|
"Slayers Faces" Part 5 By: Davner On Trial!? The Wheel of Justice!
Zelgadis took another breath as he lay back on his bunk in his cell. There wasn't exactly a whole lot to do sitting in a prison cell. So he thought. (Smooth, Zel,) he thought to himself. (Real slick. Did you think they'd just let you waltz all over something that important to them?) He just had to hang tight. Sylphiel, Naga, or Xellos would figure out a way to get him out. He just had to be patient. (Sylphiel...) What had happened up on that mountain? He had come close to actually...kissing her... When was the last time he had tried kissing a girl? He couldn't remember. It had never seemed relevant. It had never been...a priority...before. And what about her? How did she feel about it? Was she really willing to give up 'Gourry dear,' for a chimera? (Not a chimera, doofus. You're human again, remember?) He sighed. (A human in a prison cell...) "Well, well...What's this?" he heard the guard ask from down the hall. "I brought some food for Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel's voice came from the same direction. "Is it okay if I give it to him?" "Sure thing, little lady. I just have to inspect it." "Um...Okay..." Zelgadis listened as the guard inventoried what Sylphiel had brought. "Mmmm...Cake...pie....cookies..." "Yes," Sylphiel replied, almost nervously. "I enjoy cooking." "Some roast chicken...salad..." "Yes, you can have some if you like," she told him. "Pudding...." He broke off. "A chisel..." Silence. "Um...That's not mine," Sylphiel said lamely. Zelgadis sighed. "Yareyare..."
"Hmmmm," Achi intoned. "She's been gone too long." Sitting at the kitchen table, her head in her hands, Adara sighed. "I knew her plan was awful. I told her so..." "I don't know," Achi said, her finger going to her lip in thought. "I kinda liked the cheesy retro feel of it..." "But now Zelgadis is still trapped in jail, and I'm sure Sylphiel's gotten herself caught and thrown into a cell right next to..." Adara's eyes went wide as she gasped in realization. "THAT BITCH!" Achi rolled her eyes. She didn't need her powers to figure out what Adara was thinking. "That sneaky, two faced, scheming human bitch!" Adara went on, her hands balled into fists. "Will you just relax?!" Achi exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "This isn't helping. How about this? I'll go find Xellos and Naga. You stay here and... and do whatever it is elves do." "Like what?!" Adara cried. "My poor, poor Zelgadis is stuck in prison with a lecherous shrine maiden who'll do absolutely anything to get her filthy mitts on him! The tiny Shinzoku looked around and found Sylphiel's bag. She tossed it to the frantic elf. "Here! Make him a pie with a file in it!" Adara blinked and opened the bag, reaching in to to pull one of the fruits Sylphiel found on the mountain out. Her eyes went wide. Then she screamed as if Phibrizzo himself were after her. "What?!" Achi cried. "What?!" "WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?!" Achi shrugged. "Oneechan found them up on the mountain. Do they taste good?" "THEY'RE NOT FOR PIES, YOU NINNY!" Adara wailed. "They're holy fruit! We use them in our services! Only the priestess is allowed to touch them!" "Sooooooooo," Achi mused, "If you're touching them...does that mean you're going to Hell?" Adara screamed again. "Tell you what. I'll go get Naga. You stay here and work it out for yourself, kay?" The elf woman continued to weep, not hearing her. Achi ran off towards the holy mountain.
"I'm sorry, Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel whimpered from her cell next to Zelgadis'. The two were separated by bars and were sitting with their backs to each other on their respective cots. "It's all right, Sylphiel," he said again. "It was a nice try." She sighed. "I guess we'll just have to wait for Mister Xellos and Miss Naga to come back." They were silent for several minutes, neither sure of what to say to one another. Finally, it was Sylphiel who broke the silence. "Zelgadis dear..." (Zelgadis dear,) Zelgadis thought. He had just noticed that she was calling him that... "About...About before..." "I told you. You don't have to apologize." "No," she continued. "I mean about what happened on the mountain." He said nothing. "I guess...I'm just a little confused," she confessed. "How do you think I feel?" he asked quietly. She didn't reply immediately. "I...I don't know. That's what frightens me..." "You're not the only one." He felt her turn behind him to face him. He turned in response and saw her looking at him through the bars. He reached through the bars of their cells and took her hand in his. She blinked for a moment in puzzlement, but let him take it. "What do you feel?" he asked her. "Warmth," she told him honestly. "Gentleness." "In my hand?" he asked her. "Yes," she replied. "And it's the first time I've ever felt that way as well," he whispered. "My stone skin...I guess protected me in more ways than one."
