"Gangway coming through!" Lina yelled, dashing through the busy city street of Merilyth, a blur of mauve and black. People parted to let the red-haired girl by, it was either that or get trampled by her. Several unfortunate travelers who hadn't experienced this particular local occurrence became speedbumps in the road.
Lina ran through the lower district up the hill to where the wealthier and more established citizens of Merilyth lived. She knew the way to her destination by heart, as well as all of the shortcuts. Lina cut through a service alley and into the backdoor of a high class restaurant.
She came out of the front with a leg of roasted beef. Without even looking, she tossed the correct change behind her to be caught by the livid cook yelling at her to not use their restaurant as a run through diner.
Lina looked over at the tall clock tower rising over the city.
Damn, it's going to be close.
Rounding a corner, Lina saw her destination and an angel.
"Val!" Lina yelled.
The aqua hair youth straightened up from watering flowers at the sound of his name. There was a red-haired whirlwind headed straight for him.
"Need a lift?" Val asked, dropping the watering can and folded his hands together to form a stepping stone for Lina.
Lina flashed him a smile as she didn't break her run, stepping into the improvised lift, and letting Val boost her up to the second story balcony.
Sitting on the balcony was an impeccably dressed nobleman with purple hair. He was looking at his gold pocket watch. The clock tower struck the hour.
"You're just on time, Lina-chan," the nobleman smiled, his eyes closed. "You almost got docked a penalty for being late."
"I've got your scepter, Xelloss," Lina snarled, pulling said scepter from the travel sack on her back and whacked Xelloss over the head with it. "You never told me that there was going to be rivals over this job."
"Lina, Lina," Xelloss reproved, shaking a finger. "There are always rivals for a treasure. Speaking of which how can you be so disrespectful of the Star of Justice Scepter of the Saillune Royal family, bequeathed to the family after the Second Kouma War, wielded by the granddaughter of Amelia the Just against - "
Lina cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, yeah, I know the history. I was an ancient history student remember?" Lina sat down at the tea table, lightly slapping the scepter in one hand. "I want my money. And an extra 100 gold for the trouble."
Xelloss looked pain but Lina didn't buy it. She didn't know where he got his money from but it was solid. Of course, what a Mazoku Lord would want with money she had no idea.
"An extra 100 gold, Lina-chan? Do I look like a walking money bank?"
"Would you rather I take this to the auction block?"
Xelloss made a quick grab for the scepter and Lina found herself 300 gold pieces richer.
"Val told me you had arrived, Lina-san."
Lina smiled at the tall blond lady who came out to the balcony carrying a tray of food.
"Thanks Filia!" Lina said before digging in. She was still hungry after her snack.
"No food for me?" Xelloss whined at the perfect pitch to annoy the former dragon priestess.
Filia scowled at him. "Like you even need to eat. I don't know why you even bother drinking the tea."
"I don't know why anyone would want to drink such bland stuff. Pain, anguish, and anger have such delightful tangs to them."
Filia sniffed. "Well, we can't all have the refined tastes of a Mazoku. And if the tea's so bad, I'll just take it back." Filia made a move to grab Xelloss's teacup but he pulled it closer to him.
"I have to keep up appearances, Filia-san."
And to emphasize his point, Xelloss took a sip from his cup.
"Hmmmm. Very good. A mix of mintgreen, lilac, and bluemoss. One of your own creations if I'm not mistaken," Xelloss complimented, carefully watching Filia's expression from barely closed eyes. Would she realize that he really meant it?
Filia simply turned away. He didn't need to eat or drink. Xelloss probably didn't even know what food tasted like anymore. He didn't really mean what he said about her tea. Still...Filia could feel her cheeks flush.
Lina watched the dragon and the mazoku at their little game. She caught the eye of Val who had just reached the top of the stairs with another tray of food for her. Just barely, Lina tipped her head toward Filia and Xelloss, rolling her eyes.
Val mimicked the gesture. He wondered how much longer his foster mother and Xelloss were going to deny what was obvious to the people who knew them. Even though Val was full grown now, it would be nice to have a father. And he would like to know that someone would be taking care of his mother when he did finally decide to strike out on his own.
