Chapter 16
The Calm Before the Storm
As the sun rose high in the sky, signalling the midday, the villagers of Dakeyras all breathed a sigh of relief. Their hard fought battle against the flames that consumed their village had been won. Yet, victory did not come easily: Even as the flames had all been extinguished, Dakeyras itself was in utter ruin. What was once a thriving village was now a wreckage of scorched rubble and ash.
Yet even as ruined as Dakeyras was, there were few buildings left standing.
One of which, was certainly cause for suspicion among the more perceptive villagers.
A building that was separated from the rest of village and feared by the local populous.
It was on a hill overlooking Dakeyras. And it came in the form of a mansion. A mansion that, whilst being generally avoided by the general public, was still regarded as part of the village. A mansion that had a reputation for housing peculiar activities and all things of occult origin and dangerous business.
A mansion that, until recently, remained empty.
A mansion where something horrific was mere hours away from taking place.....
And it was in the depths of this mansion that a pair of ruby red eyes were slowly opening.
Lina Inverse opened her eyes halfway. What.....? She was still alive?
Gradually, her senses came back into operation. It was now that her ears picked up the sound of water dripping. Apart from that, no other sound could be detected.
Lina sighed groggily. What had just happened? Her body felt covered with bruises and she ached all over. What had just happened? Her recollection of the past few hours seemed hazy. The last thing she recalled was fighting Damenamecus.....
Damenamecus?!
Immediately, Lina's eyes shot open, the thought of the greater mazoku triggered her into action. Forgetting all about being freshly emerged from unconsciousness, the sorceress leapt to her feet. Her eyes darting left and right, looking for that Greater Mazoku. Where is the bastard?! She'll teach him to mess with her!
There was just one problem.
Lina, was still injured and in no shape to chase bad guys!
Struck with this sudden realisation, Lina was brought back onto the floor.
Dammit! Damn that Damenamecus! Damn his mazoku arse to hell!
Cursing under her breath, Lina drew her powers to cast a healing spell.
Dammit, it looks like she's stuck here.
Wherever here is.
Lina paused, using the opportunity to identify her surroundings. Yet the surroundings weren't anything special: She was in a room. An empty room with a dirty floor, cold stone walls and little light to illuminate the room completely. Yet with the little light in the room. Lina could make out that the room was devoid of any furniture and there was a door that led from the world to who knows where.....
Lina grumbled. Well this was just great. It seems obvious that she's been captured. But by who? Was it by those three evils who were pursuing Amelia? If they're after Amelia then what would they want with her?
But wait. Would Amelia still be alive? In the battle with the greater mazoku, Damenamecus mentioned that he was relying upon a host body to remain in the mortal realm. A host body that could only have been Amelia. But if Damenamecus had been defeated then where's Amelia?
Suddenly a voice broke the sorceress out of her thoughts.
"Lina!"
At the sound of her name, the red-head looked up. Looked up to see Gourry Gabriev rising up off the floor with a bewildered expression on his face. And thanks to Syl's healing powers, his body was without a scratch.
Upon seeing her friend alive and well, Lina's face broke into an expression of pure delight.
"Gourry!" she exclaimed "You're alive!"
"Yeah" Gourry grinned.
"So you're here too eh?"
"What?" Gourry replied blinking. "Here?"
"Oh come on!" Lina said, exasperated. 'Didn't the change of scenery give you a clue?!"
"Err.....no?"
Lina slapped her forehead in frustration.
"It seems that someone wants to keep us as prisoners" said a third voice.
Lina and Gourry turned to see Zelgadis emerging into view. Yet the chimera was hardly in the best of shape: Following the battle with Damenamecus, Zel was looking fairly battered and bloodied and he bore a grim expression. Fortunately for the chimera, it was his chimera form that bore the brunt of the injuries and kept him from death's door.
Lina blinked in astonishment.
"Zel!" she exclaimed. "Are you all right? I'm so sorry!"
Zel blinked. "Sorry?"
"Yeah, sorry for blasting you into the air with an Explosion....."
Lina suddenly went quiet mid-sentence as she just realised what she'd just said. Zelgadis' expression then grew angry.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU BLASTED ME INTO THE AIR?!' he shouted.
"Oh come on!" Lina argued "If it wasn't for your stone skin you wouldn't still be alive!"
As Lina and Zel plunged into yet another argument, Gourry sighed. Here we go again....
He thought back to what Zel said about being prisoners. Such an ideal bothered the swordsman. If he was really was a prisoner here then it seemed logical to leave while he still can.
"Guys!" Gourry yelled interrupting the argument. "Are we really prisoners here?"
Lina and Zel fell silent and turned towards the swordsman, all concepts of the argument forgotten completely.
