Sorry for leaving you hanging. C&C requested as always.

***

LAYERS INHERIRTANCE
"Unwanted Battle! The Demon Within!"
by Michael Hopcroft

"I'm Anya Inverse, and I'm a bit busy right now.  Mazoku have invadedthe 
inn where
Titiania and my faily are staying, and Titaina has just used her powrers 
to slay one of
them. But she;s out of control! The second Mazoku, posing as a Rnger is 
encouraging to
kill more people - starting with me! If I'm going to save Titania and 
the world, I'm going
to first have to find a way to save myself!"

***

Anya raised a protective shield just as the blast from Titania was about 
to strike her. The
blast struck the barrier, shatrttered it, and hurled Anya into the wall. 
For all that, Anya
felt lucky - the barrier had absorbed most of a blow that should have 
utterly destroyed
her.

At that moment Lina, Filia and Gourry ran into the room alterted by the 
blast that had
obliterated Kuria. Filia ran over to the stricken Anya. "I'll heal your 
injuries." She said.

"Don;'t bother with me," Anya said, "Get the egg out of here. I'm not 
hurt that badly."

Lina placed her hnnd on Anya. "She's right - she' just had the wind 
knocked out of her.
Get your son and the egg out of here. This isn't your fight."

Valgaav interrupted. "I'm not going, Mother. This is my fight too." He 
suddenly turned
and leapt upon Gorvald, who leapt out of the way. The two faced each 
other and Valgaav
raised his fists in a defensive posture. "I am your opponent, Mazoku.  
Strike me down if
you can."

Gorvald smiled and drew his sword. "You may be the last of the Ancient 
Dragons, but
you are a fool to go at me unarmed - and I know you don't dare use your 
breath weapon
ion here."

In answer, Valgaav grabbed Gorvald's sword arm and shouted 
"DISPLACEMENT!" In
an iknstant, both were gone from the room.

"VALGAAV!" cried Filia. "What does he think he's doing?"

Anya stood, her wind restored. "Actually, Filia, that was smart tactics. 
He knew he'd
have to hold back in the house, so he;s usued a teleportation spell to 
move the fight
outside. I wish we had that option with Titania. I'll distract her while 
you evacuate the
egg!" Anya shifted into an archer's stance. "FREEZE ARROW!" she cried, 
casting an ice
spell at Titania. The Mazoku girl was instantly encased in ice. "Now, 
Filia! Get that egg
out of here!"

Filia grabbed the egg and its holder and teleported away.

"Did that do it?" asked Anya. "Will Titania cool off now, Mom?"

"Not a chance. And we don't dare provoke her into a full battle - who 
knows what she
could do with her uncontrolled power?"

Gourry had his hand on the hilt of the Blast Blade. "I think I can 
deflect her blows if she
comes after me," he said, "but I don't want to hurt her - and if I used 
the Blast Blade I
certainly would."

Lina frowned. "And if I used the Dragon Slave I'd blow up Filia's house, 
and all I'd
succeed in doing is destroy Titania's human body. No, we have to calm 
her down."

Anya noticed the ice surrounding Titania begin to crack. "Cast a 
protection spell, Mom.
It's up to me."

Lina nodded and cast the spell.

***

Gorvald looked around at his new surroundings. He and Valgaav, still 
touching, were on
top out a mountain peak. The wind whipped around them, its chill cutting 
to the bone.
"neat trick, boy, but that won't save you. What diod you hope to 
accomplish by dying at a
distance rather than on the spot?"

Valgaav smiled. "I can accomplish nothing by dying. But I can get you 
pout of the way."
At that instant Valgaav transformed into a dragon.

Gorvald looked up in surprised awe. "An Ancient Dragon...."

Valgaav lifted a foot, which Gorvald took for a martial maneuver. He 
soon found out
how mistaken he was, as the foot landed squarely on his head and drove 
him deep into
the ground.

Satisfied the Mazoku would give him no more trouble for the time being, 
Valgaav
resumed human form. "I'm told being stepped on by a dragon is a very 
unpleasant
experience. Next time we meet, you'll have to tell me if they were 
right." He smiled as he
saw Gorvald slowly rise out of the ground. As soon as he had reached his 
full height,
Valgaav punched the Mazoku three times, twice in the head and once in 
the stomach. He
followed through with a roundhouse kick to the temple. Gorvald fell to 
the ground again,
and got up slowly.

