One Month later…

Amelia hummed to herself as she tipped the driver. The drive from Seyrune had been long, and she was thankful that the man had been willing to drive so far. She preferred to travel by foot, or even horseback. The urgency of the letter, though, made her decide she needed to come as soon as possible. Plus, she couldn't help but spoil herself with a more comfortable method of travel every once in a while.

The driver tipped his hat, and with a sharp tug at the reins, the carriage rode off. Amelia pulled the letter out of her pocket to re-read it. Usually, Zelgadis tried to send a letter to her once a month. She insisted on this the last time he visited Seyrune. If she happened to stumble upon some information that could be useful to him, she had to know where he was to get it to him.

Granted, that was just an excuse. She mainly just wanted proof that he was still alive and not dead in a ditch somewhere. The chimera was far more than able to take care of himself, but there was no telling what kind of trouble he would have to face in his ongoing quest to restore his body to normal.

True to his word, Zelgadis managed to write once a month, which was why she was surprised to receive another letter barely two weeks later. Unlike the previous letters, this one was short. He did not go into detail, but Zelgadis asked if she would come to the small town he had stumbled upon because he needed her help. He even drew a detailed map of where the town was located. He added that he was not in any physical danger and the sooner she came, the better.

Amelia dashed off a reply, and once she explained the situation to her father, he had no problem letting her go to aid Zelgadis. "Friends are more important than paperwork," he said with a smile. Thus, she was on the road only two days later, and within a week and a half, she had reached the town.

Amelia surveyed the area. It was your typical small country town. There were no branches of the Sorcerer's Guild here and it was miles from any known ruins or temples. She had wondered what was here that caused Zelgadis to ask for her help. The letter had said that he would be staying at the local inn. If he was not there when she came, Zelgadis wrote, she was to get herself a room and he should arrive before nightfall.

It was midmorning, but for being a country town it was very active. Amelia's nose twitched as she passed the bakery. Her mouth watered from the smell of fresh bread. She paused and eyed the pastries taunting her from the store window. I didn't have breakfast yet, her inner voice of hunger argued. As a warrior of justice, I should get something to fill my stomach.

Just as she reached for her money purse, someone yelled. "YOU CALL THIS A REWARD?"

Amelia jumped. It wasn't so much the shout itself, but the familiarity of the voice. "It couldn't be," Amelia muttered.

It wasn't hard to track the source of the voice. She only had to walk down the block to find her culprit. There she found the sheriff's office. Any normal person would have been astounded, or even unnerved by the sight of the moaning and groaning bandits who were tied up, and appeared thrilled to be alive. A normal person might also have been baffled by the short, red-haired women screaming at the sheriff as the blond mercenary next to her looked ready to take a nap. Not Amelia. She was far too used to the antics of Lina Inverse.

Amelia felt sorry for the town sheriff as he rubbed his eyes. He looked like he was dealing with a migraine. "Look Missy, we're a small town. We don't have much money! What do you expect?"

Lina glared and stomped her foot. "The poster said one-thousand gold as a reward for these bandits!"

"That would be in a bigger city, which we're not!" The sheriff seemed ready to slam the door in her face. "It's either the money I am able to give you or you can take them to the next city, which I happen to know is a five-day walk from here."

Lina growled.

"We'll take it," Gourry spoke up.

"Gourry!"

The swordsman shrugged. "Lina, it's not his fault they don't have the money. Besides, do you want to have to feed these guys just to take them to the next city?"

Lina grumbled. "Fine, I'll take it-"

"Miss Lina! Mister Gourry!"

The pair turned around. "Amelia?" Lina exclaimed. She rushed over and let Gourry finish collecting the money. The girls gave each other a quick hug.

"I never thought I would run into you two here," Amelia replied, letting go of her friend.

Lina smirked. "I'm not." She folded her arms and gave a sly smile. "Let me guess, Zelgadis asked you to come, right?"

Amelia tilted her head. "How did you know?"

Lina pulled a letter from her cape. "Cause he sent us a letter, too. We just got here."

"Me too," Amelia replied, as she watched the sheriff dragged the load of bandits inside. "But what about those men?"

