. Absorbed most of yours, a little of everyone else it touched. When it gets older, it’ll absorb more....got to digest yours first I guess.” Luna shrugged. “Just don’t let it touch you again.”
“But...but...” Lina sputtered.
“I think if its killed you’ll get your magic back.” Luna said offhandedly.
“But...” Lina repeated, her voice a gasp of angry air.
“I know...I guess I don’t want to do that either.” Luna bit her lip. “or it may grow back, if you’re away from it. I don’t know much about them. Talk to Kari, I think she knows more about them than I do. I just know they are bad news.”
Xellos frowned. This was not what he had expected. He’d tried to phase, and had been stopped by the baby. He looked down at himself. A solidity grounded him to this world, in a fashion he could not really recall feeling since...well, since he’d become a Mazokou. He reached out with his mind to the universe, but everything just felt different. First of all, he no longer could see with his eyes closed. His magical vision had always been more accurate, and had been sneakier to use since no one could tell what he was observing by observing him. So had the baby absorbed him as well as Lina’s powers?
Luna answered his thought, by pushing one of hers into his mind. [Of course the baby absorbed you too. You and Lina were the first very strong magical people to touch the child. For whatever reason, it did not drain you completely and kill you--or else it just reduced you to a regular human state. I didn’t want to freak my sister out, but she may never regain her magic. And since a Mazokou is a creature of magic, you’re now just human. Oh, sure you may have some residual talents. I can hear your mind, so you must have some. I couldn’t tell you what. I wouldn’t tell you what. Just because you’re mostly human doesn’t mean you’ll think like that. Mazokou means evil, and that’s a lifestyle, not just a form. You’ll have to prove yourself.]
Xellos stared at Luna. [what?]
She smiled. [You realize the other Mazokou who you’ve annoyed will now try to kill you? And the baby...a lot of people will either try to control him, or kill him. I guess we could just search for a way to send him where he came from, whatever dimension that is, but that won’t be easy. Kari probably knows better than me, cause she can travel through dimensions and I can’t. But in the meantime I can do the research through Dragon and Elf legends.]
Xellos nodded slowly. [The Mazokou have legends too. They may help.]
[So I’ll make you a deal. Help me send the child where it belongs, and help me keep it away from magic, and we’ll worry about anything else later.]
Ameria frowned as she stepped closer to the infant. “Lina, you’re holding him the wrong way. You’re not going to let you’re sister kill him are you?!”
“He’s holding me!” Lina shook her head, the child still hanging on to her hair. It gurgled happily as it flew Ameria made a shocked face. “What am I supposed to do! I have no magic!” Lina complained.
“Ano, Lina, its not that, well, you know, that time of the month!?” Gourry suggested.” You get through that ok...”
“Gourry, YOU IDIOT!” Lina shouted. “OF COURSE NOT!!!!”
“Well, are you sure? I mean, you could be wrong.” He said.
Nahga laughed. “Its surprising that happens to you Lina, you’re so underdeveloped.” She was a little upset about Lina’s earlier slamming of her into the wall. She smiled widely as nothing happened. “well, I suppose I am no longer your rival, but am now your superior in magic!” She laughed and laughed and laughed---and the baby began to cry.
Luna, preoccupied with her mental conversation with Xellos, looked up at the sound of the baby’s cry and muted Nahga again. “Darn spell doesn’t last long enough.”
“So what am I going to do?” Lina asked her sister.
“I’m going to take him.” Luna said at last.
Xellos raised an eyebrow. Luna noticed, and thought to him :[If I’m careful he won’t drain me too...and if he does, well, that’ll hold him for awhile I guess and everyone else will be safe.]
{Are you sure about that?} He projected to her.
[As long as I don’t let him touch me, he can’t absorb my magic. .Has to touch my cells, I guess. Anyway, Lina’s not cut out for this kind of thing, and I’ve let her handle a lot lately. And I’m her big sister. I’ve got to take care of stuff for her. ]
Lina looked at Luna. “You’re not going to kill him?”