"I spy with my little eye..." "Please shut up," Naga begged him. "Please? We've been playing this stupid game for three hours!" "But I'm winning," Xellos pouted. Naga began shaking, taking a step towards the priest, her hands stretched towards his throat. "Miss Naga?" Xellos queried. "Are you feeling all right?" The White Serpent was about three feet from throttling the life out of the priest when she suddenly stopped. "Look, a cave." Xellos turned and blinked. "Why, so it is." The same cave Zelgadis and Sylphiel had found the previous day stood before them. "OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!" Naga laughed. "Come, priest side-kick of questionable worth! We go to find treasure!" She started marching towards the cave. Xellos' eye twitched. "Side...kick?" "Don't dawdle!" she ordered over her shoulder. Xellos sighed. "What I do for evil," he whispered in defeat. He started after the White Serpent, but paused suddenly. "What is it?" Naga asked. "I suddenly feel the presence of a malicious entity," he whispered. "I wond..." *THWACK!* Xellos growled as he fell to his knees, his hand going to the back of his head as the rock that had struck him hit the ground next to him. Naga turned as Achi came running up to them. "Hey," she panted. "I tried to get your attention, but you didn't hear me." Xellos stood up and raised his staff over his head, taking a rage-filled step towards the girl... "Oh, by the way," Achi said casually, "Mister Zelgadis and Oneechan are in the slammer." The three of them paused for a moment. "Yeah?" Naga said, "So what?" Achi hit the floor. She climbed to her feet and turned on Naga. "WHADDYA MEAN, 'YEAH, SO WHAT?!'" "Dear girl," Naga smiled, "If Zelgadis and Sylphiel want to go and get themselves arrested, it's hardly my problem, now is it?" "But...But you have to rescue them!" Achi cried. Naga put her arms over her chest. "Sitting in a cell for a little while won't hurt them. I have a treasure to hunt down. Now, if you'll excuse me," she said, turning. Achi smiled. "Oneechan has the treasure." Naga stopped in her tracks. "You're bluffing," she muttered. "Go ahead into that cave," Achi said, waving her away. "You won't find anything but a weird garden and some fruit trees. Oneechan found the treasure yesterday." "Then what is it?" Naga asked with a smile. Achi tossed her hair and stuck her nose in the air. "Hmmph!" Naga's eye twitched. "Fine...You win. We'll go bust them out first." "Yay!" Achi cried, rushing forward to give Naga a hug. "Now," Naga said to herself in thought as Achi hugged her. "We need a plan..." She snapped her fingers. "Got it! We'll distract the guard with a beautiful, voluptuous woman while the other goes around back and breaks Sylphiel and Stony out of jail!" Achi blinked and frowned. "What kind of lame ass plan is that?" she whispered to herself.
Gaius Adonis was working guard duty that day while the sheriff and the other deputies took the day off. It was easy duty, but pretty boring. The only reason he was here was bad luck... It was at that moment that a woman with violet hair and wearing a red dress slit provocatively up the right thigh entered. Like I said, the only reason he was there was good luck... He hopped out of his chair and smiled. "Good afternoon, Miss," he said. "Can I help you?" The woman smiled. "I'm so sorry to bother you," she began, looking distraught and vulnerable. "I lost my kitty. Is this where I report it?" "Yes, Ma'am!" Gaius said quickly. "You just have a seat right there, and we'll see if we can't find your kitty." She sat down and crossed her legs demurely, leaning her elbow on the desk and smiling at the guard. Gaius only smiled back.
"Psst!" Sylphiel blinked and looked up at the window. "Psst!" Zelgadis heard it as well this time and looked up, seeing a most welcome face there. "It's about time you got here!" he hissed in annoyance. "Yes," Sylphiel sighed. "I was beginning to worry." She blinked in puzzlement. "By the way...where's Mister Xellos?" Naga grinned. "He's indisposed at the moment."
