I don't own Slayers. Never will. Wish I did. Kind of a drama fic.
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Slayers SILENCE
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Episode Two:
"Treasure Hunt! There's Gotta Be a Cure Somewhere."
"Out of the way! NOW!" Zangulus growled, charging the horse through the streets of Seyruun right up to the palace gates. "Get out of my way!"
"Who dares to invade the Seyruun palace?!" one of the guards demanded.
"I want an audience with someone! And anyone who says otherwise can just shove it up their--" Zangulus began threateningly, starting to pull out the Howling Sword.
"HALT!"
All eyes went to the top of the gate. Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun lept down with aid from a Levitation, landing before Zangulus and his horse, wearing a formal (and rather pink) dress. "Mr. Zangulus, why are you here?" she asked, honestly surprised.
"I've love to explain, but get the best medics you have in the palace, Amelia! Sylphiel needs help," Zangulus told her, anger quickly spreading back into his tone as he got off the horse, said priestess in his arms.
Amelia gave a little gasp. "Ms. Sylphiel!" She turned to the guards. "Don't stand there! Help Mr. Zangulus get Ms. Sylphiel safely into the palace!"
"Mr. Zangulus, try not to worry, okay? We brought the best white sorcerers in Seyruun to help Ms. Sylphiel! She'll be as good as new," Amelia tried to cheer up the swordsman.
He eyed the princess from where he was leaning against the wall. Eventually, he nodded. "Yeah, but it just worries me. Sylphiel's one of the best priestesses, right? And I'm talking human."
"Right," Amelia agreed.
"So, why didn't she heal herself? She knew that she was sick; that's why she kept leaving suddenly on our trip. Sylphiel should have been okay. Why would she try to act tough?" Zangulus pointed out.
Amelia got on her toes, trying to look at the king straight in the eye, but still was way too short; somehow, she still seemed serious enough. "Mr. Zangulus, what are you doing all the way here with Ms. Sylphiel, anyway? Where's Mrs. Martina?"
"We're heading to Rahns," Zangulus explained, then thought about that for a moment. "Actually, I'm heading to Zefilia, but I'm taking Sylphiel with me to Rahns since I'm going to pass through there, anyway. I'm on business and Sylphiel wants to check something. We got attacked on the way here by some kind of monsters. I'm guessing that's what made Sylphiel sick since one of them bit her." He averted eye contact for a second. "Well, ah... she kinda pushed me outta the way," he mumbled.
"Wow. You're on a quest for Justice, Mr. Zangulus?" Amelia asked with sparkling eyes. "I knew that you and Mrs. Martina were finally on the path of righteousness!"
Zangulus waved his hands a bit, "It's not a path for truth or any crap like that! It's personal business!" He sighed a bit and looked to the room where Sylphiel was being healed. "When can we go in? I feel so lousy... It shoulda been me. I'm stronger than she is."
"She saved your life, Mr. Zangulus. You owe her," Amelia said seriously. "She won't ask for anything, but try to help her, okay?" She brightened up immediately. "Anyway, I'll check."
Amelia knocked before she stuck her head past the door. A murmur of a conversation went by, then the princess looked back to Zangulus with a worried expression. "Um... Mr. Zangulus... About Ms. Sylphiel..."
"What?" the swordsman asked. "What's wrong?"
"It's just that the healers... they couldn't heal--"
"Damn it all!" the king growled, pushing Amelia aside and coming into the room. "Sylphiel!"
Zangulus ran up to the bed where Sylphiel rested, growling to himself before glaring at the white sorcerer. "You! What's wrong with her?!" he demanded, lifting him up by the collar. "You live to heal people; why can't you do anything for Sylphiel??"
"Mr. Zangulus, calm down!" Amelia shouted, running after him. "Please! He can tell us if you stop threatening him!"
"I'm not threatening! It's just a fact!" Zangulus defended himself, but put the white sorcerer down. Eventually, he sat down next to the bed, putting his head into his hands. "Damn it... Sylphiel, why did you have to be nice to me?"