“No. Somewhere out there a cure exists, Lina. Talk to Kari, cause she probably could tell you what it is. I’ll watch him until you find it, and a way to send him back where he belongs.” She tossed Lina a small golden disk. “That’s how I reach her. Wherever she is, this connects to her.”
Lina turned the disk over, but hesitated. “I’m not sure about this.”
“You’re never sure when you start these things. Just do it.” Luna said impatiently.
“Wait, he’s a Giga.. couldn’t you Giga-slave him?” Gourry asked, earning him an “Are you really that dense” look from everyone in the room. “Well, could you?” Everyone ignored him.
“Giga Slaves besides being a dangerous spell, probably wouldn’t kill him anymore than a dragon slave kills a golden dragon...or the Mazokou slave would kill a Mazokou...it may hurt, but who knows what else could go wrong to do it?” Luna explained.
“Uh, so if no one knows, its not bad right?” Gourry asked Luna.
Luna looked at Lina in exasperation. “Is he always that dumb?”
Lina sighed. “I know. I know.”
“Well, at least he is cute, Sis.” Luna continued as Lina blushed.
Meanwhile, Ameria raised a fist, and whirled to lecture Gourry. “And whatever this Giga may be, he is just a baby! You can’t kill him! Justice, and I, will not allow it! Its too evil.”
Xellos frowned, because he found himself agreeing with her. Oh, not with the dramatic phrasing, forbid that thought!. He just didn’t want to see the little baby be hurt. He winced as he realized that. Why should he care if something else lived or died? That was part of life, for other creatures. They scurried about, experienced things, and disappeared. Everything ended, and if it ended painfully, well, at least they experienced something. As a Mazokou, he’d learned that sensations were precious things, even the negative ones. Actually, especially the negative ones, because they were easier for Mazokou to collect from others since they really didn’t experience their own.
Except now he was feeling things he hadn’t felt before, or if he had, he’d forgotten. Sure, he’d been feeling a tug towards Lina, a fondness he may have called “love” but it felt as if it had been placed there, almost artificially. Oh, he felt that same fondness that he always had, but she was no longer the only one who made him *feel*. He looked at the little child. The baby looked up at him and giggled. “DA DA”. Xellos felt completely lost and hooked in a way he had never felt before. No one was going to harm this little guy while Xellos could stop it, he decided.
“He’s really smart to be talking at that age!” Nahga commented. She giggled at the child, who seemed fascinated by the skull she wore around her neck.
“You’re not killing him.” Xellos said evenly.
Lina and Luna blinked at looked at him.
Gourry laughed at Xellos. “Kill him!? Why would I do that? He’s really a cute kid. He really looks like Lina, doesn’t he?” He looked down at the little baby boy. Approximately the size of a 1 year old, rather than a new born, his features were very pudgy and undefined. His bright red hair and copper eyes however did resemble Lina’s. “When we have kids, bet they’ll look just like that!”
“Mama.” The boy said looking at Lina. He looked at Xellos. “Dada.”
“Great...” Lina muttered. “Just great.” But she really didn’t look unhappy. “Ok, well no sense waiting around in here. Let’s go hit the road and find that cure!”
Nahga laughed. “Oh no you don’t Lina Inverse. You are not escaping so easily.” Nahga tilted her nose up into the air aristocratically. “I am now the undisputed master sorceress, and the only one to defeat the Great Lina Inverse. So you should follow me in *my* travels now, and”
Lina frowned. “You never defeated me, Nahga!”
“Oh, really? Flare-Bit.” She said, blasting Lina into the wall. Lina threw the baby in her arms to Xellos, just before the spell hit, knocking her gently into the wall. “Looks like I just did, AH HA HA HA HA HA .”
