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"Slayers Faces" Part 4 By: Davner Zarak Tor! This Is the Island of the Elves?!
Zelgadis groaned and opened his eyes slowly, lances of pain striking his head as unexpected bright light hit his pupils. He squeezed them shut again. He tried to remember what happened. He had fallen through the main deck just as the ship started to fall apart. He had grabbed hold of a barrell... Then nothing. Where was he? He could feel sand beneath him. He was on land somewhere... He lifted his head and opened his eyes again. He saw someone's hand in front of him and blinked, going for his sword. The hand that went to his belt was the one that he had seen... He blinked again and held the hand out in front of him. The *human* hand... His eyes widened. He quickly rose to his feet, ignoring the pain in his head. He examined the hand closely, comparing it to the other. Both were identical. Identically human. He lifted his shirt and looked at his chest. It was not blue rock that met his eyes, but pink, human flesh. He took a deep breath. He had to be dreaming. He spun around. He saw jungle, a flash of purple, a lagoon... He spun back to the lagoon and fell to his knees before it. He took a breath and leaned over the water, slowly opening his eyes. He gasped, his hand going to his face in shock, touching the skin there. He ran his hands through his brown hair, no longer stiff metallic tendrils, but real human hair. The former chimera began to hyperventilate. It wasn't possible. It had to be a dream. There was no way... He drew a small dagger from his boot and cut his arm with a quick slash. "Ow! Damn!" he hissed, holding the arm. He looked down and saw blood. He felt the pain, saw the blood... And laughed. He laughed and screamed at the sky. "YES!" he screamed. "I'M *HUMAN*!! DO YOU HEAR THAT, REZO, YOU SON OF A BITCH!? HUMAN!!" He laughed again, and for the first time, remembered that he didn't know where he was. He took another look around, enjoying the feel of the sun tanning his face. He saw his sword lying not far away. He apparently had had enough sense to keep his hold on it. He quickly sheathed it and continued to examine the beach. He heard something and turned, his hand going to his sword. It was a sob. He blinked when his eyes locked on the source. Sylphiel was kneeling next to the water, her back to him, her face in her hands as she wept. Her tears fell from between her fingers, striking the water and disturbing the reflection there. It didn't strike him that she was crying. He was too preoccupied with his own situation. "Sylphiel!" he cried, starting towards her. "Sylphiel! Look! Look! It worked!" She refused to turn to him. "Sylphiel! Look at me! Please!" he begged. "This...This is the greatest day of my life! And it's because of you!" She said nothing. She kept her face hidden and shook her head frantically. "Sylphiel," he whispered, kneeling next to her. "Look at me..." He reached out and took her shoulder. "Sylphiel," Slowly, Sylphiel lowered her hands and turned to him, tears in her eyes. Zelgadis gasped in shock and actually took a step back in surprise. "Sylphiel?" he breathed, a lump forming in his throat. She looked up at him, her expression one of pure horror. The entire left side of her face was scarred, as if it had been burned beyond recognition, but healed years ago. Zelgadis shook his head in disbelief. It *was* a nightmare. It had to be. Sylphiel saw the revulsion in his eyes, and fresh tears welled up in her own. Without a word to him, she dashed off, covering the left side of her face with her hand. "Sylphiel! Wait!" he cried, taking off after her. He ran into the jungle in the direction she had run, but soon lost sight of her. Branches and thorns stuck into his still tender flesh as he ran. "Sylphiel!" he called out. "SYLPHIEL! Dammit!" The jungle was dense. He couldn't see more than a few meters ahead in some places. This nearly caused his death. He ran pell mell through some thick brush and cried out in surprise as he started to fall. He reached out and grabbed a branch, but it was covered in thorns. He felt the pain in his hand and reflexively let go! He cried out again as he fell into a very deep hole...
Naga woke up with half her body in water. She reached out and grabbed hold of a waterlogged fallen tree, using it to pull herself out of the river in which she had found herself. She grabbed hold of a low branch on another tree and used it to steady herself onshore. She was next to a river, trees and swamps lined either side. "Hello!?" she called out, hoping to find Sylphiel or Zelgadis....or, if absolutely necessary, Xellos or Achi. "Great," she muttered. "I'm alone." On the plus side, that itch in her back was gone. She saw a log floating by and arched an eyebrow. She arched the other a moment later when the log's eyes opened, revealing itself to be a crocodile. The reptile changed its course and started toward her. Naga smiled. "Dinner time." The crocodile was still moving toward her. She raised her hands and pointed. "FLAAAARE ARROW!" Nothing. The crocodile seemed to snort at her in amusement. "FREEZE ARROW!" The reptile started toward her again. "FREEZE BRID! FIRE BALL! VU VRAIMER!" Nothing. Naga began to back up. The crocodile followed and prepared to lunge at her. Looking around, Naga quickly picked up a large rock with both hands... The crocodile stopped, its yellow eyes going wide... "ROCK THROW!" Naga tossed the large stone, which landed right on top of the crocodile's head! Feeling that dinner should be delayed, the crocodile turned and swam off in search of less feisty prey. The sorceress dusted off her hands. "OOOOHOHOHOHOHO!!! Who says my magic doesn't work?!" With that, she turned and started into the swamp in search of her party.
Achi woke up and spit sand out of her mouth. She sat up and looked around. She was on the beach. Waves were breaking not far away, the water reaching up and soaking her. She saw the jungle line not far away. That's when she realized it. She couldn't sense anything. Not a single thought was anywhere near her. It was impossible. She could detect thoughts from any animal, even if she couldn't interpret them. She should be sensing *something*. Unless... "I see you're awake." "EEP!" She turned quickly and saw Xellos standing there, smiling. "When did you get here?!" she asked, angry that she hadn't been able to detect his approach. "I happened to be flying about, looking for the others, when the oddest thing happened. I suddenly appeared over this island and fell onto this beach." "Let me guess," Achi said, crossing her arms over her chest. "And you can't use any of your powers." Xellos smiled. "Quite." Achi stood up. "You mean you can't phase into the astral plane?" "No..." Xellos answered. "Or use any of your attack spells?" Xellos shook his head. "Good!" With that, Achi ran up and kicked him in the shin! "Augh!" Xellos cried, grabbing his leg. He quickly reached out and grabbed Achi by the back of her dress. "Now, now, Achi chan," he growled, trying hard to maintain his carefree appearance. "You're in the same situation I am, which means you're trapped in that form...which means you're going to do what I say *because I happen to be so much bigger than you are!*" "Screw you, Xellos! Lemme go!" the Shinzoku cried as she kicked at Xellos and pounded her childish fists on his arm. The trickster priest smiled. "You know, the safe thing to do right now would be to destroy you..." "Just try it, buddy!" Achi taunted him. "But then again," Xellos continued, "Sylphiel and Zelgadis would undoubtedly take advantage of my current vulnerability to express their...er...objection to that..." Achi stuck her tongue out at him. "Then again," Xellos said with a grin, "Who says they have to know?" Achi gasped as she felt Xellos start to pull her towards the water. "Wait, Xellos," she gasped. "Wait!" He pushed her down into the shallow water and placed his hand on the back of her head. "You need me!" she cried. He pushed her face beneath the water as she struggled. Her head bobbed up for a moment. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WEAPON LOOKS LIKE!" she yelled. Xellos paused suddenly, Achi's face submerged under water. The Shinzoku had a point. He had no idea what the weapon was, and knowing the elves, it could be anything. He pulled her head up. Achi gasped for breath and sat on the sand. "ASSHOLE!" she yelled. "Just wait till we're off this island and I have my powers back! You're having wet dreams about Prince Phil for the rest of your life! I swear to the Dragon!" "You said something about the weapon?" Xellos prompted, not particularly caring what the treacherous little snake threatened him with. She took another couple of breaths and pushed the wet lockes of purple hair out of her eyes. Glaring hatefully at him, she "hmmph'd!" Xellos' eye twitched. "I guess we're just going to have to work together," Achi told him. "Together?" Xellos asked with a smile. "That's stretching the imagination a bit, isn't it?" Achi looked up at him. "What are your orders from Metallium?" she asked. He grinned. "That's a secret," he said. "The truth, Xellos!" she demanded. His grin turned frosty. "And why would I disclose such a thing to you? You forget yourself, Achi chan. And you forget who you're talking to." "I haven't forgotten," she hissed. "The Mazoku. There are two possibilities. Metallium either sent you here to retrieve the weapon for her or to destroy it." "And the Wind Dragon King, I'm sure sent you on a similar quest," Xellos remarked. "What is it?" he asked. "Destroy the evidence so that none of the other Shinzoku find out about his mistake? Or retrieve the weapon so that he can return a hero?" Achi said nothing. Xellos grinned. "That's it, isn't it? He knows the balance of power is shifting again. He wants to bring the Shinzoku under his control." Achi said nothing and glared at him, her hand resting on the ground and slowly closing around some sand... "And then use Zarak Tor to roll right over the Mazoku," Xellos finished with a growl. "So why should I help you?" The Shinzoku took a breath. "There's one thing you're forgetting." "Oh?" Achi nodded. Her hand tightened, grains of sand falling between her fingers. "And what would that be?" "THIS!" she cried and flung the sand up into the Mazoku's eyes. Xellos cried out and covered his eyes with his hands, falling to his knees. Achi got up quickly and kicked him in the stomach! Xellos oomph'd and fell further over, forcing him to support himself on his hands and knees. The Shinzoku took the opportunity and ran into the jungle. Xellos crawled to the water's edge, washing his eyes out frantically. He's only been on this island an hour, and he was already hating it. He grit his teeth and growled. He had faced off with some of the most powerful adversaries in existence. Gaav, ValGaav, the Shinzoku, the Golden Dragons, Filia, Lina Inverse... But he had never felt such utter hatred toward an enemy as he did now... And he *LIKED* it! He was going to find that little, purple-haired witch and spend three days roasting her over an open fire! He was going to pull every pretty purple hair out of her head with a pair of tweezers! He was going to peel her skin from her body an inch at a time! And then...and then... He paused and smiled. "I wonder what Filia's doing..." He got up and ran after Achi.