Amelia sighed in relief. At least he calmed down a bit. She looked at the sorcerer. "Why can't Ms. Sylphiel be healed?"
The sorcerer started out with a squeak, still phased by the swordsman nearly strangling him. "W-well, she's received some sort of illness that's unknown to any of our priests. It won't let us heal her with white magic. There's nothing that we can do."
"Ah, but there is something you can all do!"
All heads turned to a purple-headed priest with squinty eyes. No, not Rezo ya fools (boy, do I wish people would think like that.)
"Hello, everyone! Nice to see you again," Xellos greeted from his seat, waving a hand. He looked down as the sorcerer fainted from the second most shocking thing in the day. "Oh my... anyway! Good to see you, Ms. Amelia. Hm, never got ourselves aquainted, did we Zangulus?"
The swordsman grumbled. Martina had told him in great detail how the big, bad mazoku had stolen and consequently broken her heart. He didn't take everything she said too seriously, but he could still tell enough that this Xellos was not one to be too trustworthy.
"Mr. Xellos, you said there's something we can do for Ms. Sylphiel?" Amelia queried, looking excited and ready to help out her friend.
The mazoku priest nodded. "Yes, about that. Ms. Amelia, you do remember Kira, don't you? The one that was supposed to help lift the curse from Lina? Of course you do! Anyway, it'd probably be a good idea to check with her. She'd probably have a way to help Ms. Sylphiel."
"Weren't most of her ingredients destroyed, though?" Amelia asked, confused.
"Not to worry; the ingredients are around the kingdom... Somewhere," Xellos informed her.
Zangulus stood up, glaring at the mazoku. "But you won't tell us, huh?"
"Aren't you a smart cookie?" Xellos laughed. "Kira has the information you need. I'll look over Ms. Sylphiel, so don't worry about her, Zangulus," he added, tapping the swordsman on the nose.
"You think I'll trust you to watch her?" Zangulus hissed, hand on his sword.
"Whether you trust me or not is really up to you, but she's in good hands! I guarantee it," Xellos spoke, still smiling. Duh.
Amelia patted Zangulus on the arm, "It's okay, Mr. Zangulus. I don't think Mr. Xellos would do anything to harm Ms. Sylphiel."
"You don't think so?" Zangulus snapped. A pause went by before he sighed in reluctant agreement. "Fine. But don't you dare lay a finger on her, Mazoku. I still have a promise to keep to her."
Xellos waved a bit, "Not to worry. Now, best you hurry. Enough chitchat; Ms. Sylphiel is suffering as we speak."
The two left the room. Xellos perked up, reaching into his pocket, then slapped his forehead, "Why, lookie here! The cure was in my other pocket! Silly me!" He shrugged. "Well, I can't possibly recall who needs it. I sure as heck don't." The Trickster Priest threw it over his shoulder, out the window. Then he looked to the resting priestess. "I find the strangest things, Ms. Sylphiel!"
As Zangulus and Amelia left the room, the Xoana king glanced to the Seyruun princess. "You don't seriously trust him, do you?"
"Mr. Xellos wouldn't have a good reason to do anything to her. Besides, he knows Ms. Lina would get really upset if he did, so I don't think he'd risk something like that. Anyway, hold on; I'd better get in my traveling clothes!"
"Wha?" Zangulus asked with beady eyes.
"I'm going with you to help cure Ms. Sylphiel!" Amelia announced. "I wouldn't be a very good warrior of Justice if I let her suffer without doing something! Of course I'm going. Besides, you need a guide around Seyruun, right? Together, as fighters for Justice, we'll triumph over this illness for Ms. Sylphiel!"
"I can't convince you otherwise, can I," Zangulus stated more than asked. "All right, but hurry up. I'm not waiting over five minutes, all right?"
Amelia nodded quickly, "Of course! I'll be right back, Mr. Zangulus! Wait for me right at the gates at the palace!"
So Zangulus waited, surprisingly not all that long. Amelia rushed out in the outfit he finally recognized her to be often in. They immediately set off with the sorceress in the lead. Along the way, she explained about Kira.
