Sleep did not keep Zelgadis from smelling food cooking and his growling stomach forced him to start wandering through the haze of waking up and figuring out who and where he was. His mom was cooking breakfast downstairs and he and Billy would conspire to slip the porridge down the special tube built into Billy's chair. No, Billy was dead, their mother was dead and would never make them eat porridge again. Rolf and Zoddimus must have hunted and caught some game, before Shabranigdo killed them. No, he would have to get up or Lina and Gourry would eat everything in sight, except for the coffee Amelia would make for him. No, Amelia wasn't with him, because he couldn't smell her on his skin. Bleary, he sat up and was confronted by a smiling face that was much too close for his comfort.
"Good morning! Rise and shine, Mister Sleepy!" Xellos grinned wider as waves of hostility emanated from the still half-asleep chimera. "I hope you had a nice nap! I made breakfast!"
Zelgadis focused his bleary eyes on Xellos and felt the urge to smack that cheery grin with something heavy. He scanned the immediate area for something that might suit the purpose and forgot all thoughts of revenge in the face of a pot that promised hot caffeinated heaven. Pouring himself a cup, he sat down near the fire and sipped the bitter coffee with an expression that approached bliss.
Xellos smirked, but sat down to throw another piece of wood on the fire and stir the contents of a small pan set above the flames. He sipped from a mug of coffee he had poured for himself before waking up his companion, and waited.
After two cups, Zelgadis felt human again, or at least as human as a rock skinned chimera could. Certain important facts lined up for attention, but the most pressing came first. "Did you say breakfast?" Xellos passed over the pan wordlessly and watched with a half-smile as Zelgadis sniffed at it suspiciously. "What is it?"
"It's a certain type of green-skinned lizard that eats parasites only found on desert palm trees, marinated in coconut water and a type of lichen unique to desert climates." Xellos waited until Zelgadis had his mouth full before adding, "And its own bile, of course."
Zelgadis paused for a moment, then nodded and swallowed. "It's good. Thanks." He continued eating silently, alternating bites with sips of a seriously decent coffee. "So, you're not dead yet, can I assume you're feeling better?"
Xellos shrugged and gave his most bright and happy smile. "Well enough to walk circles around you, dear boy, so eat up and lets get going."
A grunt was the only response for several minutes, as Zelgadis was steadily devouring all of the food Xellos had prepared. At length, the chimera said, "Where is it we're going, anyway? All you said was that my cure would be at the end of it."
"That is a secret." The mazoku slitted one eye open, then pouted slightly when he got no reaction to his statement. "Oh, all right. We're going to a secret lab which has information on where your curse came from and hopefully how to fix it."
"Hopefully? You mean you're not sure? And why would Rezo have a lab out in the middle of nowhere like this?" For all his negativity, Zel was packing as he talked, unwilling to waste a moment of the cooler part of the day.
"Rezo didn't. I did." Xellos had started walking, ostentatiously twirling his staff and giving every indication of being sprightly and cheerful and just downright pleased with the world. The grumpy night owl chimera thought it was par for the course that the unholy irritant that was Xellos would be a morning person.
It was a few steps later that the statement sank in. "Wait, what do you mean YOU did? I'm doing all of this so that you can go back and get your old stuffed tiger or some such, aren't I? The cure will turn out to be a facial cream, or a rock polishing kit, or--"
"Why, Mister Zelgadis, how devious your mind is! Unfortunately, it's nothing anywhere near that much fun." Xel sighed and put on his poutiest face. "You see, I was once an awfully suspicious and secretive person."
"You don't say."
"Yes, well, when I wanted to hide my old research lab, I placed certain... Challenges, shall we say, in the path of any who might try to find it." The mazoku practically oozed nonchalance, which made the hairs at the back of Zel's neck stand up on end.
He asked cautiously, "What kind of challenges?"
"Oh, well, you already know about the vast desert which severely weakens magic, and that astral plane travel is impossible over it." Xellos waited for Zelgadis to give a nod in acknowledgement before he continued. "There's just a couple more small obstacles."