"Sylphi chan? Are you awake?" Sylphiel turned her head as her bedroom door opened. Her father stepped inside, a strange man behind him. Instinctively, Sylphiel turned so that the left side of her face was away from them. "Hello, Father," she said quietly. Sylphiel's father smiled reassuringly. "Sylphi chan, there's someone here who wants to meet you. Won't you talk to him, please? You've been locked up in this room for three days." "Who is it?" she asked, not really caring. He smiled. "It's the young man who pulled you from that fire. We're very lucky he happened to be passing through town when it happened. Otherwise you might be..." He stopped and would't finish. Sylphiel said nothing. Having seen what she'd look like for the rest of her life, she wished she *had* died in that fire. "Well...Won't you at least say hello to him?" he asked. "He *did* save your life, and he wants to see how you're doing." Sylphiel nodded once. The man stepped forward. Sylphiel took a look at him through the corner of her eye. He was handsome, with long blonde hair and wearing blue armor. He looked young, no older than sixteen. He was smiling. "Hello there," he said cheerily. "How do you feel?" There was something about the way he talked to her, something that made her feel like...like less of a monster. "Are you okay, little girl?" he asked her, a flash of worry on his face. "I'm...I'm..." she stuttered. A tear began to form, falling down her cheek. "Hey, it's okay, little girl," the man said, putting an arm on her shoulder. She turned and looked at him, the scar on her face visible to him. He blinked. "That's a nasty scar," he said. His face fell. "I'm sorry. If I had gotten there sooner, perhaps..." "No," she said quickly. "It..It was my fault...I..." She took a breath and started again. "You saved my life. Thank you." "Hey, it was no problem!" he said. "Rescuing pretty damsels in distress is what wandering swordsmen do!" "Thank you," she said, "But I'm not...I'm not pretty..." "Well," he said in confusion, "You have to be. It's my job to rescue pretty girls, and I rescued you...Therefoooooore.....you must be a pretty girl!" Sylphiel actually caught a laugh forming in her throat. "Thank you," she whispered, blushing despite herself. "Is there any way I can thank you for rescuing me?" "Well, your father told me you're a great cook! Do you think you could cook something for me? The wandering swordsman thing is okay for pay, but the food stinks." She giggled. "Of course. I promise. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name's Sylphiel." The man smiled. "Gourry. Gourry Gabriev."
Sylphiel opened her eyes as she lay on the soft grass of the clearing she had found. She wasn't sure how long she had run from Zelgadis, but she just had to. She couldn't bear to see the revulsion on his face at the sight of her. She hadn't known. She didn't know that the glamour spell they put on her to hide the scars would fade on the island. She hadn't even known it *was* a glamour spell. Her father had told her it was a new kind of healing spell that a fellow priest had perfected. He had lied to her...to spare her feelings. And now the truth was out. Xellos was right... She really was two-faced... She clutched at the grass as tears welled up in her eyes. "Gourry dear," she whispered, "I wish you were here now." She heard bootsteps approaching and sighed. Zelgadis had caught up with her. She started to turn towards him. She owed him an explanation. She she looked up and gasped. The man in black stood over her, his broadsword pointed at her throat. "Don't move," he ordered quietly.
When Zelgadis woke up, he was lying on his back in the back of a moving cart. He moaned and turned his head. A snarling bear stared back at him. He screamed and kicked out with his legs, pushing himself to the other side of the cart. The bear didn't follow. It was lying still on the bottom of the cart, dead, its face frozen in rage. Zelgadis felt the cart stop and heard voices. "Father, he's awake!" The chimera went for his sword, but found it missing. He drew his back-up dagger from his boot and waited. The back of the cart opened. Zelgadis tensed. A blonde woman with green eyes stood there, blinking at him. Her ears were long and pointed. She wore a simple shirt and pants, a bow over her shoulder. "It's okay," she said softly, holding her hand out. "We won't hurt you." Zelgadis, so surprised at seeing an elf, said nothing. "My name is Adara," she said slowly, as if speaking to an idiot. "A-Da- Ra." He blinked. Satisfied that the woman wasn't going to suddenly attack him, he sheathed his knife and sighed. "My name is Zelgadis, and I'm not a three year old," he told her. Adara blushed. "Sorry. I've never seen a human before. I wasn't sure you'd understand." Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake. Zelgadis grabbed hold of the side of the cart and looked about in shock. "It's okay!" Adara calmed him. "It's just an aftershock. We get them here all the time." An older man joined Adara at the back of the cart. He had black hair and a long beard. Like Adara, he had long, pointed ears. "Everything all right?" he asked. "Fine, Father," Adara assured him. She pointed at Zelgadis. "This is Zelgadis. Zelgadis, this is my father, Atlin." "How do you do?" Zelgadis asked. "Where's my sword?" "It's up front," Atlin told him. "What happened?" the human asked. "We found you in one of our traps," Adara explained. "We're sorry. No one usually goes into that part of the forest." Zelgadis took a moment to check himself for injuries. Aside from a headache, there was nothing wrong with him. He had a few scrapes and bruises, but that was all. Then he remembered. "Sylphiel!" He turned to them. "Did you find a human woman with bluish- purple hair?!" They shook their heads. Zelgadis took a breath. "I need my sword back," he said. "I have to find her." "She's a...um...friend of yours?" Adara asked, walking to the front of the cart to get his sword. "Yes," Zelgadis told her as she returned. He took his weapon and sheathed it on his belt. It was heavier than he remembered. He hopped off the cart and suddenly realized that he had no idea how to get back to where Sylphiel had disappeared. Adara saw this confusion and stepped forward. "If you like, I'll guide you." Zelgadis nodded. "Thank you. It's important that I find her." "Adara," Atlin said, "I'll see you back at the village." "Yes, Father. Come, Mister Zelgadis, it's this way." She started walking back down the road. Zelgadis followed, but first decided to try an experiment. He held his hand out in front of him. Adara saw that he had stopped and waited. "LIGHTING!" Nothing. "This is Zarak Tor," he said quietly. Adara nodded. "That's right." "Then magic doesn't work here." Adara laughed. "Don't be silly!" she cried. He blinked. She smiled at him. "There's no such thing as magic!"
