There is no Light without Darkness, no White without Black, and no Good without Evil. Life is defined by contrast. Since for every positive there is a negative, and vice versa, that means that every important event in a person's lifetime could have had a different outcome.
Confused yet? Allow me to try and explain.
Say you're at a fork in the road. You can go either left or right. Which way do you choose, mmm? Let's say you go right. You walk down the path and discover a crazy old man in a ditch who throws a sack of priceless artifacts at your feet and tells you to keep them. You wind up rich and living in the lap of luxury, content until you die of old age.
But what if you had taken the left path, mmm? You walk a ways and are assaulted by bloodthirsty bandits who steal all your worldly possessions, rape you, stab you multiple times and leave you dying in a ditch on the side of the road.
A moment's decision; a stroke of luck, a bit of chance, a slip of Fate determines it all. It's the very essence of Chaos at work.
Isn't it just delightfully amusing?
However, despite its entertainment factor, Chaos can be a dangerous thing. If Fate chooses that moment to look the other way some rather unpleasant consequences can result. An instant of uncharacteristic carelessness can mean a knife in the back, a spilt-second of hesitation can result in unexpected death, and a solitary moment of greed can cause a life to be changed forever.
The dark outcomes of life may be averted, those narrowly avoided consequences only thought of in the haze of half-remembered dreams. But they exist. These less savory outcomes mirror our own world, black shadows viewed only in nightmares.
Usually.
But sometimes, oh sometimes, when the circumstances are right, we can view these shadows as frightening reality. Sometimes there's a tear in the fabric of things, a flaw through which blackness seeps like a noxious poison. This blackness is the shadow of those things that were not meant to be, and sometimes, oh sometimes children, although it is rare, its poison contaminates reality and changes all that we know. And sometimes, rarer still, there are those who escape the contamination while everything else turns to shit. And when this happens, sometimes (sometimes children, hush now, sometimes, shhh) that person fights to counteract the poison and restore things to the way they were meant to be.
It's happened before. And it will happen again. But how to know if the world we live in is the one intended... or if it is merely a black and noxious shadow world that someone was unable to set right?
That is a secret.
May L-sama have mercy.
Weary, Zelgadis sat on his bed and pulled his boots from his feet, slinging them into a corner. His cloak and shirt already lay over the back of a chair and his sword was leaning against the headboard of his rented bed.
What a wasted day! He'd spent the entire day searching the city of Arenthium for leads on a possible cure to his chimerical condition, and had had found a big fat nothing. Nobody anywhere in the city seemed to know of anything that might possibly be able to transform him back into a human. All he had to show for his trouble was an aching back and a tired spirit.
With a sigh Zelgadis lay down, musing that inn beds were famous for being lumpy. Of course, it didn't really bother him much, but he was sure it must be very annoying to regular people. Zel noted that the moon was almost full; its light cascading through the open window to bathe the room.
He gave a soft grunt as he rolled onto his side, his eyes slipping shut. Basically, Zel was pissed. He'd spent an entire day slogging through a crowded town inhabited by some of the most mind-numbingly stupid people he'd ever met in search of any obscure piece of information that could possibly point him towards a cure, and he'd come up empty-handed. Lina, on the other hand, had spent the whole day slacking off and having fun with the rest of the crew, and the worst part was, she had still managed to find an interesting artifact.
Life sucked.
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Zel-kun!" Lina greeted the cranky chimera the following morning. Zel grunted something noncommittal in response. He was still NOT in the best of moods, and Lina's cheeriness wasn't exactly appreciated, so he sat so he wasn't facing her. Unfortunately, that meant he was facing Xelloss, whose smiling face he despised even more, so he wound up looking back at Lina anyway.
"How'd you sleep, Zel-kun?" Amelia asked. Lina was no longer talking, since her mouth was now quite occupied with breakfast.
