Slayers: Chaos
Faceless Man
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Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers etc etc etc….boy feels good to be back! X.x" Warning: This fic contains graphic language/violence/sexual explicit content. You have been warned.
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"So tell me…" Zelgadiss started as he walked down the left corridor, "Why do those guards all have the same eyes as you, Calth?"
Calth glanced over at Zel and replied,
"Because my friend, they are all paladins."
Zel's eyes widened.
"All of them?"
"Yes.." Calth replied, "All of them."
Zel stared at the floor for the rest of the journey.
What am I getting myself into?…
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"Ugh! I still can't believe that I'm not gonna see anyone for two years…" Lina said, putting her arms behind her head.
"…Hey." Amelia piped in, "You'll see me Lina-chan…"
Lina sweat-dropped.
"Uh..yea, well..you know…none of our guy friends." She smiled innocently.
"Yea…I'm gonna miss Zel."
"I'm gonna miss Gourry." Lina said softly.
"…"
"…"
Both the girls chuckled nervously and Rezo sweat-dropped ahead of them, leading them further down the dim hallway.
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Xelloss was staring…as much as he could without opening his eyes…at the marvel before him. The quote, "the light at the end of the tunnel" didn't nearly give justice to what he was seeing. The dark, dreary, damp halls behind him were a completely different world from the shining, bright, grass-filled plains of this new place. Near the middle stood a tall, perfectly erected citadel. It seemed to reach into the heavens. It also seemed impossible, though. He was inside, so why the hell was it so bright? And how could grass grow? And how was there a sky?…Questions he would ask the paladin, once he arrived. Xell did not have to wait long.
Calth, with Gourry and Zel tagging behind him, slightly shielded his eyes from the light. Zel and Gourry, apparently, showed the same reaction to the amazing place as Xelloss did.
Calth appeared and stretched his arms, basking in the warm glow that left a scowl on Xelloss' face. Calth glanced over at the irritated Mazoku.
"This place not to your liking?" he asked with a slight smirk.
Xell scowled.
"I'm not used to it, that's all…" he replied.
"Well, get used to it, Mazoku, you'll be spending quite a bit of time here."
Xell scowled deeper.
"Right."
"Ok then. Shall we make our way into the hall?" Calth asked, extended a hand towards the citadel.
Zelgadiss and Gourry started out, but Xelloss spoke up before they got far.
"Hold on, now. I have a few questions I would like to ask our newly acquired ally." Xell said, the mischievousness back in his voice.
Calth crossed his arms. It was his turn to scowl.
"Very well." he started, "What is it you have to ask?"
"Well, first off…how in damnation did you get this place in here? Why is it…so…bright..and what is with that castle?" Xell pointed to the tall spires in front of him.
"Well, to answer your questions." Calth began, "This place was created using Light magic, which, obviously, is why it is so bright here. The citadel you are pointing to is the Hall of Light and Dark, and that is where you will be trained." Calth stated.
Xell smiled, hiding the annoyance he was feeling.
"Yes, well, those were simple questions. And simple questions are answered by simple people." he stated matter-of-factly.
"No, Xelloss Mettalium. There are no simple questions. Only ones with so little relevance, the weak minded see them as simple." Calth answered.
With that, he spun around on his heel and left a near slack-jawed Xelloss behind for a few paces. The trickster priest had his taunt turned right back around in his face, something that rarely happened to him. Xelloss did not like Calth.
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Calth entered the hall, and the place was even more well lit. He made his way through hordes of jeering people, smiling children, and priests and nuns assisting those who needed it. People soon noticed the newcomers, and began to applaud immediately. Calth smiled and sheepishly held up his hands. Gourry, Xelloss and Zel exchanged very odd looks with one another. Calth somehow sensed this, and turned around to whisper to his bewildered comrades.
"These are the acolytes. They are Paladins and Clerics in training, as well as a few of the more talented citizens of Naggarond. They come from all over, not just the upper class or rich, but the poor or average as well. Anyone can serve Nem'Ank. Anyone." he explained.
Zel blinked for a moment. "I see." he said, surprised.