"UGH!" Naga cried as her feet squelched through the mud. "Why couldn't I have washed up on an exotic beach somewhere with luscious, elf cabana boys or something!?" She shuddered as a snake slithered between her legs and into a rotting log. "THIS SUCKS!" she cried. She continued to stomp through the swamp, making disgusting squishing noises with every step. She was passing near a giant, hollowed out log in the water. It was big enough to drive a carriage through and stank. "No money's worth this," she growled. It was then that she noticed that she was much shorter than she used to be. "Huh?" She looked down and saw that she was sinking into the mud. It was already past her knees. "ICK!!" she cried and tried to free herself, but the movement only made her sink faster. "LEVITATION!" she cried desperately as the mud passed her navel. "HELP!" Then she heard something roar from within the log. "Oh, yeah, this is getting better all the time," she remarked sarcastically. She continued to struggle. Without warning, something shot out of the log and wrapped around her. Naga screamed and struggled as the long tentacle wrapped around her torso, chest and arms. More tentacles came out of the cavernous log and wrapped around her. "NO! STOP! GET AWAY!" she screamed. There was no escape. Her arms were firmly pinned to her sides. Suddenly, the tentacles stopped moving. "Well, what's it going to be, dear girl?" she heard a clipped accent from the mouth of the cave. "Do you want me to help you or get away from you?" "Don't give me that!" Naga cried. "I've heard about tentacle monsters and what they do to innocent, young girls that happen to wander by!" "Oh, bloody wonderful!" she heard the exasperated voice say from the cave. "*ONE* of us gets drunk and gets a little grabby with a barmaid, and all of sudden, we're stereotyped as rape crazy monsters!" Naga blinked. "Now then, lass, would you like me to pull you out of that mud or would you prefer to sink?" "Well," Naga said in thought, "Given the options, I guess I'd rather be saved." "There! See?!" the voice cried. "That wasn't so hard, now, was it?!" The tentacles pulled her out of the mud and deposited her on firmer ground near the cave's entrance. "Thanks...I guess," Naga said, unsure of herself. "You're quite welcome, I assure you!" the monster in the cave replied. "Now then, how about you come in and have a spot of tea?" "Er...I'm in kind of a hurry..." Naga explained. "Could you tell me where I am, exactly?" "Of course!" came the answer from the cave. "You're in a place the elves call 'Zathras Dar,' it just means, 'Sticky Swamp,' in their ancient language. I call it home." "Yes, I'm sure..." She blinked. "Wait, did you say 'elves?'" "That's right." "So, I'm on Zarak Tor, then?" "Quite right, quite right." Naga looked from side to side. "Somehow I was expecting more." "Yes, well, I don't suppose tourists such as yourself would consider this part worth seeing," came the tentacle monster's stiff reply. "Well excuse me!" Naga retorted. "I'm not fond of swamps!" "Hmmph! Jolly good for you then. Just head north." A tentacle came up and pointed in one direction to Naga's right. "You'll come to a road. Turn left and follow it to the 'garden spot' of Zarak Tor. The elves live there." Naga grinned. "Thanks!" "Sure you won't have a spot of tea with me?" the tentacle monster asked. "I could put on some soft music, light a few candles, and we could....get to know one another bett...Hey! Come back!" "OOOOOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" Naga laughed as she ran north.
The man in black took her arm and dragged Sylphiel to her feet, placing the tip of his sword at her throat. She felt his other hand begin to roam up and down her body. "Wh...What are you doing?!" Sylphiel asked fearfully. "Give it to me!" he growled. "I WANT IT!" Sylphiel grabbed his hand and struggled. She cried out as he threw her back down into the grass. He reached down and continued to paw at her. A second later, he rose with something in his hand... The original copy of the rudder. She watched him pocket it and turn back to her. "Get up," he growled. "NOW!" Sylphiel slowly rose to her feet. The man in black threw his dark hood back, revealing short blonde hair that did nothing to hide his pointed ears and green eyes. She had been right. He was an elf. He pointed his sword to her right. "Let's go," he ordered. "Who are you?" she asked. He responded by grabbing her arm and shoving her in the direction to which he had pointed. "I said start walking, human!" The shrine maiden obeyed, walking down an overgrown path she hadn't noticed before. "You're the one from the ship," she commented. "And Inverse. The one who attacked Zelgadis." "I was on the ship," he told her. "The one in town was my brother." "Who are you?" she asked again. "A guardian of the great secret," he told her. "You should have stayed away." "Why? EEK!" This last part was said as he poked her in the rear with his sword to get her to go faster. "I've done nothing wrong," she told him. "YOU LED THEM HERE!" he howled at her. Sylphiel froze where she stood fearfully. He walked around her until he was face to face with her. He grabbed her by the throat and began to squeeze. Sylphiel gasped for breath and looked into his hate-filled eyes. "You led that Mazoku here," he breathed in contempt. "Now they'll come and destroy all of us!" Sylphiel continued to pleade with her eyes for air. "And where the Mazoku go, the Shinzoku are sure to follow!" He threw her down again. "You're..." Sylphiel rasped, rubbing her sore throat with her hand as she lay there. "You're afraid...the Wind Dragon King...will return...to finish what he started..." He crouched next to her and glared at her. "Four hundred years ago, my brother decided to go see what was out there. So he, my older brother, and I left in a boat. Before we could land, there was a storm, and my brother was killed. My other brother and I, unable to return without our younger brother's rudder, explored your continent. Do you know what we found?" Sylphiel only shook her head. "We found a continent that was *constantly* at war with itself!" he hissed. "My people have lived in peace for the last thousand years, alone, isolated on this little paradise. A paradise where magic such as yours can't corrupt us! It was then that my brother and I decided to protect Zarak Tor forever." "Your brother?" Sylphiel whispered. "But that was four...No...You're an elf. Elves live for hundreds of years." She looked up at him. "You've been waiting all this time?" He nodded, then reached down and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her to her feet again. Sylphiel cried out in pain. He shoved her forward and told her to get moving again. "We have to find your friends," he growled. Sylphiel began to panic. There was only one reason to keep her alive. Bait for Zelgadis and the others. She had to get away. Suddenly, the earth beneath her began to move. She fell forward onto her hands and knees. It was then that she felt it. The scepter her father had given her. She had brought it along just in case. Its magical properties wouldn't work here, but perhaps... She slumped forward and moaned. "Get up, human," the elf growled. "It's just an aftershock. We've had them for hundreds of years. Get up." Sylphiel didn't move. Her hand tightened around the scepter. He reached down and grabbed her by the shoulder. "I said get..." Sylphiel cried out and swung the scepter around, striking the elf in the temple with it. He cried out and stumbled backwards. Sylphiel got up and began to dash off. The elf growled and started after her. "GET BACK HERE!" Sylphiel didn't pause for a second. She ran. She could hear him crashing through the forest behind her in pursuit. She didn't look back. She began to pant from exertion. She couldn't run forever. She crashed through some brush and hit someone. She screamed and brought the scepter up to fight, swinging it indescriminately. A hand reached up and caught the orb on the end of the wand as casually as if he was catching a ball. "It's a pleasure to see you again too," Xellos greeted her. Sylphiel looked up and saw the trickster priest smiling at her. She ran forward and hugged him. Xellos blinked down at her. "And now to the other extreme," he commented. Sylphiel turned around. "He's right behind me," she warned him. "Er...Who?" "An elf," she panted, tired from her escape. "The one on the ship." "Hmmmm..." Xellos mused, stepping in front of her and holding his staff out. They waited for several minutes, but her pursuer never revealed himself. "It looks like I scared him off!" Xellos announced, smiling. "I don't think so," Sylphiel breathed. "Have you seen the others?" "Um...I thought I saw Achi briefly, but it turned out to just be a snake." "Zelgadis is around here somewhere too," Sylphiel told him. She noticed Xellos looking intently at her and remembered her face. She turned her head away and bit her lip. Xellos only nodded. "I wouldn't discount our dear White Serpent either," he told her. "Now then, which way shall we go?" Sylphiel pointed in the direction the elf had been force marching her. "I'm not sure what's down that direction, but he seemed to be in a hurry to get there." "Then let's go see what the fuss is, shall we?" Xellos asked, starting down the path. Sylphiel followed and stayed as close as she could to him.