Gaius thanked his luck again as he filed the report away. "Well, Ma'am, we'll do everything we can to find your kitty. In the meantime, are you okay? Would you like me to give you a ride home?" Xellos sniffled into a tissue and dabbed at the mascara threatening to run down his face. "No, thank you. That won't be necessary." "Are you sure? Maybe if I bought you lunch?" He leaned forward and smiled. Xellos sniffled again and reached into his purse. Taking out a rather large brick, he quickly brought it around and struck Gaius in the back of the head with it. The guard hit the desktop, out cold. "Hmmph! How fresh!" Xellos sniffed. Achi came scampering inside from the front door. She saw the scene and arched an eyebrow. "Slut," she commented. "Oh, stuff it," Xellos told her. Together they started for the cells in the back room. That's when they heard someone clear their throat behind them. They stopped. "Bus-ted," Achi whimpered, turning to see the sheriff and several deputies with drawn bows standing in the doorway. Xellos laughed nervously. "Officer," he began, "It's not even my cart..."
"How are you going to get us out?" Zelgadis asked. "Simple," Naga proclaimed. "I'll tie a chain to the bars of your window, attach it to the pair of horses out here, slap them on the ass, and watch them tear the window out. Simple." "Please hurry, Miss Naga!" Sylphiel implored her. "Just a sec..." Naga said. "Sylphiel, empty your pockets." "Whatever for?" the shrine maiden asked. "Just do it!" "We don't have time for this!" Zelgadis hissed. "I don't slap this horse's ass until I see her empty her pockets!" Naga hissed back. "Fine," Sylphiel sighed. She turned her pockets inside out. Naga examined the contents and slammed her fist on the window sill. "I knew it! That little bitch!" "What are you talking about?!" Zelgadis demanded. "Never mind. Just hold on while I..." Someone cleared their throat outside. Silence. "Miss Naga?" Sylphiel whispered. "Aw, damn," they heard Naga sigh.
Achi looked across the cell at the cross-dressed Mazoku and glared. "Have I told you today just how much you suck?" she asked. Xellos replied by taking out his harmonica. "Oh, for the love of God, someone take that thing away from him!" Naga cried from the cell she shared with Zelgadis. Sylphiel and Zelgadis sighed, their backs to each other as they sat on their cots. "Well," Sylphiel remarked, "I guess we need a new plan." Zelgadis nodded. "This never would have happened if you had distracted the guards for just a few more seconds!" Naga chastised Xellos and Achi. "What kind of side-kick are you?" Xellos' eye twitched again. "Side-kick," he muttered. He began to play the harmonica. Achi, meanwhile, was shaking the bars of the cell. "Let us out, you big doofuses!" she shouted. A second later, a large guard appeared holding a club. He glared at Achi. "Oh! That's right!" she cried. "Come on back here!" She pointed to the Mazoku in the corner. "Mister Xellos isn't afraid of you!" Xellos' eyes went wide. "Yeah!" Achi continued. "He said you were just a great big meat head!" "Um...Achi..." Sylphiel began with a sweatdrop. "I bet he could take you all on by himself...unarmed...with one hand tied behind his back!" "Is that so?!" the guard asked. Xellos sighed and stood up. He handed the harmonica to Sylphiel. "If I don't make it back, do me a favor and use this to drive Achi chan insane." He took a step toward his destiny... "That's enough!" They looked up to see the sheriff enter. He pointed at Zelgadis. "You. It's time for your trial."