"We ran into them," Gourry replied, as he gave the pouch of money to Lina. "Lina blew up their camp and took their money."

"Then you brought them here?" Amelia answered.

Gourry shook his head. "No, just before we reached town, Lina saw the wanted poster saying there was a reward for them." Gourry looked to Lina, while he was twitching slightly. "So, Lina had us go back to the bandit camp so we could arrest them and drag them here."

"Hey, we got extra money this way," Lina snapped as she finished counting the coins. "Besides, those idiots needed to pay the consequences for being stupid and not leaving their camp after we trashed it."

"That's easy for you to say. You didn't have to watch them all night to make sure they didn't escape."

"Um, why don't we go to the inn and get something to eat?" said Amelia hastily, hoping to prevent an argument.

"Sure." Lina patted her stomach. "We haven't eaten anything since last night. So, I'm starving."

"Which probably means she'll be eating the inn out of house and home."

"Quiet, Gourry!"

"So, Zel didn't tell you why he wanted us to come?" Lina asked, slurping her soup.

Amelia shook her head. "He only gave me a map and asked that I come as quickly as possible."

"Same with us. He must have found a possible way to cure himself."

"You really think so Lina?" Gourry swallowed his bread roll. "Maybe he just got himself into trouble."

"If that was the case, Zel would have said so in his letter. Besides, if Zel was in trouble he wouldn't be asking for help unless it was something he couldn't handle by himself."

Amelia nodded. "Still, what could Mister Zelgadis have found here?"

"You're not going to believe it when I tell you."

All heads turned. "Speak of the devil!" Lina cried with a wave. "How have you been, Zel?"

Zelgadis pulled down his hood and took a seat. "Quite well. In fact, I'm willing to pay for your meal."

Lina grinned slyly. "You're feeling generous today."

"As long as the bill is within reason," Zelgadis added. "There are limits."

Amelia sipped her tea. His discovery must be important if it put him in this much of a good mood. It was the first time she had ever seen the shaman offer to pay not only her food bill, but Lina and Gourry's as well.

Lina poured herself another glass of water. "Not that I'm not thrilled with you paying, but why did you ask us to come here?"

Zelgadis ordered a cup of tea from the waiter. "I can't describe it in words, not yet. I'll have to show you what I found. Then I think you'll understand."

Zelgadis drank his tea contently as his three friends exchanged puzzled glances.

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It did not take long for the group to finish their meal and leave the inn, following Zelgadis. No one else asked the chimera questions as they walked through the woods. It was a long walk, and the heat was not helping matters.

By the time they reached the small cabin, they were all dripping with sweat. Which was why, as they entered the small cabin, Lina was feeling annoyed. "This is why you brought us here? Zel, I think you're starting to lose it."

Zelgadis smirked. "I suppose you won't believe me when I tell you that Rezo owned this place."

Lina's annoyance disappeared instantly. "Rezo? Hold it, this is a joke, right?"

Zelgadis shook his head. "I thought at first too, but I'm certain Rezo did once come here." He pointed to the small bookshelf. "Those books were Rezo's. I recognize those initials anywhere."

Amelia went over and brushed her fingers over the book spines. "But what was Rezo doing here, Mister Zelgadis?"

"Research." Zelgadis knelt and lifted the trap door. "And the reason I called you all here is downstairs."

"Is that a lab?" Lina asked. "This isn't like his other lab is it? I would rather not crawl through another labyrinth."

"Don't worry," Zelgadis reassured her as he began to descend the stairs, the others following . "This lab isn't nearly as elaborate as the one in Sairaag."

Amelia ran her hand against the wall as she let her eyes adjust. The cold and dampness helped ease the hot sweat. The smell of mildew and mold, however, was not so inviting. "What kind of research was Rezo doing here?"

"You'll see," Zelgadis replied, as he took hold of a torch hanging off a wall.

"You know, Zel, this mysterious secret act is sounding more like Xellos with each passing minute," Lina mumbled.

Zelgadis shuddered. "Thanks for killing the mood, Lina."

"Consider it payback for the hike to get here."

The chimera stood in the threshold of the corridor. "You won't be complaining once you see this." He held out his arm like a showman.

