Slayers Beyond

by Aisha .C.

CHAPTER 1

In the Forest

It was a cool fall afternoon as the girl walked though the forest trail after lunch. She had never been so deep in the forest before and it was getting cold. But she didn’t mind. She liked the quiet and calmness of the forest and was thankful that she was away from her loud brothers, sisters, and cousins that lived in the same house as her. She never got any privacy, especially when it came to doing her favorite thing. Reading. So she took this opportunity with happy arms. But even so she was getting tired. And since she didn’t want to go home she decided to sit by a tree and read her new book. But just as she was about to start reading she saw something shining though the trees. She ran over to get a closer look. She couldn’t believe what she saw! It was a giant bubble! The girl instinctively grabbed hold of her copper arrowhead necklace that her great-grandmother gave her before she died. The only times she did that was when she was wishing for luck, thinking hard, nervous, or......scared. Which pretty much described the way she felt at that moment. Suddenly the bubble started to glow and an image slowly started to appear. There were two men, one in a dark hooded robe and his face covered and other in a similar outfit but in white. They seemed to be having conversation, but not a friendly one. Then before the girl knew it the hooded men stared a sword fight! She had never seen real sword fight before and she didn’t want to either, but than again she wasn’t so sure if this was real or not. The one in white was good, but the dark one was better. But there was something wrong with the way they moved like they really weren’t human or something. Suddenly they both swung at each other’s head and the blades struck through the cloth covering their faces. And as the masks slipped from them, the girl officially now thought she was dreaming!

The man in dark had the most twisted face she had ever seen! His face made her sick to her stomach and it frightened her almost beyond belief! The man in white’s face was easier to look upon, but not by much. His face was the color blue while his hair (at least she though it was hair) that shown under his hood was the color purple. There was another thing that she noticed, he had stones on his skin. The stone-man seemed a bit surprised by the twisted-man’s face too. That was a mistake. Stone-man was caught off guard as a weird red glow started to form in Twisted-man’s hand. Suddenly fire shot out and hit Stone-man! Even though the girl couldn’t hear a word they were saying, she could almost hear Stone-man’s cry!

“Oh no!” she cried, “Wait a minute! Why am I getting so worried, I don’t even know if this is real or not!”

Stone-man looked hurt but as much as he looked mad! The same weird glow that Twisted had started to appear in Stone-man’s hand. Only his wasn’t red it was blue! Stone-man started to say something. She couldn’t make out any of it except the word Rai Tilt.

“What in the heck is a Rai Tilt?!”

The moment he said those last words the blue light engulfed the twisted-faced man into nothingness!

“Wow!” that was all she could say.

Almost as if he heard her he turned towards her direction. They were eye to eye.

“Can he see me?”

Suddenly he turned around as if someone called him and ran away. After he left, the bubble started to glow again. It might have been a sudden lack of intelligence or a sudden spur of courage and curiosity that made her do something that changed her life forever. She touched the bubble.

The moment she touch the bubble she felt her feet being lifted off the ground. It felt like she being pulled into the bubble by an unknown force. At first it wasn’t so bad, until she started to spin. Faster and faster she flew, her mind was spinning and so was her stomach. The more sick she felt, the more bumpy the ride seemed to get! A million questions swarm through her aching head, Where am I? Where am I going? Is this real? Am I dreaming? When is this going to stop?!?!?!

Suddenly she wasn’t flying anymore, she was falling!!

“Help me please! Somebody help me!!!!”

Faster and faster until suddenly...........

BANG!!!

She could feel the soft dirt benefit her as she laid silently on the ground. She didn’t want to get up for the fear of seeing her new surrounds was too for her to bear. Also she knew she would throw- up any second. Beside that she wasn’t alone. She could hear voices around her.

“Who is she, Lina?”

“How should I know, Gourry? I’ve never seen her before. What do you think Zel?”

The girl felt herself being lifted from the ground. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a goofy, yet kind looking blond man staring right back at her.

“Hi!” he said cheerfully.

She guessed that was Gourry. She looked around her and saw a red-head girl, a girl in white about her age, and the guy from the bubble. Her head started to hurt even worse, so she had to close her eyes. She only had one thing to say, “Please put me down before I thow-up on you!”