"So what's it like being a human?" Adara asked him. Zelgadis sighed. Again with the questions. Since they had started walking an hour ago. Adara had been pestering him constantly about the continent, about magic, about himself...mostly about himself... "I'm not sure," he said. "I've only been one for a few hours." "Oh, right!" she said. "Your curse. So...what's it like being a chimera?" "What's it like being an elf?" he retorted. "I don't know. It just is." He nodded. "Kind of like that, only worse." "Oh," she replied. She stopped suddenly and unslung her bow. "What is it?" he whispered, staying very still. She nocked an arrow and didn't answer. She pulled the bowstring back... A head of purple hair poked out of the underbrush. "Hel...AIII!" She screamed as she saw Adara aiming at her and ducked under the bushes again. Zelgadis put his hand on Adara's arrow. "Achi!" he called out. "It's okay. It's me, Zelgadis." "Mister Zelgadis?!" Achi cried in disbelief. She crawled out of the brush and stood up, staring at him. "You...You look great." "Thanks," he muttered. "Have you seen any of the others? Have you seen Sylphiel?" She shook her head. "I thought I saw Xellos for a moment, but it turned to just be some creepy lizard." He actually smiled at that description. "Well, Sylphiel's around here somewhere." She nodded and hopped up next to them. She curtsied to Adara. "Hi! I'm Achi!" Adara smiled. "I'm Adara Elunsa Kraktowa Amdomiel." Achi blinked. "'Adara' is fine." Achi smiled and gave her the victory sign. She blinked as her gaze traveled to Adara's ears. She smiled.
Xellos' head popped up above the canopy of the tree, a bird's nest seated firmly on top of it. "Hmmm," he thought, looking around. "What do you see?" Sylphiel called out to him from the base of the tree. "Several trees," he called back, looking around. "There's a rather large mountain north of here." He squinted at something near the mountain's base. "I can see smoke." "A fire?" "They look like cookfires," he called back. Sylphiel nodded. "Then we should make for those. It could be Zelgadis or Naga or maybe more of the elves on this island." "Given the reception you've already had from the evles, perhaps it'd be better to avoid them." "They might have Zelgadis or Achi," she called back. "And the others might head there anyway." Xellos nimbly hopped down the tree branch by branch until he was standing next to her. "Then let's go." They started walking in the direction of the smoke. There was no talking for quite sometime. Sylphiel threw an occasional glance at him. Finally, she spoke. "How did you know?" He turned his head to her. "Know what?" "About the glamour. You told me back in Inverse that I had two faces. You knew." He smiled. "It wasn't hard to see." She bowed her head miserably. "I didn't even know I had one on until I woke up in that lagoon." "I see. You and Zelgadis had more in common than either of you thought." She said nothing. "Well, I wouldn't worry," he said. "Once you leave the island, the glamour will restore itself. You'll be good as new." "No, I won't," she whispered. "I'll still be a monster hiding behind a fake face." Xellos blinked, genuinely surprised. He had never heard Sylphiel sound so despondent before. He stopped suddenly and blinked. He tossed his staff to Sylphiel. "Miss Sylphiel, would you hold that for me?" Sylphiel blinked and held the staff. "Of course, but wh..." *THOCK!* She shrieked at the arrow that had just imbedded itself in Xellos' staff! If she hadn't been holding it, the arrow would have struck her right through her face! "Dammit!" she heard from not far away. "I told you to stop doing that! We're looking for people!" "Zelgadis?" Sylphiel breathed. "Well, it *sounded* like a duck!" a feminine voice told the chimera. From up ahead, three people pushed through the brush. One of them was a brown-haired man she found familiar. "Zelgadis!" She rushed forward and hugged him. "Sylphiel! Are you okay?!" he asked. "Ah, Mister Zelgadis!" Xellos greeted. Zelgadis' eye began to twitch. "Hello...Xellos..." "Achi!" Sylphiel cried, releasing the chimera and hugging the little girl. "Oneechan!" "Achi!" Xellos cried, holding his arms out, smiling. Achi glared at him and started looking for a rock. "Have you seen Miss Naga?" Sylphiel asked. "No," Zelgadis told her. He found himself staring at the scar on her face without realizing it. "Where did you get that scar, Oneechan?!" Achi asked. Sylphiel turned red. "It's a very long story. Is everyone okay?" "We're fine," Achi said. Xellos offered the end of his staff to Adara. "I believe this arrow is yours, Miss..." "Adara," the young elf replied sheepishly, pulling the arrow from the staff. "Thank you." He then turned to Zelgadis. "My, my," he said. "Zelgadis, you are a dish!" Zelgadis sighed, then smiled a moment later. "Make all the jokes you want, Mazoku. I'm cured. I could care less." "Mazoku?!" They all turned to find Adara taking a step back. "Adara?" Zelgadis asked. "Mazoku?!" she breathed. "Er..." Xellos began, arching an eyebrow. "Is there a problem, Miss?" He stepped toward her. Adara shrieked and stumbled backwards away from him, reaching for an arrow for her bow. "MAZOKU!!!" "You have this effect on everyone, I've noticed," Zelgadis told him with a grin. The joke, however, lost some of its humor when an arrow whizzed past the chimera and knicked Xellos' shoulder. The trickster priest grimaced in pain and brought his staff up. Adara was nocking another arrow. Sylphiel jumped between them. "Please!" she cried. "Wait!" Adara drew the bow and aimed anyway, releasing the arrow at Xellos, and thus at Sylphiel. "Sylphiel!" Zelgadis leapt between them and gasped in shock as the arrow imbedded itself in his left shoulder. He hit the ground hard and cried out in pain. "ZELGADIS!" Sylphiel cried, rushing to him. "Zelgadis!" Adara echoed, also rushing to him. Sylphiel rolled him onto his back and examined the wound. Adara dropped her bow and knelt next to him. "Oh, Zelgadis! I'm so sorry!" the elf cried. "Is there anything I can do?!" She reached out and stroked his hair. Zelgadis cried out again in pain as Sylphiel touched the wound with her fingertips, seeing how deep the arrow went. "ARRRGHH!! This *HURTS!*" he growled out. "Of course it does," Sylphiel whispered. "Zelgadis, you're human! You don't have the skin of a statue to protect you anymore!" She bit her lip and tried to remember the elements of basic healing. Even though she would normally use magic for such a task, she had been taught how to do without. "That was supid of you..." she whispered quietly. "You're welcome," he gasped painfully. Sylphiel blushed. "I'm sorry. It's just that..." She gave up. "Hold still, Zelgadis. This is going to hurt a great deal." "Get to it," he grumbled. "Miss, would you please hold him down?" Adara nodded. Sylphiel grasped the arrow with both hands and broke it off near the point of entry. Zelgadis screamed in agony. "There! That wasn't so bad!" Adara said, trying to encourage him. Zelgadis gave her a look of disbelief. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked him again. "Yeah," Zelgadis gasped out. "How about not shooting me?" Adara blushed. "That's the best I can do until we get him to a real healer," Sylphiel said, bandaging the wound with a handkerchief. She helped Zelgadis to his feet. "Here, Zelgadis, lean on me." "No," Adara said, coming around to the other side and taking his other arm. "I shot him. I'll help him back to Zara." "It's really not necessary," Sylphiel said, not releasing Zelgadis. "I have him." "I insist," Adara replied, likewise refusing to let go. "With both of us pulling him like this, his wound could get worse," Sylphiel told her. "But I know the way back to town and how to avoid the bumps..." Zelgadis sweatdropped. "Yareyare," Xellos commented. "It seems that Zelgadis has a fan club." "Show her who's boss, Oneechan!" Achi shouted supportively. As one, both elf girl and human girl let go of Zelgadis as if scalded. Unprepared for this, Zelgadis fell to the ground with an "Ack!" "What do you mean by that?!" Sylphiel asked, blushing. Adara, however, took it as an opportunity and dived after Zelgadis, helping him to his feet again. "Thank you, both," he said gruffly. "But she shot my shoulder, not my legs. I can walk fine." He shrugged Adara off and started back the way they had come. "Let's go." The rest of them followed.