Lina had a list of remarks and comments to respond with. They instantly burned to ash as she entered the corridor. Her jaw dropped. Amelia gasped. Gourry only blinked.

Lina briefly wondered if this was some kind of magician's stage trick. She pinched herself. Nope, she was seeing two of Zelgadis. One stood smugly with his arms crossed. The second was a completely human version that was floating unconscious in an incubation tube. The world had enough with one cranky chimera, now there were two? "Zel, what is this?"

"It's a copy." Zelgadis leaned his back against the glass tube. For some reason, it made her skin crawl. She could never feel that relaxed if she discovered a sleeping copy of herself. Then again, Zelgadis had been living in this place for over a month. Therefore, he probably overcame the creep factor of it.

"Rezo created it some years ago," he explained.

Gourry coughed and raised his hands. "Uh, Zel?"

"B-but why?" Amelia stammered, still not believing what she was seeing.

"He wanted a backup. It's all in his notebook."

"Zel."

"I was one of his more valuable berserkers working for him, and it would be a great loss of manpower if I were to die."

"Zel." Gourry coughed louder.

Zelgadis attempted to ignore it. "So, he created this copy of me that would be activated in the event I die-"

"ZEL!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake! What, Gourry?"

Gourry rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, I do want to hear the explanation for this, but I have to ask: Are you okay with this?"

Zelgadis frowned. He wasn't expecting that type of question, at least not at this moment. "I was shocked, even furious that Rezo had the nerve to copy me. I've been-"

"That's not what I am talking about."

"Then what Mister Gourry?" Amelia replied. She was feeling very confused about the situation too, but Gourry could be more polite and wait for Zelgadis to finish before asking questions.

Gourry sweated. "Zel, that thing in there is a copy of you."

"Yes, that's what I said."

"A NAKED copy of you."

Zelgadis sighed. "Yes, so?"

"And you're alright with the girls seeing you in all of your naked glory?"

A long stiff silence entered the chamber. Zelgadis looked to his copy and paled. A series of screams were soon to follow.

Amelia covered her face with her hands as she fought her blush. "Mister Zelgadis, why didn't you give him some clothes?"

"I-it never occurred to me!" Zelgadis stood in front of his copy and held out his cape to block their view. He'd hoped it would preserve some of his dignity.

"It never occurred to you that we would be seeing you naked?" Lina yelled, whirling around. Her face was as red as a tomato.

"It didn't bother you until Gourry brought it up!"

"Shut up!"

Gourry sighed, feeling sad he was the only calm person in the group. He grabbed a blanket he had spotted hanging over a chair in the corner and spread it out. Seeing what he was doing, Zelgadis took hold of the other end. Together, the men tied the blanket around the tube. When they were done, the tube was wearing an ugly, muddy-brown blanket as a skirt. It was not attractive, but it fulfilled its job of concealing the copy's private parts.

When it was deemed safe, the girls opened their eyes and their shoulders dropped. "Well, now that we got that out of the way," Lina replied, walking up to the tube, "let's get back to the topic at hand." She pressed her hand against the glass. "How long has it been here?"

"A few years," Zelgadis replied, taking a seat to get rest he desperately needed. "According to the journal's dates, this was made a month before I had met you and Gourry."

"But I don't get it." replied Gourry. "Why would Rezo make a human copy of you?" He tilted his head at the chimera. "You're stronger as a chimera, so wouldn't you be more useful to him as a chimera?"

"It's probably because chimeras are hard to copy," Amelia replied as she studied the copy. It was incredible. For years, she had been curious to know what Zelgadis had looked like as a human, and here was her wish in flesh and blood. It was surreal to have two versions of her dear friend in the same room.

Lina nodded. "Chimeras are made by taking different parts from different creatures. Since they're artificially made and not born naturally, copying them is difficult. Rezo probably figured it would be easier to take a human copy of Zel and just add the same parts he used before to make a new chimera Zel."

Gourry chewed his lip. "I still don't get it."

"Think of it like an apple pie." Lina pretended she was stirring an invisible bowl. "You can grow apples, get water, and all the ingredients you need to make it. You mix them together, and voila!" She clapped her hands. "You have an apple pie. If you wanted another apple pie, you couldn't grow a whole apple pie. You would have to get the ingredients again in order to make another pie."