Heck, Xelloss was here often enough to qualify for his own private table out on the balcony of the two story tea and coffee shop which also doubled as a pottery and china shop.
"Here's some more food, Lina," Val cleared his throat, setting down the laden tray and picking up the pile of empty plates. "You wring the old miser for every coin again?"
Lina paused to give her victory sign before digging into a huge bowl of soup. As she ate, she watched Filia and Xelloss play out their verbal fights and her mind wandered back to when she first met them.
"It belongs in a museum!"
"It belongs in an auction!" Lina countered, glaring at her teacher, a historian in the library of Atlas City. "Do you have any idea how much it can rake in?"
"That is not the point, young girl." Lina bristled at being called little girl. "This is part of our history, and should be available for all to see and not tucked away in some wealthy person's personal collection."
"Sure, we should put it somewhere where everyone can come and see it and then some thief can make off with it," Lina snorted.
"The same would happen if it was in a personal collection. But you, girl, cannot see with the wisdom that long years of life have given me - "
"Fireball!" Lina had had enough of her former teacher's lecture. She stormed out of his office and other scribes and historians made themselves scarce.
The nerve of the old geezer calling her "little girl". She was twenty-one now, give or take a year. Lina couldn't help much if she hadn't grown much since she was found six years ago.
The sound of clapping caught her ear and Lina looked up to see a young noble sitting at one of the tables of the library. His eyes were closed though he seemed to be looking straight at her.
"That was most amusing," he smiled, nodding toward the smoky ruins of the office.
Lina glared at him. "How did you get back here? Only the sages and their students are allowed."
The man smiled and winked. "Sore wa himitsu desu."
Lina growled, raising a hand glowing with red energy. The man held up his hands to ward off the potential danger.
"Ah well, if I may be so bold as to inquire your name?"
"No." Lina was in a foul mood, both from the condescending lecture and from the false cheerfulness this noble was emanating. She continued on her way out of the library.
"Well, then perhaps I can offer you a job?"
Lina's ears perked but she kept her interest hidden. Looking disinterested, she looked over her shoulder at the purple hair noble.
"And why would you offer a job to me?"
The noble put a finger to his chin in thought. "Actually, I was waiting to arrange a job for you through your teacher but he seems unavailable right now. So now I can just deal with you directly without the middle man."
Lina didn't trust the noble's smile.
"Why me?" she asked bluntly.
"Well, I've heard of your...reputation and that you are certainly living up to the name of such a well known person of legends. After all, it couldn't hurt to listen to my proposal now would it? We can discuss it over dinner-"
"Dinner?!" Lina jumped at the magic word. "When? Where?"
The noble sweatdropped. "Well, if it wouldn't inconvenience you today would be fine. You can meet me at the sixth hour here."
The noble handed her a plain white card. Lina took it and read the nice curving script: Filia's Tea and Coffee Shop. In smaller letters was written: Also pottery and china dealer. Lina could remember something about Filia. She was a well-known dealer and expert in pottery and china but Lina had never concerned herself with those types of fragile items.
"Why here...?" Lina looked up to ask the noble but there was no one there. That was odd. She hadn't even heard him leave. Lina frowned, there was something about this noble that she couldn't put her finger on.
She looked at the card again. Well... how much could it hurt to go? He obviously already knew about her. And as much as Lina didn't care too much about politics, she was an independent operator for the most part and needed to keep some higher-ups in her pocket. She had just "left" her teacher so maybe looking for another sponsor wouldn't be a bad idea.
Since this shop was in the upper-class district of the city, Lina stopped off at the boarding house she was staying at to clean up and get into something more appropriate than the brown work clothes she was already in.
Punctually on the hour, Lina was standing in front of the two story shop. The name of the shop was written in curving script similar to the card, the wide windows displaying many beautiful but not too expensive examples of china. There were potted plants everywhere, around the door, in the window, on the walls.
And there were quite a few nobles and rich merchants sitting around drinking tea or coffee and discussing various deals that Lina had no doubt dealt with the demise or public humiliation of a rival. Well, that was life.
"Welcome," said the deep voice.
