Chapter twenty: The meeting.
"It's been a while," said Lina who was stuffing her face with stuffing (I made a pun ^_^), "hasn't it, Zel?" Zelgadis sipped at his cup of tea. "It has," he replied, "but our paths always to cross quite frequently." Zelgadis sipped more tea. "Why are you here, Zel?" asked Gourry, his mouth full of the best pork yakisoba he'd ever eaten. Zelgadis placed his cup of tea on the table. "I'm here for the same reason you are," he said. "I too am searching for the legendary Galleon of Gold." Naga looked sharply at Zelgadis. This is just perfect, she thought, now there'll be less gold for me. Naga slowed down her eating pace and kept her eyes glued on Zelgadis. "Why are you searching for the galleon, Mister Zelgadis?" asked Amelia, already on her third serving of fried chicken…a whole fried chicken. "For a cure," answered Zelgadis. "I heard a rumor from a man in black armor that there was supposed to be a Mirror of Cures. If I look into it, I should be able to find the cure for my condition. Then I ran into Xellos who told me that Lord Beastmaster could help me find the galleon" Amelia began to grow sad. If he finds his cure, she thought, there may be a chance that I'll never see him again.
Naga laughed. "Hooo ho ho ho hoooo!!!! Is that all you want from the mountains of treasure in the Galleon of Gold?" she said. "Um, Gracia," said Amelia, "could you please not laugh like that. It reminds me too much of mother." Naga was immediately silenced. "And what, may I ask, is wrong with wanting a cure for my appearance?" asked Zelgadis, he was starting to grow angry. "For years, I've had to live with this…this face!" All food intake had ceased. Everyone was looking at Zelgadis. "For years, I've been looked upon by others as a monster," he continued. "For years, I've been tormented by this body that is not of my own, but one that was made by Rezo. Do you know what it's like to look into a mirror or a pool of water and not see your face? Every time I see it, I grow sick." Not a word was spoken from the others. "And on top of that," added Zelgadis, "it's all my fault. Rezo offered me power and I greedily accepted it. But I never wanted this. For me, a cure is worth more than riches."
Everyone was silent for a moment, then they all began to eat, except for Amelia. It figures, thought Zelgadis, they care more about they're stomachs than anything else. He glanced over at Amelia and noticed that she was looking at him with tear filled eyes. Poor Mister Zelgadis, she thought. I never knew he felt like that. The main doors to the dining room flung open and in walked Xellos. No one paid any attention. Xellos walked over to the section of the table were our would-be heroes were eating.
"Lord Beastmaster will see you now," he said. Everyone grew afraid. They didn't want to make one of the most powerful monsters ever wait. Immediately, the stopped eating, and stood up…except for Gourry, who was still eating and paying no attention. "Gourry!" shouted Lina. Gourry stopped eating and stood up. "This way, my friends," said Xellos, leading the way to Lord Beastmaster.
There seemed to be an endless amount of turning left, and turning right while they were being led through the hallway by Xellos. They walked for about fifteen minutes until they came upon a door that didn't look as fancy as all of the others and seemed to be covered with dust. Xellos walked up to it and placed his hand upon it. "Is that the door to where Lord Beastmaster is?" asked Lina. Xellos paid no notice and continued to move his hand across the door. Dust was falling to as his hand moved upon the surface of the door. "Are you listening to me?" shouted Lina. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lina," said Xellos. "It's just been a while since I had to use a door to see Lord Beastmaster. There is supposed to be some kind of switch hidden somewhere on the door." Xellos moved his hand across the door even slower. "Forget it," said Xellos. He pulled his hand back, made a fist, and knocked the door down. A large cloud of dust flew up from the door as if it hadn't been used in a thousand years. Lina and the others covered their eyes and mouths. "You may now enter," said Xellos. Everyone walked slowly through the dust cloud and into a dark room.
Lina and the others coughed as they made it through the dust cloud. "Dammit," said Lina, "why does that dust have to be so thick." She coughed even harder. They uncovered their eyes only to see blackness. The blackness was so dense that not even the light from the doorway was able to pierce it. "Naga," said Lina, "what can you see anything?" "No," replied Naga. "I can't even see my hands and they're right in front of my face." A soft laugh echoed through the room. "W-Who's there!?" shouted Alexandria. "I don't think I like the sound of that laugh," said Amelia. The laugh ceased, and was replaced by a voice. "Welcome, Lina Inverse," said the voice. A bright light appeared in the middle of the room and inside the light was a woman that was lying on an oddly shaped sofa. She had red hair, and was wearing a silk dress colored magenta. She had a golden bracer on her left arm that coiled around it. Her dress had only one strap, which was on the right shoulder, and there was a shoulder pad on that shoulder with gold on the edges. Her eyes were a deep red. And her ears resembled those of an elf.