"That makes sense, I guess." Gourry wiped the drool off his chin. "And now I'm craving a slice of apple pie." He stroked his chin. "But, Lina, that doesn't apply to everything. How do you explain babies then?"

Lina blinked. "Huh?"

"Well, you don't mix ingredients to make a baby, you-"

"WE'RE NOT GETTING INTO THAT!"

"But I'm just saying-"

The princess cleared her throat, in an attempt to get back to the topic at hand. "Mister Zelgadis, what do you plan on doing with this copy?" All eyes turned to Amelia. "You said you needed our help, but with what?"

Zelgadis leaned his elbows on his knees. He folded his hands together and smirked. "It's a crazy idea, but if it works, I can once again be fully human. I need your help in finding a Hellmaster jar."

Lina folded her arms. "I think I see where you're going with this." She pointed her finger at him. "You want to use a Hellmaster jar so you can switch and put your soul inside the human copy."

"Exactly." Zelgadis straightened and folded one leg over the over. "I had thought of making one, but I've never seen any notes or designs in any of Rezo's labs explaining how he created it. So, my best bet is to find a spare."

"But what makes you think there's another jar?" said Gourry. "I thought there was just one."

Lina shook her head. "Remember Nama? She had found a second jar. Plus, there were the jars used for Duclis and Pokota. So, we know Rezo made at least four jars. Considering how many experiments he was constantly doing, it is possible that another jar exists somewhere."

Zelgadis nodded. "I've searched Rezo's smaller labs thoroughly, so I'm certain there's no jar in any of them. That leaves his larger underground lab in Sairaag, or possibly a hidden one we don't know about."

"I thought the one in Sairaag was destroyed," replied Lina.

Amelia shook her head. "Seyrune received reports from soldiers we sent to assist with cleaning up and rebuilding the city. Most of the lab was destroyed, but some parts are still intact." She glanced back to the chimera. "I told them to leave the lab alone and barricade it, in case Mister Zelgadis needed to go back there."

"I went and haven't found anything worthwhile, but now I want to go back. There might be a clue as to where another jar might be kept."

Lina tapped her chin. "It's a good place to start."

"So, are you in, Lina?"

"Sure, Gourry and I still haven't found a sword for him, but we're not doing anything else at the moment." She winked. "Besides, I want to be there for the crowning moment when you finally get your cure."

Zelgadis smirked back. "I already gathered supplies so-"

"But is this right?" Amelia chewed her bottom lip. She didn't want to ruin Zelgadis's dream, but someone had to point out the one flaw in his plan. "Is it right to force the copy to be switched into a body that's not his? It's not his fault he was born like this." She threw a fist in the air. "He was also a pawn in Rezo's evil plans."

Zelgadis chuckled, which surprised the princess. "I had a feeling you would say that." He stood next to the incubation tube. "You have nothing to worry about Amelia, because this copy has no mind." He tapped the cold glass. "While making the copy, Rezo had thought he would ensure that this version would be more loyal than me. He injected a serum that would stop this copy creating it's own free will and mind. Ozel had more freewill than this thing."

"So, it's like a golem?" Lina answered.

"That's right," said Zelgadis as he moved toward Amelia. "This thing is a soulless body, a genuine living puppet." He place his hand on Amelia's shoulder. "So, there's nothing for my soul to be switched with."

Amelia nodded. That put part of her mind at ease. The rest of her mind was building an urge to make a speech on how wrong Rezo was to create a copy just to obey him. How could someone think it was right to control a living being's life like that? She remembered that her sister would create and control golems, but those were different. Rezo had created living, breathing life, only for it to have no life of his own. It just wasn't fair.

"This body might as well be put to good use," Zelgadis replied. "Besides, it seems fitting that Rezo, who cursed me with this chimera body, would be the one to give me my new body."

Amelia nodded. It still was hard to wrap her mind around this plan, but they had to do this. Zelgadis would finally be human again. Yet, using the Hellmaster jars made her queasy. In the wrong hands, they could be used to ruin people's lives forever. The memory of what had happened to Pocota and Duclis still lingered. She just prayed nothing bad would happen with Zelgadis using it.