Lina looked up at the waiter, a tall aqua hair young man with golden eyes. There was a wild, feral quality to his features that struck her as familiar.
"Would you like a seat?" he asked.
Lina looked around but didn't see her potential employer. "I was asked to meet someone here..."
The waiter waited for a name.
"...but I don't see him and I have no idea what his name is."
The waiter would have fallen to the ground except that he was on shift right now and his boss/mother would have killed him for pulling a gag while working so he settled for a sweatdrop.
"Well, we get quite a few people here so maybe if you described him..."
"He's about your height I guess, purple hair, closed eyes, a cheerful smile that oozes insincerity..."
"Xelloss," the waiter confirmed. "He'll want to meet you at his private table then. Just follow me."
Lina followed the waiter into the store and through a curtained stairway. On the way, the waiter nodded to a tall blond woman discussing the vase in her hands with a merchant.
"Xelloss will be coming soon, Mother," the waiter told her. He tipped his head toward Lina. "This is his guest."
A brief scowl crossed the woman's face which though softer was just as angular as the waiter's. Lina could tell the smile that the woman turned to her was forced but the surprise that caused her to drop the vase she was holding wasn't.
Lina caught the vase before it could shatter.
"Li-lina...san?" Lina looked up at the woman. She knew she was building a reputation, especially among other treasure hunters, but Lina didn't see why she would be particularly known here.
"No...I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else," the woman murmured, taking back the vase from Lina's hands with a sad smile.
The waiter ushered Lina up the stairs.
"Sorry about that. Mother sometimes gets nostalgic."
"No problem," Lina shrugged. "I was just surprised that she knew my name..."
The waiter looked at her surprise. "You mean your name is Lina?"
"Lina Inverse to be exact. But not THE Lina Inverse. I just took her name because I wanted to be like her," Lina smiled and then poked the waiter in the arm. "And if I'm not mistaken, this shop's Filia is the same one that traveled with Lina Inverse when Dark Star was threatening to enter this world."
The waiter sprouted several sweatdrops.
"And that would make you, as her son, the reborn Ancient Dragon Val," Lina said triumphantly as the Val had the decency to look sheepish.
"Most people that know the legends don't realize that," Val admitted. "And those that don't know the legends haven't got a clue. I'm surprised you figured it out."
"But they did say that Lina Inverse was a genius," said the mocking voice.
Without turning around, Val spoke to the person that had appeared in the balcony tea table. "Can't you use the front door like the rest of the world?"
"And lose the mystery of it all? Not likely," smiled Xelloss, his eyes opening slightly to look at Lina with his real sight.
In his mind's eyes, he compared her to the Lina he knew long ago. Really, the similarity was astounding. The same long red hair, same expressive ruby eyes, same two marks on her forehead, same height, same...body type. But instead of the sorceress garb and cape he was used to seeing her in, she was wearing a long sleeved ivory shirt and leggings under a sleeveless dark blue tunic embroidered with a golden dragon and matching dark blue boots. A short sword hung from a black sword belt and the shiny silver tips of dagger hilts poked up from her boots.
She likewise was giving him a piercing look. Finally satisfied, she walked over, pulled out a chair, and plunked into it.
"So what does a Mazoku Lord want with me?"
Xelloss's hand twitched on the pommel of the cane that now replaced his staff. "Me? A Mazoku Lord? Whatever gave you that idea?"
A very good question since Xelloss had personally made sure that any direct references to himself or his fellow Lord were wiped out.
"You enjoy your secrets, I enjoy mine," Lina smirked. Of course, the old woman that had told her the story so long ago was now dead so it wasn't like Xelloss would need to go to kill her. Lina was quite aware of the fact that there were no records of the new Mazoku Lords other than that they exist. The story she had heard six years ago seemed to be only known by the old lady who found her.
Xelloss pouted. This Lina just may be harder to manipulate than the old one. He sent a mental probe to Val to which Val just replied with a mental shrug. Only Val and Filia actually knew that he was a mazoku and a Mazoku Lord at that. Everyone else in the city just thought him as eccentric as all of the other nobles.
Lina enjoyed grabbing the upper hand. She would need it to come out of a discussion with a mazoku.