Calth led the three newcomers through the crowd, and they were met with pats on the back, and praises from many differing languages. Calth stepped up on a podium and with a wave of his hand, silenced the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Nem'Ank, I give to you three new Paladin acolytes that are very special. They are special because they are not from our world. They have been brought from the planet called Earth, and like the rest of you, will train to fight the evil that will soon envelop the galaxy." Calth was obviously talking about Karn, and apparently he was quite infamous here.
"Now, if you will let us pass through the main hall, so we can our new acolytes accustomed to they're new home, I would much appreciative."
The crowd split down the center, a path leading to a corridor that led to many rooms with a guard in blue armor with a large pike guarding each door. Calth stepped off the podium and returned to Xelloss, Zelgadiss, and Gourry.
"Those are the training rooms." Calth explained, "Where you will be spending the majority of your time."
Calth led the beyond confused mazoku, chimera, and human down the pathway.
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Rezo clunked his staff against a large stone door, and it slowly slid open, leading the way to a large arena like structure. He then turned around and faced Lina and Amelia.
"This is the Mage guild." he stated simply, slowly walking inside the arena. Lina and Amelia quickly followed, not wanting to be left behind in this strange place.
The "arena" was really a large mass of rooms that surrounded an empty field. Near the North and South of the field were two large columns, one on the north, one to the south. Humans..or at least humanoids…were rushing about the stories of rooms, and some rode on dragon like creatures across the field to the other side of the arena. Lina noticed the differing colors of robes. Many wore simple blue or black, while others wore more elaborate gold or silver. Rezo suddenly wheeled around on one foot.
"Now, I will not be training you. I have more pressing matters to attend to for the moment. You two will be coming under Arch Magi Dvinn Reala, and he will get your…casting abilities…up to par." Rezo said.
Lina starting fuming.
"'Up to par'?!" she yelped, "Did you forget or something Rezo? I'm the most powerful sorceress on Earth!"
Rezo glanced at Lina.
"Not quite the most powerful, and we're not on Earth, are we?" he said with a small smile at the red-faced Lina.
"Now, you must bid me adu, I will see you in two years." With that, Rezo vanished.
"Bah! Good riddance!" Lina exclaimed. "Now…where is this guy at?"
"Erm…right here, Ms. Inverse." a distinctly male voice said behind her. Lina turned around and saw a handsome…a very handsome …young looking man with slightly pointed ears in a white robe with gold circles near the chest. He bowed sheepishly.
"How rude of me to not introduce myself. I am Dvinn Reala. Just call me Dvinn."
"Er. Ok Devin." Lina replied.
"Its ..erm, Dvinn."
"That's what I said, Denim!" Lina explained with a small sweat drop on her forehead.
Dvinn sweat dropped. It was going to be a long ass two years.
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Rezo was just about pissed.
"Listen, you tree hugging, harpy!" he fumed, "If Karn gets past us, who do you think he'll come for next? Hn?" his hands were starting to shake a little.
Holly Mistwinder, the Sword Saint, the leader of the Zealots Of the Light Forest, sat on her wooden throne looking at the Premier.
"I'm sorry." she cooed in that damnable beautiful voice of hers, "But Z.O.L.F will not help you. Karn is your problem, not ours. Take your pleas elsewhere, Premier." she said with a grim sense of finality.
"But Karn would as soon destroy you as me! Listen to your ranting, woman!" Rezo stood up and was now openly yelling at her.
Holly stood up off her throne.
"You do not yell at me like some bar tavern wench." Blue light danced around her eyes. "Understand?"
Rezo calmed down and turned and started walking away.
"I understand perfectly, Holly." Rezo grimly stated, "That you don't give a damn about your subjects."
Holly hissed at him.
"That's it, Premier. From this day forth, you are now an enemy of this grove. Do not show your face again."
Rezo smiled darkly.
"So be it. I always knew we shared an open hatred for one another. Our ideals are just to different. Pity." He turned to face her.
"But know this, Sword Saint." Rezo started, "When your children are lying dead in the street, when your women are screaming for their men…their fathers, their husbands and brothers…to be shown mercy, only to be brutally murdered by Karn's demons. Do not come to me for aid, or to anyone else on Naggarond. You are now an enemy of mine as well."
With that, Rezo teleported to his main hall.