Graceful, beautiful, elegant... These were words to describe the Zarak Whooping Crane. Once considered one of the most beautiful birds in the entire continent, it soon became endangered as poachers killed it for its bright feathers. Now, there were only a few like it left in the world. The crane lifted one leg out of the shallow water and dipped its beek into the swamp to drink. It heard a sharp crack behind it, but didn't turn. One heard sounds like that in the swamp... It took more notice a second later when it felt a hand grab its throat and pull! "GOT YA!!!" Naga cried as the bird fluttered its wings, trying to get away. The sorceress struggled with the bird, trying to gain control of it. She turned and found a stick protruding out of the mud. Grabbing it with one hand, and holding the bird with the other, she brought the stick down on its head a few times until the bird stopped moving. "LUCKY!!!" Naga cried. "Roast chicken for lunch! OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" She took the bird back to the small area of actual dry land she had found and put it down, returning to her task of creating fire without magic. She started to rub two sticks together and grit her teeth. "This sucks," she muttered. "How do mundane, everyday people do this?" She stopped as the ground underneath her began to shake just slightly. She blinked. "Another aftershock," she muttered. Suddenly, the 'dead' crane squawked, got up, and started flying away. "GET BACK HERE!" Naga cried, lunging after it, but missing by a full yard. "FLARE ARROW! FLARE ARROW! DAMMIT!!" The crane continued to squawk at her as it flew away. Naga sighed. "Well, it's not as if I had a fire to roast it with anyway," she said dejectedly. She blinked as she smelled something. Food... She sniffed. "Roast chicken...no...DUCK!" she exclaimed. She sniffed again. "Bread...Corn..." Her mouth began to water. "FOOD!!!" she screamed at the sky. "THOU SHALT BE MIIIIIIIINNNNNNNEEEEEE!!!!!!!" She let her nose lock onto the direction of the smell and took off running through the swamp, causing waves to form behind her. "OOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOO!!!!!" "OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!" "OOOHOOHOHOHOHOACK!!!!" Her laughter became a shrill shriek of surprise as the ground suddenly fell out from under her and she began to slide into a deep, muddy hole. She continued to scream as she slid faster and faster through the mud. Suddenly, she saw daylight and she was flying! *SPLAT!* Face first into a wet mudhole... Naga raised an arm and slowly rose to her knees, the entire front of her body covered in mud. "Hey!" someone called. She looked up and glared at the source of the voice. "Whatcha do'in in my pig pen?!" Naga looked to her right and saw that she was three inches from the snout of a large sow. Naga had to think quick. She crawled toward the farmer and kowtowed in front of him. "Oh, thank goodness!" she cried, pouring as much of the damsel in distress tone into her voice as she could. "Dear Sir, I am lost and have spent the entire day wandering a swamp..." She sniffled. "I was attacked by tentacle monsters and an evil bird..." She sniffled again. "Please, I beg of you, help me!" The farmer, an elf by his long, pointed ears, blinked down at her. "You poor thing! Let's get you inside and get some food in you! You look like you're wasting away!" "THANK YOU, GOOD SIR!" Naga cried. She smiled evilly.
"Zara, the last city of the Elven race," Adara announced proudly as they entered the town. Zelgadis, Sylphiel, and their two immortal companions looked about in awe as they walked down the main thoroughfare. It looked like any other small village at first. A bakery, a smithy, a school, a giant wheel with numbers on it... "What's that?" Achi asked, pointing at the wheel. "Oh! That's our Wheel of Justice." "'Wheel of Justice?'" Zelgadis muttered to Sylphiel. "Amelia would love it." Sylphiel smiled tightly. She couldn't bring herself to laugh, though she was glad that Zelgadis was actually making jokes. It meant he was feeling more human. Now that he had found his cure, she knew he had a lot of catching up to do. Adara led them to a small cottage on the other side of town and let them inside. "My father and I live here. You're welcome to stay as long as you like." The cottage was so normal-looking it was hard to remember that Adara and her people were a thousand years out of the mainstream and an entirely different race. "Please, Zelgadis, you should lie down," Adara told him, leading him to the bedroom in the back. Sylphiel followed, reaching out to support him. "It's okay," Adara told her. "I can handle it." "I should look after him," the shrine maiden replied. "I've known him longer, and I happen to be trained as a healer priestess." Adara made another polite argument, which Sylphiel countered. Zelgadis stood there and sighed. Achi and Xellos watched this go back and forth for awhile. "Oh, this is pathetic..." Xellos sighed. "Yes, it certainly is." They both suddenly remembered who they were speaking to and glared at one another. "Excuse me," Zelgadis said, walking into the bedroom and shutting the door behind him. Sylphiel and Adara blinked after him for a few moments. "Excuse me, Miss Sylphiel," Adara began sweetly. "Perhaps there's been a cross cultural miscommunication, but in *my* society, a girl knows when to butt out when another one is making her move..." Sylphiel turned red. "Her move?" "He's not married, is he?" "Well...no..." Adara smiled. "Thank you." She turned to enter the bedroom. "Just a moment!" Sylphiel cried. "He needs rest!" she said, blocking the door. The elf woman frowned. "I'm going to let him rest. I thought he'd like a blanket...or some tea....or for a beautiful elf huntress to read him a story..." "He's *injured!*" Sylphiel cried in astonishment at the elf's behavior. "Ooh! Good idea! I'll go get some salve for his shoulder!" Adara turned again. Sylphiel actually reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Look here! He needs rest!" Adara's eyes narrowed. "I see," she said quietly. "Do you honestly think you're any competition for me?" "C...competition?" Sylphiel asked, blushing. Achi and Xellos continued to observe. "Perhaps we should do something...diffuse the situation..." Xellos suggested. In response, Achi cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "KICK HER ASS, ONEECHAN!" "Kick my ass, huh?!" Adara asked. The door opened. They all turned to see Zelgadis there, an irritated look on his face. "If it's okay with you...I'd like to sleep." The two women looked down at the floor and nodded in embarrassment. Zelgadis shut the door again. Adara glared at Sylphiel. "See what you did?" she whispered harshly. "You woke him up!" "Me?!" Sylphiel whispered back. "You're the one who didn't want to let him sleep to begin with." "Yareyare," Xellos sighed.
Zelgadis gasped in pain as he laid down on the bed. His shoulder hurt more than at any time he could remember. (Well, you wanted to be cured,) he reminded himself. He smiled. It was well worth it. His smile disappeared as he heard Sylphiel and Adara in the next room, still arguing. He groaned. As if it made a big difference as to who was the most helpful... He could understand that it was getting on Sylphiel's nerves, maybe. She was used to being the healer and not having her methods questioned. As for Adara, he had heard about being friendly, but this was ridiculous... He blinked as a new thought entered his head. Something Eris had once told him...
