Zelgadis' Legend
Chapter 1- The beginning
Another quiet night at the bar. Two...no three customers sit on the stools near the counter. You watch an old man of about sixty years or so walk in through the doors of the bar. He wears sunglasses and a big overcoat. The only features of him you can actually see are the white hairs sticking out from under his hood.
You find it suspicious that he's wearing all those clothes. It's a cool night, but not anywhere below 10 degrees Celsius. You grab a glass in one hand and a washcloth in the other. Better finish off some of those dishes. He'll probably order something.
The old man clears his throat to speak.
"I have a tale among all tales. The story of a monster. The tale of how he struggled in life, trying to fit in and be accepted, or to cure himself of his burden."
Great, you think. An old man telling fairy tales. Should you make him leave now? No...you want to listen to his ridiculous story first. At least a little bit anyway.
Two of the other customers move a little closer to where the old man sits. A woman in the corner turns to the man, but minds her own business. You can tell she's not interested.
"This monster had a lot of problems in his life. His main problem was his appearance. He had been cursed in his youth...but I'm getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I?"
You listen to the man's explanation and decide he must be a little crazy. You go back to washing the glasses. No one will ever believe his story. You know very well that he must be too old to be sane anymore.
"It all started one day, when..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"He's getting big, isn't he?"
A mother sat on a wooden chair, holding a little boy. She put her hand on his soft peach skin, moving it up onto his feathery brown hair. His small green eyes met hers, and he slowly closed them and drifted off to sleep.
A tall man put his hand on the child's hair. He turned around and put his hand on the handle of the door.
"Where are you going?" the woman asked.
"I must be off. I trust you can look after the child on your own."
"But father..."
"Father in law, you mean," the man corrected her.
"Why are you leaving me with this child? I cannot support him by myself."
"You'll find a way," said the man as he opened the door and stepped out of the house.
"Well...now I guess it's just you and me, Zelgadis.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wait a minute, you think. Zelgadis was that guy that you had heard about. The one who was unjustly accused as an outlaw. He hung around with the infamous Lina Inverse. Maybe this old man isn't crazy.
"Well, now that I've caught your attention, I'll continue," says the old man, as he sips the liquor you had given him while he was telling the story.
"So...where was I? I seem to have lost my concentration," the old man says, looking at you.
A man speaks. "Zelgadis has been left with his mother. She has to take care of him by herself."
"Oh yes, I remember now..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As Zelgadis grew, he was away from home more, leaving his mother alone most of the time. He constantly would go out into the forest to train. He couldn't believe how weak he was. He was trying his hardest to become strong, but never could be satisfied. He swung his sword a few times in the air.
"I want to be strong! Strong...strong!"
A man with a staff and priest outfit came up to him. He was unable to see the many attempts Zelgadis made to strengthen his weak human arms, for he was blind.
"Rezo... Zelgadis said to the man that stood before him.
"What happened to the word 'grandpa'?" he laughed.
"You're also my great grandpa, Rezo. I'm not going to call you by anything but your name."
"Ok, but tell me this. Do you want to become stronger than any human could ever be?"
Stronger than any human could ever be...those words went through Zelgadis' mind. Why would Rezo be so kind? It's true that he helped so many people by curing their blindness, but making someone strong wasn't something he'd done before. Rezo wasn't even a very happy man, for he was unable to cure his blindness. He certainly wasn't very happy with Zel being his grandson either.
Zel decided not to give up the opportunity though.
"Rezo...can you make me strong?" Zel asked.
Rezo smiled and hit his staff against the ground. Zelgadis felt a strange sensation shoot through him. He felt his whole body tightening up. His skin started changing. The once light peach color of his flesh transformed to blue stone. Rocks were embedded in it on some areas. He looked on in horror, and felt the transformation throughout his body.
Zel yelled at the top of his lungs. He looked down at his sword, which he had dropped on the ground. He grabbed it and jumped at Rezo, who just threw Zel backwards and disappeared into the forest.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So that's how Zelgadis was changed into a chimera. You always knew Rezo had something to do with it. Hey...this old man has attracted a crowd too. Five people, plus you are listening to him, almost mesmerized by his story. Who knows if it's true or not though....
You decide to listen to the whole story before deciding if he's making up the story or not...
"I hear Zelgadis was really cute before he was cursed," says a woman sitting next to the old man. "I think he was pretty cute even with the curse though."
"Ahem...anyway," says the man, obviously impatient and annoyed by the interruptions."Shall I even bother continuing? Or have you lost interest?"
"Keep going, old man.," says a guy to his other side.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zelgadis felt really heavy in his new body. He stumbled over to a lake and looked at his reflection.
"I'm hideous!" he yelled, splashing his hand in the water. He left the forest to go back into town and break the news to his mother. As he walked through the city, people stared in terror. He tried shielding his face with his arm, but the people couldn't help but notice his blue, rocky skin. A man in a big white cloak noticed Zel.
"Come here, boy," he said. He gave Zel his cloak to wear to avoid the people staring.
"If I were you, I'd leave now. There's no place for freaks like you here."
Zelgadis put on the hood, along with a mask covering the bottom part of his face, and nodded to the man. He couldn't face his mother now...not looking like this. He got out of town and headed into the woods.
"I'll get you for this Rezo...that's a promise."