"She used to be on the mountain. Mrs. Martina might have told you about it. Anyway, after her house blew up, Kira came here to work as a type of healer. She tells me it goes all right since no one asks for anything especially rare nowadays; she's a great healer!" Amelia said cheerily.
"But we'll still have to get ingredients since this is a rare illness," Zangulus pointed out.
Amelia nodded with a weak smile. "Well, no one really knows what exactly Ms. Sylphiel has. What were those monsters, anyway? Zombies? Brau demons? Mazoku?"
"Not really sure. Closest I suppose would be zombies, but they were worse than that. Even if zombies are rare, I don't think those were it at all. They didn't look like the typical undead," Zangulus answered.
"Maybe Mr. Xellos knows," Amelia mused outloud. "Anyway, we're getting close. Let's hurry, Mr. Zangulus! For Ms. Sylphiel!"
"Hallo, Princess!" Kira greeted too cutely, then blinked at Zangulus. "Hallo, Mr. Man With a Witchy Hat!"
Zangulus sweatdropped angrily. "Hey!" he growled.
"Mr. Zangulus, I'll tell her," Amelia quickly said.
So she did. Somehow, Kira seemed to recognize the illness.
"She's got Garnia," Kira said with an "ohhhh" expression. "That's especially rare. It makes your insides slowly break down, often causing vomiting of blood and lack of eating or sleeping. A magical element has to be included to cause a seal on her so no white magic works on her. There is a cure, and the ingredients might be around here, but... it's going to be difficult. I'll go with you two, though! I can recognize them anywhere! We'll first need a red herring. They should be at the creek not far from here, but very few people have managed to catch one."
"Has anyone?! Those things are hard to find!" Zangulus exclaimed, looking shocked.
"Yes! One in the last fifty years!" Kira said brightly.
"Well, that makes me feel better..."
"Mr. Zangulus, cheer up! Justice is on our side, and with that there for us, there's nothing we can't do!" Amelia speeched, index finger pointed out. "Let's go, everyone!"
Zangulus sighed heavily, but nodded. Damn, he wanted to help Sylphiel so bad, but this just felt a little idiotic for some reason. And when did he feel so obligated to help someone in this long?
At any rate, the trio headed for the creek and upon arriving there, Zangulus looked around the group. "Anyone know how to fish?" he dared to ask.
Amelia squirmed. Kira laughed weakly. The swordsman threw his hands up into the air, "Of course!"
"Well, you just basically have bait and a string, right?" Amelia pointed out.
"Yes, but unless we happen to be really lucky, and I don't seem to be having that lately, then we're not going to get it," Zangulus said factually.
"Hey, Lina! Look what I got! A red herring!" a cheerful Gourry was heard and seen just up the creek not far from them.
"..." Zangulus said intelligently.
"Mr. Gourry!" Amelia called out, running up to the blond swordsman and waving her hand excitedly.
"..." Zangulus continued.
Gourry smiled with the red herring flopping from his line. "Oh, hiya Amelia! What're you doing out here?"
"Mr. Gourry, this is Seyruun. I live here... Um... we really need that red herring. Mr. Gourry, can we have it? Please?" Amelia begged.
"Wow! Zangulus is here, too? Where's Martina? Hey, you still have that witch's hat!" Gourry greeted his fellow swordsman.
Zangulus coughed out of his shock and glared. "It's not a witch's hat! And we need that fish."
"Well, if you're asking for the fish instead of fighting me, then I guess it must be real important," Gourry thought outloud. He nodded. "Sure! I'm pretty sure we'll get a bunch of fish anyway. Good luck on whatever you guys are doing, okay?" He handed the red herring to Amelia. "Tell Martina I said 'hi,' Zangulus!"
And so, the trio moved on.
"Next, we'll need the whistling leaves," Kira said as she checked off her list.
"Whistling leaves?" Amelia asked with curiosity.
"Yep! If you listen to the leaves when wind blows, then you should hear a faint whistling and you'll find them. The field might have it, but it's not very windy today," Kira explained sadly.
Amelia smiled, "No problem! I can make a Bomb Di Wind."