"Namagomi!!"
Lina's flashback was cut short by the piercing shriek from Filia. Firia's golden tail minus the pink ribbon was sticking straight out. Currently Val was restraining his foster mother and her mace to prevent any property damage, reminding her that she and Xelloss had signed a truce to restrict to non-physical fights while in the city.
Lina didn't want to imagine a full fledged battle between Filia and Xelloss. Even if Filia used her dragon form, she wouldn't be a match against a Mazoku Lord if Xelloss decided to use his full power. Val had told her that before the two signed the truce, the shop had to be rebuilt on a daily basis.
That was also before Xelloss had settled down to play a noble in the city. Everyone in town knew about the Xelloss Tallium family's long line of sons that all looked remarkably alike. When Lina had asked Xelloss flat out about why he was doing this , he just smiled infuriatingly and said "Sore wa himitsu desu."
"Well then, Xelloss," Lina said. "Do you have another assignment this time or do I go off on my own for awhile?"
Xelloss frowned, ignoring the long string of commentary about Xelloss's parentage by Filia. "I'm not sure. Let me see..."
Yeah right. Lina knew he was just trying to manipulate her into taking another job. The scepter had only been her third job from Xelloss and Lina still wasn't quite sure why she went along with a Mazoku Lord but the jobs were interesting and very well paid. Plus she didn't feel all that up to going against a Mazoku Lord just yet.
Though, Lina thought watching Xelloss through narrowed eyes, he surely wants something from me. The question is what?
"Ah!" Xelloss hit his hands together. "That's it! There's an exterminating job I'd like you to do. Nothing fancy. Just clear out the monsters and such and any treasure you collect is yours in addition to the usual commission for your services."
"Where is it?" Lina asked, and then smirked. "And I want 50% of the winnings."
"Winnings?" Xelloss repeated innocently.
Lina reached across the table and grabbed him in a headlock. "Don't play innocent with me. You made a bet with some other bored nobles at those fancy parties you have about whether you could send someone in so-and-so dangerous place and have them come back out alive."
Xelloss laughed weakly. "Well, if you already have it all figured out..."
Lina gave the lock another squeeze.
"Thank you," Xelloss squeaked.
Lina dropped the masochistic mazoku onto the table and returned to her seat. She gulped the contents of her tea cup and glared at Xelloss. "Well? What hellhole have I been committed to?"
"Not hell exactly. Have you heard of Sairaag?"
Lina raised an eyebrow. "As in destroyed by the Demon Beast Zanaffar, dubbed the Ghost City, half destroyed by a crazy copy of Rezo the Red Priest, and then completely destroyed by Hellmaster Fibrizo, the childhood home of Sylphiel the Priestess who married Gourry Gabriev after the Second Kouma War - "
"Yes, yes," Xelloss said quickly, cutting off the history lesson. "Yes that Sairaag."
Lina nodded. As it was, several efforts over the years had been made to resettle the area but there were always rumors of ghosts and other such hauntings. However, a rather large number of monsters seemed to have taken residence there over the past 100 years.
"And the wager?" Lina asked flatly.
Xelloss scratched his head. "Well...1000 gold pieces..."
Lina looked at him in disbelief and then whacked him in the head.
"If you think I'm going to risk my skin for just 500 gold pieces you're out of your warped Mazoku mind."
"But Lina," Xelloss whined. "You just got paid 300 for retrieving this scepter."
"That is that and this is this," Lina sipped her tea. "I didn't know about the hired monsters and demihumans, there was even a blasted fishman, that I'd have to go against when I went after that royal scepter. Now you're asking me to KNOWINGLY walk into a monster's nest with little possibility of finding treasure for only 500 gold?!"
"But with your magic..." Xelloss trailed off. Then he smirked. "Is it already that time of month again?"
Xelloss's only answer was a face full of boot leather as Lina kicked him. She returned to her seat as Xelloss rearranged his face.
"It isn't yet but who knows how long I would be in that Ghost City. Anyway, there's no way I'm taking that kind of suicide job for such little pay."
"You're so greedy, Lina-chan," Xelloss grumbled. "After all, you will have to prove you did go there. I believe that there were some rumors that the monsters had gotten hold of the Book of Zoana."