"Well, it appears that if someone has brought us here then they would most likely want to keep us here." Zel said.
"Screw that!" Lina snapped. 'We're getting out of here, Period! Whether the someone who brought us here, likes it or not!"
"I'm with you!" Gourry grinned. And with that he reached for the door handle.
Upon seeing this, both the sorceress and the chimera blinked in disbelief.
"Uhhhh.... Gourry?" Zel said. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah!" the swordsman said, impatiently. "Do you want to get out or not?"
"Did it ever occur to you that that door could be locked? Or maybe at least trapped?"
But Gourry wasn't listening. Driven on by his eagerness to leave this cell, he grasped the door handle and tried it.
Only to find it unlocked!
Pleased with this revelation, Gourry then opened the door slowly, allowing light to spill into the darkened room and give any traps time to set off. When no such traps came, the swordsman looked beyond the doorway to see a well lit hallway. A hallway that offered the road to freedom! Grinning, Gourry stepped into the hallway and headed off down it.
Lina and Zel stared in absolute astonishment.
"It was unlocked." Lina murmured.
"Too easy" Zel growled.
Lina glanced at the chimera quizzically. Then she shrugged her shoulders and took off after Gourry. Zel let out a sigh before following suit.
Amelia stood in her room in the tavern. Her eyes were gazing solemnly into a mirror and her brain was assessing the situation at hand.
Once the initial shock had settled in and died away, questions flowed into her head at an astonishing rate. How could this have happened? How could she pick up this cursed form? Did she pick it up from that blasted cult? Or maybe the sphere that they offered for her condition?
Damn that Kurt! Damn him to hell! Was this the cure for her coughing that he promised?!
How could that bastard do this to her?! Here she was, a princess, a Champion of Justice, an icon to the people and a figurehead to the battle against all that is evil.
And she was struck down with a curse. A curse that deformed her appearance. A curse that makes her shunned from human eyes. A curse that robs her of her status and makes her an item of hatred and ignorance.
How ironic.
What made the irony even more bitter was that she now looked exactly like Zelgadis. Yes, she possessed the same curse that Zel had. The same curse that was wrecking tremendous damage on his character and his perceptions on life. The same curse that drove him on to search for a cure and shun all else around him. Yet in spite of this, Amelia, being the good-natured person she was, worked hard to break down the walls the Zel had erected to the world. She wanted him not to so bothered on his appearance. She wanted him to keep being focused on the human portion of his chimera form. She wanted to him to forget his curse and concentrate on what a good person he really was. She was perhaps the only one who would ever love him - for what he really was.
Amelia paused, thinking over the events that have transpired over th past few days. Ever since they had run into those vampires, Isabella and Leopold, both she and Zel had grown incredibly close. Close enough to form a very tight bond. Yes, after countless months spent in each other's company, it took only but a few days for Zelgadis to admit that Amelia's presence had done some good to his bleak personality. And in that time, he also revealed the feelings he had developed for the princess and sealed the bond between them. And Amelia couldn't be happier: Her countless efforts were successful and her love was, at long last, returned.
But even as it took so long to create the long-awaited bond, it was but a fragile creation. What would it take to shatter it? What would it take to destroy what had taken so long to build? What would it take to break that which held Zel and Amelia together?
Something like this.
How would Zel react to this? How would he react to see that he wasn't the only chimera in this world? How would he react to see his beloved Amelia like this? How would he react to see her possessing the very thing that she was trying to destroy?
Amelia bowed her head in despair. What was she to do?
Then she felt a gentle hand resting on her shoulder.
The chimera looked up to see that the hand was Sylphiel's.
The priestess smiled a smile that was at once both optimistic and sad.
"Amelia" she said softly. "I know how hard this must be for you."
The princess nodded.
"I know Syl, I know"
"But anyway" Amelia went on, in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "What are you doing here? Did you come looking for Lina?"
"Preciously" Syl said. "However I didn't just come here looking for Lina. I was looking for you."
Upon hearing this, Amelia turned away from the mirror and blinked at the priestess.
"Really? After what happened at Martina's party I thought I'd be the last person you wanted to meet."
"Not quite" Syl answered. "I'm actually here at the request of Prince Philionel Saillune."
At the mention of her father's name, Amelia fell silent.
"Your father knew your attack on me was the action of possession. Therefore, he entrusted me to seek you out and prevent you from doing anything insane. And, if necessary, I am also under the instructions to break the curse that may be befalling you."
Amelia reached out and placed a gentle hand onto Syl's shoulder.
"Sylphiel" she said, smiling a warm smile. "It's great to know that I have friends I can count on, especially in times such as these.
"However" she went on. "I can't go back to Saillune"
Syl reached up and took Amelia's hand in her own.