"I thought a Mazoku with as much bluster as yourself would be tougher." 
Valgaav saw a
ball of black flame form in Gorvald's hand in time to dodge it. "You've 
still got some
fight in you>" he said. "Try a taste of mine!" Valgaav opened his mouth 
and unleashed a
breath-weapon attack that cut down the Mazoku's side. Gorvald reeled, 
and was not
ready when Valgaav landed a hard foot to his jaw.

Gorvald began to raise his hand again when suddenly a third person 
appeared on the peak.
Valgaav did not recognize him, but Gorvald did. "Lord Xellos...." 
Gorvald said, "Save
me!"

"Xellos looked at the sight before him. "Oh dear, this won't do. Gorian, 
you've forgotten
the mission our mistress gave you. You were sent to turn Anya Inverse, 
not flirt with my
daughter. She will not be pleased."

"I'll take her punishement, ' Gorian said, "jusyt save me from this 
dragon! He'e
merciless!"

Xellos looked Valgaav up and down. "So, you've grown up again. I don't 
think you
recognize how easily I could obliterate you for what you've done."

"All I did was buy some time for Anya.", said Valgaav. "If you're going 
to kill me for it,
at least I did something worth dying for in my life."

"Not yet, dear boy. I have plans for you now. You are very interesting 
to me now. You
say you want to protect Anya. To do that will take more power than you 
posess. I could
give you that power, on the spot, right now." Xellos smiled 
enigmatically. "What say we
let bygones be bygones."

"I was told the dragon whose name I bear took power from a Mazoku, and 
it drove him
mad. No thank you. Power for sanity is a poor trade. Sorry, trickster, 
but you can't have
me. Not this time."

"Another time, then? I'll leave you to your grief then."

Valgaav stood stunned. "What do you mean by that?" Xellos merely smiled. 
"Answer me,
Mazoku! What did you mean by that."

"I meant," said Xellos as he and Gorvald faded away like the Cheshire 
Cat, "is that in the
time it took you to fight my servant, Anya Inverse is almost certainly 
dead. Chew on that
for a moment." And at the last word they were gone.

Valgaav screamed and teleported back to the inn.

***

Meanwhile Anya inverse walked deliberately towards Titania. Her body was 
surrounded
by the golden glow on Lina's protection spell.

Titania was surrounded by black flame, which shot out in random directions.
Occasionally a spark would strike Anya's barrier and dissipate. "Don't 
come any closer!"
Titania cried in that dark-toned voice her new form took. "There's 
nothing you can do for
me anymore."

"You can be human again." Anya said. "You can take joy in simple 
pleasures like
cooking a well-prepared meal."

"Just give up on me! I'm a Mazoku! A monster! The enemy of all who live!"

"Funny, I thought my mother was the Mortal Enemy of All Who Live." Anya 
ignored the
glare she got from Lina. "Titania, I'm not going to give up on you as 
long as I live."

The black flame grew more intense. "If you come any closer you'll die, 
Anya!" cried
Titania. "The power is beyond human control."

"I don't know about that. You've controlled it before. You can control 
it again."

Lina got an idea. "Positive emotion, Anya! That's what she needs to get 
back under
control!"

"Positive emotion, eh? Keep that shield up, Mom!"Anya took two more 
steps towards
Titiania until she was almost in range to touch her. The heat of the 
flames threatened to
penetrate the barrier.

"What are you doing?"Titinai said. "You can't be thinking to grapple me!"

What followed was not a grapple.

It was a hug.

"Titania," Anya said, "You're my friend.  You'll always be my friend. I 
want you to feel
and absorb the power of my friendship. Titania, come back to us. We miss 
you. Besides, I
want you to teach me how to make those noodles!" the heat threatened to 
break through
and burn her alive, but Anya held tight.

At that moment, Titania's eyes opened. They were not the eyes of a 
ravening monster -
they were human eyes. The flames died down until they were extinguished. 
Tears filled
Titina's eyes and she began to weep into Anya's shoulder.

"Shh, shh, it's all right," whispered Anya. "It's over now. The Mazoku 
are gone, and
you're back to yourself."

Through sobs, Titania whispered "I'm so sorry I hurt you, Anya."