"WHEEL!" Zelgadis blinked as the bright light struck his eyeballs as he was led outside into the main arena. "OF!" He looked around and saw a crowd of people sitting in the stands, watching him. "JUSTICE!!!" In the center of the arena was the mammoth Wheel of Justice. Zelgadis blinked in shock, his eyes narrowing. "*This*...is my trial?" he asked the deputy next to him. "The gods of chance will decide your guilt or innocence," the deputy told him. "Oh...joy..." Zelgadis muttered. A white-haired elf in a black tuxedo walked out from the stands followed by a blonde elf in a provocative blue dress. He held a microphone in his hands with a tube on the end that led to a set of horn-shaped amplifiers at one end of the arena. This allowed him to amplify his voice so that the entire crowd could hear. This, however, didn't stop him for shouting as loud as he could into the apparatus... "YES! AND WELCOME TO ANOTHER EPISODE OF WHEEL OF JUSTICE! THE PLACE WHERE THE GODS OF CHANCE DETERMINE A MAN'S GUILT OR INNOCENCE AND GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO WIN FABULOUS PRIZES!!!!" Zelgadis turned to the guard. "I'll give you all the money in my wallet right now if you club me to death..." The guard just shook his head. "JAHNHI! TELL US ABOUT TODAY'S CONTESTANT!" "Well, Klaive," an announcer's voice came from seemingly everywhere, "Today's special guest is a visitor all the way from the main continent! Sorcerer! Swordsman! Former chimera! And now convict A number one! ZELGADIS GREYWORDS!!!" Zelgadis sighed. "MISTER ZELGADIS!" the host, Klaive, began as he walked towards the human, "YOU HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH VIOLATING THE HOLY MOUNTAIN!" "You don't have to shout. I'm right here," Zelgadis told him, his arms over his chest in annoyance. Klaive laughed boisterously. "ISN'T HE GREAT, FOLKS! FACING CERTAIN DEATH AND HE'S STILL CRACKING JOKES! LET'S GIVE HIM A HAND!" The audience went wild and applauded Zelgadis. Zelgadis turned back to the guard. "I changed my mind. I'll give you all the money in my wallet right now if you club *him* to death." "JAHNI! WHICH OF OUR CITIZENS IS BRINGING THIS CHARGE AGAINST OUR JOCULAR NEW CONTESTANT!?" "Well, Klaive," Jahni's voice spoke up again, "That would High Priestess Zuanna. She says that Mister Zelgadis climbed the holy mountain after being warned and that he defiled the Sacred Garden!" "Oooooh!" Klaive spoke into the mic at Zelgadis, his voice lower as if he were sharing a secret with the human. "That's a no no...MISTER ZELGADIS! HOW DO YOU PLEAD?!" "What happens if I plead guilty?" Zelgadis asked. Klaive laughed and turned to the audience. "OUR FRIEND REALLY IS FROM OUT OF TOWN! JAHNI! TELL HIM WHAT HE WINS IF HE PLEADS GUILTY!" "Well, Klaive, if Mister Zelgadis pleads guilty to Zuanna's charge, he'll be sent on a fabulous vacation to the salt mines on the other end of the island! He'll live in squalid quarters! He'll work in the harshest conditions side by side with the very scum of the Earth! It'll be a toss-up as to whether the other inmates kill him or the nonexistent safety standards!!" "Not guilty," Zelgadis told him. "YES!!! A PLAYER!!" The crowd went wild.
"This is horrible!" Sylphiel cried from the stands. "How can these people decide justice based purely on chance?!" "Beats a jury trial," Achi sniffed. "Face it, Oneechan, they have him dead to rights. All he's got now is chance."
"MISTER ZELGADIS!" Klaive screamed into the mic, "YOU HAVE PLEADED NOT GUILTY! IS THAT YOUR FINAL ANSWER?!" "Yes," Zelgadis sighed. "THEN SPIN THE WHEEL!!!!" The crowd cheered again as the blonde, leggy elf led Zelgadis up to the Wheel of Justice. "NOW, MISTER ZELGADIS," Klaive began again, "This is your chance. If you land on Not Guilty, you could win...an official apology...a free pig from Denora's farm...a beach-front condo...or...GOLD!!!" The crowd cheered again. "But..." Klaive went on, "If you land on Guilty...Jahni?" "LETHAL INJECTION!" Jahni's voice rumbled through the stands. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!" answered the crowd. "NO! YOU CAN'T!" Sylphiel cried, jumping up from her seat. Naga and Xellos managed to pull her back down. "Mister Zelgadis," Klaive whispered to him, and through the microphone, the crowd, "SPIN THAT WHEEL!!!" Zelgadis sighed and looked up at the wheel. It was positioned vertically and stood about ten meters high. Tiny pie wedges in the wheel all read either 'Guilty' or 'Not Guilty.' He reached up and grabbed one of the many handles on the side of the wheel and gave it a hard tug downward. The Wheel of Justice began to spin. The crowd cheered on, shouting either "GUILTY! GUILTY!" or "INNOCENT!" Zelgadis watched with narrowed eyes as the wheel spun. Sylphiel bit her lip anxiously, tears in her eyes. Naga watched the wheel suspiciously, trying to see if it was rigged. Xellos filed his nails. Achi was waving down the hotdog vender... (Guilty, Not Guilty, Guilty, Not Guilty...) Zelgadis' mind reported as he watched the wheel spin. (Death, Life, Death, Life...) Sylphiel thought as she watched. The wheel began to slow. Sylphiel bit her nails. "Hey! There's no relish on this dog!" Achi screamed at the retreating hotdog vendor's back. Guilty...Not Guilty...Guilty...Not Guilty... The crowd was silent. Guilty. "NO!" Sylphiel cried out. "GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!" the crowd chanted. Zelgadis stared up at the wheel and sighed. "Of course," he whispered. "GUILTY!" Klaive cried at the crowd. The crowd cheered. "Now, Mister Zelgadis," Klaive said softly to the chimera, "We don't usually do this, but there is another option." He spoke as if sharing a secret with him. Him and the thousand people in the stands, anyway. "What if I told you...that there's a way to overturn this verdict?" "Get to the deal," Zelgadis sighed. "All you have to do...is go three rounds with Elmo...THE DESTROYER!!!" The crowd cheered. Zelgadis remained unimpressed. "You want me to fight someone for your audience, is that it?" "That's right! ELMO THE DESTROYER!" The crowd cheered again. Zelgadis stood there for a moment. "I'll take that shot now," he said. The crowd stopped cheering. "Um...Excuse me?" Klaive asked. "EXCUSE ME!?" Sylphiel shouted angrily, rising to her feet again. Zelgadis snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not going to demean myself in my last moments by fighting some muppet for the entertainment of a bunch of elves too stupid to read a book. Stop grinding the organ. This monkey won't dance." Silence. "Um, we still have time left in the show," Klaive told him. "You have to. Don't you want to live?!" Zelgadis shrugged. "Would you be offering me this opportunity if you thought I had a chance in hell of beating Elmo the Destroyer? You just want me to entertain you. Give me the shot." "You're going to die out of spite?!" "Better than dying for your short attention spans." "BOOOO!" the crowd called down. Klaive thought for a few minutes. "Okay, how about this?" he began. He raised the mic again. "MISTER ZELGADIS! IF YOU FIGHT...*ELMO THE DESTROYER*...AND WIN...NOT ONLY WILL YOU GO FREE, BUT THE CHARGES AGAINST YOUR FRIENDS WILL BE *DROPPED*!!!" Zelgadis looked over at the stands where Sylphiel was sitting. She seemed to be begging him with her eyes. Sure, if he refused he could die and make his statement, but then Sylphiel would end up having to spin that wheel too... "Very well," he said. "YES!" Klaive shouted, throwing his hands in the air. The crowd cheered their approval. "FOLKS! WE'LL RETURN AFTER A SHORT BREAK! AND THEN, ZELGADIS WILL FACE OFF WITH ELMO THE DESTROYER! DON'T GO AWAY!"
"You're going to fight?" Sylphiel breathed as Zelgadis approached the stands. "No choice," he told her. "It's either sink or swim." He turned as his guard handed him his sword back. "Don't worry. After dealing with Rezo, ValGaav, and putting up with Xellos, how hard could Elmo the Destroyer be?"
On the other side of the arena, Elmo the Destroyer, who was normally just plain Elmo the pig farmer, was putting on his mask and helmet and checking his mace. Just as he was tightening on his plate armor, someone tapped his shoulder from behind. He turned... Just in time for someone to strike his metal facemask with the pommel of a broadsword, knocking him out...
