Ah, life was good. Well, evil, but in a good way. Or was it the other way around?
Zelas sipped at the wine. She'd already had quite a bit of it, but really Mazoku can't get drunk. Zelas refilled her glass while trying to ignore the spinning room.
The wine had been an excellent choice. Fine quality. Good texture and—
What time was it? Hastily, Zelas put her glass down and glanced towards the sundial with her good eye.
Okay, at least I know its night. Grumbling, she looked around. Nope, no servant. The Mazoku Lord usually had a couple stashed around. While they didn't really contribute much to the evil cause, the little servants were good for fetching things, fanning her and rubbing her feet.
Those little buggers would come in handy right now. Her feet hurt a little and the air was getting rather stale.
Where was Xellos when you needed him?
Honestly, she didn't know what got into him. True her little bundle of evil had always been a handful and independent, but Xellos was rarely ever late. Ever since that Dark Star mess, he'd been preoccupied. Frankly, Zelas was getting tired of it.
After Seygram's betrayal and defeat, Xellos was really her only follower. Lesser beast hardly counted and she would never 'borrow' a fellow Mazoku Lord's minions unless absolutely necessary.
So, to test him, she'd assigned the priest the hardest and most deadly mission he had ever faced. Taking care of her pets was certainly more challenging than destroying copies of the Claire Bible as he had been doing for hundreds of years. Maybe all that searching had left him weaker than if he'd been constantly battling? Caring for the wolves would snap him back into shape.
If Xellos succeeded with The Cleaning, he will have proved his worth. Her trust and faith would be returned and her favorite servant would be rewarded.
The Mazoku wasn't quite so sure on what to do as a reward. She could give him a bit more power? No, Xellos was already quite powerful and taking power away from herself was never a good idea or in her nature.
Maybe she's let him change his body? Doing so was pointless and the only point in looking like a human was to deceive the lowly beast. But, projecting the same form for over a thousand years had to be a bit boring.
Zelas always made sure her followers were frightening or deceptively innocent looking though. There was no real 'dress code', but she did prefer her minions looking a certain way. Striking fear in the enemy was always a wonderful thing, no matter the moment, and just the thought of it cheered her up. What Xellos needed now that he was done with those humans was to change his form into something a little more daunting.
She smiled. Alright, it was decided. This Friday, Xellos' form would be truly frightening. Claws and spikes would be involved and maybe some armor too.
It was a perfect plan. A little something to brighten her best follower's day and get him out of that odd dark spot. If Xellos wasn't so powerful, Zelas would have completely altered his personality. Moodiness didn't fit Xellos and Zelas refused to let any of her servant be a little angst bag. Maybe Gaav's Mazoku acted that way, but not her or her followers. She happened to have class.
Without the slightest change of expression, the Mazoku Lord grabbed the bottle of wine and drank directly from it.
Of course, if Xellos didn't manage to care for her little wolf babies, then this whole mess were solved. No Xellos meant no angst bag. Of course, no Xellos meant no dutiful, loyal servants and that meant less fun.
After pulling the cork off a new bottle with her sharp teeth, Zelas thought more about her problem. No, she decided, she didn't want Xellos dead. It would be a pain to create a new one and Zelas hated cutting off a piece of her astral self just to create a newer, weaker servant. Besides she was fond of this one.
However, Xellos' grumpiness wouldn't do.
Maybe that whole mess with Dark Star had affected her purple-haired creation more than she'd originally thought.
He'd seemed okay when he'd first come back. Disappointed, and nervous at her reaction, but overall fine and sure of himself as usual. Her priest has been more affected when Phibrizo had borrowed him and made him follow that Inverse girl around.
Zelas gnawed at the cork still in-between her teeth.
So, something had happened after Dark Star.
He'd been doing his usual duties; not doing them would have either meant dying or a major power reduction. Fewer and fewer Claire bibles and other rare works that might give human more power had been destroyed by him. True, he had been doing other things that might distract him temporarily, but after the Dark Star mess there had been no excuse. The humans were gaining power and Xellos had done little to prevent this it seemed.
The Mazoku spat the cork to the side. Something needed to be done.
Zelas summoned her servant.
Xellos stood before her in a mere instant. He bowed low, a smirk clear on his face. Despite having finished with his task not to long ago, the Mazoku had no noticeable marks on him and confidences radiated from every pore—more so than usual. The Mazoku overlord noticed that the priest seemed to be back to normal.
With utmost skill, Zelas picked up a nearby cigarette with her long claws and brought it to her snout. It wasn't entirely correct to do this while in her currant form (her 'human' for was better suited for smoking and drinking) but right now that didn't matter. She twitched the empty hand and Xellos stood up.
Her priest smiled. "Going out on a hunt?"
Zelas huffed at her cigarette and lit several more. "Soon. How did your latest mission go?"
Xellos' smile widened and he bowed his head. "The wolves are clean."
"All of them?"
"All of them." Xellos confirmed. "It was all a matter of taking down the highest ranking one first. The rest fell in line."
His master readjusted the heavy belt around her wait and lifted one of her swords.