"You must be Lord Beastmaster," said Lina. The lady smiled. "Indeed I am," she said, "but you don't need to address me by that title, nor do any of your friends." "Then what should we address you as?" asked Lina. "You may address me by my name," replied Lord Beastmaster, "Zelas. Zelas Metallium." "Okay, Zelas," said Lina, "let's get down to business. How can you assist us in finding the Galleon of Gold?" "Ah, yes," said Zelas, "my assistance is what I had intended to offer, and offer it I shall." Everyone was waiting to hear how Lord Beastmaster was going to help. Zelas looked upon the humans, one by one. "As you may already know," continued Zelas, "the Galleon of Gold is a ship that was cursed to wander the oceans forever by Deep-Sea Dolphin. Whatever is on that ship must be extremely important because Dolphin has allied with Dynast Grausherra to keep you from reaching it." "That really isn't much help, Zelas," said Lina, "because we already know about Dynast. So just cut the chase, will ya? And drop the act. Real booze swindling, smokers don't sound that way." Zelas let out a deep sigh. "What a relief," she said. "It was getting hard to keep on talking like that. Anyway, I want you to find whatever is SOOO precious on that little tugboat and bring it to me. To help you do this, I will open a dimensional fold that will zap you straight to the galleon. If you return with what I seek, I will have my servants gather the gold on the ship and bring it here were you can split it amongst yourselves."
"Really?" asked a very, VERY happy Lina Inverse. "Yup," replied Zelas. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "I'm getting kinda thirsty," she said. "Xellos, fetch me a bottle of rum." "Yes, Lord Beastmaster," answered Xellos. "Enough with 'Lord Beastmaster' already. You're off duty today," said Zelas. "Yes, mother," said Xellos as he walked over to a corner of the room and grabbed a bottle of rum. "Wait a minute," said Lina, "you're Xellos's mother?" "Yeah," replied Zelas. "Is that so hard to believe?" "Uh..no," said Lina, "not at all."
Xellos walked up to Zelas and handed her the bottle. "Here's your rum," he said. Zelas grabbed the bottle. "Thank you, Xellie," said Zelas. Zelas reached out and pinched Xellos's cheek. "Oooh, you're soo cute," said Zelas. Xellos's face grew red. "Mother," he said, "not in front of the guys." Zelas let go of Xellos's face and uncorked the bottle of rum. She turned her attention back to her human guests. "I will allow you rest before I have you set out on this task," said Zelas, "for tomorrow, you will be on board the Galleon of Gold." "Alright," shouted Lina, "that gold's as good as mine." "Hey, Lina," said Naga, "don't count me out. I still get part of it."
"It's been a while," said Lina who was stuffing her face with stuffing (I made a pun ^_^), "hasn't it, Zel?" Zelgadis sipped at his cup of tea. "It has," he replied, "but our paths always to cross quite frequently." Zelgadis sipped more tea. "Why are you here, Zel?" asked Gourry, his mouth full of the best pork yakisoba he'd ever eaten. Zelgadis placed his cup of tea on the table. "I'm here for the same reason you are," he said. "I too am searching for the legendary Galleon of Gold." Naga looked sharply at Zelgadis. This is just perfect, she thought, now there'll be less gold for me. Naga slowed down her eating pace and kept her eyes glued on Zelgadis. "Why are you searching for the galleon, Mister Zelgadis?" asked Amelia, already on her third serving of fried chicken…a whole fried chicken. "For a cure," answered Zelgadis. "I heard a rumor from a man in black armor that there was supposed to be a Mirror of Cures. If I look into it, I should be able to find the cure for my condition. Then I ran into Xellos who told me that Lord Beastmaster could help me find the galleon" Amelia began to grow sad. If he finds his cure, she thought, there may be a chance that I'll never see him again.
Naga laughed. "Hooo ho ho ho hoooo!!!! Is that all you want from the mountains of treasure in the Galleon of Gold?" she said. "Um, Gracia," said Amelia, "could you please not laugh like that. It reminds me too much of mother." Naga was immediately silenced. "And what, may I ask, is wrong with wanting a cure for my appearance?" asked Zelgadis, he was starting to grow angry. "For years, I've had to live with this…this face!" All food intake had ceased. Everyone was looking at Zelgadis. "For years, I've been looked upon by others as a monster," he continued. "For years, I've been tormented by this body that is not of my own, but one that was made by Rezo. Do you know what it's like to look into a mirror or a pool of water and not see your face? Every time I see it, I grow sick." Not a word was spoken from the others. "And on top of that," added Zelgadis, "it's all my fault. Rezo offered me power and I greedily accepted it. But I never wanted this. For me, a cure is worth more than riches."
Everyone was silent for a moment, then they all began to eat, except for Amelia. It figures, thought Zelgadis, they care more about they're stomachs than anything else. He glanced over at Amelia and noticed that she was looking at him with tear filled eyes. Poor Mister Zelgadis, she thought. I never knew he felt like that. The main doors to the dining room flung open and in walked Xellos. No one paid any attention. Xellos walked over to the section of the table were our would-be heroes were eating.