"That'll just blow the plants apart, and a lot good that'll do," Zangulus pointed out. "We have to think of something, though."
Then, a soft call was heard. "Jillas! Gravos! Hurry with those, all right? We need to get these back home!"
Amelia brightened up again. "Ms. Filia!"
Zangulus was puzzled. Again. "Who?"
"Ms. Filia was with us when we traveled to the outer world," Amelia briefly explained before running after the red fox and large lizard man. Zangulus sighed heavily and ran after her with Kira riding his shoulders.
"Ms. Filia! Mr. Jillas! Mr. Gravos!" Amelia called out in a sing-song voice. "What're you guys doing here?" She stopped before the former dragon priestess, who was cradling a dragon egg (which tripled in size) and watching as Jillas and Gravos loaded a wagon with strange twisty leaves.
"Ms. Amelia! Hello!" Filia greeted. "I was learning about ancient dragons and their eating habits from a very nice golden dragon from a valley. He said that they were vegetarians and as children ate whistling leaves. They're not very hard to spot for a dragon's eye, so we've traveled here to pick up as much as we could."
Zangulus was stunned once again.
"That's great! Ms. Filia, can we borrow some whistling leaves? It's very important," Amelia pleaded. "We need to cure someone and I'm not sure how much longer she has..."
Filia looked alarmed. "Of course, Ms. Amelia. Help yourself."
"Thank you! Mr. Jillas! Waaaiiiit with that load, pleeeease!" Amelia called after the red fox, running toward him.
"...This journey is getting weirder and weirder," Zangulus muttered to himself.
"The next ingredient is a red fox's fur," Kira announced to the two treasure hunters.
"YEOWCH!" Jillas yelped as Amelia yanked out some of his fur. He sniffled and looked at the princess, "You could have asked!"
"Jillas, they have a friend to save," Filia said in a scolding tone.
"Sorry, Boss," Jillas mumbled, nodding as if he completely understood.
"Hey, Amelia. Let's hurry this up, all right?" Zangulus told the princess, looking ready to leave at any time. He didn't like how big Gravos was. Towering over him. Spooky.
Amelia nodded and waved to her other companions, "Bye, Ms. Filia! Good luck with taking care of the baby!"
"Good luck to you, too," Filia told her.
The trio continued as Kira checked off her list, humming pleasantly. Amelia looked down at the little healer. "How exactly are you going to prepare this?"
"Like sushi. We will need to make a magical circle around her before we can serve it to your friend, but that'll be no problem," Kira answered, smiling at the list. "Now, as for the last ingredient..." She stopped walking suddenly, looking a little upset.
"Kira?" Amelia asked, stopping her walk and so did Zangulus, both confused.
"Oh no!" Kira moaned. "We're never going to get this, Princess! It's five Flagoon tree seeds."
Amelia and Zangulus looked at each other, concerned. Zangulus turned around and sighed heavily, "Knew it. That stupid mazoku just sent us on a wild goose chase."
"With Flagoon totally gone, there's no way we can do this," Amelia said breathlessly, staring down at the grass. "Besides, Sairaag is so far away. We wouldn't have enough time..." She looked entirely hurt by Xellos's lie. "Mr. Xellos... why?"
"You can't trust a mazoku," Zangulus said flatly. He paused for a moment, then raised a brow. "I know this is a long shot, but maybe Sylphiel would have some of Flagoon's seeds. No idea how many she would have if at all, but she probably might."
"Good idea, Mr. Zangulus!" Amelia immediately cheered up. "We should head back! C'mon!"
Before they could take another step closer, the ground burst open with what could have been a furless dog, but it was sort of hard to tell with the skin looking like it was melting and barely hanging onto the thing's bones. Amelia and Kira grabbed onto Zangulus's legs, screaming something along the lines of "AAAAAH! SCARY!" as the swordsman wobbled from the sudden weight.
"Get off! I can't get my sword!" Zangulus ordered the two, struggling to stay on balance and hope that the dog-like thing wasn't charging at him as fast as he thought it was.