Lina could hear the clinking of gold coins but she restrained herself. "Hmmmmm."
"The Book of Zoana that is nearly as famous as the Clair Bible and had disappeared for nearly 500 years," Xelloss said enticingly hoping to catch Lina hook, line, and sinker.
"ALL RIGHT!!!!" Lina jumped up, her eyes burning with fire that erupted around her. "Let's go!!"
Xelloss fell backwards out of his chair at her sudden outburst and Lina pounced on him.
"Of course, I'd like a deposit, half up front please," she held out her hand expectantly. Xelloss looked at her.
"But... you already have the 300 from the last job..."
"That was for that. I want a deposit for this job. Can't spend money if I'm dead. Besides, what do you need money for anyway? You just manifest your clothes along with your body."
Xelloss grumbled and Filia giggled, mumbling something about tight-fisted miser. He was reaching for his pouch when an explosion shook the entire building. Xelloss was on his feet instantly, eyes quickly scanning the city for signs of a Mazoku attack. Being a Mazoku Lord did have some downsides, especially being the Mazoku Lord of a Demon King who has spent the last 500 years trying to reorganize the Mazoku hierarchy and system. There were more rankings, and a shift from general destruction of the world to world domination. Cliche but who was going to tell that to the Demon King Lei? Renegade and unaffiliated mazoku which had been unheard of 1500 years ago were much more commonplace now.
Lina tugged on Xelloss's sleeve and pointed to the street below. Down in the street were two swordsmen fighting amidst a cloud of flashing steel. Another building across the street suddenly sprouted cracks as the black hair fighter swung and missed his blond opponent.
"Stand and fight, Gabriev!" shouted the black hair fighter.
"I am fighting, Zangulus!" retorted the blond who was apparently called Gabriev.
Lina watched the fight with some interest. These two were very good. But there was something about their swords that bothered her. Watching closely, she noticed that some kind of force was being emitted on command from Zangulus's blade. And then there was Gabriev -
Gabriev! Lina stared at the blond and his sword. Gourry Gabriev had been given a new Sword of Light from Lei Magnus. Could this be that Gourry's descendent?
Xelloss actually opened his eyes to watch this. It brought back many old memories of days long gone. He felt a presence next to him, and a soft touch on his sleeve. Xelloss glanced over in surprise to see Filia standing there, also watching the fight with a nostalgic look. She didn't seem to notice him or her hand on his sleeve and Xelloss wasn't inclined to tell her. So they both watched the strikingly similar descendents of Gourry Gabriev and Zangulus fighting below.
After watching for awhile, Lina got bored. Plus they were getting dangerously close to Filia's shop and she knew that Val couldn't do anything without that he was more than just a waiter at a tea and coffee shop so she settled the matter in the simplest manner possible.
"Fireball!!"
The smoke of the explosions dissipated to reveal two very well done swordsmen who promptly tipped over onto the ground. Leaping down from the balcony, Lina pried the two swords from their respective wielders.
Looking at Zangulus's blade, she could feel the humming of the sword vibrating in her bones. Experimentally, she swung the sword, willing the vibrations to leave the sword.
A wave of concussive energy flew down the street. In its wake, an empty howl echoed among the buildings. Lina smiled.
"Just as I thought. The Howling Sword."
Then she turned to look at the sword, well actually hilt, in her other hand. There wasn't anything special appearance-wise. Now let's see, the Sword of Light was supposed to emit a beam of light as its blade. Was there some command word or...
"Hey! Give me back my sword!"
Lina found herself dwarfed by the two revived swordsmen.
"That's a family heirloom!" Gabriev yelled, swiping back his hilt, er sword.
"Little kids shouldn't play with sharp objects!" Zangulus scolded, taking back his family sword.
"Oh dear," Filia murmured.
"Will everyone please remain seated," Val requested, facing the customers. "There will soon be fireworks."
"Lina-chan!" Xelloss called from the balcony. "Please remember to keep the destruction to a minimum and away from the shop."
"Little...girl...?" Lina repeated slowly.