"I have another job for you at any rate," she went on.
Doing his utmost best to hide his displeasure, Xellos kept his head bowed. "Another job?"
Zelas watched him closely. She could sense his usual feelings of trust and commitment, the usual confidence and self-reliance. However, there was some…annoyance?
Interesting. Irritating, infuriated and punishable, but interesting. Rarely had she ever felt this emotion directed at her and never from a follower.
"You sound unhappy." She said carefully.
"It's just—"
"Hmmm?"
"It's my—"
"What?" Growling, Zelas leaned forward.
"I just wish I had a little time off."
"What's wrong?" Vacations were something only Mazoku lords took and that was only under rare circumstances. Zelas herself hadn't taken one for over five hundred years.
"I don't…" Xellos sighed.
"I don't know, Master. Lately, the little things just don't cheer me up anymore." His cheerful and arrogant demeanor disappeared for a second and he looked at his master seriously.
"Such as?" Zelas huffed at the cigarette.
"Everything it seems. I've never felt this before."
"So, there's nothing actually wrong?"
"Yes…No. Not exactly."
"…What?" Her dark eyes focused, unblinking, on her servant.
"Different. Things aren't as simple as they used to be. Everything's changing." Xellos sighed, trying to regain control over himself, wishing he could just turn into his true form and teleport away. "Things are different somehow. Changing." He carefully emphasized the last word. Neither Mazoku had discussed the losses they had suffered nor what that might mean for their race. Xellos was both unsure and secure in their strength. Until recently, there hadn't been anything to worry about.
The purple-haired Mazoku struggled to make his point clear, not sure what was even wrong with him. Perhaps it was the loss of the power the Mazoku had enjoyed for the last thousand or so years. There was no doubt that the Mazoku's were the most powerful beings, but there had been difficulties lately. The gods and even the humans had grown more powerful and even the high up Mazoku had experienced a twinge at the demise of Gaav and Phibrizo. Regardless of how they'd felt about the powerful beings, there deaths had meant gaps in the Mazoku's force.
Xellos brooded for a moment before deciding to find a safe response. "I suppose I just wanted some time to myself."
Zelas's eyes, even the injured one, twitched. "What's that supposed to mean. " Her face went from being keen to cold and cruel. Xellos winced sensing her agitation. She had seemed interested, hiding her anger and venom behind the questions.
Questioning or talking back to his master had surprised him just as it had Zelas. Maybe spending all that time with the human had given his mouth a mind of its own?
Xellos shook his head at the thought. No Mazoku would let a human affect him like that. It was impossible for any weaker being to influence a high level Mazoku. Then again, there was Gaav and Phibrizo to consider. Both had suffered due to one human. Maybe that was something to keep in mind? Every time he dealt with Lina Inverse, she still fascinated him and showed him how powerful even seemingly weak humans could be. Her whole gang was interesting in that regard.
But, it wasn't right to let anyone affect him like this, to steer his thoughts from what was important, (what was important at the moment anyway? Just his master, that was the answer) nor was it right to be disrespectful to the being who had given him life and power. He bowed low before his master and was slightly relieved when Zelas seemed to forgive him.
The priest could rarely experience fear, anxiety or nervousness, but he understood pain and even helplessness after Dark Star. At the thought, Xellos tightened his grip on his staff. No, he hadn't experienced helplessness, which was something only a human would feel. He had felt something akin to it, perhaps. Mazoku knew no fear, only confidence and loyalty.
Loyalty was all he felt towards his master and could never experience anything else. But…No, there were no buts. Xellos would never falter in his responsibilities or experience fear. And never, ever question his master.
Anger still clear on her face, Zelas looked at him expectantly. Her tail and single wing twitched and Xellos experience a moment of pain as some of his astral body was taken, torn, away. Zelas sensed his pain and gave him a feral grin. She did not, however, return the part of the astral body she had taken.
A void filled Xellos and he shuddered. For a second, the Mazoku's body flickered and he nearly left the physical plane his master was so fond of. Zelas leaned back, claws and simple body armor gleaming in the little light.
Xellos shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sorry." He lowered his head and tried to look an innocent as possible. His aura projected the sense of sincerity and he tried to regroup himself from the unexpected pain of missing a few astral 'appendages'. The older Mazoku laughed and Xellos smiled weakly. Though the priest probably wasn't entirely in the clear, his master seemed to have punished him enough. His missing strength would serve as a reminder of his disobeying and disrespect.
Zelas sipped at her wine and readjusted an attractive, but pointless sash around her waist. "Say, how about you get out the big paper fan and make some marguerites?"
Xellos smiled and hurried to retrieve the items his master wanted. After all this time, he had grown used to the Greater Beast's strange mood swings.
What had just happened? He never disobeyed his master. She was wonderful and his goddess and his loyalties to her would never falter. His wonderful master must have really been hitting the sauce considering he hadn't been punished. Maybe that was his reward for taking care of her pets?
"Xellos, hurry up. And I need my feet rubbed! All of them!"
The Mazoku grimaced and grabbed the marguerite mix. Ah, here was his punishment after all.