CHAPTER 2

Inner Power, Inner Strength

Gourry gently put her down and she quickly ran behind a bush. She felt everything she ate that day come out of her: the eggs and pancakes she ate for breakfast, the pizza and grape pop she ate for lunch, and the Snickers she had before going into the forest. When she felt she was done she tried to walk back, but her legs felt like jelly. So she ended up falling into Gourry’s arms again.

“Who are you?” asked the red-head.

From her voice she could tell that she was Lina.

“C..C..Copper Anderson,” she managed to squeak out.

The first thing that popped into Copper’s head was the phrase,

‘Toto, I don’t think we’re in Illinois anymore!!’

“Where am I?”

“You’re in Kiniteela Forest,” the girl in white said.

Where is that? Copper thought

“Well, am I still in America at least?”

This time the stone-man spoke, “What is America?”

Suddenly she felt as if she didn’t get everything out of her stomach!

“What are you?”

Copper looked at the stone-man, I was about to ask you the same thing!

When she didn’t answer he continued talking.

“I’ve never seen anyone with those kind of clothes before.”

Well you looked like you just jumped out a Xena episode!

“And I’ve never seen anyone with your skin color before.”

It was bad enough that she was stuck in some strange place, a dude that looked stranger than she would ever be, had the nerve to be talking about her clothes and skin.

He acts like he’s never seen a Black person before!

“You’ve got real nerve talking about me!”

She was so angry that she didn’t that she didn’t know whether her headache was caused by her sick condition or his dumb remarks.

“What in the heck is your problem Zelgadiss?!” Lina yelled at the top of her lungs.

Zelgadiss meekly look at his hands in shame.

What made me say that?!, he thought with self-disgust

I never like anyone talking about my looks, that’s why I always wear a mask, and here I am doing the same thing!!!

“I...I’m sorry, really I am.”

“Well, you should be!”

“I said I was sorry, Lina,”

She knows I hate apologizing!

Copper was still mad about what he said and was about to call him ever curse word she knew. Suddenly the girl in white spoke,

“Please don’t be too hard on Mr. Zelgadiss, Miss Lina”

“Fine, Amelia. Have it your way.”

Copper suddenly realized that she was still in Gourry’s arms. She was about to ask him to put her down when he suddenly he dropped her and drew his sword. The pain she felt as she hit the ground ran up her spine like lightening! But her cry of pain was drowned by mighty commands that she had heard before: FireBall!! Flare Arrow!! Elmakiea Lance!! Light Come Forth!!

Beams of light shot out of everyone’s hand and Gourry’s sword blazed in a ray of light!

What in the heck is going on here?! Copper thought.

But her question was answered when she saw who the group’s target was. A herd of ugly looking trolls!!!

Lina and the others went to worked fast. Each of them destroyed five at a time.

I think they’ve done this before! Copper thought as she hid behind a tree. As she watched them battle they looked like they were having fun!

Unfortunately her thoughts were interrupted by a troll who grab her from behind.

“Let go of me you ugly creep!!” she screamed as she flipped over and kicked it in the face!

How did I do that?!

She didn’t have time figure it out for two more trolls were running towards her! Surprisingly she dodged them very easily and without even breaking a sweat!

What’s happening to me?!

She felt a strong power running though her veins. It almost felt like.. magic! The more they attacked her, the more power she felt and the easier it was to kick their warty butts!! After she’d destroyed all of the trolls around her, she felt pretty proud.

Who knew those karate lessons would really pay off ?

But her pride immediately turned into fear as she saw the Twisted-man walking towards her!

“I thought I killed you!” Zelgadiss said as he saw him.

The Twisted-man slowly turned to his direction.

“Well, you’ll have to try harder next time, won’t you Zel?”

Then without warning the Twisted-man lunged for Copper’s neck!

He was too strong for her. She couldn’t get him off. She could feel the air slipping from her lungs as he gripped harder and harder.

I’m only 15, I can’t die! I can’t die in this strange world!

Then just before she blacked-out Twisted whispered in her ear,

“I’ve got you now Copperfeather!”