Amelia cried out, holding her hands in front of herself. "B-blam Blazer!" she stammered, blowing the creature apart with the astral spell. She squeaked in fright and relief, "That was scary and icky!"
"I can't believe you sometimes," Zangulus muttered, trying to pry Kira off of his leg. "Look, there's nothing left to bite you! Let go!"
Then a dozen of the same monsters appeared.
"You can stay on, I guess," Zangulus remarked weakly.
The hooded man walked away from the city, ignoring the puddle of water as his sandaled foot walked into it, leaving a layer of frost behind on the puddle. He was a cold man in more than one way.
He stood beside a rotting log, watching the battle unfold before him. No, there was no way to keep out of this one, too. Without the night to cover him, he'd probably be discovered. Just as well. He couldn't hide forever, could he?
The creepy mage held up his hand in silence as a set of Freeze Arrows appeared and froze some of the beasts. He continued to advance, stepping over some of the monsters' bodies. He snapped his fingers, the frozen demons shattering apart.
Amelia looked at him in alarm after blasting another monster with an Elmekia Lance. Zangulus looked at him, seeming just as surprised once he sent a shockwave at the remaining beasts.
"Why are you here?!" Amelia asked, still in shock.
"I just saved your lives," the hooded man noted. He glanced at Zangulus. "Again." The swordsman grumbled.
"Sorry," Amelia apologized, the "ickiness" of the monsters forgotten and her attention toward the mage.
Zangulus didn't try to move; Kira was still hugging his leg. He sighed and sheathed his sword. "Vrumugun, why are you here anyway?"
"I have been after these things for awhile. I suppose I am offering a helping hand to you. A crutch," Vrumugun answered. "To go into details is meaningless. You are going to return to Seyruun to help your friend, correct?"
Kira shrieked and held onto Zangulus tighter as more monsters tore out of the ground. The swordsman growled, "How many more are there?!"
"Get to Seyruun," Vrumugun suggested calmly.
"They'll follow us! Are you nuts?!" the swordsman yelled at the cold mage.
The wizard glared at him. "Go there." He held up his hand, sending another Freeze Arrow into the group; more just kept coming, barely delayed. "I hope this proves something. This is a meaningless battle for now."
Amelia held onto Zangulus's arm, nodding to Vrumugun. "I hope you know what you're doing, Mr. Vrumugun." She didn't mind leaving the disgusting monsters behind much, but to danger Seyruun... well, the mage better have had an idea of what he was doing.
Vrumugun didn't even spare a nod of confirmation toward her, holding Zangulus's other arm. The group levitated off the ground and back toward the sacred city. They landed at just barely within the town, able to see the monsters charging at them.
"I think this is our cue to get back to the palace," Zangulus remarked, about to leave with Amelia and a frightened Kira stuck on his leg. Vrumugun held him back, still looking out toward the limits. "Now you're really confusing me. Let go already!"
"Watch," was all the mage said, gesturing his hand toward the city's edge.
Zangulus and Amelia were about to protest, but once at the limits of the city, the monsters stopped. They shrank back, growling and whimpering, looking around for a moment as if to try to see a way in. Eventually, they retreated back to the fields.
"Okay. What the hell was that?" Zangulus demanded, eyeing his friend.
"As beings of undead and black magic, one of their weaknesses are white magic. Not my profession, but fortunately Seyruun has a holy barrier over the city. The civilians are safe as long they stay within the barrier," Vrumugun briefly explained.
"Jeez, I wish I knew earlier," Zangulus groaned. "Sylphiel would have been more useful." He perked up, then slapped his forehead. "Damn! Sylphiel! Kira, you're gonna have to let go!" She continued to clutch his leg. The swordsman didn't think he felt anything past his shin anymore. "Look, you can ride my shoulders again, okay?"
"...Okay," Kira reluctantly agreed, slowly letting go and holding up her arms, expecting to be picked up. Zangulus grumbled a bit before placing her on his shoulders.
"All right, let's hurry up back to the palace! Finally, our journey is complete!" Amelia said, automatically cheery again.