"Hurt me? Titania, you saved me. Remember what set you off? It was my 
life in danger
that set you off on the rampage. I told you you were one of the good 
monsters."

Valgaav appeared at that instant. "Anya! Are you...."

Lina took Valgaav aside. "Don't interrupt a moment of girlhood bonding." 
She said. "As
you can see, we won. That was a brilliant move, getting Gorvald out of 
the way."

"I saw an old friend of yours." Said Valgaav. "he wanted to give me 
power, but I turned
him down."

"Yes, I can tell you turned him down. That was very wise."

At that moment a tall man with blond ahir in ornate golden robes walked 
into the inn.
What's going on here?" he said. "Where's my Filia? Where's the egg? And 
what is Lina
Inverse doing here."

Lina stammered. "This - this isn't what it looks like...." She then 
heaved an outward sigh.
"Oh, to hell with it. I might as well tell you from the beginning...."

***

Within the hour Filia had returned to the inn with the egg, everything 
that had been
knocked down in the battle was back in place, and everyone was sitting 
down to tea while
Lina explained what had happened. It had taken a long time, especially 
once Valgaav had
described his battle with Gorvald. Milgasia, the Golden Dragon who had 
come in for his
scheduled meeting with Filia took it a;ll in patiently before speaking.

"There si only one solution to this problem, and I think you know what 
it is. Titania's
power must be sealed away permanently." Milgaisa said. "Unfortunately, 
we at Dragon
peak do not have that power. Only in the Holy Kingdom of Seyruun do they 
posess that
knowledge."

Lina smiled. "We were heading for Seyruun anyway. "I just wish we could 
get there
faster."

"It will be a very hazardous journey. Xellos and his agents will be 
hounding you every
step of the way. Valgaav, Xellos now recognizes you as a threat. You are 
no longer safe
here."

Valgaav set down his teacup. "Then where will I go, Father?"

"The same place they're going - Seyruun. They will need a bodyguard with 
your unique
talents."

Lina frowned. "Valgaav, you're a nice boy and all that - but if you lay 
one finger on my
daughter or Titania, I'll fry you extra-crispy! And don't think I won't 
be checking on you
every single night!"

Anya bristled at the thought."Nother! IS that really how little you 
think of me, that I
would lose my innocence to a jerk like him!"

"Jerk?" Valgaav shot back. "I have been a perfect gentleman all this 
time! I risked my
life for you! And this is the thanks I get? Don't worry; your virtue is 
gojgn to be safe for
at least a hundred years."

"Are you saying I'm unattractive?!?"

"Of course not. But who'd risk courting the daughter of Lina Inverse? No 
man who
doesn't meet her standards has a hope of survival, and no man can hope 
to meet her
standards!"

Lina slammed her hand on the table. "Now wait just a minute! Are you 
saying I'd want
my daughter to live out her entire life an old maid?"

"I'm saying you'd lock her away in a nunnery if any nunnery in the 
Realms would take
her."

"That does it!" cried Lina. "You are NOT coming with us, and that's final!"

Anya took Lina's arm, gently but firmly. "Mom, it's OK. I want him to 
come with us.
Milgasia is right, we need him. And I actually kind of like having him 
around."

Lina looked at her in shock. Gourry chose this moment to step behind his 
wife and give
her a big hug.

"It'll be OK. ' Gourry said. "Remember what you were like when you were 
her age? If
your parents had been with you and taken that attitude while you were on 
your quests,
where would we be now?"

Anya looked at her parents, and then at Valgaav. "That's not what I 
meant!" she said.
"Just because I like having him around doesn't mean I'm going to go all 
gaga over him! 
Besides, dragons live for hundreds of years!"

"Thousands," Valgaav corrected her.

"That's still an awful long time compared to me! No way would I sign up 
for a deal like
that! Never! Not even if I lived a million years!"

Titania sipped her tea, a blend Filia had given her for its 
tranquilizing qualities. "The
more you protest, Anya, the less I believe you." Anya blushed furiously 
and resumed her
seat. "Besides, I think Valgaav's cute," She leaned over and planted a 
kiss on Valgaav's
cheek. All three of them blushed a deep crimson, although Anya's blush 
could easily
have been mistaken for fury.

Gourry stroked his wife's hair. "This should be an exciting trip," he 
said. "I bet people
would pay to watch these fireworks."

TO BE CONTINUED....




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