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Calth had already shown Xelloss and Gourry to they're respective dorms. Only Zelgadiss remained.
"Where do I go?" he asked.
"You…you follow me." he motioned to follow him.
Zel shrugged and did so.
Calth led Zelgadiss down another hallway…this place seemed to be made up of nothing but halls…to a large room(!) where many other people were practicing different arts of fighting. Some wielded maces, staves, or other blunt like weapons while others cast powerful looking spells at summoned creatures that would explode in a puff of purple haze when they were defeated. Others practiced healing the wounded.
"What is this place?" Zel asked.
"It is the hall where clerics train. You are going to become a cleric. As for me, I have to take my leave, and return to train Xelloss and Gourry. I'll see you in two years, Zelgadiss. Good luck." He waved goodbye with a two-finger salute, and teleported away, leaving a rather bewildered Zelgadiss Greywords behind.
A few moments after Calth disappeared, a large burly man approached Zel.
Oh my… the Chimera thought …is this going to end up being painful? He sweat dropped.
He glanced Zel up and down for a minute or two, then loudly laughed and said,
"Well well well..seems Calth left me someone who's so scared, 'ey's turned blue, 'ey has!"
Zel sweat dropped larger.
"No, I always look like this." He replied.
The big man chuckled and clapped Zel on the back, causing him to lose balance and cough a little. God he had a strong right arm.
"My name be Roth…yers?" he said.
"Zel-Zelgadiss."
"Well, 'Zel-Zelgadiss', welcome to the world of clerical magic…"
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Approximately two Naggarond years later…
Xelloss was levitating a few feet off the ground with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. He yawned loudly. And he got the response he knew would happen.
"Stay awake, Xelloss.." came Calth's annoyed reply.
The ex-Mazoku turned Paladin couldn't help but smirk.
"Yes master Calth."
"This is important, Xell." Calth scolded him, "You know that you must meditate for an hour a day, every other day to control the tempest of power that's in you." Calth rubbed his temple.
"This is why I didn't want to train you, Mazoku. Your dark side still is very existent, and the power of Nem'Ank would tear you apart, physically and mentally, if you did not do this." Calth got up from his chair and rapped Xelloss across the back of the head.
"So just do it, so we can finally finish your training!"
Xelloss 'hmphed', and opened one eye pointing off to the side.
"And why doesn't he have to do this again?"
Xelloss was pointing at a flying Gourry, who was doing elaborate back flips in the air while expertly dispatching a few flying illusion-monsters with his glowing Nem'Ank sword.
"Gourry!" Calth barked.
Gourry came to a rough halt upside down and flew….straight into a wall.
Calth sighed and with a wave of his hand, the rest of the illusions disappeared. He then turned his attention back to Xelloss.
"Because unlike you, he is not a Mazoku!"
"Oh, of course." Xelloss said, his never dying trickster grin returning to his face. "How could I be so foolish?"
Calth was twitching. He really did not like that smile.
"Alright, you finish up meditating, and you." Calth pointed to a swirly eyed Gourry. "Just…try not to break anything?"
"Uh..ok!" Was Gourry's perky reply.
Calth sighed again and headed for the door.
"Master Calth?" Gourry called after him.
"Yes Gourry?" came the reply.
"Where are you going?"
Calth coughed loudly and almost lost his balance.
"I already told you! I'm going back to your planet to warn its inhabitants! You two need to finish up this last weeks worth of training, then you can return home!" Calth had a vein bulging from his head. God, these two were impossible!
Gourry blinked innocently, as if trying to remember if Calth had actually told him. His golden aura flared down, and his naturally blonde hair simply returned to its normal position. Xelloss couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. Every time Gourry transformed, he always looked like a porcupine the way his hair would stick out in every possible direction. Calth had almost had a conniption trying to get Gourry to cut it. Gourry, of course, didn't.
"Ok, well, we'll see you in a week or so then?" Gourry asked.
"Yes, Gourry." Calth said.
"So does this mean me and Xelloss are Paladins now?"
"Not quite, but almost. Once I return, you will go through the final procedure. Alright?"
"No prob!" Gourry replied.
With that, Calth went outside, shut the door, and proceeded to face-vault into the nearest table before teleporting to Earth.
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