"RA-TILT!" Blood dripped in his eyes, filling his icy glare with a red haze. The guardian of the jewel, another breed of chimera altogether, fell lifeless to the ground at last. The creature's lion head, eagle wings, and horse flanks made it look something like a hippogryphon.
"Finally." He sighed, wiping blood and sweat from his face. Though Zelgadis hadattacked relentlessly, the gem's keeper had gotten in a few good swipes. He picked up the white sphere from its revered place on a stone pedestal and placed it carefully in the pouch by his hip. He headed for the exit, just making it out of the main chamber as the building housing a myriad of death traps began to quake.
"How cliche." The Shaman muttered, zipping out of there at demonic speeds.
Kuroi was waiting for him outside the temple, emerald eyes alight with a dark intention. Zelgadis held out the bag; his sixth sense practically screaming 'danger' when his employer did not even check the merchendise.
"Well done." He smiled - that preditory expression! - as he conjured a sphere of energy on his first two fingers. "Now for your payment." By instinct alone, Zelgadis fell into a defensive stance, his weight resting on the balls of his feet in preparation to run.
But by some unnatural means, Ikari was faster. One quick jab to the forehead, and the orb was inside him. He screamed as lightning played across his flesh, licking his nerves with delicate tongues of white fire. Raw power flayed stone from muscle, searing each wound with the touch of pain.
"Kuroi..." he snarled, straining to grab Ikari's arm as it stretched towards his chest. There was a flash of metal as a dagger pierced his heart, and Zelgadis' emotionless, icy gaze melted into cerulean pools of fear and regret. The green eyed devil smiled and pulled his blade from its sheath of rock turned human tissue.
"Thank you very much, Zelgadis Greywers." He laughed, running his tongue along the lancelet to drink the former chimera's blood. "I now have everything I need to complete my plan. Don't you feel special? With your soul in my possession, no power in all the world can stop me." He laughed again, though this time it was a dark, sane chuckle.
"Lina..." Scarlet blood bubbled over his pale lips as his breath faded from his lungs. We were wrong...
In the nearby town, Lina Inverse impatiently drummed her fingers on the table as she absently turned the pages of an old book. A sticky wet substance came off crimson on her gloves, and she stared at her hand in horror.
"What the hell?" She murmured, glancing to the book again. The once black print had turned a vivd cerise, and ran down the leav in trails of ruddy liquid. The overwhelming coppery-metallic scent confirmed her suspicion; it was blood.
From across the room, Amelia's startled scream brought her and Gourry running.
"What? What?" The blonde swordsman asked as the young princess clung about his waist.
"The b-b-book..." she whimpered, pointing to the tome she had been scanning. LIna's eyes narrowed. The print in Amelia's book had also turned into blood, and ran in little rivers to spell out 'Z-E-L'.
"Zelgadis." She breathed, unsure if she should feel fearful or sorrowful. Bleeding books were never a good omen.
"Lina-san, what's happening?" Amelia's bright blue eyes were full of tears as she spoke.
"I'm not sure." The sorceress crossed her arms. "But I have a feeling it's only going to get worse."
"Worse?" Gourry winced.
"Much, much worse." She nodded.
Far away, a woman opened her eyes, and they were wide with fright. A new player had entered the game, with pieces she could never aquire. Ther was a dangerous stranger, who wouldn't be playing by the rules in order to win.
"Xellos!" Beastmaster Zelas Metallium called in her most powerful and trusted servant.
"Master?" He appeared, kneeling obidently.
"Report."
"Power is amassing similar to Nightmare majik, but this time, it's not the doing of Lina Inverse."
"Who, then?"
"We don't know yet."
"Well find out!"
"I'm on it, Master." He promptly teleported off to do her bidding.
"This is not good..." She folded her hands, eyes narrowing in anger.
Farther away, a golden hared diety gazed into the Seas of Chaos and muttered;
"Oh shit."
VI | Story Index | Fanfiction