"You know" she said. "For a minute there, you sounded like Zelgadis."
Amelia blinked in surprise at the priestess' observation. Then she dropped her hands down to her sides and bowed her head. Syl was right. There was no point in saying things like that. She didn't want to turn towards the Zelgadis line of thought. She didn't want to hide away from the world. And she certainly didn't want to turn into that which she has tried to destroy.
She may be a chimera, but she is still a Champion of Justice. And in times of crisis the only thing to do is what one does best. And no matter what the appearances, she is still a representative of the general populace and justice.
And she was also a good friend.
"You're right" Amelia said softly. "I will go back to Saillune with you, no matter what."
Syl blinked. Despite Amelia's words, she could tell the princess was still upset.
Sylphiel placed a hand of reassurance on the princess' shoulders.
"Don't worry" she said gently. "Before we head off to Saillune, we'll go find Lina. She'll know what to do."
"But first" she said with a grin. "How about some breakfast?"
"Sure!" Amelia chuckled.
"I was just heading outside to go get some. You want to come?'
"No thanks" Amelia replied. "I'll stay here."
Syl nodded before grabbing her heavy cloak and moving out through the door. Amelia, meanwhile, sat down on the bed and rested her chin on her fists, her mind lost in it's own thoughts....
Some time later, the door squeaked on it's hinges, signalling the arrival of someone entering the room.
"Sylphiel?" Amelia called, without turning around. "Is that you?"
"Not exactly" came a reply. A reply in a voice that at once was not Sylphiel's and disturbingly familiar.
Amelia flicked her head around in alarm, only to see....
Kurt. The teenager stood next to the door looking rather smug.
"YOU!" Amelia exclaimed, her expression a mixture of fear and hate. "What are you doing here?!"
"Hi, How are you? Nice to meet you!" Kurt replied sarcastically.
Amelia got to her feet and advanced towards the intruder, bearing an expression of murderous intent.
"You've sure got some nerve showing your face around here." the princess snarled.
"Oh come now" Kurt giggled. "Do you always greet friends like this?"
Kurt's smile immediately vanished as Amelia grabbed by the front of his shirt.
"You led me on" she snapped. "You led me to that house with the prospects of a cure for my coughing. But all it did was turn me into a chimera! And that is unjust....."
"Oh come on!" Kurt sniggered. "It did stop your coughing now, didn't it?"
Suddenly Kurt felt the power of Justice as Amelia brought a vicious uppercut to his chin! The teenager flew across the room before slamming into the floor!
Kurt paused before picking himself up off the floor. Yet in spite of his bruises and in spite of Amelia's wrathful expression, he still retained his familiar jovial expression.
"Oh silly me, did I forget to mention there were strings attached?!" he said.
Amelia blinked as he continued.
"But enough of this. I am here with a proposition for you."
"Give me one good reason why I should listen to you" came the reply.
"Because I have a cure for your chimera curse"
Amelia stopped. This was unexpected. Amelia blinked, uncertain how to take this revelation.
But should she believe him? Should she believe after he led her on? NO!
"Liar!" Amelia yelled. "By the Blazing Light of Justice, I will crush you and all your deceptive words!"
"I wouldn't be so sceptical if I were you" Kurt replied.
"And why not?"
"Because I'm holding your friends captive!"
This was enough to halt Amelia dead in her tracks.
Seeing the fury in Amelia's eyes die away, Kurt smiled triumphantly.
"Good" he sniggered. "Now do exactly what I tell you and you will get your cure and I'll release your friends. Agreed?"
Amelia bowed her head in defeat. Eventually she nodded her consent.
Kurt reached out his hand.
"Come" he said. "We will travel"
Elsewhere, three adventurers hurried through the halls of an enormous mansion.
"Damn! This place is huge!" Lina cursed.
"Can you run without talking?" Zel grumbled.
"I just wanna get outta here!" the sorceress retorted.
"Look!" Gourry exclaimed, pointing at two double doors up ahead. "There's the exit!"
"Are you sure about that?" Zel replied.
"Who cares!" Lina grinned. "I want out!"
And with that she sped off, with Gourry in tow, towards the double doors.
Zel sighed before taking up pursuit.
Upon reaching the doors Lina flung them open to reveal....
.....something that was not the outside world.
Instead of reaching the exit door, the three friends found themselves standing in, what looked like, a dining room. A dining room which was occupied by two diners, in the middle of a meal. One was a tall figure with purple robes and skull for a head. The other was a woman with long dark hair, eyes that blazed with intelligence and scarlet robes.
The two diners looked up at the newcomers.
"Oh hello there!" Alana smiled. "You've arrived at last."
"Yes" Adolphus added. "We've been expecting you...."
Chapter 17
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