Eris, wearing an alluring night gown and holding a tray laden with a kettle and two tea cups, started up the stairs. From the top of these stairs, a lone chimera watched, not really caring. The sorceress didn't even give him a second glance as she walked by. She had more important things on her mind than some worthless little creature. "You know," Zelgadis commented, "He's already agreed to teach you. You don't have to keep sucking up to him like this." Eris stopped suddenly and turned. "I am *not* sucking up, chimera," she told him. "I happen to think that my Lord Rezo would like some tea while he studies." "Then why two cups?" Zelgadis asked. "What makes you think spending time with him will make him any more eager to teach you any faster?" "Hmmph!" Eris sniffed. "You just don't get it, do you, chimera? I shouldn't expect you to." She turned and started towards Rezo's study again. She threw one last comment over her shoulder. "Womanly affections are lost on you, and would be totally wasted." Zelgadis snorted and turned to a window...
Zelgadis blinked as this memory came back to him. "No way," he whispered to himself. Adara...and *SYLPHIEL*...competing....over *HIM*?! He laughed suddenly and closed his eyes to sleep. (Sure, Zelgadis Greywords,) he thought. (Suddenly you become human and every girl around is after you. Adara falls for you after knowing you for ten minutes, and Sylphiel gives up Gourry for your new pretty face.) He shook his head. It was rather stupid...
Naga walked down the road, patting her stomach with one hand and picking at her teeth with a toothpick with the other. Sure, the farmer was a little mad that she had cleared out his pantry, and maybe he'd have a hard time feeding himself through winter... But *Naga* was full, and that's all that really mattered right now. Following the farmer's instructions, she soon found herself on the outskirts of Zara. She tossed the toothpick away and began to ask herself several key questions. Fist of all, were the others here? Next, where was she going to get food and lodging? Third, how would she pay for said food and lodging? Fourth, what the hell was with that giant wheel in the center of town? She asked herself these questions as she wandered through the elf hamlet. She was passing by a small cottage when she stopped suddenly at the sound of someone's voice. "KICK HER ASS, ONEECHAN!" Naga blinked. That sounded like Achi. She walked up to the cottage and knocked on the door. She could hear an argument going on inside, an argument which paused as she heard footsteps approaching the door. A tall, blonde, shapely elf opened the door and blinked at her. "Hello, there, child," Naga began. "I'm looking for some friends of mine. A man made of stone and a beautiful young woman. Also...I don't know them or anything, but a cute, charming, young girl and a perverted priest." Adara shook her head. "Nope, sorry." "She means us!" she heard Achi cry. "I'm the cute, charming young girl, dammit!" "Achi! Watch your language!" Sylphiel chastised her. "OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" Naga laughed. "So you all made it! Where's Zelgadis?" she asked, pushing her way inside. "Great," Adara mutterd. "Another human woman..." "He's sleeping," Sylphiel told the sorceress. "Are you okay? We were worried." Naga waved off the concern. "Child, when you've been around as long as I have, nothing really fazes you." She looked over at Adara. "Who's the blonde?" "Adara," the elf girl said evenly. "I live here." "How quaint," Naga commented, sitting down at the kitchen table. She blinked as she noticed Sylphiel's face for the fist time. "Child, are you all right?!" she asked. Sylphiel blinked in puzzlement. Naga pointed at her face. Sylphiel's hand covered it, and she looked away. She had forgotten about that. "It's...it's nothing..." "Nothing, hell!" Naga told her, getting up again. "Have you seen a healer yet? How did it happen?" "I said I'm all right!" Sylphiel snapped at her. Naga took a step back and blinked. The shrine maiden sighed dejectedly. "It's an old scar. I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Well, since you're all here, perhaps you can explain to me what you're doing here?" Adara asked, sitting down. "It's not every day we see humans out here. And Zelgadis wasn't exactly talkative before." Sylphiel sat down across from her and began their story from the beginning.
"How does it feel?" Adara asked as the healer placed the bloody arrowhead in a waste bucket. Zelgadis moved his arm around a bit, experiencing some pain, but he had known worse. The bandages around his shoulder had been treated with a salve that would accelerate the healing process. "It feels good," he said without preamble. He sat on the bed for a moment and thought about his next step. As he slept, he had gone over his situation. Sure, he was cured, but from what he had heard, as soon as he left the island, he'd go back to being a chimera. Unacceptable. That meant he'd have to stay on the island. Also unacceptable. He hadn't searched the entire world for a cure just to end up imprisoned on some rock. So he had to find what was keeping him human....and take it with him. He smiled tightly. "Adara," he began, "What can you tell me about the weapon keeping magic from working on this island?" The elf blinked. "Huh?" "The weapon your people created," Zelgadis prompted. She stared at him dumbfounded. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she told him. "I believe, young man," the healer broke in, "You are referring to the holy mountain." "Holy mountain?" he asked. The healer nodded. "A thousand years ago, there was the Great Cataclysm, a storm of wind and fire unleashed by the Wind Dragon. Some of us, mere children, were rushed into caves nearby as it raged. I remember that time. There were only sixty of us and an old priest there. We could hear the screaming outside, hear the thunder. I asked the priest what was happening, but in his fright he would only say that the Mountain would protect us." "The mountain," Zelgadis repeated quietly. He threw a look out the window at the mountain to the north. "When the storm passed, we looked out and found we were the only ones left. The priest took care of us as best he could, and always taught us that the Mountain was holy and had saved us." "So...the weapon is on the mountain," Zelgadis concluded. "Thank you, Healer." He started for the door. "Wait, young man!" the healer cried. "Do not do what I believe you're planning! The mountain is holy! Only the priests go there!" "If the cure for my curse is on that mountain, then I'm going up there after it." Almost as anger at this statement, the island moved under them in another aftershock. Zelgadis ignored it and walked out the door.
Achi looked around the corner and watched Zelgadis start down the road. He was the one to watch now, she knew. He was the only one besides herself and Xellos with a vested interest in finding the weapon. She turned the corner and started after him... Only to bump into a man in a black cloak. She scowled up at Xellos. "Don't you have something better to do?" she hissed. "I'm afraid not," the trickster priest told her. "Xellos," she said dangerously, "Get out of my way, or you'll be sorry." Xellos smiled. "Oh? How so? You're without your powers and in the body of a child." Achi hmmphed. She reached down and grabbed a handful of dirt. Xellos tensed slightly, remembering the sand she had thrown in his eyes, but instead of throwing it at him, she rubbed it into her dress. She then reached down and tore her skirt. Then, she threw herself on the ground and began to cry as loud as she could. Xellos blinked in puzzlement. "Please!" Achi cried at him. "Please don't hit me again, Mister Xellos! Please! I'm sorry!" Xellos' eye began to twitch. He suddenly felt very cold.... "MISTER XELLOS!" He laughed nervously and turned to find Sylphiel standing there in shock. She rushed forward and picked Achi up. The tiny Shinzoku sniffled and hugged the shrine maiden, burying her face in her cloak. "Oneechan! I was so scared! He said...he said I had been bad...and...and that he was going to beat me...and..." "Shhhh!" Sylphiel hissed in her ear. "It's okay, Achi chan." She threw an angry look at Xellos. "Hmmph!" With that, she walked away. "Oneechan...can...can we go with Mister Zelgadis to see the mountain?" "Of course we can, Achi chan..." Xellos heard as they walked off. Xellos stood there dumbfounded. "Hmmm..." he intoned. "It appears I've neglected to factor in the 'Kawaii Quotient...'" He turned as he heard a yawn from the cabin door. Naga was walking out, scratching her stomach after a long nap. "Ah! Miss Naga!" "Xellos," she said in greeting, stifling another yawn. "Where are the others?" "They said something about a mountain and...treasure...if I'm not mistaken..." Naga's eyes went wide. "What was that last part?!" "Well, yes. They all left. I think they intend to find something heavy...and a lot of it...they brought sacks, shovels, wheelbarrows..." "Are you sure?!" Naga cried, leaping down from the porch and taking Xellos by the front of his shirt. "I think so," Xellos said slowly. "Then again, my poor eyes get tired...I might be mistaken...By the way, Miss Naga, if you were to move an entire mountain of gold, would you only bring one wheel barrow?" Before he could say another word, Naga was running, dragging Xellos with her. "Ah," Xellos sighed as they flew down the road at near lightspeed. "The only way to fly."