CHAPTER 3

This is Not a Dream

My head is hurting like crazy! This bed is a hard as wood! Why don’t I hear my mom singing or my brothers, sisters and cousins fighting? Why is it so quiet? OH NO!!!

Copper quickly shock herself awake. The room she was in wasn’t her room and the world she was in wasn’t hers either.

Oh God! I’m still here! I thought it was a dream, no, a nightmare!

But it isn’t.

“Are you O.K. now, Miss Copper?”

Amelia had walked into the room with a tray of food. It smelled like eggs and toast. Copper could see the honey dripping off the toast and realized how hungry she was.

“You really put out fight with Kalisbar. Not even Lina could have done that!”

Copper didn’t even know what happened after the Twist-man grabbed hold of her neck.

“What happen? And who is Kalis...Kalas...er.. what ever his name is?!”

“Kalisbar” Amelia corrected her, “After you fainted Lina Dragon Slaved him. Sorry you got fried too.”

Dragon what?! I don’t even want to know!

But Copper hadn’t noticed the badges on her right arm. She quickly ripped them off only to find she didn’t have a scratch on her!

“I thought you said I got hurt?”

“I healed you with a little white magic; now eat your food before it gets cold,” she said it so casual, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“MAGIC! You’re kidding right? There is no such thing as magic!”

Then again, what was that bright stuff coming out of their hands?!

Amelia looked at her like she just said the most stupid thing in the world; at least in this world.

I think I got a lot to learn.

“When Mr. Zelgadiss saw you fall out of that bubble we knew you might not be from this would. But we’d never have guessed that you didn’t know what magic was!”

Bubble?!

“What a minute! Zelgadiss is the one that was in the bubble! He was fighting with that “K” guy, then I touched the bubble and then...then...”

It finally dawned on her what happened. It was just like in one her books! She.....

“You went through a dimensional gate”

Copper and Amelia turned towards the door to find Lina watching them.

“Exactly,” Copper replied, “It seems way out there but that’s the only logical explanation. That or a magical being sent for me”

That last comment was made to be a joke, but they looked like they were taking it seriously. Suddenly Amelia asked a strange question, “Miss Copper, I thought you said your last name was Anderson.”

“It is,” Copper replied.

“Then why did Kalisbar call you Copper Feather?”

She had forgotten about that, but now it seemed as vivid as ever.

“What do you think, Miss Lina?”

“Well.. I’ve heard of it. And if I’m right, Copperfeather is a magical being that helps the goddess Rainbow Queen protect the four elements, earth, fire, wind, and water.”

“How do you know all this stuff?!” Copper asked.

Amelia answered for her.

“Miss Lina knows everything and anything that has to so with magic. Though she really should get a better hobby.”

Lina’s face turned as red as her hair in anger!

“Shut-up, Amelia!!!”

“But I can’t be a magically anything! I’ve never even seen magic before all this happened!”

Copper’s response was a shocking to Lina.

Never seen magic? How is that possible?!, Lina thought.

“Well, I do know a priest at the temple of the Rainbow Queen. He knows even more than me, we could ask him.”

“I guess that’s where I have to go” said Copper.

“You mean we,” corrected Lina, “You did good handling those trolls, so we sort of owe you.”

“Yeah, justice was really with you!” Amelia said happily, “So hurry up and get dressed, we’ll be waiting for you down stairs!”

After they left Copper had no trouble finding her clothes. And she was happy to get out of the weird nightgown she was wearing. She saw out of the window that it was really warm so she put her coat around her waist and her gloves in her pocket.

No point wearing them if I don’t need them.

She noticed for the first time that she was still holding on to her necklace. When she finally let go her hand was all red from holding it so hard. She decided to ignore it and just go down stairs.

But just as she was going down the stairs a man mysteriously appeared in front of her. He had the same weird clothes as everyone else, but he had the same hair cut Copper had, bangs in the front and down in the back coming to his shoulders.

At least someone has some fashion scents around here, sort of.

Yet there was something wrong with his eyes, they were half open as if he was hiding something. Suddenly he laughed and said,

“You must be the one they call Copper Anderson, or should I say Copperfeather. I am Xellos the Mysterious Priest.”

“How do you know my name?” Copper asked suspiciously.

For some strange reason she felt that she couldn’t trust him, not one bit!