Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are the property of Hajime Kanzaka and Shoko Yoshinaka.
Chapter Seven - Man's Road
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A Song by Jimmy Webber
Italics – Lyrics
Black – Any Narrative
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Horizon
Rising
Up to meet the purple dawn
Dust demon screaming,
Bring an eagle to lead me on
For in my heart I carry such a heavy load
Here I am on Man's road,
Walking Man's road,
Walking Man's road
The forest was thick around Zelgadis as he walked. It rained the night before and the ground was mud. He was completely miserable, even though it was not raining now. He must have been born under a very unlucky star, or a dead one. Damn Rezo! Even if the son of a bitch was dead, it still didn't hurt to damn him once in a while. If he wasn't a chimera none of this would have happened. He never would have gone to the vault in Xoanan looking for their confounded book, and then the rest would not have unfolded the way it did.
Splush!
Zel looked deliberately down. He had stepped in a very deep puddle. The water was half way up his calf. Argh! He pulled his foot out with a scowl and was about to fireball it out of temper before he stopped. That was something Lina would do, just because she was angry. Well, he was angry, but it was only a puddle. He was getting more unreasonable by the moment.
He kept walking.
After he destroyed the dungeon at the castle in Xoanan, he went with all haste to Lina's inn, the Peacock Feather. He went to the counter to inquire after her, only to have the inn keeper tell him that she had left with someone wearing tan robes – exactly like the ones he was wearing. So, that was the intent of the man I fought in the ballroom. He wanted something with Lina! Zel asked the innkeeper more questions, but the only piece of information he was able to get was that she had left with him willingingly.
Zel didn't like that.
He needed to calm down. He was practically stomping with rage. He looked off into the distance trying to relax himself. Tracking them had not been easy, since Lina had obviously put up no struggle at all, and the man she was with was naturally aware that Zel would come after them and was covering their tracks. Zel wasn't even sure if he was traveling in the right direction, but he had to go on.
Who knew what might be happening to that girl? He remembered the time he had captured her and hung her from the ceiling. Good times! She was a little fireball, just waiting to hatch. Maybe the bloke was unlucky that he had caught such an amiable little fighter. However, if he was able to fool her into believing he really was someone he wasn't . . . damn it! She could look after herself. It wasn't that she needed someone around to watch her to make sure nothing went wrong.
It wasn't so much for Lina as it was for the man he fought in the ballroom, he told himself repeatedly. Zel couldn't allow him to just wander around having stolen his appearance and voice. He hadn't imagined that anyone would ever be interested in those things about him.
There was one more thing that was on his mind. Since Lina told him that Gourry was out of the picture, he had been considering a possibility that had not before seemed possible. She had been with Gourry for as long as he had known her, but if they weren't together anymore . . . ? Would he be able to be her traveling companion? He normally thought of himself as a loner, but Lina? They could only compliment each other, both with their styles and their attitudes. Plus, they were both interested in the same things. Heck, if they were together, he would take her to go re-examine Rezo's mansions, just to see if there was anything there of value to her.
Just then, as he was walking, his knees rubbed against each other. Even though he was wearing pants, there was still the sound of stone on stone.
Everything reminded him of who he really was.
He was beginning to feel very downcast. Maybe anger was better. This is turning out to be a very miserable journey.
I'm hungry,
Weary,
But I cannot lay me down
The rain comes,
Dreary,
But there's no shelter I have found
It will be a long time till I find my abode
Here I am on Man's road,
Walking Man's road
Then there was the incident with Gourry.
Zelgadis had not entered the inn that night with the thought that he would find the swordsman. He was not looking for him.
Zel entered the dining room only to have a cup of tea while they prepared his room for him, and there was Gourry. He was sitting at a table with a curvaceous blonde on his arm. Zel couldn't decipher what Gourry had done to earn her since he was unceremoniously wolfing down a five course meal, but there she was. She was even laughing at the scene as though he were a pet of hers.
As disgusted as Zelgadis was at the sight, he wanted to ask Gourry some questions, so he refrained from walking straight out and waiting in the lobby. Instead, he walked directly to the table and grabbed Gourry by the hair, pulling his head back far enough so he could look him in the eye from behind. The gesture was effective, as in Gourry stopped eating, and yet ineffective, as in Gourry's woman did not seem to approve of the treatment. Even so, Zelgadis didn't care what she thought.
"Zelagus?" Gourry asked, swallowing what he had squirreled away in his cheeks, and looking at Zelgadis blankly.
"Zelgadis!" Zel corrected – completely irritated.
"What business do you have with Gourry-sama?" the woman asked in a shrill voice, daggers in her eyes.
Zel didn't look at her, but asked Gourry, "Where's Lina?"
"I dunno. I haven't seen her since I took on the job of . . ."
His women friend cut him off, "I don't think we know who you're talking about."
Zel let go of Gourry's hair, and sat down at the table with a shrug that involved his whole body. "You remember Lina - short girl with red hair who casts a lot of fireballs?"
"The flat chested one?" the woman asked disdainfully.
"Whatever," Zel said rolling his eyes. "Are you sure you haven't seen her?"
Gourry snapped his fingers like he had just had a brilliant idea. "Like I could forget Lina, but I have no idea where she is," he proclaimed promptly and continued eating.
"Are you looking for her?" the woman asked, apparently wishing to be as far away from Zelgadis as he wished to be away from her.
"Hai," Zel answered.
"I'm sorry to say we really don't have any idea what happened to her. I wish you luck in finding her, and hopefully improving her temper," she said, a muscle in her eye brow twitching.
It was then that Zelgadis realized something about the woman – besides her ample breast, she didn't have very thick eyebrows. In fact, it looked almost like she didn't have them. She had thick hair. Why wouldn't she have thick eyebrows? . . . Ah!
"Did you meet her fireball?" Zel asked, watching her reaction very carefully.
Sure enough, the colour rushed to her cheeks, and she huffed.
"You really ought to watch yourself when you're with that one," Zel said, favouring her with one of his classic half smiles. "Anyway, Gourry - Lina's in trouble. Do you want to come with me to help her?"
"I don't see how Gourry-sama could help. It sounds to me like you don't even know where she is," the woman said.
Zel checked his temper. The woman did have a point, he supposed. He examined Gourry. He was looking at Zel and his woman with big eyes. The poor thing didn't have any idea what was going on. Perhaps being out of Lina's influence had done quite a lot to change him. Maybe there really wasn't much point talking to him after all. Well, he would try once more before he gave up.
"Gourry," he said ignoring the woman's attempt to answer for her companion. "I think Lina is in serious trouble. I'm going to help her. Will you come with me?"
Moon rising,
Disguising
Lonely streets in gay displays
The stars fade,
The night shade falls and makes the world afraid
It waits in silence for the sky to explode
Here I am on Man's road,
Walking Man's road,
Walking Man's road
It was getting colder now on Zelgadis' road. The way just seemed to be leading further and further north. He was going to need to stop soon, for fatigue, but he wouldn't. He had to keep going. With the temperature the way it was, he was not equipped to simply lie down on the wet grass and get a decent night's sleep. Even with his humanity as meager as it was, that was something he couldn't do. He would have to keep going until he came to a town.
Yes – he was alone. He had not been able to convince Gourry's companion (a woman who wore feminine charms as some men wear swords) to allow Gourry to attend to his friends.
Zelgadis spat, and walked on alone.
Walking Man's road,
Walking Man's road,
Walking Man's road