Zelgadis checked his blade and nodded. Achi leaned down from the stands and offered him a drink of water. "Please be careful, Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel begged him. Without a word, he turned and started back into the arena. Sylphiel watched him go and bit her lip nervously. "Please be careful," she whispered again. "There you are!" They all turned to find Adara, carrying a large bundle of clothing, running up to them. "I just heard my Zelgadis is going to fight Elmo the Destroyer!" "Where have you been?" Naga asked her. "I've been making these!" Adara grinned, holding the pile up. "I figured my dear Zelgadis might need some support, so I made one for each of you." Naga picked up the top article on the bundle and blinked. "This is a joke, right?" "No, it is not a joke!" Adara spat. "Dear Zelgadis needs us now! Now are you going to help or sit up there and wait to die!?" The group looked to each other with expressions that seemed to say, "You've got to be kidding."
"Ready?!" "O-Kay!" As one, Naga, Adara, and Achi, dressed in purple and tan cheerleader outfits with big letter "Z's" on the front began to sway their hips and frilly pom poms back and forth. "Who's the man with the sharpest sword?!" Adara yelled. "It's Zel! It's Zel!" Naga and Achi answered loudly. "Who's the man who'll kick Elmo's ass!?" Adara cried. "It's Zel! It's Zel!" Standing off to the side, Xellos in a male version of the cheerleader outfit, and Sylphiel, also dressed like the others but not participating, watched and tried to comprehend the point. "Well," Xellos commented, "They're certainly...enthusiastic." In the center of the arena, Zelgadis put his face in his hands and shook his head from side to side. "WELL, MISTER ZELGADIS!" Klaive shouted, "IT SEEMS YOU HAVE YOUR OWN CHEERING SECTION!" "I've changed my mind again," Zelgadis muttered. "I want that shot now." "TOO LATE TO CHANGE YOUR MIND, NOW, MISTER ZELGADIS!" Klaive shouted with a pat on the back. "NOW! MEET YOUR OPPONENT! ELMO THE DESTROYER!!!" Elmo the Destroyer stepped out from his side of the arena to the cheers of the waiting crowd, wearing a set of plate mail and a facemask helmet in the shape of a dragon's head. He held a mace and shield over his head and played to the crowd. "What if I kill him?" Zelgadis asked Klaive seriously. "I don't want to escape one charge just to be executed for murder." Klaive covered the mic with his hand. "Don't worry. He signed a release. He's facing execution anyway for killing his wife." "That's comforting," Zelgadis commented and drew his sword. "LET'S GET IT ON!!" Klaive screamed into the mic. "Zel! Zel! He's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!" his cheering section called. Zelgadis and the armor-clad elf approached one another. Elmo hung his spiked mace on his belt and offered the human his hand to shake. Zelgadis put his sword in his left hand and reached out to shake the elf's hand... *CLANG!* This was the sound that reverberated throughout the arena as Elmo suddenly struck Zelgadis in the side of the head with his shield. Zelgadis fell to the ground, dazed as the crowd cheered Elmo on. Zelgadis growled and stood up. If that's how Elmo wanted it, fine. He raised his sword in an en guarde position and watched as the elf shifted his stance, raising his shield to cover himself while preparing the mace for a hard strike. Zelgadis' eyes narrowed as he realized that this man knew what he was doing. Elmo dashed forward and swung the mace in an overhand swipe, followed by another backhand swipe. Zelgadis hopped back twice to avoid the blows, and brought his sword up to block a third. He thought his arm might have been broken by the sheer force of the blow. He had to remind himself to be more careful. He didn't have stone skin to protect him anymore, just pink flesh and muscle. The elf pushed outward, knocking Zelgadis to the ground. Zelgadis looked up and rolled to the right just in time to avoid another swing from Elmo. The crowd continued to cheer. Naga, Adara, and Achi continued to chant their support. Sylphiel bit her nails. Zelgadis jumped to his feet and dashed at Elmo, hoping for a good thrust to his midsection. The elf swung his mace, and Zelgadis just managed to duck beneath it. "OOOOOH!" the crowd responded. "ZEL! GA! DIS!" Adara squealed as Naga tossed her into the air. "Are you sure?" Xellos asked Achi. "Yes, I'm sure!" the girl bit back. "Now toss me!" Xellos smiled. "Of course." Picking up the young girl, he tossed her high into the air...and took a step back. "ZEL! GA! DIIIIII-AIIIIIIIIII!!!!" she cried as she hit the ground. She glared up at the trickster priest and growled. "Oh, was I supposed to catch you too?" he asked innocently. Before Achi could bite out a