"She's about 21 or so she says," Xelloss added helpfully. Filia gave him a dirty look and he shrugged.
Gabriev and Zangulus stared wide-eyed at Lina.
"No way!" they both exclaimed.
"She doesn't even come half way up my chest," Zangulus muttered to Gabriev, measuring Lina's height against himself.
"She doesn't have much of a chest to speak of," Gabriev added. "Heck, even my 14 year old sister has more of a chest."
"Mono Volt!!" Lina screamed, zapping the two men where they stood.
"And then..." Xelloss muttered under his breath, counting off the seconds.
"Dill Brando!!"
"Lina-san, you should learn to control yourself more," Filia frowned, finishing the last Recovery spell to heal Zangulus's wounds from the resulting fall of being blasted upwards.
"Me? They should learn not to insult a girl!" Lina fumed.
"But we didn't insult anyone," Gabriev protested. "We only - OW!"
Xelloss rapped Gabriev on the head with his cane. "Let's just leave it at that." Intelligence did not seem to be a trait that was passed along the Gabriev family.
"What were you two fighting about?" Val asked, joining the group after closing down the shop for the afternoon break.
"It is a matter of honor!" Zangulus declared and pointed a finger at Gabriev. "I absolutely must defeat him in a battle of swords."
"Did he do something to you?" Filia asked.
Zangulus growled. "Yes."
Everyone waited, even Gabriev, for the reason.
"He's never finished a fight with me."
Everyone minus Zangulus crashed to the floor.
"And it is a feud between our families for centuries," Zangulus fumed. "It all started..."
Everyone tuned Zangulus out.
"And who are you?" Filia asked Gabriev.
"And isn't this a lovely sword?" Xelloss added, admiring the hilt of the Sword of Light in his hand.
"Hey that's mine!" Gabriev yelped, swiping back the stolen sword.
"You mentioned that it was a family heirloom," Lina pressed leaning forward. "Are you related to Gourry Gabriev?"
Gabriev gave her a weird look. "What are you talking about? I AM Gourry Gabriev."
"WHAT?!?!?!" cried four voices.
"He's Gourry Gabriev all right," Zangulus cut in. "But he doesn't seem to get it through his skull that he's the third person in their family to bear that name."
"Yogurt for brains," Lina muttered, looking greedily at the Sword of Light. She could get a fortune for it. The question was how to relieve this dimwit of it without getting trouble with the law or something.
Xelloss grinned, looking between Lina and Gourry. This couldn't work out better than if he had planned it.
"Gourry, you wouldn't happen to be employed currently would you?" Xelloss smiled.
"Hmmm? No, I don't think so," Gourry said crossing his arms in thought.
"Well, I have a proposition for you. How would you like to accompany Lina to Sairaag? It is the home of your ancestors you know."
"Home?" Gourry asked. "But my home is over in - "
"Ancestors! Ancestors!" Lina screamed, slamming a tray over his head. Then she immediately switched modes. "Hey, why don't you let me have that Sword of Light? I'll even pay for it! How about 550 gold?"
Gourry looked at Lina with some semblance of intelligence. "What? You can't just buy a Sword of Light with 550 gold!"
"Whatever. Just name your price and he'll pay for it," Lina waved a hand to Xelloss.
"Hey!" Xelloss protested. "I told you I'm not a walking money bank!"
Gourry held his sword protectively in his arms. "I don't care how much money you're offering. This is a family heirloom!"
"Does this mean you're not going to give it to me?" Lina asked, making huge teary eyes.
Gourry snorted. "I don't even fall for that when my seven year old sister does it."
"Fine then," Lina huffed. "Then I'm not letting you out of my sight until you give it to me."
"Which won't be a problem with him serving as your bodyguard for this trip," Xelloss smiled. He held up a contract with Gourry's name signed on the bottom.
"What? When? Where? How?" Lina demanded.
"A contract of service. Signed just now. Right here. He used a pen. He's now one of my employees and his first assignment is to help you clear out Sairaag."
"Wow, Zangulus, did you hear that? My first job!" Gourry bubbled like a school girl.
Lina grabbed Xelloss by the collar, jerking him down to her level. "I do not and have never needed a BODYGUARD!!!"