"Define small. And obstacle, for that matter." The hairs on the back of Zel's neck were practically dancing with the sense of impending doom.
Whatever Xellos had opened his mouth to say was drowned out by a vast roaring sound as the desert split open before them, a dust cloud swirling around and blocking out all ability to see more than a looming shadow.
"What is it?" he screamed at Xellos over the sound of the beast's shrieking. It was black and loomed above them, at least twenty feet tall. It looked like a cobra, dancing and ready to strike, the flaring of its hood seeming to blot out the sun.
"It's one of those small obstacles I mentioned, and I think now would be a good time to run." Xellos had already started following his own advice, sprinting far to the left-hand side of the creature.
The giant snake feinted towards Zel and he jumped backwards. "Surely we of all people don't have to worry about a big snake?"
Xellos picked up a large rock, about half the size of Zelgadis's head, and threw it with all his might towards the snake's head. It struck, almost faster than the eye could track, snatching the rock out of the air and biting down. There was a sharp crack and half of the rock fell to the ground in front of the chimera. Zel's rising panic was not assuaged by Xellos shouting, "Did I mention that its poison works on the astral self, as well as being lethal to human bodies?"
Zelgadis was already running as hard as he could to the right, opposite of where Xellos was running. The serpent hissed and swayed, unsure which target to follow. It made the point moot by lashing out with its tail and knocking Xellos to his knees before giving a raucous screech and diving after Zelgadis.
"Xellos! Are you all right?" Zelgadis had just enough time to pull his sword out and parry clumsily as the beast struck, one fang grazing the skin of his hand and making it feel like it had been frozen.
"Your concern is touching, but stupid." Zelgadis had time to try to shake off the pins and needles sensation as Xellos whirled his staff and attracted the serpent's attention. "Now start using that stupid sharp lump of iron or put it away and run."
"Astral vine!" It didn't do much, but he hadn't expected it to. Still, it helped a little, as a war cry if nothing else. It was all he had breath to say for some time, as it took every ounce of concentration he could muster not to get killed. It had been so long since he had had to think about defensive maneuvers that he made mistakes like a rank amateur, leaving himself open to attack. He'd managed to parry, clumsily, but he was bleeding and numb in more spots than he cared to think about, and it was sapping his energy. His sword grew heavier and heavier and he lunged into an opening, hoping to end the battle before it ended him.
The only thing that saved his life was Xellos barreling into his side and fighting the serpent's fangs with his staff. The mazoku screamed in agony as ichor dripped onto his shoulder, melting the solid outline of his form to a black haze. Just as all looked lost, a streak of fire exploded in the sky above and distracted the beast.
A split second was all the opportunity Zelgadis needed. Taking his sword in both hands, he swung it with all the power he could muster, a move that would have earned him a buffet with the flat of Roddimus's blade if the swordsmaster had seen it. The blade swung in a deadly arc, biting into the bottom of the cobra hood and slicing upwards diagonally. The body of the snake remained upright, briefly, swaying as the nerves took in the message that the head of the snake was now several yards away.
Finally, the massive body began to collapse, leading Zel to jump backwards to avoid it landing on him. He stood over the corpse for a few moments, panting and cataloguing his aches and pains. Finally, as he started wiping off his sword, he turned to Xellos. "So. What's next? And nice touch with the fireball there, I didn't even hear you send it off."
"It wasn't mine." Xel was frowning, cradling his still injured shoulder. "But if I recall correctly, the next guardian is worse."
"Worse? That thing nearly killed us! And the next one is worse? How?" Zelgadis had sheathed his sword, but re-drew it when Xellos's spoke.
"You'll see."