retort, Sylphiel cried out at another close call. Zelgadis brought his finger up and touched the blood from the small scratch on his face caused by one of the mace's spikes. He grinned ferally and charged. Elmo paused and brought his shield up as Zelgadis lifted his sword over his head. Then, at the last second, the human shifted his stance and slid like a ball player between Elmo's legs. Before the elf could react, Zelgadis struck out with his left fist just as he slid beneath him. "Ooooooooooooh!" The crowd groaned in sympathy. Elmo gasped, dropping his mace as he held his privates and fell to his knees. Zelgadis rose to his knees and moved some brown hair from over his eyes as casually as if he were doing it in the street and not in a fight for his life. Xellos turned away and grimaced sympathetically. He was also rather miffed that a man was feeling that kind of pain, and the Mazoku couldn't feed on it... "Oneechan...That looked like it really hurt," Achi whispered. Sylphiel chuckled nervously and turned red. Naga only smiled and nodded to herself. "I have taught him well." "What did *you* ever teach him?" Achi asked skeptically. Elmo, gasping for breath and not getting enough of it, reached up and tore the face-mask from his head, gasping. Blonde hair revealed itself. Sylphiel gasped. Klaive blinked. "That's not Elmo..." 'Elmo' looked up at Zelgadis with hate in his eyes. He picked up the mace and rushed towards the human's turned back. "ZELGADIS DEAR!" Sylphiel screeched. Zelgadis turned just as the elf assassin was about to bring his mace down on the human's head. Something, however, made him stop, made his eyes go wide, and made him gasp in pain. He and Zelgadis looked down to find the human's sword buried three feet into Elmo's stomach. Zelgadis looked up at the man's face, having never seen it but recognizing him all the same. "They'll kill us all," the assassin gasped out, then fell to the ground. Zelgadis looked down at the dead man and took a breath. He turned, and suddenly, the crowd was on its feet, cheering. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE WINNER! MISTER ZELGADIS!!" Klaive shouted. Before he could react, something slammed into him. He looked down and found Sylphiel hugging him. Something hit him from the right, and he found Adara latched onto him from that side. A hit from the left, and Achi was clinging to him. He looked up and sighed. Naga and Xellos looked to each other, shrugged, and rushed up to him, joining the group hug.
"Elves are a very strange bunch," Naga noted with her back against the cottage wall. Zelgadis' victory, so unexpected, was heralded as a great heroic feat... And thus merited a party. The entire village was out tonight, dancing around bonfires, drinking every drop of distilled liquid on the island, and rehashing the fight over and over again. Zuanna had even congratulated the former chimera on his victory. Zelgadis only nodded at Naga's statement, leaning against the wall next to her. He was hiding out from the elves who wanted to talk to him about his heroism. The rest of their group had disappeared into the crowd somewhere. "So," Naga began, stretching, "Now what?" "I still have to find out what's preventing magic from working here," he told her. "And that means going up the mountain again." "They don't seem to like that, you know," Naga told him. "Heh," he replied with a devilish grin. "What can they do? Execute me again?" Naga slapped him on the back. "OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" she laughed, causing him to grimace at the sound. "I like you, Stony!" she told him. "No wonder Lina hangs out with you." "That's another thing," he began. "You never did tell me why the two of you split up." "Well, it all started when..." She broke off as she saw a familiar elf approaching them. "Look out, Stony. Here comes your girlfriend." Zelgadis turned and saw Adara making her way towards them. He sighed. "Do me a favor. I'm not here, okay?" "Sure thing," Naga said, downing another pint of ale. Quickly, Zelgadis snuck away and around another house, disappearing into the crowd. He actually laughed out loud. A few days ago, disappearing into a crowd was something he'd never been able to do. Now, it was easy. "Ah! Mister Zelgadis!" He paused and grumbled. One could never disappear from him. "Xellos," he greeted. Xellos, back in his robes, smiled and walked up to him. "Mingling?" "Sort of." "I'm curious," the priest began. "How does it feel?" "How does what feel?" Zelgadis asked irritably. "Being a part of the party," Xellos clarified with a grin. "Look around, Mister Zelgadis," he said, waving at the crowd. "No more stares. No more looks. Why...everything unique about you is gone." Zelgadis smiled. "Good riddance." "So