"Now, now, Lina," Xelloss said weakly. "It would be helpful to have something like the Sword of Light along for this trip. Especially if that time of month comes up again..."
Lina growled but dropped the mazoku and for good measure, stomped on him several times. Well, he did have a point. She didn't plan on being in Sairaag long enough for that time of month to come up again but she had no idea what she would be going against. Plus, though she was pretty good with a sword and her weapons were enchanted, an expert swordsman like Gourry wielding a highly magical weapon like the Sword of Light would come in handy. Besides, she would have the entire trip to try to wheedle the sword away from him. Still, that left one nagging concern...
"Does this mean I have to split my pay with him?" Lina frowned.
"Oh no, not at all. Of course he may want a split..."
They looked at Gourry who was staring at a yellow butterfly resting on his sword.
"...well maybe not. But I may be able to up the wagers. No one is really expecting you to come out alive of Sairaag you know."
Lina smiled ferally. "But Lina Inverse always comes out on top. I'd like that deposit now Xelloss and a written and signed document that I get half of the winnings from this wager."
Early the next day, Lina headed out to Sairaag, pulling a drowsy blond swordsman by the hair behind her. Filia sighed wistfully, sipping her morning tea.
Her sixth sense, well-trained by centuries of dealing with Xelloss, told her exactly where the mazoku was about to appear. And as a courtesy, she simply kicked a chair right in front of where he would appear.
Xelloss popped in, fresh as a daisy, and walked right into the metal work chair.
"Ooff. I suppose I should be grateful that you didn't throw a piece of crockery at me."
Filia shrugged. "I only throw the counterfeits."
"Indeed."
Filia put her tea cup down and fixed the Mazoku Lord with a look. "Just what are you planning?"
"Me?" Xelloss asked innocently.
"At first, I thought it was some odd whim, you hiring her. Like you wanted Lina back. You even got this girl to dress like her!"
"Hey, she wanted to do that."
"Sending her after those items and now to Sairaag. And with Gourry's descendent nonetheless. Though how you got him to dress like Gourry I don't want to know."
Xelloss leered. "Are you sure you don't want to know?"
Filia's fingers twitched over her mace.
Xelloss turned to look over in the direction of Sairaag though even with his eyes open, he couldn't have seen the two adventurers.
"Still, it makes you wish for old times doesn't it? Seeing those two. I'm sure he would."
Filia's fingers relaxed as she began to understand. "You're doing this all...for him? You know he hates you! He does anything to interfere with your plans... You sent Lina there on PURPOSE?"
Xelloss looked back at Filia with a sly grin. "Why not? I'm rather surprised he hasn't appeared yet. Can you imagine his face when he does meet her?"
"If he was still alive, he'd have a heart attack." Filia growled. "How can you do this to him!"
Xelloss looked directly at Filia. "My dear, you forget what I am."
Filia cringed slightly. That was right. Xelloss was a mazoku, sworn enemy to her race. He had killed hundreds of her people over 1500 years ago. He was evil through and through. So why was she having such a hard time remembering that when he was around?
Xelloss didn't like the fear forming around Filia but it was necessary. She was always too trusting and would have died long before now if Zelas hadn't given him an order to keep the other Mazoku away from her and more importantly her adopted son. At least Xelloss tried to convince himself that Val was the one he had been protecting.
"Anyway," Xelloss smiled, putting his mask up. "The boy has been such a bore since he's been promoted. I think this little encounter will shake him up a bit."
"You do know he loves her," Filia said softly.
"Of course I do. And the only reason he's remained around so long is because he blames me for her disappearance. And I've done everything I could to make sure he stuck around for her."
"You can't believe that this Lina is the one we knew, still alive after all of these years."
"No but she is remarkably like her namesake."
"A reincarnation perhaps? Was that what you were waiting for?"
"Of course," Xelloss answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Personally though, I'm surprised that Gourry and Zangulus were also reincarnated. If this continues, we'll be seeing a lot of old faces soon."
Filia looked sadly into her teacup.
"Zelgadiss, if there's anything left of you in there, you'd better not let this chance get away," she prayed softly.