"Just fine," Zel replied coolly. He didn't want to have to deal with Amelia this morning either. "So what's this artifact you said you found?" he inquired, trying to deflect the attention away from him.
Lina swallowed massively then spoke. 'It's a mirror, Zel."
"It's quite pretty," Shilfiel interrupted. Lina glared at her.
"What does THAT have to do with anything?" she yelled. Shilfiel shrank back in fear, but Lina just resumed her speech. "It's a magic mirror. Very old and very powerful, from what we can tell."
Zel looked unimpressed. "What's it do?" he asked.
Lina sweatdropped. "We haven't quite figured that out yet," she admitted.
"But no worries, Zelly my boy!" Xelloss added cheerfully. Zel twitched inwardly. He hated being called 'Zelly' and he was pretty sure Xelloss knew it. Was just about certain, in fact. "We're going to try and get it up and running this afternoon." The trickster paused. "I myself haven't really gotten a look at it either."
Zelgadis nodded. He figured he might as well hang around and see this kooky mirror Lina was talking about; after all, he had nothing better to do.
"Mmmm..." Xelloss peered at the mirror with the authority of one who is used to examining magical artifacts. Lina, Naga, Amelia and Shilfiel looked on expectantly, while Zel stood off to one side, stubbornly refusing to show more than passing interest in whatever the priest had to say. Gourry, who had absolutely zero knowledge of all things magical and thus even less interest sat on the floor, playing with a funny little top he'd picked up somewhere. For some reason he kept singing "Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel" under his breath.
"Well?" Lina asked at last. Xelloss turned to her, smiling broadly.
"Haven't a clue!" he replied happily. Lina fell over. "But I do think it looks familiar..."
"Ooooooh, Forget this!" she exclaimed. "I'm gonna cast a Boost on this baby and see what happens."
"Miss Lina?' Amelia ventured. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Amelia," Lina began, looking over her hunched shoulders at the younger girl. "Are you questioning my judgement?" Amelia backed up a step or two, and uttered a nervous laugh, waving her hands a little in negation.
"Of course not Miss Lina! Aheh, heh heh heh..."
"Good!" Lina said briskly. "Then lets get this show on the road!"
Lina stood before the mirror, eyes closed as she prepared for the incantation. Zelgadis for some reason glanced over at Xelloss, who had a rather curious expression on his face. The trickster appeared to be thinking seriously about something for a change, and Zelgadis was just about to ask what was on the priest's twisted little mind when he heard the voice.
"Zelgadis," the voice called. It was very soft and small sounding and he thought it originated from the doorway. Wondering why no one else seemed to hear it, Zel wandered over to the door. Therefore his back was turned and he didn't see Xelloss' eyes widen in sudden shock as he realized where he'd seen a mirror like this one before.
"Lina, no, don't do it!" the trickster shouted, moving forward to stop the spunky sorceress from casting the spell. But by a slip of Fate he tripped over Gourry, who was still sitting in the middle of the floor, and by then it was too late.
Zelgadis spied the little girl crouching by the now open door just as he heard Xelloss cry out. He turned away from the little blonde to look behind him, and he briefly saw the outlines of his friends before the brilliant light exploding from the mirror engulfed everything and made sight impossible. He caught a fleeting impression of the trickster standing with his shoulders slumped in resignation, and he thought he heard him say, "You have no idea of what you have done." Then he felt a small hand close on his arm, and felt himself pulled away from the light. The world erupted behind him, and Zelgadis found himself spinning in a black void shot through with molten gold. The last he thing he saw before everything went dark was the little girl, sitting in the nothingness with a shovel and scythe beside her; smiling.
Zelgadis awoke with a pounding headache underneath an angry sky. He sat up, rubbing his temples, and took in his surroundings. He was on a hill of some sort, and he could see the land around him was scorched and wasted, with smoking craters everywhere in place of vegetation. Zel sniffed the air and his nostrils were assailed with the stench of burnt carrion.