Author's note: Whee, a chapter that accomplished precious little plot wise, or at least nothing huge. Still, it's written, so I can move on to the next chapter, and maybe even write some more of Rebian Nights so the story of the random fireball gets told. This fic was written on behalf of Majo-chan, on the occasion of kicking hiney on one of her finals, and beta read as always by the lovely Stara Maijka, with some commentary from Elf From Space, who's frequently good for my ego. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think, and if you happen to go by http://mynuet.tripod.com/ficpoll.html you can vote on what I write next. See y'all next time. :D
"Good morning! Rise and shine, Mister Sleepy!" Xellos grinned wider as waves of hostility emanated from the still half-asleep chimera. "I hope you had a nice nap! I made breakfast!"
Zelgadis focused his bleary eyes on Xellos and felt the urge to smack that cheery grin with something heavy. He scanned the immediate area for something that might suit the purpose and forgot all thoughts of revenge in the face of a pot that promised hot caffeinated heaven. Pouring himself a cup, he sat down near the fire and sipped the bitter coffee with an expression that approached bliss.
Xellos smirked, but sat down to throw another piece of wood on the fire and stir the contents of a small pan set above the flames. He sipped from a mug of coffee he had poured for himself before waking up his companion, and waited.
After two cups, Zelgadis felt human again, or at least as human as a rock skinned chimera could. Certain important facts lined up for attention, but the most pressing came first. "Did you say breakfast?" Xellos passed over the pan wordlessly and watched with a half-smile as Zelgadis sniffed at it suspiciously. "What is it?"
"It's a certain type of green-skinned lizard that eats parasites only found on desert palm trees, marinated in coconut water and a type of lichen unique to desert climates." Xellos waited until Zelgadis had his mouth full before adding, "And its own bile, of course."
Zelgadis paused for a moment, then nodded and swallowed. "It's good. Thanks." He continued eating silently, alternating bites with sips of a seriously decent coffee. "So, you're not dead yet, can I assume you're feeling better?"
Xellos shrugged and gave his most bright and happy smile. "Well enough to walk circles around you, dear boy, so eat up and lets get going."
A grunt was the only response for several minutes, as Zelgadis was steadily devouring all of the food Xellos had prepared. At length, the chimera said, "Where is it we're going, anyway? All you said was that my cure would be at the end of it."
"That is a secret." The mazoku slitted one eye open, then pouted slightly when he got no reaction to his statement. "Oh, all right. We're going to a secret lab which has information on where your curse came from and hopefully how to fix it."
"Hopefully? You mean you're not sure? And why would Rezo have a lab out in the middle of nowhere like this?" For all his negativity, Zel was packing as he talked, unwilling to waste a moment of the cooler part of the day.
"Rezo didn't. I did." Xellos had started walking, ostentatiously twirling his staff and giving every indication of being sprightly and cheerful and just downright pleased with the world. The grumpy night owl chimera thought it was par for the course that the unholy irritant that was Xellos would be a morning person.
It was a few steps later that the statement sank in. "Wait, what do you mean YOU did? I'm doing all of this so that you can go back and get your old stuffed tiger or some such, aren't I? The cure will turn out to be a facial cream, or a rock polishing kit, or--"
"Why, Mister Zelgadis, how devious your mind is! Unfortunately, it's nothing anywhere near that much fun." Xel sighed and put on his poutiest face. "You see, I was once an awfully suspicious and secretive person."
"You don't say."
"Yes, well, when I wanted to hide my old research lab, I placed certain... Challenges, shall we say, in the path of any who might try to find it." The mazoku practically oozed nonchalance, which made the hairs at the back of Zel's neck stand up on end.
He asked cautiously, "What kind of challenges?"
"Oh, well, you already know about the vast desert which severely weakens magic, and that astral plane travel is impossible over it." Xellos waited for Zelgadis to give a nod in acknowledgement before he continued. "There's just a couple more small obstacles."
"Define small. And obstacle, for that matter." The hairs on the back of Zel's neck were practically dancing with the sense of impending doom.
Whatever Xellos had opened his mouth to say was drowned out by a vast roaring sound as the desert split open before them, a dust cloud swirling around and blocking out all ability to see more than a looming shadow.
