The End of A Long Quest"

=Chapter: 2. "A Stranger Agreement"


It was getting dark when Zelgadiss left the guesthouse. Walking aimlessly without a destination in mind, he arrived at the port and let his mind lose itself in the endless sea and horizon. Ships were coming and going, evidence that sailing and trade had only grown in Sadgria now that the Demon's Barrier had disappeared. Still, it was no concern of Zelgadiss'.

He sat down on one of the pillars which the biggest ship was tied on and began to think... He had once again lost an opportunity to become completely human; the young woman called Naga was useless to him, but he would keep searching in spite of that. Then there was the fact that Naga reminded him of Amelia. Finally, pensively, he looked at the chalzen amulet he still wore on his right wrist; given to him by the princess before they parted ways. He smiled apprehensively, and not without sadness, when his mind was flooded with memories of a not so distant past: in front of his eyes flashed the memories of how he met Lina, a girl who did not trust him because of his deformed face... "A man with such a face like that, can't be good". Amelia did it, too; she called him "A very suspicious guy," although she asked for his forgiveness later, when she realized she had made a snap judgment. Yeah, in the end, Lina spent her time making fun on Zelgadiss' obsession for getting back his old self. Gourry had forced him into taking their baths in the hot springs together, even though he was ashamed of his own naked body, and, finally, Amelia did not understand why he wanted to change his appearance because she liked him the way he was... What were they trying to tell him? Perhaps they wanted to tell him that all his efforts would be in vain? As if to say that being a chimera wasn't too bad after all? What if it was like they said? Was he simply drowning in another obsession by wanting to recover his true form, by not accepting himself as he was now? Hadn't he ended up as a chimera because he was obsessed with becoming strong and powerful? Was he not dealt this hand because he could not accept his weakness? Would he centre his life around his cure, and follow the same destructive path that his grandfather Rezo had taken in his obsession to cure his blindness? It was true: he was a young boy who wanted to be someone powerful and strong; he wanted to be a great swordsman and his obsession transformed him into the monster he was now. Rezo had been born blind because one of the seven parts of Ruby Eye was sealed in his eyes, and his obsession with regaining his sight drove him to resurrect the Dark Lord, which brought them both only death. Yes, in the end obsession was going to be at his only family inheritance.

The idea of being the victim of yet another obsession appeared in front of him like a painful truth. What if Zelgadiss' desire to recovering his true self was so strong then he couldn't be happy in any way? If his continuous intention of being human again was an impediment for be happy? He could understand what his friends were trying to point out, even though it was painful. That thought produced an empty void in his stomach. If there really was no cure, then he had lost the last three years of his life in a stupid, senseless quest. Maybe it would be better to come to terms with the advantages and disadvantages of being a chimera: he walked two uniquely different paths, so he should know the advantages that came with the two forms of his existence.


Zelgadiss started to think about the matter. On one hand, he had all he had desired in his youth: he was strong, fast, and invulnerable to arms or conventional illness, he had the sixth sense of a brow demon and the expertise in Astral Magic to match. Those were the advantages, but what of the disadvantages? His body was very heavy, so much so that he could not ride a horse or travel by any vehicle that did not have the capacity for his weight, which forced him to always travel on foot. His silver hair was worse than a hedgehog's, and it stuck in and stabbed everywhere and anything. At least he only had hair on his head, and his stone skin, embedded with rocks, made him look like a horrible monster, not to mention his lack of precision in delicate matters due to the hardness of his skin. He definitely had changed a lot of the details in his daily life. Still, and most importantly was the fact that people were, and always would be, scared of him: whenever people saw him, they either pointed, in the best case (when they did not leave simply mistaking him for a leper or another person with a dreadful illness), or they attacked him because they assumed he was as a demon or a monster. Of course, the crimes he had committed under Rezo's orders only further spawned their fear and hatred. He was now an outlaw in many places because of his theft and murder in an attempt to find the Philosopher's Stone. His heart had been forged into the same stone that had become his skin, just like Rangus', another chimera whom he had met only a few weeks ago. Zelgadiss had to admit it was his first and most prominent problem, and it was the reason he always refused to have relations with other people. This last thought was followed by thoughts of his friends; it was only in with them that he could truly be himself, and the only people that could make him feel human, so much so that he may have fallen in love... As always, his face reddened when he thought about it, but it was true, and his little princess was determined to prove to him both that he liked him the way he was and that his current attitude was ridiculous. It seemed than Amelia wanted to convince him, not matter the cost, than if she could approve him in spite his looks, everybody could do that, too. But it was not only up to them. Could he himself really live with a stolen body, a demonic mind, and a human heart? If he could, maybe he should head back to Seillon to be with Amelia.