Funny, Zelgadis thought. Arenthium didn't look like this before.
A figure was slowly limping across the wasteland below, leaning heavily on a staff. Even at this distance Zelgadis recognized the priestly robes and purple hair.
Xelloss.
Zelgadis sprinted forward, loose rock and ash crumbling beneath his boots. The trickster hadn't even raised his head when Zel grabbed the front of his robes and shook him back and forth.
"What the hell is going on?" Zelgadis asked. Xelloss did not meet his eyes, but kept his face turned away as though to avoid Zelgadis' anger. He offered no resistance, allowing himself to be shaken like a rag doll.
"Where's Lina?" Zelgadis demanded, pulling Xelloss closer. Still the priest did not answer, and Zel found himself getting quite frustrated with the man. "Answer me!"
"The Lina Inverse you speak of no longer exists," the trickster said in a voice so soft and somber that Zelgadis actually let go of his robes.
"What?" he asked, confused.
Xelloss finally looked up, causing Zelgadis to blink. His eyes were different. The cat-like pupils characteristic of Mazoku were gone, and Zel could see light reflected in them.
The trickster was human.
"What happened here?" Zelgadis gestured to the wasted land with its smoking pits and the clouded, foreboding sky. In the distance lightening flickered with angry promise.
"That which was not meant to be," Xelloss replied, still leaning on his staff. Zel noted that it was not ruby-tipped, but was a mere hunk of wood. He also noticed that the talismans the priest always wore on his robes were similarly missing.
"Uh-huh. And just what does that mean?"
The trickster looked out at the bruised and purple sky, his eyes somber and distant. "There is no Light without Darkness," he said cryptically after a moment's pause. "No White without Black, and no Good without Evil. Life is defined by contrast. Since for every positive there is a negative, and vice versa, that means that every important event in a person's lifetime could have had a different outcome."
Zelgadis remained silent, even though he wasn't sure if Xelloss was telling him anything relevant... or if he was just stringing him along for his own twisted amusement.
"A moment's decision, a stroke of luck, a bit of chance, a slip of Fate; that is all that determines what the outcome will be. It's the very essence of Chaos at work." Xelloss paused again, looking down at the charred ground. "The dark outcomes may be averted. But not always. This world that you find yourself in, Zelgadis Greywers, is one in which events you know of turned out very differently."
Zelgadis rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So this world is a mirror of my own, but one where some big event turned out wrong and consequently fucked everything up royally," he stated, asking for confirmation.
Xelloss nodded.
Zelgadis sighed. "Great. Wonderful. Bloody peachy keen." He peered at the trickster. "So what happened to you? When I knew you, you were a Mazoku."
Xelloss bowed his head slightly. "I was Mazoku, born of fire and blood. But that was before I was... demoted. After Shabernigdo was reborn and slain."
"Slain? By whom?"
"Lina Inverse of course," Xelloss replied. Zelgadis bobbed his head slightly in agreement.
"That much hasn't changed," he murmured. "So Lina cast the Giga Slave and killed Shabernigdo, just like in my world, right?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"So where is Lina now?" Zelgadis asked eagerly. He was glad to hear Lina wasn't tending house back in Zefilia or something equally un-Lina-like.
Xelloss looked a trifle surprised. "She's in her fortress of course, with Gourry Gabriev, her bodyguard."
Zelgadis secretly felt like smiling. If Lina and Gourry were still together, then it couldn't be all THAT messed up. The only real differences in this world so far was the landscape, Lina having a fortress, and of course the fact that Xelloss was no longer an evil demon thing. To be honest, this last fact didn't trouble Zelgadis in the least; he was on fact, rather glad the priest had been busted down to a more vulnerable level.
"Can you take me to them?" Zelgadis asked. If he could explain what had happened to Lina, there was no doubt she could help him figure out a way to fix things. And Gourry, well, Gourry could sit off to one side and smile in a dopey but contented fashion.