Chapter 1- The beginning
Another quiet night at the bar. Two...no three customers sit on the stools near the counter. You watch an old man of about sixty years or so walk in through the doors of the bar. He wears sunglasses and a big overcoat. The only features of him you can actually see are the white hairs sticking out from under his hood.
You find it suspicious that he's wearing all those clothes. It's a cool night, but not anywhere below 10 degrees Celsius. You grab a glass in one hand and a washcloth in the other. Better finish off some of those dishes. He'll probably order something.
The old man clears his throat to speak.
"I have a tale among all tales. The story of a monster. The tale of how he struggled in life, trying to fit in and be accepted, or to cure himself of his burden."
Great, you think. An old man telling fairy tales. Should you make him leave now? No...you want to listen to his ridiculous story first. At least a little bit anyway.
Two of the other customers move a little closer to where the old man sits. A woman in the corner turns to the man, but minds her own business. You can tell she's not interested.
"This monster had a lot of problems in his life. His main problem was his appearance. He had been cursed in his youth...but I'm getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I?"
You listen to the man's explanation and decide he must be a little crazy. You go back to washing the glasses. No one will ever believe his story. You know very well that he must be too old to be sane anymore.
"It all started one day, when..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"He's getting big, isn't he?"
A mother sat on a wooden chair, holding a little boy. She put her hand on his soft peach skin, moving it up onto his feathery brown hair. His small green eyes met hers, and he slowly closed them and drifted off to sleep.
A tall man put his hand on the child's hair. He turned around and put his hand on the handle of the door.
"Where are you going?" the woman asked.
"I must be off. I trust you can look after the child on your own."
"But father..."
"Father in law, you mean," the man corrected her.
"Why are you leaving me with this child? I cannot support him by myself."
"You'll find a way," said the man as he opened the door and stepped out of the house.
"Well...now I guess it's just you and me, Zelgadis.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wait a minute, you think. Zelgadis was that guy that you had heard about. The one who was unjustly accused as an outlaw. He hung around with the infamous Lina Inverse. Maybe this old man isn't crazy.
"Well, now that I've caught your attention, I'll continue," says the old man, as he sips the liquor you had given him while he was telling the story.
"So...where was I? I seem to have lost my concentration," the old man says, looking at you.
A man speaks. "Zelgadis has been left with his mother. She has to take care of him by herself."
"Oh yes, I remember now..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As Zelgadis grew, he was away from home more, leaving his mother alone most of the time. He constantly would go out into the forest to train. He couldn't believe how weak he was. He was trying his hardest to become strong, but never could be satisfied. He swung his sword a few times in the air.
"I want to be strong! Strong...strong!"
A man with a staff and priest outfit came up to him. He was unable to see the many attempts Zelgadis made to strengthen his weak human arms, for he was blind.
"Rezo... Zelgadis said to the man that stood before him.
"What happened to the word 'grandpa'?" he laughed.
"You're also my great grandpa, Rezo. I'm not going to call you by anything but your name."
"Ok, but tell me this. Do you want to become stronger than any human could ever be?"
Stronger than any human could ever be...those words went through Zelgadis' mind. Why would Rezo be so kind? It's true that he helped so many people by curing their blindness, but making someone strong wasn't something he'd done before. Rezo wasn't even a very happy man, for he was unable to cure his blindness. He certainly wasn't very happy with Zel being his grandson either.
Zel decided not to give up the opportunity though.
"Rezo...can you make me strong?" Zel asked.
Rezo smiled and hit his staff against the ground. Zelgadis felt a strange sensation shoot through him. He felt his whole body tightening up. His skin started changing. The once light peach color of his flesh transformed to blue stone. Rocks were embedded in it on some areas. He looked on in horror, and felt the transformation throughout his body.
Zel yelled at the top of his lungs. He looked down at his sword, which he had dropped on the ground. He grabbed it and jumped at Rezo, who just threw Zel backwards and disappeared into the forest.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So that's how Zelgadis was changed into a chimera. You always knew Rezo had something to do with it. Hey...this old man has attracted a crowd too. Five people, plus you are listening to him, almost mesmerized by his story. Who knows if it's true or not though....
You decide to listen to the whole story before deciding if he's making up the story or not...
"I hear Zelgadis was really cute before he was cursed," says a woman sitting next to the old man. "I think he was pretty cute even with the curse though."
"Ahem...anyway," says the man, obviously impatient and annoyed by the interruptions."Shall I even bother continuing? Or have you lost interest?"
"Keep going, old man.," says a guy to his other side.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zelgadis felt really heavy in his new body. He stumbled over to a lake and looked at his reflection.
"I'm hideous!" he yelled, splashing his hand in the water. He left the forest to go back into town and break the news to his mother. As he walked through the city, people stared in terror. He tried shielding his face with his arm, but the people couldn't help but notice his blue, rocky skin. A man in a big white cloak noticed Zel.
"Come here, boy," he said. He gave Zel his cloak to wear to avoid the people staring.
"If I were you, I'd leave now. There's no place for freaks like you here."
Zelgadis put on the hood, along with a mask covering the bottom part of his face, and nodded to the man. He couldn't face his mother now...not looking like this. He got out of town and headed into the woods.
"I'll get you for this Rezo...that's a promise."