"Lord Beastmaster will see you now," he said. Everyone grew afraid. They didn't want to make one of the most powerful monsters ever wait. Immediately, the stopped eating, and stood up…except for Gourry, who was still eating and paying no attention. "Gourry!" shouted Lina. Gourry stopped eating and stood up. "This way, my friends," said Xellos, leading the way to Lord Beastmaster.
There seemed to be an endless amount of turning left, and turning right while they were being led through the hallway by Xellos. They walked for about fifteen minutes until they came upon a door that didn't look as fancy as all of the others and seemed to be covered with dust. Xellos walked up to it and placed his hand upon it. "Is that the door to where Lord Beastmaster is?" asked Lina. Xellos paid no notice and continued to move his hand across the door. Dust was falling to as his hand moved upon the surface of the door. "Are you listening to me?" shouted Lina. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lina," said Xellos. "It's just been a while since I had to use a door to see Lord Beastmaster. There is supposed to be some kind of switch hidden somewhere on the door." Xellos moved his hand across the door even slower. "Forget it," said Xellos. He pulled his hand back, made a fist, and knocked the door down. A large cloud of dust flew up from the door as if it hadn't been used in a thousand years. Lina and the others covered their eyes and mouths. "You may now enter," said Xellos. Everyone walked slowly through the dust cloud and into a dark room.
Lina and the others coughed as they made it through the dust cloud. "Dammit," said Lina, "why does that dust have to be so thick." She coughed even harder. They uncovered their eyes only to see blackness. The blackness was so dense that not even the light from the doorway was able to pierce it. "Naga," said Lina, "what can you see anything?" "No," replied Naga. "I can't even see my hands and they're right in front of my face." A soft laugh echoed through the room. "W-Who's there!?" shouted Alexandria. "I don't think I like the sound of that laugh," said Amelia. The laugh ceased, and was replaced by a voice. "Welcome, Lina Inverse," said the voice. A bright light appeared in the middle of the room and inside the light was a woman that was lying on an oddly shaped sofa. She had red hair, and was wearing a silk dress colored magenta. She had a golden bracer on her left arm that coiled around it. Her dress had only one strap, which was on the right shoulder, and there was a shoulder pad on that shoulder with gold on the edges. Her eyes were a deep red. And her ears resembled those of an elf.
"You must be Lord Beastmaster," said Lina. The lady smiled. "Indeed I am," she said, "but you don't need to address me by that title, nor do any of your friends." "Then what should we address you as?" asked Lina. "You may address me by my name," replied Lord Beastmaster, "Zelas. Zelas Metallium." "Okay, Zelas," said Lina, "let's get down to business. How can you assist us in finding the Galleon of Gold?" "Ah, yes," said Zelas, "my assistance is what I had intended to offer, and offer it I shall." Everyone was waiting to hear how Lord Beastmaster was going to help. Zelas looked upon the humans, one by one. "As you may already know," continued Zelas, "the Galleon of Gold is a ship that was cursed to wander the oceans forever by Deep-Sea Dolphin. Whatever is on that ship must be extremely important because Dolphin has allied with Dynast Grausherra to keep you from reaching it." "That really isn't much help, Zelas," said Lina, "because we already know about Dynast. So just cut the chase, will ya? And drop the act. Real booze swindling, smokers don't sound that way." Zelas let out a deep sigh. "What a relief," she said. "It was getting hard to keep on talking like that. Anyway, I want you to find whatever is SOOO precious on that little tugboat and bring it to me. To help you do this, I will open a dimensional fold that will zap you straight to the galleon. If you return with what I seek, I will have my servants gather the gold on the ship and bring it here were you can split it amongst yourselves."
"Really?" asked a very, VERY happy Lina Inverse. "Yup," replied Zelas. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "I'm getting kinda thirsty," she said. "Xellos, fetch me a bottle of rum." "Yes, Lord Beastmaster," answered Xellos. "Enough with 'Lord Beastmaster' already. You're off duty today," said Zelas. "Yes, mother," said Xellos as he walked over to a corner of the room and grabbed a bottle of rum. "Wait a minute," said Lina, "you're Xellos's mother?" "Yeah," replied Zelas. "Is that so hard to believe?" "Uh..no," said Lina, "not at all."
Xellos walked up to Zelas and handed her the bottle. "Here's your rum," he said. Zelas grabbed the bottle. "Thank you, Xellie," said Zelas. Zelas reached out and pinched Xellos's cheek. "Oooh, you're soo cute," said Zelas. Xellos's face grew red. "Mother," he said, "not in front of the guys." Zelas let go of Xellos's face and uncorked the bottle of rum. She turned her attention back to her human guests. "I will allow you rest before I have you set out on this task," said Zelas, "for tomorrow, you will be on board the Galleon of Gold." "Alright," shouted Lina, "that gold's as good as mine." "Hey, Lina," said Naga, "don't count me out. I still get part of it."