Xelloss was looking at him with a look of naked terror. "You want me to what?" he whispered.
Zelgadis looked at the other man curiously. "Take me there. Why? Is that a problem?" he asked in a puzzled voice. Xelloss staggered forward urgently, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
"Yes that's a problem!" he practically shrieked. Zelgadis winced. He wasn't used to the trickster being so... upset. "Are you mad?" Xelloss continued. "You honestly wish to go to Lina Inverse's tower?"
Zelgadis grabbed the priest's robes and shook him a little. "Calm down!" he commanded. Xelloss quieted some, but still seemed edgy. "Why are you so freaked out?" Zel asked quietly. He was starting to get a little creeped out by the excessive weirdness of the situation. "What's wrong with Lina?"
Xelloss surprised him with a short, bitter laugh. "What's wrong with her? What's wrong?" he repeated a little hysterically. "Oh for the love of L-sama, what ISN'T wrong with her?" He laughed his strange, jagged laugh again.
"Calm down Fruitcake," Zel warned, now getting seriously creeped out.
Xelloss got control of himself with visible effort. "Lina Inverse is quite possibly the most dangerous human being to have ever walked the planet," Xelloss said in his former serious tone.
"Come on now," Zelgadis said. He was used to hearing this sort of stuff about Lina from local yokels. "She's not THAT bad."
"Isn't she?" Xelloss asked, looking out at Zel with haunted eyes. "Then let me tell you a little story, Zelgadis-san."
Xelloss leaned against his staff a little more, supporting himself better, then began.
"When Shabernigdo was reborn, all the Mazoku rejoiced. Our Dark Lord had been returned to us, through the eyes of your very own ancestor, Zelgadis Greywers. Rezo the Red Priest had opened the gateway and Shabernigdo was free to spread pain and suffering throughout the land.
But then there came the spunky redhead sorceress by the name of Lina Inverse. Drawing upon forbidden power she slew the Dark Lord, using the force of the Lord of Nightmares herself. But that power is not one to be toyed with. Shabernigdo was destroyed, it's true, but some say the force of L-sama... changed the sorceress somehow. Like a poison. And somehow this poison corrupted both her and her constant companion, Gourry Gabriev, for when she was casting the spell some compulsion made the swordsman grab onto his beloved, and thus the poison spread.
Lina Inverse had eradicated the Mazoku's Dark Lord, but she wasn't finished with them yet, oh no. As a black sorceress she knew the power the Mazoku possess, and wanted it for herself. But not by selling her soul, for that would mean she would have to call someone master. Lina Inverse calls no-one master."
In a twisted way, Zelgadis could see the attitude of the Lina he knew reflected in that of the Lina in Xelloss' story. His Lina would bow to no one either.
"So Lina gave herself a generous promotion. She crowned herself Dark Lord of the Mazoku. With her Giga Slave and her pet Gourry's Sword of Light not many resisted. Those who did dare were severely punished."
Suddenly Zelgadis didn't want to hear any more.
"Maryuuoh Garb learnt his place after Lina set her bodyguard on him. He's still blind, I understand." Xelloss bowed his head slightly. "The others obeyed, all of them except for my mistress."
"Xelas Mettalium," Zelgadis stated. Xelloss nodded, and Zelgadis thought he saw tears on the trickster's cheeks. Or maybe it was just a trick of the light.
"Yes. Beastmaster resisted. She always was very stubborn. So Lina had her taken to her tower as an example to the others. She's locked within that place somewhere, kept prisoner by her tormentors like a lowly cringing animal instead of the great predator she is. Occasionally she is toted out, naked and bleeding, to remind the Mazoku who they work for now. Whenever Inverse and her pet are bored, they go and take turns jabbing the Hikari no Ken, charged up with whichever spell Lina fancies, into my mistress. The other lords make no move to help, since they've never been fond of Xelas anyway. Indeed, Phibrezo was the one who aided Lina in creating magical shackles for my mistress."