now what will you do?" Xellos asked. "You're the second person to ask me that," Zelgadis sighed. "I'll go back up the mountain and..." "No," Xellos interrupted. "I mean, now that you're human. From what I can tell, you have no more reason to travel. Nothing left to search for." Zelgadis wasn't really listening. He had caught sight of Sylphiel in the crowd, her head bowed, as she entered a nearby barn. "Or do you?" Xellos asked with a grin. Zelgadis growled and turned back to him. "Stop speaking in riddles, just once," he begged. Xellos seemed to consider it, then leaned forward conspiratorially. "Would you like to know a Mazoku secret?" he asked. Zelgadis sighed. "If I say yes, do you promise to leave me alone?" The trickster priest ignored him and gestured to the barn. "Mazoku never pass up on a good thing." He straightened again. "What is that supposed to mean?" Xellos grinned. "That's a secret!" The human rolled his eyes. "But it shouldn't be *too* hard to figure out," Xellos whispered. Zelgadis turned to retort but found the Mazoku already moving through the crowd away from him. He turned back and found himself looking at the barn. (I wonder why she went in there,) he thought to himself. (Zelgadis, have you been taking stupid elixirs again?) a part of his mind bit back. (You of all people should realize why.) He took a breath as it dawned on him. He started towards the barn, opening the door and slipping quietly inside.
Sylphiel patted the horse's snout as it ate some oats out of her hand. "Thatta girl," she whispered affectionately. Parties didn't seem to be her thing. She had felt very uncomfortable out there in the crowd. Every time someone would glance at her, she felt as if they were staring at her. She sighed. What made this island such a bounty for Zelgadis dear was, for her, a curse. She was happy for him. She really was... God, she hated this place. A part of her wished that she had never told Zelgadis dear about its existence while another part of her felt guilty for feeling that way. If she hadn't told Zelgadis dear, he might have never have found his cure. And she'd be the one to blame. She *was* happy for him. A tear fell from her cheek without her realizing it. She blinked in surprise and watched as more tears fell. The barn door opened and shut. She quickly turned away and started wiping the tears from her eyes. "Sylphiel?" she heard. Her breath caught in her throat. (Oh, why did he have to find me *now*?!) she asked herself. "Are you okay?" he asked her softly. She wiped the tears away but didn't turn. "I'm fine," she told him. "How's the party?" she asked. "It's in your honor, after all. You...you earned it..." "Sylphiel," he whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder. "How did you do it?" she asked him softly. "For so long...How did you go so long with everyone..." She broke off and couldn't continue. "Sylphiel, look at me," he told her softly. She turned slowly and looked up at him, her head turned slightly to the side to hide her scar. He reached out with his fingertips and tilted her face towards him so he could see her entire face. He saw the new tear running down her scarred cheek and wiped it away with a finger. He knew the pain she was feeling. He had felt it himself so long it had threatened to scar him. What hurt most of all was the loneliness. Lina had tried to tell him once that she understood what he was going through, but he only laughed. No one could really understand what it felt like. Now the roles were reversed. He was "normal" for lack of a better word, and she... Was still beautiful. "Zelgadis dear?" she whispered. "Would you have let me kiss you back in the garden?" he asked her. She stared up at him, unsure for a moment. Finally, "Yes," she whispered. He paused for a moment, then leaned forward slowly. He found himself afraid. The man who had faced down two Rezo's, Phibrizzo, Gaav, ValGaav, Lina Inverse...was afraid. She had shut her eyes, her breath quickening. For half a second, he considered pulling back, but found himself inexorably pulled forward, his lips brushing gently against hers. It was as if a dam had burst. What had once seemed so frightening now seemed so natural. Their arms slowly wrapped around one another and held each other close. The rest of the world seemed to vanish. Their lips parted momentarily, and Sylphiel, her eyes still closed, whispered, "Is this love?" Zelgadis' eyes opened, and he gazed at her. "I don't know," he whispered truthfully. "I've never felt this way before." She looked up at him and smiled. "Then what do we call it?" He leaned forward again. "The beginning." (The beginning. I like the way that sounds,) she thought as her lips found his again. (Yes, this is the beginning.)
To be continued... |