Then he felt someone's eyes on him, and indeed someone was looking at him; he turned to see a young, dark-haired boy looking at him with the same fear and fascination as someone seeing a dragon for the first time. Zel didn't say a word when as the boy reacted, yelling:

"Monster!... It's a monster!"

It was then that Zelgadiss remembered that his face was uncovered.

"Take it easy, kid! I'm not going to do anything to you!"

"AAAHHHH! HE WANTS TO EAT ME !! " the boy shouted, seeing Zelgadiss' fangs.

Zelgadiss found himself in a perplexing situation; he had no way to calm the boy down and keep him from shouting hysterically.

"HE'S A DEMON WHO IS GOING TO EAT US!!" the boy shouted again, all the more shocked, drawing the attention of passers-by, who immediately stopped to check things out. Before he knew it, Zelgadiss found himself surrounded by a frightened and verbose mob.

"GET AWAY FROM THIS INNOCENT CHILD, YOU CANNIBALISTIC MONSTER!!" a resounding voice boomed. Zelgadiss turned to see a huge guy, taller than Gourry, with his jaw completely square and a scar on his right eyebrow: a perfectly stereotypical picture of a mercenary. "I, BOLAN THE BRAVE, WILL FIGHT THIS REPULSIVE MONSTER WHO WAS THREATENING THE LIFE OF THIS BOY!" the mercenary declared pompously.

The child ran to hide himself in the crowd as Bolan unsheathed his sword; Zelgadiss' mind raced at the announcement that the huge man, who was at least two feet taller than him, was hell-bent on fighting him. It was a problem, the worst situation while he was trying to play it low key.

"Don't think you can escape from me, you blasted demon!" continued Bolan with his boasting, "Don't you fear my glorious name!? The entire world knows it was I WHO DEFEATED RUBY-EYED SHABRINGDU!!"

There were exclamations from the bystanders, but hearing this completed stunned Zelgadiss as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. His disbelief was completed by a sweat drop that appeared on his head. What is this idiot saying!?

"It's all for my dear Lala, my first and only love!!" he announced.

That was the summit, and Zelgadiss had made up his mind. Seeing that how Bolan was a complete imbecile who had convinced himself he was the one who defeated Ruby Eye, and that there was no longer any means of escape, Zel unsheathed his sword in a swift, smug movement. Through the preparation, a stray thought ran through his mind, wasn't 'Lala' the name Gourry went by when he had to dress up like a girl?

"Don't even think of begging for mercy, Monster! I will make you to disappear!!" Bolan threatened as he attacked Zelgadiss with his sword.

"The only thing I'm thinking is that you're a fool," was Zelgadiss' reply as he disarmed Bolan of his sword with one simple thrust of his arm. Bolan watched as his sword embedded its tip into the stone walk of the port. When he turned his gaze back to his opponent he found the edge of a sword against his throat.

"Leave. Now." Zelgadiss' words were calm but venomous.

"Leave him alone and go away, you demon!!" shouted the rest of the mercenaries who had gathered to watch. Positive that it was now going to take much longer to wrap this up than he initially expected, Zel clicked his tongue in annoyance as he tried to come up with a solution to end the fighting all at once.

"FIREBALL!" a female voice rang out.

A ball of incandescent flames landed in the middle of the crowd of mercenaries; Zelgadiss was able to protect himself in time as the others fell burning around him. When the smoke disappeared he heard an irritating, familiar laughter, and his eyes were greeted by a voluptuous female body.