Xelloss paused, then continued on in a voice raw with emotion. "They took my mother away from me, to keep in eternal misery, while the other lords and their generals and priests lived on, groveling at Lina Inverse's feet like subservient dogs."
"So what happened to you?" Zelgadis asked quietly.
"She didn't trust me, so Lina found a way to transform me into something that couldn't possibly pose a threat to her and would serve to humiliate me as well. A human. As a Mazoku, I possessed all of Xelas Mettalium's power, but in this state I am no match for her." He looked back up to meet Zelgadis' eyes again. "And that is the story, Zelgadis Greywers."
"All of it?" Zel asked. Old suspicions died hard.
"All of it. And no secrets either," Xelloss agreed a trifle wearily.
"None of that 'sore wa himitsu desu' crap?" Zel asked.
"Never again." The trickster paused. "She had my tongue cut out for saying that, back when I was still Mazoku enough to heal it."
"Euch," Zelgadis muttered. He was glad he'd skipped lunch that afternoon...
"Any other questions?" Xelloss asked with a trace of bitter humor.
"Just one. How the hell do you know that I don't belong here? You told me right from the start that this world was not my own."
"I-I don't really know," Xelloss admitted. "I just do. Sometimes you just have to go along with what happens and not ask questions."
"Chaos?" Zel asked with one eyebrow cocked cynically.
"Chaos," Xelloss replied.
Obsidian stone spiraled upwards to scar the dark and foreboding sky as hellish gibberings echoed across the blistered landscape. Overhead strange winged creatures swooped and cackled, their talons outstretched and their mouths gaping open. Everywhere there arose the stench of blasted bodies and sour decay.
"Mazoku," Zelgadis murmured with grim distaste. Xelloss nodded.
"The whole world is now their playground," he said. "Pain and suffering plague the human race."
"And I'm so sure you really give a shit," Zelgadis said with unveiled sarcasm.
Xelloss turned to look at him. "I am human now as well," he reminded him.
"How's the saying go..? 'Once a Mazoku, always a Mazoku?' Is that it?" Zelgadis asked.
"The saying is wrong." Xelloss looked out towards the spiraling tower fearfully. "I'm as vulnerable as yourself in this incarnation. And incidentally, any pleasure I once gained from the misery of mortals is sufficiently muted now. After all, it no longer makes me stronger."
Zelgadis thought about this a second, then nodded. But he still made a mental note that the trickster had said his pleasure was 'muted', not gone entirely.
"So, how do we get in?' Zelgadis wondered aloud. Xelloss shrugged.
"However we do it, it will have to be done quietly and without attracting any attention to ourselves. My cute little face is quite well known around here, but not well liked. And the last thing I want is to be caught and mercilessly tortured for your silly little cause."
"I didn't ASK you to come inside with me, fruitcake," Zelgadis said with some annoyance. "I just wanted you to take me to the tower, that's it." He paused and looked at the priest. "Besides, since when are YOU squeamish about torture? I thought you liked pain."
Xelloss straightened his shoulders and held his head high to look down at the chimera. This produced some measure of relief on Zelgadis' part, as he could see the scared little creature the priest had become in this world was not completely defeated after all. He could in fact, see some of the giddy confidence he was used to seeing Xelloss display.
"I do," replied the trickster. "But I hardly want to be getting my jollies with YOU hanging around in the background, Zel-kun."
Zelgadis smiled tightly. "Fine then. Any suggestions on how to get in?"
Xelloss thought carefully. "There's a tunnel," he said at length. "It's on the East Side of the tower, and it enters into the lowest level. It was rarely used when I was still in residence there, and I doubt that that has changed much."
Zelgadis nodded. "Okay, great. So when would be the best time to try and get in there?"
Xelloss looked at him levelly. "Why do you still insist on going in there, if I might inquire?' he asked.