"What is it?" he screamed at Xellos over the sound of the beast's shrieking. It was black and loomed above them, at least twenty feet tall. It looked like a cobra, dancing and ready to strike, the flaring of its hood seeming to blot out the sun.
"It's one of those small obstacles I mentioned, and I think now would be a good time to run." Xellos had already started following his own advice, sprinting far to the left-hand side of the creature.
The giant snake feinted towards Zel and he jumped backwards. "Surely we of all people don't have to worry about a big snake?"
Xellos picked up a large rock, about half the size of Zelgadis's head, and threw it with all his might towards the snake's head. It struck, almost faster than the eye could track, snatching the rock out of the air and biting down. There was a sharp crack and half of the rock fell to the ground in front of the chimera. Zel's rising panic was not assuaged by Xellos shouting, "Did I mention that its poison works on the astral self, as well as being lethal to human bodies?"
Zelgadis was already running as hard as he could to the right, opposite of where Xellos was running. The serpent hissed and swayed, unsure which target to follow. It made the point moot by lashing out with its tail and knocking Xellos to his knees before giving a raucous screech and diving after Zelgadis.
"Xellos! Are you all right?" Zelgadis had just enough time to pull his sword out and parry clumsily as the beast struck, one fang grazing the skin of his hand and making it feel like it had been frozen.
"Your concern is touching, but stupid." Zelgadis had time to try to shake off the pins and needles sensation as Xellos whirled his staff and attracted the serpent's attention. "Now start using that stupid sharp lump of iron or put it away and run."
"Astral vine!" It didn't do much, but he hadn't expected it to. Still, it helped a little, as a war cry if nothing else. It was all he had breath to say for some time, as it took every ounce of concentration he could muster not to get killed. It had been so long since he had had to think about defensive maneuvers that he made mistakes like a rank amateur, leaving himself open to attack. He'd managed to parry, clumsily, but he was bleeding and numb in more spots than he cared to think about, and it was sapping his energy. His sword grew heavier and heavier and he lunged into an opening, hoping to end the battle before it ended him.
The only thing that saved his life was Xellos barreling into his side and fighting the serpent's fangs with his staff. The mazoku screamed in agony as ichor dripped onto his shoulder, melting the solid outline of his form to a black haze. Just as all looked lost, a streak of fire exploded in the sky above and distracted the beast.
A split second was all the opportunity Zelgadis needed. Taking his sword in both hands, he swung it with all the power he could muster, a move that would have earned him a buffet with the flat of Roddimus's blade if the swordsmaster had seen it. The blade swung in a deadly arc, biting into the bottom of the cobra hood and slicing upwards diagonally. The body of the snake remained upright, briefly, swaying as the nerves took in the message that the head of the snake was now several yards away.
Finally, the massive body began to collapse, leading Zel to jump backwards to avoid it landing on him. He stood over the corpse for a few moments, panting and cataloguing his aches and pains. Finally, as he started wiping off his sword, he turned to Xellos. "So. What's next? And nice touch with the fireball there, I didn't even hear you send it off."
"It wasn't mine." Xel was frowning, cradling his still injured shoulder. "But if I recall correctly, the next guardian is worse."
"Worse? That thing nearly killed us! And the next one is worse? How?" Zelgadis had sheathed his sword, but re-drew it when Xellos's spoke.
"You'll see."
Author's note: Whee, a chapter that accomplished precious little plot wise, or at least nothing huge. Still, it's written, so I can move on to the next chapter, and maybe even write some more of Rebian Nights so the story of the random fireball gets told. This fic was written on behalf of Majo-chan, on the occasion of kicking hiney on one of her finals, and beta read as always by the lovely Stara Maijka, with some commentary from Elf From Space, who's frequently good for my ego. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think, and if you happen to go by http://mynuet.tripod.com/ficpoll.html you can vote on what I write next. See y'all next time. :D