"Naga!?" he wondered in surprise.

"It seems like trouble has a tendency to follow you, Zelgadiss Graywords," she deduced, voice filled with her natural pride.

"I'm quite able to resolve all of it by myself. I don't need your help."

Naga continued laughing while she explained, "I didn't come here to break up a fight. I was looking for you."

"What?!" Zelgadiss asked, confused.

"Now it seems I'm the one who is interested in you," the zany sorceress revealed. "You said before that you're searching for the Claire Bible. I want it, too."

Zelgadiss shot her a hard and distrusting grimace. "I see... And why do you want it?"

"Let's go to the guesthouse, I'll explain it to you over dinner," was her answer.

****

Amelia could not sleep. Try as she might to rest, she could only think of what Martina had said to her that evening. She once again turned over on her bed in the Castle of Xoana, looking up from time to time to see the creepy mask of Zomelgustar mounted atop the headboard. Sure, Martina was still half crazy, but what she, Zangulus, and Vrumugun had said to her seemed to be truthful.

"...A short time after that whole mess with Eris and her clone..." Zangulus' words echoed in her mind. "...I went to Sadgria City because it's an easy place for a mercenary to find work. While I was there, I heard about a powerful sorceress for hire who lived there and who, according to rumours, was as powerful as Lina Inverse."

Vrumugun had said that he had seen her twice. "I was surprised because she looked a bit like you and because the most obscure rumours said she was the runaway princess of some kingdom or other," he divulged in his monotone way of speaking. "She called herself 'Naga the White Serpent."

"Do you realize what this means, Amelia?" Martina had exclaimed. "If what they say is true, your sister might be that sorceress!"

"My sister!" whispered Amelia

She could be my lost older sister. She went by her nickname, she was a powerful sorceress, and the people said she was a princess. Amelia continued to think over the possibility. She remembered what had happened when those two Mazoku under Chaos Dragon Gaarv had tried to take over her country. She thought about the scar it had left on her family tree. What everyone heard was true; there was always grief in the Royal Family of Saillune. Someone was always threatening to take the crown, and it was destroying her family. That she could not deny. Even Zelgadiss, in one of his wonderfully cynical monologues, had pointed it out to her. Her Uncle Randy betrayed the Crown, followed by her cousin Alfred. She had known them both since the day she was born. Even before that her sister had disappeared. For so long, there had been problems. There were always problems, and they bit into her father and the rest of her family. She had to stop if from getting worse.

But the one thing that preoccupied her most was the feeling, the thought that she could, in fact, find her sister in Sadgria City. Amelia tried to understand why the idea felt so true, tried to search her memories. Then she saw it in her mind's eye: she had seen her sister in that city with her own eyes! When she had walked by, Amelia thought she had just imagined it, but now all the pieces were starting to fit. When had she seen her, and how? ...Let's see... I went to Sadgria with Lina and Gourry when they in hiding and they had to wear costumes so they didn't get caught by all the mercenaries in the city... Yes! That's it! Gourry was dressed as a girl when that Volun "The Brave" fell in love with Gourry and promised to help them. Poor Gourry, he was so nervous he fell to the floor, and Lina and I had tried to drag him up when I saw her, right there in front of my eyes, that girl who... That girl was my sister, Gracia!

Amelia stood up, whipping the sheets off of herself as her pulse accelerated. I've found her! Gracia was now calling herself Naga the White Serpent, and she was living as a great sorceress in Sadgria! But now what? Even if I know where she was, that's no guarantee that she's still there... Zangulus and Vrumugum did say she was there... An idea forced it's way into Amelia's head, rapidly consuming her thoughts. Sure enough, she thought of it more and more until she was convinced of what she should do. I am on a journey, aren't I? So she set off immediately for Sadgria, travelling as a princess, this time with the knowledge that this time she could find her sister. This time, she had a clue to start from. And she would be doing three things at once: meeting her sister, spreading justice, and solving one of the problems of Saillune's Royal Family. Heck, I'd even be practicing my sorcery! ...Not that I'm not strong enough already. Perhaps she would even run into her friends, or find something for them, like a treasure for Lina, or a magic sword for Gourry. Maybe a Claire Bible manuscript for Zelgadiss... Tee hee!