Zelgadis sighed. "I'm not sure. I guess I want to see if there's any of the Lina I knew still in that beast you described. Gourry too. Also, I may be able to find a way to fix things if I can get inside that tower. I have no doubt that Lina will have a spectacular array of magical artifacts and lore."
"That she does. And many of the trinkets the Dark Lords possessed as well," Xelloss agreed.
"Right. So when should we go?"
The little priest (he looked so much smaller, so much weaker in this world) looked nervously at the ground, absently chewing on his lower lip as he did so.
He's really frightened, Zelgadis thought. So unlike the irritating, giddy Mazoku I knew. If Lina did this... But he wouldn't allow himself to continue along that track of thought. Better to hope Lina still had some semblance of her old self.
"You don't have to come," Zelgadis said softly and not unkindly. "I can do this by myself."
Xelloss looked up at him and smiled. "No Zel-kun," he said mysteriously. "You can't." Zelgadis started to retort, but stopped. The priest's eyes had a strange, hazy look to them, as though he weren't completely in the here and now.
"You can't," he repeated, and started walking in the direction of Lina's tower. After a minute or two, Zelgadis followed.
Lina Inverse stretched languidly as she slipped from her bed, the black silk sheets sliding like water across her unrobed body. She stepped lightly towards her balcony, looking out at the dark sky. A storm brewing, she thought, and smiled. A soft noise behind her caused her to turn slightly, her eyes scanning the bed. No, still sleeping peacefully. She smiled again. The man slept like a log.
Again she looked out at the tumultuous sky, relishing the warm and somehow anticipatory wind as it passed over her body. Suddenly she espied a black shadow winging towards her. She waited until the creature had landed on her balcony wall, its claws scraping on the stone.
"What is it?" she inquired.
The lesser Mazoku bowed its misshapen head respectfully, chittering to itself for a second before making its report. As she listened, Lina's smile reappeared.
It wasn't a very pleasant smile.
She dismissed the fiend and it took flight with its leathery wings, glad to be away. Lina stood at the balcony for a moment longer, still grinning to herself. She didn't flinch when the large hand fell on her tiny shoulder.
"What is it?"
Lina turned to face the man who had managed to sneak up on her without her noticing. "You'll never guess who was just spotted in the vicinity," she said. "Xelloss Mettalium."
"The priest?" The man laughed; a hearty but not exactly friendly sound. "Why in L-sama's name would that cowardly little bastard show his face around here again? Has he finally lost it completely? He's no match for you without his former Mazoku powers."
"Yeah, I know. The scout said there was another with him as well. Some funky looking blue thing. My guess is he's here to rescue his 'mother'."
The man grinned a hard and supremely evil grin. "This should be fun," he growled. "Shall I go take care of this one personally?"
Lina shook her head. "Not just yet Gourry. Why waste our energy when they are undoubtedly going to come to us? Besides," she added, her eyes slipping over her bodyguard's bare flesh. "I can think of a couple of ways in which to better expend our energy, can't you?"
Gourry flashed a quick smile and scooped Lina up, carrying her back in the direction of the king-sized bed.
Zelgadis stopped, rocks gritting beneath his boots. Xelloss stopped as well, curious. "What is it?" he asked, but Zelgadis motioned for him to keep silent. His gelid blue eyes scanned the horizon and his ears perked minutely as he listened again for the sound he had heard scant moments before.
There. A leathery flap, like bedsheets in the wind.
"Shit," he said, seconds before the grotesque creature swooped out of nowhere and started tearing at the two travelers with its talons. Zelgadis cursed and unsheathed his sword, slashing at the ugly monster. Through the turmoil of leathery wings and blood, Zelgadis could see similar critters attacking the priest. Xelloss was holding up pretty well, incinerating a few of the disgusting Mazoku before one of them came up behind him and slashed at his head, splitting open the skin. Blood poured from the gash down the tricksters neck, and then another creature slashed at him just above his eyebrows. More blood flowed, blinding the trickster and allowing an opening in his defense. Before any of the monsters could unzip his guts, however, Zelgadis stepped up and with a few well-placed fireballs managed to take care of them.