"Meet you there," Vrumugun spoke quietly, suddenly disappearing. Amelia edged away from where the mage was. He really was creepy; it wasn't just his copies.
Xellos perked up as he felt a disturbance in the room. Strange. He didn't see many humans travel the Astral Plane. He smiled in amusement. Then he smiled because he felt like it.
"Hello," he greeted Vrumugun cheerily. "Not many of you are left. Interesting! I don't believe we've met..."
Vrumugun looked at him coldly, shrinking away from him. "What is a thing like you doing here?" he asked icily.
"Hm. Reminds me of a certain golden dragon... Ah, anyway. I'm supposed to be looking over Ms. Sylphiel. She's not very good at poker when she's sleeping, I see," Xellos replied, pointing to his latest card game with the priestess. "Surprising! You know what I am. Well, you do travel the Astral Plain; it'd be nothing for you to look into it, I suppose."
Vrumugun said nothing else, still staring at him eerily.
"Mr. Xellos! We're back!" Amelia shouted, rushing into the room. "Oh, you really can teleport, Mr. Vrumugun."
He blinked at her a few times.
"Well, I just thought it was a trick," Amelia laughed uneasily.
"Wish I knew how to do it," Zangulus muttered to himself, setting Kira down once entering. He crouched down to Sylphiel's pack and began to search through it.
Xellos waved his index finger at Zangulus. "Tsk tsk! If only Mrs. Martina knew!"
"Shut up, you pervert," Zangulus snapped at him, pulling out some seeds eventually. "Kira, are these it?"
Kira still looked concerned. "Yes, but... there's only four. We need five of the seeds."
"Damn! It figures," Zangulus sighed heavily.
Amelia sulked. "So... we can't cure Ms. Sylphiel?" She crouched down and sniffed a bit. "That's... unjust! That's not true, is it??"
Vrumugun glanced to Zangulus's hand with the Flagoon seeds, the cautiously pulled out something and handed it to him. "It is old, but it should suffice..."
Zangulus stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. "I shouldn't ask, should I?"
"That would be wise."
Amelia looked much more cheerful, smiling at Vrumugun. "Thanks so much, Mr. Vrumugun!" She'd have probably hugged him if he weren't so creepy.
Xellos snapped his fingers suddenly after Zangulus handed the seeds to Kira, who immediately started to work on the cure. "Of course! That's who needed the cure!" the mazoku laughed. "I can't believe I forgot!"
"What are you talking about?" Zangulus queried, lifting an eyebrow at the weird priest.
"Well, it's kind of embarrassing, but I found out that the cure was in my other pocket! I forgot who needed it and threw it over my shoulder and it went out the window. How silly of me," Xellos giggled.
Zangulus grabbed him by the collar. "You WHAT?!"
"Well, I wasn't about to jump after it; we're three stories up," Xellos pointed out.
"Mr. Zangulus, it'll be okay now! We have the cure and Ms. Sylphiel will be all right again," Amelia told the swordsman.
Xellos nodded. With a smile, of course. "Exactly. That's what counts most," Xellos said with a happy sigh, completely overdone.
Zangulus muttered and let go of the mazoku, sitting down in a chair. "This is one of the reasons why I got married; I didn't want anymore freaky stuff happening, but no! It happens anyway," he rambled on to himself. "Then again, my best friend is Vrumugun, so..."
The mage glared at him.
The procedure had gone well. Kira set up a magical circle in the room, and Sylphiel was placed there. Once she was fed the cure, Sylphiel was immediately put back to bed to rest.
"Give her a lot of rest. I'll be back tomorrow to check on her," Kira told Amelia. "Don't try to heal her; the cure will do it all on its own. Just make sure she stays in bed no matter what."
"Okay. Thanks, Kira," Amelia said gratefully.
The healer smiled. "S'okay, Princess! It's my job!" She waved. "Bye, Princess! Bye, Mr. Zangy! Bye, Mr. Priest! Bye, Mr. Creepy Wizard!"
Vrumugun looked at her silently.
"Ummm... bye!" Kira squeaked, running down the hall.