Zelgadis put the astrolabe down and frowned. "Well that explains the aftershocks," he muttered. "What do you mean?" Sylphiel asked. He put the navigational tool away and knelt down. The three of them were standing on a cliff about a quarter way up the mountain. Using his finger, Zelgadis drew a map in the dirt. "This is the continent," he said, pointing to the blob he just drew. "And this is the island." He made a circular mark above the blob. "When I was with Rezo, he taught me about many subjects, including navigation on the water. When you leave the shore, for awhile, the water isn't very deep. Then, suddenly, the depth increases. The shallow part is called the 'continental shelf,' it's exactly what it sounds like, a shelf upon which the land sits." "Okay," Sylphiel said, following along. Achi was busy picking flowers nearby, straining to hear. "The shelf ends at a certain latitude." He drew a line parallel to the continent's shore, right through the dot representing the island. "*This* latitude," he said. "This island is right on the edge of the shelf." Sylphiel blinked. "So what does this mean?" "Imagine you have a plate of food," Zelgadis demonstrated, "And you put that plate on the very edge of the table, half on, half off." Sylphiel nodded. "Now imagine what would happen if someone bumped into that table." The shrine maiden took an indrawn hiss of breath. "And that could happen here?" "It's already happening," Zelgadis told her. "When the island was moved here, it was simply dropped. Erosion, an earthquake...and this place is going to fall off the shelf and sink into the ocean." "What do we do?!" Sylphiel asked. "We find the weapon and get off this rock before that happens," Zelgadis told her, rising to his feet. "What about the people here!?" "We'll warn them when we get back." "But..." "Sylphiel, if it hasn't happened in a thousand years, I doubt it'll happen today." She took a breath and nodded. "Let's keep going."
Despite the argument that no one was allowed on the holy mountain, the path the three of them took seemed well cared for and clear. Zelgadis, Sylphiel, and Achi had no problem whatsoever working their way higher up the mountain. Achi was paying very close attention to everything she passed, inspecting it closely. Sylphiel simply chalked this up to her being a curious little girl, and didn't suspect that the girl was in fact looking for the exact same thing they were. "Look at this," Zelgadis told her, pointing out a crevice in the mountain's face. The path led right through it. "LIGHTING!" Sylphiel called out, holding her hand in front of her. Nothing. She blushed. "Forgot that doesn't work," she said sheepishly. Zelgadis found a dead branch from a nearby tree and tore some of the white material from his cape. Wrapping it around one end of the branch several times, he sat down and began to use a small flint box to start a fire. Soon the torch was providing enough light for them to enter the crevice. It turned out they didn't have to go very far before the cave opened up again into a small clearing. "Wow!" Achi cried, looking up. They were in the center of the mountain, the sky could be seen above them. It was like they were standing on the bottom of a large bowl made by the mountain. Inside this bowl was a garden made up of several trees, plants, and even a spring. Clear water bubbled up from seemingly nowhere and flowed into a small stream through the middle of the garden. "It's beautiful," Sylphiel remarked. Zelgadis took a look around and sighed. There was nothing here except plants. No ruins, no artifacts, no weapons. And there was no other path leading anywhere else. "Nothing," he whispered. "There's nothing here." Sylphiel wasn't paying attention. She was looking at one of the trees. A pink, round fruit was hanging from their branches. "I've never seen a fruit like this before," she commented. She saw Achi pick one up from the ground and inspect it. "Achi chan, don't eat it. It could be poisonous." "It looks okay, Oneechan," Achi said absently. Even so, she didn't bite into the fruit and instead pocketed it in the folds of her dress. "Look at these flowers!" Sylphiel called out, kneeling down over a rather large bouquet of wildflowers. Zelgadis, meanwhile, was checking the walls of the cavern, searching for a secret entrance. "I don't get it," he said to himself, shaking his head. "Where's this incredible weapon I kept hearing about?" "Perhaps it's underground and we just missed the entrance," Sylphiel suggested, gathering up a bunch of flowers in her arms. "Maybe," Zelgadis muttered, not sure if he believed it or not. He was shaken from his thoughts when Sylphiel ran up to him suddenly and put a flower in his hair. "In the meantime, let's take a rest and have lunch," she suggested. "We'll think of something." She smiled broadly at him. Zelgadis blinked at her. This was certainly a change. All of a sudden, it seemed that Sylphiel's melancholy over her face was gone. "Oneechan, can I go explore?" Achi asked. "I promise I won't go far." Sylphiel thought for a moment, then smiled and threw a look at Zelgadis. "Go ahead, Achi chan. But don't wander too far, okay?" "Okay, Oneechan!" Achi cried as she ran off to another part of the garden. The shrine maiden took another deep breath, inhaling the scent of the flowers in her arms. "Isn't this place heaven, Zelgadis?" she asked. "I've never seen anywhere so beautiful in all my life!" Zelgadis was still checking the wall with his hands. Suddenly, she grabbed his arm. "Come on! Time for lunch!" She dragged him to a small, grassy hill and sat him down. "Sylphiel," he began, "We shouldn't waste any time..." "Then eat," she said, rooting through her pack for the lunches she had made this morning. She handed him one and took one for herself. "I wish I knew if these fruits were edible. I'll take some back with us and ask Adara. Maybe they'd make a good pie." "Listen to you," he remarked. "Yesterday you were moping around, and today you're talking about pies." "I don't know why," she said, "But this place feels...I don't know...good." "Heh," he commented as he ate.
Achi looked up at the sky before looking around at the garden. This had to be a cover or something. The elves *did* have a weapon. They built it here. She knew it. So where was it? She kicked a stone and growled in frustration. "You'd think they'd leave a manual or something..." she muttered. She looked down at the rock she had kicked and blinked. It was shiny. She knelt down and picked it up. It wasn't quite gold or silver. It looked more like... She smiled. "Orihalcon..."
Zelgadis sighed. It was finally within his grasp. All he had to do was find it somewhere on this mountain. He laid back on the grass and looked up at the sky. It was odd, but as a chimera he had never felt the desire to just lay back and look at the clouds. He knew Lina and Amelia were fond of it, and were often annoyed with him for being annoyed whenever they did it. Now he found it relaxing. "I never had time before," he muttered. "Hmmm?" he heard Sylphiel inquire, lying next to him. "To stare at the sky," he told her. "I always had some new clue to investigate or an artifact to find." "I see," she said. "Sylphiel, why did you really come with me to this place?" She said nothing for a good minute, then began. "When I was thirteen, the shrine at Sairaag caught fire. I was trying to save the scrolls from the flames...and...A beam fell on me." Zelgadis said nothing. "When I woke up, I found out that my face had been scarred. The healing spell saved my life, but healing spells only accelerate healing. They don't take the wound away. I was a thirteen year old girl with a scar that looked like it had been there for years. At first...at first I tried to dismiss it as unimportant. It didn't matter what was on the outside, as long as I was a good person on the inside." He turned his head to her and saw a lone tear making its way down her cheek as she continued. "Even so...every time I stepped outside, people would...turn away...or worse...they'd stare. Children were afraid of me. My friends didn't know how to treat me. And I..." She closed her eyes. "You don't have to finish, Sylphiel," he said quietly. She ignored him. "My father brought a friend home one day and told me that this man had perfected a kind of healing spell that would remove scars. They put me to sleep and when I woke up, I had my face back." She wiped the tear away. "I didn't want a glamour spell," she told him. "They...they were like masks and had a bad tendency to fail. I didn't want a mask, I wanted *me* back to the way I *was*." "I recognized your story the moment I met you, Zelgadis," she told him softly. "Remember the rudder?" she asked. He nodded. "When I woke up after the fire...I found out that that was the only scroll I was able to save. It had fallen under me. My own body had protected it from the flames. I knew right then that there was a *reason* for my scar, a reason that that scroll was saved while the others perished." She turned to him. "I knew I had a role to play," she whispered. Zelgadis didn't know what to say. Sylphiel looked at him, into him. That's when he realized it. She had never looked *at* him. Never at his stone face or chimeral body. She had always looked *into* him. Into his soul. She knew. She knew what it was like to be seen, not as a normal human being, but as something different. She was the same. The same as him. He slowly leaned toward her, closer to the face he knew was beautiful despite the outward appearance... Something hit the ground nearby. They both seemed to wake up from the moment and looked up at the crevice that served as the entrance to the garden. A lone elf stood there, wearing a brown robe. A bucket she had dropped had made the noise. She turned and ran back through the crevice. "Wait!" Zelgadis cried, hopping up and running after her. he ran through the crevice, but when he came out on the other side, the elf was out of sight. Without his chimera speed, there was no way he was going to catch up with her. "Dammit!" He turned and found Sylphiel standing at the entrance. She blushed and turned away from him, walking back into the garden. Zelgadis wasn't sure which irked him more. Losing a lead about the garden and the weapon, or being interrupted at just the wrong time.