"You okay?" he asked, looking down at the wounded figure after the battle was won.
"Fine," Xelloss replied, holding a hand to his bleeding forehead. He took it away and grimaced at the crimson smeared on his gloves. "Just peachy keen."
Zelgadis nodded. Xelloss wasn't seriously injured, and that was good because now they would have to move faster. He didn't want another encounter with any more Mazoku sentries.
The tower at last. It spiraled up into the sky, black stone giving off an almost palpable aura of misery and destruction. Zelgadis whistled softly. "Nice place," he muttered. Xelloss gave him a thin smile.
"The entrance to the tunnel is here," he said, motioning to a block of stone that looked like every other, as far as Zelgadis was concerned. "It will lead us into the lower depths of the tower, and from there I can guide you to Lina's chamber. There you may see how much of the girl you know still exists, and if there is any way to reverse all the damage that has been done to this world."
Zelgadis nodded, and Xelloss pushed gently on a piece of stone. It made a soft scraping noise as it slid back, and Zelgadis' sensitive ears picked up the sound of grinding gears and pulleys as a section of the tower's wall slid back, exposing a dark and narrow passageway. Carefully, casting a dim light spell in order to be able to see, Zelgadis entered with the trickster in tow.
The two crept softly along, taking pains to remain silent. Zelgadis' sensitive ears detected the faint sound of agonized screams. He shuddered, but continued to press forward.
"We're almost there," Xelloss whispered. "From the lowest level we can find our way up to Inverse's chamber, if you so desire. It shouldn't be too hard..."
"Welcome back, Trickster. I see you brought a friend."
The two men froze at the sound of the clear, high voice that rang out through the dimness. Zelgadis recognized the voice as Lina's, without a doubt, but it was harder. Light flashed as the little sorceress cast a strong light spell, and she slowly walked towards them with her bodyguard behind her.
Zelgadis could hardly credit what he was seeing. It was Lina all right, but she was dressed more like Naga. She was clad entirely in black and the only color Zelgadis could see on her was her fiery hair and the dull red of the talismans Xelloss had once worn. Gourry too was in black leather, the Hikari no Ken unsheathed and buzzing. Cold, hard grins twisted both their faces.
"You're an idiot. You know that, right?" Lina said. "Coming here even after my sentries had spotted you. Obviously you forgot what happened the last time our paths crossed."
Xelloss' eyes were open, shifting nervously from Lina to Gourry. Sweat beaded his brow, and he licked his lips once. Then he whispered to Zelgadis: "Go. Run."
"What?" Zelgadis hissed back.
"Just do it!" The trickster pushed Zelgadis back, then quickly the priest began to cast a spell as the blonde swordsman charged. Zelgadis cursed, then turn tail and fled. Without even thinking about it, he kicked into higher gear, utilizing his demon speed to become nothing but a blur as he raced down the tunnel to the exit. He could hear the sounds of fighting behind him, and felt a large gust of hot air as orange light filled the hall briefly, then he was outside once more. He stopped, unsure of what to do next. He waited, hoping Xelloss would reemerge. The sound of approaching footsteps decided him. The trickster was on his own.
And so was he.
Zelgadis ran, wondering what on earth he was going to do now.
Xelloss knew he didn't have a chance in defeating Lina Inverse with magic. Her powers were immense, and he was only a lowly human now. The sword-slinger, on the other hand, COULD be hurt. And since he was the one who was charging, it was best to aim for him anyway. Xelloss didn't have time for anything fancy, and so lobbed a fireball at the approaching bodyguard. As he did so, he sensed Zelgadis leave. Good. That was good. If he perished, all was lost.
Then the enraged swordsman was upon him and all went dark.