There was no turning back, but, for the moment, she would have to rest. Then, early tomorrow, after giving her goodbyes to Martina and company, she would go to Sadgria.

****

Meanwhile, far away in Zefiria, Lina was trying to sort out her own problems as well. Gourry was in bed in their guest room, and Luna had turned in for the night some time ago due to the fact that she had to wake up early for work the next day. Lina remained sitting in the living room consoled by a hot cup of tea. She was disturbed by her sister's reaction to their last conversation and a bit scared as well. She had told her everything that happened in the past four years. She told her how she had to use the Giga Slave to kill Rezo because Shabringdu had been sealed in his eyes. The true stories concerning the destruction of towns were revealed, including Xoana, Sairaag, and a small sector of Saillune. Finally, she related how she had defended the world against Dark Star in the Centre of the World. Inevitably, she had spoken of her friends, too. She told her sister about Gourry, who was sleeping in the next room, Zelgadiss, Rezo's grandson who was made into his own personal berserker, and Amelia, the Second Princess or Saillune. Of course, she also mentioned Xelloss, Naga, and Sylphiel.

Lina wanted to let her sister know everything that had happened, wanted her to understand how the last four years had impacted her life, but with Lina's reputation, it was hard to concern her family with such things... Luna was okay with everything she had learned, but while she listened she was always shaking her head, chiding "Now, now, now." So Lina had not divulged *everything* about the last four years, mainly because it did not seem appropriate to bring up certain topics, but also because Luna was giving off her "save it for later" vibe.

Lina was scared, as she always was in respect to her sister, but especially now. She had told her sister that she had known Gourry for about three years and that he was travelling with her as her self-proclaimed guardian. This had provoked Luna to smack her upside the head while she yelled about her dependence on a 'boy who was so dumb he couldn't remember what town he was in.' In short, Luna thought that she should have enough power to fend for herself. Flustered, Lina had tried to justify having a partner by explaining that he was the owner of the Sword of Light because he was a descendant of the man who had originally defeated Zanaffar. She had also noted that his sword had been absolutely necessary during many of their battles. The real problem was that Lina had not told her sister the entire truth about Gourry; she had not informed her about how important the swordsman was to her or how she felt about him... but it was a difficult thing to accomplish when she herself did not always recognize it. Lina blushed when she thought about it, and she was eternally incapable of understanding how she could have fallen in love with a person like Gourry. He was always asking stupid questions with obvious answers, and hardly a day would go by when he was not pointing out the in abundance of her chest. As a matter of fact, he had a habit of being utterly shocked by the idea of any man being interested in her. The more she dwelled on it, however, the more she uncovered about him. It was more probable that he was so innocent and silly that he did not realize what made her angry enough to hit him. Still, they had known each other a long time. "He has to know what sets me off, everyone else knows," she reasoned to herself. Amelia had received the occasional slap. There were no problems with Sylphiel or Filia. And Zelgadiss... was Zelgadiss his habits were set, so much so that he was the only one to brave giving her a well deserved slap. Not that she could hurt him if she tried to retaliate. Now Xelloss, he was always bothering her, and that was normal. He was a Mazoku, and, just like any other Mazoku, he enjoyed feeding off the energy generated from rage. To him, she was simply an entertaining meal.

But the case of Gourry was different; she hit him because he deserved it. Maybe he secretly liked it; he could have been a closet masochist. Or maybe he realized it was the way Lina hid her true feelings... Lina gulped her tea as she considered all the possibilities. She arrived at the conclusion that there was no turning back, even if it meant telling her sister. What would Luna do when she learned the truth? Would she hit her, saying that she was jumping into a complicated mess? That seemed like her sort of reaction, but why? Would she do it because Gourry was stupid, or did she do that sort of thing for no reason? Lina was afraid of the confrontation. She did not know what to think of it. So she sipped the last of her tea and decided the best thing she could do at the moment was to get some sleep.