Naga swung the stick again and screamed as the bear swiped it out of her hands. She backed up as the bear roared at her angrily. "Well, now what?!" she hissed at Xellos, who was examining something in a bush not far away, almost oblivious to the battle going on at the entrance to the bear's cave, a cave Naga had decided looked like a good place for someone to hide treasure. "Hmmm..." Xellos thought. He poked the shrub with his staff and looked up at her. "I'm working on it. Just play with him for a bit." "GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!" the bear chimed in. "ARE YOU STUPID!?" Naga screamed at him. Xellos didn't reply. She bent down and picked up a stick. "See the stick?" she asked the bear. "Go get it!" she cried, throwing the stick down the path. The bear was not amused... Naga hmmph'd and drew her sword, posing dramatically. "NATURE WILL COEXIST WITH ME, OR BY MY SWORD IT SHALL BE EXTINGUISHED!!! OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" "Now I see who Amelia takes after," Xellos commented, reaching into the bush. The bear was not impressed.... Xellos reached over and pulled a hair from Naga's head. "OW! DAMN! What did you do that for?!" "You're not distracting him," Xellos chastised her as he worked on something out of her view. Naga turned back to the bear and saw it moving closer. She held her sword out. "Begone! In the name of Naga the White Serpent!" The bear rose up on its haunches, towering over Naga. "Then again," Naga said, sweating, "It *is* your cave...and...it was very very wrong of me to...go into it...And I'm sorry..." The bear roared and began to lunge at her! Naga cried out and covered her eyes. Nothing. She opened her eyes and found that the bear was enthralled by something that had appeared between them. A honey-filled bee's nest was hanging from the end of a long strand of dark hair which was connected to the end of of Xellos staff. "Good bear," Xellos said with a smile from behind Naga. "Nice bear. *Hungry* bear..." He moved the bee's nest to one side, watching as the bear followed, licking its jowels. Xellos gave the nest a few swings. The hair strand snapped, and the nest went flying down the path. The bear went after it. "Ah, don't you love nature, Miss Naga?" Xellos asked. He turned back to her. "Miss Naga?" Naga was as white as a sheet, her eyes still wide in shock, and her body still braced for death. "Yareyare," Xellos commented, his hand going to his head. Before he could do anything for the sorceress, an elf woman in a brown robe went running past them down the mountain. "Hmmm," he said in thought. "I guess she had problems with bears too..."
The sun was just starting to go down by the time the three of them were off the mountain and walking back towards town. Achi skipped out in front, smiling. Zelgadis and Sylphiel walked side by side but seemed to go to great lengths to avoid looking at one another. "Well," Zelgadis said, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I'll try again tomorrow." Sylphiel nodded. "Yes....That...that would be a good idea." "About what happened," they both said at the same time, facing one another. "You first," Zelgadis prompted. "No, please, you," Sylphiel countered. They looked away from each other again. The former chimera took a breath. "It was not my intent to insult you," he said, some of his old gruffness coming back into his voice. Sylphiel looked up at him, stunned. "I...apologize," he said finally. "There's nothing to apologize for," she told him sincerely. "I'll go back up the mountain tomorrow," he said, walking away. "Alone. I'll make better time that way." "I...I see," Sylphiel said dejectedly. Zelgadis paused. "Sylphiel, I..." He seemed to want to say more, but instead started walking again. Sylphiel watched him. "Zelgadis....dear," she whispered. She sighed and started after him. Before long, they were back at Adara's house. "Zelgadis!" Adara cried, hopping off the porch and rushing up to him. Zelgadis paused as she reached out and grabbed his hand. "You shouldn't stay out so long! You're still injured! Come inside and have some dinner." Sylphiel watched this and fought down the bile rising in her throat. What right did Adara have to be cooking for Zelgadis dear? She hadn't been the one to travel with him, or brave the dangers of this quest with him. "HALT!" They all turned to the sound of several men on horseback. Leading them on foot was the same elf woman they had seen on the mountain. She pointed to Zelgadis. "That's him! That's the one who broke the sanctity of the mountain!" Zelgadis turned to them, his hand dropping to his sword. "What's this about?" he asked. "You, stranger," one of the horsemen, who appeared to be in charge, began, "You went up to the mountain?" "What of it?" Zelgadis asked, his eyes narrowing. "You're under arrest, son. Drop your sword belt and come with us." "Like Hell!" Zelgadis cried. "What did Zelgadis do wrong!?" Sylphiel asked the men, coming to the chimera's defense. "He was there!" the elf woman cried. "In the holy place where only the priests may go! He sullied our most holy place!" "Come quiet, son," the horsemen ordered. "We have laws here. You'll go to trial, but I guarantee it'll be fair. You wanna fight, well then, you'll have to fight us all..." Zelgadis growled. There were five of them and only one of him, and he was without his magic to boot. If Naga...or damn, even Xellos were here, he might think about taking them on, but Sylphiel didn't know the first thing about fighting, and he wasn't about to let her or Achi be hurt in the scuffle. He unclasped his swordbelt and let the weapon fall to the ground. "Zelgadis dear!" Sylphiel cried. Two of the horsemen dismounted and approached him, putting his wrists in manacles. "Go find Xellos and Naga," he told the shrine maiden. "As much as I dislike him, he might actually have a way to get me out of this." Sylphiel nodded in agreement. "Zelgadis!" Adara cried. "I'll wait for you!" Zelgadis sighed. "Great..." Sylphiel watched as the elves lead Zelgadis away in chains, powerless to do anything to stop them. She grit her teeth. If she still had her magic.... (If I still had my magic,) she thought, (Anything Lina could do would *pale* in comparison by the time I got through with them...) "Hang in there, Mister Zelgadis!" Achi cried. "And don't drop the soap!" Zelgadis sighed again. Right now, he'd welcome prison... Sylphiel watched them go and turned to Adara. "Quickly! Where are Xellos and Naga?!" Adara blinked and shrugged. The sorceress bit her lip. (Mister Xellos...Miss Naga...Where are you? We need your help...)
Naga grit her teeth again as Xellos started a new "tune" on that damned rectangle thing he had brought with him. She tossed another piece of wood on the campfire and tried to endure it as Xellos, sitting with his back to a tree, continued to play. The sound was like...it was hard to describe. It was like... Jumping up and down on a dead dradora! That was it! "And this one I call, 'My Darling Dragon,'" Xellos announced, placing his lips on the rectangle and blowing into it. She squeezed her eyes shut. "What...did you call that thing again?" she asked, at the end of her rope. "Oh, this? A 'harmonica.'" "And...um...how many of those are out there in the world?" Xellos smiled. "This is the only one. I traded some not-so-magical magic beans for it." "I see..." He began to play another song. He saw the angry look on Naga's face and stopped. He smiled. "Any requests?" Naga growled. (Eventually, he'll fall asleep...then...WHAM!) "No," she bit out. She knew she had to be careful. Xellos, in theory, knew where the treasure was, and you never ever tick off the paycheck... "Oh, well then, I call this next one, 'Oh Filia.'" He began to play again, a song that sounded just like the dozen he had played before. Naga screamed up at the night sky.
To be continued... |