Xellos and Gourry rounded on Nahga, but were stoped by a sweet sounding laugh that cut right through the hideous one. They turned, to see Luna laughing behind her bangs of hair.
Luna smiled when they looked at her, and said “You had that coming, Sis. But that’s enough Nahga.” Luna gave her hand to Lina, and healed Lina as she helped her up. “I think you’d better let her help you. Because I think Nahga’s lost part of her magic too. You notice, that with no magical protections, you were basically fine from that spell?”
Nahga frowned. “What!?”
“He didn’t drain you that much, but he took something from you.” Luna smiled. “At that range you should have at least blasted her through the cave. You just knocked her over.”
Nahga looked devastated, and attempted to cast the spell again. Gourry grabbed her arms and stopped her movements, while Luna flicked her wrist for the mute spell again. “So is everyone but you drained?” Lina asked surprised.
“He didn’t touch me.” Ameria said as she leaned into the baby. She looked dissappointed as Xellos maneuvered the child away. “I wanted to hold him too.”
“Don’t Ameria. You’re the only full magic user left, so I guess you’d better not try it. Nahga’s probably got as much magic as Lina had in that time of the month, so you can’t count on her.” Luna sighed. Her mouth hurt from talking so much. She wasn’t used to it, but she shrugged. Life brought change. She’d have to get used to it, she supposed.
Her eyes caught Xellos’s eyes. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
Lina looked at Nahga and Ameria, then back over at Gourry. “You guys don’t have to do this, well, maybe you do Nahga, but this is my problem Gourry. I can handle it, so--”
He shook his head. “I don’t care if you never cast another spell, or if you cast all of them. I‘m coming with you Lina. Like I always have.”
Nahga shrugged. “I suppose I could still let you be my rival in the event you get magic back. And as my rival, I cannot let you wander off without me.”
Ameria jumped up onto a stalachtite. “And I will join you in this quest to restore you magic. I won’t be left out of such a grand fight for justice and love!”
“Love?” Luna said confused. “What’s she talking about Sis? Your little romance with Gourry there!?” She grinned slyly. “Or that guy Zelgadis’ crush on you?”
While Ameria looked deflated, Lina blushed crimson as the blood that flows. “Romance, what romance? Uh, I gotta go. Come on eveyone!” Magic or not, Lina proved she could still run really fast as she took off, leaving Xellos and Luna in the cave with the Giga child.
* * *
The old man coughs, looks up from his beer. “My mouth is so dry, you could dehydrate those wonderful Zephilia grapes into raisins. AH..some water. Thank you.” He drains the water glass, and then stands. “Well, I said it was a strange tale. I’m afraid that’s all I know.” And without any warning, he turns and walks and disappears into the night.
You can’t see him, but you think you see a glimmer of purple lights, which fade into nothingness.
It's so sudden, that it takes you a minute to run out further into the winds and the wonder of the stars to see where he went. You still see nothing. Disappointed you run back into the store.
The heat washes over you, but you still feel cold and as if he’s left you nothing. No neat knotting of ends, pairing of characters, or resolutions of problems. He didn’t even tell you how he knew all these things. Was the bartender he spoke of Xellos, and the woman Luna? You wonder speculating how he could have known otherwise.
But what of Zel and Kari, last seen still hunting in some weird world? Not to mention poor Lina, who’d lost her magic? You shake your head. How irresponsible of him not to tie everything up for you. Rather like leaving the bar with dirty glasses strewn around. Just something you never do, no matter how tired you are. You always put them away. So, you frown, and think over the story he has told you. Well, if he didn’t bother to end everything, you would just do it for him. You’re pretty convinced he just made up the events he told you about, because it was all pretty unbelievable. A creature that ate magic? Xellos becoming human? Lina losing her magic and falling for Gourry?! Wait, did she fall for him? You’re not sure even that was resolved. Hah...you could do better. In fact the way you see it..oh, but you know the way you see it, don’t you?
THE END