Chapter Four: Pickle, High Priest of Shabernigdo!

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers, or any of their characters. However, I own Babbit, Yeshta, Pickle, and Slipper. Varunia belongs to my sister.

Note: This is the sequel to "The Dragon Slave Recovery Spell". Please see it for reference as to what exactly happened with Rezo. ^_^

Enjoy!

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She must have slept for days. When she came to, she was ravenously hungry and stiff, as though she had not moved for days. She sat in bed for a moment, trying to recall what exactly had happened. She had stumbled back to the inn after casting a Restoration Spell, and collapsed on her bed. She gathered her things, deciding that it was time for her to travel on. She ate a delicious breakfast at the inn, then paid and began on her way. She had decided that she ought to go see what Pickle was up to in Atlas City. If he had truly become one of Shabernigdo's little minions, the kindest thing she could do would be to put him out of his misery, before his mother found out about it.

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Surprisingly, it only took her a week to reach Atlas City. On her way there, she had found an elderly man with a cart of vegetables who was also going to Atlas City, and he was kind enough to let her ride along. In return, she had run off a group of bandits that had tried to rob him. There was one thing that bothered her, though. She hadn't seen Rezo since that day she had cast the Restoration Spell. She was beginning to miss his company. She blinked, and shook her head. Now was not the time to be concerned with things like that. After all, what kind of person simply stood in the busy streets of Atlas City and cried? At the moment, she was busy truing to locate the newly built temple of Shabernigdo in this rather large city. When she did find it, she stood in awe of it. It was much, much larger than she had expected, towering above the other nearby buildings. She walked up the steps in an almost reverent quietness. She entered the grand structure through the large entrance located at the top of a small flight of stairs. A man wearing a brown robe greeted her.

"Welcome to the Temple of Shabernigdo, home to those who fallow in his glory. How may I help you?" He whispered in a raspy voice. She had to lean over to hear him.

"I'm looking for Pickle Gabriev. Is he here today?" She asked, matching the man's voice in volume. She glanced around the grand entry hall, and wondered how long the temple had been here. The details in the decoration were absolutely amazing. The walls were covered with paintings that appeared to be simple, but when inspected they revealed marvelous detail. The white pillars that supported the ceiling had vines made of silver twining around them, and even the floor itself had carvings etched in to it.

"Ah, you wish to see High Priest Pickle? Yes, he is here today. I shall guide you to his Eminence, but he may not see you today. He is a very busy man." The man turned and led Babbit through the corridors. They passed many rooms full of men who were doing various things. In one room, the men were busy preparing some kind of meal. In another, they were studying books. In another, they were heating hot tubs of wax. Babbit didn't even want to guess what they were going to do with those. The thing that was bothering her about this whole operation was that there were no women anywhere. She presumed it was because they appeared to be some sort of monk, and dearly hoped that it was that and not a more sinister reason. Eventually, they reached a room that had a closed door. The door was made of a dark oak, studded with a large amount of metal.

"Oh great Priest Pickle, there is one who wishes to have an audience with you." The man cried in a shrill voice. A few moments passed before Pickle's voice calmly replied.

"Send them in." At Pickle's response, the man opened the door just enough for Babbit to fit through. She went in, and the man closed the door behind her. She blinked in surprise at what she saw. Pickle was sitting on an elegant throne that was at the center of a large diagram. He was wearing long and extravagant robes, which Babbit thought looked very unnatural on him. The robes varied in colors, each color managing to contrast well with Pickle's long green hair. He looked surprised for a moment, then smiled and stood up.

"Babbit! What are you doing here?" He walked up to her and shook her hand.

"I could ask you the same thing." She replied slowly.

"Oh, you mean this?" He gestured to the room, and the throne in the middle. "This is the room where I receive visions from "Shabernigdo"." He smiled. "You will stay for dinner, won't you? I'd love to hear about what's been going on outside of the Temple of Shabernigdo."

"Sure, I'll stay for dinner, but I want to know what on Earth you're talking about."

"Heh heh heh. Come on, I'll tell you after dinner." He clapped his hands loudly, summoning a monk. "Take this person to the most ornate chambers in the temple." He commanded loudly. The monk bowed, and led Babbit down the hall. As she walked, she wondered if Pickle had been possessed by a mazoku. It just wasn't like her brainless cousin to control something this big. The monk left her as soon as they reached the chambers. She was quite surprised at the size and lavish decoration of the room.

"Well... He did say the most ornate chambers in the temple." She said in wonder. Nearly every inch of the walls had grand paintings on them, as well as the ceiling. The ivory pillars that supported the ceiling had amazingly diminutive designs etched in to them. The floor itself was made of polished marble, and about half of it was covered with thick blue carpeting. There were four large windows covered by thick purple drapes, and a grand balcony at the end of the room that had a thin sky blue veil across the entrance to it. Babbit walked around the room in wonder. What kind of thing had she gotten herself in to?

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Pickle! He's Gourry and Lina's son, well, one of them anyways! What do you think of him? Is he a dork? Is he cool? Let me know by reviewing! ^_^ \/