***

"So, if I understand you correctly, you want a copy of the Claire Bible as well," Zelgadiss summarized as he sipped his usual glass of wine. "Why is that?"

The sorceress laughed in response to his sly inquiry. "For the same reason you want it, of course."

Zelgadiss ignored her remark. "You didn't answer my question."

"Okay... Have you ever heard of Lina Inverse, the Dark Sorceress? She's even more notorious than you." Zelgadiss looked up from his glass only to stare at her as she posed the question.

He carefully downplayed his answer, "People say she was the one who destroyed Xoana's Royal Palace."

"Exactly!" shouted Naga. "And the spell she used to do it was the Dragon Slave, one of the most powerful spells in Black Magic!"

"Don't tell me about it," Zelgadiss huffed. "You're assuming that I practice it because of my nature. In actuality, I don't." He wanted to get off the subject of Lina without betraying any knowledge of their travels together. The listening party definitely held more than a little enmity against his friend.

"Hummm!: don't tell me. Because of my nature, I prefer not practice it" Zelgadiss preferred to ignored all about before ay to Naga he knew Lina; the sorceress seems like if she had some kind enmity against his friend

"I want to find a copy of Cleir Bible where I can learn that spell or one like it" said Naga, telling her plans.

The sorcerer-chimera stared at her, trying to hide his surprise. Closed his eyes and smiled while Naga sighed of her glass.

"So you want is being a powerful sorceress." Pointed Zel.

"Yeah! She's more powerful than me in this aspect" said annoyed "It's a great treat, isn't it?: we get Cleir Bible, you for your cure and me for get more power... No one interpose the other's plans. What do you think? Would we work together?"

Zelgadiss think it a moment while he eats a bit of his dinner; closed his eyes and smiled shyly while he cleaned calmly. Naga waited till he finished.

"Sorry, Naga: I work alone!" was his answer.

"I supposed you say that." tell Naga "But don't think I'm going to agreed"

The chimera looked up and stared at her.

"I told you: I'm searching Cleir Bible because perhaps I'll find 'Drag Slave' in it. With it I could defeat Lina Invers with her own power... It's my only reason."

"You only wants power?" asked Zel a bit annoyed.

"Yes!, and money and fame!" explained Naga pompously.

Zelgadiss started to laugh with an evil tone; it was evident she was like Lina, but bugger, even she got that annoying Amelia's look. Sipped his last gulp to his glass of wine and put it in front of her.

"OK. I agreed, but under my conditions!"

"Right! There's no problem; it's logic" said Naga "Follow me; I'll show your room"

Once he was alone in his bedroom, he striped off his cape and the rest of his clothes; sat down in his bed, what shake aloud under his weight, and though about the last success: he didn't agreed in travel with that woman who wants to do everything in the most pompous way (only hearing her laughing you catch it on) but she didn't act like she wants to lie him. If he accepted was because a lot of little details he saw during the dinner: at first that sorceress didn't want to lie about she was looking for a Clear Bible and it was easier it they search together. At second, better if he watch over her because she was looking for it, and the lost thing was this kind of enmity by Lina. He wasn't afraid for her anyway, but it was better to know whit problem hid Naga with Lina for she insists so much in do that agreement. But while...

He lied down carefully and put his sword next to the pillow. The sheets smell very well, the room was clean... what more he wanted for this night?

Naga kept all her luggage in her enchanted cape for next days. She can't complain in a way, she gets what she wanted and this was a great success. Although this chimera has many bad-fame, Zelgadiss seems like someone decided a persistent; smiled satisfied with the help of that chimera could be and she's so proud of her own power as to be afraid of him. Yes, finally she became better than Lina like sorceress She heard enough hearing people saying Lina did that thing and the other thing!; she had right for defeat great power, demons and be famous. She stripped her cape and gloves from her and lied down on her bed... Tomorrow she would start her journey for look for Cleir Bible.


(Author Notes: Special thanks to Shell Presto, a great Slayers fans, who has beta-rided this story for me ^_^