"You scare more children that way," Zangulus told Vrumugun. The mage simply stared at him. "You know, if you keep that face, it's gonna stay that way," the swordsman continued to tease.
"Shut up," Vrumugun said flatly. He had barely twitched a smile, at least.
Amelia stretched and sighed, sounding pleasant. "I think I'll go to bed now. It's been a really long day." She waved to the other three. "Good night!" The princess walked down the hallway, humming merrily to herself.
"Well, I suppose I should be away, anyway. Nice to meet you, Mr. Vrumugun," Xellos said, smiling at the mage. A rare dark smile, seeming to challenge him. "Sleep well! I'll return to see how Ms. Sylphiel is doing." The mazoku disappeared, leaving Vrumugun to frown after him.
"Yeah, I know. He's a pain in the ass," Zangulus agreed, heading back into Sylphiel's room.
"It is more than that," Vrumugun replied simply with a shake of his head. He eyed the swordsman, who sat down beside Sylphiel's bed with a bit of anger. "Important to you?"
Zangulus shrugged. "She's my responsibility until I get to Rahns."
"Right. As you say."
The swordsman ignored that statement. "Can't wait to end this crap. I've been sidetracked too much. Bringing Sylphiel along was probably a mistake."
"May I remind you that her white magic shall be very useful?" Vrumugun pointed out.
Zangulus shook his head, his eyes still settled on the priestess. "She nearly died because of me. That's why it was a mistake."
"And you would have probably died overall if not for her. You would have still been attacked in the same town, not treating your injury, and dying at the edge of Seyruun," the mage said honestly.
"Look, I know I owe her my life, but I don't like the idea of her getting in trouble all the time because of me."
Vrumugun shrugged. "A price to pay for her aid. It seems like she has been more of your guardian than you hers thus far, Zangulus." He turned around. "We'll probably meet again. Have a safe journey." The mage stepped out of the room, disappearing into the Astral Plane.
Zangulus glared after his friend before returning his eyes onto Sylphiel.
The swordsman noted to himself that he must have been extra sleepy and it was near dawn because A: there was light at the horizon out the window, and B: he was thinking too freaking much and was starting to talk outloud to himself.
"Okay, how many times have I gone over this?" Zangulus groaned. "I feel sorry that she got hit instead of me. Maybe what Vrumugun said was right, but I still think that it's been way too risky for Sylphiel. She's going to get in more danger if these monsters keep popping up, and even if white magic is effective on them she's still going be in a lot of danger. Bringing Sylphiel along was a mistake."
"I'm sorry."
The swordsman wasn't aware that Sylphiel had woken up. He stood up, surprised and relieved. He wasn't sure whether to be mad or happy about it. "Sylphiel! How do you feel?!" Zangulus blurted out first.
"Not so good, but not as bad as I remember," she mumbled, snuggling into the blankets for more comfort. The priestess looked upset.
Oh, damn it all. She heard me, Zangulus thought.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Zangulus. You can leave me behind," the priestess whispered.
"Hey, what did I say about you being sorry all the time?" Zangulus scolded slightly. "Look, um... I didn't mean it." He sighed. He sucked at speaking like this. "It was my fault in the first place. But why didn't you tell me you were sick?"
Sylphiel looked up at him, having pulled the blankets practically right up to her nose, looking more vulnerable than usual. "I was afraid you would have left me behind," she said honestly. "I've done nothing to help you, Mr. Zangulus."
"Look, Sylphiel. You've... kind of made me realize something. I don't want to leave you behind because you're useless. It's the other way around. I'm afraid of getting you killed," Zangulus told her. "It's my fault you got ill in the first place. Don't blame yourself."
Sylphiel shook her head sadly. "I couldn't heal myself. What good is a healer who can't even heal her own wound?" she said a little angrily.
Zangulus frowned. "Sylphiel, rest some more, all right? We'll talk about it later. Like you said, you're still not feeling so great, so later. I promise I won't leave you behind. I just wanted to keep you safe, but I always stick to my promises. I'll take you to Rahns."
Sylphiel had an empty smile, but it was easy to tell that she felt a little better. "Okay," she said quietly, curling up in her bed. Almost immediately, she was asleep again.
The swordsman crossed his arms and sighed. It wasn't just her hearing what he was thinking outloud. She probably felt more than useless being unable to heal herself. Zangulus didn't know as much about magic as her, so it was probably more personal. Besides, if he failed at his swordsmanship against an enemy, he'd probably feel the same way in being unable to help himself. If he couldn't save his own skin, then how would he be able to aid anyone else?
"Maybe Amelia can cheer her up," Zangulus muttered. For now, he decided he'd get an early breakfast and maybe catch a nap before Kira showed up.
Zangulus managed a two hour nap. Lucky him. Amelia was her usual perky self, since unlike him she received the eight hours required for a young adult like her. Xellos hadn't shown up yet, much to the Xoana king's relief, but Kira did.
Sylphiel had woken up, seeming to be much healthier than earlier. Kira checked up on her, then looked at Amelia and Zangulus, "She can travel again, just so long as she takes it easy, 'kay?"
Zangulus was already preparing their supplies as Sylphiel slowly ate her breakfast, her spirits not much better than before. Amelia had attempted to cheer the priestess up with little avail.
"But the illness had a black magic seal on it! You didn't know," Amelia tried.
"I should have sensed it," Sylphiel said sadly. "I should have been able to heal myself."
The swordsman grumbled. It was worse now to have her in low spirits. He did suggest for her to rest again, but she just shook her head and said she was prepared to leave again.
Before the two could leave, Xellos had appeared much to Zangulus's dismay.
"Good morning! How are you feeling, Ms. Sylphiel? Better, I hope?" the mazoku asked the priestess. Zangulus grumbled, glaring at him.
"M-Mr. Xellos, hello," she said, startled. "Much better, thank you. Ms. Amelia said you watched over me when they were seeking the cure? I'm grateful."
Zangulus muttered, "Yeah, and even if you did throw the cure out the window."
"Did you say something, Mr. Zangulus?"
"No, nothing..."
Xellos patted Sylphiel on the shoulder. "Happy to hear it! Oh, and do be more careful. I've yet to try your cooking; can't have you dying before I do! Ta ta for now, my friends." He disappeared, again.
Zangulus frowned. Why Lina let him live was beyond him.
The duo arrived at the edge of the city, just as Amelia was running after them.
"Waaaaiiiit! Ms. Sylphiel! Mr. Zangulus!" the princess called out.
Sylphiel looked surprised. "Ms. Amelia? What's wrong?"
"Since you two are on a quest for Justice, may I come with you?" Amelia requested.
Zangulus facepalmed. "Oh, come on. Not another party member!"
Sylphiel looked hurt. "Well, it depends on what Mr. Zangulus says..."
The swordsman groaned. "She saved your life, Mr. Zangulus. You owe her. She won't ask for anything." Those words Amelia used echoed through his head. He crossed his arms and looked down. So, he did owe her. Traveling with her was enough, wasn't it? No, he promised to do that in the beginning anyway. Well, Sylphiel didn't like being so alone and Zangulus knew he wasn't exactly five-star company.
"This is gonna come back to haunt me," Zangulus grumbled. "Amelia... you can come."
"Really?! This is wonderful! I couldn't just leave the world to suffer by those monsters! I can help you two, really!" Amelia cheered. "We Warriors of Justice shall triumph over those icky things! Well, what you two waiting for?! Let's go!"
Well, at least she can cheer Sylphiel up, the swordsman
thought. Maybe...
-=-=-
As any good hearted series, this is to be continued in...
"In The Name of Justice! Or Maybe It Doesn't Solve Everything..."
...where Sylphiel, Zangulus, and Amelia head
off into the world in the name of Justice or something like that. Then
Amelia must do something unjust in the name of good... Contradiction. Oooo.
Spooky.
Special thanks to Gourry at PhoenixMUCK for the stupid "witch hat" joke; I always thought it was a scarecrow's hat. And also to John Berry, my brother who edited this. Sankyuu.
---
Alba Aulbath
berry@adelphia.net
